Leader 2 Leader

Bill Lee ,   Director of School Leadership Managment, Facilities &Transportation Services, Washington County ; Florida Association of School Administrators (FASA) President I have spent over 40 years in public education in Florida as a teacher, coach, assistant principal, principal (22 years) and district staff administrator (12 years and counting). My experience has all been in small and rural districts. One could describe me as a true believer in the value of public education and the opportunities it affords to the children and families who live in these areas. These school districts and the schools within them provide students with the best opportunity to move beyond their present circumstances and stations in life. Over the last few years, it seems that many elected leaders have chosen to ignore the value of schools and the work they do in preparing students for the future. Instead they focus on non-traditional educational programs like charter schools, virtual ed...

Allen Shirley, Principal of South Sumter Middle School; Florida Association of School Administrators (FASA) Central Region Director What does S.T.E.M. mean to you?  What does that look like in your school?  This is a pertinent question because it truly does look different, and have a different meaning, based on your setting.  As principal of a middle school in a rural farming community with 73 to 75 percent free or reduced lunch, introducing a STEM elective was a pretty big deal, and the “talk of the town.”  This implementation would not look the same as a technology magnet program in an urban area, but would carry every bit as much importance.  For many of our students, this could be their first experience with any significant technology other than a television at home, and classroom computers at school.  The course could not be exclusive to a particular “type” of student, but rather inclusive of all students.  As the principal of South Sum...