On the other side of COVID-19, we continue to experience the ramifications of the pandemic’s effects on students academically and emotionally and on teachers’ skills to address these issues. At Henderson Middle School in Jackson, GA, we quickly realized that it would take collective teacher efficacy to help us face these challenges—and that quality professional […]
Category: School Safety
The Power of Collective Efficacy: Accessing Relevant Professional Development to Combat the Impact of COVID-19
NHS Chapter in Ukraine Continues Meeting Despite War
As Russian troops prepared to invade Ukraine in February 2022, Kyiv International School moved to online instruction as a precaution. When the invasion took place two weeks later, a large majority of the 800 students—who come from all over the world—enrolled in other schools outside Ukraine, and staff members who were not Ukrainian remained outside […]
Promoting Kindness and Preventing Bullying in Middle School
October is National Bullying Prevention Month, and I want to share how I have worked hard over the years to promote kindness in school. It started about 15 years ago, when I first became principal of Colony Middle School in Palmer, AK. At the time, it was pretty apparent that we needed to work on […]
NASSP Survey of Principals and Students Reveals the Extent of Challenges Facing Schools
Last month, NASSP released results from the NASSP Survey of America’s School Leaders and High School Students. Designed by school leaders and students, this nationally representative survey explores their opinions on the challenges of leading and learning at school as well as their thoughts on mental health, school safety, and how to better meet the […]
New Guide Helps School Leaders Who Experience Gun Violence
Twenty-three years ago, 13 people were killed at Columbine High School in one of the first mass school shootings in the United States. Since then, there have been at least 943 incidents of gunfire on school grounds that have resulted in 321 deaths and 652 injuries.
Employee Assistance Programs Provide Valuable Mental Health Services
With all the concern lately about the mental health of students and school staff, school leaders should make sure they are taking full advantage of what can be a great resource in their districts: employee assistance programs, or EAPs.
Why Student Protests Are a Valuable Learning Opportunity
At Smoky Hill High School in Aurora, CO, you could say we’re victims of our own success when it comes to student protests. One thing we emphasize in our school is that students need to have a voice. In the grand scheme of things, the school is their school. It’s not my school, it’s not […]
Bearing Bad News: A Tough but Necessary Part of the Job
My school, Indio High School in Indio, CA, has faced many challenges over these past two years. Throughout the pandemic, we have lost members of our school community: a beloved student, a coach, a teacher, and a teacher’s spouse. Many of our students live in intergenerational homes, where COVID-19 spread and led to the death […]
A Nurse in Every School: One School District’s Worthwhile Investment
At the onset of the pandemic, officials in the Fountain-Fort Carson School District 8 did something that turned out to be a great use of money: They hired a full-time registered nurse for all nine of our schools. Larger schools like mine—a middle school with 1,100 students—also have a certified nurse assistant.
Mask Mandate Brings an Unfortunate Level of Anger and Disrespect
In the 17 years I’ve been an administrator in the Derry, NH, school district, we’ve had plenty of controversies. We’ve had school board meetings where members of the public come and share their opinions and disagree. But I’ve never seen people at those meetings being disrespectful—until now.