About NAESP's Advocacy Program

The voice of principals must be heard in the current national discourse about the state of education. NAESP's Advocacy and Government Relations team has taken great care to build partnerships with the Department of Education, the White House, and members of Congress based on civil discourse: We only support decisions and policy recommendations when they serve the interests of elementary and middle-level principals, and we present vigorous, but respectful, disagreement when they do not, offering instead constructive and informed alternatives.

Current NAESP Advocacy Priorities

• Secure federal funding for professional development and mentoring programs that will strengthen principals' knowledge of early childhood education.
• Require models of school improvement reform to judge principals based on training, expertise, and time afforded in the school building rather than simply relying on student assessment scores.
• Ensure that the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) draws from the experiences of local principals and educators who know students best.

Read The Power of the Principal: Advocacy in Action, NAESP's research-based recommendations to guide federal education policy.