The National Principals Association (formerly NASSP) has officially welcomed pre-K through elementary school principals and assistant principals into the fold. Jana Clark, the principal of Boyd Elementary School, in Boyd, TX, shares why she’s excited about the change.
As an elementary school principal and former middle school assistant principal and proud National Principals Association (formerly NASSP) member, I’m thrilled that elementary school principals can benefit from association programs and advocacy efforts. This is so special to me because one thing I’ve learned is that leadership doesn’t change simply because the students are younger. Including elementary school administrators in the National Principals Association is such a powerful way for PreK–12 principals to align and create a stronger voice for advocacy because we are working together.
I’m in my second year as an elementary school principal, but I still lean on the connections I made as a middle school administrator. At the end of the day, all principals committed to our PreK–12 students face similar challenges. While the size of the child changes, the leadership doesn’t.
When I left middle school administration to join Boyd Elementary, I missed connecting with the middle school administrators and leaders I had grown to count on and trust.
One of the best things about being part of NASSP as a middle school AP was the ability to jump on a call with a fellow member and work together to solve problems or celebrate wins. Even though we may be spread out across the country, all administrators are all dealing with monitoring and managing artificial intelligence, nurturing our staff and parent relationships, supporting our students’ mental health, and suffering through whatever this year’s version of “six-seven” is.
NASSP gave me networks I could connect with and trust—and the National Principals Association continues to offer them. Whether it was for 30 minutes or 60 minutes, our Zoom calls were so powerful because I never knew what I was going to learn from someone else, whether they were five miles down the road or far across the country. I don’t think we can underestimate the power of these networks, whether it’s an inspiration to bring something new to our students, a solution to a problem we are facing, or just the camaraderie and partnerships of knowing we are all in this together.
For example, Boyd Elementary is a culture that values paper, pencils, and hands-on learning. We have about 550 students on campus, and we live in a rural environment. One of our goals is to make our school a strong foundation for our community and to support parents who may be sending their child to school for the first time. We aren’t only teaching their children how to go to school, but we are creating a community that understands the importance of a strong, educational curriculum. Many people often think of “parent voice” as starting in middle or high school. But we are creating that now.
Watching our parents drop their children off for their first day of kindergarten was so eye-opening to me, because we want our parents to know that they have a say in all of this. They have a voice in their children’s education. And I’m so happy that now I have the National Principals Association in my corner to help me make that happen.
