Five Professional Organizations for Mississippi School Leaders
- Jeremy Gibbs
- Jan 21, 2023
- 3 min read
One of the core values that I try to live by and to promote in my school is Improve Every Day. In addition to reading books and articles, listening to podcasts, and having discussions about leadership with friends and colleagues, I have gotten involved with several professional organizations. These organizations offer news, training, scholarships, and opportunities to serve. I have gained a lot from my membership in these groups.
Joining and participating in professional organizations can greatly benefit current and aspiring school leaders.
First, many of these organizations offer professional development that counts toward maintaining licensure. For a small fee, Mississippi educators can receive CEUs, SEMIs, or OSLs. Some even offer these for free.
Next, many of these organizations hold annual or biannual conferences where you can network with other school leaders, meet representatives from vendors, try out new products, and learn more about the profession in whole-group or breakout sessions.
Also, many of these organizations can help you stay updated on current news and issues that affect education policy. With their monthly email newsletters and quarterly publications, you can easily track what’s important at the local, state, and national levels.
Improving every day doesn’t just happen. Great school leaders seek out opportunities to grow and make personal and professional development a priority.
Here are five professional organizations in Mississippi that you can get involved with today.
Mississippi Professional Educators (MPE)
With over 13,000 members, MPE is Mississippi’s largest organization for educators. MPE offers $2 million in professional liability protection, competitive scholarships for National Board certification and graduate programs, and administrator school grants. My school was the recipient of a $1000 grant to support teacher morale this year. MPE also provides many regional training sessions with free CEUs for members.
I personally like the weekly email newsletter that arrives in my inbox every Friday morning. I am able to keep up with legislative action that directly affects my school and district every week. MPE publishes the MPE Journal three times a year, as well.
Mississippi Association of School Administrators (MASA)
Founded in 1932, MASA is Mississippi’s oldest administrator association. MASA strives to provide growth opportunities for Mississippi’s school administrators, and they value the connections school leaders make within their organization.
MASA holds two conferences annually. At the fall conference, MASA announces the Mississippi Superintendent of the Year, who then goes on to compete nationally. MASA partners with MASS, the Mississippi Association of School Superintendents, to support schools and students around the state.
Mississippi Association of Secondary School Principals (MASSP)
MASSP is the Mississippi branch of the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP). Joining MASSP automatically includes membership in the national organization, and qualifies you for national benefits such as legal fee reimbursement and liability insurance.
MASSP members receive the NASSP Principal’s Update, a daily digest of articles geared toward school and district leadership, and the NASSP bulletin. Members have access to tons of online resources, as well. MASSP holds an annual conference in Biloxi, MS, in June each year.
Mississippi Association of Elementary School Administrators (MAESA)
Like MASSP, MAESA is the state affiliate for NAESP, the National Association of Elementary School Principals. MAESA offers many of the same benefits as MASSP.
Since I learned about this organization, I have enjoyed listening to the NAESP Principal Podcast. I’ve gained a wealth of knowledge about developing new leaders, overcoming obstacles, and improving my leadership. Many of the episodes focus on soft skills needed to become an effective leader–something that I think is lacking in our state’s school leadership preparation and development.
Mississippi Regional Education Service Agencies (MS RESAs)
MS RESAs is the Mississippi Department of Education’s official resource for professional development. Composed of six regional agencies, MS RESAs compiles online and in-person training opportunities to help administrators, teachers, students, and communities.
The agency for my region, EMCED, holds monthly administrator workshops where administrators discuss issues we are currently facing in our schools. I have brought back several ideas from those sessions that have benefited my school. I always look forward to comparing notes with other principals in my region whenever we meet.
There are many other state and national professional organizations for current and aspiring school leaders, and I encourage you to find the ones that are right for you!
Have you had experience with these or other professional organizations? Let me know in the comments below!
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