PUTTING OUT FIRES.

This article presents information on Fredi Buffmire, the principal at Mendoza Elementary School in Mesa, Arizona. True, Buffmire has left her mark on teaching and learning at Mendoza Elementary. A native of Alaska who projects a pioneer's sense of assuredness, she's launched programs to give extra attention to her most struggling students. In her five years here, she's hired half the school's 50 teachers. Staff members praise her for creating an atmosphere of trust in which they can try new methods. But as is evident in a typical workday, instructional leadership for Bufimire often must take a back seat to getting boxes for a teacher who's transferring or helping parents arrange a fund-raiser. As the lone administrator in charge of 824 pupils in grades pre-K-6 and a staff of 125, she spends much of her time putting out fires and navigating red tape.