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Member Resources
Click the icons below to access MESPA Member Resources! Not a member yet? Click here to join today!
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Opportunities to connect with, learn from, and support your colleagues:
Find colleagues’ contact information, leaders in your division, experts in education topics, and more in the Member Directory. Connect with colleagues and get quality professional development at a Division Meeting near you. Share and answer questions about best practices, common strategies, new technologies, and other ideas in the Discussion Forums. Read articles written by your colleagues about current education trends in the MESPA Advocate Blog. Get topical communications customized to the needs of educational leaders through the weekly MESPA e-news.
Legal and Legislative Benefits:
Get legal advice, support, and protection from MESPA's dedicated legal and legislative counsel. Attend a full-day legal seminar in the Fall and gain the legal insights needed to be effective in your work. Strengthen your political voice as MESPA's Legislative Resolutions Committee promotes legislation favorable to education and the principalship through lobbying efforts sponsored by EPAC (the Elementary Principals Action Committee). Stay current on activities of the legislature with weekly updates during the legislative session.
Professional development opportunities and resources for you and your district:
Attend year-round, high-quality, low-cost, engaging professional development designed for principals, by principals! And don't miss MESPA Institute, our 3-day conference in February, featuring incredible keynotes, relevant focus sessions, MESPA Speaks from your colleagues, a MakerSpace Showcase, and an Unconference for guiding your own learning. Plus, take time to explore all of our online resources listed above and view FREE online professional development opportunities listed at the bottom of the professional development page!
"MESPA provides the leadership and the resources that many of us use to better meet the challenges we face every day. MESPA is the foundation which keeps me grounded and focused on what is most important for my school. Whether it is the main office personnel, the division leadership teams, or the smaller cohorts such as our East Central group, MESPA is dedicated professionals committed to making our students successful." - Randy Pauly Isanti Middle School |
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Additional Resources
You can add/renew NAESP membership as a part of your MESPA membership application for access to an impressive array of expanded legal protection, increased connections to experts and colleagues throughout the country, and many other unique benefits at the national level. You can view NAESP membership benefit information here.School districts such as Bloomington and St. Paul have mounting evidence that Pre-K investments create positive long-term results. Poverty and EL students who participate in Pre-K programs perform at the same level as, or above, most of their peers by third grade in reading and math, and they perform much higher than their poverty and EL peers who didn’t participate in Pre-K programs.
The momentum around increasing services for early learners in Minnesota is driven by several factors, including:
- Daycare is expensive and families want help with these costs.
- Many single parent and low-income families need Pre-K in order to support their ability to get and retain employment.
- Parent choice in schools, programs, and services is important to many.
- Pre-K is a powerful strategy in creating kindergarten readiness and closing the achievement gap.
MESPA has created a Pre-K Design Team led by Eric Skanson from Cold Spring Elementary School. This team is made up of MESPA principals statewide who have interest and experience in leading PreK-3 Communities. This team is partnering with Early Learning Director Bobbie Burnham and Mike Brown from the Minnesota Department of Education to create relevant and effective professional development around this theme. Visit the Professional Development page to learn more about the Pre-K Leadership Series and register today!
Useful Reading:
- Leading PreK-3 Learning Communities, Competencies for Effective Principal Practice, National Association of Elementary School Principals
- Making a Difference, 10 Essential Steps to Building a Pre-K 3 System by Linda Sullivan-Dudzic