Evaluation Season Is Underway: What Should Be Happening Right Now?
By October, assistant principals and principals are visiting classrooms, teachers are adjusting instruction based on what they’re learning about students, and the daily demands of leading a school continue to compete for time and attention. Evaluation can easily get pushed aside as more immediate needs arise, yet the work we do now shapes the opportunities teachers and administrators will have to learn and improve throughout the year. Michigan’s evaluation law reinforces that…
Leadership in Motion | Learning Is the Work: Beyond the Streetlight
Over time, principals learn to recognize patterns. You notice when a student who has never been in trouble suddenly starts missing class or when a teacher who is usually engaged becomes quiet during a staff meeting. Two students arrive in the office after a confrontation, each insisting the other started it. You walk into a classroom where students are nodding along as the teacher talks and appear engaged, but when you ask…
Learning Forward: Jackson High School
Where You Are Is Where You Begin Walking through Jackson High School with Principal Monica Pierce feels a little like walking through the history of a community. Old class photographs line the walls. Displays recognize people who came through Jackson before today's students. Murals reflect the identities and experiences of the young people who walk the halls now. Even the building itself carries its history alongside newer additions. Monica is part of…
Learning Forward: West Ottawa High School
Pathways to Prosperity Walking through West Ottawa High School, it would be easy to start counting. Alongside a comprehensive core curriculum and a variety of world language offerings, students can pursue AP courses and the IB Diploma Programme, career and technical education, dual enrollment, early middle college and work-based learning. Applied, fine and performing arts give students room to discover and deepen their interests and passions, while athletics, clubs and other extracurricular…
Learning Forward: Forest Hills Central High School
When Success Isn't the Finish Line Forest Hills Central didn't need a new program because the traditional indicators were flashing red. Quite the opposite. FHC is a high-performing school with a strong college-going culture. That is part of what makes what Principal Jonathan Haga and his team have built worth examining. They looked beyond the indicators telling them things were working and began paying closer attention to what students were experiencing. What…
Beyond the Launch: When Activity Becomes Impact
The beginning of a school year offers no shortage of reasons to celebrate. The buses arrive on time. Class schedules come together. Staff members return energized from professional learning. A new initiative launches with enthusiasm. Hallways feel orderly. Families express appreciation. The first few weeks unfold with a reassuring sense that the hard work of planning has paid off. Those moments matter. They deserve to be recognized. They are also easy to…
Leadership in Motion | Reality Always Gets a Vote: Leadership Begins When Plans Meet Reality
Leadership has a way of teaching the same lesson over and over again. Reality always gets a vote. A new initiative begins with optimism. The team has invested hours thinking through the details. The planning meetings have been productive. The implementation timeline is clear. The first staff meeting goes well, and people leave energized by the possibilities ahead. There is a genuine sense that the work is off to a strong start.…
MASSP Promotes Angel Brewer to Chief of Staff
The Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals is proud to announce the promotion of Angel Brewer to the role of Chief of Staff. For more than 25 years, Angel has been a constant source of leadership, service and heart within MASSP. Throughout her tenure, she has become one of the Association's most trusted and recognizable faces, building meaningful relationships with members, students, partners, and colleagues while helping shape the exceptional experiences that…
Leadership Lives Here: Finding Your Next Best Step Through MASSP
Every leader's journey begins somewhere. For some, it begins when a teacher, coach or mentor sees something in them they cannot yet see in themselves. For others, it begins when they are asked to lead a team, support a colleague, sponsor a student group or step into a role that stretches them beyond their comfort zone. The paths are different, but the questions are often the same. Am I ready? Can I…
Leadership in Motion | The Water Glass Effect: Knowing When to Put the Weight Down
Navigating Change, Shaping Culture, Driving Impact Every principal carries weight. A student situation that lingers longer than it should. A difficult parent conversation replaying in your mind. A staff conflict you cannot quite shake. A decision you revisit on the drive home, wondering whether you should have handled it differently. The weight itself is rarely the problem. Leadership comes with weight. The challenge is not carrying it. The challenge is carrying it…