School of Thought Blog

Get Ready to Celebrate National Assistant Principals Week

Celebrate your assistant principals’ successes during National Assistant Principals Week, April 11–15! This week recognizes the contributions of assistant principals to the success of students, teachers, parents, and school communities across the United States.

While the roles and responsibilities may depend on the individual school settings, assistant principals are essential to establishing a positive learning environment that ensures each student and adult is known and valued.

NASSP celebrated early by hosting all of the State Assistant Principals of the Year during the Ignite ’16 National Principals Conference in Orlando, Florida, February 25–27. (more…)

April 4, 2016

Other Recognition

Advocacy Update: Tracking ESSA

Center for American Progress Event Features NASSP Member

Richard Loeschner, an NASSP member and principal of Breakthrough School Brentwood High School in Brentwood, NY, was featured last week at a Center for American Progress event on “Harnessing the Talent of DACA and Unauthorized Students at the K–12 Level.” The event focused on the patchwork of policies and practices that unauthorized students face in K–12 schools and the varying levels of support they receive from schools that might not recognize their unique challenges. Mr. Loeschner’s school has found particular success in raising the achievement of immigrant students and was featured on the event’s panel discussion. A recording of the event can now be viewed online. NASSP’s Associate Director of Advocacy David Chodak was also in attendance. (more…)

April 4, 2016

Education Policy Other

Schools Succeed When Breakfast is Served After the Bell

Guest post by Mieka Sanderson

Secondary school principals across the nation are rallying around a new take on the School Breakfast Program: breakfast after the bell. The National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) and the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) released a report in November 2015, School Breakfast After the Bell: Equipping Students for Academic Success, which showed that 87 percent of principals who implemented the program believe other principals should explore launching a similar program. Echoing the results of the elementary school principals’ report FRAC published in November 2013, implementing a Breakfast after the Bell program in secondary schools has proven to be a superior alternative to the traditional before-school breakfast program. (more…)

March 31, 2016

Building Culture Equity nutrition Wellness

4 Tips to Share with Students Looking for “The Right College Fit”

Last week, the National Honor Societies hosted its third college admission planning webinar of this academic year. The webinar focused on “The ‘Right’ College Fit” and was designed to help students choose a college that’s best for them, especially when selecting among several options due to multiple acceptances.

In addition to sharing the link to the archived webinar on the National Honor Society and National Junior Honor Society websites, school leaders are also encouraged to share these top four insights from the webinar panelists with their students, student program advisers, and counselors. (more…)

March 28, 2016

college admissions Other postsecondary education

Advocacy Update: Tracking ESSA

ESSA Webinar Series

This week, NASSP’s Advocacy team hosted the first webinar in our series on the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The first webinar covered the provisions in Title I, and you can view the recording online. Dates and times for the next two webinars are below—be sure to save the dates!

Title II Provisions: Wednesday, April 27, 3:30–4:30 p.m. (ET) (Registration opening soon!) (more…)

March 28, 2016

Education Policy Other

Advocacy Update: Tracking ESSA

Advocacy Continues FY17 Appropriations

On Thursday, NASSP, along with more than 150 national, state, and local organizations, sent a letter asking Congress to fund the School Leader Recruitment and Support program at the level requested by President Obama. Thank you to all 302 principals who sent a combined 993 personal messages to their representatives and senators through the Principal’s Legislative Action Center. It is not too late to chime in as well! The House has a deadline of Thursday, March 24, for letters and requests.

NASSP has also been involved in advocating for robust funding for Title IV, Part A, of ESSA and has been meeting with congressional offices this week. (more…)

March 21, 2016

Education Policy Other

New CTE and High School Redesign Bill Introduced in Senate

Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Rob Portman (R-OH), and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) introduced a new bipartisan bill on Thursday called the CTE Excellence and Equity Act. The act is intended to amend Title II of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act to support innovative approaches to career and technical education, and redesign the high school experience for students. The goal is for students to engage in real-world, relevant education through partnerships with businesses and higher education so that they enroll in postsecondary education without the need for remediation and with a set of 21st-century skills. (more…)

March 21, 2016

Education Policy Other postsecondary education Principal/Teacher Preparation

Using Technology to Empower Students

There remains very little debate about whether students should use technology in learning. If there remains a doubt, let the adult without a computer on their desk—or in their pocket or laptop bag—cast the first stone. Technology is ubiquitous, and schools should be no exception.

A massive question remains, however, about how kids should use that technology. Sadly, some schools leverage new tools to streamline the same old methods of learning. And not surprisingly, these schools are seeing little effect on their students’ achievement. To make the most of our investment, we need to use technology to empower students to lead their own learning. (more…)

March 18, 2016

Building Culture Other Technology & E-learning

Advocacy Update

Apply for the CTE Makeover Challenge

Your high school could be eligible for $20,000 in cash and additional in-kind prizes to start a makerspace in your building! The U.S. Department of Education invites schools to enter the CTE Makeover Challenge by submitting a design for a CTE makerspace. All schools will gain access to a six-week CTE Makeover Bootcamp that will provide resources and training in makerspace design and planning. Up to 10 schools will receive the $20,000 cash prize. You can view the notice in the Federal Register here. (more…)

March 14, 2016

Education Policy Other

Progress Made on Closing the Digital Divide

As all principals know, changes in how the world connects has made a significant impact on the way we organize school records, communicate with parents, and collaborate with other educators. But it has perhaps most greatly affected how students conduct research and complete group projects and other school assignments, which puts students who don’t have broadband internet at home at a great disadvantage. Many are calling this new digital divide the “homework gap,” and ultimately it can impact their academic success.

As a member of the Education and Library Networks Coalition (EdLiNC), NASSP previously submitted comments to the Federal Communications Commission (more…)

March 11, 2016

Education Policy Other Technology & E-learning

Advocacy Update: Tracking ESSA

NASSP Position Statements

The NASSP Board of Directors has stated its intent to adopt position statements on A-F School Grading Systems and Online Learning. Following a 30-day public comment period, the board will vote to approve the position statements at its next meeting in May. If you have any comments or suggestions, please submit them to Amanda Karhuse, director of advocacy, at [email protected] by Thursday, March 24.

Inside the Beltway (more…)

March 7, 2016

Education Policy Other

Share Your Thoughts on Proposed Position Statements

The NASSP Board of Directors has stated its intent to adopt two new position statements on A-F school grading systems and online learning. The position statements outline guiding principles for NASSP’s advocacy and recommendations to federal, state, and local policymakers. Following a 30-day public comment period, the board will vote to approve the position statements at its next meeting in May. You can view summaries of the statements and link to them in their entirety below.

A-F School Grading Systems (more…)

March 4, 2016

Curriculum, Instruction, & Assessments Education Policy Leading Learning Other

Respect and Compassion for All Students

Guest post by Brad Seamer

Over the course of my administration career I have learned that my political views and personal beliefs come second to the needs of my students. Twenty-plus years in education have taught me that every student is unique, and each student carries with them a personal story that defines them. For teachers and principals to be successful in their jobs they must learn these stories and use this information to provide the best learning experience possible for all of their students.

Students should be able to enter school free of judgment from school officials and their peers. (more…)

March 3, 2016

Building Culture Global-mindedness Relationships Wellness

King of the Hill

While principals were making their way to the Ignite ’16 conference last week, Acting Secretary of Education John King was busy on Capitol Hill giving testimony at two House Education and the Workforce committee hearings, and also answering questions about his qualifications at his own nomination hearing with the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. Acting Secretary King is a former principal himself, and principals received a few mentions from both Reps. Susan Davis (D-CA) and Frederica Wilson (D-FL). Details about the hearings and links to view them can be found at the bottom of this blog post.

The House committee hosted two hearings: The first focused on the president’s budget request for the U.S. Department of Education, (more…)

March 1, 2016

Education Policy Other

Advocacy Update

Inside the Beltway

What is going on in Washington?

Acting Secretary of Education John King was called to Capitol Hill three times this past week for hearings on the U.S. Department of Education’s budget and also for his confirmation. Both Reps. Frederica Wilson (D-FL) and Susan Davis (D-CA) mentioned principals during the proceedings. In the hearings, King discussed both the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and the Department of Education’s budget. (more…)

February 29, 2016

Education Policy Other

Holly Ripley Is 2016 NASSP National Assistant Principal of the Year

Please join us in congratulating Holly Ripley.

Ripley, assistant principal of West Fargo High School in West Fargo, ND, has been named the 2016 NASSP National Assistant Principal of the Year. Surrounded by fellow administrators and other education leaders from around the country, Ripley was honored with the designation at NASSP’s national conference, Ignite ‘16, during the NASSP 100th anniversary luncheon.

Every year, this recognition is given to a middle level or high school assistant principal who has demonstrated schoolwide curriculum success (more…)

February 26, 2016

Ignite 16 Conference Other Recognition

How Educators Can Support Grieving Students Through Learning

Concentration and learning difficulties are extremely common for people dealing with grief. This is true for adults, as well as children. However, because learning is the main work of school-aged children and teens, these common challenges pose a risk of serious academic problems.

As one grieving student explained, “It was hard because I couldn’t concentrate on my work. If I was reading, I would read the words, but I wouldn’t read the story. I would think about something else … .”

That reflects some of the typical experiences of grieving students. (more…)

February 25, 2016

Building Culture Curriculum, Instruction, & Assessments Leading Learning resources Wellness

Higher Ambitions Toward Higher Education: NHS and NJHS Lead the Way

This academic year, the National Honor Society (NHS) and the National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) embarked on an aggressive goal: To support and increase college access and success for its members—and secondary students in general. The goal targets a White House initiative rooted in a profound statistic.

In a June 2014 Education Week article, First Lady Michelle Obama, an NHS alumna herself, wrote, “A generation ago, America had the highest percentage of college graduates in the world. But today, we’ve dropped all the way to 12th in terms of young adults.” (more…)

February 24, 2016

Building Culture college admissions Leading Learning postsecondary education Results-Orientation

Your Ignite ‘16 To-Do List

It’s time to connect, innovate, and thrive at Ignite ’16! We’re looking forward to seeing you and other school leaders in Orlando this week at the only professional development event devoted exclusively to the needs of middle level and high school administrators.

To ensure that you take full advantage of the networks, education, and technology available at Ignite, check these items off your Ignite ’16 to-do list.

Bring Your Confirmation Email. If you haven’t already, you will receive a confirmation email a few days prior to the conference. (more…)

February 23, 2016

Ignite 16 Conference Other

Advocacy Update

Impact Aid

In response to the notice of proposed rulemaking on Impact Aid, NASSP, together with 16 other leading education organizations, sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Education. The letter included a request that the Department update the current paper-based process for parent and pupil surveys with modern technology, saving schools and districts valuable time and money.

Inside the Beltway (more…)

February 22, 2016

Education Policy Other