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Thursday, September 1, 2011

Open Letter to a New Principal (Heather Wolpert-Gawron) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

Open Letter to a New Principal (Heather Wolpert-Gawron) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice:

Open Letter to a New Principal (Heather Wolpert-Gawron)

Heather Wolpert-Gawron is a middle school teacher in San Gabriel (CA). I read her “open letter” to an incoming principal. After writing about Joe Clark, Harry, and Edna in the previous post, I thought that a teacher’s perspective on what she expects of a new principal might underscore the multiple demands–the DNA of the job– that principals in the U.S. face. Some questions to consider: which of the roles that principals must play does Wolpert-Gawron urge the newcomer to perform? Are these expectations similar for principals in other nations?

Dear Sir:

You are the latest in a list of accomplished and energetic principals we have had over the course of this decade. As you know, we’ve had 5 principals in 9 years. The nomadic ebb and flow of our administration has taken its toll