The principalship is where the rubber meets the road. Here, three female
principals share the skills and strategies that spell success for their schools.
P 1. 8 Leadership
rincipals are the front-line ad- ministrators being asked to do more with less – strengthening teaching and learning, main-
taining morale and building a culture of trust, and creating high expectations while managing scarce resources. Given the chal- lenging roles that these school leaders play, giving voice to principals’ needs as well as their successes is important to ACSA. Last October, ACSA and the American
Association of School Administrators held the first-ever Women in School Leadership Forum in San Diego. One highlight of the forum was a panel discussion conducted by three ACSA principals: Minerva Gandara, Kim Hendricks and Teresa López Alonzo. They have agreed here to share in a Q&A format the insights and perceptions they offered at the forum.
What new initiatives exist at your school that didn’t exist there before
you were principal? Minerva Gandara: Valadez Middle School
Academy is a new school, and we have just
completed our third year. As a staff, we wanted to include initiatives that would keep kids coming to school. We seek out partnerships and resources that we make available to our students and families. We knew we had to create an environment and culture that included the social, emotional, and academic aspect of each student. The teachers are committed to building
relationships with the students and provid- ing a safe environment for them to thrive. We want to focus on what the students and teachers are doing right and have instituted a Positive Behavior Intervention System. We have created a college-bound culture
to accelerate academic achievement for all students through a college preparatory cul- ture and curriculum. We believe in prepar- ing our students to enter the college of his or her choice and to have every opportunity available to them. We provide a “University Pathways Community Event” for our par-
By Minerva Gandara, Kim Hendricks and Teresa López Alonzo
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