Day One Edition: Help Your Teachers Set Up for the New School Year
A Comprehensive Support Guide for School Leaders
The first day of school is fast approaching.
And as we all know, the first day of school can be one of the best days of the school year, while at the same time, it can also be one of the most terrifying days as well.
So here’s what I’m going to do with this edition of the Principal’s Academy newsletter. I want to walk you through how you can provide the most help and support to your staff—so they can set up their classrooms the right way this year.
How Day One Can Go Very Wrong?
What makes Day One so incredible is the mindset.
Everyone comes back to school with a sense of “renewal” and Day One is a chance to get things right this year.
Whatever happened last school year is over—and now we can try and do better this school year.
But here’s a common problem I see in schools across the country.
“Are you really going to do better this year and correct your mistakes or are you just going to do the same thing over again and expect a different result?”
“Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity” — Unknown
In order to avoid making this common mistake—here’s your first action item.
Action Item #1—Make a List
What kind of list? Make a list of all the mistakes you made last year and your proposal to correct them this year.
Sustaining the Excitement
What makes Day One so incredible is that everyone has a happy and positive mindset.
The problem is—that positive mindset won’t last very long.
So what if there was a way to sustain the positivity?
That’s why I recommend this as your second action item.
Action Item #2—Create a Team Environment
Later in this newsletter edition, I will go into more detail about the research that proves team environments can help boost teacher morale, as well as boost student achievement.
This is a Free Preview of the Principal’s Academy Newsletter
Welcome to your Free Preview of the Principal’s Academy newsletter. If you are a principal or a school leader—then you’re going to want to pay close attention to everything in this edition. And here’s why?
I’m going to give you action items that you can implement today into your school to make school improvement
I’m going to share with you academic research that proves a concept you might not have known before
I’m going to show you how you can become a better leader immediately
I created this newsletter just for you!
Yes, the principal, vice-principal or school leader who is trying to fight the K12 system on your own. And if you feel like a salmon swimming upstream all the time, now you don’t have to swim upstream alone anymore.
And that’s because this newsletter has your back.
When you say YES to being a paid member, you will also being saying YES to receiving this newsletter in your inbox every single month. And if you’re curious what that looks like—this is why this Day One edition is a FREE PREVIEW!
Now you can see what type of quality K12 advice you can expect from this newsletter.
But that’s not all!
When you become a paid member, you also unlock the ability to make comments, ask questions and interact with me directly.
Academic Research
What Makes a Team Different from a Collaboration?
Before I walk you through this research, did you realize teams and collaborations weren’t the same thing?
It’s ok if the answer is no—the truth is most principals and school leaders were never taught this academic research in school, therefore how could you know? Regardless, here’s what the research says:
Our story begins with an Italian economist from back in the early part of the 20th century named Vilfredo Pareto. And what Pareto discovered was that 80% of all the wealth in developed nations was owned by only 20% of the population. Since his discovery—this research has been referred to as the “Pareto Principle.”
This principle has fascinated psychologists for over 100 years and that’s because they have been wondering if this 80/20 rule applies to all human behavior. So in the 1950s, American psychologist Dr. Joseph Juran began studying the Pareto Principle in workplace environments. And this is what he found:
When you ask people to work collaboratively on a project, 80% of the project work will be done by only 20% of the people on that project.
What this means is when a teacher creates a group project in class—only 20% of the students in that group will do 80% of the work.
And here’s why that’s a problem.
Because the 80% of students who didn’t do as much work will get the same grade and the same credit as the 20% of the students who did the majority of the project.
And the same thing happens when you create a teacher collaboration.
Yes, only 20% of your teachers will produce 80% of the collaboration and yet all the teachers will get the same amount of credit.
Therefore if you want to know why teacher morale is low and there’s a general sense of resentment and anger in your school building—its because the teachers who do all the work—do not get recognized fairly for their contribution.
Hence the reason why so many teachers feel under-appreciated.
In order to combat this lack of credit—I recommend you follow the third action item.
Action Item #3— Learn the Five Stages of 21st Century Team Building
The Benefits of Membership
Wasn’t learning about the Pareto Principle cool?
When you become a paid member, you can expect to learn more cool stuff about academic research that the University system forgot to teach you. Maybe it was an oversight on their part—or maybe there’s something else going on.
Regardless, if you’re trying to change the system or make school improvement—you must know about these academic concepts and academic research. Otherwise, you’re just going to keep feeling like your swimming upstream all the time.
Would you like to finally get over the hump?
That’s why you should become a paid member today!
Start The Year Off on the Right Foot
“You never get a second chance to make a first impression.”
How true is that statement?
For 10 years, I ran a Teacher Bootcamp the week before school started. That’s right—I would walk teachers through everything they might face in class and throughout the year—so that they would be more prepared than they were last year.
How would you like to show your teachers that you’re in charge and on top of everything that happens in the school?
When you can show your teachers that you’re more prepared for the school year—it makes them feel less anxious. And that reduction in anxiety—increases teacher morale and also confidence in your leadership.
Isn’t that what you want?
Don’t you want teachers to feel like you’re a good leader?
The Proof is in the Pudding
Most principals think they can “tell” teachers “I’m a good leader,” and then they can walk back to their office and call it a day. The problem is —that’s not how good leadership works.
And you know that.
A leader needs to show—not tell.
So how are you going to show your teachers that you’re a better leader this year?
This is one of the many reasons why you should become a member of the Principal’s Academy. I want you to use me as your leadership mentor. That means, my job is to help you become a better leader. My job is to share with you academic research that you might not know about.
My job is to help you be more prepared, so that your teachers become less anxious and less resentful. Because the minute you can calm your teachers down, then you have a good shot of earning their trust.
And trust is the foundation of a supportive school environment.
Are You an “Out of the Box” Thinker?
I have spent 20 years of my career working inside the K12 system, first as a teacher then as a principal and later as a school superintendent. At every level, you realize that what you thought the job was going to be—is nothing like the job actually is in reality.
And that epiphany can be hard to reconcile.
But here’s what every principal and school leader needs to know:
If you want to be a true leader of your school, then you must divorce yourself from the old way of thinking. Leaders do not follow bad ideas—leaders think “outside the box” and come up with new ideas, new innovations and new solutions.
Are you an out of the box thinker?
The Key to Changing Your Mindset
The only way to become an “out of the box” thinker is to change your mindset.
If you don’t change your mindset—then you’re going to fall back on old ideas and make the same mistakes that everyone else keeps making. Do you want to keep doing what doesn’t work?
Or do you want to make school improvement?
If the answer is “I Want to Make School Improvement!”
Then you need to change your mindset.
So, here’s what I want you to do.
Imagine yourself looking in the mirror. While you’re looking into that mirror, I want you to ask yourself this question: “Do I want to lead or do I just want to follow someone else’s ideas?”
And if your honest answer is —"I want to lead and come up with new ideas”—then here are 9 things I recommend you do:
Write down your school goals for the year
Plot out a strategic plan to reach those goals in one year (not 3-5 years)
Outline all the potential roadblocks and obstacles you might face
Pre-plan potential solutions for those roadblocks
Create a process to collect data and feedback from your stakeholders
Plan to do data and feedback analysis
Draw conclusions from that analysis reporting
Be open minded to admit you “got it wrong.”
Be a leader, self-reflect and be open to doing better the next time
Too Much, Too Fast??
My goal with this Free Preview is not to overwhelm you. My goal is to show you the extent of expertise that I have in K12 education. I want you to know that I can handle any question you might ask me.
And that’s because when you become a paid member—I will become your leadership mentor. That’s right—you will get access to me through this newsletter to ask questions, make comments or even describe a specific school situation you might be facing.
This is a brand new approach to school leadership support.
The old model doesn’t work. The old mindset has failed.
This is how I like to think “outside the box.”
What do principals and school leaders need? The answer is they need access to mentors and leadership experts—so that they can run their schools better and also not worry so much about making mistakes.
You got this!
You don’t need me to be a principal—but you do need me to be the best principal you can be and also be on top of the latest academic research, leadership best practices and also how to deal with situations that you have never encountered before.
Situation: The Teacher Crisis
Did you have any teachers quit your school last year? Do you have low teacher morale? Do you have teachers who are not high quality instructors?
Chances are you said YES to at least one of those three questions.
When you become a paid member—I will help you solve each and every teacher related crisis you might be facing right now.
Leaders show, not tell. So here’s how I solved those issues:
The Teacher Development Program
When you become a paid member, I will run a workshop for all members on this program I developed back in 2009 and ran for a decade (2009-2019) with huge success. And when I say huge success, I mean:
5,000 teachers benefitted
Teachers reported feeling much more confident in their teaching skills
Teachers reported boosted student achievement
This program increased teacher recruitment efforts
This program reduced the total number of teachers who quit the profession
If you want your school to be on the cutting-edge of 21st century education—then you should become a paid member today!
What’s Up Doc? My K12 Background
I only started my social media in 2020, which means only a few thousand people know who I am at this point. So let me introduce myself. Hi, my name is Doc Schwartz, M.Ed and people on social media call me “The School Doc.”
Academically, I earned my BA from Brandeis University and a Masters in Educational Leadership from Montclair State University.
As I stated earlier, I spent 20 years working inside K12 system, first as a teacher, then as a principal and later as a superintendent.
But I’m an “out of the box” thinker, which means I have been fighting against the K12 system my whole career. When the experts said they couldn’t solve the Achievement Gap, I developed the 21st century curriculum project.
When the experts said they couldn’t prevent teachers from quitting the profession, I developed the Teacher Development Program. And lastly, when the experts and politicians started to blame principals for all the problems in school—I launched the Principal’s Academy.
The fact is that I’m only educator in America to have successfully run three (3) successful pilot programs for ten years (2009-2019):
The 21st Century Curriculum Project
The Teacher Development Program
The Principal’s Academy
So when people ask you, “Who is the School Doc?” you can tell them—he’s a legit K12 expert. And he knows how to solve the most pressing and common issues K12 schools face right now.
This is About You, Not Me
Five Stages of 21st Century Team Building
There is a lot of anger being directed at the K12 system right now. There’s anger from parents, from elected officials and even from the public. And everyone wants accountability.
The problem is most people assume the principal has more power than they actually do. So what can you do about it?
This is why I hope you become a paid member today—because I want to help you fix the situation, so that you’re not on the hot seat anymore. I know that its not your fault, but the public doesn’t know that.
That’s why this is about you, not me.
You should become a member today because I want to help you create more accountability in your school building, so that everything doesn’t fall on your shoulders.
Doesn’t that sound like a good idea?
When you become a paid member, I will do a workshop on the five stages of 21st century team building. And in that workshop, I will show you how you can spread accountability around equally to everyone that works in the school.
That way you can still be in charge, but you don’t get blamed for everything.
You Have to Act Fast!
If you thought you could wait to make this decision—think again!
The school year is about to start—and that also means the enrollment period of my membership is also going to close as well. That’s right—you have to decide if you want to become a member ASAP!
The truth is I want to be your mentor.
I want to help you solve school related issues this school year.
I also want to run workshops for you to help boost student achievement, handle student discipline better and also how to help your teachers become high quality instructors in class.
But I can’t do any of those things, unless you become a member today!
So what are you waiting for?
How Much Does Membership Cost?
If you hired an educational consultant to help you revamp your curriculum, how much would that cost? What about an educational consultant to run your teacher professional development program?
In fact, what does a typical educational consultant contract cost a school?
The answer is thousands and thousands of dollars.
But membership for my Principal’s Academy has its privileges.
That’s right—when you become a member you will get:
Mentorship
Workshops
Newsletters delivered right to your inbox
Access to ask questions, leave comments and describe specific school issues you might be facing
Plus, I plan to create a virtual community for all the paid members in this Principal’s Academy, which means you will also be able to talk to, interact and connect with other school leaders from across the country.
How much would you expect to pay for all of this?
The answer is thousands and thousands of dollars.
But this is an experiment.
That’s right—the virtual Principal’s Academy is an experiment to see if principals and school leaders can come together from across the country and form a cohesive team to fix the K12 system.
If you’re fighting the system on your own—why continue to isolate yourself, when there are thousands of other principals that are trying to do the same thing. Wouldn’t it be smarter to join forces and make real change together?
I speak to school leaders all the time from around the country—and they all say the same thing—”I wish we could all move in the same direction!”
Well, now’s your chance to make that a reality.
Become a member today and make this the most powerful School Leadership team in America!
And here’s the best part.
You’re not going to pay thousands and thousands of dollars to become a paid member.
In fact, you’re not even going to pay $1,000 to become a member.
You will get access to everything for only $25 per month—or you can pay an annual fee of $250 (Get 2 Months Free) upfront.
That means, you will get:
the monthly Newsletter
Mentorship
Access to ask questions, leave comments and describe real life school situations
Workshops
For only $25 a month!
Plus, I hope to be able to create a virtual community for all the paid members in the future.
If you wanted to hire an educational consultant to do any one of these things, it would cost you thousands and thousands of dollars. But if you become a member today—you will get it all for only $25 per month.
This is a no-brainer!
Let’s Recap!
There was a lot of information packed into this Free Preview of the Principal’s Academy newsletter.
So let’s review what you learned:
You now have 3 Action Items that you can implement today
You have a list of 9 things you can do to become an “out of the box” leader
You learned about all the benefits of the Principal’s Academy
You learned about how much value you get from becoming a member compared to how much it costs
More importantly, you learned that you don’t have to fight the K12 system by yourself anymore.
If you want to fix the school system—you have a choice to make.
Do you want to keep fighting by yourself or join the most powerful school leadership team in America?
The choice is yours.
Obviously, I hope you want to join a team of like-minded school leaders who want to make real school improvement. Whether you’re tired of the rhetoric or the anger being thrown at schools and school leaders, I hope that you want to make positive change happen in your local community.
Isn’t that proving you’re a good leader?
Good leaders don’t sit on the sidelines. Good leaders don’t isolate themselves. Good leaders don’t fight their friends.
When you become a paid member right now, you will be saying YES to joining your friends, joining a powerful team to make positive change and also saying YES to you becoming a better school leader.
There’s no such thing as a perfect human being, which means you know there’s always something you can improve about your leadership practice. When you join the Principal’s Academy, you will learn about academic research the University system forgot to teach you—such as the Pareto Principle.
Why would you deny yourself access to research that you should know about?
You deserve more help and support.
So why not give yourself the administrative support you need?
When you become a member you will get:
the monthly newsletter
Mentorship
Access to ask questions, make comments and also describe real life school situations that you’re facing
And workshops
You will get all of these things for only $25 per month, which means you will SAVE thousands and thousands of dollars from spending on traditional education consultants.
And if you want to SAVE even more—you can pay $250 for the entire year (Get 2 Months FREE!)
Wow! Now that’s a deal!
The Principal’s Academy newsletter is changing the way traditional education consulting will be done in the future. This is a perfect example of “out of the box” leadership practice.
When you become a member—you will learn how to think “outside the box” too!!
Act Right Now!!
If you become a paid member right now—you will also get this special Bonus!!
The enrollment window is closing very, very soon (August 15), which means if you act right now—you can still get this BONUS OFFER!!
I have created a special referral program for paid members.
That means—you can get some of the Principal’s Academy membership comped for you. That’s right—if you become a paid member right now—you can get 1 month comped, 3 months comped or even 6 months comped—if you refer other principals or school leaders to join the Principal’s Academy.
But you have to ACT RIGHT NOW!!
Because once the enrollment window closes—so does the referral program!
Don’t Miss the Workshops!
You should become a paid member right now, so you don’t miss the upcoming workshops that I’ll be running for paid members only. That means, if you want to learn more about the 21st century curriculum project and the Teacher Development Program—you need to become a member right now.
These workshops are game-changers for your school.
If you want to know how to close the Achievement Gap and also boost all of your students overall achievement—then you don’t want to miss the 21st century curriculum workshop.
If you want to learn how to prevent teacher burnout and how to stop teachers from quitting the profession—then you don’t want to miss the Teacher Development workshop.
These two workshops alone are worth $2,000 in value.
But you won’t have to pay extra for them.
That’s because every paid member of the Principal’s Academy will get these two workshops automatically included in their membership fee. Therefore, all you have to do is become a paid member right now—and you will get an invite to these two groundbreaking workshops.
Hit the “Subscribe Now” button and become a paid member of the Principal’s Academy today!!
You owe it to yourself to get the best administrative support in the country. Not only that, but you can stop fighting the K12 system by yourself. Why do it on your own, when you could join thousands of other principals who want to achieve the same thing as you?
You have always wanted to join a team that wanted to fix the school system—well now’s your chance to make a difference!
I hope to see you soon inside the Principal’s Academy!!