School & District Management

NAESP Rejects Adding Middle Schools to Name

By Mark Stricherz — October 24, 2001 2 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

The national association representing elementary school principals last week rejected a proposal to add middle schools to its name.

The board of directors of the National Association of Elementary School Principals, an Alexandria, Va.-based group that represents 28,500 principals, unanimously voted against the plan at its quarterly meeting, held in Washington.

A bylaw committee of the NAESP this past summer had approved changing the name to the “National Association of Elementary and Middle Schools Principals.”

Impetus for the proposal came from the fact that the 80-year-old organization has sought to recruit more middle school principals into its ranks, because only 5 percent to 10 percent of its members lead such schools, said Vincent L. Ferrandino, the association’s executive director. But the board decided that a name change wouldn’t persuade the middle school leaders to join, he said.

“The question for us is always, ‘How do you increase their numbers?’ But the board thought a name change wasn’t the best way to go, especially when they’re such a small part of our overall membership,” Mr. Ferrandino said. “We’ll just go with adding more services” to attract those principals.

About 60 percent of the nation’s elementary school principals have joined the organization, he added.

Had the 15-member board approved the proposal, the group’s members would have voted on it at their annual convention next April. The board of directors meets four times a year, and nine of its members are school principals, most of whom are elected from regions around the country.

Configurations Vary

Sue Swaim, the executive director of the National Middle School Association in Westerville, Ohio, said a name change by the NAESP would not have cut into her group’s membership, which represents 30,220 precollegiate and collegiate educators.

“Our organization is an umbrella organization. We have teachers, we have school board members, we have college professors, and we all work collaboratively,” she said.

Ms. Swaim added that both associations “serve 10- to 15-year-olds and varying grade configurations, and we all try to serve their needs, whether it’s [grades] K-8, K-6, 7-8.”

Mr. Ferrandino said his association would continue taking other steps to recruit more middle school principals.

Those measures include formally exchanging speakers with the middle school association at both organizations’ annual conventions. Ms. Swaim will speak at the elementary principals’ association’s yearly conference; Carole Kennedy, the past president of the NAESP, will speak at the middle school group’s convention next month.

Also, starting next year, the elementary principals’ association will publish a newsletter on middle schools.

The NAESP provides professional development, networking, and legal aid to its members.

Related Tags:

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Science Webinar
Spark Minds, Reignite Students & Teachers: STEM’s Role in Supporting Presence and Engagement
Is your district struggling with chronic absenteeism? Discover how STEM can reignite students' and teachers' passion for learning.
Content provided by Project Lead The Way
Recruitment & Retention Webinar EdRecruiter 2025 Survey Results: The Outlook for Recruitment and Retention
See exclusive findings from EdWeek’s nationwide survey of K-12 job seekers and district HR professionals on recruitment, retention, and job satisfaction. 
Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and K-12 education jubs at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

School & District Management Opinion 3 Mistakes New Leaders Should Avoid
Districts are searching for aspiring leaders. What does it take to succeed in the role?
4 min read
Screen Shot 2025 01 16 at 5.28.27 PM
Canva
School & District Management 3 Big Challenges School Lunch Programs Face as They Feed Students
School nutrition directors report problems with costs, supply shortages, and staffing.
4 min read
Students wrap up their lunch break at Lowell Elementary School in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Aug. 22, 2023.
Students wrap up their lunch break at Lowell Elementary School in Albuquerque, N.M., on Aug. 22, 2023. Rising costs and staff shortages are squeezing school nutrition programs.
Susan Montoya Bryan/AP
School & District Management Superintendents Say Public Schools Can Compete With School Choice. Here's How
The four finalists for the National Superintendent said schools have to get creative to attract students.
4 min read
011425 SOY Finalists BS
The four finalists for the 2025 National Superintendent of the Year speak at a Jan. 9 panel discussion at the National Press Club in Washington. From left to right: Debbie Jones, Walter B. Gonsoulin Jr., Sharon Desmoulin-Kherat, and David K. Moore
Courtesy of AASA
School & District Management Classroom Interruptions Add Up Quickly to Lost Learning Time
During a typical school year, teachers contend with potentially thousands of interruptions to classroom time.
3 min read
Image of a clock on supplies.
Laura Baker/Education Week via Canva<br/>