(Harrisburg, PA)—More than 300 elementary, middle level and secondary school principals, assistant principals, supervisors and other education leaders will convene in State College for the 17th annual conference of the Pennsylvania Association of Elementary and Secondary School Principals (PA Principals Association) to be held October 4-6, 2009 at The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel.

“This year’s PA Principals Association conference once again provides an Act 45 opportunity and definitely meets the primary purpose of professional development in an educational environment to increase the effectiveness of all who are engaged in the teaching-learning process. As I have come to know over my 11 years of being part of this organization, the conference also gives attendees the opportunity to network with other school administrators, which is also a very important element,” said Richard R. Kaskey, 2009 conference chairperson.

Senator Jane Clare Orie, Majority Whip for the Republican Caucus, has been selected as PA Principals Association’s 2009 Educational Excellence Award recipient. The award is given to a person who has been a “friend of public education” and who has made significant contributions to the attainment of educational excellence in the Commonwealth’s elementary and secondary schools. During the past year, Sen. Orie was an outspoken critic of the Governor’s Keystone Exams (formerly Graduate Competency Assessments). She is the prime sponsor of Senate Bill 281, which would require legislative approval of all new graduation requirements. It is currently in the House Appropriations Committee for consideration. The award will be presented to Sen. Orie during PA Principals Association’s 25th Annual Banquet (6:15 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2009).

Some other awards to be given out at the conference include the National Distinguished Principals and the Assistant, Middle Level and High School Principals of the Year. These will also be given during the banquet.

In addition to the more than 70 vendors exhibiting their wares for schools and classrooms, a multitude of professional and informational breakout sessions and keynote addresses will be presented to attendees during the three-day conference. Dr. Neila Connors, motivational speaker, education consultant and author of If You Don’t Feed the Teachers, They Eat the Students, will present a keynote with the same name at the First General Session and a breakout session, “An Afternoon with Neila,” on Sunday, October 4.

Charlotte Danielson, an author and education consultant specializing in teacher evaluation and performance assessment, will present a breakout session, “Conducting Professional Conversations,” and a keynote, “Making the Most of Teacher Evaluation,” on Monday, October 5 at the Second General Session.

Also presenting on Monday is Dr. Douglas Reeves, the founder of The Leadership & Learning Center, speaker, author and student achievement expert, will present the keynote address, “Data Analysis: Looking Deeper Into Data,” at the Third General Session.

As the final general session speaker on Tuesday, Oct. 6, David Andrews, Esq., the managing partner of Andrews and Beard Law Offices, Altoona, Pa., will present a “Legal Update” at the Fourth General Session concluding the conference.

Other distinguished speakers and guests include Dr. Gerald L. Zahorchak, Pennsylvania Secretary of Education, and Dr. Regina Palubinsky, special assistant to the Secretary of Education, who will address the conference during the buffet breakfast at 8:15 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 6. W. Diane Cargile, president of the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP), and Steve S. Pophal, president of the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), will also be in attendance. They are scheduled to speak at the annual banquet on Sunday, Oct. 4 from 6:15 – 8 p.m., sponsored by Highmark Healthy High Five and the Highmark Foundation.

Also on Tuesday, Oct. 6 at PA Principals Association’s Annual Business Meeting, President David G. Bieri, an elementary principal from the Scranton School District, will ‘pass the gavel’ to President-Elect Rebecca L. Stanfield, a middle school principal from the Troy Area School District, making her the 2009-2010 PA Principals Association president.

For further information or to schedule an interview or photo, please contact Sheri Thompson, PA Principals Association director of communications, at (717) 732-4999 (office telephone), (717) 395-6814 (cell) or e-mail: sherit@paprincipals.org.

PA Principals Association’s Mission: To ensure a quality education for every child by comprehensively supporting the educational leaders of our schools.

PA Principals Association’s Vision: To be the best service organization of its kind in the United States.