Women in School Leadership Network

Roundtable: Leading for Recruitment and Retention

Every March, students and educators alike look forward to the start of spring and the warmer weather, more daylight, and outdoor activities it brings. For principals, the season also signals that hiring is in full swing. To learn how school leaders are handling staffing for next year, Principal Leadership contacted Derek Bellow, the principal of Liberty High School in Las Vegas, NV, and the 2023 Nevada Principal of the Year; Sham Bevel, the principal of Bayside Sixth Grade Campus in Virginia Beach, VA, and the 2023 Virginia Principal of the Year; and Jacob Feldmann, the principal of Western Dubuque High School in Epworth, IA, and the 2023 Iowa Principal of the Year.

Staffing Our School

Like many schools across the country, mine has experienced challenges with recruiting enough teachers to fill our classrooms ever since the pandemic. COVID caused a lot of people to walk away from the profession, including at Benjamin Banneker Academic High School, in Washington, D.C., where I am the principal.

Women in School Leadership Network

Celebrating Women in School Leadership

March is Women’s History Month. In honor of it, Principal Leadership asked NASSP President-Elect Raquel Martinez to share the remarks she gave last fall to female members of the Ohio Association of Secondary School Administrators.

Women in School Leadership Network

Teacher Prep in High School

There are 168 schools that have an International Baccalaureate (IB) Career-Related Programme (CP) in the United States, and five of them are in Wisconsin. Reagan High School in Milwaukee, where I’m an assistant principal, is the only school in the state to offer an education pathway for students as part of this program.

Women’s History Month With NASSP

As we celebrate Women’s History Month, NASSP proudly recognizes the contributions of female school and student leaders who are shaping our country’s future. Check out NASSP’s resources curated to help inspire you to lead with diversity, equity, and inclusion at the forefront.

Women in School Leadership Network

Lifetouch Memory Mission 2024

Last month I was afforded the amazing privilege of attending the 2024 Lifetouch Memory Mission, alongside other educators. We spent eight days in Guatemala, with the beautiful members of the Xepatan community, building three additional classrooms to expand their existing school site. While our hope in going was to support education for children there and offer what we could to this community, each one of us ended the week feeling as though we had just received many more gifts than we could ever give.

Women in School Leadership Network

NASSP’s Women in School Leadership Network Wraps Up Inaugural Year

NASSP’s Women in School Leadership Network recently wrapped up its inaugural year. Each month, a core group of about 20 women leaders from around the country connected online to discuss our unique experiences while navigating what has historically been a male-dominated role. 

Women in School Leadership Network

A Weekend to Celebrate School Leaders—and College Football

The 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship weekend earlier this month in Houston, TX, was the experience of a lifetime. A weekend where educators were celebrated for their distinguished achievements. A weekend of learning, networking, and collaboration with leaders in their field. A weekend that I will never forget.

Women in School Leadership Network

What Being an NASSP Ambassador Means to Me

When I applied to be an NASSP Ambassador, I was focused on what I could contribute to the group and on being fully committed to the experience. I knew there would be regular meetings over many months, and I wanted to make sure that I arranged my schedule to participate, which—as all principals know—is sometimes quite the feat. I knew to expect focused sessions where I’d collaborate with other Ambassadors to help NASSP design professional learning experiences that were meaningful to the membership. What I didn’t anticipate is all that I would get out of the experience and how incredibly meaningful it would turn out to be. Here are three unexpectedly meaningful things that have come from being an Ambassador. 

Women in School Leadership Network

Out-of-the-Box Solutions for Hiring During a Teacher Shortage

Twenty days before teachers return to our school this September, in the sweltering heat of the hottest summer in 120,000 years, at 5:01pm on the final day of the official deadline for teachers to notify principals of transfers, I received yet another teacher resignation. The Great Resignation continues, and education has turned into the Serengeti […]

Women in School Leadership Network

Moving From Good to Great This Year

With the start of the school year just around the corner, I want to share a note of encouragement with my colleagues around the country. First off, I want to acknowledge how hard you work in such a difficult job. The responsibilities of a school leader are staggering. In my first several years as an […]

Women in School Leadership Network

Leading From a Place of Yes

I am honored and truly humbled to be named Massachusetts Principal of the Year. As we all know, it is a collective effort to create dynamic learning experiences in schools, and I could not accomplish anything without the incredibly talented educators I work with, who equally deserve this award. As I reflect on this recognition, […]

Women in School Leadership Network

Reflecting on the Principalship This Mother’s Day

I recently came across another principal’s tweet: “Relationships during the day, and paperwork at night.” As a veteran school leader, the notion of principals being the first to arrive at school and the last to leave, while working well into the evening has caused me much angst. Share via: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Copy Link Email […]

Women in School Leadership Network

We Are All Advocates

I was honored to spend some time at the 2023 National School Leaders Advocacy Conference in Washington, D.C., last month. The event was a joint effort of NASSP and NAESP, where 400 school leaders from across the country came together to discuss key K–12 education issues and meet with lawmakers on Capitol Hill to advocate for federal support to address our concerns. I also had the privilege to present at the conference alongside Heather Wolfe, the 2022 NAESP National Distinguished Principal from Tennessee.

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Expanding Their Impact: Checking In with State Assistant Principals of the Year

It’s AP Week, a time to celebrate the terrific work of assistant principals across the country. To highlight all that they do, we spoke with three NASSP 2022 State Assistant Principals of the Year: Diane Fox, an assistant principal of Hampton Bays in Hampton Bays, NY; Amber Grady, previous assistant principal of Elkins High School in Missouri City, TX; and Scott Wisniewski, an assistant principal of Wayne Valley High School in Wayne, NJ.

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Principal Melissa Shindel: The 2023 NASSP Advocacy Champion of the Year

This winter, a group of school leaders from across the country came together to review contenders for NASSP’s Advocacy Champion of the Year. Going in, they knew this wouldn’t be easy. The awardee had to embody the mission of the organization and demonstrate an exceptional commitment to advocating on behalf of school leaders and schools. Although a number of candidates were deserving, one stood out.

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Pursuing the Path to School Leadership

Jessica Rehberg, an assistant principal of Winder-Barrow High School in Winder, GA, is the first to admit that the principalship isn’t the most romantic calling—at least at first. “Whether you’re a child or college kid dreaming of being a teacher, school leadership isn’t something you necessarily aspire to,” she says. “Rather, the desire to lead comes with experience, not just seeing the great things that happen under a good leader but also the ways you can contribute. As you get a sense of the bigger picture of how schools run, you can’t help but get ideas.”

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New NASSP Leadership Network for Women

March is Women’s History Month, a time when we recognize and celebrate the contributions of women throughout American history. In honor of this month, we want to highlight a new opportunity for women in school leadership to collaborate and support one another.

Women in School Leadership Network

Women in School Leadership Network