Success Strategies for Principals and Other School Leaders

Principals and leaders who spend time working on self growth are frequently rewarded. Students and staff need a principal who will take time to invest in themselves and their school. Leadership work can be  be very stressful. Here are some things you can do to  be an inspired leader.

1. Never give up 

2. Come to work prepared to learn 

3. Be a servant leader 

4. Care about all the students, teachers and staff 

5. Teachers are your partners not servants 

6. Pray every day for wisdom 

7. Work life balance works 

8. If you are married, happy wife long life 

9. Stay humble it works 

10. Create a culture of success by continually acknowledging the accomplishments of students, staff and faculty. 

There needs to be a change in the way that schools are designed. 

Dr. Stephen Jones is a consultant, speaker and author at http://www.DrStephenJones.net or call 610-842-3843. hashtag

College Bound Students Flocking to Social Networks

College Bound Students Flocking to Social Networks
Dr. Stephen Jones

The road to college is paved with social networks. Thousands of students are racing to social networks to fulfill their thirst for information about college life. Students are all meeting their new roommates on line. They can share their high school experiences and discuss likes and dislikes before arriving on campus. It’s a boom for Facebook where students are able to share pictures and videos. The college roommate surprise will never be the same again. Today students can read what upper-class students are saying about their campus. There is no lack of information. These are great times to identify the college of your choice. Colleges are working feverishly to keep up with college student trends on social networks. There are a lot of social networks targeting the college bound student.

Some of the social networks that are getting the most activity are Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin. Colleges are starting fun Fan Pages on Facebook that cater to high school seniors, undergraduate and graduate students. These pages have become a gateway into college life. A student and parent can find out what’s happening on campus every day. The social networks make it easy to learn about guest lectures, theater, concerts and sports events. A student can also learn the best time to visit a college.

A student can get an idea of the type of college that they want to attend by taking advantage of information that students are posting. The college bound student can ask questions and add comments that were previously answered during campus tours. Every high school student wants to know how current students like the residence halls. College admission offices are also offering students an opportunity to register on an internal website that feels like a social network. It is a great way for students to stay in touch regarding admissions dates, open house and campus visits.

Some colleges are able to immediately answer questions regarding financial aid and other issues like international studies. The colleges get undergraduate students involved in taking videos that give a taste of college life. Some campus staffs hire a professional video person to do a video recording of the best aspects of campus life. The videos get a lot of hits from individuals who are seeking college information. Students are able to view the videos on their cell phones and they can make comments too. A very creative video can go viral and generate a lot of buzz and that’s what colleges want.

Many colleges are tweeting information on Twitter. Twitter allows that participant to make many short statements about a variety of campus topics. Twitter gives a college an opportunity to give a moment by moment time line of an event that’s happening on campus. You can learn about and event and receive a link to get further details. A college student can also make a follow up comment about the event on the page were the event is tweeted. Twitter provides a quick response since the person who is commenting can only use 140 characters. You can follow several comments that are made about an ongoing event and arrange to meet the person live. Students are getting on twitter to get news and to learn about topics that they are discussing in class. There is always someone who is willing to help by sharing information on twitter.

Although Linkedin is a social network that targets professionals there are undergraduate and graduate students who are connecting on Linkedin. They have uncovered the tremendous amount of career support that’s available through the professionals who participate. As a student expands their network on Linkedin they are able to meet professionals who are in their career. There may also be a college alumni association that offers valuable career information. Alumni can be a great resource in terms of their experience and many are willing to be a mentor. Linkedin is a great place to get noticed when a student is searching for a job. The professionals are willing to answer questions when individuals join groups. Most groups are named right after their college, for example the Villanova alumni network. You can get to know people by being consistent in your level of participation on social networks.

The trend toward the presence of colleges on social networks will only continue to grow. Students want as much information as they can obtain. The colleges want to increase interest and potential applicants and they are very motivated to be active in the social networks. You can count on colleges getting even more creative in terms of how they are using social networks. Students are benefiting from the boom in social networks and continue to fuel the internet in how college can meet them where they live on the internet. To get more information daily “Like” my fan page at http://on.fb.me/h9I9VT or contact me at 610-842-3843.

Social Networks a School Fund Raising Dream

In these challenging times it is hard to believe that money is available for your school. Your school has used all of the traditional methods like candy sales, pretzel sales and pizza in a box. Having two children at home makes parents fund raising experts for twelve years or more. All of this fundraising has it place but what can a school do to take an innovative approach to fundraising. The rising tide of social networks better known as web 2.0 is bursting with alumni and others who have interest in supporting your school.

One of the best ways to have funding coming in is to identify your alumni. Where can you find them? Three websites I suggest are Twitter.com, Facebook.com and Classmates.com. There are millions of people each day who are finding friends from their past. It is an easy place to find alumni from your school. You can set up a Facebook alumni page for your school and get students to join before they leave school. You can give out your Facebook URL at the next school sports event.

You can update your Facebook page daily with school activities and special events. Sometimes in addition to money alumni can provide resources. For example an alumnus who owns a t-shirt design company may contribute shirts for a football event. Alumni from your school could donate money from items that they sell on eBay. Could you imagine having a bunch of alumni regularly selling items to raise money for your school?

You may even find and alumni on Twitter.com a social network that is gaining momentum. You can accumulate a following on twitter and send them daily tweets throughout the day. You can notify them of the accomplishments of your school. Each tweet will give you 140 characters to communicate your message. Your message gets right to the point. I have learned to be real disciplined when I communicate. The social networks are another way to get out information about your school and it will save you the cost of mailing information.

Classmates.com is another fruitful place to find alumni and organize events to support your students. There are millions of people on classmates. You can find alumni and create events that they can attend. If you find clusters of students in a state that’s next door like Pennsylvania and New Jersey schedule a meeting at your school or by way of a conference call. Today people want to stay in communication daily. On Classmates you can allow friends to join and save them as bookmarks. You can create a group where alumni can keep in touch with each other. The challenging times should inspire alumni to give more support.

Your school can create an electronic newsletter that goes out to current students and alumni. Take time each month to highlight alumni who are joining your Facebook and Classmates web pages. Your current students need to know that your graduates are doing great things. People enjoy reading about success stories. You can also notify an alumni’s company when they are doing something that benefits your school.

Your school can also use Myspace.com to create highlight videos of your school activities. You might be raising money for a new gymnasium or a football field. Your school can even send a visual representation of what the new building will look like when it is completed. Find ways to creatively highlight people who are contributing on Facebook and in your newsletter. Some schools have their own plaque of donors who made their new buildings possible. Why not highlight your alumni on the internet.

Using the social networks is a creative way to engage your alumni and bring more resources that benefit students. Alumni are easily reminded of the things that would have made their K12 experience better. We need every school to operate at their maximum levels to prepare them for 21st century careers.