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As 2021 comes to a close, NAESP would like to wish its members, partners and other education professionals a safe and happy holiday season. As we reflect on this past year in education, we would like to provide the readers of NAESP's Principal Insights a look at the most accessed articles from the year. Our regular publication will resume Friday, Jan. 7.
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What teachers value most in their principals
Education Week
From Oct. 26: In honor of National Principals Month, Education Week asked teachers on social media to share what they love most about their principals. We received dozens of responses from our readers. Five key attributes emerged as the most valued traits in school leaders.
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20 interview questions every teacher must be able to answer
We Are Teachers
From March 2: Job interviews are exciting (we swear) even if a lot of them are now taking place via Zoom! Interviews are a time for new opportunities, new colleagues and new challenges that will change your career path. No pressure, right? Here's one way to be sure you'll nail it: Prepare your answers to some common teacher interview questions before you get in front of your future principal.
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20 things that great principals do differently
MiddleWeb
From March 23: Reading Todd Whitaker's book in the context of the COVID-19 crisis brought into stark relief the critical habits and skills essential to being a great school leader, now more than ever. With times as tough as they are for educators, it is ever more necessary for leaders to articulate core beliefs and act as not only a supportive base for the teachers they serve, but also as a guidepost for sound and respected decision making.
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Promoted By
Boosterthon
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School leaders take note: Teacher care is a lot more than self-care
EdSurge
From Nov. 12: If you get burned in a fire, you first treat the wound, but you also try to put the fire out. In education, we treat the wound and then usher our teachers back into the fire. Excuse the pun but they are more than burned out, they are scorched. Chelsea Prax, a program director at the American Federation of Teachers, sums it up succinctly.
READ MORE
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6 ways principals can support teachers right now
We Are Teachers
From Feb. 26: Mark Hess, a 28-year veteran of Walled Lake Consolidated School District in Michigan, has seen a lot over the years, but nothing quite as disruptive as the pandemic. As a school leader, Hess has learned much as he has supported his teachers through the challenges and triumphs of the constantly changing school year.
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5 ways to overcome compassion fatigue in K-12 education
District Administration Magazine
From Feb. 9: As the world continues to experience rising levels of COVID cases, healthcare workers, teachers, parents, administrators and others are feeling the heavy weight of burnout and compassion fatigue. While we don't normally think of K-12 educators as the most susceptible to compassion fatigue, the demands of the field often lead to similar outcomes as those in healthcare.
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Simple ways administrators can support teachers
Edutopia
From June 1: Here's a question, or two, for school administrators: How can you inspire teachers to keep or rekindle the joy of teaching that brought them to the profession? How can you maximize time and resources while also keeping great educators in the classroom?
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Studies show social and emotional competence has a positive impact on student success, but how do you support each student’s strengths and needs? Learn how to use data to guide Tier 1 social-emotional behavior instruction and provide targeted Tier 2 and 3 interventions for students most in need. Get the eBook.
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6 strategies to make classrooms safer as the Delta variant spreads
NPR
From Sept. 10: It's the kind of news story that keeps parents of school-age children up at night: Kids go to school, dutifully wear masks, and still half the class ends up infected with the coronavirus. That's what happened this past spring at an elementary school in Marin County, Calif. The school seemed to be taking all the right precautions against COVID-19 transmission. Teachers and students were required to be masked while indoors. Student desks were spaced 6 feet apart. Doors and windows were left open.
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The case for embracing messy leadership in schools
EdSurge
From July. 13: Leadership has always been a bit messy, especially in schools, where leaders have always had to navigate ambiguity and complexity. But prior to 2020 much of the messiness was hidden. Before the pandemic, strong leaders were often expected to focus their leadership on process, accountability and strategic planning that presented a very controlled picture of leadership. The leader led and others followed. There was a theoretical rhythm and cadence to how effective leadership should look.
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4 ways principals can excel as instructional leaders
District Administration Magazine
From April 16: Principals can collaborate more with teachers on instruction when principal supervisors focus on coaching rather than compliance, a new report says. Though principals can accelerate student learning by more than two months, they neither get the support they need in guiding instruction nor do they have sufficient time to work with teachers, says "The Untapped Potential of the Principal Supervisor" by the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching.
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Leadership that alleviates stress
Edutopia
From Sept. 17: 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.
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As school communities have struggled to address the mental health needs of their students, the focus has been on treatment. Understandable.
However, we can start proactively helping our students in elementary school. Brain-based mental health literacy & resilience training provide strong Tier 1 support.
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When principals maintain classroom roles, students and staff benefit
K-12 Dive
From June 25: While most principals have spent time as teachers at some point, there is value in remaining closely connected to the classroom. At the Weilenmann School of Discovery, a charter school outside of Salt Lake City, administrators continue to spend time teaching students, which lets them "walk the walk," according to an Edutopia article.
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How is COVID-19 changing school discipline?
K-12 Dive
From Jan. 26: Before March 2020, inequitable school discipline practices were a major concern for advocates and educators alike. "There was a real discipline crisis" for students with disabilities and students of color, said Wendy Tucker, senior director of policy for the National Center for Special Education in Charter Schools and a former member of the Tennessee State Board of Education.
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Leading through a staffing shortage
Edutopia
From Nov. 19: Late fall is typically when school administrators and teachers fall into a familiar rhythm, but staffing challenges in schools have made that rhythm hard to find this year. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the local and state education job sector lost 161,000 jobs in September. Educator job vacancies in schools have made it difficult for school leaders and staff to find a familiar stride. Having unfilled teaching
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Burnout busters: 5 strategies to help school leaders combat pandemic fatigue
K-12 Dive
From Aug. 24: Burnout isn't a new concept for school leaders and staff, but prolonged uncertainty and intensity of the pandemic is pushing educators in all roles to reconsider their careers. Results of a national survey of teachers released in April by Christopher Newport University found high levels of stress and varying degrees of anxiety. And an increasing rate of superintendent resignations and early retirements is a reminder of the toll of COVID-19.
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Teachers share what they really need to feel safe as schools reopen
We Are Teachers
From Feb. 23: It's a hard time to be a teacher. One minute we're the heroes of the pandemic, going above and beyond to teach our students. Then suddenly we are vilified because we can't easily choose between teaching in person and our health and safety. Teacher unions and districts are battling it out, leaving many of us in limbo. Every state is making different choices, which only amplifies the confusion and frustration. Meanwhile, it feels like no one is listening to what we really need to feel safe teaching in person.
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What I learned as a school principal and relearned as a pandemic parent
EdSurge
From Nov. 5: Almost 10 years ago, I served as the principal of a blended learning pilot school. We were a tiny, K-8 Oakland charter, operating mostly on heart and scrappiness. Then, rather unexpectedly, we were awarded a big grant to test out a hot new topic: personalized learning. We bought the fancy student laptop carts and sleek furniture. We trained ourselves in clever, kid-friendly tools and computer programs. A year later, our test scores had shot up.
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Learn tips and strategies to deliver inspired feedback, master MTSS, and create a culture and curriculum that’s inclusive and effective for every learner. Bestselling author Katie Novak (Innovate Inside the Box and UDL Now!) and Mike Woodlock show you how. Order A UDL Playbook for School and District Leaders today!
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3 equity strategies for reversing COVID learning loss
District Administration Magazine
From March 26: Numerous studies have attempt to gage the depth of learning loss — which some educators prefer calling "unfinished learning" — that students have experienced during COVID. One recent report warned students will have experienced as much as five to nine months of unfinished learning by the end of June 2021. Studies of students in 19 states, meanwhile, estimate students lost a third to a full year of reading with even larger deficits in math. And, in a national survey, 24% of school leaders in high-poverty districts said elementary school distance learning focused on reviewing content rather than new material.
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Is your head spinning? 7 decisionmaking tips for principals
Education Week
From Aug. 20: Delaware high school principal Kristina Macbury wrote an essay in September of 2019 for the National Association of Secondary School Principals that posed this question: "How do you make the most difficult decisions?"
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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.
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3 ways COVID has changed education for the better
eSchool News
From June 8: As millions more Americans are vaccinated against COVID-19 every day, many are now wondering what society will look like in a post-COVID world. While the virus may stay with us in some form, many things will go back to normal. However, it's less certain which of the adaptations we've collectively made over the previous year will fade along with the virus, and which might represent a "new normal" that we'll take with us into the future. The American educational system, having seen dramatic impacts to educators, parents and students as a result of the virus, is no different.
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How school leaders can frame tough decisions
Edutopia
From Jan. 22: The pandemic has provided school leaders with multiple opportunities to make quick decisions that have lasting impact on student learning, teacher well-being and family engagement. It's easy to feel lost and overwhelmed in the face of that responsibility, but it's critical to maintain our grounding and move forward in a clear direction.
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Promoted by Stepping Stones Museum For Children
Empower your teachers with exciting new virtual STEAM-powered classes, clubs and workshops at award-winning Stepping Stones Museum for Children. The Stepping Stones Studio makes it easy to inspire and delight young learners with a celebrated lineup of play-filled, brain-building educational offerings now accessible to everyone, everywhere. “This is the most wonderful hands-on experience for children! The Traveling Seeds workshop was extraordinary. The students were engaged and learned a lot. I enjoyed watching the children play and learn at the same time,” a 1st grade teacher, Norwalk Public Schools, Norwalk CT. Click the link here for detailed information: https://www.steppingstonesmuseum.org/app/uploads/2021/12/21-School-and-Groups-Flyer-VIRTUAL-120821.pdf
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5 learning gains made during the pandemic
Tech and Learning
From June 4: Despite the hardships of pandemic learning there have been bright spots and even many learning gains, say educators. While the potential for learning loss is very real, simply comparing students' scores this year to previous years doesn't tell the whole story and ignores the difficult but also rich life experiences students have had over the past 15 months.
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3 trends that will drive education forward in 2021
District Administration Magazine
From March 5: As we approach a full year after the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted our home, school, and professional lives, we are all straining to settle into a "new normal" amidst many uncertainties. Education leaders are seeking answers to when schools should reopen, how federal funds should be allocated with constrained state and local budgets, and how the new administration will impact public schools and the kids and teachers who depend upon them. While it sometimes feels impossible to predict day-to-day what will happen next, there is hope on the horizon. Below are a few opportunities for education leaders and policymakers to collaborate and improve the learning experience for all students and teachers, not just in 2021, but for years to come.
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4 principals to watch in 2021
K-12 Dive
From Jan. 15: Over the past year, the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic and the nation's reckoning with systemic racism have presented school leaders a bevy of challenges to contend with. Roughly two weeks into a new year, those challenges persist as principals seek to maintain positive school culture while keeping students and educators alike engaged in learning environments that remain largely remote due to ongoing school closures.
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What leaders can do to prepare for 2021-2022
MiddleWeb
From July 9: Across America and around the world you could hear a big sigh of relief as the school year began to end. It was one of the most remarkable school years in history and left many teachers and principals, as well as students and their families, exhausted.
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CDC: No change to COVID measures through end of school year
District Administration Magazine
From May 21: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated their Operational Strategy for K-12 Schools through Phased Prevention guidance to reflect that schools should continue to follow the agency's recommended prevention measures against COVID-19 for the remainder of SY 2020-2021.
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Teachers feel anxious about the new school year. How principals can help
Education Week
From Aug. 13: Teachers lean on summer as a time to refresh and recharge for the academic year ahead. This summer, the need was perhaps greater than in any period in recent history. In one recent nationwide teacher survey, half of respondents reported feeling burned out; more than a quarter had symptoms of depression; and close to one in four considered leaving their jobs by the end of the year.
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