A Matter of Principals

For 51 years, AWSP has supported principals and assistant principals (the individuals) and the principalship (the profession) in the education of each and every student. We exist to support principals as a means to the same goal we all have in K-12 education: for all of our students to have hope. Today, we find ourselves in one of the most challenging spots in the history of our association, specifically regarding the two “principal bills", Senate Bills 5085 and 5175. It seems like the winds are shifting on these bills by the hour, but there's been one constant: we find ourselves between a rock and a hard place. Many of our principals and assistant principals across the state want us to keep pushing for 5085 to pass in its original form. On the other hand, we have some districts, superintendents, partners, and school boards in opposition and with varying levels of frustration. AWSP is one of the strongest principals' associations in the country, and our strong partnership and relationships with our districts is the driving force behind that. We know that nothing happens in a school without trust and relationships, so we've engaged with our partners on a path forward. {If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together} I want to be clear. Our state has phenomenal superintendents and districts who are exemplary in their support of their principals, from strong relationships and partnerships, robust contracts, clear and defined due process protocols, and provide as much support as possible coupled with reasonable expectations. And over the last few years, we've heard more and more appreciation, compassion, and support for our principals and assistant principals. We're not the only voice in the room saying we need to do more to support our principals, but we don't need the educational equivalent of thoughts and prayers; we need policies and change. We have many options for how to move forward, but doing nothing is not one of them. Let's talk briefly about why I'm sitting here talking to this camera, and you're wherever you are, watching or listening to me.

Executive Director Dr. Scott Seaman sits down with Roz Thompson, our Governmental Relations and Advocacy Director, to talk about our advocacy this session, specifically around SB 5085 and SB 5175. Learn more about the intent and ideas behind these bills.

Welcome to another episode of A Matter of Principals. In this episode, Associate Director Kamrica Ary-Turner asks Walla Walla teacher and former head football coach Marc Yonts his advice on leadership and what family members can do to support the school leader in their life. If the last name is familiar, it's because Marc is married to Associate Director Gina Yonts. Listen in to hear Marc's wisdom and advice for leadership and supporting a school leader.

Meet Silas High School Principal Bernadette Ray, the only woman of color serving in Tacoma at the high school level. Learn about her, who she is, and how she leads. How she navigates through her leadership as a woman, woman of color, and day-to-day principal life. Hear how she supports and leads with her assistant principals. And lastly, she shares her big equity leadership move. Podcast Principal Tips: * Reflect, Reflect, and Reflect Again * Student Voice * Teacher Voice * Transparent and honest communication with the school community * Compliment with an "I" not an "E" Nuggets to think about: * How is your team calibrating? * What's your admin team rhythm? * How do you receive feedback? * What helps prepare a leader to be a Principal? Episode Links * Native American Heritage Month (https://www.firstnations.org/news/how-to-celebrate-native-american-heritage-month/?gclid=Cj0KCQiA1ZGcBhCoARIsAGQ0kkpJtayouH8OCOVgjYznxHpEsdva21hGgjU8lLWiz4zcyMkJdNPu7PsaAuczEALw_wcB) * Tribal Sovereignty Curriculum Resources (https://www.k12.wa.us/student-success/resources-subject-area/time-immemorial-tribal-sovereignty-washington-state/tribal-sovereignty-curriculum-resources) * Silas High School (https://silas.tacomaschools.org) * AWSP (https://awsp.org/) — The Association of Washington School Principals (AWSP) provides support, resources, and professional development for building leaders. Member please login to your account and visit the AWSP Online Learning (Path LMS) to watch the videos on the School Leader Paradigm (https://www.pathlms.com/awsp/courses/18840). Special Guest: Bernadette Ray.

We're back in the studio for another episode of AWSP TV. Our special guest this time is one of our own, Kamrica Ary-Turner! Kamrica is one of our newest directors. Hired to support the ESD 121 and 189 regions, her impact is sure to be felt across the state. Watch the episode to learn more about Kamrica and her work here at AWSP. Special Guest: Kamrica Ary-Turner.

In this podcast, My Disablity Roadmap Co-Directors Samuel Habib and Dan Habib introduce the 23-minute film that recently appeared in the New York Times. Following the film's audio, Dan interviews Samuel about his education, post-secondary transition, the process of making the film, and more. The podcast also features an extended conversation between Samuel and with one of his “mentors” featured in the film, comedian and actor Maysoon Zayid. Special Guests: Dan Habib and Samuel Habib.

In today's episode, we meet with James Layman, Director of the Association of Washington Student Leaders, to discuss how to increase student voice in your school, and an idea for your next MLK assembly. Special Guest: James Layman.

Increase your instructional leadership with The Main Idea educational book summaries. Through in-depth 8-page summaries of current education books, and suggestions for implementing those ideas, THE MAIN IDEA empowers education leaders with the knowledge and tools to improve student learning. Special Guest: Jenn David-Lang.

Dr. Kimbrelle Barbosa Lewis, a school administrator in Tennessee, NAESP past president, and chair of the NAESP National Taskforce on Race and Equity, will lead a panel discussion with other task force members. This taskforce was formed to help advise NAESP on issues related to racial equity in school communities, reveal schools' common challenges and solutions, and support a peer-to-peer network of support for school leaders. The taskforce focuses on collecting information related to racial equity in schools, elevating relevant research, and determining how best NAESP can provide support to principals around these issues. Come join this discussion to learn more and share your thoughts with taskforce members, which will include: Dr. Kimbrelle Barbosa Lewis, Principal, Cordova Elementary School, Cordova, TN Dr. Cynthia J. Hammond, Principal, Westside Elementary, Houston County Schools, Perry, GA Denise Gamble, Retired Principal, Chicago, IL Annette Sanchez, Principal, Hampton-Moreno-Dugat Early Childhood Center, Beeville, TX Nancy Antoine, Principal, Bridgewater Elementary School, Northfield, Minnesota

Special Guest: Sen. Lisa Wellman.

It's easy now. That's what Chad's Legacy Project (CLP) co-founder Laura Crooks says about mental health instruction. CLP and the UW SMART Center created the Mental Health Literacy Library, a free tool for evidence-based mental health curriculum. Listen and learn more by visiting https://www.mentalhealthinstruction.org and https://www.chadslegacy.org.

The pandemic increased food insecurity rates among Washington students. Food insecurity negatively impacts the mental and physical health of young minds and bodies, and these impacts are a struggle many principals may encounter when returning to school this year. In this episode, we discuss what hunger looked like pre-pandemic, where we are now, and how do principals fit into the picture of helping students overcoming food insecurity. Nelly Evans is the Food Security Program Coordinator at United Way of Kind County. Mikhail Cherniske is a Program Specialist at the Office of the State Superintendent. Learn more about how your school can implement breakfast after the bell at washingtonbreakfast.org. Special Guests: Mikhail Cherniske and Nelly Evans.

Inclusion has been a crucial professional learning focus for school leaders this year and will continue to be critical as we move our school communities forward into the opportunities and challenges ahead. As this unique school year draws to a close, we brought the inclusion conversation full circle with Inclusion 360, a live webinar on May 10, 2021. Join us for a discussion with national inclusion experts and advocates. Speakers will include Dan Habib, Keith Jones, Dr. Lauren Katzman, LeDerick Horne, and Dr. Alfredo Artiles. No matter where you are in your inclusionary journey, this podcast will provide multiple entry points for engaging in, and expanding on, inclusion and inclusionary practices. Don't miss this opportunity to hear form this incredible panel! Sponsored by the Inclusionary Practices Project grant from OSPI, this webinar is entirely free to anyone and everyone. Special Guests: Alfredo J. Artiles, Dan Habib, Dr. Lauren Katzman, Keith Jones, LeDerick Horne, and Samuel Habib.

We are excited to bring you Inclusion 360, a special podcast series that with bring the inclusion discussion full circle. Inclusion 360 is the culminating event wrapping up our year of learning, exploring and implementing inclusionary best practices and diving deep into how to be an Inclusionary Leader. This work has been made possible by a generous grant from OSPI. Our AWSP Team has assembled some of the most dynamic, sought after inclusion experts in the country to bring you this special six-episode series. This podcast series with feature LeDerick Horne, Keith Jones, Dr. Lauren Katzman, Dr. Alfredo Artiles and Glenna Gallo. And that's not all, On May 10th, 2021, you can meet this amazing team of experts for a FREE live webinar. You do not want to miss this event, so go on to our website (https://awsp.org/professional-learning/training-conferences/inclusion-360) and register for the Inclusion 360 webinar. For now, enjoy this podcast series. Labeled with a Learning Disability in third grade, LeDerick Horne defies any and all labels. He's a dynamic spoken-word poet. A tireless advocate for all People with Disabilities. An inspiring motivational speaker. A bridge-builder between learners and leaders across the U.S. and around the world who serves as a role model for all races, genders, and generations. The grandson of one of New Jersey's most prominent civil rights leaders, LeDerick uses his gift for spoken-word poetry as the gateway to larger discussions on equal opportunity, pride, self-determination and hope for People with Disabilities. His workshops, keynote speeches, and performances reach thousands of students, teachers, legislators, policy makers, business leaders, and service providers each year. He regularly addresses an array of academic, government, social, and business groups, including appearances at the White House, the United Nations, Harvard University, the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, the National Association of State Directors of Special Education, and the State Departments of Education across the US. His work addresses the challenges of all disabilities, uniting the efforts of diverse groups in order to achieve substantive, systemic change. You can learn more about him and his work at www.lederick.com. Special Guest: LeDerick Horne.

We are excited to bring you Inclusion 360, a special podcast series that with bring the inclusion discussion full circle. Inclusion 360 is the culminating event wrapping up our year of learning, exploring and implementing inclusionary best practices and diving deep into how to be an Inclusionary Leader. This work has been made possible by a generous grant from OSPI. Our AWSP Team has assembled some of the most dynamic, sought after inclusion experts in the country to bring you this special six-episode series. This podcast series with feature LeDerick Horne, Keith Jones, Dr. Lauren Katzman, Dr. Alfredo Artiles and Glenna Gallo. And that's not all, On May 10th, 2021, you can meet this amazing team of experts for a FREE live webinar. You do not want to miss this event, so go on to our website (https://awsp.org/professional-learning/training-conferences/inclusion-360) and register for the Inclusion 360 webinar. For now, enjoy this podcast series. Dan Habib is the creator of the award-winning documentary films Including Samuel, Who Cares About Kelsey?, Mr. Connolly Has ALS and many other films on disability-related topics. Habib is a filmmaker at the University of New Hampshire's Institute on Disability. His latest documentary, Intelligent Lives, examines our society's narrow perceptions of intelligence. The Intelligent Lives project also contains four short films focusing on effective practices in transition for youth with disabilities from high school to higher education and employment. Habib received the Champion of Human and Civil Rights Award from the National Education Association, and the Justice for All Grassroots Award from the American Association of People with Disabilities. In 2014, Habib was appointed by President Barack Obama to the President's Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities. Habib and his wife, Betsy, live in Concord, NH, with their sons Isaiah, 24, and Samuel, 21. Special Guest: Dan Habib.

We are excited to bring you Inclusion 360, a special podcast series that with bring the inclusion discussion full circle. Inclusion 360 is the culminating event wrapping up our year of learning, exploring and implementing inclusionary best practices and diving deep into how to be an Inclusionary Leader. This work has been made possible by a generous grant from OSPI. Our AWSP Team has assembled some of the most dynamic, sought after inclusion experts in the country to bring you this special six-episode series. This podcast series with feature LeDerick Horne, Keith Jones, Dr. Lauren Katzman, Dr. Alfredo Artiles and Glenna Gallo. And that's not all, On May 10th, 2021, you can meet this amazing team of experts for a FREE live webinar. You do not want to miss this event, so go on to our website (https://awsp.org/professional-learning/training-conferences/inclusion-360) and register for the Inclusion 360 webinar. For now, enjoy this podcast series. Keith Jones is the President and CEO of SoulTouchin' Experiences, an organization aimed at bringing a perspective to the issues of access inclusion and empowerment, which affect him as well as others who are persons with a disability. To achieve this multicultural, cross-disability education and outreach efforts he collaborates and conducts trainings with the purpose of strengthening efforts to provide services and information for people with disabilities. The issues he tackles are wide ranging from immigration, criminal justice reform, health care and environmental justice just to name a few. Paralleling with his policy and social justice work Mr. Jones is a multi-talented artist who along with Leroy Moore and Rob Temple founded Krip Hop Nation which is an international collection of artists with disabilities. Krip Hop Nation is currently celebrating 13 years with the recent success of their title song for the Netflix documentary of the Paralympic Games, Rising Phoenix and its critical acclaimed sound track. Keith is an artist in residence teaching hip hop at Wild at Heart in Australia, and Calcutta and currently his art and policy work have combined under the publishing company Soulful Media Works, with the book; For You: Young Black Disabled Men. Special Guest: Keith Jones.

We are excited to bring you Inclusion 360, a special podcast series that with bring the inclusion discussion full circle. Inclusion 360 is the culminating event wrapping up our year of learning, exploring and implementing inclusionary best practices and diving deep into how to be an Inclusionary Leader. This work has been made possible by a generous grant from OSPI. Our AWSP Team has assembled some of the most dynamic, sought after inclusion experts in the country to bring you this special six-episode series. This podcast series with feature LeDerick Horne, Keith Jones, Dr. Lauren Katzman, Dr. Alfredo Artiles and Glenna Gallo. And that's not all, On May 10th, 2021, you can meet this amazing team of experts for a FREE live webinar. You do not want to miss this event, so go on to our website (https://awsp.org/professional-learning/training-conferences/inclusion-360) and register for the Inclusion 360 webinar. For now, enjoy this podcast series. Alfredo J. Artiles is Lee L. Jacks Professor of Education at Stanford University and Director of the Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education. His interdisciplinary scholarship examines the dual nature of disability as an object of protection and a tool of stratification. He aims to understand how responses to disability intersections with race, language, gender and social class advance or hinder educational opportunities for disparate groups of students. Special Guest: Alfredo J. Artiles.

We are excited to bring you Inclusion 360, a special podcast series that with bring the inclusion discussion full circle. Inclusion 360 is the culminating event wrapping up our year of learning, exploring and implementing inclusionary best practices and diving deep into how to be an Inclusionary Leader. This work has been made possible by a generous grant from OSPI. Our AWSP Team has assembled some of the most dynamic, sought after inclusion experts in the country to bring you this special six-episode series. This podcast series with feature LeDerick Horne, Keith Jones, Dr. Lauren Katzman, Dr. Alfredo Artiles and Glenna Gallo. And that's not all, On May 10th, 2021, you can meet this amazing team of experts for a FREE live webinar. You do not want to miss this event, so go on to our website (https://awsp.org/professional-learning/training-conferences/inclusion-360) and register for the Inclusion 360 webinar. For now, enjoy this podcast series. Lauren Katzman, EdD. is the Executive Director of the Urban Collaborative and Associate Research Professor at Arizona State University. She is also an adjunct professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Prior to this work, she served as the Assistant to the Superintendent for Special Education Services for the Newark Public Schools and the Executive director of special education in the New York City Department of Education. In both of these positions, she developed and led significant reform efforts, increasing academic achievement, inclusive educational and experiential options, reliable data management, and statutory/regulatory compliance. She worked to develop strong interdisciplinary partnerships between districts, states, universities, advocacy groups, and communities to build the foundation for deep and sustaining systemic reforms. Prior to these two high-level and demanding school district leadership positions, Dr. Katzman served as Associate Professor of Special Education at Boston University and co-authored the book Effective Inclusive Schools: Effective Inclusive Schools: Designing Successful Schoolwide Programs with Dr. Thomas Hehir, former Director of the Office of Special Education Programs at the U.S. Department of Education. She was also a special education teacher for 14 years in St. Louis, New Jersey, and New York City and has conducted program evaluations of the special education services for the District of Columbia Public Schools, the state of Massachusetts, Ithaca Public Schools, and the New York City Department of Education. Special Guest: Dr. Lauren Katzman.

We are excited to bring you Inclusion 360, a special podcast series that with bring the inclusion discussion full circle. Inclusion 360 is the culminating event wrapping up our year of learning, exploring and implementing inclusionary best practices and diving deep into how to be an Inclusionary Leader. This work has been made possible by a generous grant from OSPI. Our AWSP Team has assembled some of the most dynamic, sought after inclusion experts in the country to bring you this special six-episode series. This podcast series with feature LeDerick Horne, Keith Jones, Dr. Lauren Katzman, Dr. Alfredo Artiles and Glenna Gallo. And that's not all, On May 10th, 2021, you can meet this amazing team of experts for a FREE live webinar. You do not want to miss this event, so go on to our website (https://awsp.org/professional-learning/training-conferences/inclusion-360) and register for the Inclusion 360 webinar. For now, enjoy this podcast series. Since 2017, Glenna Gallo is the Assistant Superintendent of Special Education in the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) in Washington and the Past-President of the National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE). Prior to that, she spent seven years as the State Director of Special Education for the Utah State Board of Education (USBE), following work as a classroom teacher and administrator. She has over 25 years of public education experience teaching students with disabilities and adults, and 15 years of experience in state-level educational leadership with expertise in the improvement planning, management, and monitoring of public special education programs. Glenna has a B.S and an M.S in Special Education, a special education teacher and administrative license, endorsements as a Program Administrator, Principal, and Superintendent, and an M.B.A. During her work in Washington state, special education programs were allocated an additional $155 million dollars for state special education programs, $25 million dollars for statewide inclusionary practices, $12 million dollars for paraeducator training, and $60,000 to reduce the use of restraint and isolation, revised the historical funding allocation formula to a two-tier system that considers inclusion, and revised the state high needs risk pool process to alleviate burden on school districts. Collaboration is a priority for her work, and collaborative efforts are infused within all state efforts regarding students with disabilities. Glenna feels strongly that application of the intent of IDEA requirements results in increased student outcomes for students with disabilities and works with school and district administrators, special education staff, advocates, and parents of students with disabilities at the LEA, State, and national levels to review research, current student achievement, and compliance data to ensure state and local efforts are addressing instructional issues that impact results for students with disabilities. Special Guest: Glenna Gallo.

How do you bridge the K-12 world with the world of higher education? Yokiko Hayashi-Saguil from the Washington Student Achievement Council joins Dr. Scott Seaman to discuss how WSAC programs, tools, and resources can get more students college-bound students and what their financial aid options are. A must watch for high school principals and counselors.

The recording you are about to hear is a keynote from our Women in Education Leading and Learning Summit held on November 6 and 7, 2019. Our speaker, Dr. Phyllis Donatto, is a Leadership Development Strategist for the Flippen Group. Growing up as the oldest of five children in a small town in rural Arkansas, Phyllis understood early on in life the principle of service. As an educational consultant, Phyllis provides school districts with professional development training in improving instructional practices and curriculum alignment. If you are interested in participating in our next WELL Summit, visit http://www.awsp.org/professional-learning/training-conferences/well-summit Special Guest: Dr. Phyllis Donatto.

Our Roz Thompson sits down with Jill Patnode, Thriving Schools Program Manager for Kaiser Permanente of Washington, to talk about all the programs and resources KP provides to support schools and the people in them.

AWSP is thrilled to announce that the 2019 Torch of Leadership Award is given to Representative Laurie Dolan (D-Olympia). Prior to becoming a state representative, Rep. Dolan worked for 30 years as a teacher and school director advocating for the needs of children and schools. She has also worked with former Governor Gregoire as her policy director and now serves as Vice Chair on the House Education Committee as well as on the Appropriations and State Government & Tribal Relations Committees. Representative Dolan is an excellent communicator who values the work of all educators and who knows the success of our schools and districts is tied to the quality of our principals. She reaches out to work closely with AWSP on legislation that impacts our work such as school safety, teacher and principal evaluation, high school graduation requirements, civics education, and more. She Is always willing to speak with groups of principals and with our high school student finalists for the U.S. Senate Youth Scholarship.

Immediately after we recorded with OSPI's Dr. Michaela Miller, Linda Drake from the State Board of Education stepped into the hot seat. She's their Director of Career and College Readiness Initiatives. Watch her talk to Scott Friedman about the role the State Board of Education plays, learn about their rulemaking process for graduation pathways in HB 1599, and find out how you can help shape those rules with your feedback to the Board.

OSPI's Deputy Superintendent Dr. Michaela Miller came by our studio for the second time to talk about HB 1599, which transforms the assessment expectations for graduation and how students can approach fulfilling requirements for earning a diploma. She joined our Scott Friedman for an in-depth conversation about some of the changes the new legislation brings, some of the new pathways brought about, and what principals should be doing now.

The conversation you're about to hear comes from a group of principals we call the MPLN, Mastering Principal Leadership Network. With a 2 year grant from the Gates Foundation, we were able to bring together about 50 principals from all levels and all demographics across the state. We invited these principals from superintendent recommendations, OSPI, data analytics, and also improvement trends from the Centre for Educational effectiveness. What we ended up with was an exceptional group of passionate gap closing leaders. We brought them together through the gates grant for 2 years; 3 times a year, 2 days at a time. The following conversation you're about to hear was recorded at our second to last meeting with them. The following conversation was recorded and moderated by Gary Kemp who at the time of the recording was still our executive director. We hope you enjoy our conversation and we hope there is something you can pick up and learn and put to use in your school. We would love to hear feedback on what you like to hear in the future episodes. But for the time being, enjoy the conversation.

In our seventh episode of AWSP TV, OSPI's Sue Anderson (Director of Educator Effectiveness) talks to our Ron Sisson about putting the G (growth) in TPEP, as well as a few more topics around evaluation, coaching, mentoring, and induction.

Join us as we welcome Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal and his Deputy Superintendent Michaela Miller to our set. It's our first ever live-streamed show. Get your questions ready!

Dr. Karen Burke and Pam Allyn, both from Scholastic, drop by our studio to talk about K-12 literacy and what principals can do to promote schoolwide literacy efforts. Lots of great advice and takeaways in this episode.

John Wiesman, Washington State Secretary of Health, drops by our studio to talk about tobacco and vaping for teenagers, the Tobacco21 initiative, and gives advice and resources for parents and educators.

If you were at Summer Conference this year, you were probably captivated by Kevin Carroll and his message, whether he was talking about his youth and the adults who guided him, or swearing at Vlade Divac in Serbian (because his boss made him).

In our second episode of AWSP TV, former Washington State Governor and current Challenge Seattle CEO, Christine Gregoire, talks with our Scott Seaman and Roz Thompson about leadership, the changing role of the principalship, and the importance of having great principal leadership in each and every school.

AWSP's Ron Sisson hosts our first ever AWSP TV talk show. We're proud to bring in Dr. Caprice Hollins, who we've worked with quite a bit and was a keynote speaker at the 2018 Summer Conference, and Jack Arend, who's worked with Dr. Hollins in his role at the Tumwater School District.

Why is communication so important as a principal? What can you do to improve? Listen to this episode to learn a little more. It was recorded with three members of AWSP's Communications Advisory Committee: James Everett, current Meridian Superintendent and at the time, principal at Squalicum High School in the Bellingham School District; Cindy Cromwell, principal at Butler Acres Elementary in the Kelso School District; and Brent Osborn, principal at Lakeside High School in the 9 Mile Falls School District. Special Guest: Brent Osborn.

Dr. Michaela Miller, Deputy Superintendent at OSPI and former AWSP President's Award Winner, discussing the early days of TPEP, how it's evolved, and where it's going next. After the TPEP talk, she discusses the ESSA consolidated plan and the new direction of OSPI under Superintendent Reykdal.

Gene Sharrat, Executive Director of the Washington Student Achievement Council, discusses hot topics in education and the transition to beyond high school.

We kick off our very first podcast with a blooper before Scott Friedman and Trevor Greene describe their work during the AWSP Fellowship with principals on the east side of the state. Edie Harding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Gary Kipp, AWSP Executive Director, talk about the fellowship, how it's impacted the AWSP Leadership Framework, and what's next.