Job Entry Plan Reflection

I am serving my first year as a campus elementary principal after serving for three years as an assistant principal for both high school and elementary.  I am getting my superintendent certification because one day I would like to serve as a superintendent; however, I feel that I need more experience as a principal before I make this transition.  I feel an important step to this is transitioning from an elementary principal to a high school principal.  I am not saying this is a necessary step, but seems like a natural one.  High school is much more complex and involves more issues a superintendent needs to have a grasp of.  For my job entry plan, I created a plan to step into the role of high school principal.  Most of my activities focused on creating an academically successful campus.  It would be nice to be successful in athletics also.  The reality is that a superintendent search committee is not going to be interested in a superintendent who can’t lead an academically successful campus.  AYP and TAKS (STAAR) results are going to be an important component to promotion.  A successful football team may stand out as well to some of the old-school board members.  Having a qualified and competent athletic director is an invaluable asset to a principal, and I will want to develop a good relationship in that area as well as with the rest of the staff.  At the end of the first year as a high school principal I hope to have an in-depth understanding of the campus and what is working and what is not, so that we can make appropriate changes going into the second year.