I'm in the Principal's Seat, Now What?

The Story of a Turnaround Principal

"The theme of visibility presented has already challenged my thinking and provoked reflection on my current and previous practice.  It has helped me to see gaps and holes that may have been there. This text would support my work with principals in helping them to see these as key traits/practices."

"As a professor in the graduate school of education, these strategies would be an excellent addition to teacher education courses, school operations, and management."

"The how-to guide, coupled with practical experience, adds authority to the author’s voice. With essential questions at the end of the chapters, this work will provide a thoughtful and compelling read for new and veteran administrators alike."

"I am taken by Allan’s approach to learning and leadership. He recognizes that culture matters – a lot – and he offers specific strategies to help everyone in a school learn and grow."

"I'm in the Principal's Seat, Now What? provides a practical guide for building a school on the vision that each student matters. Given the right organizational structure and climate, teachers will take ownership of problems, will implement proven, practical solutions and will grow from good to great when they are supported by their principals. Middle grades and high school principals serving in low-performing, challenging schools will gain great wisdom and insight for creating a high-touch, high-performance culture for students and teachers that will result in improved outcomes in attendance, performance, and student engagement. This book provides a vision for making parents a partner in the process, celebrating student and faculty growth experiences, and building healthy competition."

"I’m in the Principal’s Seat, Now What? by Dr. Allan Bonilla is the kind of book that appears once in a decade. Bonilla became the principal of a large, failing school in Dade County, Florida, succeeded in turning the school into an exemplary school, remained in that school for fourteen years, and tells his story through evidence-based examples of team building, school culture, principal visibility and so much more. This book will appeal to any school administrator interested in leadership and practical options for helping a failing school become better to making a gifted school better and anything in between. It is destined to become a landmark book."

"I am taken by Allan’s approach to learning and leadership. He recognizes that culture matters – a lot – and he offers specific strategies to help everyone in a school learn and grow."

"In this immensely practical and powerful book, Dr. Allan Bonilla avoids the typical slogans about school culture and instead provides readers with the hard truths of leadership.  Although Bonilla is a successful turnaround school leader, this book is valuable for leaders of high-performing schools as well as those in need of significant change.  Moreover, both new and experienced leaders will benefit from the relentless emphasis on human connections in these pages.  I particularly appreciate the author's iconoclastic approach to leadership visibility, as he demonstrates that visibility in the lunchroom, hallways, and sidewalks is as important as visibility in the classroom.  Looking through the eyes of the student, Bonilla appeals to leaders to make a human connection, preferring relationships over checklists and impact over appearances.  Finally, this book provides an impressive mandate for the support of elective subjects, including arts and athletics, to save students from academic failure.  Bonilla poignantly reminds us that electives are not a competitor for academic achievement, but a necessary support for them.  The "afterthoughts and reflections" at the end of each chapter make this an ideal book for faculty book studies. I hope that it will generate vigorous discussions, constructive controversy, and as the author suggests, a few tears, all in the pursuit of a better understanding of helping our students."

"This book is sure to be a must-have for every beginning and experienced principal. With Allan's experience as a successful principal in a struggling school, combined with his knowledge of leadership coaching, readers will gain inspiration and solid strategies to be equally successful."

“As a veteran of twenty-one years in the principalship, I recommend this work to new and even seasoned principals who wish to continue to grow professional.  This is a thought-provoking work- one from which we can all learn.”