A major education association is expanding the range of members it supports, overlapping with the mission of another established group.

On March 16, the National Association of Secondary School Principals, which serves high-school administrators and also manages the National Honor Society, announced that it would also welcome elementary-school principals as members. To reflect the shift, NASSP will change its name to the National Principals Association, officially relaunching July 1.

NASSP CEO Ronn Nozoe said the idea for the change was proposed by state-level affiliate organizations that were already serving K-12 principals. “They told us that they like the K-12 nature of the state affiliates, and could we not have a similar structure at the national level?” he said. Last October, Nozoe brought the proposal to the board, which assessed the idea. Substantive changes in organizational structure at NASSP require a member vote, which was held—and passed—last December.

Between now and July, NASSP will be looking at what services it will need to expand. “We’re taking a look at our assets and the way we’ve deployed our current resources, and we will add on as we go,” Nozoe said. “We know that we need to reorganize internally, but we also know that as the growth continues, there will probably be a need for expansion.”

NASSP will also need to make board-level changes, said NASSP chair Dr. Evelyn Edney. “We will be needing to look at our governance structure,” she said. “Right now, our board is comprised of secondary-school principals, and so we want to make sure there’s K through 12 representation on the board.”

The change also means that NASSP will be competing for members with a long-established group, the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP). The two groups have collaborated in the past around shared advocacy goals.  

In a statement, NAESP said, “NAESP continues to be the trusted voice for leaders guiding the nation’s earliest and most foundational years of learning. NASSP rebranding as the National Principals Association and expanding to include elementary school leaders won’t change that. NAESP remains strong, growing, and fully committed to the principals, assistant principals, and aspiring school leaders we serve.”

NAESP President April Knight added: “Pre‑K–8 leaders deserve an organization that understands their unique challenges. That has always been NAESP’s priority. Our focus is not shifting—and it will continue to set us apart.”

Nozoe acknowledged the overlap between NAESP and the newly configured NASSP, but said there was room for both groups to thrive.

“We’re still open to continue that sort of advocacy [with NAESP],” he said. “For us, it’s not a competition. Our members have spoken, and our goal is to make sure that we meet their needs. All of our attention is focused on how are we meeting our current member needs, and how are we taking their input to shape the future of the organization.”

Edney said any perception of conflict “isn’t our reality. We’re excited to collaborate with any NAESP, at any time, with any of our events, our advocacy, our networking.”

Next month NASSP will begin promoting the new brand identity and expanded membership in earnest before officially migrating to a new website and brand in July. “We want to be the kind of organization people are banging down the doors to be with, to be a part of,” Nozoe said. “And we know that we have to earn it.”