Be Determined to Succeed
In addition to being articulate spokespeople, the principals demonstrated positive yet stubborn determination in their attempts to accomplish their goals. Their work ethic often required many additional hours of effort and the ability to alleviate the inevitable conflicts that arose. For example, no one could argue with Pace’s determination when she wanted to start the Poinciana Pride program at her school (Poinciana High School). She established a committee and did some intensive training during the summer. Then she asked the staff on the committee to sell it to the remainder of the staff. “Basically, we did that by looking at the data. When you show teachers that we had 8,200 discipline referrals in a year’s time, they understand and can recognize the disruption that that is to their teaching and learning environment, as well as to the safety of the campus.”