Category: Uncategorized
Presenting the 2021 Principal of the Year Finalists
Principals work tirelessly every day to support their schools, ensuring the success and well-being of students and adults in their learning community. The NASSP National Principal of the Year program recognizes outstanding middle level and high school principals who have succeeded in providing high-quality learning opportunities for students as well as demonstrating exemplary contributions to the profession.
The search for the National Principal of the Year begins every spring as each state principal’s association selects its State Principal of the Year. From this pool of state award winners, a panel of judges selects three finalists as contenders for the National Principal of the Year Award. (more…)
Principals Say Pandemic Conditions Are Accelerating Their Plans to Leave the Principalship
According to a poll conducted August 14–19 by the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), 45 percent of principals report that pandemic working conditions are accelerating their plans to leave the profession. The departures will exacerbate an already challenging principal attrition crisis. (more…)
Wisconsin Principal Gregg Wieczorek Chosen to Serve as NASSP President-Elect
During last week’s virtual 2020 NASSP Members Assembly, Gregg Wieczorek, principal of Arrowhead Union High School in Hartland, WI, was elected to serve as the NASSP’s new president-elect. He will succeed Maryland Principal Roberty Motley as president on August 1, 2021. (more…)
Taking Time for You
Wellness (noun): The state of being in good health, especially as an actively pursued goal.
In a field of serving others, how often do we take time to take care of ourselves? Not just a spa trip, random yoga class, or a nice meal out with a friend, but intentional, continual self-wellness? (more…)
2020 State of the Union Response
“Once again, President Trump squanders a State of the Union opportunity to bolster the success of public schools by proposing only to enrich private schools at public expense. With a fresh infusion of funds siphoned from public services, private entities would enjoy expanded ‘education freedom’ to admit the students they find desirable. But for the 90-plus percent of U.S. students who attend public schools, including students with the greatest educational needs, the administration’s sole education effort would exacerbate an already severe funding crisis. Let’s remember that public education bears the label because it serves the public good and accepts public accountability. Bureaucratic schemes to privatize education—whether as overt as vouchers or as insidious as tax credit scholarships—compromise our public investment in those schools and the education of our nation’s youth.”
—JoAnn Bartoletti, NASSP Executive Director
2019 Assistant Principal of the Year Finalists Announced
Every year, NASSP recognizes assistant principals from across the country for their exemplary efforts in providing high-quality learning opportunities for students. The National Assistant Principal of the Year (APOY) program selects three finalists from each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Department of Defense Education Activity, and the U.S. Department of State Office of Overseas Schools.
We are excited to announce the three finalists for 2019. (more…)
Four Ways to Fine-Tune Your Leadership Skills
After 18 years of being an assistant principal in various schools, I still love my job. But whether you are a new administrator or a seasoned veteran, it is always a challenge to stay current in the ever-changing educational landscape. How do you master the varied roles you are expected to fulfill? Here are four ways that I have honed my leadership skills in my time as a school administrator: (more…)
G.R.O.W. Into Leadership
Guest post by Omékongo Dibinga
“Leadership ain’t for the lame, don’t take it in vain
Time to rethink your position, understand why you came.”
I often recite these two lines from a poem I wrote on leadership when I speak to student leaders around the world. I share this quote to underscore two points: First, leadership is not for everyone. Though everyone can be a leader, leadership is a calling that few people answer and, therefore, it must be carefully considered. Second, leaders must always be thinking about why they chose to be a leader, and whether they still have the capacity or even the desire to lead.
Let the Games Begin: Using Competition to Motivate the Students and Staff
Guest post by Chris Chitwood
As a coach, I believe that motivation is everything, and everyone is motivated by something. When our administrative team at Wilbanks Middle School in Demorest, GA, wanted to transform our culture to one of excellence in attendance, behavior, and academics, we decided to utilize competition as a way to motivate students and shift everyone’s focus to these three key areas. (more…)
Making Collaboration Work
What do principals need to do their jobs more effectively? This is a question school administrators struggle with on a daily basis. The truth is that the best people to answer that question are the school administrators themselves. After all, they know their schools best and they know the unique nuances that may affect any new initiative. So, why not ask principals to create the tools they need to make their jobs easier? (more…)