107: Principals [IEP Team BONUS Series]
Why are principals so important to your advocacy efforts? Simply because they lead the culture of the school! So if you have any questions about what principals do behind the scenes, this episode is so helpful for knowing when to draw them in!
Why are principals so important to your advocacy efforts? Simply because they lead the culture of the school! So if you have any questions about what principals do behind the scenes, this episode is so helpful for knowing when to draw them in!
In this episode we cover:
1) Qualifications of School Principals
2) What they actually do in the school
3) If you want them at your child’s IEP or not!
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E107: Principal [IEP BONUS Series]
[00:00:00] Oh, is this episode of the IEP team bonus series, going to be really interesting or what, because today we’re talking about principal’s role in the IEP team, which most of the time is pretty behind the scenes and you might not even have them at your meetings. But let me tell you, they are a key player in how effective your child’s IEP is. So stay tuned because this week we’re talking about principles.
Welcome to the parent IEP lab. The podcast that helps you get an effective IEP plan for your child. So that you can get them supported and learning in school. I’m Beth LEAs and fellow. Occupational therapist who started to notice trends and parents who got effective IEP for their kids without having to fight the school. My mission is to help you learn the pillars of knowledge that I saw those effective parents using in their advocacy, and also to provide insight or knowledge from the school side, so that you have context to turn that into effective parent advocacy for your child as well.
The business part of the podcast, the IEP lab focuses on the biggest parent [00:01:00] advocacy opportunity. You have the IEP meeting, the ultimate parent IEP prep course prepares you for your next meeting. By helping you understand the system and your role in it, guiding you to determining your priorities. And lastly, preparing you for common questions.
The IEP team may ask you that would put you on the spot by making your parent input plan for your next meeting. So let’s dive into today’s topic and think about what we can change and tweak. To get the right formula for success for your child to learn and grow at school and also break down some of those barriers that you’re having to advocating effectively for your child. Welcome to the lab.
Oh, my gosh. I’m so excited with what we are working on in the next couple of months. So if you’re listening to this at the time of release, or, you know, maybe it’s still February of 20, 23, I have some really exciting things coming up. So just to kind of perk your interest. We do have the ultimate parent IEP prep course is going to be back with the coaching included in that package. So [00:02:00] it’s always available as like an on-demand without the coaching package part, you can join at any time, but I’m going to try to get a group of parents together to go through it together, very shortly.
So I haven’t announced the date that it’s going to be open or offered yet, but just kind of know that that’s in the works.
The other thing that we’re launching. I’m so excited because parents go through the coaching package of the prep course and they’re like, okay, what’s next? Well, now we have something to really kind of still support you after you’ve gone through the prep course. And that is a membership. So hopefully in March of this year, so next month, if I can pull it off, we are actually launching the IAP laboratory membership and make sure that you are on the email list or you’re following me on Facebook and Instagram at the IEP lab, because details won’t be announced soon.
And it’s so affordable and amazing that you are going to be shocked when I. Tell you the price. So don’t miss the announcement about all of that and what that [00:03:00] entails and all of the really great, like out of the box support that we have for you as well. So I’m so excited to tell you more details about that, but for today, let’s jump into principles and I just.
I just want to say. Thank you. Sometimes I get a little bit behind, like I try to record these podcasts weeks in advance. And a lot of the interviews I do have, like, I have the interviews for the next couple of months recorded because I just had a slew of amazing people to talk to. But the ones that I do by myself, um, you know, things like the bootcamp take priority for a while. And so when I get sick, like I did last week, you kind of had an episode last week where my voice, wasn’t the clearest. So I want to apologize for that. And thanks for listening anyway. But my voice is a lot better. So hopefully you can hear that in my voice that we’re good to go. So thank you for suffering through that with me as well. And hopefully I will be able to work a little bit ahead of you [00:04:00] and kind of be able to record ahead of you, but as it is right now, it is Wednesday night at 8:00 PM.
And I’m recording this podcast in my basement.
So. Let’s talk about principles. So this one is interesting. And I don’t know if you’ve had principals in your meeting or not, because it absolutely depends on the building, like the building, not the state, not the district, but the building that you are in. So if you’ve had a principal at your IEP all through elementary, just know that, you know, they might not show up if you changed middle school or if you move to a different elementary school, it, it just all depends on this principal and maybe.
Maybe a little bit about administration above them, but from my experience, it’s really kind of their call. If they come to these IEP meetings and sometimes they will plan to be there. And then other things like behavior will, will take precedence and then they won’t be able to make it. So that happens too.
So if you’re new to the IEP team bonus series, We have the same format for every single one. [00:05:00] We’re actually kind of getting to the end of my list as far as this bonus series goes. And so if you are looking for a different provider, just go back and scroll. These have been released every Thursday for the last.
Two or three, maybe even four months. So go ahead and scroll back in your podcast player and you can kind of see them they’re labeled as the bonus series, but also if you want to see them in one place, you can go to the IEP lab.com/podcast. And on the right hand side, there’s kind of a menu of all the tags.
And so if you click the IEP team bonus series tag, then you can see them all in one page. And then even if you listen to your podcast player, you can say, oh, you know, episode 43 or whatever is the one I want to listen to. And so you can, you can kind of look them up there too, if that’s easier for you.
So. We’re going to talk about the qualifications of a principal and we’re going to use the state of Colorado just as an example. Cause I’m an example person. And then we’re going to get into what they actually do. But especially in this episode, we’re [00:06:00] discussing what influence they have on the rest of the staff too, because it’s not necessarily in this case about what a session looks like between them and your kid, which does happen every once in a while.
But it’s more important of what culture they’re sending in the, of what culture they’re sending in the whole entire building that makes their influence very powerful. And they’re a key player if you’re trying to influence like the whole culture of the school. So we’re going to talk about that too. So first things first, we’re going to jump into qualifications.
And again, I’m in the state of Colorado. You probably have very, very similar qualifications for these people in your own state. I just really like to have an example in front of me so that I can, you know, communicate that to you. So just know that this might not be exact for your state, but it’s probably pretty close. So qualifications for a principal.
Bachelor’s or higher degree from a regionally accredited institution. Three years of licensed experience in a public elementary [00:07:00] or secondary school or three years experience in a non-public elementary or secondary school. So they have to be a teacher first. Before they become an administrator. And I know like even our special education director, which is going to be a different episode.
But he was a special education teacher for so many years and then became a director after that. So like, there’s this whole, you have to have three years of experience, which I think is kind of, kind of cool. You have to be a teacher first before you can manage them. I think that’s pretty cool. And then the next one is completion of an approved program at a regionally accredited institution for the preparation of principals.
Or a completion of a Colorado alternative principal preparation program. So most of the time I think this kind of admin thing can be part of their master’s degree as well. So I think oftentimes it’s kind of part of their additional qualifications there. , and then the last one is passage of the Colorado approved content exam for building level leaders. So again, there’s a test that they [00:08:00] have to pass to. So let’s switch gears into the second part, which is what they actually do. So they are like our bosses, right? Well, they were never, my boss let’s be clear.
That’s actually a really interesting then to talk about. So my boss was never the principal ever, never the principal, never, the vice-principal. Because I fell under the special education department. My supervisor was always the special education director or the special education coordinator. So they weren’t necessarily in the buildings when I was working with kids, unless they went to come in and do my observation, which we had a couple, a couple each year as well. Um, so they are in charge of everybody who works in the building. And it’s kind of this, like even the special education department, like the itinerant people who are.
I was considered itinerary because I served multiple buildings. They still kind of supervised us, but, but if they had an issue with one of us, they would just go to the special education director and kind of complained to them and then they would come and talk to [00:09:00] us. So. It is quite different. So it really is two separate branches of administration when we’re talking about like the school system and kind of the.
The hierarchy of management as well, so, okay. So in the building, they are in charge of hiring. They are in charge of firing. They are in charge of putting up professional development. Sometimes this is working with like a learning coach or somebody else. Who’s like a. Teachers resource person, but they do have the final say in what professional development comes in.
Um, and then they also respond to behavior. This is mainly a vice-principal responsibility, but of course the principal definitely like chips in and responds to emergencies and things like that. And then they do a lot with family interfacing. So they do a lot with communicating with parents and reentry plans and kind of things like that. And also like improvements to the school.
Uh, quality control, making guidelines and [00:10:00] rules for the school, including like the PBI S systems, which is the positive behavior. Intervention I think, and supports, which is kind of a behavioral system. It’s not kind of a behavior system. It is a behavior system and then enforcement of said rules. So this is also kind of like overlaps with the vice-principal. A lot of the behavior stuff kind of falls to the vice-principal and they’re also in charge of systems in the school, like MTSS and RTI. If you have a question about that,
I have another episode about that.
So, They also, most importantly, in my opinion, they set the culture for the school. So I have a couple of examples. Of principals that I have worked with and kind of like stories to lead up to it too. So. In my most favorite elementary school that I worked at.
It was so funny because I started working there, you know, started getting my feet wet, you know, I don’t really see the principal all that often. They kind of like float around. I don’t necessarily like see them [00:11:00] all that often. But I was at a different school and talking about this first school that we’re talking about and another service provider was like, oh, you have to deal with that principal. And I was like, oh yeah,
she seems really great. Well, it turns out that this principal was very much unaware of special education and what that meant. And what her role in that was and her skills at the time that she started working as a principal. And then what happened? And I heard this from like several of the special education team on what happened and involved that had been there for awhile. So what had happened was this vice principal that was there, loved special education. She understood it. She wasn’t a special education teacher, but she very much had that heart to.
Kind of be that problem solver be that support person have a lot of empathy, figure out what the IEP has meant. And so what happened is, as this vice principal [00:12:00] started working with this principal and the principal was open. That’s the other thing, this principal, what happened to be open to learning from the vice-principal.
And now when you go in her building, It is very, very special education friendly, meaning that rules are very flexible. Accommodations are really flexible. Teachers feel supported in whatever they need, as far as like resources or pulling in extra staff or, you know, problem solving with a kid. Like they just have all of the resources that they need. If they need extra support.
And there is very much this whole culture. Of working together and the kids are general education kids first, and we are going to try to support our teachers and being able to build skills in order to teach everybody. And so. She very much sets the tone for that. And that’s very, very, very, very attributed to this vice principal and the influence that she [00:13:00] had in this new principal kind of coming into her own and also to give very, very big credit
to that principle that was open to learning because so many times. When people are put into administration roles, like a principal, they think that they have to know it all right. They think they have to be in control of all the situations. And so this principle kind of understanding that.
She had things to learn and being open to that and being able to change within that was just really amazing. And I was like, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I think this, this team is amazing. And I very much felt heard and seen because so many times a site Tinder and flake don’t feel like we belong anywhere. And so this principal was very, very good and making everybody feel like they were part of a team.
And that they were seen and heard and supported. So that, that was really amazing. So that’s just a really example of how it can be and how people change and learn and grow as they get into their position as well. [00:14:00] Um, there was another principal that I worked for that had a history of. Um, special education teachers, not loving working under this administration team. And so they would show up to IEP meetings. Both of them, the principal and the vice principal would show up to IEP meetings. Um, but sometimes it was just kind of like a. They weren’t very problem-solving right. They weren’t very, um, supportive with like understanding what supports they might need or, you know, the professional development that they provided was all very general education related. There was nothing about, you know, trying to teach to everybody at the same time and kind of like scaffolding things is what it’s called to make things easier for some kids.
And, and. And harder and challenging for others to make things really approachable for whatever skill set that those kids had in that particular subject. And so it wasn’t like that. Like, they didn’t have a lot of support as far as that goes. And you had a lot of like turnover in [00:15:00] the special education team where people just couldn’t stand to work for them.
Um, and I, I really liked them as people, but it just, it was a difference in philosophy. It was an inflexibility and handling behavior. And that trickled down into the teachers as well. The teachers did not have the skills to manage some difficult behaviors. They didn’t have that problem solving approach. They didn’t have the support, they didn’t have the education to be able to do that.
And so the atmosphere and culture were very different and these were the two main elementary schools that I covered. So. I would be in one for her. You. Half day and the other one for a day and a half. And it was a pretty stark difference. And then. Just to kind of throw out a middle school example. I was at a middle school and it, it turned over. So the middle school principal moved up to the high school for a different position. And.
The new middle school principal that came in was just excellent. She had a special education background a [00:16:00] little bit. I think she had been in para at one point before that. So she was amazing. She never ever like, um, lied or, and I don’t want to say like that that’s very common, but like disguising the truth or, you know, kind of painting a picture of things being better. She was very, very honest with parents. She, definitely like towed the line and had high expectations for her staff, but also in the same tone, like really.
Really cared about
the skills that they were building and their own goals too. So. She was incredible. Um, whenever the staff said, Hey, I think we need to hire another staff member. She figured out a way to make it happen. It was, it was incredible. Like she was very, very amazing to work on her, even though she was a newer principal. Um, she had that background. So depending on your principal, you might have somebody who’s brand new.
You might have somebody who was a special education teacher and is now. A principle. So it [00:17:00] just very much varies on their background and their special education philosophy. And what they’ve been exposed to just like everybody else. Right. But they just have more power and influence over the culture of the school. So here here’s where it comes down to. Why does this matter for your IEP advocacy?
So they do come to some meetings. Sometimes as their schedule allows. I know for actually most of these Al three of these schools, they would come whenever they possibly could.
And if they ever had a special, like if the parent ever reached out to them and said, Hey, can you come to this meeting? They were always like, yes, I will be there. All three of these principals really wanted to be involved in, especially involved in, in parent things. especially if there was like a situation or there had been stuff happening.
Um, That they were trying to work through as a team. They would absolutely in a heartbeat, clear their schedule to be there if they, if they at all could. Um, so that was always really cool to see. And then sometimes [00:18:00] they just, they just don’t try. I’ve heard of like other principals, just like never coming to meetings at all. And there are periods of time where all three of these principals just haven’t been able to make it because of one thing or another. So, um, you know, there was a couple months that I don’t think I saw one of these principals at a meeting at all.
So what happens if they are not, there is something called a designee and so you will see this on the paperwork. They will actually sign, at least in Colorado, they will sign as the designee for the principal. And so what happens is this designee? Is the person, usually the principal that can make decisions about what the school can provide and how it can provide it and kind of logistically, can we make that happen? Like if we’re talking about special transportation,
And they’re talking about, well, can they show up too well, can they unload the bus early? Or can they, you know, come in late or something like that? Like, these are the types of decisions that the principal really needs to be involved in. But if they’re not there, then [00:19:00] somebody is designated as a designee for that person to make those calls on what they can or can’t provide.
And so most of the time, it’s the general education teacher, that signs as the designee for the principal. And then we’ll talk about this later, but there also can be a designee for the special education director. And that’s typically one of the special education staff. I never really felt like I could sign for the special education director.
I always felt like that was something that the special education teacher or the speech language pathologist would do, but, it really is just anybody who’s designated to have the knowledge, to be able to say, yes, we can logistically provide that. Yes or no, we’ll have to figure something else out.
Um, so do you want them at the meeting? Well, Sometimes it just depends. Sometimes things can get pretty tension-filled as far as, principal relationships go. And so there have been a couple of different stories when we’re running through the prep course with people that, you know, the principal also feels an [00:20:00] enormous amount of pressure.
For protecting their staff. And so what happens is if you strike a nerve, even if you weren’t intending to, or if this particular principle is very, very sensitive, which sometimes they absolutely can be. Then what happens is they feel like they’re trying to protect their teachers and they are trying to prevent burnout and their teachers understandably. And they’re also just trying to like,
You know, understand and, and kind of put their foot down. Sometimes if they’re from the behaviorist mindset of, you know, not letting the parents, kind of bulldoze through the meeting and, and really make everybody feel terrible about the job that they’re doing.
Sometimes, I think that’s legit. , but essentially like that principal has the power to kind of step in and talk for the teachers. And this can also happen.
If the teacher is feeling like they are nervous, like they’re being attacked by a parent. Um, they can go to the principal for support. [00:21:00] And this is also why you might, you know, get a call from the principal or, you know, have something happen where they’re kind of like being that brick wall
so that they are the ones telling, you know, or, you know, You know, I, and another story, this was not a client of mine at all, but there was a story about a. Apparent getting told that they were contacting the staff too much. Like they were almost harassing them. And so sometimes you’ll have the principal come in and kind of set boundaries for that as well. So, um, yeah, I mean, you really do want this person coming to your IEP. I’ve seen it being incredibly productive.
I have seen the principals really understand the family dynamics more, especially when a family is sharing a little bit about their culture or sharing a little bit about their struggles or what they’re trying or what their vision statement is. I have seen these principles just light up with knowing more about their students, because if you think about it, it probably doesn’t happen all that.
Often with kids who don’t have IEP. [00:22:00] That the principal has such a clear idea of the family and what’s happening and what the family wants for their kid as well. So, In my opinion. You absolutely want that principal involved in your IEP meetings if possible, because if you are going to advocate to anybody and if you want any kind of big culture changes to happen in that school, or if you’re fighting for inclusion or if you’re fighting for any of that, like,
The principle is going to be your key player for that. So, um, hopefully that sheds some light on the principal’s role in the IEP. It’s not as clear cut as the other ones that we’ve gone over. Um, but hopefully that is helpful. So if you have any questions about principals or admin in general, go ahead and hop into the Facebook group that link to join is below this podcast in your podcast player. And then just answer the questions. So I make sure that.
And you are a real person and I will get you in that Facebook group. Go ahead and introduce yourself in the face group group. Let me know if you have any questions. Um, and we’ll go from there. So thank you so much for [00:23:00] listening this week. Thank you for kind of sticking with me through me, losing my voice a little bit last week. And yeah i’m so excited to see if more of you guys come into the prep course in the next couple of months and i am so excited to open the membership and see how we can connect and really help you get over some of those barriers to your own advocacy through that membership so i’m so excited to do that too so thank you so much for listening and i’ll see you same time same place next week thanks so much