171 new principals have taken over Chicago public schools as veteran Baby Boomer principals retire in large numbers. This unprecedented wave of new leadership is filling the void left by retirements. Many of the new principals are recent graduates of leadership programs and feel anxious about their first week on the job as they handle responsibilities like budgets, staffing, and new districtwide software systems. Effective school leadership is difficult but crucial for school success.

1. 171 schools get new chiefs
Nervous, novice principals fill vacancies in Chicago Public Schools left by the retirement of scores of Baby Boomers
September 04, 2007|By Johnathon E. Briggs, Tribune staff reporter
Once the seven-letter word"interim" was droppedfrom her title, the weightof it all hit Ellen Estrada: She was the principal
of Payton College Prep, one of the city'shighest-performing public highschools.
Sure, she had trainedfor the job in a special programandserved asthe school'sassistant principal.Buton July 1, she
became only the secondtop administrator in the school'shistory.
"You do feel the full responsibility of the successand progressof the school on your shoulders," Estrada, 54, said. "I've
workeda lot of 14-hour days."
Estrada is one of 171 new principalsat Chicagopublic schoolsasthey begin the academic year Tuesday -- an unprecedented
wave of new leadership that isfilling the voidleft by Baby Boomer principalswho retired in droves, some enticedby a
three-year pension enhancementprogramthat ended this year.
Nationwide, about56 percent of principalsare over age 50, andthey spend an average of five yearsin the job because of its
demands and workload.
Statewide, about 1,000 principalswill be neededin the next three years, according to the IllinoisState Board of Education.
"This is probably the best-prepared group of principalswe've hadin a while," saidGail Ward, the district's chief officer for
principal preparation.
Still, to ensure smooth transitions, district officialshave createda "rapidresponse team" of nearly two dozen retired school
principalswho are dispatchedto schoolswhere newly mintedprincipalsmay needhelp withbudget, curriculumor staff
issues.
Many new principalssaid they are anxiousto see how three new districtwide software systems will ease or tangle their
first week on the job. One system will allow teachersto take attendance, report gradesand track student achievementon
classroomcomputers. For Dawn Prather-Hawk, new principal of McKay Elementary on the Southwest Side, the anxiety liesin
the fact that not all of the software systems are linked.The majority of Chicago'snew school leaders, 103 of them, are
replacing those who retired, according to district officials.
One hundred and thirty-one are leading neighborhoodschools. Eighteen are opening Renaissance 2010 schools, createdunder
Mayor RichardDaley'sreforminitiative that givesprivate organizationsautonomy and money to create new schools. Some
are replacing principalsforcedoutbecause of performance problemsor misconduct.
Whether their schoolsare stellar or stumbling, new principalsknow their job isunlike any other on campus. They are
cheerleaders, crisismanagers, motivational speakers, curriculumspecialists, budget analysts anddisciplinarians, all in one.
An inspiredleader can turn arounda troubled school; a mediocre principal can sabotage a great one.
As concludedin a 2004 report funded by the Wallace Foundation, a New York-basedorganizationthat aimsto strengthen
education leadership: "An effective principal isnotall that isrequiredfor an effective school, but it isvery difficultto have
a goodschool without a goodprincipal."

2. Susan Jensen, who retired in June from Finkl Academy after nearly eight yearsas principal, recalledher first weekson the
job.
"I kept saying to myself, 'What did I do? Why did I do this?' It wasprobably the hardest thing I've ever done in my life,"
saidJensen, 57.
During her tenure, Finkl, once a low-performingschool, postedsix consecutive yearsof gainson the IllinoisStandards
AchievementTest, a statewide test taken annually.
"It was due to choosing the right people," Jensen, 57, saidof the school'simprovement.
On the job since the summer, the city's new principalshave gotten support from the district's Office of Principal
Preparation andDevelopment, whichhasmatched eachof them with mentors.
Many of the new hiresare graduates of programsthat emphasize hands-on learning andintensive residenciesin urban
schools, such as the privately fundedNew Leadersfor New Schools, the Leadership Academy andUrban Network for
Chicago programof Northwestern University -- also known asLAUNCH, the programthat trainedEstrada -- andthe
University of IllinoisatChicago'sUrban EducationLeadership
"If you wantto know about frustration, you talk about trying to staff people and these systems aren't talking to each
other," she said. "That is probably the most frustrating piece that I've had to deal with."
Like any goodprincipal, she hasa Plan B, just in case there are glitches.
While students were enjoying the lazy days of summer, the new principalsalso formednew administrative teams, hired new
teachers and revampedschool schedules. They had hallwayspainted, classroomsoutfitted withnew furniture andnew books
stocked.
Kenyatta Butler has spent the summer trying to retool the culture of her school. She wasappointedprincipal of Harper High
School in West Englewoodin July, after the previousprincipal wasremovedfor poor performance in an academically failing
school.