NAESP Honors Nation’s Top Principals for National Principals Month
Sixty-two principals will travel to the Washington, D.C. program to be recognized for outstanding leadership.
Alexandria, VA—September 10, 2018—Accomplished elementary and middle school principals from across the nation and abroad have been named 2018 National Distinguished Principals (NDPs) by the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP). The pre-K-8 principals will be honored October 12 at an awards banquet in Washington, D.C.
“Today’s principals are tasked with attending to students’ social and emotional needs at greater levels, even while they give their all to drive academic success in their school communities,” said Dr. L. Earl Franks, CAE, NAESP’s executive director. “NAESP’s National Distinguished Principals program recognizes the outstanding leadership of highly successful principals and is a heartfelt ‘thank you’ to outstanding school leaders.”
Established in 1984, the two-day NDP celebration program, which will be held at the Capital Hilton Hotel, recognizes public and private school principals who make superior contributions to their schools and communities. The principals will also have the opportunity to share best practices. The 62 principal honorees are selected by NAESP state affiliates and by committees representing private and overseas schools.
It is particularly fitting to acknowledge the work of principals in October because it is National Principals Month, which was established to recognize and honor the contributions of school principals toward the success of the nation’s students, and encourage awareness of their significance.
Criteria for selection of the principals require that the honorees are active principals of schools where programs are designed to meet the academic and social needs of all students and where there are firmly established community ties with parents and local business organizations.
NOTE: A list of the 2018 NDPs and their biographical information can be accessed at www.naesp.org/ndp18. To request an interview with the honored principals, contact Kaylen Tucker at ktucker@naesp.org or 703-518-6257.
About NAESP
Principals are the primary catalysts for creating lasting foundations for learning. Since 1921, the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) has been the leading advocate for elementary and middle-level principals in the United States and worldwide. NAESP advances the profession by developing policy, advancing advocacy, and providing professional learning and resources for instructional leadership, including specialized support and mentoring for early career principals. Key focus areas include pre-K–3 education, school safety, technology and digital learning, and effective educator evaluation. NAESP administers the National Principals Resource Center, the American Student Council Association, and the President’s Education Awards & American Citizenship Awards Programs. For more information about NAESP, please visit www.naesp.org.
