School of Thought Blog

With content from practicing school leaders and education experts, our School of Thought Blog offers a wealth of information and research on emergent education issues.

How Can ESSA Support School Leaders?

School leadership is one of the most important influences on student performance, second only to quality instruction. However, year after year, we see Congress fail to allocate the funds necessary to ensure students, teachers, and school leaders can succeed. Even recently, we saw Congress pass a short-term continuing resolution that produced across-the-board cuts to a number of key education programs for the current school year. To make matters worse, the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies appropriations subcommittees of the House and Senate have both proposed significant cuts to Title II, Part A of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) for FY 17, which can be used for professional development, residency and mentoring programs, principal evaluation system reform, and several other important uses that would support school leaders. With full implementation of ESSA to begin with the 2017–18 school year, it has become more important than ever for principals to advocate at the federal, state, and district levels for increased funding toward key education programs.

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My Experience with Powerful Professional Development

Guest post by Daniel Kelley

Principals across the country may face their own set of unique challenges, but one fact applies to all of them: They need greater support and training.

I say this for many reasons, but the top one is this: School leadership is one of the most important influences on student achievement, second only to quality instruction. This is huge. And if principals don’t receive quality professional development (PD) on a regular basis, it is the students who will suffer. (more…)

Great Teachers Need Great Leaders: Why Congress Should Fully Fund ESSA Title II to Improve School Leadership

Guest post by Edward Fuller and Michelle D. Young

The research is abundantly clear—great teachers have a very positive impact on students. Less known is that school leaders are the second most important school factor influencing a variety of student outcomes. School leaders influence student outcomes both directly, through interactions with students, and indirectly, by ensuring students have access to great teachers. (more…)

Fostering an Environment for Teacher Growth

Guest post by Michele Paine

An area of passion for me as a school leader involves facilitating teacher growth. One way I work on this is by hosting several professional book studies during the school year.

Our district pays teachers for two days of flexible professional development time each contract year. Teachers can choose from a variety of options, including conferences, regional training, and state-led events. With all of these choices, however, I feel it is important to foster collegial discussion and professional reading. (more…)

Thomas J. Dodd Named 2017 NASSP National Principal of the Year

What better way to celebrate National Principals Month than NASSP naming Thomas J. Dodd of Colorado the 2017 National Principal of the Year! In a surprise ceremony at his school, Dodd was presented with this honor after 11 years of working as the principal at Lesher Middle School in Fort Collins, CO.

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Advocacy Update: Tracking ESSA

National Principals Month

We are already into the third week of National Principals Month and time is flying by. Twenty states have already helped honor principals by passing their own resolutions formally recognizing National Principals Month. NASSP wants to thank the governors, legislators, and NASSP members in those states who helped make these resolutions possible. (more…)

Shifting Toward Proficiency-Based Grading—Two Key Strategies

Guest post by Alan Tenreiro

Like many schools, Cumberland High School in Rhode Island has been wrestling for years with the standards-era question: How do we shift our grading system to reflect genuine mastery and not just compliance? This question, reflected most recently in NASSP’s position statement on competency-based education, prompted us to design a proficiency-based grading system based on student performance levels, which is then translated into a numerical grade. The performance-level rubric promotes consistent scoring across all teachers in all disciplines, relying on moderate, strong, and distinguished command of the standard. And, perhaps most important, students also receive feedback on how they can improve their performance.

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Strengthening Our Capacity to Lead

Guest post by Michele Paine

On the Fourth of July, I had the opportunity to reconnect with a colleague who had just finished her first year as a K–6 principal in a small rural partner school in the Greater Flathead Valley area, where I serve as assistant principal in one of its high schools. Over margaritas, we laughed about our school year, each of us sharing “lessons learned” during the year. While she serves an elementary school and I serve a high school, we found that our lessons could apply universally. (more…)

Advocacy Update: Tracking ESSA

National Principals Month

National Principals Month continues moving along with NASSP co-hosting an event on Capitol Hill this week entitled “Revolutionizing School Leadership Under ESSA.” As states and districts begin implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), it is important to understand how the law can provide unprecedented support for principals and other educators. This event will bring in current and former principals and educators to discuss both the policy and practitioner perspective on how to best support school leadership to improve school outcomes. (more…)

Recruiting Allies: How Angry Parents Present Opportunities to Develop Beneficial Partnerships

Guest post by Jayne Ellspermann

Every administrator has encountered an angry parent who calls the school or comes in demanding a conference. These difficult moments can be a struggle for many of us, and we question what is the best way to deal with these people and situations. In my experience as principal, I have learned that angry or upset parents are an opportunity to develop a partnership benefiting all stakeholders.

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Lunch as Learning: A Commitment to Excellence

Guest post by Lesley Corner

Before the 2016–2017 school year, Camden High School provided after-school tutorials and after-school homework centers for English and math. These methods of academic assistance increased student achievement, but we couldn’t reach some of the students who needed the most help due to their after-school obligations or transportation issues. After extensive research and school visits, we remodeled our schedule to include academic assistance during the school day for all students. Our model includes two types of assistance: Individual Learning Time (ILT) and Structured Learning Time (SLT). (more…)

Advocacy Update: Tracking ESSA

National Principals Month

National Principals Month is finally here! To better understand the role and responsibilities of principals, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) is conducting its Principal Shadowing Week from October 24–27. Principal Shadowing Week allows senior staff at ED the chance to learn firsthand from NASSP members. If any members in the Maryland, Virginia, or D.C. area are interested in having an ED staffer shadow them, you can email Zach Scott for more information. (more…)

Happy National Principals Month

As our organizations focus on educators and their leadership, we are reminded every day of their excellence in the community. We are also aware that all too often principals, who are key to the success of our students, schools, and teachers around the nation, are not given the appreciation or support they deserve. (more…)

Getting New Teachers off to the Right Start: The New Teacher Jump Start

Guest post by Rachel Heide

What support can districts provide to new teachers to help them adjust to the school community and the demands of the profession?

Two vital components for producing positive student outcomes are recruiting and retaining high-quality teachers. According to a 2015 U.S. Department of Education study on public school teacher attrition and mobility rates, as new teachers move toward their fifth year of teaching, the rate of attrition nears 20 percent (IES, 2015). When nearly one in five teachers is leaving the profession by his or her fifth year of teaching, schools run the risk of losing talented teachers who could be making the needed impact toward positive student outcomes. Finding ways to retain the talented teachers we hire has become an imperative, and this was identified as a key ingredient for meeting the needs of students during a period of population growth at Erie Middle School.

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Advocacy Update: Tracking ESSA

Inside the Beltway

What’s going on in Washington?

A potential government shutdown continues to loom on the horizon as it appears that Senate talks for a short-term continuing resolution have broken down. Early last week, all signs pointed to a budget bill that would fund the federal government until early to mid-December. However, by the end of the week Senate Republicans released their own funding proposal that Democratic Senators and Representatives refuse to support. The Senate plans to continue negotiations this week. (more…)

Payson High School, Part 2: Building a School Culture of Responsibility through Embedded Intervention

Guest post by Jeff Simon

Last week, I discussed the importance of building a positive school culture by utilizing a one-hour lunch period for clubs and activities that foster school pride and for innovative labs that encourage enthusiasm for learning. This week, I will share how we’ve built a culture of personal responsibility at Payson High School by providing a positive support system for student learning through embedded intervention.

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Advocacy Update: Tracking ESSA

Inside the Beltway

What’s going on in Washington?

On September 13, the NASSP State Principals of the Year went to Capitol Hill to advocate for increased funding for Title II and Title IV of the Every Students Succeeds Act (ESSA) as well as loan forgiveness for school leaders and increased professional development opportunities for teachers and principals when implementing career and technical education programs. (more…)

Ring in Student Success with Breakfast After the Bell

Guest post by Mieka Sanderson

Millions of low-income students miss out on school breakfast every day.  Not having this important morning meal leaves students fatigued and distracted by hunger pangs. Research shows that food-insecure students are more often tardy, absent, and distracted in the classroom. Studies indicate that increasing school breakfast participation can play a key role in boosting student’s health and academic achievement.

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Celebrate National Principals Month

As we all know, principal leadership is an essential fuel within schools that ultimately determines optimal student and school performance and success. But we also know that principals and the work they do in schools around the country are too often overlooked. (more…)

Payson High School, Part 1: Building a Positive Culture of School Pride and Enthusiasm for Learning

Guest post by Jeff Simon

Indiana Jones was my hero growing up—I wanted to be just like him. And now, as high school administrator, I get to do that every day, because not only did Indiana Jones study culture, he taught it to inquisitive minds and instilled passion in curious students to become lifelong learners.

Principals know that as the culture goes, so does the school. From Day 1, our administrative goal at Payson High School has been to build a culture that focuses on pride in our school and enthusiasm for learning. (more…)

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