Episode Details

Theresa Stager, a second-year principal of a pre-K through 8 Catholic school in Southeastern Michigan, explains how she built trust after a year with four principals. Her approach to parent communication is to be visible in the building, treat every child like her own, and hand parents her work cell phone number.

Stager gives the numbers and the story. Enrollment grew 12 percent after about five years of decline. A fourth grader got a deep piece of pencil lead stuck in his palm, and she held him in her lap while the secretary and his mom worked on it. She says moments like that show parents who you are.

What you'll learn

• Calm a school after principal turnover by telling families the school is not closing and that you plan to stay.
• Market a school hidden off the main road with social media and visible community work, as Stager did to grow enrollment.
• Spend time in classrooms and hallways, notice when a child looks off, and ask.
• Give parents a work cell phone number you can silence, and pick a day, as Stager does with Saturday, when you skip email.
• Tell parents at pickup what a child shared with you, and give teachers a heads up when something is going on at home.

Chapters

• 0:00 A small Catholic school in Southeastern Michigan
• 2:04 How a parochial school stays funded
• 7:14 Calming a school after four principals in a year
• 9:41 Growing enrollment 12 percent through marketing
• 11:27 Why great principals start with relationships
• 13:31 The pencil lead story that built trust
• 17:44 Noticing kids who are struggling, door always open
• 21:01 Giving parents your cell phone number

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Questions this episode answers

How do you build trust with parents as a new principal?
Stager says parents trust you once they see you care about their kids as much as your own. She stays in classrooms and hallways, keeps her door open all day, and gives parents her work cell number so they can tell her anything affecting a child.

How can a principal steady a school after leadership turnover?
Stager joined a school that had four principals in one year. She told families the school was not closing, reassured staff she was not leaving, and marketed the school on social media. Enrollment grew 12 percent after about five years of decline, mostly with new families from public and charter schools.

Should a principal give parents a cell phone number?
Stager gives parents her work cell number so they can tell her anything affecting a child. She turns her phone off on Saturdays, parents text if there is an emergency, and she says she has yet to have anyone abuse it. Jethro adds that he now shares his number too.

About Theresa Stager

Second-year principal of a pre-K through 8 Catholic school in Southeastern Michigan with about 135 students.

Links and resources

• Rate the podcast on iTunes
• Rate the podcast on Stitcher
• Jethro Jones on Twitter
• Transformative Principal on Twitter
• Theresa Stager show notes
• The Paperless Principal book

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