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.
Category: School Culture & Climate
The Use of Restorative Practices: A Work in Progress
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
Weaving Black History Throughout Our School
Some schools celebrate Black History Month with a big event that focuses on prominent leaders like Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and Malcolm X. The problem is that students already know about those leaders, partly because they are so well known and partly because students learn about them in their American history courses.
BelonginginclusionSchool Leaders of Color NetworkSchool LeadershipUrban School Leaders Network
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
Lessons Learned by Visiting Our Nation’s Schools
One of the signature initiatives that Gregg Wieczorek, NASSP’s Immediate Past President, undertook during his term was to visit schools in all 50 states. He called it “one of the best experiences of my professional career.” Highlights from those visits are now available in a new report titled “Leading Forward: Ideas from the Listening and […]
Education PolicySchool Leadership
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
A Focus on Community and Transparency
For National Principals Month, we are highlighting school leaders who have made valuable contributions to their schools and communities. A few of the people they’ve impacted the most tell their inspiring stories. This week, Sarai Kaller shares about her sons’ former principal, Teri Dudley.
National Principals MonthpartnershipsPrincipal pipelineRecruitment and RetentionSchool Leadership
Celebrating Women’s Equality Day
Today is Women’s Equality Day, a holiday observed every August 26 to commemorate women’s suffrage in the United States. In honor of this day, which also celebrates the challenges women from all walks of life have faced in their struggles for equality and freedom from discrimination, we are re-upping this post from March. Here’s to […]
BelonginginclusionSchool Leadership
Social Media Is Essential for Communicating with Students
I have always thought of social media as a place for schools to post school information and archive great memories of student achievement and activities. Like many districts, in recent years, my district has received online threats, and inaccurate information has spread on social media about things allegedly happening in our buildings. Sadly, I have […]