Walking the Tightrope of Parent Rights
School personnel encounter parent disputes over their child’s education in many different areas. Whether it is disagreement over enrollment or a subpoena to testify in a custody hearing, school personnel must know the law to avoid becoming a reluctant referee in a parent dispute outside the district’s realm of authority. Enrollment Nonmarried (divorced or never married) parents typically have joint physical and legal custody and share authority to make educational decisions regarding…
Meet Them Where They Are. Prepare Them for Where They’re Going.
At Allen Park Middle School, we believe culture isn't something you hang on a wall. It's something students and staff experience every day. And sometimes, a strong culture means being willing to look at what you've always done and ask a simple question: Is this still what our kids need? That question led us to rethink the entire three-year middle school experience. For years, we watched our 6th graders enter middle school…
When the Bell Rings for Everyone: How Engadine Schools Embedded SEL into the Fabric of Teaching
On a winter morning in Engadine, the hallways hum with a quiet confidence. In a single K–12 building that houses just 246 students—some of whom even stay an extra year to earn community college credit—Heather Luoto slips easily between roles: former science teacher, current instructional coach and 7–12 principal. She jokes that she wears many hats, but the truth is more poetic: She stitches systems together. Three years ago, Luoto noticed a…
You Don’t Need an AI Plan. You Need a Learning Plan.
In a recent conversation with educators, the meeting started where a lot of AI conversations start. What should students be allowed to use? Which tools should teachers try? Do we need a policy? What should count as cheating? How do we keep up? All of those questions matter, but after a while the conversation moved somewhere more important. What should students still be expected to think through for themselves? What kinds of…
Homecoming for the Whole School
Who gets to feel like they are part of Homecoming at your school? It sounds like a simple question, but the answer can tell you quite a bit about school culture. Homecoming is more than a theme week, game, dance or pep assembly. For many schools, it is one of the first major culture moments of the year and an early opportunity to remind students that school is not just a place…
PA 146 Beyond Compliance: Who Is Tending the Fire?
There are some challenges in schools that principals can appropriately assign to someone else. Literacy is the one we need to lead. In 2025, fewer than 40 percent of Michigan sixth and seventh-grade students scored proficient or above in English language arts on the M-STEP. That raises a real question for those of us who lead middle and high schools: How well are students prepared to engage with the increasingly complex learning…
Leaders Change Lives: Recognize an Outstanding School Administrator
Great schools start with great leaders. Every day, principals and assistant principals across Michigan are creating school cultures where students belong, staff feel supported, communities are involved, and opportunities are present for students to succeed. Leaders change lives, and now is the time to recognize someone who has made a difference in yours. MASSP is accepting nominations for the Middle and High School Principal and Assistant Principal of the Year Awards, and…
Whatever This School Year Brings, MASSP Is With You
Anyone who has worked in school leadership knows that even the best plans cannot prepare you for everything. I've sat in the principal’s chair, and I know there are days when you need a resource, days when you need another perspective and days when you just need someone who understands. Whatever the school year brings, MASSP is here for you! You cannot predict when a parent concern will escalate, when you will…
3 Steps to Meet New ADA Digital Accessibility Requirements
Since coming out of the pandemic and remote learning, schools have steadily moved more of their information, resources and learning materials online. What once might have lived in a printed handbook, classroom folder or paper form now moves through websites, learning management systems, parent portals, shared documents, videos and social media. New federal accessibility requirements mean districts will soon need to ensure much of that digital content is accessible to people with…
Plans Move Schools. People Move Communities.
There are probably not many principal preparation programs that include a course on how to move an entire school. Yet this summer, that became part of the job description for my colleagues, Dr. Tim Moore and Lisa O’Connor. For the better part of last year, our district had been preparing for a significant transition. Our ninth graders would return to Howell High School, bringing all four grade levels under one roof for…