Call it revenge of the principals, insubordination or just down home independence or stubbornness.
The Louisiana Association of Principals has delivered a metaphoric “in your face” message for the Louisiana Department of Education and its Principal of the Year competition.
In a letter to Michael Faulk, superintendent of the Central Community School System in Central, Louisiana, Louisiana Association of Principals Executive Director Andrea Martin opted out of this year’s DOE competition because the DOE guidelines do not comply with guidelines of the National Association of Secondary School Principals or the National Association of Elementary Principals.
The DOE webpage indicated that the selection criteria for the award “are aligned with our state’s priorities of Compass and the Common Core State Standards.”
Compass, the DOE equivalent of the value added teacher assessment program and the Common Core State Standards are a bone of contention between the department and public school teachers, a factor that may have played a large part in the association’s decision.
Following is Martin’s email to Faulk:
The Louisiana Association of Principals regrets that it will not be able to coordinate with the LA Department of Education in their selection of the Principal of the Year because the guidelines and selection process from the DOE does not adhere to the guidelines outlined by the National Association of Secondary School Principals and the National Association of Elementary Principals.
As the Louisiana Association of Principals is an affiliate of these two national organizations, we are obligated to adhere to their guidelines. On a positive note, this will result in the principals selected by LAP being able to participate in the National Recognition Program sponsored by NAESP and the NASSP.
The applications are posted on the LAP website http://www.laprincipals.org and are available at this time. I apologize for the short turnaround time, but after contacting the DOE more than once, and participating in a conference call, we understood the DOE would provide LAP with a draft to ensure that all guidelines were followed before disseminating.
If you or other superintendents have any questions or concerns, please contact our office.
Louisiana Voice 
Congratulations to the Principals of Louisiana for standing up for their principles. I could only hope that the teachers who are eligible for Teacher of the Year do the same as their application also reflects the COMPASS guidelines. I have had several teachers correspond with me about their disappointment in the process. My suggestion was that they fill out an application using only the criteria and experience that they know to be good teaching practice.
I’m impressed! Congratulations to the Principals of Louisiana. It’s time to take our government back.
jindal, give me my state back!!!!!!! The Louisiana those of us love.
I would’ve liked to have been a fly on the wall when John White read that one!
Democracies work only when the governed accept the legitimacy of their elected officials. Sounds increasingly as though there are pockets of resistance developing, rendering Jindal and his corporatist henchmen/women increasingly powerless. Too bad hospitals and higher ed didn’t demonstrate the same independence of thought.
One would reasonably assume that a former principal who was “Executive Director of the Louisiana Association of Principals” would know that guidelines DO not adhere, selection processes DO not adhere, and therefore guidelines and selection processes DO not adhere. Maybe this poor grammer is just another example of why confidence in public education in Louisiana is waning. It constantly amazes me how much people in little fiefdoms resist change.
Or would that be poor “grammar”?
Snicker.
Education Reformer–
Perhaps you aren’t as smart as you think you are if you can’t even spell grammar. You have to forgive my lack of confidence in your brain power because of your error.
BRAVO! Maybe the DOE will default and award JW the Stupor-intended of the year.
Dripping with scorn. Good for them.