MARCH 2026 Quick Tips | Spring into End of Year Planning
As we move into March, our board members have shared timely, practical ideas to help you lead with intention and momentum. From continuing to share MiLEAP’s financial resource toolkit with graduating seniors, to beginning soft rollouts of initiatives for next fall, these insights are designed to make your work more strategic and manageable. Aaron Romoslawski, Assistant Principal, Forest Hills Northern High School Use Notebook LM for weekly staff emails to provide a…
Membership Matters: Strengthening the Principal–Administrative Assistant Partnership
School leadership is often described through the lens of vision, decision-making, and instructional leadership. Yet behind every effective principal is a strong operational partnership that helps translate priorities into action: the relationship between the building leader and their administrative assistant. This partnership is not simply logistical. It is foundational to the daily rhythm, organization, and responsiveness of the school. The Often-Unseen Leadership Team Administrative assistants serve as communication managers, organizational anchors, scheduling…
From Conference to Culture Shift: How One Team Built a Culture Where Students and Staff Want to Be
Alysia Samborsky was introduced to the Jostens Renaissance framework at just the right time. After 10 years of teaching she had moved into administration and saw a definite need for culture building. Fortunately, around that time, her fellow L’Anse Creuse administrator, Meredith Beard, attended MASSP’s annual EdCon conference and heard Dr. Phil Campbell speak. Meredith took his message back to her colleagues and she, Alysia, Nick Ellul and Melissa Chase got district…
How Virtual Co-Teaching Is Helping Schools Expand Career-Connected Learning
By Protégé Game Studios • “Play to Learn, Create for Knowledge.” Across Michigan secondary schools, leaders are being asked to expand career-connected learning, STEM, and technology pathway opportunities while managing limited staffing, tight budgets, and increasing instructional demands. While student interest in technology-driven fields continues to grow, many schools face a common challenge: how to offer relevant, industry-aligned instruction without adding unsustainable pressure on teachers or requiring highly specialized in-house expertise. A…
Explore MACUL 2026 with AI: A Quick Tutorial for Educators
MACUL has released a short tutorial showing how to use Google’s NotebookLM, an AI tool that helps educators make sense of complex information using trusted sources. In this tutorial, you’ll: Learn how NotebookLM works Use real MACUL 2026 Conference data to explore sessions, speakers, and topics See how AI can support decision-making—not just content creation MACUL also provides the same source documents used in the video so you can create your own AI-powered notebook and explore…
Tips for Testifying in Court
Testifying under oath is daunting for anyone, including principals. But these practical tips, covering everything from courtroom etiquette to strategies for answering tough questions, will ease the pressure. Tip #1: Be there or be square. Bring a copy of the subpoena with you to the courthouse (or have a copy readily available for virtual proceedings). The subpoena contains valuable information about the date, time, and location of the hearing, as well as…
Balancing Growth and Innovation in CTE: Wenzel Leads Without Losing the Human Touch
In the world of Career and Technical Education, the stakes are often measured in real-world outcomes. As Joe Wenzel, Wilson Talent Center Principal, puts it: “Do you want someone working on your brakes that gets a 70% on their brake test, or do you want them to be proficient at it?” This focus on competency is what led Wenzel to support a grassroots move toward Evidence-Based Reporting within the building. For Wenzel,…
SET SEG Skilled Trade Scholarship Now Available
The SET SEG Foundation Skilled Trade Scholarship provides 20 qualified Michigan high school seniors ascholarship to further enhance educational opportunities within the skilled trades. Thanks to our generous donors, we have increased the scholarship amount this year to $1,000! With the shortage ofskilled trades workers in Michigan, the goal is to help revitalize the skilled trade career path as well asprovide opportunities for young learners and future generations to develop their skills…
Oh, Behave! | Solid Ground, Higher Ground: Leadership Grounded in Behavioral Intelligence Keeps Working
I recently had the privilege to visit my friend and graduate of the inaugural Michigan Leadership Fellows cohort, Mohamed Abusalah, Principal of McCollough-Unis Elementary and Middle School (K-8), and I left with renewed faith in our schools and our process. I am an advocate for the work we do in schools, but sometimes you have an experience that makes you understand, at your core, why we do this work Last Friday, I…
Beyond the Locked Door: Michigan’s New Blueprint for Student Safety
As Michigan schools approach the October 1, 2026 deadline, administrators must navigate a complex series of legislative requirements to ensure full compliance with HB 5549 and the broader 2026 school safety mandates. Michigan’s new BTAM training introduces a fundamental paradigm shift for school administrators, moving away from the immediate, punitive repercussions that have long defined disciplinary policy. Rather than relying on snap judgments or automatic out-of-school suspensions, the BTAM model mandates a…