In This Issue…

Effective principals play a pivotal role in creating schools in which students and teachers thrive. The ability to nurture a positive learning culture, provide an effective instructional program, and apply best practices to student learning is the key to school success. Articles in this edition of Bulletin offer unique ideas for principals to consider as they think about their work. It is my hope that readers will find new perspectives on how schooling can be improved and how the exercise of leadership influences this improvement.

School counselors play an important role in ensuring that students have excellent educational experiences. In the lead article, researchers Jones and Pijanowski surveyed school counselors to understand the impact of COVID-19 on their well-being and self-care. Additionally, the survey asked how school leaders might improve the well-being of school counselors. Findings from the study indicate that counselors failed to meet basic well-being benchmarks and are experiencing increased counselor role ambiguity, mission creep, and high caseloads that contribute to stress and burnout. Several recommendations for significant ways that the school leader can promote a healthy workplace culture and make the school counseling profession healthier and more sustainable are presented.

During the last 30 years, school choice programs have undergone dramatic expansion. These programs have altered the education landscape in fundamental ways by increasing competition in school systems resulting in the need for school leaders to act as marketers for their schools. Researcher Reid centers his attention on how principals describe their role as marketers for their schools and how these perceptions influence the ways in which they engage in their daily work. Findings from the study suggest principals spend a significant amount of their time engaging in various forms of marketing for their schools. Principals also reported that various forms of marketing activities influence their traditionally thought-of-daily work, such as being present in classrooms. Principals will find this article especially insightful for its recommendations on how they can engage in marketing activities to promote their school and build a brand that is recognizable to the community.

Dual enrollment programs aren’t a new idea, but they’ve grown in popularity over the last decade. To better understand the implications of the expansion of dual enrollment programs, researchers Hornbeck, Malin, Duncheon, and Tan, surveyed high school principals to understand their perceptions of dual enrollment access, participation, and governance. Findings indicate principals have mixed views about dual enrollment policy and have concerns about rigor and how much power the higher education institutes have in governance. Principals in the study also noted that they are concerned about inequities that exist in the dual enrollment space. Several recommendations for policy consideration on dual enrollment programs are highlighted.

School principals face many challenges, especially in their first year. These challenges often lead to emotional and mental stress resulting in high attrition rates of beginning principals. In the final article, researchers, Halevi and Schechter, examine factors that boost principals’ sense of resilience in their first year as well as those that undermine it. Findings revealed five categories of factors that boost a beginning principal's resilience: (1) growth resulting from biographical events; (2) short-term successes; (3) supportive environment; (4) drawing strength from the student environment; (5) acceptance by the staff. Categories of factors that undermine a beginning principal's resilience are also presented. This article proposes several ways of coping with the challenges of the principalship by strengthening principals’ resilience.

As you read this issue, I hope you will gather ideas that will help you move your school forward. Each article is a “must read”!

- Pamela Salazar, Editor