Supporting Assistant Principals in the Next Step to Leadership
Can we reduce the negative impact of principal transitions by helping high-potential assistant principals step into the principalship?
Paul Riskus always knew he wanted to lead a school.
When a principal leaves their school without a successor ready to take over, systems and structures that keep the school on-track tend to break down. But every school has an opportunity to plan for transitions: many future principals are teaching and leading in their buildings today. A 2013 graduate of the University of Chicago, Paul Riskus started his career in education as a high school science teacher at Urban Prep - Bronzeville High School. At Urban Prep, he volunteered to chair the science department and shape instruction across a team of teachers. “I realized the impact one can have as a leader. I wasn’t just affecting the 30 kids in my room, but hundreds of students,” Paul said. “It was a powerful experience.” Paul entered the urban education leadership program at University of Illinois at Chicago to get the credentials — and experience — needed to take his leadership to the next level. While working toward his doctorate in educational leadership, he landed a job at Walt Disney Magnet Elementary School in Uptown, serving as the assistant principal (AP) for three years.
All of Paul’s experiences helped him prepare to transition into the principalship; Leadership Bridge got him over the finish line.
Paul said he wanted to step into the principal role, either at Disney, or possibly another school. He joined The Chicago Principal Partnership’s Leadership Bridge program, an intensive coaching and development program for aspiring principals. In Leadership Bridge, Paul was paired with Dr. Cynthia K. Barron, a former principal and school leadership expert, to help him create a succession plan to ensure smooth transition into the principalship. Together, they worked to grow his leadership potential and proactively prepare for the possibility of a transition. Disney’s principal retired in the fall of 2019. A retired principal was named interim administrator-in-charge (AIC) while the school searched for a permanent leader. This left teachers, parents and community members confused and uncertain for the future — a hurdle to keeping the school culture stable. Paul and Cynthia worked to define his role during uncertain times at Disney. The two held regular check-ins to triage challenges at Disney and keep the school on-track. They rooted their work in Paul’s leadership development plan, a tool guiding Paul’s growth in crucial leadership competencies through his work at Disney. Cynthia worked with Paul to plan instructional leadership meetings to maintain high-quality teaching during the transition. She also coached Paul through sticky personnel challenges, a common hurdle faced by school leaders, with fairness and grace. “I give my all to Dr. Barron because she gives her all to me,” Paul said. “Her coaching has played an essential and crucial role in my success, and has helped me successfully navigate any situation that came my way. I am so grateful for it, and feel lucky to have her expertise and exceptional support.”
When Paul was selected as Disney’s new principal, he was ready to lead on day one.
Leadership Bridge gave Paul an intense layer of “just-in-time” support from an expert principal coach to ensure a smooth transition at Disney. The Local School Council (LSC) offered Paul a contract to be Disney’s new principal in the spring of this fourth year as AP. Paul and the LSC immediately got to work creating a plan for his first 30 days in the role. His transition in the early spring meant that he had the rest of the school year to settle into the role, and a summer to prepare his first full year in the principalship. Since he knew the school so well, Paul hit the ground running, building relationships with staff who remained through the transition and hiring to fill gaps in his team. He also had time to do the small, but important, tasks such as sending out newsletters for his teacher and school community. Since becoming principal, Paul has been able to put his developed plans into action. “This year has been challenging for the Disney Community, but I’m proud to say that we have risen to the challenge,” Paul said. “We created windows of great momentum and opportunity.”
Footnotes
The CPS School Quality Rating Policy (SQRP) is the district’s policy for measuring annual school performance.
School culture and climate is measured by the 5Essentials reports of the My Voice, My School Student and Teacher Surveys.
Student demographic information is reflective of the 2019-20 school year.