This message was sent to ##Email## To advertise in this publication please click here September 17, 2021 ##\member## .PRINCIPAL LEADERSHIP Leadership that alleviates stress Edutopia School leaders are in one of the most precarious balancing acts in the history of public education. They must keep educators focused on providing high-quality learning to kids despite mandatory COVID testing, email notifications of potential exposures and omnipresent media coverage of the pandemic. This balancing act is complicated further by teacher shortages and the cumulative impact of asking teachers to help cover job vacancies. READ MORE Could Biden's vaccine mandate exacerbate school staff shortages? K-12 DIVE School districts, especially in areas where vaccine and mask mandates have become contentious, may see higher turnover rates among staff after President Joe Biden called for vaccines to be mandated for employers with 100 or more workers in the near future. District leaders worry turnover may be especially damaging among school nutrition and transportation staff amid a pre-existing national shortage of both. READ MORE Do your teachers think PD is a dirty word? eSchool News PD time is essential for teachers, especially this year — here are three things that can help teachers embrace professional learning opportunities. READ MORE How can you support new teachers? Plus 10 more questions Teaching Channel Teacher introduction is of key importance to help let families know that they're an integral part of your instructional team. The classroom expectations and a summary of your classroom management plan can come a week or so, once you've worked with your learners to create expectations. You may also need to send documents or newsletters required by the building or district so make sure you keep track of what's necessary. If you are working with older learners, you may have a syllabus to share as well. 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 Are we asking schools to do too much? Education Week Schools are increasingly being saddled with new responsibilities. At what point do we decide they are being overwhelmed? READ MORE 3 questions that will help school leaders navigate this year Edutopia Education is rooted in change. In fact, the very act of learning requires nimble navigation of processing, parsing, and pivoting new and known variables, continually checking understanding against introduced information. Leading is no different. To be the change, we must embrace meaningful change. And to make meaning, we must seek and synthesize feedback. READ MORE Afterschool programs looked forward to a normal year. Then Delta happened Youth Today It was the first week back to school, and the staff at CollegeCommunityCareer, an afterschool program in the Houston area, were eager to finally meet face-to-face with students after a year and a half. CollegeCommunityCareer had conducted virtual afterschool and summer classes aimed at helping students apply to college throughout the pandemic, ever since public schools in Texas shifted to online learning. Then, as the spring and early summer rolled around, COVID-19 cases dropped to their lowest levels yet, and educators nationwide anticipated the new school year would be back to normal. 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 Why new teacher mentoring can fall short, and 3 ways to fix it District Administration Magazine When improperly designed, teacher mentoring programs can turn into a simple "buddy system" instead of a rigorous learning opportunity for first-time educators, a new report has found. Mentoring can fail when sufficient time, resources and training are lacking, according to the "Why New Teacher Mentoring Falls Short, and How to Fix It" report by the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching. READ MORE 3 key considerations for the future of assessments eSchool News The cancellation of summative assessments in the spring of 2020, coupled with the variability of the spring 2021 testing season, has significantly impacted the K–12 assessment landscape. READ MORE Where are all the school nurses? We Are Teachers Did you know that millions of students in this country do not have access to a school nurse if they experience a medical emergency? This has become a major concern as schools reopen for in-person learning during the pandemic. A school nurse shortage is not a new problem, but our current situation has certainly amplified the need. Let's take a closer look at the issue and what our community of teachers has to say. READ MORE  PRODUCT SHOWCASE The Right Supports for Every Student Many students may start the year below grade-level benchmarks. What does this mean for Tier 1 instruction? And how can you ensure students receive the support they need while reducing unnecessary SpEd referrals? Tune into this on-demand webinar for expert guidance. Watch now. Parents and teachers push to move school lunches outdoors to help reduce spread of virus The Washington Post At Bancroft Elementary in Northwest Washington, families created a schedule for parents to volunteer to watch children during their lunch periods, ensuring everyone can space out and eat outdoors. At Thomson Elementary, a school in the heart of downtown D.C., the rooftop playground is under renovation, so most students eat lunch inside each day. READ MORE Unpacking the bags to leadership The Lead Change Group "Please place your carry-on luggage in the storage bins overhead and take your seat. If you have items that will fit under the seats in front of you, please secure them now." "As you enter today, please leave your baggage at home so we can focus on the work ahead." These statements may sound familiar regarding baggage. Our first direction is to store the luggage away, and we will deal with it later. However, later is not always what we can do regarding the weight this baggage holds. READ MORE 7 top strategies that break the grip of self-inflicted anxiety Leadership Freak Healthy anxiety rises to face challenge, opportunity, and threat. That tension in your gut means you care. But self-inflected anxiety causes leaders to: Struggle with decision-making. Flip flop after making decisions. View others as threats. Over-react. Obsess. READ MORE  PRODUCT SHOWCASE Drive Meaningful Data Discussions Not all data is equal. Great data provides leaders with valuable insights into classroom practice. The best data fuels PLCs, professional learning, and school improvement efforts in meaningful ways that result in visible gains. Improve data discussions at your school with our free data discussion checklist. Download now. Leaders love telling themselves this 1 insidious lie about burnout Fast Company In my executive coaching practice, one issue has intensified over the past year with nearly all of my clients: burnout. The COVID-19 pandemic has created some of the most trying situations leaders have ever faced. After over a year of managing in these circumstances, people in leadership roles are beyond tired; they're exhausted. Many are also unsure of where or how to set boundaries on their time and commitments given the level of volatility and uncertainty in their businesses and industries. READ MORE .EDUCATION POLICY As Biden urges more covid tests, quick and inexpensive saliva screening is raising hopes for a less disruptive school year The 74 A new breed of fast, cheap, and, in most cases, accurate new COVID-19 tests could remake the fraught debate over virus outbreaks at school this fall. Using subjects' saliva instead of invasive nasal probes, they promise to help schools test more people, quickly find and isolate positive cases, and return students to the classroom once they test negative. READ MORE Build Back Better bill clears house committee with $82B for school construction District Administration Magazine The House Education and Labor Committee marked up a draft of its portion of the Build Back Better Act that includes billions of dollars in funds for education, including investments in early childhood care and universal pre-K, school construction, teacher and school leader professional development, and school meal programs on Sept. 10. READ MORE .SCHOOL TECHNOLOGY An inside look at the spy tech that followed kids home for remote learning — And now won't leave The 74 A week after the pandemic forced Minneapolis students to attend classes online, the city school district's top security chief got an urgent email, its subject line in all caps, alerting him to potential trouble. Just 12 seconds later, he got a second ping. And two minutes after that, a third. READ MORE Bringing STEM to students with mobile technology EdTech Magazine Despite being one of the most in-demand sectors of the job market, STEM education is frequently subpar in districts serving minority students. As of 2018, students did not have access to Algebra II lessons in a quarter of high schools that primarily serve Black and Hispanic students, according to an article in Forbes. READ MORE Best E-readers for students and teachers Tech & Learning The best ereaders might seem like an easy thing to find for teachers and students, but thanks to the growing popularity they're now many in number and pretty tough to narrow down to just one. 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 Chatbots allow educators to delegate repetitive tasks and focus on teaching EdTech Magazine The chatbot revolution isn't coming — it's already here. It's been five years since an AI-enabled chatbot called Jill Watson fooled many students in an artificial intelligence class at Georgia Tech into thinking they'd been interacting with a human teaching assistant all semester. Considered the world's first intelligent chatbot and powered by IBM Watson technology, Jill Watson took between 1,000 to 1,500 hours to build. READ MORE .PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT Good STEM teachers never stop learning MiddleWeb (commentary) Anne Jolly, a contibutor for MiddleWeb, writes: "I wish I could start my teaching career all over, knowing what I know now. How differently I would teach from the very first day. I should tell you that when I started teaching, I'd never taken an education course. I'd certainly never heard of project learning or STEM, with that all-important 'Engineering' component in the middle." READ MORE Can an AI tutor teach your child to read? The Hechinger Report When Jaclyn Brown Wright took over as principal of Brewbaker Primary School in Montgomery, Alabama, she knew she needed to figure out a way to boost literacy rates. At Brewbaker, which in 2020 served more than 700 students in pre-K through second grade, nearly 20% of her students are English learners and 71% are economically disadvantaged. READ MORE  PRODUCT SHOWCASE 8 FREE Social and Emotional Learning Posters During a time of in-class learning after the pandemic, students may have feelings and emotions that they are struggling to cope with. These free digital images encourage positivity, goal setting and interpersonal relationships in order to build confidence and tackle challenges in the classroom. Download now 3 digital skills that ease learning (and life) for students with ADHD ADDitude Magazine Digital skills like email processing and document filing are important but rarely taught keys to better school organization and productivity for students with ADHD. READ MORE ESOL students: 6 tips for empowering their educations Tech & Learning The secret to teaching ESOL students (English speakers of other languages) is providing differentiated instruction, honoring the knowledge and backgrounds of those students, and using the right technology, says Rhaiza Sarkan, ESOL resource Teacher at Henderson Hammock Charter School, a K-8 school in Tampa, Florida. READ MORE Free 'Teachable Moments' resources help educators teach about earthquakes THE Journal A university consortium with more than 125 member institutions is making free resources available to help K–12 educators teach about earthquakes as they happen. The "Teachable Moments" resources offer documentation, photos, animations, data and explanations behind the science of earthquakes designed to engage students "in scientific inquiry and [to] offer a critical connection to real-life events," according to Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology Outreach Specialist Tammy Bravo. READ MORE PRODUCT SHOWCASE Promoting Sanitary Schools With Quad-Sinks James Tressel, President of Youngstown State University said, “We feel blessed that we have this opportunity to really make our employees and our students and or community confident, because all of these..." Quad-Sink is a mobile, high volume hand washing station that can service 120 students in just 10 minutes.   LEARN MORE   Reach Your Prospects Every Week Thousands of industry professionals subscribe to association news briefs, which allows your company to push messaging directly to their inboxes and take advantage of the association's brand affinity. Connect with Highly Defined Buyers and Maximize Your Brand Exposure   LEARN MORE   Dual language classes, English as a second language promote bilingualism Utah Public Radio Schools throughout Cache County support incoming students whose first language is not English through the English as a Second Language program. Similarly, some elementary schools in the county promote a dual language immersion program that supports English-speaking students in learning a second language through bilingual classes. READ MORE .EDUCATION RESEARCH Teaching health and wellbeing to improve learning The PIE News Over the last two decades, society has been continuously advancing and it is now essential to encourage children to play an active role in understanding their feelings, how to navigate an increasingly growing online world and how to look after their own physical and mental health. READ MORE Report: Attendance boundary changes can alleviate school segregation K-12 DIVE Schools can fix persistently racially segregated K-12 schools by changing attendance boundaries, and even small shifts in boundaries between neighboring schools and districts can make large impacts, according to a report by Urban Institute, a nonprofit research organization. READ MORE  FEATURED ARTICLE   Benefits of an Early Childhood Leadership Certificate from Bank Street A child’s first few years of educational experiences set the stage for how they will learn for the rest of their lives. The Bank Street Early Childhood Leadership Advanced Certificate Program is designed for mission-driven educators seeking to advance their professional opportunities and fill the need for exceptional leadership in early childhood education. Areas of study within the program include curriculum and development, social justice, systems thinking, progressive education and law. LEARN MORE   .IN THE STATES 4 states get approval for remaining American Rescue Plan funds THE Journal The United States Department of Education has approved school plans from four states for the use of American Rescue Plan ESSER funds, distributing about $1.84 billion in remaining funds. Each plan included details on how the states using ARP ESSER funds to "safely reopen and sustain the safe operation of schools and equitably expand opportunity for students who need it most, particularly those most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic." READ MORE Detroit schools: Optimism about enrollment, but complaints about safety Chalkbeat Enrollment in the Detroit Public Schools Community District is at 53,000 students, but only 43,500 have shown up for classes, Superintendent Nikolai Vitti said Tuesday. He's actually encouraged by the numbers. READ MORE Massachusetts National Guard to help with busing students The Associated Press Massachusetts' governor activated the state's National Guard to help with busing students to school as districts across the country struggle to hire enough drivers. Republican Gov. Charlie Baker said 250 guard personnel will be available to serve as drivers of school transport vans. READ MORE Most Colorado students now attend schools with mask mandates Chalkbeat When students returned to school in the Greeley-Evans district north of Denver, masks were recommended — but not required — for unvaccinated students and staff. That made the district typical in Colorado, where the state neither banned mask mandates nor issued its own requirement. Instead, the state left the decision up to local school districts and public health agencies, most of which in turn left the decision up to individuals. READ MORE .ASSOCIATION NEWS NAESP seeking presentation proposals for 2022 conference NAESP The NAESP Pre-K–8 Principals Conference is headed to Louisville, Kentucky one of the friendliest, most affordable and unique cities in America, July 15-17, 2022. We invite you to submit a proposal to present and join us for three days of networking and amazing professional learning. Educators want to see and hear what strategies their colleagues are implementing to lead successful learning communities. READ MORE Get involved: The Innovative Principals Circle NAESP The Innovative Principals Circle (IPC) is all about amplifying, connecting, and lifting up innovative principals across the nation. We recognize that leadership and innovation can be challenging, draining, and intimidating. As a group, we want to help support educational leaders on their journey through this incredibly powerful work. Together, we will problem solve, learn, and grow together to become better leaders. 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 Novartis @Novartis © We want to discover, develop and successfully market innovative products to prevent and cure diseases. Read more   Providing Healthcare Solutions   Promoted by Novartis 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