Schools have a responsibility to promote and support the mental health and well-being of both students and adults, which leads to deeper learning and success. As a school leader, you’ll want to attend Ignite 2023—NASSP’s National School Leader Conference—July 12–15, in Denver, CO. The conference will offer dozens of sessions that will help you learn […]
Category: Mental Health/Whole School Wellness/SEL
Creating an Environment That Supports Whole School Wellness at Ignite 2023
Ignite23
Empowering Teens with SEL Skills May Help Them Resist Drugs and Vaping
Teens love to push boundaries and test limits. And while this may be frustrating to parents and educators, it is a crucial aspect of their learning and development. Through trial and error, they can better understand themselves and their world.
Mental healthWellness
The Use of Restorative Practices: A Work in Progress
In honor of AP Week, School of Thought asked me to reflect on work that I’m most proud of as a school leader. I have chosen to share about implementing restorative practices, which many of my colleagues are also working hard to get right in schools across the country.
Assistant Principals NetworkMental healthmental health/wellnessNASSP Assistant Principals of the Year Alumni Networkschool climateschool cultureSchool Leadership
Transgender Day of Visibility Brings Voice to School Leaders
Every day, I lead a community of students, teachers, and families who come together to create an environment where holistic, rigorous instruction is intertwined with a deliberate approach to empowering students to make the world a more just place. At the International Community School, a K–5 public charter school in Decatur, GA, we believe that […]
AccessBelonginginclusionLGBTQLGBTQ School Leaders Networkschool climateschool culture
Elevating the Importance of Teen Mental Health
Today is World Teen Mental Wellness Day. In honor of it, I want to share how school budget cuts inadvertently led me to take a closer look at the importance of mental health. And for that, I am eternally grateful.
BelongingElevating Student VoiceinclusionMental healthMiddle School Leaders NetworkNHSStudent leadershipWellness
Spreading Joy at School This Holiday Season
School leaders are finding extra ways to celebrate their staff members this holiday season. We have gathered some of the best ideas from Twitter to share with you.
school culture
How School Celebrations Can Boost Staff Morale
When NASSP 2021 Digital Principal of the Year Cindy Sholtys-Cromwell presented on creative ways to hold staff celebrations at a state conference in 2019, she was shocked by the level of interest she received from fellow school leaders.
Building LeadershipMental healthNASSP Principal of the Year Alumni NetworkWellness
Promoting Kindness and Preventing Bullying in Middle School
October is National Bullying Prevention Month, and I want to share how I have worked hard over the years to promote kindness in school. It started about 15 years ago, when I first became principal of Colony Middle School in Palmer, AK. At the time, it was pretty apparent that we needed to work on […]
Mental healthMiddle SchoolmiddleschoolNASSP Principal of the Year Alumni NetworkSchool SafetyWellness
“I Can Promise You Right Now We Will Listen”
The stoic sheep presided above the fray in her latest regalia as down below old friends and new ones broke into intense discussions about the state of education. While it might be a strange sight to outsiders, the woolly mascot “Betsy the Sheep” is a familiar friend to members of Region 7, NASSP’s western affiliates. […]
LeadershipMental healthprincipal pipeline: recruitment and retentionWellness
News Accounts Tell the Stories Behind NASSP Survey Findings
In August, NASSP released results from the NASSP Survey of America’s School Leaders and High School Students. Designed by school leaders and students, this nationally representative survey explores their opinions on the challenges of leading and learning at school as well as their thoughts on mental health, school safety, and how to better meet the […]