NASSP Releases Guidelines for Policymakers Seeking to Assess Principals’ Effectiveness

As the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind hangs in the balance, school leaders and teachers continue the task of educating the nation’s children. Teachers have been coming under ever intensifying scrutiny by writers of the law and now principals are being placed under the microscope as well.

Reston, VA (Vocus) November 30, 2007 -- As the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind (http://www.principals.org/s_nassp/sec.asp?CID=14&DID=55879) hangs in the balance, school leaders and teachers continue the task of educating the nation’s children. Teachers have been coming under ever intensifying scrutiny by writers of the law and now principals are being placed under the microscope as well.

In an effort to ensure that the effectiveness of each and every school leader is assessed in a fair and consistent manner, the Board of Directors of the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) has approved a set of guidelines for policymakers to consider. Albeit lacking in some areas, the characteristics of a Highly Qualified Teacher (HQT) have been established in the latest iteration of NCLB. There is no similar definition of what constitutes a highly qualified principal, leaving school leaders open to performance evaluations that only take student performance indicators into account. The guidelines NASSP proposes are based on multiple, objective measures that consider the context in which a principal operates his or her school.

The entire document can be viewed by visiting NASSP’s website Highly Effective Principals—Position Statement (http://www.principals.org/s_nassp/sec.asp?CID=14&DID=55879).

NASSP is the preeminent organization and the national voice for middle level and high school principals, assistant principals and aspiring school leaders. NASSP provides its members with the professional resources to serve as visionary leaders. NASSP promotes the intellectual growth, academic achievement, character development, leadership development, and physical well being of youth through its programs and student leadership services. NASSP administers the National Honor Society™, National Junior Honor Society™, and National Association of Student Councils™. For more information, visit www.principals.org.

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