RECRUITING AND RETAINING GREAT TEACHERS

IMAGE COURTESY OF NASSP

Teacher recruitment and retention remains a primary concern for many principals. To address this challenge, NASSP, through a partnership with the College Football Playoff Foundation, brought together more than 60 principals—including 43 current Principals of the Year—to discuss how schools can attract great teachers. That discussion culminated in “The Principal Playbook: A Guide for Recruiting and Retaining Great Teachers.” Five strategies form the core of the playbook:

  • Make the hiring process more intentional.
  • Partner and recruit locally.
  • Prioritize professional growth.
  • Maintain clear, two-way communication.
  • Create capacity for teachers to engage in policy
    decisions.

Read the playbook, available only to NASSP members, at nassp.org/the-principal-playbook/.

NASSP LEADERS REBUT MYTHS

IMAGE COURTESY OF THE WALLACE FOUNDATION

In a wide-ranging interview with the Wallace Foundation, three members of the NASSP Board of Directors share what their jobs are really like and challenge some of the most common myths about school leaders. The foundation spoke with Kimberly Greer, principal of Langley High School in McLean, VA; Aaron Huff, principal of Benjamin Bosse High School in Evansville, IN, and NASSP immediate past president; and Derrick Lawson, principal of Indio High School in Indio, CA. They rebutted these misconceptions about principals:

  • Principals don’t know what it’s like to be in the classroom, and they don’t deal with students unless a student is in trouble and sent to their office.
  • Being a principal is easy because they can just delegate their work to others.
  • Principals have the immediate authority to control everything in the school.
  • A principal’s workday ends when the school day ends.
  • Principals aren’t responsible for student learning— teachers are.

Read the interview at bit.ly/3LtGxoL.

MITIGATING THE ACADEMIC IMPACTS OF COMMUNITY VIOLENCE

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Community violence can have traumatic effects on young people that spill over into school and affect their growth, development, and academic achievement. “Mitigating the Academic Impacts of Proximity to Violence,” a report from the UChicago Consortium on School Research, looks at the issue of homicides in Chicago and what can be done to mitigate the effects. Among the key findings:

  • The experience of living in close geographical proximity to homicide varied considerably for students across Chicago.
  • Living in close geographical proximity to homicide negatively affected students’ academic performance.
  • Schools that mitigate the negative effects were characterized by strong, positive school climates across a range of measures, including engaging instruction and trusting, connected relationships among students and between students and adults.
  • Systems, structures, and routines that coordinate the support adults provide, center students, and emphasize connection and relationship between adults and young people were vital tools for educators, administrators, and school staff.

Read the report at bit.ly/46gmnIq.

HIGH SCHOOLS REDESIGNED FOR SUCCESS

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Many teachers, principals, and district leaders, as well as students and parents, understand that our high schools need to move away from the factory model of education in order to prepare today’s diverse student population for higher-order thinking and deep understanding, according to “Redesigning High Schools: 10 Features for Success,” a report from the Learning Policy Institute. “The good news is that models exist,” the authors write. “A number of schools that have been extraordinarily effective and have helped other schools to replicate their success have important lessons to offer, based on the elements they hold in common.” The report outlines 10 features for success, such as “positive developmental relationships and authentic family engagement,” all with more detailed supporting information. Read the report at bit.ly/3WdPIyf.