At Butler Middle School in Waukesha, WI, where Laura Jennaro is the principal, more than 250 eighth graders will gather in June for the last event of their middle school years: graduation. The school calls it a recognition ceremony to keep the focus on recognizing students’ varied achievements and to help them celebrate a milestone […]
The NASSP Experts of the Week blog series amplifies the voices of middle level and high school leaders who address today’s trending topics in education. Featuring principals, assistant principals, and digital principals—often who have won the esteemed Principal of Year, Assistant Principal of the Year, or Digital Principal of the Year award—the blogs offer leadership anecdotes, successes and challenges, and general advice for fellow educators.
Each blog also relates to one of the two domains of NASSP’s Building Ranks™ framework—Building Culture or Leading Learning—and highlights one or more of the 15 leadership dimensions such as equity, global-mindedness, and results-orientation.
Read the latest blog posts from the Experts of the Week series below!
Four Tips to Make Middle School Graduation a Success
Get Ready to Lead: What’s Next at UNITED 2025
Let’s be honest: Engaging in professional development opportunities—let alone attending a national conference—might feel like the last thing on your list right now. But if you’re carrying the weight of leading through burnout, political pressures, and constant change, UNITED 2025 is your lifeline. Share via: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Copy Link Email More
Sharing My Real Mental Health Journey
Mental health advocacy is my passion. This past year I’ve put everything I can into it by sharing my story. For a long time though, when I tried to speak about my mental health, I tended to filter my words. I would always spin what I was saying into a more positive story and ignore […]
Celebrating National Student Leadership Week in Puerto Rico
The student council at TASIS Dorado, a private school in Dorado, Puerto Rico, has a tradition of celebrating National Student Leadership Week (NSLW) to honor students who might not get the recognition they deserve as student leaders. This week, TASIS Dorado students and their adviser are looking at ways to make their celebration even larger […]
Combating Spring Absenteeism
Spring in a beach town is beautiful and a bit of a nightmare for school attendance. At Keansburg High School in Keansburg, NJ, where chronic absenteeism peaked at 40% post-pandemic, the warming weather often signals a drop in engagement. With its beach, boardwalk, and amusement park, our town is known as the gateway to the […]
The UNITED 2025 Agenda Is Live: Find Your Path Forward
Navigate 200+ Sessions With Guides Focused on What You’re Facing The full UNITED 2025 agenda is live, featuring more than 200 sessions designed to support principals and assistant principals leading in a rapidly shifting landscape. NASSP’s annual conference will bring together over 4,000 school leaders for two days of learning and connection. Share via: Facebook […]
Your 2025 UNITED Agenda: Mental Health
Lead With Compassion: Mental Health at UNITED 2025 Leadership today demands more than vision—it requires heart. With student needs intensifying and staff exhaustion growing, mental health support has never been more critical. These UNITED 2025 sessions are designed to help leaders foster safe, inclusive, and emotionally responsive school environments. Share via: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Copy […]
Your 2025 UNITED Agenda: AI Preparedness
Confidently Navigate AI in Schools AI is changing education fast. UNITED 2025 offers leaders space to ask the right questions, build practical strategies, and learn from peers who are navigating AI responsibly and ethically. Share via: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Copy Link Email More
Your 2025 UNITED Agenda: Equity
Equity in Action: Strategies That Lead Supporting all students takes more than good intentions—it takes courageous, informed action. These sessions help you navigate political pushback, cultural tension, and legal restrictions with clarity and care. Share via: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Copy Link Email More
Your 2025 UNITED Agenda: Staff Well-Being
Support Your People, Sustain Your School When educators thrive, schools succeed. These sessions will help you invest in your staff through recognition, retention, and relationship-centered leadership. Share via: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Copy Link Email More
Your 2025 UNITED Agenda: Student Agency
Make Student Voice the Centerpiece of School Culture Students don’t just want to be heard—they want to lead. These sessions highlight the practices and mindsets that let students own their learning and help shape their communities. Share via: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Copy Link Email More
How Student Ambassadors Bring Fresh Ideas to Our Middle School
I’ve spent most of my career as an educator at Rogers Park Middle School in Danbury, CT, including the last seven years as principal. A big thing I’ve always believed in, as a teacher and an administrator, is student voice. One way to incorporate student voice into how we teach and learn is to seek […]
Five Tips for Assistant Principals From a Longtime AP
Tom Lenarz has been the assistant principal of Cloquet Middle School in Cloquet, MN, for more than 20 years, all but one of them alongside principal and NASSP Board Member Tom Brenner. During years in the role, Lenarz has gained a lot of wisdom about the assistant principalship. To kick off National Assistant Principals Week, […]
Celebrating the 2025 Advocacy Champion Finalists
In schools across America, the most effective change often begins with a principal willing to bridge the gap between policy and practice. This year’s NASSP Advocacy Champion of the Year finalists exemplify this crucial connection, demonstrating how school leaders can amplify both educator and student voices in ways that transform education policy. The winner will […]
What Inclusion Means to Me
For some people, inclusivity is just a buzzword. For my family, it means so much more. My younger brother Patrick was diagnosed with autism at the age of three. I was five at the time and didn’t realize that Patrick would eventually have relationships that would look different than mine. As we got older, I […]
The ASVAB CEP and the Power of Career Planning
The ASVAB Career Exploration Program (CEP) is a no-cost career exploration program available to all students in 10th grade and above. It leverages the predictive power of the ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) exam, allowing students to reveal their skills and vocational strengths. Following the assessment, participating students have access to a suite of […]
NASC Scholarship Winners Making a Difference
The National Association of Student Councils (NASC) is proud to recognize this year’s inaugural NASC Scholarship recipients. These exceptional high school juniors and seniors have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to student leadership, service, voice, and engagement. Let’s meet our five national winners who have been recognized for making a lasting impact in their schools and […]
Celebrating Excellence: Meet the 2025 National Assistant Principals of the Year Finalists
Assistant principals of every successful school often work behind the scenes, creating the systems and support structures that allow students and teachers to thrive. Today, we shine a spotlight on six exceptional educational leaders who represent the best of what it means to be an assistant principal in America’s schools. Share via: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn […]
NHS and a School-Based Charity Feed Students in Need
Every Friday morning during the school year, almost 100 students gather at Lambert High School in Suwanee, GA, to fill backpacks full of food for students throughout the county who need food assistance. National Honor Society (NHS) officers arrive at 7 a.m. to prepare for more than 100 volunteers who pack 530 individual bags of […]
School and Student Leaders Unite to Advocate for Education Funding on Capitol Hill
Last week, more than 450 principals and student leaders from across the nation gathered on Capitol Hill for the National School Leader Advocacy Conference, marking the fifth anniversary of COVID school closures with a powerful call to action: Fund our future. Their unified message to lawmakers: Invest in public education, student mental health, and the […]