 | Principal Leadership Synergy
 | | P. Fred Storti, MESPA Executive Director |
October 2007 --
Report from MESPA Executive Director P. Fred Storti
"Great principals focus on potential and possibilities to ignite hope within the school, district, and community."
Thanks to the 100+ principal leaders from our twelve divisions and eight statewide committees who suffused our five new strategic goals with meaningful, tactical actions -- setting our association’s course for 2007 -2008. The energy initiated by the MESPA Board of Directors under the leadership of President Dick Oscarson, propelled the development of a synergy that activated our grass roots association. Leadership truly is about nurturing and embracing!
Public Attitude Toward Our Public Schools
According to the 39th annual Phi Delta Kappa/Gallop Poll, public opinion has shifted against NCLB (the No Child Left Behind Act). As Congress debates changes to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), also now known as NCLB, significant policy implications have evolved.
Currently, only one in four Americans believe that NCLB is helping their local schools and the rest believe the law is making no difference or hurting schools. Actually for the first time since 2003, more Americans have an unfavorable view of NCLB (40 percent), than a favorable view (31 percent). For the first time, more Americans (49 percent) would blame the law if large numbers of schools fail to meet its requirements, than would blame the schools (43 percent).
In the last five years, 12 percent more Americans have come to believe there is too much emphasis on testing. Eight in 10 Americans prefer that school effectiveness be measured by improvement in student achievement rather than the current method that calculates AYP (adequate yearly progress).
Narrowing of the curriculum is a concern; one of every two Americans believe the focus on reading and math has reduced instructional time in other subjects.
There is a strong desire by Americans, according to the poll, to improve the treatment of special education and English-language learners (ELL). Eight in 10 feel that ELL students should be required to pass an English proficiency test before reading and math scores are used to measure AYP performance. Seven in 10 Americans question holding special education to the same standards as all other students.
With our state and national attention on globalization, six in 10 Americans think students need more time learning about other nations and cultures. Nearly nine in 10 believe all children should become proficient in a second language in addition to English. Seven in 10 believe that foreign language instruction should start in elementary school.
High marks for our public schools weighed in with nearly five in 10 Americans grading their community schools with an A or B, and nearly seven in 10 public school parents gave the school their children were attending an A or B. For more information and policy implications of NCLB in the 39th PDK/Gallop Poll, visit National Legislative Issues in the Members Only section of this Web site.
Capacity Building Principals
Show me a great school and I’ll show you a great principal! Great principals:
- Focus on potential and possibilities to ignite hope within the school, district, and community.
- Capitalize on the value of diverse perspectives.
- Know that building the capacity of individual specialties can make us all stronger.
- Develop a process through which challenges are transformed into opportunities.
Great principals know that every child is a possibility and every challenge an opportunity!
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