Do you know or work with an outstanding elementary school principal? If your answer is “YES,” we encourage you to nominate him or her for the Elementary School Principal of the Year Award (also known as the National Distinguished Principal Award)?
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The Connecticut Association of Schools has opened nominations for the 2014 Elementary School Principal of the Year Award. This award is designed to recognize outstanding elementary school principals who have demonstrated extraordinary leadership, a passion for educational excellence, a commitment to their students and staff, and service to their communities.

If you feel that an elementary principal in your district is eligible for this honor (see criteria below), please complete a nomination form and return it over the superintendent’s signature no later than 5:00 p.m. on January 7, 2014. Please include two one-page letters of recommendation and a copy of the nominee’s résumé with the nomination form.

NOTE: Only two letters of recommendation will be accepted. Nominations submitted with more than two letters – or with letters that exceed the one-page limit – will not be considered. The letters of recommendation should be written with a mind to the selection criteria listed below. These letters should be of not more than one page each and should outline how the principal’s leadership has created an effective learning community affecting staff morale, community support and student interest and achievement. Please note that one of the letters should be from a school administrator or a faculty member. The second letter may come from a faculty member, a parent or a community representative. Please remember to attach a brief copy of your nominee’s résumé to the nomination form.

Finalists will be chosen from the pool of nominees by the CAS National Distinguished Principal Selection Committee. The finalists will be asked to complete an award application packet and to submit a portfolio. The applications/portfolios will be due at CAS in early March, 2014. The committee will select the state honoree after reviewing the finalists’ applications/portfolios and visiting their respective schools.

All nominees must be members of CAS and NAESP and must have at least five years of experience as a school principal. The individual selected for the award must be an active administrator in Connecticut during the year in which he or she will receive the award (the 2014-2015 school year).

CRITERIA FOR SELECTION
The selected principal must:
• be a member of NAESP and CAS at the time of the award;
• be an active elementary principal of a school in which a commitment is clearly evident through programs designed to meet the academic and social needs of all students, and through firmly established community ties with parents and
local business organizations;
• have been an active principal for at least five years (NOTE: Only those years served as a building principal may count toward the necessary five);
• be in active service in a position of school leadership during the school year in which he/she will serve as NDP;
• show a strong commitment to the principalship through active membership in professional associations;
• be respected by students, colleagues, parents, and the community at large;
• assume an active role in his/her community, distinguishing himself/herself as a leader in civic, religious, or humanitarian activities;
• show strong educational leadership by setting high expectations for school staff and students;
• maintain an orderly, purposeful learning environment; and,
• demonstrate evidence of outstanding contributions to the well-being of the educational community.

Evidence of outstanding contributions to the well-being of the educational community include:
• ways in which the principal’s leadership has benefitted curriculum, staff morale, community support, student interest, and the learning environment;
• ways in which the principal provides creative leadership to inspire teachers and others to achieve and contribute to the school environment;
• examples of service or achievements above and beyond what is expected in the usual school program; and
• ways in which others have acknowledged the principal as a force for positive change.

Please contact Karen Packtor (kpacktorcasciacorg or 203-250-1111, x. 3910) if you have any questions.