As a frequent attendee to the NASSP Convention (and a presenter at the last three) I can’t wait for the date to roll around.  Some of that might have to do with the frigid Maine winter that lies in wait and the certainty that I will need the warm weather fix that San Diego will provide in late February.  Or it might have to do with my being a recently retired principal missing some of the rich, high-energy activities that filled my workdays.  But mostly, my eagerness for the convention comes from the expectation that I will have an opportunity to dialogue with school leaders about the seriously important topic of challenging educators to make their work be about their students!

In today’s educational setting this focal point on students doesn’t come very easily.  The race for higher test scores, equity issues, parental demands, financial woes, the push for teacher comforts, social challenges and the race to college all divert our attention away what is most important- our students.  We cannot stand idly by and let the need for a student-centered direction be buried by these political agendas.  Any inspiration for school improvement or redesign should have students at the center of the equation.  Personalized approaches and designing programs that assist students at becoming relevant are more important now than ever before.