For a select group of young people, it was a night to remember in Washington, DC. Inside a hotel ballroom Monday evening, with proud advisers, parents, and principals in attendance, NASSP honored the 25 winners of the 2022 National Honor Society (NHS) scholarships. The event kicked off this year’s National Student Leadership Week, whose theme of “Trailblazing Leadership” was particularly apt given the challenges that students have faced in the wake of the pandemic.
(more…)School of Thought Blog
NASSP Members Tell U.S. Secretary of Education That American Rescue Plan Worked
At a day-long meeting yesterday at the U.S. Department of Education, around 60 school leaders shared their experiences using COVID-relief funding to help their students and offered their perspectives on the challenges that remain. They also participated in workshops on student wellness, equity, and educator burnout, among other topics. The convening kicked off NASSP’s Trailblazing Leadership Week in Washington, D.C., in which nationally recognized school leaders and student leaders are advocating for the needs of students and educators at the national level.
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Proactively Educating Students in a Post-Covid World
As the world looks forward to approaching some semblance of normalcy, education proceeds cautiously, with some schools having to continue pivoting to remote instruction as new variants emerge. These last two years have ultimately forced schools to rethink their curricula and instructional materials, while placing more emphasis on soft skills and emotional intelligence.
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NHS Alumni Create Free Resource to Help Students Navigate College Admissions
After they graduate from high school, many National Honor Society (NHS) students continue to find incredible ways to serve their communities. One such student is Robert Wachen. In this blogpost, the NHS alum from Winston Churchill High School in Potomac, MD, and a sophomore at Harvard University, shares his experience developing a website to support high school students through their college application process.
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Taking Pride in a “Pass the Pillow” Drive
I’m the proud adviser of the National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) chapter at Tipton Middle School (TMS) in Tipton, IN. In January, my students held a pillow drive for a nearby senior assisted living home, Miller’s Merry Manor. We dubbed it the “Pass the Pillow” drive, and it was a success! The drive showed students how small acts of kindness and giving can make a big difference in an elderly person’s life.
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Why Student Protests Are a Valuable Learning Opportunity
At Smoky Hill High School in Aurora, CO, you could say we’re victims of our own success when it comes to student protests. One thing we emphasize in our school is that students need to have a voice. In the grand scheme of things, the school is their school. It’s not my school, it’s not the teachers’ school—it’s the community’s school.
(more…)Learn from Assistant Principals during National Assistant Principals Week
It’s National Assistant Principals Week, a time to celebrate the contributions assistant principals (APs) make to their schools, by ensuring positive cultures for teaching and learning.
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Leadership Network Helps Connect Assistant Principals Across the Country
Assistant principals are a crucial, but sometimes overlooked, part of a well-run school. They take on a variety of important duties that often leave them little time to talk to colleagues and share ideas. NASSP’s Leadership Network for Assistant Principals is designed to help connect APs across the country, who experience many of the same challenges and concerns, regardless of their school’s size or demographics.
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Listening and Learning Tour Continues in Four More States
NASSP President Gregg Wieczorek’s latest school visits on Leading Forward: The Listening and Learning Tour brought him to these four East Coast states in March: Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and New York. Below are brief highlights from the latest stops.
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Nominations Are Open for NASSP Board of Directors
If you’ve ever thought it might be interesting and rewarding to serve on the NASSP Board of Directors, now is the time to apply. Nominations to the board are now open to all active members in good standing who are currently serving as principals or assistant principals.
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Join NASSP’s Board of Directors and Make Your Voice Heard
NASSP is currently seeking applications for the Board of Directors. In this post, Dr. Evelyn Edney, principal of the Early College High School at Delaware State University in Dover, DE, reflects on how participation on the board has helped her grow as a leader and better advocate for her community and the profession.
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Embracing the School Leadership Journey
A question that I’m asked many times is how I manage the work-life balance of being a principal. I try not to laugh in response because most times I feel like I’m barely keeping it together. Each day is a juggling act, and some days are much more about surviving than thriving. As I reflect on my career during Women’s History Month, these are the lessons I’ve learned along the way.
(more…)Six Inclusive Practices for School Leadership
According to cognitive scientists, we make most of our decisions without even consciously thinking about them. As a result, it’s important to take note of biases that may be negatively influencing our decision-making.
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Reminding Your AP Students to Focus on Follow Through
There’s no question that it has been another tough year. And the messages we’re sharing with our students are more important than ever.
(more…)A Conference for Women Leaders by Women Leaders
“I have never seen more laughter. People were intensely engaging in conversations, remembering each other from last time they met, and celebrating each other’s accomplishments during the hardest two years of our lives.”
(more…)Seven Ideas for Celebrating Student Leaders
If you’re seeking creative ways to recognize student leaders at your school, “Celebrating Student Leaders,” a recent NatStuCo webinar, is for you. Held on March 15, panelists offered seven tips for establishing a culture where students are consistently celebrated for leadership. “We want it to become almost organic in a school, so that celebration occurs not just during one week but all the time,” says Amy Krueger, NHS adviser at Rockwood South Middle School in Fenton, MO. “We are creating an atmosphere where students can excel.”
(more…)School Leaders Make Headlines With NASSP Advocacy Conference
After 350 school leaders from across the country visited their legislators on Capitol Hill as part of NASSP’s Advocacy Conference earlier this month, local news outlets took note. Here are six stories that recount these visits, in which school leaders discussed the need to strengthen the educator pipeline, support student and educator mental health, and fund school infrastructure. Since their efforts, Congress passed the FY 2022 appropriations bill with increased funding for education. It was signed into law on Monday.
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Home-State School Visits Included on Wieczorek’s Tour
NASSP President Gregg Wieczorek’s latest stops on Leading Forward: The Listening and Learning Tour included two school visits in his home state of Wisconsin as well as stops in Kentucky, Missouri, and Tennessee during February and March. Below are brief highlights from the latest stops.
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Meeting the Need: Social Emotional Learning for Middle School Students
Early adolescence is a critical developmental period, complete with numerous physical and cognitive changes as well as shifts in social relationships. Students must also navigate academic competition and an increase in social comparison among peers.
These issues can potentially contribute to decreased self-esteem, school connectedness, anxiety, and loneliness. Students during this time are more likely to face emotional and behavioral challenges, become disengaged from school, and experience a decrease in positive peer influences.
(more…)At NASSP’s Advocacy Conference, Kansas School Leaders Among Those Who Made Their Voices Heard
As part of NASSP’s Advocacy Conference last week, more than 350 school leaders descended on Capitol Hill to advocate for what their students and schools need to succeed.
Among them were three representatives from the Kansas Principals Association: Cara Ledy, its executive director; John Befort, principal of Washington Elementary School in Ellis; and Trevor Goertzen, principal of Spring Hill Middle School in Spring Hill. Representatives from NASSP and the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) also joined them.
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