News and Advocacy

Cleaning House: The End of CPS's Contract with Aramark

As the custodial management contract with Aramark inside Chicago Public Schools (CPS) comes to an end, there’s a palpable mix of anticipation and reservation.The decision to bring management back unde

Data-Driven AP Lifts Up Students, Teachers

Lizzy Crispin headed the committee that led Leonardo Da Vinci High School to become the first and only Blue Ribbon high school in Buffalo, New York.

Increase in Job-Related Deaths

Overall, fatalities on the job rose 5.7%. The rise in fatal occupational injuries from 2021 to 2022 is “alarming and unacceptable” to the AFL-CIO.

Cybersecurity Resource Focused on Small, Rural and Underresourced Districts

This document serves as a valuable resource for those involved in enhancing the cybersecurity posture of school districts.

National Principals Month 2023—A Message from U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona

Congress Could and Should Learn a Lot from Principals About Title II-A

We ask principals to do a lot already, but we also need them to be at the center of advocating for funding key national education programs.

Tools to Talk with Students About the Israel-Gaza War

The Israel-Gaza war is distressing, and children and teens may be wondering why this violence is occurring and what else will happen in the future.

Carolynn Walsleben: Excellence and Harmony

Kids have an ability to see through a lot, including through you. They know when you’re on their side. We are more than ever a partner with our families in educating a child.

Sedrick Smith: A Principal is Like Being the Teacher of a Very Large Classroom

Every National Principals Month, AFSA expresses its gratitude by highlighting outstanding school leaders.

“Who are you?” a 4-year-old boy asked Sedrick Smith when he and his little classmates entered the principal’s office on a recent pre-K tour of Fallstaff Elementary/Middle School in Baltimore. 

In addition to being principal at Fallstaff, Dr. Smith is an adjunct professor of education at Loyola University Maryland and a writer who has been published in The Baltimore Sun, the Chicago Tribune and various scholarly journals.