This week, Florida TaxWatch released “Fostering School Success: Unveiling the Effective Strategies of Florida’s Top Principals.”
This report provides a summary of a May 2023 roundtable discussion with five distinguished principals who were recognized through the government watchdog’s 2022-23 Principal Leadership Awards, which is an annual program – established in 2013 and still unlike any other program in the country – that identifies and rewards principals who are creating meaningful change in their at-risk K-12 schools across the state.
Florida TaxWatch President and CEO Dominic Calabro weighed in on the report.
“The role of the principal cannot be overstated. Next to teachers, they have the most significant influence on students’ academic achievement, and a truly effective principal has an impact equivalent to an additional three months of learning per year. They are also uniquely capable of empowering and inspiring those around them – both students and teachers – which enables them to transform mediocre or even at-risk schools into great schools,” Calabro said.
“Florida TaxWatch’s one-of-a-kind Principal Leadership Awards program celebrates principals who are responsible for those kind of transformations here in Florida. We are immensely grateful to all the principals who have been recognized through this program to date, and we thank them for their willingness to share their experiences and insight, helping ensure their best practices may be replicated throughout the state,” he added. “While this report is not a ‘deep dive’ into the ideas and issues presented by the 2022-23 winning principals, Florida TaxWatch proudly presents it as a starting point for further discussion among those in the education realm, particularly policymakers, and we stand ready to assist them as appropriate before, during, and after the upcoming 2024 Legislative Session.”
The roundtable participants discussed philosophies, strategies, challenges, and best practices of effective principals, including:
Attracting and retaining high-quality teachers;
Developing teachers;
Building a productive school culture;
Building relationships with stakeholders beyond the building; and
Managing time and personnel.
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