Strategies for School Leaders That Promote School Improvement

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Every school administrator should continuously look for new ways to improve their school. Being fresh and innovative should be balanced with continuity and steadiness so that you get a nice mix of the old with the new. 

The following 10 strategies for improving schools provide a starting place for administrators seeking to offer fresh, engaging activities to all members of the school community.

Write a Weekly Newspaper Column

How: It will highlight the school’s successes, focus on individual teachers' efforts, and give student recognition. It will also deal with challenges that the school is facing and needs that you have.

Why: Writing the newspaper column will allow the public the opportunity to see what is going on within the school on a weekly basis. It will allow them the opportunity to see both the successes and obstacles that the school is facing.

Have a Monthly Open House/Game Night

How: Every third Thursday night of each month from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., hold an open house/game night. Each teacher will design games or activities geared toward the particular subject area they are teaching at the time. Parents and students will be invited to come in and participate in the activities together. 

Why: This will allow parents the opportunity to come into their children’s classroom, visit with their teachers, and participate in activities about subject areas that they are currently learning. It will allow them to be more actively involved in their children’s education and foster greater communication with their teachers.

Thursday Lunch With Parents

How: Each Thursday, a group of 10 parents will be invited to eat lunch with the principal. They will have lunch in a conference room and talk about issues that are current at the school.

Why: This allows parents the opportunity to become comfortable with administrators and teachers and to express both concerns and positive thoughts about the school. It also allows the school to be more personalized and gives parents the opportunity to provide input.

Implement a Greeter Program

How: Every nine weeks, 10 eighth-graders will be selected to participate in the greeter program. There will be two students greeting per class period. Those students will greet all visitors at the door, walk them to the office, and assist them as needed.

Why: This program will make visitors feel more welcome. It will also allow the school to present a more friendly and personalized environment. Good first impressions are important. With friendly greeters at the door, most visitors will come away with a good first impression.

Have Monthly Potluck Lunch

How: Each month, teachers will get together and bring food for a potluck lunch. There will be door prizes at each of these lunches. Teachers are free to socialize with other teachers and staff while enjoying good food.

Why: This will allow the staff to sit down together once a month and relax while they eat. It will provide an opportunity for relationships and friendships to develop, and a time for the staff to pull together and have some fun.

Recognize a Teacher of the Month

How: The teacher of the month will be voted on by the faculty. Each teacher who wins the award will receive recognition in the paper, their own personal parking space for the month, a $50 gift card to the mall, or a $25 gift card for a nice restaurant.

Why: This will allow individual teachers to be recognized for their hard work and dedication to education. It will mean more to that individual since they were selected by their peers.

Conduct a Yearly Business Fair

How: Invite several businesses in your community to participate in an annual business fair. The entire school will spend a few hours learning important things about those businesses such as what they do, how many people work there, and what skills are needed to work there.

Why: This allows the business community the opportunity to come into the school and show kids what all they do and be a part of the students’ education. It provides the students with opportunities to see if they are interested in working at a particular business.

Presentation by Business Professionals for Eighth-Graders

How: Guests from the community will be invited to discuss the how’s and what’s of their particular career. People will be chosen so that their particular career relates to a specific subject area. For example, a geologist might speak in the science class or a news anchor might speak in a language arts class.

Why: This allows businesspeople from the community the opportunity to share what their career is all about with the students. It allows students to see a variety of possible career choices, ask questions, and find out interesting things about various careers.

Begin a Volunteer Reading Program

How: Ask people in the community who would like to get involved with the school, but do not have children who are in school, to volunteer as part of a reading program for students with lower reading levels. The volunteers may come in as often as they wish and read books one-on-one with the students.

Why: This allows people the opportunity to volunteer and get involved in the school even if they are not parents of school children within the district. It also provides students the opportunity to improve their reading abilities and get to know people within the community.

Start a Sixth-Grade Living History Program

How: The sixth-grade social studies class will be assigned an individual from the community who volunteers to be interviewed. Students will interview that person about their lives and events that have happened during their lives. The student will then write a paper about that person and give a presentation to the class. 

Why: This allows students the opportunity to get to know people within the community. It also allows members of the community to assist the school system and to get involved with the school. It involves people from the community who may not have been involved in the school system before.

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Meador, Derrick. "Strategies for School Leaders That Promote School Improvement." ThoughtCo, Aug. 25, 2020, thoughtco.com/strategies-that-promote-school-improvement-3194585. Meador, Derrick. (2020, August 25). Strategies for School Leaders That Promote School Improvement. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/strategies-that-promote-school-improvement-3194585 Meador, Derrick. "Strategies for School Leaders That Promote School Improvement." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/strategies-that-promote-school-improvement-3194585 (accessed March 28, 2024).