'Younger and Freer'

"Principals Younger and Freer, but Raise Doubts in the Schools," says the headline of New York Times article published earlier this week. The article focuses on principals under 35 in New York City.

According to the article, 22 percent of the city's principals are under 40, compared with 6 percent in 2002, and about 20 percent have less than five years of teaching experience, double the percentage in 2002.

The NYT makes a few jabs at the New York City Leadership Academy, an intensive training program for aspiring principals. Data from the city's report card system indicates that Academy graduates were less than half as likely to get A’s as other principals. However, those graduates ofter face greater challengers, accepting placement in NYC's lowest achieving schools.

The article's conclusion offers an analysis that, well, isn't exactly breaking news to principals, novice or veteran: "Experience counts."

AWSP on TVW

Yesterday, Don Rash, AWSP's director of middle level programs, joined TVW's The Impact for a 10-minute discussion about teacher lay-offs in Washington state. Appearing with John Dekker of the Washington Association of School Administrators, Rash spoke with host Jennifer Huntley about the challenges that principals and students face when a school loses its teachers.

Sexting: More than an Awkward Situation

Sexting. If you're an educator, you've no doubt heard about it. In fact, chances are, you've already dealt with it in some form of the other.

If just hearing the word "sexting" sends shivers down your spine, consider the case of Ting-Yi Oei, assistant principal at Virginia's Freedom High.

"My Students. My Cellphone. My Ordeal," which recently appeared in The Washington Post, offers a first-hand account of the devastating spiral effect of one sexting incident. Oei responded to a reported case of sexting, and ended up on the wrong end of a criminal investigation into child abuse and child pornography. (To hear the defense attorney speak about Oei's case, click here.)

The lack of clarity around sexting is posing some real challenges to building administrators. Recent sexting incidents, including Oei's, illustrate just how easily schools, communities and personal lives can be thrown into upheaval. While procedures and policies are being hashed out, principals and assistant principals are in a precarious position, having to navigate their way through uncharted waters.

For helpful resources, including tips for parents and teens, visit the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy’s Sex and Tech Web page.