Each year ACSA honors administrators in 19 categories, including Elementary Principal of the Year and Elementary Co-Administrator of the Year. Award nominations are available in September on the ACSA Web site and through regional leadership; regions select a nominee in each category to submit to state ACSA for consideration by the state deadline in February. For more information on ACSA's Administrators of the Year, please visit the Awards Program Web site.
The statewide Title 1 Distinguished Schools Recognition Awards are based on recent academic achievement data and progress in closing the achievement gap among numerically significant subgroups in the school. The federal Title 1 program is part of the No Child Left Behind Act. The provision is designed to give socio-economically disadvantaged children equity and access to a high-quality education in order to reach proficiency on state content standards as measured by state academic assessments. For more information about the Title I Academic Achievement Awards, please visit Title I Academic Achievement Awards Program - Title I, Part A - Accountability.
ACSA’s Don McKinley Scholarship aims to help school administrators finance professional development. Applications are accepted through individual regions. Nominees must provide an up-to-date résumé and cover letter describing how the scholarship would help toward the achievement of professional goals. Regions must approve each application and will each select two finalists, which must be forwarded to state ACSA in April, with the recipient announced in May. For more information or to apply, contact your region directly.
The Governor’s Challenge Competition challenges K-12 students and their teachers to exercise 30-60 minutes three times a week for a month. All physical activity is recorded online through the Governor’s Council for Physical Fitness and Sports Web site at www.calgovcouncil.org. Schools compete for cash awards up to $5,000 or brand new fitness centers, valued at $100,000.
The Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports Spotlight Award honors principals, teachers, companies, organizations, park and recreation programs, events and schools. Gold medalists will receive $10,000 to further promote physical activity in their communities; silver medalists $2,500 and bronze medalists $1,000. Principal of the Year is awarded to a K-12 principal who has gone above and beyond his or her normal responsibilities to inspire increased physical activity levels for his or her students. The awards committee will be looking for principals whose support of physical activity and fitness indicates an understanding of the correlation between that support and their students’ academic success. Nomination forms are available online at www.CalGovCouncil.org/spotlight.