NASSP

Mark Thomas, principal of Northview High School and MASSP past president, served on a national committee of principals and educators this summer to craft a set of standards that will be used to grant a national board certification to interested principals.

The Advanced Certification for Educational Leaders (ACEL)  Gerry Tirozzi, NASSP Executive Director said, "It is imperative to ensure that the voices of our collective memberships are heard loud and clear as the standards, which will drive the ultimate assessment for receiving an advanced certificate, are put into place,

Race to the Top guidance includes definition of effective principals
By James Michael Brodie

The role of school principals in the Obama administration’s school reform plans will be a major feature of the $4.35 billion Race to the Top Fund. And while school leaders generally embrace the Education Department’s proposed guidance for the funds, they also are leery of the measurement tools that will be used to gauge the success or failure of their efforts.

Under the new guidance, published in the July 29 edition of the Federal Register, an “effective principal” will be one whose students, overall and for each subgroup, demonstrate achievement gains of at least one grade level per academic year.

Duncan Outlines Priorities at Principals’ Conference
Teacher Evaluations Cited As Education Reform Priority
By James Michael Brodie
Education Week

Education Secretary Arne Duncan brought his reform message to school administrators on Friday, calling for teacher evaluations that re flect what is taking place in the classrooms.

“The teacher evaluation system is basically broken,” Duncan told attendees at a joint confer ence of the National Association of Elementary School Principals and the National Association of Secondary School Principals. “Ninety-nine per cent of teachers in some states are rated above average. … Right now we don’t reward excel lence. We don’t know who the superstars are.”

Attached is the April 2009 installment of the NASSP Advocacy Update. This quarterly update includes information on legislative activities and updates in the following areas:
President Barack Obama
Secretary of Education Arne Duncan
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (*please see my note below)
FY 2009 Appropriations
FY 2010 Budget
No Child Left Behind Act
Comprehensive Literacy Policy
Success in the Middle Act
SCHIP Reauthorization
Freshman Members of Congress
National Coalition for Public Education
NASSP Board Position Statements
NASSP Federal Grassroots Network
NASSP State Lobbyists Network

We hope that you will be able to join Michigan colleagues at a reception hosted by MASSP on Friday, February 27. Hors d’ouevres and beverages will be provided in Hennessey’s Pub Room. “Their PUB ROOM is by far the most popular for those rowdy types of get-togethers - if you don't want to be seen or heard, we'll put you here.”

Our executive director Jim Ballard and our state coordinator Dave Barry are looking forward to seeing you all in San Diego.

If you have any questions about the NASSP convention, please call NASSP directly at 800-253-7746.

Hennessey’s Gaslamp Quarter, San Diego
708 4th Avenue
Pub Room 6:30 – 8:00 pm
(619) 239-9994
hennesseystavern.com/san_diego

In existence since 1916, the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) is the preeminent organization of and national voice for middle level and high school principals, assistant principals, and aspiring school leaders from across the United States and more than 45 countries around the world. The mission of NASSP is to promote excellence in school leadership.

School Leaders
NASSP provides our members with the professional research-based and peer-tested resources, and practical tools and materials they need to serve as visionary school leaders.

The National Association of Secondary School Principals presents the

NASSP Annual Convention & Exposition
February 27 - March 1, 2009
San Diego, CA

http://www.nasspconvention.org/

The attached documents are from the NASSP Meeting Presentation by Jim Ballard and Kadi Pojeta, May 2008.

Attached is the first installment of the NASSP Advocacy Update, which the Office of Government and Public Relations of the National Association of Secondary School Principals plans to send out four times a year (January, April, July, and October). This document includes background information on NCLB reauthorization and NASSP’s legislative priorities. To help you find information more quickly, the update is broken up into the following categories:
No Child Left Behind Act
Striving Readers Act (adolescent literacy)
Success in the Middle Act (middle level reform)

MASSP’s own, William Scaletta, principal of Lakeshore High School Stevensville, MI, has been elected to the prestigious NASSP Board of Directors at their Annual Convention in San Antonio, TX this February. Bill (as he likes to be called) will serve a four-year term representing Region 4, which includes Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, Wyoming, Wisconsin, as well as Michigan.