AWSP Blog

Assistant principals are student-centered beacons of hope in our school system. APs are unencumbered by specific certification requirements and truly serve as one of the greatest multi-tools in our schools. They can do anything and are often the ones leading systems changes like MTSS, PBIS, attendance initiatives, and community engagement. That flexibility of talent, skill, passion for kids, and scope of responsibilities is what makes our APs have the greatest impact on numbers; in this case, the numbers of students who have a trusted adult and are seen, heard, and valued in school.

Do you know a school leader who goes above and beyond every day to ensure strong schools, strong students, and a culture of hope? Now is the time to give them the recognition they deserve! The nomination window for AWSP’s 2026 Principal of the Year and Assistant Principal of the Year is officially OPEN.

Principals carry this burden of school-wide hope, but if they are lucky, they are not alone. While principals set the tone for the entire school, there is another group who are quite often working on hope from a completely different angle—our assistant principals. These unsung heroes are a direct line of hope to some of our most hopeless students. Our assistant principals have the opportunity to reach many of our students who don’t feel loved (at school or at home), who don’t have any sense of belonging in their lives, and far too often lack any vision of life in the future, yet alone where they might get their next meal.