In February 1916, a small group of high school principals, concerned about the extent to which colleges were dictating high school curriculum, gathered for a meeting in Detroit to share experiences, identify areas of common concern, and plan an appropriate response. That gathering was the first meeting of the National Association of Secondary School Principals.

The past 100 years have provided us with countless sources of pride, and during this celebration, we will take time to recall what NASSP has meant to generations of principals. More importantly, however, the 100-year mark occasions us to recommit to NASSP’s mission. Anticipating this milestone, the NASSP Board of Directors adopted a new expression of NASSP’s vision: Great leaders in every school committed to the success of each student. This vision is the ideal toward which we direct all our efforts and the lens through which we see any new activity. The vision emboldens NASSP to:

    • Advocate relentlessly for federal policies like the Elementary and Secondary Education Act reauthorization, principal student-loan forgiveness, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and the Perkins Career and Technical Education Act, as well as the sufficient funding to fulfill them.

    • Identify and convene exceptional principals to model excellence in school leadership and spark professional learning communities.

    • Capture and circulate the most rigorously vetted information about effective principal practice, such as the work produced by The Wallace Foundation.

We know that NASSP’s founders would be proud of the organization. Yet, what we truly value is the continued faith today’s school leaders place in NASSP as their professional organization. You honor us by allowing NASSP to be a part of the crucial work you do each day to build the future. Please know that NASSP continually strives to be worthy of your support, and we look forward to championing your role for the century to come.

JoAnn Bartoletti 
Executive Director, NASSP