The Principal′s Companion: Strategies to Lead Schools for Student and Teacher Success - Paperback

by Pamela M. Robbins (Editor), Harvey B. Alvy (Editor)

The classic personal guide for principals, updated to address today's challenges

As the leader and decision maker in your school, you know that the buck stops with you. But when you're faced with issues that are unfamiliar or simply overwhelming, where can you turn for advice and experience?

For over a decade, the answer has been The Principal's Companion. Pam Robbins and Harvey B. Alvy's comprehensive classic remains a standard reference for principals of all experience levels, providing a wealth of ideas, techniques, and reflective opportunities.

In the fourth edition, new and updated content is delivered in an ultra-efficient format tailored to principals' busy days. Topics range from big-picture considerations to specific tactics and strategies, including:

• The principal's many roles
• Critical skills for effective leadership
• Honoring the school's mission
• Working together to build a learning community
• Starting effectively and staying the course

With an eye towards the future, The Principal's Companion can be referred to over and over again to ensure the school's most important executive is a strong anchor for educational success.

"This has always been one of the books I recommend to principals, and the latest edition makes it even more important and helpful to principals who face one of the toughest jobs in education today."
--Stephanie Hirsh, Executive Director
Learning Forward

"Robbins and Alvy′s ability to explain the sophisticated and complex landscape of today′s connected schools in a manner that is easily understandable to both a new leader and a veteran school leader is masterful. They truly understand the role of today′s school leader in the classroom, the school, and the community."
--Joshua Garcia, Deputy Superintendent
Tacoma Public Schools, WA

Author Biography

Pam Robbins earned her doctorate in educational administration from the University of California, Berkeley. Currently, she consults with school systems, professional organizations, State Departments of Education, leadership academies, and corporations throughout the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Europe, Asia, and South America. Her presentation topics include professional learning communities, effective teaching, how the brain learns, emotional intelligence, leadership, teaching in the block schedule, peer coaching, school culture, and presentation skills. Pam has served as a teacher, high school basketball coach, administrator, director of special projects and research, and director of training for the North Bay California Leadership Academy. She has lectured at several universities, authored and co-authored books, and developed training materials for several principals′ academies.

Harvey Alvy served in the principalship for more than a decade in both elementary and secondary schools. Harvey′s international experiences have taken him from the American School in Kinshasa, Zaire, to the American International School in Israel, the American Embassy School in New Delhi, India and Singapore American School. He was selected as an NAESP National Distinguished Principal for American Overseas Schools and is a founding member of the Principals′ Training Center for International Schools. In 2004 Harvey received the Eastern Washington University (EWU) CenturyTel Faculty Achievement Award for Teaching Excellence. He has co-authored, with Pam Robbins, Learning from Lincoln: Leadership Practices for School Success, The New Principal′s Fieldbook: Strategies for Success, The Principal′s Companionand If I Only Knew: Success Strategies for Navigating the Principalship. With Dr. Jane Liu, Harvey co-authored a Mandarin only book for Chinese school leaders, The Principal Management Handbook: The American Principal′s Approach to Successful Administration. He has conducted seminars, workshops, and presentations, both nationally and internationally on the newcomer to the principalship, educational trends, instructional leadership, moral leadership, characteristics of great teachers, and the leadership of Abraham Lincoln. Harvey holds the William C. Shreeve Endowed Professorship in Educational Leadership at EWU.