Principal Leadership - January 2015 - (Page 8)

BulletinBoard NASSP Helps Support Grieving Students The National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) is a founding member of the Coalition to Support Grieving Students, a first‑of‑its‑kind collaboration among leading professional organizations representing classroom educators, principals, administrators, and student support personnel. The coalition's mission is to deliver industry‑endorsed online resources on childhood grief to school communities across America to encourage and empower them in the ongoing support of their grieving students. The coalition was convened by the New York Life Foundation, a pioneering advocate for the cause of childhood grief, and the National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement, led by pediatrician and childhood bereavement expert David J. Schonfeld, MD. Because childhood loss is an all‑too‑common and under‑addressed issue in our nation's schools, this initiative is critically important. It's estimated that one in 20 children will lose a parent by the time he or she reaches 16 years of age, and the vast majority of children experience a significant loss by the time they complete high school. Grief's impact is often particularly acute at school and frequently manifests itself in decreased academic performance, social withdrawal, and new behavioral problems. While school-where children spend the majority of their waking weekday hours-has a unique role to play in supporting grieving students, research shows that many educators and administrators struggle to respond in the wake of a student's loss, feeling unequipped to handle grief. In fact, in a recent survey, just 7 percent of educators report having had any amount of bereavement training. As a founding member of the Coalition to Support Grieving Students, NASSP will play an important role in disseminating new resources on childhood grief to secondary school principals nationwide. By taking simple steps to express care and concern, members have a tremendous opportunity to serve as a source of support and stability during a difficult time in grieving students' lives. For more information about the coalition, visit www.grievingstudents.org and share the new tools and resources available with your school (see article on page 32). This initiative will be an ongoing effort. Together with the other leading organizations comprising the coalition, NASSP is committed to helping our members and other educators build the insight and knowledge they need to make school a caring and beneficial environment for bereaved students. Ignite '15 is the only professional development event devoted exclusively to the needs of principals and school leaders-bringing together a national network of expertise, resources, and inspiration to help them to meet many unique challenges and more effectively guide schools to greatness. When knowledge meets know‑how at the most important principals' conference in North America, principals will kindle their passion and enhance their capacity to lead. For more information, visit www.nasspconference.org. 8 Principal Leadership | January 2015 http://www.grievingstudents.org http://www.nasspconference.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Principal Leadership - January 2015

From the Editor
Bulletin Board
Cases in Point
Healthy Schools, Healthy Students
2015 NASSP National Principal of the Year
Tagging Along: U.S. Department of Education Officials Shadow School Principals
Making Space for New Leaders
Hitting the Learning Target
How to Support Grieving Students
Partnering With Millennial Parents
Building a Better Principalship
Creating Opportunity for Struggling Students
What Connected Educators Do Differently
Promoting Excellence
Instructional Leader
Breaking Ranks in Practice
Discussion Guide

Principal Leadership - January 2015