What is Principal for a Day?

Representatives from business, industry and organizations are invited to take the reins as principal of an elementary, middle or high school. Principal for a Day offers “Guest Principals” a taste of what it’s like to manage the complexities of a school campus. They see teachers in action, interact with students and are updated on current issues affecting public education.

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What is the Principal for a Day schedule?

• Guest principals arrive at their assigned GUSD school at 8:00 AM.
• They will shadow their host principal from 8:00 AM through 11:00 AM.
• At 11:30 AM, all the guest principals and host principals will meet at the GUSD Administration Center, located at 223 N. Jackson Street. There they will enjoy a celebratory luncheon and take part in an honorary commencement hosted by the Glendale Educational Foundation and the Glendale Unified Board of Education and Superintendent of School.
• The entire event should conclude no later than 1:00 PM.

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What makes the Principal for a Day experience so special?

Guest principals are often challenged by using their own management styles in actual problem-solving situations. They learn quickly that principals and other school leaders encounter the same problems encountered in their own professional lives.

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How many professionals and community leaders have taken part in Principal for a Day?
More than 600 leaders from Glendale and the Foothill communities have participated.

 

From what industries or backgrounds have the guest principals come from in the past?

Guest principals are represented from a broad array of sectors, ranging from banking, entertainment, and hospital management; to law and government, real estate, retail sales, and special interest areas.

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Principal for a Day testimonials:
• Tigran Topadzhikyan, Glendale Police Department, said the most special thing about the morning at John Muir Elementary was “seeing the language immersion instruction and meeting the youth leadership team – our future leaders!”
• Kathy Rust, Glendale Noon Rotary, loved “doing the morning announcements, greeting the students and going back to my old classroom at R.D. White!”

 

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