[00:00:00]
Welcome to The Principal’s Handbook, your go-to resource for principals looking to revamp their leadership approach and prioritize self-care. I’m Barb Flowers, a certified life coach with eight years of experience as an elementary principal. Tune in each week as we explore strategies for boosting mental resilience, managing time effectively, and nurturing overall wellness.

From tackling daily challenges to maintaining a healthy work-life balance, I’m Barb Flowers. Together, we’ll navigate the complexities of school leadership. Join me in fostering your sense of purpose as a principal and reigniting your passion for the job. Welcome to a podcast where your wellbeing is the top priority.

[00:01:00]
Welcome everyone! I’m excited to have Nicole Baker with us today, joining from California. We’re talking about organizational systems in schools—an important topic with many different approaches. Nicole, can you start by telling us a bit about yourself and how you got here?

Nicole Baker: Thanks, Barb. I’m grateful for the opportunity. I’ve been an educator in several states. I earned my teaching credential in Wyoming, then taught in Arizona for six years, moved to Nebraska for five years, and have now been in California for 20 years. I earned my master’s in educational leadership and got my administrative credential while working in California.

I started as a high school vocational teacher focused on business, then moved into administration overseeing a teacher induction program. Eventually, I took a leap and became a superintendent/principal when my oldest started kindergarten. Both my daughters attended that K-8 school, and I was fortunate to take them to work with me every day. Now, I’m at a county office supporting local districts and loving this role as well.

[00:03:00]
Barb: You bring a diverse background, having worked across states with different systems. That’s valuable. Let’s dive into creating organizational systems around teacher support—things like observations, PD planning, and coaching. How do you organize that?

Nicole: Stephen Covey’s advice to “begin with the end in mind” really stuck with me. As I gained experience, I started backward mapping everything—knowing deadlines from local policy and bargaining agreements to avoid trouble.

But more importantly, from my time in induction, I believe observation should meet teachers where they are and play to their strengths. I tell teachers, “What works for me might not work for you. I want you to feel comfortable in your own skin in front of kids.” Growth is personal. We can’t force teachers to change; they have to want to change to benefit students.

[00:05:00]
Barb: I love the backward design approach—it helps with time management. I remember my first year as a principal, I had no clue when things needed to be done, so I made a checklist. Deadlines are crucial, especially for struggling teachers and union requirements.

I also appreciate your focus on teacher buy-in for growth. Adults need to be motivated and involved in the process for change to happen.

Nicole: Absolutely. At my small K-8 school with nine teachers, I offered teachers the option of video observations. They could either have me observe live or record a lesson themselves. Many chose video because watching themselves teach helped them notice things they wouldn’t otherwise—and most could self-identify areas for growth.

It was actually a fun experience—for both the teacher and me! If principals can offer this option, it can be one of the most meaningful forms of feedback.

[00:09:00]
Barb: I agree. Watching yourself teach can be eye-opening. Now, about student data—how did you track and use it for instructional leadership?

Nicole: In our small school, we used iReady starting around second grade, but we relied heavily on teacher observations because our teams were often just one teacher per grade.

We met in vertically aligned grade-level teams—K-1-2, 3-4-5, 6-7-8—to share data and instructional practices. One year, we focused on writing. We noticed our seventh-grade writing scores were outstanding thanks to an exceptional teacher. We backward mapped skills from seventh grade to kindergarten, aligning specific activities.

Teachers visited each other’s classrooms to observe practices—a powerful professional development experience born out of data analysis. Later, we did similar work with reading and math.

[00:13:00]
Barb: Breaking down work by subject makes it manageable, especially for elementary teachers who teach multiple subjects. Having a matrix and clear systems helps prevent over- or under-teaching standards.

Encouraging teachers to observe peers is a great resource already in the building—learning from each other is invaluable.

Nicole: Exactly. And with the substitute shortage, I always told principals, if you can get into classrooms—even for a short time—do it. It offers insight into teacher successes and struggles, reminding you what teaching feels like.

[00:15:00]
Barb: Smaller districts often have fewer resources, which can make data use harder.

Nicole: True. In my school of about 550 students, we started without an instructional coach, so I handled data analysis. After hiring a reading coach, she helped break down and explain data to staff, freeing me to focus elsewhere.

We also created teacher leadership roles with stipends—for data leads, SEL curriculum leads, and English learner assessment leads—to empower teachers and distribute leadership.

[00:18:00]
Barb: Empowering teachers with leadership roles builds positive culture and trust. When teachers feel trusted, they rise to the occasion.

Tell us about building a positive school culture.

Nicole: I wanted a place where people woke up excited to go to work. I learned students come first—but for me to support them, staff have to come first. Happy staff means happy students, which means happy parents and community.

I treated staff, parents, and families like gold—making accommodations, valuing them as people first. That mindset helped build a strong, joyful school culture.

[00:21:00]
Barb: That people-first attitude resonates. My superintendent respected boundaries and work-life balance, and I tried to do the same for teachers. We work to support our families, after all.

How did you support behavior management and positive climate?

Nicole: We brought in an SEL program called Toolbox involving everyone—from cafeteria staff to bus drivers to aides. Having the entire staff use the same language created consistency.

One memorable tool was “the garbage can”—encouraging kids to mentally “throw away” mean comments instead of holding on to them. Staff noticed kids using the language naturally.

We also held parent workshops to extend the language and skills into homes, strengthening the community.

[00:24:00]
Barb: Post-COVID behavior challenges and social media influences make school-wide SEL systems more important than ever. Many students lack the skills to process conversations and expectations.

Nicole: Exactly. Overexposure and influences outside school complicate behavior. School-wide language and PBIS systems equip students with essential tools.

[00:25:00]
Barb: Let’s talk about scheduling and staff duties. How did you organize lunch duty and other responsibilities?

Nicole: Early on, I realized most scheduling decisions didn’t affect me directly, so I involved the staff who were impacted. We’d meet in spring, spread schedules out on walls or whiteboards, and everyone added their “wish list.”

Interestingly, schedules usually made themselves with staff input. This saved time and honored their needs. I promised no one would worry over summer about next year’s schedule because we’d settle it by year-end.

[00:28:00]
Barb: That culture of collaboration is powerful. I also reduced teacher recess duties to give more prep time and leaned on classified staff to cover yard duty.

Teachers know their team dynamics best, so I let them help build duty schedules.

Nicole: Exactly. Input from staff on duties saves time and ensures fairness.

[00:30:00]
Barb: Many first-year leaders try to do too much themselves, thinking they’re saving time. Empowering staff and delegating is key.

Nicole: Yes! I learned that the hard way too.

[00:31:00]
Barb: What about communication? How did you keep staff and parents informed?

Nicole: I believe you can’t over-communicate. Someone once told me, “If you’re not telling your school’s story, someone else will.”

I sent a weekly Friday email to staff, board members, and families outlining the upcoming week. If I was off campus for meetings, I made sure everyone knew why.

We also had a Sunday night all-call to parents with updates and reminders—that went on for 10 years!

I maintained an open-door policy even when parent involvement shifted post-COVID. It took over a year to rebuild parent presence on campus through events like “Donuts with the Dean.”

[00:34:00]
Barb: Interesting—some schools struggled to bring parents back, others had parents knocking down doors eager to return.

Nicole: Consistent communication is essential. We also created a weekly newsletter with photos and principal messages to keep families connected.

[00:35:00]
Barb: I love your strategy of encouraging teachers to send at least one weekly Remind message to parents with photos or questions to engage families.

Nicole: Yes, it helped parents see students in action and ask meaningful questions, boosting home-school connection.

[00:36:00]
Barb: Any final advice on systems and organization?

Nicole: For small campuses, I recommend putting everything on your digital calendar—classroom visits, annual reports, board meetings, anything easy to forget. Calendaring keeps you on track and prevents last-minute scrambling.

[00:37:00]
Barb: I agree—putting follow-ups and commitments on your calendar is critical. Thanks so much for sharing, Nicole. How can people contact you?

Nicole: Email is best, and I’m on LinkedIn at Nicole Baker.

[00:38:00]
Barb: Thank you, Nicole! This was a great conversation.