SamTastic Weekly Tip: Black History Month - 2/3/25

This week’s tip: Black History Month

What is your school doing to commemorate Black History Month?  Do teachers and students know its history and purpose?

“Black history in the United States has been a proving ground for America's ideals. A great test of these ideals came with the Civil War and the elimination of slavery. Another test came a century later, in the struggle for practical recognition of the rights already won in principle—the abolition of legalized segregation and second-class citizenship.

The foremost purpose of Black History Month is to make all Americans aware of this struggle for freedom and equal opportunity. It is also a time to celebrate the many achievements of blacks in every field, from science and the arts to politics and religion. It not only offers black Americans an occasion to explore their heritage, but it also offers all Americans an occasion and opportunity to gain a fuller perspective of the contributions of black Americans to our Nation. The American experience and character can never be fully grasped until the knowledge of black history assumes its rightful place in our schools and our scholarship.”

-President Ronald Reagan, Proclamation Establishing Black History Month, 1986

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From Bert Hendee, President NSIP Board of Directors:

Your NSIP Board of Directors’ most recent meeting was held prior to our National Conference on Wednesday, January 15, 2025.  We seated our newest board member Jennifer McCrystal.  Jennifer is a Principal in Hillsborough County, FL and has been a practicing SAM principal since 2014. Her voice and experience will be a welcome and critical one on the board. Dave Sechler was voted in as Secretary for the board. 

As we have shared with you before, the board of directors meets two times a year in person.  One meeting is held in conjunction with the National Conference and one in the summer either June or July.  Two other virtual meetings may be held each year as well.  At each meeting we have updates from each member of the board and the executive director.  Our vision,  mission, bylaws, policies and procedures are reviewed at each meeting as well.  An annual board self-evaluation is completed as well as a performance review for the executive director.  We are all educators and are passionate about this work and always working towards improvements in our performance and support of NSIP.

If you have questions please feel free to reach out to any board member at any time.  https://www.samprocess.com/team

Leading Successfully When Viewpoints Differ: A Set of 20-Minute Tools   https://bit.ly/NSIP_Toolkit   You are welcome to share the link with colleagues and friends.

If you’d like to pre-pay for SAM service, and/or the conference next year, use this link to request an invoice:  https://bit.ly/40GtA33

SamTastic Weekly Tip: 1/27/25 - Don’t let what seems impossible stop the possible.

This week’s tip: Don’t let what seems impossible stop the possible.

SAM teams face situations that seem impossible daily, and, somehow, figure out what to do to make things work for students.

Keeping centered on what you can do, not what you can’t, is critical in this time of significant national change where leaders face challenges that can conflict with closely held values about serving and educating students.  Leaders must find a way to find common ground when viewpoints differ.

NSIP commissioned The Change Leadership Collaborative to develop Leading Successfully When Viewpoints Differ: A Set of 20-Minute Tools.  The toolkit is available at no charge to SAM teams.  NSIP is also sharing the toolkit with other school leaders nationally at no charge. You can download the toolkit by using this link:  https://bit.ly/NSIP_Toolkit . You are welcome to share the link with colleagues and friends.

Another thing that seems impossible is making your school and district budget balance for next year.  At the conference, we received dozens of requests for service and contract invoices now for next school year, 2025-26.  I assume this is because of the uncertainty of funding for next year and these leaders are able to use current year funding to pre-pay for service.   If you’d like to pre-pay for SAM service, and/or the conference use this link to request an invoice:  https://bit.ly/40GtA33

Please give priority during budget deliberations to your own professional development.  One superintendent shared with her principals that they should think twice before giving up their SAM service when attempting to balance their school budget for 2025-26.  The cost of annual service, $4,995 for most schools, is the best investment a leader can make.  The impact is far greater than most realize.  On average, decreasing an aide’s workday by one hour covers the cost of SAM services for a full year for the principal and other leaders in the school.

In many districts, principals do not know their Title I and II allocations until September or October and think they have to stop using the SAM process.  Please know that NSIP is a non-profit company and will continue your service without interruption.  You can delay payment as long as needed. 

Stay flexible in your thinking.  Your fiscal situation will likely look better in September.  In any event, we will stay with you as long as you are doing the SAM process with efficacy.  Don’t let budget issues keep you from being your better self as a school leader.

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PS#1:  Look for annual SAM Conference keynote videos in HD next month.

PS#2:  SAM teams are eligible to receive the weekly Marshall Memo and the monthly Main Idea at no charge.  Use the links, below to be added to the distribution lists:

I would like to receive the Marshall Memo.

I would like to receive The Main Idea.

Action to Protect Students, Not Platitudes and Hollow Excuses

Dear SAM teams and friends,

The first school shooting of 2025 happened yesterday at Antioch High School in Nashville.  Those of you who attended the National SAM Conference last week may have met the school’s remarkable principal, Nekesha Burnette, and her dedicated SAMs, Daniyah Johnson and Gayle Merkerson. 

The 17-year-old shooter, an Antioch student, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after killing one classmate and injuring two others. 

According to Education Week, there have been 222 such shootings since 2018. There were 39 school shootings with injuries or deaths last year. There were 38 in 2023, 51 in 2022, 35 in 2021, 10 in 2020, and 24 each in 2019 and 2018.

These facts do not bring clarity to why these senseless killings happen in our US schools.

We offer our prayers for the staff, students and families at Antioch and know Principal Burnette will lead her school community through an impossibly difficult time with grace, empathy, care and love.

Perhaps our elected leaders will do more this time than offer platitudes and hollow excuses for inaction.

I’ve included the school’s mailing address below, if you would like to send a written message.  NSIP will send a floral arrangement and card on behalf of Time Change Coaches, staff and SAM teams nationally.

Antioch High School

Principal Nekesha Burnette

SAMs, Daniyah Johnson and Gayle Merkerson

1900 Hobson PikeAntioch, TN 37013

May this first school shooting of 2025 be the last.