2019 National Principal of the Year Dr. Lucas Clamp River Bluff High SchoolLexington, SC Grades: 9–12Students: 2,065Region: Suburban Lucas Clamp fosters a culture that stems from a unique desire to connect with each student, developing their skills and talents, and believing their individual and collective contribution to a local and global community will change the world. One student […]
2019 National Principal of the Year
OtherRecognition
A Roadmap for Implementing Standards-Based Grading
Fair, standards-referenced grading systems that communicate what a student knows and can do are often difficult to design. Developing grading systems that are fair and consistent across an entire school district can seem like an impossible task. However, it is a task that is necessary and worthwhile.
Leading LearningResults-OrientationStrategic Management
Make Your Voice Heard This National Principals Month
National Principals Month (NPM), celebrated annually throughout the month of October, highlights the hard work of principals across the country and all they do to support their educational communities. This year, the American Federation of School Administrators (AFSA), the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP), and the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) […]
Collaborative LeadershipEducation PolicyLeading LearningOtherPrincipal pipelinePrincipal/Teacher Preparation
Leading Through the Struggle
We spend a great deal of time as school leaders talking about building culture. We often consider the day-to-day elements of this work: eating lunch with the kids, visiting classrooms, being visible at all kinds of school events, and having meaningful conversations with teachers and students. The work of leading a school and building a […]
Building CultureCollaborative LeadershipLeading LearningRelationshipsWellness
Three Principles for Improving Practice
My school, long rated as top-performing, was this year given a rating of “targeted” for underperformance among student subgroups—including African-American, free and reduced-price lunch, and special education students. Though this is understandably not an ideal rating, I look at it as a blessing in disguise. We now have a very clear mandate to look at […]
Collaborative LeadershipLeading LearningResults-OrientationStrategic Management
Announcing the 4th Quarterly Principal Advocate Champion
Every quarter, the NASSP Policy & Advocacy Center recognizes outstanding volunteer advocates who dedicate their time to advancing the policy and civic priorities of school leaders, public education, and students across America. The Principal Advocate Champion is someone who has made a powerful impact on the direction of public education policy through their personal engagement with […]
Education PolicyOtherRecognition
Inspiring Visionary Leadership at the AZ State Summit
State Summits offer National Honor Society (NHS) and National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) members hands-on experiential leadership development. They are designed to unlock the potential of participating students by providing a shared space to learn, grow, and explore ideas together. We asked students to provide their own report of the Arizona State Summit, which took […]
Building CultureLeading LearningResults-Orientation
Learning From My Daughter: Unfiltered Feedback
Over the past three years, I have had an amazing opportunity to view my school in a different way as the principal to my daughter, Sidney. As you might expect, I think that she is a pretty amazing young lady, and I eagerly anticipated her sixth-grade year at Messalonskee Middle School (MMS). Before she started, […]
Building CultureCollaborative LeadershipLeading LearningRelationships
What Drives You?
State Summits offer National Honor Society (NHS) and National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) members hands-on experiential leadership development. They are designed to unlock the potential of participating students by providing a shared space to learn, grow, and explore ideas together. We asked students to provide their own report of the Arizona State Summit, which took […]
Building CultureCommunication
Character Champions: Teacher Leadership to Address Social and Emotional Needs
Over the past couple of years, our school has been challenged by the social and emotional needs of our students. The impact of increased behavioral incidents has put a strain on our previously steady school climate, and while we are learning a lot, we have also found that we are not very well prepared to […]