Sunday evening rolls around, and I find myself at my computer, checking my email and calendar before the workweek begins. With the weekly newsletter already sent, it's time to see what's ahead. Opening my calendar app, Google Time Insights reveals that I spend an average of 70% of my time in meetings. This is typical for a school principal, but it highlights the importance of managing the remaining 30% effectively to address unexpected issues and support students and teachers.
I've already scheduled classroom visits, but this leaves limited time for the unforeseen demands of the week. I quickly scan my calendar, identifying meetings I can reschedule or delegate to my team if necessary.
As a teacher, your daily schedule is less flexible. You likely can't ask someone to cover your class, making it crucial to maximize your limited planning time. I remember the frustration of attending unproductive meetings, knowing I could have been grading, planning, writing IEPs, or updating goals. Anything left unfinished during the day had to be completed before or after school.
Establishing Effective
Meeting Norms
Mary Mangione, MA
Whether you're a building leader or a team leader, facilitating effective meetings is crucial. These meetings should enable team members to contribute, collaborate, inform, and drive action steps. Here are some best practices for organizing and facilitating highly effective meetings.
1. Norms and Roles
Establishing norms and roles at the start of a meeting sets expectations and intentions. Norms help teams work towards common goals and reduce conflicts, while roles ensure that everyone has a specific job, promoting interdependence. Assigning roles handles the procedural aspects, allowing the team to focus on problem-solving and creativity.
2. Circles
At the beginning of the year, you may have new team members. A quick, non-work-related circle share can help team members get to know each other and find common interests, fostering a positive team culture. If the team is large, break into smaller groups to keep it time-efficient.
3. Meeting Agenda
Agendas are crucial for keeping meetings on track. Specify the time allocated for each item to ensure nothing is overlooked. Sending a reminder email with a link to the agenda allows team members to prepare in advance, add necessary agenda items, and bring necessary tools and insights.
When meeting with families, review the agenda at the beginning and provide a copy in their preferred language to help them follow along. Avoid jargon and acronyms that might be unfamiliar to them.
4. Universal Meeting Minutes
Standardizing meeting minutes across the school can streamline processes and ensure consistency. Include sections for "person responsible" and "next steps" to drive collaboration and keep track of action items. Customize your meeting minutes template to meet your team's needs and enhance efficiency.
Effective IEP and 504
Meetings with Families
Mary Mangione, MA
No one wants to sit in an unproductive meeting. Creating a culture where everyone’s input is valued fosters strong team bonds and leads to high-impact practices. When micro teams are highly effective, macro teams can achieve outstanding results, ultimately improving student achievement.
written by
Mary Mangione
Mary Mangione is a coach for school building leaders specializing in creating specialized programming, restorative practices, trauma-invested schools, school-based mental health interventions, and multi-tiered systems of support. She has been a private tutor for students with special needs, special education teacher for ED/BD/Autism, mentor for a social services organization, substance abuse case manager, and assistant principal and principal of specialized and public alternative schools. Outside of her professional work, she enjoys traveling, eating great food, providing taxi services for her two sons, binging Netflix, and is an active yogi. Mary is an Administrative Coach for Building Leaders with her Bachelors in Fine Arts with an Emphasis in Graphic Design and Painting, Master of Arts in Special Education, and Master of Arts in Principal Leadership.
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