Principals are responsible for promoting a caring school community that includes high expectations and support resources for students and staff members who are struggling to cope with the demands of daily life. Caring school communities emphasize the need to reach and teach the whole child (i.e., academic, behavioral, and social-emotional facets) within their whole environment (i.e., the school, the family, and the community). Principals who genuinely care about the welfare of everyone who enters their buildings will experience success when faced with
inevitable emotional issues and crises if they are well-informed and prepared to respond with the best interests of students and staff members at heart. Effective principals listen to the pulse of their school, pay attention to the things that do not “feel right,” and build the capacity of staff members to react to specific situations in a calm, caring manner.