Guest post by Donald Gately
I read with great interest the letter from NASSP Executive Director JoAnn Bartoletti in this January’s issue of Principal Leadership. She references a report issued recently by the Institute for Education Sciences (IES) about how principals spend their time. I want to react to the three key findings noted in JoAnn’s letter.
The first of these findings is completely unsurprising: The average principal spends 59 hours a week on the job. (more…)
What if you turned off the bells in your school and threw away the traditional schedule for the day? What would you do for an entire day with students? How would students want to spend their time learning? (more…)
Oppose Trump’s Budget and Support Educators!
Research has shown that principals are the second most important factor in supporting student growth. Despite this fact, President Trump’s recent budget asks for a complete elimination of Title II, Part A funds, which are meant to recruit, retain, and support teachers and principals. However, Congress still has the ability to fund Title II, Part A. Take a stand with NASSP and participate in our newest action alert opposing President Trump’s cuts and asking Congress to fully fund Title II, Part A at the levels authorized under ESSA. (more…)
Guest post by Melissa D. Hensley
Throughout my tenure as a middle and high school principal, the consistent request from teachers has been for ongoing, non-evaluative feedback about their pedagogical practices. Early in my career, this meant completing classroom walkthroughs, collecting data about instructional strategies, and offering recommendations. Providing this general feedback took a lot of time and often failed to improve instruction. I wondered, how could I help teachers get the ongoing feedback they wanted in a more efficient and effective way? (more…)
Michael Schmoker will be a Thought Leader at the National Principals Conference in July 2017 and will provide more insight. Register today!
After decades of reform, schools across the country still haven’t learned to prioritize their improvement efforts. Instead of focusing on the most vital, game-changing actions, we are implementing an abundance of initiatives simultaneously—which often ultimately leads to failure. (more…)
Guest post by Mary Anne Moran
Do you ever stop and wonder what the traditional high school experience is preparing our students for? Are we preparing students for life beyond the high school or college classroom? Do the hours in the classroom have a direct correlation to future success? It is time we begin to reconsider the programming that we are offering in schools to ensure that our students are prepared for their futures rather than the next classroom.
Contact Your Congressman and Support Funding for Principals!
Last week, President Trump released his first budget proposal for FY 2018. In it, he called for a complete elimination of funds for Title II, Part A of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). This section provides formula funding to states for the purpose of preparing, training, recruiting, and retaining high-quality teachers, principals, assistant principals, and other school leaders. While it is extremely disheartening to see President Trump turn his back on the nation’s educators, Congress still has the ability to continue funding Title II, Part A. Take a stand with NASSP and participate in our newest action alert opposing President Trump’s cuts and asking Congress to fully fund Title II, Part A at the levels authorized under ESSA. (more…)
Remember when student learning took place in a one-room school (think “Little House on the Prairie”)? There was a time when all students were together—learning in one culture and one environment.
But as communities got bigger, we started separating students by developmental stages. As a result, students now have to transition from school to school—experiencing different cultures and curriculums each time. And there is no doubt that those transitions can be difficult. (more…)
Guest post by Margaret Calvert
As school leaders, we define success in numerous ways. Higher attendance rates. Improved reading and math proficiency. Increased achievement on assessments. But the ultimate measure in high school is graduation. In this measure, we strive to earn a 100 percent, like any good student. However, most of us believe that this exemplary standard exists only in the realm of our imagination and is impossibly beyond our reach. But what if we change our thinking? What if we make our goal to reach 100 percent and expect that all of our students find success? (more…)
Guest post by Lizzie Sider
Lizzie Sider is an 18-year-old singer/songwriter born and raised in Boca Raton, FL. She is also the founder of the bully prevention foundation Nobody Has The Power To Ruin Your Day, through which she has personally visited over 350 schools with her original bully prevention assembly. In her post below, Lizzie offers principals some observations related to the importance of promoting a positive school culture. Lizzie’s endeavor highlights key values all global change ambassadors should possess, including promoting awareness/perspectives and empathetic action. (more…)
Guest post by Paul Hermes
In the early morning hours of a Wednesday in October while on my way to work, I exited off the interstate. As I reached the bottom of the off ramp, I breezed through a series of roundabout intersections that I go through on this particular route to work without having to wait or even slow down much. As I got closer to school, I came across my first traditional traffic-light-controlled intersection. I hit a red light and sat there waiting even though no other cars used the green light coming from the other direction. I became impatient and frustrated and felt like I was waiting there forever until I finally got the green light to go.
This is Your Last Chance to Register for the 2017 NASSP Advocacy Conference!
Today is the final day to register to be part of the 2017 NASSP Advocacy Conference in Washington, D.C., April 24-26. Programming includes sessions on the Trump administration’s education agenda and the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act; federal advocacy training; a debate on school choice; meeting with your representatives in Congress; and more! (more…)
Recently, members of NASSP’s Student Leadership Advisory Committee visited Capitol Hill to meet with their respective members of Congress and participate in education-focused advocacy. The Student Leadership Advisory Committee has helped shape NASSP’s Student Leadership Initiative: Global Citizenship and continues to be an important voice on behalf of young people. In the posts below, learn about what a few of the committee members did while advocating on Capitol Hill.
Guest post by Britton Hart
We had a problem at Emporia High School—failure rates were going up but the time and money available to address student needs stayed the same. For several years, there had been a steady increase in economically disadvantaged and ELL populations. Our leadership team needed to find a solution using existing resources that helped us address the educational challenges of our evolving student population. (more…)
Guest post by Alison Maurice, MSW, child nutrition policy analyst, Food Research & Action Center
Why celebrate the 2017 National School Breakfast Week? School breakfast not only fights hunger and improves young people’s nutrition, but it is a vital tool for improving the academic achievement of your students. (more…)
Guest post by Paul Hermes
The value of unique knowledge and expertise is declining significantly due to the proliferation of accessible digital technology. This phenomenon has happened in history before; however, it has not happened at this pace and not to this scale. Access to information, knowledge, and each other is historically unprecedented. (more…)
Don’t Miss Your Chance to Speak to Congress
March 13 is the deadline to register for the 2017 NASSP Advocacy Conference. Register today to be part of the conference in Washington, D.C., April 24-26. Federal advocacy training, discussions about key education legislation, and meetings with your congressional representatives are just some of the informative and engaging programming features of this year’s conference. (more…)
Guest post by Danny Steele
Dear Principal: I suspect you’re tired. It is easy to get discouraged. Some principals may even be disillusioned. As Tim Messick noted, “Job descriptions are written in such a way that a principal needs to be a superhero. A principal needs to have the power and strength of Superman, the intelligence of Albert Einstein, the popularity of Princess Diana, the political savvy of a presidential candidate, and the care and compassion of Mother Teresa.” (more…)
If you’ve yet to join NASSP’s Federal Grassroots Network (FGN) because you’re not sure how it will benefit you, how you can contribute, or even what FGN is, I hope that learning about my experience will give you the clarity you need to jump on board. (more…)
Guest post by Paula Callan
It’s the crisis response plan we as school administrators pray we never have to implement: The sudden loss of a student. But when tragedy strikes, it’s up to school administrators to provide leadership to the entire school community and implement protocols to support the immediate family, students, and staff most affected. (more…)
