What to do with a principal's recommendation?

sybbie719
Tue, 24 Mar 2015 03:58:14 +0000

Unless the principal has taught your child and/or knows your child, their back ground strengths and areas of opportunities, the letter is not going to help your child’s cause. IF your principal was a GC or AP guidance and has dealt with your child in that capacity, I definitely would not swap out the the the recommendation for a teacher’s rec and/or a GC rec. Can your principal add anything extra that is not covered by the GC or teacher or is s/he writing merely as the principal? If s/he is simply writing as the principal without adding any thing, I would pass.

I have worked with a principal who teaches one class a semester (non-core class) and leads an 15 student advisory (even then he collaborates with the GC). He has had his advisees for 4 years and does write recommendations in his role as their advisor. I worked with another principal who started out as a GC and has a small caseload, ~ 25 high risk students, that he works with in order to stay in the loop and abreast of what is going on with those kids.