Q: As the principal of a public middle school in a fairly big district, I often feel like the needs of my students and staff are an afterthought. The superintendent is mostly concerned with the high schools. Elementary education is a close second in his eyes. The middle schools are either left to flounder with no support at all, or they’re tasked with a bunch of inappropriate directives. I oversee a building full of 10- and 13-year-olds who have their own set of needs. No, we’re not focusing on decoding or graduation rates or a lot of the at-risk stuff, at least in my case, but our students’ needs are nonetheless important. I’m so tired of taking direction from someone who is totally out of touch.
I can’t be the only middle school principal who is frustrated and wants more freedom, but it’s not so easy to give this kind of feedback to my superintendent. I have a rather tenuous relationship with him and am reluctant to be too direct. I know I’m not crazy, but it still would be nice to know that I’m not alone. Are you hearing similar complaints from other middle school principals? If so, what do they want from their superintendent? Are there any common through lines, or am I just worn out and cranky? I wouldn’t mind collecting some talking points in case I decide to have a meatier conversation with my boss down the road.
A: You’re in good company. In the last year, several middle school principals have shared similar concerns. (Though while you’re certainly not alone, you may in fact also be worn out and cranky!) While my sample size is limited and different communities have different needs, here are some common themes.
- Staffing: A few wrote that they wish their superintendents would give them more staffing, period, but also grant them the autonomy to move existing staff around creatively to ensure more students have access to “trusted adults.” One principal pointed out that student-teacher relationships arguably are most critical during the middle school years when students crave a sense of belonging.
- Professional development Instead of training teachers to impart math or literacy skills, several said they wish their districts offered teachers more training on meeting middle schoolers’ distinct developmental needs. One principal noted that understanding the phase is every bit as important as grasping the content. She wrote, “My teachers don’t only need to know how to deliver the ELA curriculum; they need to know how to deliver the ELA curriculum to adolescents.”
- Intervention and enrichment programming: A few principals have said they wish they had more time built into the day for enrichment or intervention programming so students wouldn’t have to choose between getting interventions (for instance, services on their IEP) and taking electives like world languages and music.
- More course choice and after-school activities for students: Middle school students need “voice and choice,” one principal wrote, but they tend to have little flexibility in their schedule. He wrote, “How great would it be if a student could take, say, photography instead of the same arts rotation as everyone else?” Another wished that his middle school offered more after-school clubs and sports. He noted that sports offerings tend to be more limited at the middle school level.
- More trust in them as leaders: Several principals said they wished their superintendent would give them more flexibility to do what they think works best in their school, rather than insist that every middle school in the district operate the same exact way. As one pointed out, “Different schools – even in the same town – can have starkly different resources, pressures, and needs. We need to be able to use our years of experience to advocate for our students, not be micromanaged or forced to operate like copycats of one another. Let us do what you hired us to do.”
I hope these “talking points” will help you if you decide to address your concerns with your superintendent. If nothing else, though, I hope it’s reassuring and validating to know that many other middle school principals share similar frustrations.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Phyllis L. Fagell
Phyllis L. Fagell is the school counselor at Landon School in Washington, D.C., a therapist at the Chrysalis Group in Bethesda, Md., and the author of the Career Confidential blog. She is also the author of Middle School Matters and Middle School Superpowers, available at https://amzn.to/3Pw0pcu.
