2024 TEPSA September/October News

Page 1


Breaking Down Barriers to Student Attendance

Student attendance is foundational to academic success and opportunity. Yet chronic absence—missing 10 percent or more of school days a year—remains a widespread issue that continues to rise since the COVID pandemic upended school communities in early 2020.

The Causes of Chronic Absence

Chronic absence stems from diverse root causes that must be understood in context. NAESP is a national partner of Attendance Works, which aims to shed light on chronic absenteeism and provide resources and support to school leaders to help boost attendance.

According to Attendance Works research, major drivers of chronic absenteeism include:

• Barriers like illness, family or home challenges, trauma, lack of transportation,

Time to Ramp Up Your Advocacy: Stay Informed, Connect with Legislators and Vote

With the Presidential Election in November and the start of the 89th Texas Legislative session in January, your voice and vote are critical. You play a key role in shaping conversations around public education as a school leader. Here are ways to use your expertise and influence to make a positive difference for Texas students and educators.

Vote in every election because "education is on the ballot at every level" (Texas Educators Vote, 2021). Research candidates using a variety of trusted sources to find out where they stand on public education. The people you elect make important decisions about

school funding, standardized testing, whether to support or undermine public education, and more. Learn "Who Does What in Public Education" at https://bit.ly/tevresource.

Know who represents you at your home address as well as at your school. Keep legislators informed of the issues impacting your school and community. For tips on communicating with legislators, visit https:// bit.ly/46t9iLZ.

Stay informed on current issues by joining TEPSA's Advocacy Network. Text and email alerts ) page 12

United ISD Is Making Good Decisions Based on Good Data

“Our teachers wanted an assessment with easy-to-read reports that included integrated instructional resources. That’s when we came across i-Ready.”

Read about how United ISD uses i-Ready to promote growth and enhance instruction.

Executive Committee

Cooper Hilton President, Coppell ISD

Dana Harley Boyd President-Elect, El Paso ISD

Stephanie Coronado Vice President, Boerne ISD

Jaci Underwood Member At-Large, Lubbock ISD

Lori Gallegos Member At-Large, Northside ISD

Annette Sanchez NAESP Representative, Beeville ISD

Harley Eckhart TEPSA Executive Director

Standing Committee Chairs and Vice Chairs

Elodia Witterstaetter Advocacy Chair, Texarkana ISD

Magdalena Garcia Advocacy Vice Chair, Grand Prairie ISD

Lorena Carrasco Membership, Marketing & PR Chair, Pasadena ISD

Amy Sharp Membership, Marketing & PR Vice Chair, Leander ISD

Amy Bay Programs & Services Chair, Bryan ISD

Precious Bale Programs & Services Vice Chair, Melissa ISD

Yolanda Delaney Nominating Committee Chair, Canyon ISD

Lorena Zertuche Nominating Committee Vice Chair, Spring ISD

Region Presidents

Nora Lamas La Feria ISD (1)

Lori Maldonado London ISD (2)

Inez Kucera Boling ISD (3)

Solmaria Benavides Milasauskas Pasadena ISD (4)

Audrey Collins Beaumont ISD (5)

Vanikin Leggett Navasota ISD (6)

Brandi Sutton Malakoff ISD (7)

Liliana Luna Texarkana ISD (8)

Jared Jacobs Wichita Falls ISD (9)

Amanda Borowczak-Schmitter Grand Prairie ISD (10)

Mark Basham Arlington ISD (11)

Clint Glaesmann Midway ISD (12)

SueAnna Thomas Wimberley ISD (13)

Leslye Roberts Abilene ISD (14)

Jennifer Englert Bronte ISD (15)

Andrea Brown Hereford ISD (16)

Ashley Howard Levelland ISD (17)

Treena Foster Big Spring ISD (18)

Michelle Corral El Paso ISD (19)

Erika Garza Judson ISD (20)

TEPSA regions coincide with regional education service center boundaries.

Staff

Harley Eckhart Executive Director

Joni Carlson Director of Events & Governance

Cecilia Cortez Marketing & Communications Manager

Kristina Jaimes Exhibits & Student Leadership Manager

Anita Jiles Associate Executive Director for Marketing & Communications

Trae Kendrick Chief Operating Officer

Elizabeth Kernan Membership Services Coordinator

Heather Loomis Events Services Coordinator

Belinda Neal Associate Executive Director for Instruction

Todd Nesloney Director of Culture & Strategic Leadership

Louis Silvas Web Content Specialist

Mark Terry Deputy Executive Director

TEPSA News

Published six times a year by Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association. Subscription is included in TEPSA membership dues.

Postage paid at Austin, Texas.

Articles may be reproduced by TEPSA members without written request, provided that duplication is for an educational purpose at a nonprofit institution; copies are available without charge; and each copy includes full citation of the source.

Copyright © 2024 by the Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association

Contact

TEPSA 501 East 10th Street Austin, TX 78701 512-478-5268 800-252-3621 Fax: 512-478-1502 www.tepsa.org

Follow on social media @TEPSAtalk

Happy Almost Fall TEPSANs!

It may not feel like fall, but in Texas we sure like to pretend, don’t we?

The word “Shocktober” strikes fear in the hearts of campus and district leaders alike. It generally refers to the increased stress, escalation of student behaviors, and upward trend of staff absences that many schools face in October. As school leaders, we have a choice...Will we succumb and become victims to Shocktober, or will we buck the trend and find ways to persevere?

As TEPSANs, I say we persevere! Our TEPSA theme for 20242025 is “School Leaders… the Pride of Texas.” One way for us to combat “Shocktober” is to look for the greatness and courage of our school leader colleagues and to celebrate it. Your recognition and words of encouragement might be just what your peers need to plunge through the morale dip that we can experience this time of year and continue leading with passion and courage.

Here is my challenge to you. Over the next few weeks, look for peers and colleagues worth celebrating and find a way to recognize them. Build them up with a surprise coffee or some muchdeserved words of recognition. Even better, celebrate them as the “Pride of Texas” on Twitter/X using #WeLeadTX. Mention me @HiltonCooper, and I’d love to retweet it! This easy shout-out might be just what your fellow leader needs to help put a little fuel in their tank. This recognition is also a great public way to show our communities and our legislators that great things are happening across Texas schools.

On another note, one of the many hats we wear as school leaders is that of educational advocates and engaged citizens. Lead your campus and community by creating a culture of civic engagement! As a school leader, you can share factual, non-partisan information to encourage your staff and parents to vote. View resources on page 1 and remind your communities of election dates on page 12.

Thank you for the work you do each day for our kids, our communities, and our great state.

@HiltonCooper

Texas Elementary Principals & Supervisors Association

Breaking Down Barriers to Student Attendance from page 1

housing issues, inequitable access to services, and more. These obstacles physically prevent students from getting to school.

• Aversion to school climate, academics, relationships, disciplinary practices, and other factors that psychologically discourage attendance.

• Disengagement when instruction seems irrelevant, relationships are poor, or students lack enrichment opportunities at school.

• Misconceptions about the impact of absence and when and why attendance matters.

Appreciating this nuance is key to addressing chronic absence effectively. One-sizefits-all solutions often fail because they don’t confront the true sources of the problem.

School Leader Insights on Absenteeism

We recently reached out to NAESP members—principals and assistant principals from across the country representing elementary and middle-level schools—to learn what they’re seeing in their schools related to attendance and how they’re working toward overcoming barriers.

why attendance matters if teachers aren’t present. Addressing this “Do as I do, not as I say” issue is important.

• Individualized Approaches: Schools implement personalized interventions like attendance buddies. The goal is to show students they are cared for and that their presence matters. Mental health days also provide needed flexibility.

• Logistical Challenges: School start and end time differences pose logistical challenges for parents. This can unintentionally contribute to tardiness or absences. Schools should strive for consistency to support families.

One-size-fits-all solutions often fail because they don’t confront the true sources of the problem.

Absence Compounds Inequity

The impacts of chronic absence are profound, especially for disadvantaged students. Absence in early grades hinders foundational skill development, setting students back academically. By high school, chronic absence is linked to lower grades, course failure, and higher dropout rates.

• The Data Lag: Student attendance data can often be delayed, taking up to weeks or months to reflect reality. This lag makes it hard for schools to address issues in a timely manner. To improve, schools need to implement processes to access and respond to attendance data faster.

• Family Engagement: Many schools actively inform and educate parents on the harms of chronic absenteeism. This includes warning notices when absence thresholds are crossed and meetings with principals. Personal outreach stresses how missing school equates to missing foundational learning.

• Truancy and Tardiness: Schools aim to change cultural mindsets that tolerate truancy and tardiness. For example, some states don’t penalize tardiness the same as absences. Schools try to uncover root causes through counseling rather than perfect attendance awards.

• Teacher Absenteeism: Teacher absenteeism can normalize student absenteeism. Students question

In effect, absence compounds inequity. Students who already face adversity or lack resources to enable them to make up for lost time suffer the most. The result is a widening of achievement gaps and diminished opportunity—a loss for both individuals and society.

Potential Solutions: A Proactive Approach

In addition to the insights mentioned above, Attendance Works offers proactive strategies schools can use to tackle chronic absenteeism through a supportive approach focused on student needs.

Key strategies include:

• Engaging families and communities as partners in removing attendance barriers. This builds trust and surfaces creative solutions.

• Using data proactively to identify absent students early and connect them to resources. Waiting for absence to become chronic is reactive and less effective.

• Promoting a positive school climate and sense of belonging among students. Relationships and relevance are crucial for engagement.

• Accommodating health and disability needs to

ensure students receive equitable access to learning. Inflexible policies that simply punish absence are counterproductive.

• Providing mental health support and services. Anxiety, depression, trauma, and other conditions often underlie attendance challenges.

While complex, addressing chronic absence in this manner can redirect students toward opportunity and success. But it requires education leaders to reflect deeply on how policies, systems, and school climate might be transformed to meet all students where they are. This moment calls for that courageous reflection. With diligence and creativity, schools can ensure students attend and receive the education they deserve.

Krysia Gabenski is editorial director at NAESP. (Via naesp.org)

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Additional Resources

Attendance Works

Visit https://www.attendanceworks.org for resources on engaging families, building capacity, addressing barriers and more.

A 10-Step Approach to Improving Attendance Rates

Assistant principal Tracy Jemison shares 10 steps to improve attendance on the NAESP blog at https://bit.ly/4f0VOL7.

Front Office Customer Service Training

Learn how Caissa K12 can help you build a supportive community and improve student and staff attendance on your campus. See below or visit https://bit.ly/3vvBUpP.

Empower and Retain Your Staff

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Principal and AP Successful Working Relationships

When you really sit and think about it, relationships in general can be quite complex. They often ebb and flow, requiring intentional work to keep everything healthy. This is especially true in our roles as administrators. The feeling of wondering if we are doing the right thing or how to build relationships with those to whom we have no personal ties can be challenging.

We believe that trust is foundational! While research suggests trust develops over time, we create intentional opportunities to foster it. For example, our partnership began in our first year (both in new roles) as we aimed for a common vision: to provide a space where educators can thrive and effectively serve our students, academically and socially.

Open and honest communication has been vital for us. It’s essential to have the courage to engage in challenging conversations, as this lays a strong foundation for trust. Additionally, commitment to each other and to our personal families is crucial. We strive to create opportunities for each other to grow and succeed, ensuring that dignity remains

intact even in the face of personal and professional challenges. For instance, at times this means that we are not pulling 50/50, and that’s part of being committed to a relationship! We have gone through losses and seasons of change that were challenging emotionally, not to mention the emotional challenges that occur daily when you are running a campus and receiving upwards of 80-100 various adult emotions. Demonstrating we are committed to each other’s mental and physical health strengthens our bond to support each other in the professional setting.

Understanding and appreciating each other’s strengths further enhances our collaboration. We recognize our success is a collective effort not solely dependent on any one individual. This mindset cultivates a supportive environment where we both cheer for one another’s achievements. It also means we respect each other’s role and are cognizant of our own role. While there is overlap in our duties, at the end of the day, we do serve different purposes and carry unique responsibilities.

Principal and AP Successful Working Relationships

As we reflect on the relationship between the principal and assistant principal, we encourage you to focus on trust and commitment. Resist the temptation to overthink every move you make and ask yourself if your actions have shown that you are intentionally working on building and strengthening the trust and commitment. When situations are not what you would expect, have the courage to discuss disappointment and/or take ownership and apologize for mistakes. In the words of Harold Ramis, “Nothing reinforces a professional relationship more than enjoying success with someone.”

Dynamic duo and TEPSA members Precious Bale and Julie Armstrong are administrators in Melissa ISD. Precious (left), a principal, serves as Vice Chair of the Programs and Services Committee, and Julie (right) is an assistant principal.

Additional Resources

A Principal’s Tips for Effective Collaboration with Assistant Principals (edutopia)

Jeremy Majeski writes that an effective partnership is based on understanding each other's strengths and shares tips for building a strong foundation for principal and assistant principal relationships. Read the article at https://bit. ly/4fuAfTj.

Invigorating Principal/Assistant Principal Relationships (Kappan)

Assistant principal Sonja Gedde shares how three practices—professional dialogue, conversation partnerships and awe walks—contribute to a positive and productive assistant principal and principal relationship. Read the article at https://bit.ly/4cfoJIK.

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Legal Ease/Kevin

Why Document?

What is the MOST important reason to document? I recently asked this question to a large group of attendees at the TEPSA Summer Conference. Considering I am an employment lawyer, some might have tried to give me the darkest, most cynical answers, like, “It covers my [behind] if I get sued!” or, “So I can fire a teacher!” While these answers are not totally wrong, they are not correct. No one in the group got it right. Do you know what the right answer is? Take some guesses before reading on.

What is the Most Important Reason to Document?

.tnemevorpmi ffatS. I typed it backwards since our peripheral vision is prone to peeking. Every piece of staff feedback you create should be designed to make staff better at their jobs. At its very core, your job is to help your employees get better at theirs. Every other purpose of documentation, such as those shouted at me by the group above, is secondary. I will go one step further to argue if you are using documentation primarily to cover yourself or to fire a teacher, it could have the reverse effect. More on this below.

Performance Documentation

The question, “What is the most important reason to document,” is a little tricky, because I am really talking about performance documentation: How does this teacher perform in the classroom? Is the librarian

meeting goals? Is your assistant principal on track to have all the walk-throughs and evaluations completed on time? Is the custodian running late again?

Always ask yourself two questions:

1. What is this employee doing right?

2. How can this employee improve and grow?

Then write it down. That is the heart of all performance documentation. It is not punitive. Performance documentation is a running assessment of an employee’s performance, both good and marginal, throughout the school year. The annual evaluation is usually the capstone of this running assessment.

As mentioned above, if you pepper performance documentation with threats of negative employment action, [“Failure to improve could result in more serious action, including but not limited to termination”] it will have lost its effectiveness. If the teacher is recommended for nonrenewal, it will look as though it was a fait accompli, or as we say around here, a done deal. It will undercut your efforts to help the employee improve. “My client never had a chance to succeed because the administration decided to nonrenew him months ago,” the teacher’s lawyer will say, perhaps correctly.

If you have given to a marginal employee, timely earnest feedback and steady reflection, coupled with strategies for improvement—and the employee fails to improve—your professional documentation will speak for itself. If you stay focused on employee improvement instead of jumping ahead to potential punishment, you will have done your job. It will be up to HR, the superintendent, the school lawyer and the board to take it from there.

Types of Performance Documentation

Back to performance documentation: Year-round, cumulative documentation comes in all shapes and sizes: It can be a note to the file, an email, a memo, a summary of conference, or a walk-through form. Documentation by any other name is still documentation. The pinnacle of employee documentation is the annual evaluation. Don’t forget about support staff. Districts require that these employees be evaluated every year. [See policy DN local.] Campus administrators are governed by T-PESS or other evaluation instruments developed by the district. [See policy DNB legal and local.]

to result in an investigation. It might also result in administrative leave, a report to law enforcement, CPS and/or TEA, and it might lead to termination or nonrenewal. One-bad-act documentation will look different than performance documentation. It will likely be more legalistic with new directives and employee consequences. Its primary purpose, unlike performance documentation, might not be employee improvement.

Every piece of staff feedback you create should be designed to make staff better at their jobs.

The gravitational pull of these allegations usually draws in people beyond your campus. Depending on the school district and the allegation, you will probably have assistance in creating one-bad-act documentation. In fact, it might come directly from the superintendent’s office or HR, with the assistance from the school lawyer.

Conclusion

In T-TESS districts, you study the district’s appraisal calendar and make sure you and your staff follow it to the letter. Cumulative documentation must be shared with a teacher within 10 workdays of the appraiser’s knowledge of the event being documented. [See policy DNA legal and local.] This is proof that improvement is the most important reason for performance documentation. It is never a gotcha game. The substance of a disputed evaluation is hard to challenge, but it is easy to overturn one when the calendar or rules were not followed.

In non-T-TESS districts, you should still review policy DNA legal and local and make sure your administration is adhering to the rules and calendar of teacher evaluations.

One-Bad-Act Documentation

In addition to performance documentation, “one-badact” documentation captures the outlier, the aberration, the act or allegation that may be serious enough

While staff improvement is the most important reason to document, the group answers at the beginning of this article weren’t entirely wrong, just a little blunt. Reconsider the secondary reasons to document suggested by the group: 1. It’s your job. If you don’t do it, they will get someone else who will. So, yes, cover your backside and document. 2. It could shore up a negative employment action. If an employee is dismissed for performance reasons, but there is no documentation, it may look like the district fired the employee for a different, undisclosed reason.

Kevin Lungwitz practices law in Austin and is a former Chair of the School Law Section of the State Bar of Texas.

Note: Information from Legal Ease is believed to be correct upon publication but is not warranted and should not be considered legal advice. Please contact TEPSA or your school district attorney before taking any legal action as specific facts or circumstances may cause a different legal outcome.

Time to Ramp Up Your Advocacy continued from page 1

make it easy for you to reach out to legislators when urgent action is needed. Sign up for TEPSA's Advocacy Network at https://p2a.co/7IEGjpl.

Learn More

"Election Dos and Don'ts" by Kevin Lungwitz

https://bit.ly/4fb5GCj

K-12 education proposals included in the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025 policy agenda - Education Week article by Libby Stanford

https://bit.ly/466qOW3

Texas Educators Vote

https://texaseducatorsvote.com

Source: Texas Educators Vote. (2021). https://texaseducatorsvote.com

YO UR

VOICE VOTE

2024 Election

Last day to register: October 7

Early voting: October 21-November 1

Election Day: November 5

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New Membership Perks: Monthly Members-Only Webinars

Stay connected to a powerful statewide network of PK-8 school leaders and resources designed especially for you! Log in to your profile at tepsa.org to ensure your membership is current. The 2024-2025 TEPSA membership year started July 1 and runs through June 30, 2025. As a practicing administrator, you do not want a lapse in professional liability and legal defense coverage.

New this fall:

• Look for monthly members-only webinars with leading practictioners including some of the top rated

community can help them advance and protect their career. Invite them to join you at a region meetup in your area (see page 15).

Practicing Administrator Membership Dues

• Basic Membership $376

• Comprehensive Membership $426

• TEPSA & NAESP Combo $685

Looking for books to add to your fall TBR? Here are a few books on your peers’ reading lists. Tag @TEPSAtalk and #WeLeadTX with your recommendations!

The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt

A Pencil is the Least of My Worries: Unveiling the Hidden Battles Faced by Minority Boys in Education by Kendrick Thomas

The Beekeeper: Pollinating Your Organization for Transformative Growth by Katie P. Desiderio and Michael G. Frino

Strengthening School Partnerships

The start of another school year is a great time to reflect on and jumpstart your community outreach to families, community members, businesses, and other stakeholders.

Several years ago, as an aspiring administrator, a district leader asked me if I was involved with any local community organizations. It wasn’t until then that I realized to strengthen community partnerships, I needed to get involved with the community outside of the school walls. That moment was a great time of reflection for me: How am I impacting my community?

Fast-forward to the present where I recently completed my fifth year with the Junior League of Texarkana. The Junior League's mission is to promote voluntarism, develop the potential of women, and improve communities through effective action and leadership training. Being part of these efforts have allowed me to connect with community needs outside of the school building and network with other community entities. It has been a win-win! I am able to give back to my community and connect our community resources to our family needs at the campus/district level.

In my new role as Director of 21st Century Community Learning Centers (Texas ACE) this

past year, we focused on building and strengthening community partnerships. We worked intentionally with our family engagement coordinator to provide a beginning-of-year survey, asking families about their needs, the resources they would like provided, and the best dates and times for events. We collaborated with our six campuses to bring in community partners who could offer resources to our families during events that were already taking place at the campus level and brought community resources to our campuses.

If there is a community engagement idea you have been wanting to try, take the risk. Have you seen something amazing someone else is doing to engage the community? Take the risk. A survey can provide you good feedback from your families on what they would like to see at the campus level.

Strengthening our partnerships with community organizations and other entities can help bring resources to our families and our communities. A district success I would love to share is that in May 2024, our Texarkana ISD Student Lighthouse Team completed their local community project, and talk about a powerful collaboration! Students had the opportunity to hear from local rescue owners about a community need, and from there the work began. Across the district, more than 7,000 items were

collected to donate locally, $10,000 was raised, and a Pet Adoption Fair was planned and hosted. This was a collaborative effort between campuses, staff, students, families, and community members. I am so proud of our district leaders, campus leaders, and student leaders who made this possible. It inspired me! If a group of PreK-12 students can rally together to be the change, imagine what our family and community partnerships can do!

Share your engagement and partnership ideas with us @TEPSAtalk and #WeLeadTX. As leaders, we should always be looking for ways to learn, grow and connect.

Elodia Witterstaetter is the Director of 21st Century Community Learning Centers Texas ACE Program in

Additional Resources

Aligned Community Partnerships - PBS

Learning Media (Social-Emotional Collection)

Learn how schools leverage community partnerships to support social-emotional learning at https://bit.ly/46cBiDn.

School-Community Engagement: 5 Steps to Creating Impactful Partnerships - New Leaders

From taking a community walk to defining a shared vision, learn five steps for engaging community partners at https://bit.ly/4bL2Xwg.

Students and Communities Can Be Better Served via Partnerships Between Community Organizations and Schools - Child Trends

Visit https://bit.ly/4fbkgtk for a practical guide on building community-school partnerships.

Lead from the Heart/Todd Nesloney and Ross Braun

You've Got to Get Personal

At the core of each of us lies a universal desire: to feel seen, heard, and understood.

During our time as classroom teachers, we prioritized truly understanding each student. We wanted to know what they loved, what frustrated them, their interests, abilities, family life, and more.

By learning about our students, we could design lessons that were not only more engaging but also more meaningful. This deeper understanding allowed us to connect with them in genuinely profound ways.

When we transitioned to the role of principal, we both were very determined to continue this practice. While we weren’t perfect, we were committed to growing in this area because we believed in its importance.

One initiative I (Todd) implemented was a beginning-of-the-year survey for my staff, similar to what I had done with my students. This survey included typical questions like t-shirt sizes and allergies but also some fun and personal ones:

• What’s your favorite sweet snack?

• What’s your favorite salty snack?

• What’s your favorite Sonic drink? (We had one nearby and everyone loved it.)

• How do you like your coffee?

• If you were to grab a quick snack or drink from a gas station or Dollar General, what would you choose?

• Who is your favorite singer/band/musician?

• Who is someone in your life who matters to you a lot? What is their phone number and mailing address?

These responses were invaluable throughout the year. When someone was having a tough day or week, I could bring them their favorite Sonic drink or snack. It wasn’t just about the snack or drink—it was about showing them I saw and appreciated them enough to bring their favorite.

The final question was my favorite. Throughout the year, I could call or write a letter to that “person who matters to you” and celebrate my staff member with them. This was a powerful way to recognize someone on a personal level.

In my current role at TEPSA, I get to work with leaders from around the state of Texas. Every year

in June, we bring all the Region Leaders together for an event called Leadership U, which trains them on their new volunteer roles. This year, I sent out a survey similar to the one I had used with my staff. Before Leadership U started, I personally wrote each of them a postcard, thanking them for choosing to serve in this role this year. I used the survey they filled out and added a special quote from their favorite musician. This way, they knew I was truly writing that note specifically for them.

It was so powerful to see how many lit up when reading the note, thinking, “How did he know I loved Bruce Springsteen?” They had forgotten they filled out the form weeks before!

Though I had a blister on my hand from writing over 150 notecards, it was totally worth it! Haha!

The beauty of this survey idea is you don’t have to wait for an administrator to implement it. You can take a moment to get to know a few people around

you, whether they’re colleagues or students. It’s a simple yet effective way to acknowledge someone in a specific and meaningful manner.

Give it a try and let us know how it goes!

Todd Nesloney is TEPSA’s Director of Culture and Strategic Leadership. He is an award-winning educator, author and international speaker.

Ross Braun is a former elementary principal who is passionate about supporting schools and leaders to ensure every child has a safe, loving and engaging learning environment. Ross is now the VP of Positive Education at Spring, Texas-based, School Life.

Proud Supporters of TEPSA & Texas Educators

Celebrate Outstanding Texas PK-8 School Leaders: Call for TEPSA Award Nominations

Visit the Awards section at tepsa.org to learn more and submit a nomination.

NAESP National Distinguished Principal for Texas

In partnership with the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP), the prestigious National Distinguished Principal (NDP) award recognizes exemplary school leadership. The award recipient represents Texas at the NAESP NDP program in Washington, D.C. and receives a monetary gift from Curriculum Associates. Nominees must meet all criteria for selection.

• Nominations due December 13.

• Applications due January 24.

NAESP National Outstanding AP of the Year for Texas

One TEPSA Region Assistant Principal of the Year will be selected as the 2025 NAESP National Outstanding Assistant Principal of the Year for Texas.

TEPSA Region Assistant Principals of the Year

Selected by their peers at the region level, this award recognizes assistant principals for their efforts to improve student learning. Recipients may apply for the national award. Contact your TEPSA region officers.

Region TEPSANs of the Year

Selected by their regional peers, this award recognizes school leaders for outstanding service to the association. Contact your TEPSA region officers.

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Connect to community and access resources at a TEPSA Region Meetup near you! See page 15.

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Calendar/Deadlines

• Register for the TEPSA School Leadership Academy powered by Responsive Learning for access to a year of continuous support from master-level administrators and a collaborative community of peers. Creative and customizable packaging is available to fit your specific budget needs. See page 6.

• Craft your PLC while learning at your own pace with short, on-demand PD modules. Visit tepsa.org for details on the Leadership Edge Series. See page 8.

• Empower your front office team with the tools they need to deal with difficult situations and harness effective relationships within the community. See page 5.

• Grow your student leaders! See page 18.

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Austin, TX

Permit No. 127

The Impact of Uncertified Teachers on Student Learning in Texas

The number of uncertified new teachers in Texas public school classrooms has significantly increased over the last few years. A recent study on the impact uncertified new teachers have on student achievement found several negative implications including "students lose about 4 months of learning in reading and 3 months in math, unless the teacher has previous experience working in a public school" (Kirksey, 2024). The study, conducted by Texas Tech University researcher Jacob Kirksey, PhD, also showed most uncertified new teachers (72%) lack prior experience working in Texas public schools. Other key findings:

• Students are significantly underdiagnosed for dyslexia.

• Students are more absent from school.

Read "Amid Rising Number of Uncertified Teachers, Previous Classroom Experience Proves Vital in Texas" at https://bit.ly/4bKrguj.

Sources: Kirksey, J. J. (2024). Amid Rising Number of Uncertified Teachers, Previous Classroom Experience Proves Vital in Texas. [Brief #1] Texas Tech University. Center for Innovative Research in Change, Leadership, and Education. https://ttu-ir.tdl.org/items/e8d785a0-2be3-4942bb43-d71705fb2d4f

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