Classroom management: the foundation of effective teaching

There is so much to focus on as a principal.  You have student learning, staff effectiveness, school finances, parent/community relations.  They are all important and poor performance in any of those areas could be detrimental.  So, what is the single most important thing to focus on at the beginning of the school year?  Classroom Management!
 
Classroom management is the foundation for any classroom in any type of school (early childhood, elementary, middle, or high school).  A teacher could have the best lesson planned with a great knowledge of the content, but if classroom management is not in place, the students won’t be able to focus on the lesson to learn the material.
Principals should make sure lots of procedures are in place in classrooms on their campus.  Below are guiding questions to ask yourself while visiting classrooms.
 

• Do students know what to do when they walk in the door?
• Do students know what to do for transitions?
• Do students know what is expected of them?
• Are students active participants in the classroom?
• Is there a discipline management plan in place with both positive and negative consequences?
• Does the teacher consistently enforce the discipline management plan?

 
You must know what effective classroom management looks like and know how to identify those teachers who need help.  Identify those teachers quickly and begin working with them because student learning will suffer greatly if management is not in place.
 
How do you monitor classroom management on your campuses?