Principal Difference | Microblogs

Principals, School Counselors, and U.S. Army Gather for Leadership, Professional Development

Posted by NASSP on January 6, 2016

It was a meeting of great minds in education this past fall at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Thirty-seven secondary school principals and school counselors joined senior Army leaders and education experts for the third annual U.S. Army Leadership and Professional Development Symposium, a collaboration between the U.S. Army and NASSP. During the three-day meeting, Army and education leaders (including former NASSP president G.A. Buie) discussed best practices in leadership development and exchanged ideas about improving the state of education for students and schools.

New to the 2015 symposium were representatives from the American School Counselor Association. As the school counselors joined the ranks of their principal colleagues, the group of educators drew energy and new ideas from their peers, also drawing on the perspective and experiences of Army leaders in attendance. (more…)

Grief Over the Holidays: Educators Can Help Students Cope

Posted by NASSP on December 11, 2015

All across the nation, the December holidays are a special time for families, schools, and communities. Everywhere we look, we see signs of celebration. In schools, there may be pageants, food drives, decorations, and parties. In stores, we hear familiar music. On the streets, people wish each other happy holidays.

During these times, most of us also think about people we miss, including loved ones who have died. These memories can be especially acute for children and teens who have lost a loved one. They may experience periods of deep sadness, a renewal of their grief, or sudden and unexpected reactions of anger, despair, or fear. (more…)

National Principals Month: #ThankAPrincipal Recap

Posted by NASSP on November 13, 2015

National Principals Month made its mark across the country throughout the month of October. The annual celebration recognizes the essential role that principals play in making a school great.

On the national and state level, resolutions were passed in honor of the month, and more than 14 schools hosted Department of Education officials for shadowing visits. As a combined celebration for both National Principals Month and Connected Educators Month, a series of Twitter chats for connected principals (#CPchat) were held in October to provide school leaders with the opportunity to connect and learn from each other. (more…)

Alan Tenreiro Named 2016 NASSP National Principal of the Year

Posted by NASSP on October 5, 2015

Kicking off National Principals Month with a bang, NASSP named Principal Alan Tenreiro the 2016 National Principal of the Year today in a surprise assembly at his school.

Tenreiro has been principal of Cumberland High School in Cumberland, RI, since 2012, and has already made a huge impact.

Attending the ceremony today was Gov. Gina Raimondo, Sen. Jack Reed, Rep. David Cicilline, Rhode Island Education Commissioner Ken Wagner, numerous state and local officials, students, teachers, and Tenreiro’s family.

Under Tenreiro’s leadership, Cumberland High School has seen increases in academic achievement, graduation rates, and the number of students gaining admission to some of the best colleges and universities in the country. (more…)

Helping Tomorrow’s Principals Find Their Path to Leadership

Posted by NASSP on October 3, 2015

The best principal preparation programs actively seek the best leadership talent, then cultivate that talent in a safe environment where aspiring leaders can make mistakes, consider their behavior, and try again.

These are consistent themes among the five principal-preparation programs awarded a Principals Path to Leadership grant, announced today by American Express and NASSP.

The winners—selected from more than 70 applicants—will receive a total of approximately $2.5 million to increase their capacity and impact over the next three years with an eye toward long-term sustainability. The grants are awarded at a time of heightened awareness of principals’ crucial roles in school improvements.

The five winning organizations and programs are: (more…)

Happy National Principals Month from NASSP!

Posted by NASSP on October 1, 2015

To help kick off National Principals Month, some of us on the NASSP staff are sharing memories of and thanks to the principals who have had an impact on our lives. Share your story in the comments or on social media using #ThankAPrincipal!

Amanda Karhuse, Director of Advocacy:

“I had attended Montessori school and didn’t go to my neighborhood public school for kindergarten, so I was really nervous on my first day of 1st grade. The principal, Dr. Lionel Seitzer, was new to the school that year, and he met me at the school door and shared that he was also nervous because it was his first day too. He walked me to the classroom, and then introduced me to my teacher and the other students before heading back to his office. I just really remembered feeling comforted and thankful that he had taken the time out of his busy day to make one new student feel welcomed.” (more…)

What Is the Promise of Educational Technology?

Posted by NASSP on September 30, 2015

Guest post by Chris Lehmann

Since the early 1980s, K-12 schools have been enamored with the promise of educational technology. Computers were going to revolutionize education, and yet, I’d argue that the changes we’ve seen in school due to technological innovation lag far behind what we have seen in the rest of society. In many ways, education has proven to be powerfully resistant to the changes we have seen in every other sector of our world.

I’d argue it’s because, too often, we’ve tried to make technology use in school allow us to do what we’ve always done, only slightly more efficiently.

And that’s a shame. If the best we can imagine technological innovation in our schools to be is the next generation VCR and Scantron, then the failure of our vision is both great and terrible. (more…)

Get Ready for National Principals Month

Posted by NASSP on September 24, 2015

October is just around the corner and that means so is National Principals Month! Now is the time to start planning how you will celebrate your leadership. National Principals Month is our opportunity to shine a light on the important work that principals do every day to ensure the success of students and teachers in school buildings across the country. Here are some ideas for how you and your school can celebrate!

Contact your Member of Congress to arrange a shadowing visit. Give them a chance to see what you really do all day. Need a sample email to invite them? We have that. Congress is on recess and will be in their home districts October 12–October 16. This is a perfect time to have a member of Congress visit your school building. (more…)

The Community Eligibility Provision: A Win for Everyone

Posted by NASSP on August 31, 2015

Guest post by Mieka Sanderson

Hunger is a particular menace to students living in high-poverty neighborhoods and consequently places these youth at an academic disadvantage. Students experiencing hunger have lower math scores and are more likely to repeat a grade.

Fortunately, the Community Eligibility Provision, an option available nationwide to high-poverty schools, empowers school districts to ensure children do not go hungry during the school day by providing breakfast and lunch to all students at no charge—and now is the time for school districts to sign up for this powerful new provision. Interested school districts should apply by August 31 but may be able to apply throughout the 2015-2016 school year by contacting their state child nutrition agency.

Community eligibility has a history of success. In the 2014-15 school year, more than 14,000 schools participated in community eligibility, offering free, healthy school breakfasts and lunches to more than six million students. (more…)

Goals for Communicating with Grieving Families

Posted by NASSP on August 27, 2015

It’s estimated that one in 20 children will lose a parent by the time he or she reaches age 16, with the vast majority of children experiencing a significant loss by the time they complete high school. Because loss during childhood is an all-too-common and underaddressed issue in our nation’s schools, NASSP has joined nine other partners in creating the Coalition to Support Grieving Students.

School professionals have a vital role to play in providing support to grieving students and their families. It is important to reach out and make contact with families after a death, and the coalition aims to provide better bereavement resources for all members of school communities across the U.S. to encourage and empower them in their ongoing support of grieving students.

The coalition has created the following nine goals for school leaders communicating with grieving families: (more…)