Blog | National SAM Innovation Project

SamTastic Weekly Tip: 6/9/25 - Get Your TimeTrack Ready for the Next School Year.

Jim Mercer
Jun 9

This week’s tip: Get Your TimeTrack ready for the next school year.

Your school district has likely set its calendar for the 2025-26 school year. Now is the perfect time to add this information in your TimeTrack. There are two steps:

Go to the orange TimeTrack logo, upper left, select settings and contact days set-up. Starting with June, 2025, change to BLUE any day the leader is not required to work. Once you finish June, do the same for all the months for next school year. Make sure district holidays are BLUE, too. It is a great idea to label these days in the Note section, too.
Double check that you’ve changed to BLUE days your leader will be on vacation, or using leave, this summer. This will make a significant difference in your time data as TimeTrack will not count days that have been switched to BLUE.

This is also an opportune time to update your staff list. Go to the orange TimeTrack logo, upper left, select settings and individual/group set-up. Start by deactivating staff members who have retired/left your school or district. Then, add in new hires. Finally, go the Groups tab and check that the membership in each is correct.

Your Time Change Coach is looking forward to starting work with you again in August.

We’ll provide a series of live online sessions focusing on advanced TimeTrack features weekly beginning the last week of July.

Haven’t received an invoice yet for SAM services for next year? You can request an invoice now by using this link: https://bit.ly/40GtA33

2024 SAM Team Performance Report: Executive Summary - https://bit.ly/4fh2V2k

Music Video: I Am a SAM https://bit.ly/48OCjCm

SamTastic Weekly Tip: 6/2/25 - Look at How You Spent Management Time.

Jim Mercer
Jun 2

This week’s tip: Look at how you spent management time.

Have you looked at all your TimeTrack end-of-year data?

TimeTrack users completed end of year SAM process rubric assessments with their Time Change Coach in April and May. We are preparing the annual report for the NSIP Board and will make it available mid-July to all SAM teams. The results are very impressive. The amount of instructional time for the year hit a record high. Congratulations!

When you completed the assessment with your coach you focused on instructional time and its intended impact: improved teaching performance and student outcomes. Your coach talked with you about how your instructional time aligned with your school and district improvement plans…as well personal goals for coming school year. Great!

I wonder if you’ve also looked at your management time data. Did you know you can change your data dashboard with a single click from instructional to management time?

Use the options tab on your dashboard to make the switch. It can be helpful to see what management work you did during the 2024-25 school year.

Could a First Responder help you spend even more time on instructional improvement work? Do you need additional First Responders?

Another thing to consider: a lot of your management work is of great value. For example, greeting students in the morning, lunchroom supervision and student dismissal are prime connection times with students you don’t want to miss. This interaction with students allows you to build relationships and emphasize your commitment to student academic, emotional and social success.

Can you identify First Responders who did a terrific job for you? Is now the time to let them know you appreciate their help? Many SAM principals make a point of showing First Responders TimeTrack instructional data while explaining the how this allowed the leader to spend more time with teachers and students. They then say to the First Responder:

“Do you know who made this happen? You. I could not have done this instructional work without your help. You make a difference for students and teachers in our school. Thanks!”

Haven’t received an invoice yet for SAM services for next year? You can request an invoice now by using this link: https://bit.ly/40GtA33

2024 SAM Team Performance Report: Executive Summary - https://bit.ly/4fh2V2k

Music Video: I Am a SAM https://bit.ly/48OCjCm

SamTastic Weekly Tip: 5/27/25 - Seek Feedback on Your Work

Jim Mercer
May 27

This week’s tip: Seek Feedback on Your Work

SAM teams are focused each day on improving teaching practice and student performance. Each day this year you’ve met to examine your work and plan next steps. Impressive. The reflective time you’ve spent made you a better leader.

As the end of the school year approaches, consider interviews and focus sessions with teachers to examine your impact. This can be as easy as three questions:

What did I do that helped?
What did I do that got in the way?
What suggestions do you have for me as I plan my work for next year?

The best approach is to listen without argument and express appreciation. Many leaders elect to do this in one-on-one sessions. Some decide to do it in group meetings. Still others seek this feedback through anonymous surveys. Choose the way that will work best for you as a leader.

I enjoyed talking with Frederick Buskey, host of the Assistant Principal Podcast, earlier this month. The episode was released this morning and is available on several platforms. If you’d like to listen to the podcast use any of the links below.

Assistant Principal Podcast: https://theassistantprincipal.transistor.fm/255

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0YjsYynDryjA7gInM9hbVT?si=9563ac82fdc846e8

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-assistant-principal-podcast/id1582998564

It is budget time in most schools and districts. Be sure to budget for your SAM services for the 2025-26 school year. You can request an invoice now by using this link: https://bit.ly/40GtA33

2024 SAM Team Performance Report: Executive Summary - https://bit.ly/4fh2V2k

Music Video: I Am a SAM https://bit.ly/48OCjCm