Guest post by Jamie Richardson
A few years ago, I found myself trying to convince my son that he needed to “play the game” of school and figure out how to rack up as many “points” as possible in order to succeed. As these “encouraging” words came from my mouth, I stopped and asked myself, how was it that any of my students—let alone my very own son—needed artificial motivation to feel inspired about school? At that moment, I came to an important realization: (more…)
Guest post by Jeff Simon
Many are concerned about the growing reports of school safety incidents. According to the Educator’s School Safety Network, U.S. schools experienced 745 bomb threats in the 2015–16 academic year. And since 2013, there have been 210 school shootings, as reported by the Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund. This escalation of school threats and violence is generating fear and anxiety in students, parents, and educators and wasting precious learning time.
Guest post by George Roberts
August 27, 2012. The first day of school for the 2012–13 school year. The sun was shining; the sky was a brilliant blue; the air was thick with the smell of freshly cut grass; the students were wearing their best back-to-school clothes; and the schoolhouse was filled with a palpable sense of excitement that only the first day of school can bring. Little did I know that three hours later the smell of gunpowder would fill the cafeteria, the smiles would turn to tears, and the excitement flipped to fear.
Any principal, teacher, or student who has faced the trauma of a school shooting event will understand these descriptions and rapid change of emotions. For me, it was all of these things and so much more as principal of the largest high school in my district and the one responsible for the well-being and safety of more than 2,000 students and 200 staff. (more…)
Guest post by Abbey Duggins and Amber Schroering
If you’ve spent any amount of time building a high school master schedule, you are familiar with the dreaded “singleton.” A singleton happens when just enough students sign up to create one section of a course—usually an AP or obscure world language—and it throws a major wrench into scheduling every other aspect of the student’s day. A singleton is a scheduling nightmare, but it is also a necessary part of education.
Many positions in instructional leadership can feel like a singleton: there is one superintendent, one principal, one coach. These positions are often lonely, lacking the camaraderie that classroom teachers develop among their peers through the common bonds of students, lesson planning, grading, shared hallways moments, and outside-of-school fun.
So what is a singleton to do? (more…)
Guest post by Amy Mims
When I became an assistant principal of Independence High School in Charlotte, NC, our school’s test scores were low. As I started observing classrooms, I saw talented teachers hard at work designing and delivering interesting lessons that utilized a number of instructional best practices. I also saw motivated students who were engaged in lessons, completed assignments, and did well on assessments. I wondered: What was causing our school’s low test scores? (more…)
Compassionate, learner-centered, student achievement-oriented, and data-driven—these are some of the words used to describe the 2018 NASSP National Assistant Principal of the Year. Erica Page, in her sixth year as an assistant principal at Pelion High School, in Pelion, SC, has been selected for this year’s honor.
There are four keys that drive Page’s work toward results: communication, trust, commitment, and teamwork. (more…)
Guest post by Emily Sturchio
In working with a number of assistant principals both as a high school teacher and as an associate for the NASSP professional learning team, I can tell you that APs are often the unsung heroes of a school. It is our nation’s APs who often do the lion’s share of the work to support students and keep our schools running each and every day. The work of APs often goes unnoticed (more…)
Guest post by Brian M. Stack
Imagine trying to go somewhere for the first time without having access to a map. Worse yet, imagine being the great explorers Lewis and Clark who crossed the western part of our country for the first time in 1804 with no map, no roads, and little knowledge of what it was going to take to get to their destination. In education, early adopters often feel like trailblazers too, using research, trends, and sometimes their guts to forge new ways of thinking and doing. If you are a school leader looking to move your school to competency-based learning today, you may feel a daunting sense of helplessness as you embark on your journey. The good news is (more…)
Guest post by Mike King
With the many advancements in educational technology and 1:1 device initiatives, schools hope to provide a 21st-century education for all students and find ways to improve instructional practices to increase student learning and performance. Yet, in my experience and the experiences of many colleagues, we have seen limited advancement in the ability to design learning experiences that target higher-order cognitive skills and have a significant impact on student outcomes.
How can schools improve their practices in digital literacy? (more…)
Guest post by Kelly Parker
South Meadow School (SMS) in Peterborough, NH is guided by our vision: “A caring, cooperative, and respectful community of learners.” We are a family and work hard to instill values that will help students realize this vision by providing the support they need to be successful. One of the most important ways we guide students is by helping them connect to our school and one another in a positive way. We use the following guiding principles to nurture relationships and develop connections for all members of the SMS community: (more…)
Guest post by Bart Peery
In January 2014, while shopping in our local Walmart, I received a voice mail from the county sheriff’s office. Assuming that it had to do with our school, I went to the school to call them back. When I returned the call, my life was forever changed. The officer told me that one of my students had taken her life. I remember sitting alone in my office sobbing, not knowing what to do next. (more…)
When school leaders from all levels come together to collaborate across the education continuum, all students benefit.
The 2018 National Principals Conference™ is the place for K–12 principals to connect with peers, learn from each other’s collective experiences, and cultivate relationships that will last well beyond the conference. In three transformative days, school leaders from across the country will work together to develop, strengthen, and reflect on the knowledge, skills, and actions they need to enact real change in their schools. (more…)
Last week, the House and Senate passed a $1.3 trillion omnibus bill which will fund the federal government for the remainder of FY 2018. This funding package comes after several short-term funding packages, one government shutdown, and a two-year spending deal. There were major concerns that a funding bill wouldn’t get passed before the March 23 deadline due to several controversial riders, but they were ultimately excluded from the legislation to ensure its passage. (more…)
Guest post by Renee Trotier
One of our recent Rockwood Summit High School (RSHS) graduates came back for a visit after a few months of college. His observation was that the course content was not a problem, but the most important aspect for success in college was actually time management.
The conversation stuck with me because I learned this same lesson the hard way (more…)
Guest post by Nicholas Indeglio
Back in the 90s, the influx of cable television channels gave viewers a menu of options. However, while the quantity of channels was plentiful, it didn’t speak to the quality and did not target consumers. As Bruce Springsteen sang, “There was 57 channels and nothin’ on.” (more…)
Guest post by Kimie Carroll
I often say to the students that I mentor in our ninth-grade intervention program: “My job is to protect you from yourself.” As anyone who has worked with theses student know, freshmen don’t always make the wisest choices and they need lots of adult support to make positive decisions and pass their classes. To address these problems and reduce the failure rate, Canby High School in 2010 started an after-school intervention program called CATS, (more…)
Guest post by Brandon Mowinkel
From: Brandon Mowinkel
Date: Friday, March 25, 2016 at 12:03 AM
To: Brandon Mowinkel
Subject: Allow yourself to be a beginner again…
I was recently cleaning out my inbox and came across this email sent from me to me at three minutes past midnight. This isn’t necessarily odd as I send myself emails all the time of things I need to do or want to remember. However, I have no context for this email—the body of the email was blank. What was I watching or reading that I felt compelled enough to send these seven words? What was it that resonated with me at the time? As I ponder and reflect upon these words, I wonder when was the last time I was truly a beginner again. (more…)
Guest post by Burke Davis
As an avid sports fan and longtime coach, I have learned a lot of lessons from the world of sports, such as the importance of commitment, hard work, and culture. Coaches like Urban Meyer, Jay Wright, Tony Dungy, and Vince Lombardi inspire me to do my best and show me what it takes to build a winning team. One of the biggest lessons I have learned is that leaders don’t just happen. Leadership is a skill, and like any skill, we must practice in order to improve our skills and develop as leaders. As an assistant principal at Shelley High School (SHS) in Idaho, I have worked diligently to develop my skills as a leader for the sake of my students and staff.
Here are some of the lessons I have learned about leadership in my time as an educator: (more…)
Guest post by Bobby Bennett
In 2012, I became principal of my alma mater—only the second alumnus since the 1890s to have such an opportunity. No pressure! Eager to begin the work of serving my community and school improvement, I held a series of meetings with staff and the school community over the course of the first three months. These meetings would shape our work for the next five years. In fact, what we learned and put into practice not only yielded academic success, it transformed the culture of our school. (more…)
Guest post by Nicholas Indeglio
In August of 1997, when I was the Nittany Lion mascot at Pennsylvania State University, I had the opportunity to attend College Spirit Camp at East Tennessee State University run by the Universal Cheerleading Association. The top college mascots in the country assembled to learn from one another and jockey for position at the upcoming 1998 National Championships. (more…)
