The initial contacts with your staff, students, and community are critical to your entry into the social system that is your new school. As you carry out your assigned functions, you need to pay special attention to yourself, your way of work, and your staff. Your school is indeed, "under new leadership," and it is important that everyone perceive it to be so.

Newsweek Magazine recently released its list of 1300 Top US high schools. Public schools were ranked according to the number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and/or Cambridge tests taken by all students at a school in 2007. This number was divided by the number graduating seniors. The results?

Since the Accelerated School Administrator Program’s (ASAP) www.asapportal.com inception over 5 years ago. ASAP has made positive impact for school districts around the United States and Canada.

To get the most effective use out of available funds, it is important to think creatively about school budgets.

Making the transition to working within a team can be both exciting and daunting. In schools today, most professional development focuses on job-embedded tasks. The rationale is that the substance of professional learning is within the schools, “in the workplace, not in a workshop” (DuFour, 2004, Spring). Due to the changing nature of professional development, even that term is being replaced with more inclusive language. ‘Professional learning’ is now preferred over ‘professional development’.

Coast to coast, school budgets are tight and the cuts keep coming. In this difficult economic climate, families, businesses and communities are tightening their belts and schools are no exception. First in the line of fire at school districts is usually professional learning. While most district leaders acknowledge that continuous learning is vital to educators, when cuts are required, funds for such programs are cut quickly and deeply. “No travel” policies are enforced, conference fee reimbursement is denied and program contracts are rescinded.

There is an unspoken agreement among parents, caregivers, community members and educators that if articulated, would clearly express the expectation that educators conduct themselves in an ethical manner at all times. The nature of the relationship between educators and their students requires a very high standard.

Happy Valentine's Day from ASAP!

Check out the full version of our special Valentine's ecard here (make sure your speakers are turned on).

Since 2003 districts around the United States have professed their love for the ASAP Educational Leadership Assessments.  Now in 2008 ASAP has released the new ASAP In-Basket!

Educators have heard a lot in the past decade about building community in their schools. Understanding why community is so essential is the purpose of this message.

It’s really simple; community is the element that makes possible everything   that needs to be accomplished in a school. It’s the catalyst that unites people and ideas, teachers and students, parents and educators. It creates a shared and common purpose for the work of schools.