AP Insight - June 2009

Vol. 1, Issue 2

The Student Learning-Centered School

Welcome to the second issue of AP Insight, the NASSP e-newsletter for assistant principals. 

One of my favorite questions that I received as an AP and principal was, "What do you do during the summer?" When answering, I would usually amaze that person by responding with details of all the work done when students were not in the building. 

Even though school is out for many of you, I know that you will continue to work and prepare for summer school, school reopening in the fall, as well as your own continued professional development and career enhancement. Your summer will be filled with planning and accomplishing those details that will contribute to the success of your students. 

Because the cycle continues, this edition of AP Insight zooms in on the role of the assistant principal in the student learning-centered school. While all schools have a degree of focus or emphasis on student learning, some have a sharper focus than others. 

Data supports the school leader as a major factor—major difference—in developing and maintaining a culture of high expectations for student learning. The middle level and high school assistant principal plays an important leadership role in ensuring maximum learning for every student. 

In the lead article, Mel Riddile, NASSP's associate director for high school services, offers three keys to success in the assistant principal's role in the student learning-centered school: relationships; promoting your learning and theirs; and turning mistakes into learning. 

We welcome your input and feedback as well as your contributions. Themes for upcoming issues include: Nurturing a Positive Climate; Opportunities to Lead; Data-Driven Decision Making; Safety and Security; and Relationships with Stakeholders. If you are interested in writing for AP Insight, e-mail me at reedp@principals.org. 

Pete Reed
Director, Professional Development

AP Case Study: What Would You Do?
You are an assistant principal of an urban school of 2,500 students. Today you are evaluating an English/language arts teacher. When you enter the room, 15 minutes into the 80-minute instructional block, the teacher is sitting at her desk looking at her computer screen. The students are engaged in private conversations. When the teacher sees you, she quickly reminds the students to begin working on the "Do Now" that is routinely assigned at the beginning of each class period. (Continue reading)

News and Notes

2009 State Assistant Principals of the Year Share Best Practices
State honorees in the 2009 NASSP/Virco National Assistant Principal of the Year program gathered in Virginia this spring to share their experiences with and commitment to ensuring all students receive a high-quality education.

NASSP Assistant Principal Task Force Report
When the NASSP Assistant Principal Task Force met in Arlington, VA, May 3–5, members came to the table with a full plate of agenda items, including AP Insight, a National Assistant Principal Month resolution, an assistant principal focused publication, advanced leader certification, and general issues associated with the assistant principalship.

AP Discussion List Hot Topic: Student-Centered Learning
Making schools more student-centered was a hot topic on the AP Discussion List during May. Practitioners participating in the conversation offered the following best practices for helping to ensure that students' personal and academic well-being are the school's first priority. We offer samples of the conversation here.

• Michelle P. Martin, assistant principal, Creekside Middle School, Woodstock, IL
  One of the things that I created was an AP Advisory Council. We meet once a month over a pizza lunch and discuss issues in the building. I've selected the students carefully, with the help of the teachers, so that all groups in the school are equally represented (jocks, minorities, those feeling disconnected to school, etc.), including grade level and gender. It has been so powerful. They have accomplished so much and I am amazed at the buy-in from those that usually poo-poo anything school related. The other upside is that kids get to see me in a role other than disciplinarian and get to know me more personally and it has helped me stay connected to the kids.
  Other things that help are sitting and having lunch with them; going on field trips when possible; attending student council meetings, dances, sporting events; and sitting in the stands with them rather than playing the role of observer. I really want to stay connected to all the kids in the building, not just the ones that end up in my office.
• Curt Mould, assistant principal, Watertown (WI) High School
  Building community with kids is really about making connections. Picking your battles and knowing where to draw the line are excellent skills to possess—and making the connection with a student in a disciplinary situation is of utmost importance. Noticing rock band T-shirts students are wearing and talking to them about the band, noticing a new haircut, asking how classes are going, and helping with homework go a long way. Just like pennies in jar—the little things add up over time. And if one is not genuine in their approach, kids will sniff it out immediately. Today's kids are skeptics by nature, and the adult relationships with students are paramount if true learning is to take place.
• Austin Brown, principal, Madison (WI) Central High School
  I don't mean to oversimplify, but if you ever have the chance to spend time in the classroom with students in the role of the instructor, even if only a small portion of even one day a week, I have found it can completely revolutionize the way that students view you as an administrator.
  Case in point, we have two 25-minute enrichment sessions weekly built into our bell schedule for the purpose of test preparation for state subject area tests as well as SAT and ACT prep. Being a former U.S. History teacher, I was able to serve in the instructor capacity for some of the sessions that prepare the students for the U.S. History state exit exam. I wasn't able to be there every single time throughout the 24-week process, but I would imagine I was there between 75–80% of the total time, and it was amazing to see the difference in the way I was viewed by the students. When students would stop me in the hall and tell me how they did on a history test or how well they thought they did on the state test, it was as if they were talking to a classroom teacher and not a principal.
  If you want students to view you in a different light, you have to give them another lens in which to look through. The next time a teacher is out, cover for a period if you can. If you can do something on a consistent basis, take/make the time to do so. Even if it's not your content area, just being in the room implementing whatever lesson plan is left will alter the way students perceive you, and you will see the good ones as well as the ones that you see on a more regular basis, for lack of a better phrase.
• Julia Britt, Prince Edward County Middle School, Farmville, VA
  It's about relationships. I work in a school that has 749 students—more males than females and highly diverse. I started the smiles and conversations on day one. It seems like if you don't care, they know, and if you do care, they know. It's hard to fool kids.
• LeeAnn Voss, vice principal, Union County Vocational Technical School, Scotch Plains, NJ
  If my teachers are running late I'll cover for them, or if I can't get a sub I'll sub for them frequently. I have contact with my students in this capacity. They know that I was a teacher for 20 years and they don't see me just as an administrator. It sheds a new light on our relationship. I also walk through classrooms and comment on students' work. They come to me for questions and help all of the time. Making positive phone calls home and calling students to the office for commendations is another way to communicate with "good kids."

NASSP AP Discussion List Tips
Since it began last fall, the NASSP Assistant Principal E-mail Discussion List has provided hundreds of assistant principals and other school leaders interested in assistant principal professional development access to an extensive professional network across the country.

To promote the value of the AP Discussion List, the AP Task Force members developed tips to guide users in participating in the conversation and gaining the most their interaction with colleagues.

Got something to say? Join the NASSP AP E-mail Discussion List now.

Research and Resources

Research Corner: RTI
Response to intervention (RTI) is a multitiered approach to help struggling learners including those with learning disabilities. It is the practice of providing high-quality instruction and intervention matched to student need, monitoring progress to adjust instruction or goals as needed, and applying student response data to important education decisions.

As one of the founding partners of the RTI Network, NASSP is dedicated to its responsible and effective implementation. The RTI Network provides information and tools to assist educators and families as they help each student succeed.

Josephine Franklin, NASSP's associate director for research and information resources, offers these informative resources on the topic of response to intervention. You may contact her directly at 703-860-7281 or e-mail frankinj@principals.org should you have a specific need for research and information.

Note: PDFs require NASSP member login. Not a member? Join now.

• Three Tiers to Success
  A high school uses a response to intervention model to help students progress. Eighth-grade teachers have rubrics that help them advise freshmen of which tier they should be assigned to. Teachers meet in teams throughout the year to determine learning goals and assess student's mastery of them.
• Response to Intervention: The Future for Secondary Schools
  The first of two articles on response to intervention (RTI), this column explains RTI and its role in school improvement.
• Response to Intervention at the Secondary Level
  This article is the second in a two-part series. Tiered interventions—including whole-school, small group, and individual interventions—are what make RTI initiatives successful.
• Doing Discipline Differently
  Reactive and exclusionary approaches to discipline are common in secondary schools but do not improve behavior or ensure safety. A tiered strategy that combines response to intervention with positive behavior support is far more effective. Schoolwide interventions improve overall school climate and more targeted assistance is available for those students who need more support.

NASSP Leadership Skills Assessment
The NASSP Leadership Skills Assessment is an affordable Web-based tool that assistant principals can use to diagnose their capacity to practice skills essential to success as a school leader. Subscribers to AP Insight receive a limited time offer of 20% off the purchase of the assessment. Use promo code BUILDSKILL. This offer ends on August 1, 2009. To purchase now, click here.

From the Bookshelf

Disrupting Class…How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns
Review by Mary Slinde, associate principal, Hopkins High School, Minnetonka, MN

I have been studying secondary school reform for many years and have become somewhat cynical and certainly discouraged about what it takes to "reform" education. Despite massive changes in education, none of the reform has dramatically altered the education system in this country. The achievement gap is still staring us in the face. If we had the perfect answer to educate "all" students, we certainly would have done it by now. Along comes Clayton Christensen, with Michael Horn and Curtis Johnson, to give us a whole new way to think about education reform. (Continue reading)