Jeryl L. Martin, the principal of Thomas B. Doherty High School in Colorado Springs, Colo., was named the 2007 National High School Principal of the Year on Sept. 18. The award is sponsored by the Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. and the National Association of Secondary School Principals.
Ms. Martin is credited with increasing average daily attendance and with overseeing improvements that have lowered the dropout rate. She also expanded honors and Advanced Placement classes at the 2,000-student school and introduced “Parent Connection,” which allows parents to check grades and attendance by computer or telephone.
The National Middle Level Principal of the Year for 2007, named Sept. 11, is Ellen Minette. She heads Heidelberg Middle School in Heidelberg, Germany, a Department of Defense Education Activity school. Ms. Minette, who has been at the school since 2000, restructured the 650-student school to include block scheduling and groups of smaller, grade-level units.
