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It’s National Principals Month! Will you advocate with us?
October is National Principals Month, and we need your help to highlight the great work of America’s principals, assistant principals, and school leaders along with their crucial role in fostering student success. Want to get involved? Check out www.principalsmonth.org for ways you can elevate the voice of school leaders! Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Principals Shadowing Week (October 15–19) — It’s not too late to invite your member of Congress, state legislator, or other elected officials to visit your school and shadow you for the day. Click here for more information and a sample invitation.
- Social Media Toolkit — Use these social media resources to promote National Principals Month. Be sure to use the hashtag #ThankAPrincipal all month long!
- National Principals Month Capitol Hill Event — Please view and share the recording of the official National Principals Month Capitol Hill event, “Leveraging Principals to Retain Quality Teaching and Boost Student Learning.” This widely attended event focuses on current issues that principals are facing, such as teacher shortage and school safety, and how important federal support is to solve these problems.
This Month’s Top Advocacy Issues
NASSP Policy & Advocacy Center Co-Hosts “Creating Supportive and Inclusive Environments for LGBTQ Students” Congressional Briefing With Human Rights Campaign
In keeping with the Professional Standards for Educational Leaders adopted in October 2015, NASSP believes that effective educational leaders strive for equity of educational opportunity and culturally responsive practices to promote each student’s academic success and well-being. Students should be able to enter school free of judgment from school officials and their peers, and the principal plays a critical role in providing an affirming school environment where each student is treated fairly, respectfully, and with an understanding of each student’s culture and context. Unfortunately, a climate conducive to the educational success of LGBTQ students remains elusive in many schools, and there’s much more that federal policymakers can do to better support those students.
Because of the serious issues facing LGBTQ youth in our schools, NASSP teamed up with the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) to hold a briefing event on Capitol Hill for members of Congress and their staff. Panelists at the event included Jamey Hood, the 2017 Nevada Principal of the Year, who described her strategies for creating a safe and inclusive learning environment for all students in her school; and an HRC youth ambassador, who shared their own experience as a transgender youth. Policy experts also offered concrete recommendations for actions that Congress and Department of Education officials can take right now to help school leaders and teachers better support LGBTQ students.
Click here to view a recording of the event. You can also read more on NASSP’s advocacy with HRC to support LGBTQ students here.
Twitter Talk
For more advocacy tweets, join us on social media by following NASSP and the advocacy staff on Twitter:
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Take Action
The 2018 Principals of the Year delivered a powerful message for public education in meetings with members of Congress on September 25. You can support them and amplify our collective voice by sending an email or tweet to your representatives to further influence lawmakers.
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Other News:
• On Tuesday, September 25, the 2018 Principals of the Year visited Capitol Hill and met with their members of Congress to advocate for the policy priorities of school leaders. Check out the hashtag #POY2018 to see more from the Hill Day! You can view the 2018 finalists for National Principal of the Year here.
• Steve Baker, principal of Bluffton High School in Indiana, has been named the quarterly NASSP Principal Advocate Champion for October—December 2018. Read more here about Steve’s dedication to grassroots advocacy and advancing the cause of great public education for all students.
• In late September, Congress passed a spending package that included funding for the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill for fiscal year 2019. Overall, the bill included positive outcomes for many of NASSP’s priorities, including Title II and Title IV. Learn more about the bill here.
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We invite all NASSP advocates to write a guest article for Principal’s Leadership or blog post for School of Thought—just email Senior Manager of State Engagement and Outreach Greg Waples with your idea.
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In This Month’s Principal Leadership
This month’s Principal Leadership features an article from Ronnie Lau, the assistant director of public policy with the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), detailing how flexible Title IV funding in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) is critical to providing students with a well-rounded education.
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