Principals' Office

Countdown to Convention

It’s true what they say—time really does fly when you’re having fun. Here at headquarters, we’re all having fun gearing up for NAESP’s 87th Annual Convention & Exposition in Nashville, which is less than one week away.

What should you do now to ensure that you get the best out of Convention? Use the Convention itinerary tracker to plan your schedule before you arrive. You can find sessions on topics ranging from school policies, teacher recruitment, meeting AYP, or bully prevention by going to the Convention Web page and clicking on the Itinerary Planner on the left side of the screen. The planner allows you to search for sessions by track, speaker, or format.

Pay Teachers More than Principals?

A New York City charter school set to open in 2009 plans to pay its teachers $125,000, while the principal’s starting salary will be $90,000, according to The New York Times. The school’s creator and first principal, Zeke M. Vanderhoek, believes that teacher quality—not accomplished principals or the latest technology—makes a school successful.

Ernest A. Logan, president of the city principals’ union, called the idea of paying the principal less than the teachers “the craziest think I’ve ever heard. ... If you cheapen the role of the school leader, you’re going to have anarchy and chaos.”

All eyes will be on the school when it opens to see if Vanderhoek’s experiment of paying teachers nearly 2.5 times the national average teacher salary—and apparently trivializing the role of principals—will actually work. What do you think?

Engage in Conversations About Diversity During NAESP's Convention

In addition to an impressive list of keynote speakers, author presenters, and concurrent sessions, this year’s convention will feature special events for NAESP’s Diversity Program, a series of special sessions that will focus on the needs of principals serving largely minority student populations in urban schools.

Eric Brown is the featured speaker for the Minority Networking Session, Mentoring African American Males for the 21st Century (Sunday, April 6, 9-11:00 a.m.). The Principals’ Office recently had the opportunity to talk with Brown about leading minority students to their highest potential. Brown is the co-founder of a program in Rock Hill, South Carolina that is tailored to meet the needs of black males. He is also the principal of Killian Elementary School in Columbia, South Carolina.

What is the biggest challenge for leaders of schools that have predominantly minority student populations?

Brown: The biggest challenge is that we can’t change the situations that our children face each and every day. We can’t change what society thinks of them, nor can we change the circumstances or conditions that they are exposed to. However, it is my belief that no matter what obstacles they face, it is our job as principals, teachers etc. to ensure that the children who come to us get our very best each and every day. Children don’t get to choose their parents or the situations they face. Principals, however, have the resources, education, and hopefully the determination to make a difference in the lives of these children.

Why is the mentoring process important to the academic success of black male students?

Brown: The mentoring process is key because society and the media have painted a picture of black males as only being able to effectively exist as athletes, singers, etc. Black males, however, have many more talents than that. Exposing young black males to the careers and opportunities that exist for them will help dispel the myths that are associated with them only being proficient in areas that do not require a good education.

What do principals need to know and be able to do in order to be effective leaders of schools serving minority populations?

Brown: In order to effectively serve as a leader of a minority school, principals must have passion for what they do. They must commit to doing whatever is necessary to successfully educate the children in their school. They need to be innovative and have vision. They also need to identify and hire teachers who buy into the vision that all children can learn. Principals must commit to creating an environment where “excellence is the expectation” and they must never stop holding every teacher and child in their school accountable for teaching and learning.

Visit the convention Web site for more information about the Minority Networking Session and the other Diversity Program events: the Competent Culturally Proficient Administrator Workshop; the First Annual Diversity Reception; and the Diversity Forum, led by former Nashville mayor Bill Paxton Purcell III.

Leadership and Learning for the Next Generation

NAESP’s 87th Annual Convention and Exposition is just four weeks away. Elementary and middle school principals from across the country (and abroad) will travel to Nashville’s Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center (April 4-8) to network, learn, and lead.

This year’s convention will feature dynamic keynote speakers: Daniel Pink, an expert on innovation and competition and author of A Whole New Mind (Sat., April 5 at 3:30 p.m.); political pundits James Carville & Mary Matalin (Sun., April 6 at 1:00 p.m.); and Consuelo Castillo Kickbusch, Lt. Col. and founder of Educational Achievement Services Inc. (Mon., April 7 at 3:30 p.m.). Former Nashville mayor Bill Purcell will also lead the Diversity Forum, a panel of leaders reflecting on the challenges of serving diverse learning communities (Sat., April 5 at 12:30 p.m.).

Other highlights include sessions covering issues important to principals, including No Child Left Behind, school leadership, and early childhood education; and the presentation of NAESP’s second annual Principal’s Read Aloud Award, which was created to recognize and support quality children’s books and encourage principals to read to children.

For more information on this year’s convention, visit www.naesp.org.