This message was sent to ##Email## To advertise in this publication please click here August 10, 2021 ##\member## .PRINCIPAL LEADERSHIP Students are getting mental health days. So why don't teachers? Education Week Emily Wang noticed that when her teachers seemed stressed, their demeanor changed and sometimes they took out their frustration on students. Wouldn't it be better for everyone, the 16-year-old wondered, if teachers could take mental health days? READ MORE High-yield strategies to normalize 2021-2022 school year Tech & Learning This summer, superintendents and central office teams are planning and preparing for school leaders, teachers and students to return to a healthy and safe environment and they are also thinking about strategies to ensure all learning needs are met. Returning to a more normalized learning environment will no doubt be the priority for many districts this fall. READ MORE Teachers are feeling burned out. Artificial intelligence can help. USA Today Educators are at the ends of their ropes. So suggests a fall 2020 survey by RAND Corp., which found that a quarter of all teachers were thinking about leaving education. Remote learning and COVID-19 are partly to blame: More than half (57%) of teachers said they worked more hours per week during the pandemic than they did before it, according to RAND, and 80% reported feelings of burnout as a result. Even before COVID-19, however, former public-school teachers were struggling, and reported finding better pay, better work/life balance, more resources and a more manageable workload in jobs outside of education. READ MORE The crucial art — And science — Of listening leadership EdSurge Good listening skills can change minds, improve relationships and help build communities. Listening is also a big focus of the work of Nicole Furlonge, professor and director of the Klingenstein Center, Teachers College Columbia University. READ MORE VIDEO SHOWCASE Principals say this is the go-to fundraiser for the upcoming school year. Promoted By Boosterthon Positive Environment for All Students Promoted By HONORABLE CHARACTER Prospect of COVID-19 vaccine mandates adds tension in districts K-12 DIVE The debate over vaccination requirements is the latest controversy dividing the education community and leaders at all levels of government. It follows other politically charged debates over mask requirements and state and district decisions to reopen schools without remote options. READ MORE Schools, parents aim to make up pandemic losses for students in special ed Disability Scoop The past school year was supposed to help George Wadell, a 21-year-old Lake Oswego student with Down syndrome, transition into independence with real-world experience. But those experiences couldn't be replicated virtually. His school district, unlike most, will give him those opportunities this coming school year, even though his turning 22 this September makes him too old for the state and federal governments to fund that education. READ MORE School is in session: How have students fared? NPR Students are going back to school and this time, many of them to a physical classroom for the first time in over a year. So much has changed and there's a lot to worry about. What to wear on the first day of school, figuring out if you have the same lunch period as your friends, where your locker is...oh, and your grades. READ MORE  SPONSORED CONTENT Promoted by Peaceful Playgrounds Enter the U.S. Map Contest. It’s free to enter Playground Stencils A Recess Program that Works Use Coupon Code naesp2021 for 10% off your order COVID Social Distancing Playground Teacher licensing rules are one reason small schools don't have enough teachers The Hechinger Report Maggie Anderson teaches sixth grade at Greenfield School. Her principal, Paul Wilson, thinks she does a great job and is happy to have her. But until recently Anderson, a Vermont native who found a new home among the windswept grainfields of Montana's Rocky Mountain Front, had been inadvertently costing the school money and potentially harming its reputation. READ MORE Starting the conversation about alternative grading systems Edutopia One of the most iconic elements of American schools — right up there with yellow school buses and brass bells — is the way schools grade students. Grades are everywhere in our culture, and because they are, they're the most salient way people think about their own learning and the learning of their children. READ MORE Summer school programs race to help students most in danger of falling behind The Hechinger Report For millions of students, this is a summer like no other in the history of American public education. The last day of the school year was followed by just a brief pause before classes started again for a wide range of programs financed by more than a billion dollars in federal funds under the American Rescue Plan. That windfall sent educators scrambling this spring to find the best ways to spend it. READ MORE  PRODUCT SHOWCASE The "New Normal" of SpEd Screening and progress monitoring will be more important than ever this school year as you work to close gaps. Tune into this free webinar to ensure students receive the support they need while reducing unnecessary SpEd referrals in this new-for-all-of-us climate. August 25 at 3:00 p.m. ET. Register. What's more important to success than leadership skills Leadership Freak You're a colossal screw-up if you believe success hinges on skills. It doesn't matter how skilled you are at delegating, for example, if you're a dishonest jerk-hole. Hitler was an exceptional communicator. Skills are the simplest component of successful leadership. READ MORE How to approach stress triggers to set yourself up for success Fast Company Our hot buttons get pushed all the time. People offend us, situations don't turn out as we hope, and we get triggered. Triggers overwhelm us and throw us off our axis. Why? Because in triggering moments we are suddenly flooded with fear-based thoughts, emotions, and sensations which send us into "reactive" mode. READ MORE The best way to keep your employees happy? Protect their time Inc. Being a good manager takes a lot of time, effort and self-reflection. There are so many things that you can do to help support your team members: like coaching for development, recognizing them for their success and helping them grow in their positions. READ MORE  SPONSORED CONTENT Promoted by SignUp.com Help save hundreds of hours scheduling parent conferences with SignUp! Time-saving tips and savvy solutions for your back-to-school planning Try SignUp's Campus Plan Fresh school spirit ideas to get everyone onboard Teacher and staff appreciation ideas - easy ways to say thank you! How to write better emails as a leader Forbes We live in an attention economy, where the bounds of our productivity and relationships are no longer limited by our access to information, but rather by our ability to sort the relevant from the irrelevant, suggests Dr Charles Chaffin, author of "Numb: How the Information Age Dulls Our Senses and How We Can Get them Back." READ MORE Transparency and vulnerability — 4 ways to let yourself be seen without oversharing Leadership Freak (commentary) "You might enjoy anonymity and mask-wearing. But high-impact leaders let themselves be seen. Letting yourself be seen might be one of the hardest things you do. I remember hearing Patrick Lencioni say, 'I don't believe a leader can be too vulnerable.' It freaks me out." READ MORE Encourage your employees to give you critical feedback Harvard Business Review It's been 10 years since I co-authored the HBR article "Making Yourself Indispensable," with John H. Zenger and Joseph Folkman. In the article we provided a model to get useful and actionable feedback on one's leadership effectiveness, and how to uniquely develop your strengths in those areas. READ MORE  PRODUCT SHOWCASE Strengthen Professional Learning (Free Download) Give teachers meaningful insights that fuel professional learning teams using your existing classroom assessments. Forefront puts teachers at the center of efforts to systematically collect and analyze evidence of student learning. Aggregate these results for an unparalleled vision of student learning. Download our free data discussions checklist.­ .EDUCATION POLICY School infrastructure funding in flux as senators advance package funding electric buses Education Week The fate of federal funding for school infrastructure projects remains in limbo as Democrats in Congress negotiate a sweeping $3.5 trillion spending package that could support everything from universal prekindergarten to more affordable housing. READ MORE No child deserves to be left offline this school year — Here's how Congress can help The Brookings Institution In a few short days or weeks, most K-12 students will physically return to the classroom — at least, this is the plan. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have recommended that local districts encourage mask wearing regardless of vaccination status. But some cities and school districts are still questioning such mandates, despite the rising number of vaccinated and unvaccinated people being infected by the COVID-19 Delta variant. READ MORE .SCHOOL TECHNOLOGY 3 laptop charging cart challenges and how to solve them EdTech Magazine In the days before K–12 one-to-one device programs, device carts served as a mobile computer lab. Devices could be brought to classrooms when tech-savvy teachers had online lessons for students. Schools might have had enough laptops for one class. READ MORE How AI technologies support school safety eSchool News The COVID pandemic has changed much about how we live and how we work. Nowhere is this more evident than in our schools — in how we safely teach our students and how our students learn, safely. The challenge with schools is that, from a safety perspective, educational institutions were already under siege. READ MORE 5 ed tech books every new and seasoned teacher should read Tech & Learning Summer is quickly coming to an end, and preparations for the upcoming school year are within close reach. With the impending return to in-person learning for many, continued online learning for others, and even dual audience learning for some, now is the perfect time to re-imagine, re-envision and re-think how we leverage ed tech for teaching and learning in our new educational landscapes. READ MORE 6 ways ed tech tools help teachers save time eSchool News According to the National Council on Teacher Quality (2012), the average teacher in the United States gets 45 minutes of planning time per day. If a teacher has five classes, that gives them just 9 minutes per class to create an engaging lesson that meets the needs of every student in the room. Needless to say, educators don’t have nearly enough time to plan lessons. The easiest solution to this problem would be to give teachers more prep time. However, as that seems unlikely to happen, here are six ways that teachers can use edtech tools to save time. READ MORE  FEATURED ARTICLE   Re-opening K-12 schools safely with COVID-19 testing programs Promoted by Quadrant biosciences Register for DNA Genotek and Quadrant Biosciences’ live panel - Thursday, July 29 at 2:00 pm EST - for an in-depth discussion of re-opening K-12 schools safely and efficiently using non-invasive saliva samples and pooled testing. Topics will include emerging variants, US funding programs available to schools and an overview of a successful COVID-19 screening program presented by SUNY. Register now! LEARN MORE   .PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT 5 tips you need to know when teaching post-pandemic THE Journal As the COVID pandemic surged globally, many of us found ourselves unprepared for the ways in which this deadly virus would affect our daily lives. School aged children and their teachers, who were forced to make the quick transition from in-person to virtual or hybrid learning almost overnight, have faced countless difficulties along the way. READ MORE 20 sites/apps every teacher should try for back to school Tech & Learning It's back-to-school time again! Whether you're excited about the new school year or need some inspiration; whether you're a new teacher or a seasoned pro; whether you're teaching in a classroom or online — you and your students will benefit from education technology tools that deliver the all-important student engagement while supporting learning goals in reading, writing, math and more. READ MORE Are questions the answer? Edutopia Before grade school, kids ask more than 300 questions a day on average, according to research conducted by OnePoll on behalf of a British retailer. As parents, we remember the preschool years with the endless curiosity and questions. But what happens to the number of questions when kids start elementary school? How many questions do you think a kindergartener asks compared with a fourth grader or an eighth grader? READ MORE  SPONSORED CONTENT Promoted by Xello Does Gender Bias Still Influence Career Choices for Young Learners? How to Implement SEL Activities in Your Elementary Classrooms This School District Introduced Career Exploration to Elementary Students Using a Full K-12 Solution How Early Should Students Start Planning Their Futures? Spark Career Curiosity in Your Youngest Learners with Xello for Elementary 6 practical tips to help students manage post-pandemic screen use eSchool News The coronavirus pandemic presented unprecedented challenges for schools. Teaching became a juggling act. Educators were forced to navigate the never-ending stress of new local, regional, and national rules and the ongoing adaptation of their classrooms. A dizzying amount of flexibility was required. Materials, strategies, and techniques needed to reach students in-person, online and in hybrid settings had to be adjusted on the turn of a dime. READ MORE 65 awesome classroom doors for back to school We Are Teachers It's a new school year and giving a warm welcome to students is more important than ever! Decorating classroom doors is one way to do that. Whether you're using a theme or decorating with student names in calligraphy, there are so many ways to make it personal. Check out our favorite classroom doors below for inspiration! READ MORE How to audit your classroom library for inclusion Edutopia Providing "windows and mirrors" so that students can both see themselves and be exposed to new realities isn't a novel concept for teachers. But as we grow increasingly aware of the many people whose stories remain untold — and the ripple effect our collective ignorance has on shaping our discourse and our cultural priorities — it's worth revisiting what's been sitting on classroom bookshelves. READ MORE PRODUCT SHOWCASE Perfect for School Cafeterias! Keeping students' hands clean can increase school attendance rates by 29%-57%. The Personal Protected Quad-Sink, a high volume mobile hand wash station comes equipped with social distancing barriers, touchless dispensers, and can service 120 students in just 10 minutes. Prevent illness by providing safe convenient hand washing.   LEARN MORE   Connect From Anywhere Extraordinary virtual learning opportunities are still available for the summer! Explore space, travel to prehistoric times or enjoy our many other STEAM-focused virtual workshops.   LEARN MORE   Building classroom community in a digital space eSchool News One of my favorite parts of being an educator is the sense of community that is created with each new class of students. Fostering that feeling in person has its challenges of course, but is a bit easier to administer and coach when you're face to face. When asked to build that same sense of community with my students through a computer screen as we went into a distance learning mode, my brain started to misfire. READ MORE How teacher expectations empower student learning The Brookings Institution In primary school, we were both lucky to have teachers who thought we were brilliant: Ms. Darrow believed Sameer was an excellent student despite average grades, and Ms. Lewis made Niharika feel like she could survive anything. Looking back, neither of us knows why they thought this way, but we're certain that they both truly felt this way, and their feelings made us believe it as well. Our time with these teachers made us believe in our ability to take on academic challenges, building a base of confidence that we would draw on throughout our lives. READ MORE Use revise and resubmit instead of extra credit Faculty Focus Many faculty provide extra credit or give in to student requests for extra credit, but this is not always an efficient way to produce learning. The major problem with extra credit is that it does not address a student's actual deficiency. In most cases, the issue of extra credit occurs when there is some deficiency in a student's performance that hurt their grade and they want to do something to improve it. READ MORE Executive functioning and kindergarten readiness Edutopia As we prepare to welcome our youngest learners to classrooms this fall, preschool and early childhood teachers are likely wondering how to best prepare children with the skills necessary to be kindergarten ready. Given that many preschool-aged children weren't in formal in-person learning programs last year, building the academic and executive functioning skills they need for kindergarten is especially important for this incoming cohort of students. READ MORE Teaching 'action civics' engages kids — And ignites controversy The Hechinger Report Peyton Amaral, a Morton Middle-schooler with a pale pink suit jacket and a swath of blue and purple hair, stood before the Fall River City Council this April, arguing for a ban on plastic bags. "Pollution is making our community dirty and unlivable," said Peyton, in a voice that came through clearly, despite the mask covering the lower half of her face. "We, the youth of Fall River, want to stay here, but we can't bear to stay in a city that is dirty." READ MORE Why every kid deserves a clean slate We Are Teachers (commentary) Beth Jarzabek, a contributor for We Are Teachers, writes: "My father was a ... rambunctious student. Very smart and frequently bored, he would pull pranks and create situations to make his tedious school days pass a bit more quickly. Locking the briefcase of his English teacher with a paperclip resulted in his name echoing in the hallways when said briefcase continued to burst open at the most inopportune times. When told that if his Western Civ class bored him, he was welcome to leave, he took the teacher up on the opportunity and walked out of class." READ MORE The strange past and messy future of 'gifted and talented' EdSurge How would it feel to be a bookish kid—a kid who feels like they don't quite belong — and have someone come in and tell you that you're special. That you have hidden talents that aren't being recognized. That you're gifted. That happens to a lot of kids. One minute you're in so-called regular classes, and then the next minute, you're given a test and placed in special classes for the "gifted and talented." Often these classes have more engaging material and better student-teacher ratios. READ MORE Reimagining alternative education Edutopia Alternative education should be framed not as a last resort for "bad" students but as a way to provide positive, intentional supports. READ MORE 18 standout graphic novels for elementary kids We Are Teachers You've likely seen firsthand how graphic novels have a special way of hooking kids on reading, especially reluctant readers. (If you're still running up against parents or colleagues that don't consider graphic novels "real" reading, rest assured research shows that making meaning from both words and images flexes kids' reading muscles in a helpful way.) READ MORE .EDUCATION RESEARCH Pandemic-related school closures tied to poor mental health of students HealthDay News School closures in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected the mental health of students, according to a U.S. study published online July 20 in JCPP Advances. Karen L. Mansfield, Ph.D., from University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, and colleagues surveyed students (June to July 2020) across Southern England during the first COVID-19 school lockdown to investigate factors associated with mental health difficulties. Analysis included 11,765 pupils in years eight to 13 with comparisons made between students learning at home and those with in-school spots. READ MORE More students of color at risk in reading after pandemic THE Journal More K–3 students are at risk in reading as a result of learning losses related to the public policy response to the pandemic. Black and Latinx students are particularly affected. The good news: "Many students have begun to recover from lost literacy instruction," according to a new report. READ MORE Nearly 50% of teachers report pre-K through first grade students have suffered large learning losses, ESGI survey finds Yahoo Finance Nearly 50% of early childhood educators believe that pre-K through first grade students have suffered large learning losses over the last 18 months which will present challenges when students return to classes in the fall, according to a recent survey conducted by ESGI. The teachers also reported that it may take until the end of the 2021-2022 school year to close the gap. Most concerning is that a quarter of the teachers surveyed expect that many students may need more than one academic year to catch up. READ MORE .IN THE STATES How 100 large urban districts are wrapping family & community input into plans for spending federal emergency school relief funds The 74 As school districts prepare for the 2021-2022 school year, federal dollars from the Elementary and Secondary Schools Emergency Relief Fund present the potential for helping students and communities recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, and for making major, lasting improvements. Districts have wide latitude in how they will use the funds, with one clear mandate: that they engage in "meaningful consultation" with their communities and factor this input into spending choices. READ MORE Philadelphia schools move forward with in-person learning for all students despite delta variant Chalkbeat Philadelphia school officials are moving forward with plans to reopen for all in-person learning Aug. 31 and will require students and teachers to wear masks. All employees also will undergo mandatory weekly COVID testing. After more than 18 months of remote or hybrid learning, about 150,000 Philadelphia students are expected to return to classes since COVID-19 shut schools March 2020. But that’s not happening without concerns over the delta variant, which has increased cases across the city. READ MORE .ASSOCIATION NEWS Captain of the ship: Sailing your school to success NAESP Discover your unknown patterns and blind spots that unknowingly hinder your success and efficiency in areas of verbal and non-verbal communication, achieving effective solutions, teacher retention, parent engagement, human connectiveness and all around joy and aligned vision for your district. READ MORE New principal? Join the National Panel of New Principals NAESP NAESP's new principal panel is the first and only national program dedicated to gathering and sharing the experiences of new principals in rural, urban and suburban schools across the country. Panelists participate in online surveys each year on a relevant topic, which take less than 10 minutes to complete. Panelists receive the survey results and resource recommendations from their peers. READ MORE SUGGESTED COMPANIES Landscape Structures @Landscape Structures © Introduce a revolutionary swing forward in inclusive play experience with We-Go-Swing™. Read more   First No–Transfer Inclusive Swing   Promoted by Landscape Structures Stepping Stones Museum For Children © Explore space, travel to prehistoric times or enjoy our other STEAM-focused virtual workshops and camps. Read more   EXTRAORDINARY Virtual Learning Opportunities   Promoted by Stepping Stones Museum For Children GE Healthcare @GEHealthcare © We provide medical technologies and services that are shaping a new age of patient care. Read more   Healthcare Collaboration   Promoted by GE Healthcare   Principal Insights Connect with NAESP Jason Zimmerman, Director of Publishing, Multiview, 469-420-2686 | Download media kit Hailey Golden, Assistant Executive Editor, MultiView, 469-420-2630 | Contribute News National Association of Elementary School Principals 1615 Duke Street  |  Alexandria, VA 22314  800-386-2377  |  Contact Us  |  www.naesp.org Click here to unsubscribe.  Learn how to add us to your safe sender list so our emails get to your inbox. ADVERTISE SUBSCRIBE PAST ISSUES   7701 Las Colinas Ridge, Ste. 800, Irving, TX 75063