Dr. Young shares insight from various training and roles to help program directors and staff establish a positive relationship with school principals and encourage them to be champions of after school.
To wrap up National Principals Month, we interviewed Paul Young, PhD, author and former president and CEO of the National After School Association (NAA).
Young also served as an elementary school principal in the late 90s as well as the president of the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) in 2002-2003. With his experience, Young provides a unique and valuable perspective to the relationship of principals and program directors.
In the following Q&A, Dr. Young shares insight from various trainings and roles to help program directors and staff establish a positive relationship with school principals and encourage them to be champions of after school.
The most important thing I could give was my time. There were always growing pains, doubts, disagreements and questions that I had to address, and as principal, could provide a definitive answer. I couldn’t let naysayers derail our vision. The program champions (who served as program and volunteer coordinators) and I met frequently focusing on our program vision.
With the experience I had in developing after school programs as both a principal and an independent provider, I joined NAA and NAESP’s training programs to help principals and after school leaders align the leaning day.
During those trainings in dozens of states, we asked principals what they wanted to see in a program, but more specifically, what they expected of the program’s director. Consistently, their responses indicated that they wanted after school program leaders to:
Obviously, principals expected a high-quality program, especially those housed in their schools. Principals recognized, however, that program quality was highly connected to the capacities of the program staff – particularly the program leader.
Principals want after school providers to be leaders. That’s why I wrote Lead the Way: 24 Leadership Lessons for Afte0r School Program Directors (now sold via Gryphon House). All too often, leading an after school program is the first real leadership role for young directors, and many are at a loss as to what to do and how to act. But they can learn, and when they do, principals notice.
So during those same trainings, we also asked after school program leaders to state what they wanted principals to know about their program and how they could provide support. The ten statements that follow represent a summary from numerous trainings across the country:
To quote Dr. James Comer, “No significant learning occurs without a significant relationship.” Teachers do not obtain results with students without developing relationships with their students. Principals can’t lead unless they gain permission to do so from their staff. They attain that permission through developing relationships. Likewise, principals and after school leaders will never be able achieve results if there are doubts about each other’s competence, commitment, or the quality of their relationships.
Success comes from regular contact, open and honest communication, feedback, trust, and mutual support. It is impossible to collaborate without communicating, and I feel effective communication is best achieved in face-to-face settings rather than through email. To help principals and after school leaders engage with each other, I wrote Principal Matters, 101 Tips for Creating Collaborative Relationships Between After School Programs and School Leaders (now sold via Gryphon House).
The intent was to provide conversations starters about program vision, organization, infrastructure, advocacy, student learning, community engagement, personal care, professional development, and more. Where leaders have used the book, the tips and questions posed within it have led to deeper levels of understanding of each other’s roles and program growth.
We also developed a weekly 20-minute meeting format to help principals and after school focus on program development and intervention strategies.
NAESP addressed this question and outlined what it means to be a champion for after school in their 2006 standards publication, Leading After School Learning Communities: What Principals Should Know and Be Able to Do. The association encouraged its members to:
My program champions followed these strategies and more. They were public relations experts, brought human resources to the program that I alone could not have leveraged, and spread by word-of-mouth the benefits of mentoring our school’s youth and providing opportunities for everyone in and out of school.
I think it’s as simple as following the Golden Rule. Treat others as you want them to treat you. If you hide in your office and don’t solicit support, don’t criticize principals who fail to speak to you. If you stay out of sight, you will likely be out of mind. Demonstrate competence, confidence, cooperation, and commitment to the students and families in your care.
Principals will notice the good things that happen after school on your watch. They will champion your work as they would regular-day teachers who attain excellence in the classroom.
Champions don’t just appear, they are earned!