This message was sent to ##Email## To advertise in this publication please click here October 29, 2021 ##\member## .PRINCIPAL LEADERSHIP We're facing a looming crisis of principal burnout Education Week As an education researcher and professor of education leadership, I frequently ask the principals I work with: "How's everything going?" Lately, I've been getting disheartening responses and sometimes tears. Most principals I talk to tell me they are doing everything they can to support students and teachers. They are proud of the results they are getting under very difficult conditions and they should be. But that's not all they have to say. READ MORE Disruptions to schooling fall hardest on vulnerable students Associated Press Even as schools have returned in full swing across the country, complications wrought by the pandemic persist, often falling hardest on those least able to weather them: families without transportation, people with limited income or other financial hardship, people who don’t speak English, children with special needs. Coronavirus outbreaks in school and individual quarantine orders when students get exposed to the virus make it a gamble on whether they can attend classes in person on any given day. Many families don’t know where to turn for information, or sometimes can’t be reached. READ MORE Anti-racism and equity in schools is empirical, not ideological K-12 Dive (Commentary) From Oregon to North Carolina, school leaders around the country are stuck in a difficult position between very distinct perspectives about anti-racist teaching, gender and sexual education, masks and vaccination mandates, and more. Who should have the final say over these matters is under heavy debate. READ MORE Lennon & Stanton: Rising high school dropout rates & declining community college enrollment are twin COVID crises. How to fix the broken education pipeline The 74 As the nation struggles with the COVID-19 pandemic, a double-edged educational crisis has emerged: a surge in high school dropout rates and a precipitous decline in community college enrollment. The details are all too plain — the nation's public schools lost more than 1.1 million students last year, or 2%, versus an anticipated decline of less than 0.4% before the pandemic. Community colleges enrolled 476,000 fewer students last year than the year before, an 11.4% drop. READ MORE VIDEO SHOWCASE Principals say this is the go-to fundraiser for the upcoming school year. Promoted By Boosterthon Lexia Proves Remote Learning Effective Promoted By Lexia Learning Successful leadership comes from successful mentorship Edutopia In a previous district leadership position as superintendent of educational services, I once co-facilitated a meeting with a school director that became intense, ending with the director storming out of the room in anguish, upset and crying. The remaining participants sat in shock. Later I learned that this was not the first time this leader had abruptly departed a team meeting. But it was my first time seeing it — and the first time in more than a year that I observed this director lead the team. READ MORE Carello: How can schools know if their services and supports are actually driving meaningful student learning? The 'active ingredients' project has some answers The 74 “We have a partnership with a regional food bank,” a principal once told me on a school visit. “Each Friday, every eligible student gets a red backpack full of food for the weekend. … And when the parents show up (to refill the backpack each week), a reading specialist leads a 20-minute program on tactics for oral reading fluency and comprehension … and provides them with both a take home cheat sheet and additional materials.” I was intrigued. This was an innovative approach to tackling food insecurity — a chronic problem in schools that serve economically disadvantaged students — but also to engaging parents in their children’s education. READ MORE How social and emotional competence leads to educational equity eSchool News Educational equity is achieved by equipping students with tools to overcome some of the pre-existing barriers that impede their ability to succeed in school and thrive. Although educational equity was a priority in many school districts prior to the events of the past year and a half, talks surrounding the initiative have amped up–of the 10 largest school districts in the United States, eight now identify equity as part of their mission statements or core values. 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 The substitute teacher shortage we should have seen coming Chalkbeat This nationwide substitute teacher shortage has reached such a critical level that it has threatened some districts' ability to keep schools open. Other school systems around the country have attempted to increase their pools of eligible substitutes by dropping requirements for bachelor degrees and speeding up certification processes. With many areas also facing shortages of full-time teachers, efforts to simply get bodies into classrooms to fill supplementary and part-time roles has exploded. READ MORE Children, teens are in a 'mental health state of emergency,' child health-care groups warn Education Week There’s been a quieter, parallel pandemic happening alongside COVID-19: a spike in significant mental health problems among young people, spurred by isolation, uncertainty, fear, and grief. READ MORE 4 realizations that will help schools close learning gaps K-12 Dive As students returned to school this fall, educators grappled with the reality of a disrupted year and its lingering effect on learning. A study from consulting firm McKinsey & Company estimated that K-12 students were an average of five months behind in mathematics and four months behind in reading at the end of last academic year, with vulnerable students experiencing even wider deficits. READ MORE  PRODUCT SHOWCASE Whitepaper | Supporting High-Quality SEL Research shows that social-emotional learning increases positive social behavior and academic success. To ensure all students benefit, it’s important to closely evaluate SEL programs to make sure they fit the unique needs of your school or district. Read this whitepaper for expert advice to guide your program selection and implementation. LEARN MORE Can these 6 strategies break bus driver shortage gridlock? K-12 Dive Though school districts had to increase recruitment and retention efforts to address bus driver shortages long before COVID, pandemic-related challenges have led to unprecedented transportation headaches for many nationwide. In a joint survey from the National Association for Pupil Transportation, the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services, and the National School Transportation Association, about two-thirds of all respondents (65%) said the bus driver shortage is their No. 1 problem or concern. READ MORE State test results are in. Are they useless? Education Week Educators have been bracing for them, and now they’re here: the first state test results since COVID-19 interrupted K-12 schooling. Districts, states, and schools are poring over the data from spring 2021 tests, hoping to understand exactly how — and how badly — the pandemic affected children’s learning. READ MORE 5 inspirational school leaders who are prioritizing equity, safety and quality teaching District Administration Students enrolled in the SOAR class get unique opportunities to be involved in the decision-making process at Crockett Early College High School in Austin ISD. The course helps students find their voice on equity, inclusion and other local issues, says Principal Kori Crawford, who was recently named one of two “Champions for School Climate” by The Aspen Institute Education & Society Program because of SOAR and similar initiatives. READ MORE  SPONSORED CONTENT Promoted by Respectful Ways Respectful Ways assesses school climate then targets PreK-12 SEL modules & P.D. training for staff. The Attachment & Trauma Network vetted all curricula & digital materials as trauma-informed. Respectful Ways is chosen as a la carte' packages based on students' specific behavioral needs. We partner with subject-matter experts to co-host custom P.D. workshops for school staff. Click here to schedule a Demo to see how Respectful Ways can help your students & staff! To accelerate student learning, we must first understand how to improve teaching THE Journal If there's one lesson learned from a year of COVID-forced school closures, it's the vital role teachers play in the learning process. Remote learning, Zoom lectures and asynchronous lessons resulted in millions of students requiring extra support as they return to school and reinforced for almost every parent just how critical teachers are in the educational development of their children. READ MORE How to support students with OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder) We Are Teachers What comes to mind when you hear OCD? Do you picture TV detective Adrian Monk refusing to touch door handles because of germs? Or maybe super-nerd Sheldon Cooper, who absolutely has to use the bathroom at the same time each day? These characters often get played for laughs, but living with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, often called OCD, is no joke. The obsessions these people experience, and the compulsions they develop to deal with them, can keep them from leading satisfying lives. Students with OCD often struggle academically and socially. Here’s how teachers can help. READ MORE The ripple effect Education Next Advocates for taxpayer-funded school-choice programs cite the potential of market competition to spur educational improvement and promote equity for low-income students. When public schools don't have to compete for students, the reasoning goes, they have less of an incentive to enhance their performance. 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. The pandemic is creating some great leaders. Learn how you can be one of them Inc. In my experience, great leaders are made, not born. The genetic twists of fate that might give one person an accidental edge on an athletics track don't hold the same power for those who would be our greatest business luminaries. To successfully lead any business, to enable it to withstand continuous change while balancing efficiency and innovation, to build diverse, inclusive, and psychologically safe teams and unleash their collective intelligence, all of this requires a very special set of skills. READ MORE 5 ways emotional intelligence will make you a better leader Entrepreneur In today's world, successful entrepreneurs know that effective leadership requires development through diligent, intentional practice; and the best leaders among us invest in building their skill sets to improve their performance over time. Many of us still focus on strengthening the traditional skills associated with leadership, such as effective decision-making, strategic thinking and managing others. But one of the most vital skill sets a leader can have is often the least understood: emotional intelligence. READ MORE What is the definition of employee advocacy? Forbes Employee advocacy is when companies turn their employees into marketers for their company. In other words, employee advocacy is deputizing your employees to share content, the culture, the mission, or even the vibe of your company with their network. Typically, employee advocacy speaks to social networks, but it doesn’t have to; any program or initiative that encourages employees to spread the word about your company falls under employee advocacy. READ MORE .EDUCATION POLICY Critical race theory law violates teachers' free speech, ACLU argues in new lawsuit Education Week Newly passed Oklahoma legislation banning how race and gender can be taught in classrooms is vague, sweeping, arbitrary—and unconstitutional, alleges a new lawsuit filed in federal court. READ MORE How political partisanship governed in-person schooling during pandemic Phys One of the most controversial topics related to the COVID-19 pandemic, in-person schooling, wasn't necessarily determined by the severity of the virus. New research from Michigan State University reveals how political partisanship influenced schools' reopening plans amid the global pandemic. The study, published in the journal Educational Researcher, showed that partisan politics played a large role in local decisions about whether students would attend school in person in the fall of 2020 — a more prominent role than COVID severity, in fact. READ MORE .SCHOOL TECHNOLOGY How to write smart goals for educational technology PVP Live Educational technology may drive you in various fun and new ways — from widening your knowledge with new lectures to cognitively broadening your ideas. With all of these new setbacks, it’s also critical to hone the skills you’ll need to deal with tension, a busy life, and looming deadlines. However, understanding how to establish SMART goals at the beginning of every term will let you remain on track and get the most from your study. READ MORE  SPONSORED CONTENT Promoted by Xello Social Emotional Learning Activities for Your Elementary Students: Turn Learning Gaps into Learning Opportunities: 3 Strategies to Encourage Student Growth: When Should Students Start Thinking About Their Futures? What Educators Learned from Remote Learning That Can Be Reintroduced in the Classroom: Introduce Career Exploration to Your Elementary Students. Here’s How This District Did It: Sports tech: Innovating kids' fitness at school Education Technology Sports technology is making its way into the education system to regenerate PE curriculums and elevate engagement rates among children. Physical education in schools has become more important than ever. It's well-known by now that over the past decade, studies have consistently shown that children and adolescents are becoming less active, more sedentary, and have a higher average BMI than ever before. All these have direct detrimental effects on their young and, later on, adult life — making them more prone to developing chronic diseases like diabetes and obesity, as well as demonstrating lower serotonin levels and decreased overall well-being. READ MORE Think digital native means digitally literate? Think again. EdSurge Aigner Picou, a program director at the Learning Agency Lab, spent a lot of time talking to teachers in 2020. She was part of a team researching how to build a better writing feedback tool. Think of programs that can automatically generate suggestions or scores for students based on their writing. During those conversations, Picou started hearing teachers describe the same challenge over and over again. No matter what grade level they taught in middle or high school, teachers had students who struggled to use a digital learning platform or to type without painstaking hunt-and-pecking at the keyboard. READ MORE How to expand and improve computer science education around the world Brookings Insitute This report makes the case for expanding computer science education in primary and secondary schools around the world, and outlines the key challenges standing in the way. Through analysis of regional and national education systems at various stages of progress in implementing computer science education programs, the report offers transferable lessons learned across a wide range of settings with the aim that all students — regardless of income level, race, or sex — can one day build foundational skills necessary for thriving in the 21st century. READ MORE  PRODUCT SHOWCASE Case Study: Go Live with Digital Signage Sarah Scott’s outstanding media program provides incredible hands-on experience to students who may otherwise have never become interested in the field. Using Rise Vision on the school website, Sarah Scott Middle School shares schedules and photos from the school year, upcoming events like sports tryouts, and announcements.  Read here. LEARN MORE .PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT Teacher, influencer, developer Language Magazine Diversity has become a more common topic, especially at work. It is looked at not only in terms of race and gender but also in terms of background. Everyone has different experiences throughout their career, which is why diverse backgrounds are so valuable. For edtech companies, working with former teachers, who can share their classroom experiences, is a must. READ MORE How to bring more untold stories into your literacy instruction We Are Teachers Mirrors. Windows. Sliding glass doors. Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop brought these terms into the discussion about the need for diverse literature for children. She stated that children need books that act as mirrors, reflecting a child’s perspective and identity. Additionally, they need books that act as windows, welcoming them into the lives, experiences, and perspectives of others. READ MORE Learning pods' lessons for schools about supporting effective teacher-student relationships The 74 When schools closed down last spring, some parents and educators responded by forming "pandemic pods," or small groups of students who came together outside of school to learn during the pandemic. These experiments from last year provide some important examples of how families and educators can affirm students’ identities, instill a sense of belonging, and help them resolve conflicts and navigate social situations when they are freed from traditional assumptions and rules about how school is supposed to look. READ MORE PRODUCT SHOWCASE New Air Purifier for Schools The all-new AstroPure™ portable air purifier from AAF Flanders features an advanced interface that allows fine-tuning of settings and visualization of particulate levels. This interface can be locked to prevent unauthorized changes, and because the unit makes so little noise, distractions are kept to minimum.   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   Easy ways to bring your students outside Edutopia Are you concerned about the well-being of your students? Taking them outdoors may be just what you need to relieve the stress that many of us feel as we continue adjusting to another unusual school year. More and more research shows what schools are already seeing: Time spent learning outdoors can improve children’s mental and physical health, which is something today’s students need more than ever. READ MORE Teaching civics' soft skills: How do civics education and social-emotional learning overlap? MindShift Educators across the nation are getting focused on teaching the "soft skills" of civics education. As civics has made a comeback into classrooms after years of neglect, educators and experts say they are layering traditional civics content with skills more social and emotional in nature, like social awareness, identity development and relationship skills. Over the last few years, as political and social challenges roiled the nation — from a global pandemic to the murder of George Floyd to the January 6th insurrection — civics educators are saying both knowledge and empathy, action and communication skills are needed to be a twenty-first century citizen. Schools, they say, should be teaching both. READ MORE Creating welcoming classrooms Language Magazine Beyond the stress that comes with learning an unfamiliar language, many MLLs and their families who have immigrated to the U.S. are likely facing the isolation of leaving their home and social support groups behind, difficulties navigating new cultural norms, and/or the financial and legal stress associated with resettlement (U.S. Department of Education, 2016). Educators need to be aware of these unique stressors and how they can impact the schooling experience of MLLs in order to offer appropriate support and help to ease their transition into the school community. 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   Cultivating the classroom as a safe space Edutopia Safe spaces are environments where students feel the freedom to make mistakes without lasting judgment or ridicule and where they can engage in critical, honest, civil, and challenging discussions about sensitive topics. As an educator, you want your students to feel comfortable approaching difficult subjects in your classroom. READ MORE Who wants a bell curve? The strong case for mastery learning in math EdSurge To develop mastery, students must acquire foundational skills, practice using them together, and know when to apply what they have learned. Learning is contextual. Generalizing learning to new contexts (what education researchers call transfer) requires facilitation. Many people over the years told me that mastery is unrealistic. There would always be students who didn’t earn an A. “But don’t we want them to master middle school math?” I would reply. “Do we really not believe that all of these students are capable of understanding fractions?” READ MORE 5 metacognitive questions for students learning new material Edutopia Confronting new material is an almost daily occurrence in classrooms, but figuring out how new learning connects to what’s already been covered isn’t always clear to students—or even something they know is important to think about. For many kids, when new lessons are taught in class, it can feel like just another disembodied idea or concept to add to the mix, another thing to grapple with or memorize for a test, or explain in a writing assignment. READ MORE .EDUCATION RESEARCH New study shows reading remediation in middle school led more students to attend college and earn degrees The 74 The study, accepted for publication at the Journal of Public Economics, finds that Florida middle schoolers who were assigned to complete a year of remedial instruction in English earned higher scores in state testing; those effects diminished over time, but the same students saw an impressive range of benefits as time went on, including higher rates of college enrollment and degree attainment. READ MORE Linguists discovered music helps children learn foreign languages News Wise The combination of foreign language classes with music not only makes learning more diverse and interesting, but also helps to distinguish speech better. Most often, music helps to remember new words and syntactic forms. RUDN University linguists have compiled and tested a language training program with musical elements for pre-schoolers. The results are published in Thinking Skills and Creativity. READ MORE Does listening to languages in your sleep help you learn them faster? Digital Trends From in-person classes at school to remote learning, and from apps to tandem partners, there seems to be no end to tools and approaches that help you learn a new language. One seemingly wild idea is that you can even learn a language by listening to it at night while you’re asleep. Isn’t that appealing: The idea that you could make use of your time in bed to help you master your language skills? READ MORE .IN THE STATES Why 2021 could be the start of a radical change in how Washington influences local schools Hechinger Report Principal Christy Walters has big plans for her suburban elementary school this year. She wants to build on what she learned last year — better ways to stay in touch with families and help meet their needs, more effective strategies for recruiting and retaining a diverse staff, and new ideas on how to organize lessons to engage students. “I’m always excited for innovation,” she said. “I’m not too tired for that. That is energizing.” READ MORE Chicago to expand anti-violence youth program that reduced arrests in pilot Chalkbeat Chicago Public Schools will spend $7.5 million to expand an anti-violence program for teens in “high-risk situations” and connect with them with weekly therapy and dedicated mentors. The program, called Choose to Change, will reach 1,000 students this school year, CEO Pedro Martinez said Monday. Four community groups will help provide the services to students most impacted by violence and trauma. The program is being funded by the district, the city of Chicago, and philanthropic donations. READ MORE Remote Hawaiian immersion option 2 months into school year Associated Press The Hawaiian Immersion Distance Learning Program started this week with 49 students and officials plan to accommodate another 200 students — if they can find the teachers, Hawaii Public Radio reported. The state Department of Education is recruiting Hawaiian-speaking teachers, but finding qualified teachers who speak the language was a challenge even before the pandemic, according to Kauʻi Sang, head of the Office of Hawaiian Education, which oversees the state’s Hawaiian Language Immersion Program. READ MORE .ASSOCIATION NEWS In new study, principals highlight pandemic innovations and how they will change schools in the future NAESP The National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) and NAESP Foundation today launched Leaders We Need Now (LWNN), a series of three research briefs on how the unprecedented crises and turmoil in 2020–2021 have affected the work of principals and the impact these changes will have on the profession going forward. READ MORE NAESP Principal Podcast: Staff Meetings NAESP At their worst, staff meetings can feel monotonous, unnecessary, and frustrating. But there’s no reason they can’t be productive, worthwhile, and potentially even fun. Principals Allyson Apsey and Jessica Gomez join us to show that principals can make staff meetings better for everyone involved. READ MORE SUGGESTED COMPANIES Landscape Structures @Landscape Structures © Give kids the opportunity to explore a forest canopy with the new Tree Tops playstructure. Read more   Spark Imaginative Play   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 Hailey Golden, Director of Publishing, Multiview, 469-420-2630 | Download media kit Anastasia Logan, Content Editor, MultiView, 469-420-2655 | 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