This Sunday, Jan. 31 marks the start of NAESP’s Federal Relations Conference (FRC), the purpose of which is to bring representatives from all fifty states to Washington to meet with legislators on Capitol Hill and discuss pending legislation.
The focus of this year’s conference is professional development for principals. With reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) on the legislative horizon, NAESP wants to ensure that any new legislation will provide funding for programs that will improve principals’ development as education leaders. We know that second only to teaching, the most effective means to improving student academic performance is strong school leadership, and to institute the commitment required to lead learning communities and dramatically improve student achievement, principals require significant training and support.
With the help of NAESP’s advocacy team, FRC attendees will push for professional development opportunities in two specific areas: early childhood development and high-quality mentoring programs.  Research has proven that effective pre-kindergarten programs increase students’ chances of graduating from high school and attending college, and now more than ever, elementary school principals are actively engaged in early childhood learning. Unfortunately, many principal preparation programs and school systems currently lack sufficient training to teach principals how to design and lead quality early childhood programs. To reverse this trend, new policies in the ESEA reauthorization must include program strategies to create comprehensive early childhood programs.
Throughout the conference’s duration (Jan. 31 to Feb 2), NAESP will be blogging about pertinent discussions and activities. Follow us on the Principals' Office and Twitter, and learn more about the FRC by visiting our Web site.