Looking back on one year of supporting principals

Association of California School Administrators

K-12 Site Administrators Leadership Network will continue in 2023-24

August 7, 2023

In his first 100 days plan, ACSA Executive Director Edgar Zazueta challenged the association to target support to our site leaders in rapid response to their needs. A National Association of Secondary School Principals-commissioned survey found that 85 percent of school principals are experiencing job-related stress and 48 percent are dealing with burnout.

Zazueta’s challenge was for ACSA to stand in the gap and to help those who are, arguably, in one of the toughest jobs in the education system as school site administrators.

Responding to this call for action, the ACSA Elementary, Middle Grades and Secondary Education Councils, in collaboration with the national associations of elementary and secondary school principals (NAESP and NASSP), launched an innovative new way to support site leaders.

First, a survey was conducted to solicit the specific top support needs from site leaders. The team took that data and developed a monthly networking series with the intent of helping site administrators build a network of peers, not just in name but in care. Activities, discussion and peer sharing were the focus of each session in order to build connections and relationships among site leaders to provide support, inspiration, a sounding board and a place of understanding.

Each month, principals and assistant principals from across the state joined in the one-hour virtual networking meeting, not for a “sit and get” but for a “care and share” time to discuss and support one another.

Each networking meeting drew anywhere from 10 to 36 site administrators and was offered through the ACSA Online Learning Center at no cost to participants.

Some of the monthly topics in 2022-23 included:

“SEL and Self Care for Site Leaders and Staff.”
“Time Management and Exponentially Expanding your Resourcefulness.”
“Dealing with Difficult People.”
“Comprehensive Campus Safety” (including active shooter drill issues).
“Dealing with Social Media Challenges.”
“Closing the School Year with Celebration & Grace and Opening the New Year with Inspiration & Hope.”

The sessions were hosted by Derrick Lawson, ACSA Principal Academy director and NASSP board member, and facilitated virtually in the ACSA Online Learning Center by Janaye Field (Online Learning Executive) and Mary Gomes (ACSA NAESP/NASSP Executive).

ACSA will be launching the network again for the 2023-24 year this fall to continue providing a safe place for site leaders to interact and build connections. Practical strategies and resources will be shared as site leaders are put in touch with one another and allowed to share their expertise. Site leaders are invited to join what network facilitator Derrick Lawson calls “The 3 R’s for your Wellbeing”:

Relationships: Build your capacity and expand your network with people that can share the journey.

Resiliency: Resume your original shape after being stretched or compressed.

Renewal: Refill your bucket and invite others to pour into you so that you can continue pouring into the staff and students that you have been doing so selflessly for the past two-plus years.

FYI

2023-24 K-12 Administrators Leadership Network

Watch for an announcement of the 2023-24 sessions soon.