January 20, 2022
Fellow administrators, members, and supporters of NHAE:
I hope everyone finds themselves well and that your loved ones are in good health as well. As educational leaders we continue to find ourselves in this battle against COVID-19 and how disruptive it has been to the educational process. On top of that, we recently experienced a work stoppage in CPS that left our students and families without access to education. Fortunately under the leadership of our new CEO, Pedro Martinez, an agreement was reached with the CTU that returned students to our schools and classrooms. During that process our CEO reached out directly to school leaders during Zoom calls to hear from principals, who are usually caught in the middle between the teachers and central office, during these work stoppages. I do not believe that during my time at CPS, as a school leader, a CEO has had such direct contact with principals. I commend CEO Martinez for his efforts in engaging with such an important stakeholder group at Chicago Public Schools, our principals who have a pulse on what is happening among the staff and in the school community.
This month our invited guests are CPS Network Chiefs who will share their leadership stories and inspire our members to consider what their next career move could be. Whether it is moving from a teacher leader position, to an assistant principal position, or an assistant principal to a principal position, or from a principal position to a network or central office position, members need to be prepared to move on to the next step. Having the support of mentors and support networks, leaders create succession plans, and always, continue educational growth and professional learning opportunities in order to lay a solid foundation for success. Remember NHAE is one of those support networks, and we are committed to supporting you along your professional path as an educational leader.
I thank all who are able to participate in person today and those participating via Zoom. Let’s hope that we are turning a corner with respect to this omicron variant of the virus and that it will no longer disrupt our lives as profoundly as it has in the last month. Please continue advocating for the communities you serve, and most of all remember to take care of yourselves and your loved ones.
Dr. Antonio Acevedo
President of the Network of Hispanic Administrators in Education