AACTE Congratulates 2018 National Principal of the Year

(October 30, 2017, Washington, D.C.) – The American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) congratulates Akil E. Ross, Sr., on his selection as 2018 National Principal of the Year by the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP). Ross, the principal at Chapin High School in Chapin, S.C., for the past seven years, holds a doctorate in education from the University of South Carolina, which is a member institution of AACTE.

“We commend Principal Ross on this distinction and for his dedication to the success of teachers and students in South Carolina,” said Rodrick S. Lucero, Vice President of AACTE. “We also congratulate the AACTE member institution that helped prepare Ross to become a change agent in education.”

Ross has served as a school administrator for 12 years and is known for building a school culture that promotes social justice while preparing students to lead productive lives. Under his leadership, the graduation rate at Chapin went from 82 percent to above 96 percent, and proficiency rates also continue to climb, including a recent 16-point spike in math proficiency among Black students.

In addition to the NASSP National Principal of the Year announcement, the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) this month honored its 2017 Class of National Distinguished Principals. AACTE congratulates these honorees as well and is proud to announce that nearly all of them were also prepared at AACTE member institutions.

AACTE promotes high-quality principal development in partnership with member institutions and The Wallace Foundation through a variety of initiatives, including a multi-part webinar series themed “Principals as Transformation Leaders” running this fall. In addition, the new AACTE Principal Preparation Program Learning Community Topical Action Group provides members an ongoing opportunity to collaborate and explore issues and promising practices in principal preparation. AACTE will also host the popular Educational Leader Preconference again February 28, as part of the AACTE 2018 Annual Meeting in Baltimore, Md., to focus on improving the preparation of effective school leaders.

Learn more about AACTE’s ongoing efforts to support principal preparation at aacte.org.

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About AACTE: The Leading Voice on Educator Preparation

The American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education is a national alliance of educator preparation programs dedicated to high-quality, evidence-based preparation that assures educators are profession-ready as they enter the classroom. The 800 member institutions include public and private colleges and universities in every state, the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands and Guam. Through advocacy and capacity building, AACTE promotes innovation and effective practices that strengthen educator preparation. Learn more at www.aacte.org.