AWSP Blog

I’ve been “out of the building” now as a recovering high school principal for about seven years. My trips to the grocery store are still filled with high fives and hellos from kids and families. As a principal, I always prioritized relationships above all else, and the evidence of that can be found in any aisle of the grocery store to this day. There is no way those relationships would have happened with sixteen little video squares on a computer screen

In this episode of AWSP News, we discuss our statement on the tragic death of George Floyd and our continued commitment to lead an equitable and bright future, new guidance coming soon from the Department of Health and OSPI, the “Stay Safe, Stay Healthy, Stay Vaccinated” campaign, a statewide survey to collect student voice and perceptions about distance learning, a shout out to the Elementary GLLC, the 2020 AWSP/WASA Virtual Summer Conference and a message from Joe Sanfelippo, our Friday morning Coffee Chats, our online change of status form, and a Why Try Webinar.

The COVID–19 shutdown unexpectedly sent thousands of university students home and left them disappointed and uncertain about their future. However, many of them knew they could rely on support networks to help them continue their coursework online. They also knew many K–12 students across the nation would struggle to maintain academic support networks and succeed with the limited supports being provided by their school district, so a group of Ivy Leaguers decided to create a free, online tutoring service. This is how CovEd was founded.

With a little creativity and the right tools, there are ways to celebrate graduations safely this year and make positive memories for all. You're invited to join Microsoft live this Friday at 11 a.m. where they will share how you can create an engaging and rewarding virtual graduation experience for students, families, and educators alike. Use this link to access the conversation live via Microsoft Teams.

Some might say we’ve come a long way as educational organizations, stakeholder groups, schools, districts, and higher education spent the last few years talking about and addressing systems of inequity. That progress is only the tip of the iceberg. We will never be able to rest on this pursuit until access, opportunities, expectations, and outcomes can no longer be predicted by the color of one’s skin. We can’t rest until we’ve equipped new generations and addressed the biases of older generations so there is never another horrific example like George Floyd.