This article presents an interview with Melissa Shindel, assistant principal of Patuxent Valley Middle School in Jessup, Maryland, and 2009 NASSP/Virco National Assistant Principal of the Year. In this interview, Shindel shares her philosophy and experience.

One of the core areas of the "Breaking Ranks" framework is personalization. Although principals most often, as they should, think that personalization means personalizing the environment for students, principals also need to consider adults in the building and ask themselves, "What am I doing as a school leader to build a culture of appreciation…

This article presents an interview with Ray Landers, the 2009 MetLife NASSP Middle Level Principal of the Year. Landers talks about how he and his staff members put programs in place to erase poverty gap at his school. He stresses the need to make sure that principals empower teachers so that collaborative decision making can take place.

Forest Grove (OR) High School places a high value on achievement for all students. Large banners highlight the recognition the school has received for academic accomplishments, such as Oregon's Closing the Achievement Gap award, which it has received for two years running, and for meeting adequate yearly progress. In classrooms, students are…

This article presents an interview with Mark Wilson, the principal of Morgan County High School and the 2009 MetLife/NASSP National High School Principal of the Year. In the interview, Wilson shares his experiences in taking his school to the next level. When asked how he determined what would take his school to the next level, Wilson states that…

The 2008 MetLife/NASSP High School Principal of the Year, Molly Howard, was working as a special education administrator in another part of the county when Jefferson County (GA) High School was being constructed in fall 1994. It was to be the only high school in the county, the consolidation of two high schools. In this article, the author…

Upon arriving at his newly assigned school as a principal of Visitacion Valley Middle School, Jim Dierke discovered that his office was furnished with only a card table and a folding chair. The school is located in a high-crime, high-poverty area on the southeast side of San Francisco. When Dierke arrived, the expectation for student success was…

With a firm belief that "no student deserves to be a number," Jill Martin, the 2007 National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) MetLife High School Principal of the Year, has built her career on a commitment to giving every student a high quality education and a good start in life. With a degree in English and a craving…

A number of important studies have pointed to the significance of active participation in learning as a determinant of student performance on tests and of grades. As these studies showed, student engagement can result from development of personalized learning. Each of the Breakthrough High Schools (BTHS) has taken various paths to personalization…

Long considered four-letter words by many in education, "data," "testing," and "assessments" have come to signify more than additional burdens and distractions from instruction for most educators. Although many educators are still wary of data, many top-performing school systems have embraced data as a means to drive educational decision making…

Although young adolescents need recognition and dignity every day, the Month of the Young Adolescent is a time for celebration and awareness of the value and hope that they bring to our future. The key to success is for every participating adult to take students aside for a real conversation. (MLH)

This article profiles Principal of the Year Mel Riddile, a former University of North Carolina football linebacker and principal of J. E. B. Stuart High school in Fairfax County, Virginia. Riddile was recently named the national high school principal of the year by the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) and MetLife.…

This article profiles Randy Jensen, the 2005 MetLife/NASSP National Middle Level Principal of the Year. As the principal of William Thomas Middle School in American Falls, Idaho, Jensen is a committed advocate for his students as they grapple with the challenges that come with being an adolescent and has adopted an open-door policy with his school…

This article profiles Gail Awakuni, principal of James Campbell High School in Ewa Beach, Hawaii, who was named the 2005 MetLife/NASSP National High School Principal of the Year. From the beginning, Awakuni had a dream for the students of James Campbell High School. She knew that they had untapped potential, despite the fact that the school had…