Reston, VA – Around 3,000 principals and assistant principals from across the country will converge on Chicago July 11-13 for the 2018 National Principals Conference™ (NPC) hosted by the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).

Programming will focus on three key themes—Leading Learning, Building Culture, and Designing the Future—and will feature three keynote addresses by thought leaders in education, including University of Pennsylvania professor Scott Barry Kaufman, who is a pioneer in the concept of grit, and Adolph Brown, president and CEO of the Virginia-based Business & Education Leadership Authority. One keynote address will be delivered by three successful practicing principals and previous recipients of the NASSP Digital Principal of the Year award: Dwight Carter, New Albany High School, New Albany, OH; Carrie Jackson, Timberview Middle School, Fort Worth, TX; and Bill Ziegler, Pottsgrove High School, Pottstown, PA.

Renowned champion of empowered learning Will Richardson will also be speaking at NPC. To provide insight into the backgrounds of Parkland students who gained prominence in the aftermath of the tragic February 14 shooting, principal Ty Thompson will discuss how Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School promotes student voice and empowers students to amplify their voices for issues that matter to them.

On the policy front, the fourth annual “The State of American Education” session will feature a conversation about the implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act between Michael Petrilli of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute and the Education Trust’s Lillian Lowery. John Merrow, well-known former education correspondent for PBS NewsHour will moderate.

To complement the high-powered presentations, principals will engage in informal learning in a model makerspace, where they can participate in the same kind of tinkering and inventing that advance the learning of student across the country; and an unconference-style Edcamp, in which participants identify the topics of interest and lead conversations among interested colleagues. In addition, more than 100 unique exhibitors will connect K-12 school leaders with the best products, solutions, and technology that they need to revolutionize their schools in the area labeled the “HUB.”

Contact Sam Gonzalez for press passes at [email protected] or 360-720-4333.

About NASSP

The National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) is the leading organization of and voice for principals and other school leaders across the United States. NASSP seeks to transform education through school leadership, recognizing that the fulfillment of each student’s potential relies on great leaders in every school committed to the success of each student. Reflecting its long-standing commitment to student leadership development, NASSP administers the National Honor Society, National Junior Honor Society, National Elementary Honor Society, and National Student Council.