Celebrate Your Principal During National Principals Month
Austin ISD joins districts and organizations around the nation to honor the top talent and leaders of our more than 120 campuses: our principals.
October is National Principals Month and it is dedicated to saying “thank you” to the principals everywhere who steer our campuses, support our students and staff members and make AISD great.
Thanks to our principals, AISD has begun the 2013-14 school year with a roster of achievements:
- Attendance rates are up. For the third year in a row, attendance rates continue to rise, generating over $5 million for AISD. The rate now exceeds 95 percent!
- Over the past five years, AISD’s graduation rates have increased from its lowest at 74.3 percent in 2008 to an all-time high of 82.5 percent in 2012.
- Elementary schools exceeded the state passing rate in reading, math, writing and science at grades 3, 4 and 5. Middle schools ranked first among the Big 8 districts in four areas. High schools are improving too. AISD students outperformed students in every other large urban district in 8 out of 11 End-of-Course Exams—ranking us number 1 or number 2 across every subject.
- At the national level, AISD has consistently made gains and been among the leaders in the nation on performance. On the Nation’s Report Card, or NAEP, AISD students ranked first in 8th grade mathematics and second in 4th grade mathematics.
- More AISD students are going on to two- or four-year colleges or universities than ever before. Last year, the post-secondary enrollment rates for AISD graduates went up an amazing six percentage points, from 62 to 68 percent.
National Principals Month provides a wonderful opportunity for schools to work closely with PTAs and other community organizations to celebrate the contributions of our principals.
Help AISD celebrate its top talent by trying one of the following:
- Show your gratitude - publicly thank your favorite principal by sending them a shout out, or read what others have written.
- Share your favorite principal story - To help shine a spotlight on the importance of our principals, we invite you to share your most inspiring or heartwarming story with us about a principal who changed your (or your child’s) life. Selected stories will be posted on the district website and Facebook page throughout October.
- Give a gift-a-day. Partner with your child's PTA to organize a "gift-a-day" for principals during National Principal Month.
- Write a Note. Showing appreciation doesn't have to cost money. A parent or teacher can provide a note listing the top five or ten reasons they like their principal, or share a specific story of a time the principal helped their child in school.