ACSA members recently shared practices with school leaders across the western United States for the National Principals Association Region 7 Fall Conference, which was held Sept. 19-21 in Las Vegas.

For the past 11 years, the conference has been facilitated by Derrick Lawson, a former National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) board member from California. The NASSP changed its name to the NPA earlier this year.

ACSA’s delegation consisted of Derrick Lawson (Region 19); Dr. John Shilling (Region 10), Council of Elementary Education Leaders president; Sean O’Neil (Region 3), Council of Secondary Education Leaders representative; Matthew Hutsell (Region 16), Council of Middle Grades Education Leaders president; and Bill W. Sanderson, ACSA’s director of Leadership Academies who oversees ACSA’s principals councils and represents the executive director with its national affiliates.

Each year, the Fall Conference features structured networking activities, advocacy preparation, state presentations, and professional development, all designed to enable council officers and state executives in each of the nine states to provide the latest in support for their site leaders in the areas of focus. This event has developed into a strong professional learning community for school leaders in what is arguably the toughest job in the education system. Principals are caught between the demands of parents and staff and the requirements that come from district and state guidelines and policy.

Some of the highlights from the conference were the interactive and informative sessions. Each state delegation presented a “Boom Session” to highlight an impactful practice from site leaders in their state that can be replicated in other associations.

A presentation by Jennifer Silva, director of External Relations for NPA, provided updates on federal departments and The White House, insights on moving from policy to practice, as well as information on election season.

A special student panel presentation was facilitated by Zeola Braxton, principal of Clark High School in Clark County School District (Nevada). Students shared their experience with unique CTE pathways, internships, dual enrollment, AP programs, and choice opportunities in order to reflect addressing individual needs and the whole child and being student-centered rather than program-centered. The students made an outstanding case for why every school campus needs to provide these opportunities on every campus.

As the fifth largest school district in the U.S., Clark County School District Superintendent Jhone Ebert also shared some dramatic insights on how Clark County is addressing the ever-changing education paradigm with strategic planning.

Dr. Jeffrey Geihs, executive director of the Nevada Association of School Administrators, also presented their innovative CTE-based Silver State Education Foundation Teacher Pipeline Project, which is dedicated to nurturing homegrown talent and fueling Nevada’s educator pipeline. Previously, the state ranked No. 1 in the national teacher shortage, but they have made a dramatic impact in the past two years with this program, which extends postgraduation with the local university to translate into a dual enrollment fast track that results in a paid credential program and a commitment to return to teach in the home schools for five years.