SAMPLE PRESS RELEASE
You may tailor this press releaseas necessary before distributing it to your local media contacts. Fill in the sections noted in red with the appropriate information. If you email the release, please check the hyperlinks. Kaylen Tucker (703-518-6257;) can answer questions about sending out a press release and assist you in developing a media contact list.
[State association logo]For Immediate Release
Contact: [Your name/phone/email]
Principal [Your Full Name]Met With Federal Policymakers on Capitol Hill to Recommend ESEA Policies that Will Improve Schools
[City, State—Date]—[Your full name], principal of [your school] in [your city], recently joined elementary and middle-level educators and leaders from across the countryin the nation’s capital during the National Association of Elementary School Principals’ National Leaders Conference. [Your last name]advocated for new policies that will give principalsthe tools they need to function as effective school leaders.
[Your last name] took the critical needs of [your state] schools directly to lawmakers on Capitol Hill during meetings with legislators to send a strong message to Congress as they consider the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the Higher Education Act, and other pieces of federal education legislation: current accountability systems place too much emphasis on student test scores to gauge school, teacher, and student performance. Instead, NAESP recommends that legislators support stronger principal recruitment, preparation, and evaluation systems by:
- Acknowledging the core competencies of effective principals;
- Developing comprehensive, fair, and objective principal evaluation systems;
- Developing accountability systems that include growth models and multiple measures;
- Holding principal preparation programs to common high standards;
- Insisting on standards-based certification, induction and mentoring;
- Investing in identifying and retaining effective principals;
- Dedicating ongoing professional development that strengthens core competencies; and
- Strengthening elementary principals’ knowledge of early childhood education.
[Your quote] [Sample: “K-8 schools provide the skills and content knowledge students need to succeed in life,” said [your last name.] “Principals call on Congress to ensure that all principals have the appropriate resources and support to ensure that the schools they lead are effective learning portals for 21st century opportunity.”
With support from NAESP staff, [your last name] called on federal lawmakers to strengthen policies that will improve our nation’s education systems by providing principals with greater access to professional development and mentoring programs, building knowledge of early childhood education and P-3 alignment; and encouraging models of school improvement reform that judge principals based on training, expertise, and time afforded in the school building.
[Your last name] also attended cutting-edge advocacy programming, hearing from high-level federal officials, such as U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Roberto Rodríguez, assistant to President Obama for education policy, as well as expert perspectives fromtop thought leaders on national education reform efforts.
Please visit more information about NAESP’s advocacy program.
###