Cognia Leader Chat

This conversation was fun and enlightening! I know Jeff pretty well, and it was obvious to me that he was giddy talking with Janet Godwin, the CEO of ACT, in this Leader Chat episode. Janet’s perspective may surprise you. Her view on the need for change in education and how we consider assessment results was refreshing. As the producer of the show, I try to ensure we keep our shows under a certain...

If you were to close your eyes and imagine an educational leader 100% committed to serving students, educators, and her community. . . . this leader also possesses a peaceful passion for student success amidst even the most challenging times in education . . . You may not have known it, but you are thinking of Diane Starkovich. Her leadership story is pretty awesome, but hearing her talk with Jeff...

It makes sense that when new challenges in schools arise, so would innovative models and solutions. In an earlier Leader Chat with Richard Ingersoll regarding teacher shortages, he mentioned ‘Teacher-Powered Schools’. After some research, we invited Amy Junge and Wendy Salcedo-Fierro to talk with us. While we all think of the traditional principal leading and managing the school, there are new way...

Listening to Jeff talk with Kwame Johnson is a treat. Kwame has an inspiring story, and his passion for the importance of our youth being mentored and having reliable relationships is a gift. Kwame has leveraged his own experience into what is now his life’s work, and the difference he is making is incredible. Leaders will love Kwame simply because he is forward thinking and reminds us all to simp...

Have you ever heard the phrase - “hope is not a strategy”? What if it is?  This conversation between Jeff and Casey Gwinn, a coauthor of Hope Rising, How the Science of Hope can Change your Life will likely impact your perspective about what hope actually is, and the power it can play in lives if understood and embraced. As you are about to hear, this is great stuff.

Our goal with our leader chats is to provide our educational leaders with pragmatic input, advice, and direction that adds to their skillset and perspective. It’s fair to say that we nailed it with this episode due to the work of David Noble and Carol Kauffman. Their book, Real Time Leadership is one we highly suggest you look into right away. When you listen to their wise advice, likely you will...

I am Kris Richard, producer of our Leader Chat. I am not a traditional educator, so as I listen to our guests and Jeff talk, I always learn something new. This discussion with Todd Whitaker is DENSE. Clearly School Change is a topic unto itself, but the art and strategy of LEADING it is different. Jeff and Todd were like peas in a pod and could have gone on forever. Blame me or thank me, but I fin...

Educational leaders should not ONLY listen to and learn from educators. Districts and schools may be complicated places, but there are also other organizations that are committed to serving our youth that do incredible work. Case in point . . . this week Jeff talks with Jim Clark, the CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of America. They serve 5,100 centers/locations impacting 4.6 million students! Yeah, you...

If you have not experienced or heard of our current challenges related to our teacher force, you are either lucky or not paying attention. It’s a significant challenge now and promises to be only more so in the future. In this Leader Chat Jeff engages Dr. Ingersoll who is a leading expert on America’s elementary and secondary teaching force, and a professor in education and sociology at the Univer...

One thing that is so cool about our Leader Chats is the diversity of those we talk with. We are so fortunate to have access to great leaders that we can all learn from. Jon Hage, CEO of Charter Schools USA, joined us to discuss their vision, hopes, and challenges and all that they have learned along the way. As you will notice, Jon is passionate about the mission of impacting the lives of kids, an...

Educational leaders should be in-tune with educational trends . . .  what has happened, what is current, and most importantly- what is around the bend. The dilemma for leaders is time. The lives of educational leaders are so busy, it makes paying attention to educational trends difficult. Kevin Hogan can help. Tracking innovative ideas and trends in education is what Hogan does, and in this Leader...

Have you heard of the Seven Mindsets ? Jeff Waller’s work spearheaded the movement. It’s been spreading throughout the country for several years, and it has never been more relevant than now. His book, Ridiculously Amazing Schools , builds on everything that he and his team have learned about what leadership characteristics are needed for schools to be amazing. As ‘the Jeffs’ talk, you will be tou...

Welcome to part two of our chat with Jeff Duncan Andrade. If you have not listened to part one, we invite you to do so. You will thank us later. Jeff’s perspective on equity and his passion for serving all students is powerful. Leaders, and educators, we hope you enjoy!

Mike Schmoker has a way of cutting to the heart of the truth and simultaneously inspiring educators to dream of what’s possible. The fact is, educators can easily get distracted. Schmoker reminds us that if we stay focused on what we already know works, incredible things can happen for students. If you are in any way responsible for leading schools, this is a must listen.

We are so lucky we were able to recruit Dr. Stephen Peters to talk with us. When we did, we had no idea he was a movie star, or at least close to one having been a leader on the documentary ‘American High School.’ Stephen is a wise leader with a rich background as a school and district leader. He and Jeff discuss the need for some future changes and most importantly, what leaders can do to drive t...

AJ Crabill is likely one of the most knowledgeable leaders on School Board Governance you can find. As you will hear Jeff and AJ discuss, governance is often messy work, but it does not have to be with the right guidance and support. AJ and Jeff unpack what they notice in terms of current trends and spend time talking about what leaders can do to help guide the process relative to what is best for...

What a treat. Jeff Duncan-Andrade is a passionate educator, man, and father. He has dedicated himself to serving his community and driving change to a system that, as he describes, is not designed to support all students. The focus and perspective of equity he describes and lives by are clear, and his convictions, regardless of one’s perspective, should be listened to. Jeff and Jeff’s conversation...

Shane Safir is one of the authors of the very popular book Street Data: A Next-Generation Model for Equity, Pedagogy, and School Transformation. One of our Leadership Circle members recommended to Jeff we feature this inspirational conversation, and we are so glad we did. Street Data is different than so many educational texts and dives into the heart of how we envision and determine what success...

There is no doubt about it. Bill Dagett is a DEEEEP thinker and is an expert in pushing us to be the same. He and Jeff lean in on the topic of pursuing a new narrative and model in education to serve students in the future. Bill breaks down elements of our current challenges and fortunately provides some advice on how we can move forward. As one behind the camera, I could tell Jeff and Bill could...

Our worries about teacher shortage and a lack of motivation for young professionals to seek a career in teaching are real and it’s shared. In this Leader Chat, Jeff talks with Dr. Denise Spangler, Dean of the College of Education at the University of Georgia. She has led at UGA for many years, and her lens into this problem and the potential for future opportunities for change is something we shou...

If you have been an educator any time within the last twenty years, and don’t know who Dr. Doug Fisher is, what rock have you been hiding under? All kidding aside, Doug Fisher is known as an expert in a number of things . . . . literacy, professional learning communities, but today he and Jeff chat about Leadership Credibility. Doug wrote Leader Credibility: the essential traits of those who engag...

If you listen to this, you will learn that Deborah Delisle is an amazing leader. As the president and chief executive officer of All4Ed, past CEO of ASCD, and was the U.S. assistant secretary of elementary and secondary education, she provides insights and wise advice from a leadership perspective. Deb and Jeff try to focus on the topics of innovation, underserved students, and working in teams, b...

Those who have been in education for some time and have paid attention know Robert Marzano is a rock star! His expertise runs deep in many areas, and in this Leader Chat, we were thrilled to pick his brain on leading and implementing proficiency-based systems in schools and districts. We are so lucky to have such an esteemed lineup of guests, and Dr. Marzano only adds to the esteem of our show. As...

As the past superintendent of Hillsborough County Public Schools and New York State Education Commissioner, MaryEllen Elia knows what she is talking about. Jeff recruited her to this Leader Chat to discuss strategies on setting up district systems aligned to the needs of students, something MaryEllen is passionate about. This conversation is relevant to education leaders regardless of the size, lo...

Well, Joshua Starr and Jeff clearly have a lot in common and are past friends. They are both experienced school district leaders and passionate about the moral imperative and strategy of leading with an equity mindset. Joshua is clear, honest, and able to describe the challenge and nuance of leading during challenging times. Jeff loved his book, Equity-Based Leadership , and after hearing this dis...