THE BENEFITS OF JOINING NAESP

NAESP’s membership benefits are targeted, relevant, and designed to get you the information and insights you need to be an effective principal. Benefits marked with an M below are for members only. Join now so they can be yours too!

M = Members-Only Benefit

Access to Resources & Best Practices for Principals

• Principal magazine—The award-winning magazine that gives members the information and insights they need to be more effective principals. Members have exclusive access to online content and a searchable archive of past articles. Published five times a year. M
• Communicator—A monthly e-newsletter that highlights association and education-related news and trends, including research on leadership, diversity, and middle-level education. Communicator is issued in print only in March and December. M
• Report to Parents—A special bulletin delivered with Communicator that is ready to reproduce and circulate to parents to foster parent engagement. M
• Before the Bell—The top news stories in pre-K-8 education from around the nation are delivered in digest form to your e-mail inbox every Tuesday and Friday morning “before the bell.” M
• National Principals Resource Center—The NPRC brings you the latest books and videos filled with expert advice and practical information from education experts; wide-ranging topics include everything from data-based decision-making to leading professional learning communities. Members enjoy significant discounts off retail prices and save 10% more on online orders. M
• Promising Practices—An online, at-your-fingertips, resource for project ideas, programs, and techniques that principals have implemented in their own schools to raise student achievement and improve learning communities. You’ll find samples that provide an excellent starting point for principals who want to improve the learning communities they lead. M
• Research & Data
  • The ERS-NAESP Research Gateway puts practical research a click away. As a “network of networks,” it combines the best resources and materials from a host of sources. NAESP offers the latest academic research and journal articles on a range of subjects, including charter schools, assessment in the arts, dropout prevention, evaluating school climate, pay-for-performance, and response to intervention. Members have full free access to all NAESP-generated content. M
  • Ten-Year Study—Hallmark study paints a comprehensive picture of the principalship; reports on current and longitudinal data, issues, and trends that affect the profession.
  • Reports and Areas of Study—Timely research and reports about elementary and middle-level education from a wide range of sources, organized in easy-to-use categories, including measuring academic performance, school curricula, schools and school districts, education policy, and after-school initiatives.
• Student Recognition—NAESP, as co-sponsor of the American Student Council Association program, provides principals with incentives and recognition products to reward student leadership; only members are eligible to participate in the national ASCA honors program. NAESP members can also participate in the National Elementary Honor Society to recognize and reward student academic excellence. M
• Professional Standards—NAESP’s three landmark guides for leading learning communities available through the NPRC (see above).
  • Leading Learning Communities—NAESP’s research-based, gold standard for what elementary principals should know and know how to do; sets priorities and provides specific tools and resources to help principals meet standards of highly effective leadership.
  • Leading Early-Childhood Learning Communities—Identifies the six standards to help principals to provide instructional leadership in supporting early childhood education and “extending the continuum of learning.”
  • Leading After-School Learning Communities—The definitive document that gives principals the knowledge, tools, and resources they need to establish and sustain quality after-school programs that enhance student success.

Advocacy in Action on Capitol Hill

• An Influential Federal Public Policy Program—NAESP’s advocacy agenda tracks education-related news, legislation, and policy decisions in Congress, the White House, the U.S. Department of Education, and other federal agencies with the goal of protecting the needs and interests of elementary and middle-level principals nationwide. Members receive e-mail updates. M
• The Legislative Action Center—NAESP’s online advocacy tool that allows NAESP members to track legislation, find updated information on votes and bills, locate NAESP resources to assist effective advocacy efforts, and e-mail federal legislators. M

A National Network of Your Peers

• A nationwide network of 23,000 education leaders you can meet virtually or in person at national and local events—they’re your resource for ideas, benchmarking, and best practices. M
• Network virtually to share ideas and explore solutions with colleagues across the nation on Twitter, the NAESP's Facebook page, and our LinkedIn Group.
• Principals' Office blog, including the Mentor Center, a regular feature during the school year. Join or start a discussion and engage with your fellow principals.
• State-Based Colleagues—Find your colleagues, peers, and friends through our online directory of state or district associations for principals.

Professional Development

• The NAESP Annual Convention—The largest national gathering of elementary and middle-level principals where they recharge, regroup, refresh, and reconnect with colleagues away from the daily pressures of the school building. Members attend at a significantly discounted registration rate. M
• National Mentor Program—Experienced principals become certified mentors after they undergo training through the Leadership Immersion Institute and nine-month internships so they can help new or aspiring principals get a stronger foothold in their careers.
• Webinars and other learning opportunities during the year, including the Summer Institute.
• NAESP Radio—Listen to these brief yet insightful conversations hosted by Executive Director Gail Connelly who interviews experts and newsmakers on topics and issues that affect principals.

Career Support

• A High-Value Legal Benefits Program—Members receive $1 million in individual professional liability coverage and up to $10,000 for job protection defense claims, based on continuous years of membership with a $500 deductible. M
• Principal's Help Line—A confidential, online forum where members can ask questions about their most pressing issues and challenges; veteran principals respond one-on-one via-e-mail within 48 hours. M
• NAESP’s Career Center—Provides key career services geared to both jobseekers and employers, including job listings, helpful articles and resources, and a resume bank, offered entirely free to jobseekers.
• Discounts on Graduate Degrees—Advance your career with an advanced degree through NAESP’s partnership with NOVA Southeastern University. M
• Principals’ Salaries, 2008-2009—Keep track of where your salary stacks up with your peers nationwide in this survey, conducted by Educational Research Service and published in Principal magazine.
• Principals' Creed--A certificate you can download, print, and frame for your office, declaring your dedication to your profession. M

Enhanced Purchasing Power

• Principals' Buyers Guide—Online guide that directs you to vendors offering the products and services your school needs. M
• NAESP Credit Card—As a member, you can proudly carry an NAESP logo card for everyday purchases, including books in the NPRC, registrations for professional development opportunities, and annual membership dues. M
• Members' Marketplace—Enables principals to purchase products online that celebrate their affiliation with NAESP and declare their pride in the principalship, as part of NAESP’s “Proud to Be a Principal” initiative. Members can download their membership certificates from the Members' Marketplace as well. M
• Discounts on all purchases from NAESP, including event registrations and products—up to 40%. M

Recognition & Leadership Opportunities

• Networking and Leadership Opportunities—Members have the opportunity to serve the profession by running for a seat on the NAESP Board of Directors or by participating in a leadership position with their state affiliate. NAESP provides an annual leadership development conference for state affiliate volunteer leaders. M
• National Distinguished Principals—Honors and celebrates exemplary pre-K-8 principals and calls attention to the fundamental importance of the principalship; sponsored by NAESP in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Education. M

Questions? Contact the NAESP Member Service Center at 800-386-2377 or membership@naesp.org.