New Albany School District Superintendent Lance Evans says they've hired someone to direct workforce development not for their teachers, but for students.
The most effective solutions start long before a student begins thinking about committing self-harm, says Brandy Samuell, a former K12 administrator who is now director of product management at eLuma, a teletherapy provider.
This fall in Tucson, teacher shortages and superintendent longevity were top of mind but so were issues—such as test scores—that haven't been getting as much attention as of late.
The key to improving student outcomes is helping educators find a comfortable place to start working toward big goals, says Danny Mendez, Indiana's Principal of the Year. "This is the one profession that helps create all the other professions. It's being a storyteller about our kids—who they are, what they need, what they want to be and what their dreams are."
"I look at moms who are from across the world. They have taken the biggest leap of faith," says Storm Lake Community School District Superintendent Stacey Cole. "They trusted that if they brought their kids into this country that they knew very little about they would have a better life. If those moms believe that to be true, I want to help make that true."
The Colorado high school principal of the year was instrumental in creating a universal schedule that gives students access to a wider range of classes.
Joe Famularo, whose mottos include “Lead and Learn," wrote "Be Strong and Lead Together" for Bellmore Public Schools' class of 2020. He was recently named New York's 2024 superintendent of the year.
"A long, long time ago I heard a superintendent talk and say, 'The problem with communication is 90% of the time people think they communicated, they didn't communicate or they miscommunicated,'" says Sean Maika, who was recently named a Superintendent to Watch by the National School Public Relations Association. "That leads to 90% of your problems."
