If you're a teacher or counselor in the public school system and feel like you were meant for something more, consider becoming a high school principal. High school principal positions bring an enormous amount of responsibility--and an enormous amount of job satisfaction.
When the school bell rings and kids flood the hallways, high school principals are there to direct the flow of learning and community. A school principal typically begins as a teacher, department head, or counselor with past experience in the classroom. Add to that background a dose of business, economic, and human resource training, and you have a professional ready to orchestrate the growth of an educational setting.
Duties of the High School Principal
Some of the roles you can expect to take on as a principal include:
Curriculum. High school principals play an integral role in curriculum design and implementation on every level. They monitor statistics and initiatives to improve student performance.
Budgeting. Handling a budget of several hundred thousand dollars is one of the more challenging aspects of a school principal position. Balancing extracurricular and technology expenditures is key.
Public Relations. As a high school principal, you'll be expected to form strong bonds with parents, businesses, and community leaders to advance the goals of your school.
High School Principal Career Profile
The Occupational Outlook Handbook reports a demand for talented and trained school principals to hold positions at public and private schools all across the country.
Employment. School principals held about 442,000 jobs in 2004.
Outlook. High school principal jobs are projected to grow as fast as the average for all occupations through 2014.
Salary. In May 2004, secondary school administrators enjoyed median annual earnings of $74,190.
High school principals are the leaders of our future. They manage the complex network of teachers and students to ensure success all around. If you're ready for the challenge, begin your certification process today. Many online degree programs make it easier for teachers to get the education they need to become administrators.