The Taylor Education Department hosted the Indiana Association of School Principals (IASP) biannual meeting on April 14. About 45 members of the IASP from District 6 gathered in the Horne Academic Center Rotunda for a morning of productive conversation.
District 6 consists of seven counties, including Grant County, home to Taylor University. All Education majors begin classroom observations during their freshman year, many of which are at local District 6 schools. Over the course of their time at Taylor, they continue building experience in various schools until student teaching their senior year. Education majors graduate from Taylor with over 1100 hours of field placements, which equips them to lead their own classroom as qualified and capable teachers.
Todd Reagan, named Indiana principal of the year in 2025, was in charge of arranging this year’s IASP event. He reached out to the Taylor Education Department to ask if they would be interested in providing a space. Dr. Shelly Engle, Director of Teacher Education & Assistant Professor of Education, was happy to host as they discussed how to best educate the next generation. “These principals are our partners, and we loved spending this time with them on campus,” Engle said.
Reagan is the principal of Wes-Del Elementary, one of Taylor’s partner schools. Many Elementary Education students complete their student teaching there and learn a lot from Wes-Del’s exceptional STEM programming. In fact, Engle takes a class on a field trip to Wes-Del twice a year, just so her students can learn about their STEM curriculum. The Education Department also embraces Wes-Del's literacy program, placing many of their literacy practicum students at Wes-Del.
Reagan arranged a panel of superintendents from across Indiana to answer questions and foster productive conversation. The principals also discussed new IASP legislation and government initiatives to learn together how to best implement them within their respective schools. “We were so pleased to be able to meet at Taylor this spring,” said Reagan. The day was not only a productive time for the principals of District 6; it strengthened the bond between Taylor’s Education Department and their partnering schools.
