School administrators can wear many hats depending on their level and unique capabilities. Generally, they supervise all teaching and non-teaching staff, ensuring their services contribute to the school's goal and are in tandem with established rules. They play a vital role in managing educational institutions and form a crucial part of the education industry's decision-making body.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, school administrator jobs are expected to grow by nine percent between now and 2030. Therefore, venturing into school administration is a good career choice. Here are a few tips to help you become a better school administrator if you're already in the game.
1. Try to build relationships.
It's the administrator's duty to ensure all departments and individuals are on a common path towards the school's big goal, which requires teamwork. The way people relate with you as a school administrator can determine your success level in this role. Opening up to all individuals can help you identify untapped skills to leverage for the organisation's success, but you need to ensure your relationship with people doesn't give them leeway to be inefficient and bend the rules in their favour. Building relationships as an administrator also requires effective and responsible communication. The last thing you want to see is that a teacher takes students out without a permission slip simply due to your personal connection. It pays to be clear about due processes in the work environment as you build relationships with team members.
2. Manage your day effectively.
Administrators oversee daily operations from several professionals, including theirs. Sometimes, keeping up can be challenging, and it takes proper organisation and the use of efficient tools like Workiva to manage all your tasks and related stress.
Workiva Inc. is a cloud platform and can be a great place to store and access management reports, financial statements, and other essential documents. And you don't need to be in the office before you can access your files. The cloud-based platform can host multiple team members, ensuring complex work gets done in time. As an administrator, organising your day-to-day duties can be frustrating, but these platforms can make things more manageable.
3. Be optimistic and enthusiastic.
If you're an administrator, students and teachers will come to you with different types of problems. Half the time, they are likely uncertain about prospects and specific ideas. Meeting them with aloofness may worsen the situation. It's important to understand your staff's needs and empathise with them. Listening to them with empathy alone can do half of the job of solving their problems. Apart from being optimistic and showing enthusiasm in the affairs of your staff, you also need to be fair and not take sides. Effective administrators need fairness and neutrality, especially when settling disputes among staff members.
4. Plan fundraising events.
Educational institutions now have multiple revenue sources from textbook sales, tuition fees, and public financing if you're in the government's charter. But often, these funds aren't sufficient to run operations, utilities, and other costs. Relying on your administrative network allows you to plan fundraisers and support an organisation's activities. Charity sports days with the community and educational competitions are just a few ideas.
5. Promote community participation.
Schools help students reach their potential and plan for their future. But they also play a broader role in the general community. It's the administrator's job to maintain a cordial and fruitful synergy with the neighbourhood. Becoming a better administrator means making education feel more accessible within a community and encouraging others to pursue an education.
All in all, administrators should support teachers and other staff in pushing schools forward. This support can transcend word-of-mouth into effective actions that prove your support, and these tips can help you every step of the way.