From Your Board | Principal Burden Leads with Love
Principal Burden fosters a culture of caring and non-negotiables through a blend of personal philosophy, daily routines and structured leadership frameworks. At the heart of his approach is a commitment to seeing the school as a "microcosm" of the world we want to live in. The "I Love You" Non-Negotiable The primary non-negotiable Principal Burden has established is a standard of unconditional care. Every morning, he greets both students and staff with…
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…
Michigan High School PBA: What Principals and Athletic Directors Need to Know
As of January 2026, the Michigan High School Athletic Association (“MHSAA”) permits Michigan high school student-athletes to profit from their name, image, and likeness through what it calls Personal Brand Activities (“PBAs”). While that change creates valuable opportunities for student athletes, it also introduces immediate compliance considerations for school leaders. PBAs and Limitations The MHSAA broadly defines a PBA as an arrangement in which a student-athlete promotes or endorses a product or…
What Matters?
If you haven't recently watched Disney's WALL-E, it is worth revisiting. The film presents a vision of humanity in surrender. Chased from earth by environmental collapse, humans in the movie are living in collective isolation on an automated cruise ship in space. Plugged into their devices and disconnected from the world, the passengers have ceded thought and decision-making to the intelligent robots with which they have surrounded themselves. This may sound like…
Level Up Accountability: How an Alternative Academy Is Gamifying Accountability Through Student-Designed AI Badging
Every secondary administrator is familiar with the compliance chase. In alternative education and Work-Based Learning environments, this chase is amplified. We require students to complete milestones that are vital for their future, yet they do not naturally lend themselves to a traditional A-F letter grade. How do you incentivize a student to meticulously update their Educational Development Plan, consistently engage in mandatory two-way communications, or map out a career pathway to explore?…
Oh, Behave! | The Power of a Fresh Start: What My Daughter Taught Me About Behavior and Agency
My daughter is starting a new school in a new district next year. This week, she is attending an introductory session to meet her new marching bandmates, one of many steps in the transition from middle school to high school. Over the last several weeks, our family has had the kinds of conversations that probably happen around kitchen tables everywhere this time of year. The end of one year naturally gives way…
Leadership Beyond the State Line | From Self Doubt to Gratitude
Representing Michigan in Washington, D.C. as High School Principal of the Year was one of the most meaningful experiences of my professional career. It was an incredible honor and a moment that I will carry with me for years to come. From the moment I arrived, I felt genuinely celebrated. Yet alongside that sense of pride was a quiet question that surfaced more than once: Do I belong here? Surrounded by some…
Help Keep Students Connected: School Leaders Invited to Statewide Youth Diversion Training Sessions
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), Juvenile Justice Bureau and Child Care Fund (CCF), in partnership with the Michigan Department of Education and the National Resource Center for the Transformation of Youth Justice, are inviting school leaders to participate in upcoming Diversion and Alternatives Reform Training (DART) sessions this summer. Schools play a critical role as protective factors in the lives of young people, and these sessions are designed…
Connection Over Compliance: How Two Principals Rewrote the MTSS Playbook
What if the secret to turning around a struggling middle school wasn’t an expensive tech platform, but a quiet library, a simple weekly script and a rowdy Friday afternoon ice cream party? Meet two principals who are proving that connection, not compliance, is a catalyst for lasting student success. Confronting the Status Quo When Stephan Henning stepped through the doors as the new principal of Mason Middle School in the Waterford School…
Computer Science Requirement is Almost Here. Is Your School Ready?
Last year, we shared information about Michigan's new computer science education law requiring all public high schools to offer at least one computer science course beginning with the 2027-28 school year. As schools begin planning course offerings, staffing, and scheduling for future school years, now is a great time to revisit the requirement and ensure your district is on track. The law requires every public high school to: Offer at least one…