Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Pages: 210
Trim: 6 x 9
978-1-4758-2662-3 • Hardback • March 2016 • $58.00 • (£45.00)
978-1-4758-2663-0 • Paperback • March 2016 • $29.00 • (£21.95)
978-1-4758-2664-7 • eBook • March 2016 • $27.50 • (£20.95)
Russ Thompson served thirty-six years as an educator in Los Angeles, including fourteen years as the principal of three high schools. Two of the schools where he served as principal were turnaround schools.
Preface AcknowledgementsDiscipline- The Problem Was Now Worse
- Class Time Was Like Lunch Time
- It Was the Best He Had Seen
- Simple Detention
- He Had to Change His Mentality
- Saturday School
- Lunch Supervision
- A Fight that Was Prevented
- The Problem with Suspensions
- The First Award of His Entire Life
- It Was Almost a Real Emergency
- Riot and Recovery
- Section Review
Classroom Instruction- The Learning in Classrooms
- The Reason It Worked
- A Sustained Process
- He Had Firmly Believed
- You Have to Go Out and Look for Problems
- The Best Way to Spend Your Time
- It Was His First Day
- An Opinion Is Not Research
- Your Presence in Classrooms
- Will It Help Students Learn Better?
- The Power of a Positive Learning Environment
- The Common Core State Standards
- A Model Lesson
- Section Review
School Operations - Cleaning Needed
- The Foundation of Your Entire School
- Tragedy
- Another Tragedy
- Almost a Disaster
- Phone Calls
- The Entire Contract
- The Right Kind of Faculty Meeting
- Section Review
Leadership- Delegation
- Delegation Gone Bad
- Deadlines
- Ask Questions
- A Sacrifice You Must Make
- Priorities
- Also Listen to the Quiet Voices
- We Are Not as Bad As...
- Making People Happy Is Not Your Job
- He Went Over to His Shelf
- Pick Up the Phone
- A Leader Who Got Things Done
- Do Not Let the Obstacle Overcome You
- Exhaustion
- A Mistake He Would Never Forget
- Advice from a Pro
- Target Practice
- Ask for Advice
- A Big Difference
- Always Watching You
- Section Review
People- In the Middle of Kids
- It Was Distorted and Very Negative
- People Need Time
- Suggestion or Requirement?
- Saved by a RecordingDevice
- Necessary Action
- It Was Said Behind His Back
- It Was a Lie and the Principal Believed Him
- Gossip
- Delay Makes It Worse
- Talk to the Person in Person
- You Must Also Be Persuasive
- Remember the Positives
- A Good School Again
- Section Review
About the AuthorIndex
Tired of arm chair theorists and distant policy wonks in conservative think tanks telling politicians, gullible op-ed editors, and state legislators who want instant fixes of how easy it is to fix the schools? Then open this book by veteran public school principal Russ Thompson for how it is in the real world of school administration for a refreshing memoir of the multi dimensionalities of the hard day to day continuous challenges involved with real school improvement. Fall Down Stand Up will find you cheering for the hard won little victories at day’s end that when summed up over time result in changed school accomplishment and operational success.
— Fenwick W. English, Professor and Department Chair, Educational Leadership, Teachers College, Ball State University
This is one of the most comprehensive books on the principalship and leadership I have encountered. It is written by a thoughtful administrator who has actually done the job. It could easily be useful to managers and administrators in fields other than education.
— Stu Bernstein Ed.D, Cluster Administrator (Area Superintendent), Retired; Senior Advisor, The Amber Group; and University Professor
I enjoyed every part of this book. I wish I could have read it before I became a principal.
— Frank Dolce, Principal, Retired
This is a terrific tool for incoming administrators and those who plan to become principals.
— Julian Lopez, Ph.D., superintendent, retired
Fall Down Stand Up: Advice for Aspiring Principals is an easy read, full of sound, practical advice.
— Merle Price, Deputy Superintendent, Retired; and Professor of Education