Category: Recruitment, Retention, and Career Growth

Allison Persad

Out-of-the-Box Solutions for Hiring During a Teacher Shortage

Twenty days before teachers return to our school this September, in the sweltering heat of the hottest summer in 120,000 years, at 5:01pm on the final day of the official deadline for teachers to notify principals of transfers, I received yet another teacher resignation. The Great Resignation continues, and education has turned into the Serengeti […]

Leading From a Place of Yes

I am honored and truly humbled to be named Massachusetts Principal of the Year. As we all know, it is a collective effort to create dynamic learning experiences in schools, and I could not accomplish anything without the incredibly talented educators I work with, who equally deserve this award. As I reflect on this recognition, […]

Pursuing the Path to School Leadership

Jessica Rehberg, an assistant principal of Winder-Barrow High School in Winder, GA, is the first to admit that the principalship isn’t the most romantic calling—at least at first. “Whether you’re a child or college kid dreaming of being a teacher, school leadership isn’t something you necessarily aspire to,” she says. “Rather, the desire to lead […]

A Powerful Collaboration Between School Leaders and Student Leaders

Here in Washington state, we have what I think is a unique—and powerful—relationship between the Association of Washington Student Leaders (where I serve as director) and the Association of Washington School Principals. The best way to put it is that we work in tandem: The principals’ association supports principals on down and we support students […]

Support, Coach, and Sustain to Recruit and Retain

When I became a school administrator over 15 years ago, the applicant pool for filling certified teaching vacancies was deep, if not overflowing. It was not uncommon to receive ten or more quality résumés from which to select worthy candidates. Two and possibly three rounds of interviews might ensue to select the best person for […]

Recruitment and Retention Strategies to Increase School Leader Diversity

“Everywhere I looked, leadership didn’t look like me. But our students did,” says Danielle Edwards, a school leader and Spelman College alumna who sought school leadership opportunities in her school community. In the absence of guidelines and a career pathway, she relied on her network of Spelman sisters and like-minded colleagues to help her navigate […]

NASSP Panel Focuses on Tackling the Educator Shortage

In honor of National Principals Month, NASSP teamed up with the National Association of Elementary School Principals and the American Federation of School Administrators to host a panel discussion on the nation’s educator shortage. Held in October at the AFL-CIO headquarters in Washington, DC, and streamed online, speakers included four current school leaders: Sue Danielson […]