Clear is the NEW Confident with Casey Watts

You've got questions, I've got answers! During this episode, I'll be answering YOUR questions about PLCs and Teams. I'll address questions like, "What does an ideal agenda look like for a PLC?" and, "How do you get PLCs started?" and, "What if a certain group of teachers are resistant?" These questions, plus the ones dropped in the comments will get an...

Do you ever find yourself or others asking, "What is our focus for PLCs this week?" When questions like this are asked, it's a sure sign that PLCs have lost their purpose! Join this episode to learn about strategies and tools that you can turnaround and implement with PLCs immediately so they can begin the year with a solid focus and feel revitalized to do purposeful work that matter...

In this episode, Eric Bransteter, expert educator and leader, will be sharing some of the learning he has gained from interviewing experts on his own podcast show, The Employee Experience in Education.  He claims that educators stay in organizations when they feel heard, supported, and valued- and I couldn’t agree more!!  Do you want to know what this actually looks like for leaders?  Join us for...

Do you find that you have a wonderful vision and instructional goals that your school should be working toward but you can't make progress toward them because of student behaviors? No one should have to spend all of their time and energy trying to solve this problem. At the same time, if the problem continues to exist, we cannot make progress with anything else, right?! How do we approach this...

In this episode, I'm joined by Steve Ventura, founder/ owner of Advanced Collaborative Solutions and author of Achievement Teams: How a Better Approach to PLCs Can Improve Student Outcomes and Teacher Efficacy . Steve will be sharing the latest findings on the transformative effects of coaching and discuss a handful of simple yet powerful strategies to elevate the work of those who find value...

Principals, are you ready to multiply your impact and strengthen tier 1 instruction? Introducing your greatest secret weapon: the instructional coach! Your instructional coach has the potential to drastically move the needle on student learning, but they cannot do it alone. The principal/coach relationship is crucial for growth. In this episode, Alissa Crabtree dives into the three ways the princi...

What if you could shift PLCs to become TEACHER-LED instead of being the one who carries the meetings? We all know that this is how it should be- that PLCs were always meant to be led by the professionals in the classroom on a daily basis. But that just isn't always the case. In fact, more often than not, instructional coaches or administrators are holding the weight of leading PLCs. Because of...

In this episode, we're spilling the beans on how principals can utilize instructional coaches to make their school everything they want it to be! Join us as we dive into practical tips, inspiring stories, and real-world strategies that can turn any campus into a thriving hub of learning. If you're a principal eager to unlock your school's full potential or just curious about the magic...

In this episode, we open the door to a world where instructional coaches and principals are not just colleagues but collaborators on on a journey! Join us as we jump into the heart of how coaches and principals align their goals, support one another's strengths, and unlock their full potential as educational leaders. There is a great transformation that can happen when instructional coaches an...

"I Connected Today: Team Engagement Cards": Get ready for some fantastic team-building tips and discover how these engagement cards, created by Talesha Savage, can foster stronger connections within your group. She will be sharing the origin story of these cards and explaining how you can use them to impact teams! Connecting with Talesha www.linkedin.com/in/taleshasavage www.twitter.com/...

In this episode with Naomi Hall, the Recovering Educator, we are thinking about how to support teams that experience stress! Here are the questions we're diving into: What are factors that cause stress in teams? How does stress show up in individuals or teams? What are major indicators? Can "stress" be contagious among team members? How does stress affect team dynamics? What can an i...

Sometimes you might think you want a do-over, but do you really want to experience deja vu as an instructional leader? Do you REALLY want to be part of a Groundhog Day movie?? Heck no! We want to see our people thrive and see our schools make progress! Here's how you know you're experiencing school leadership deja vu: 1. You notice yourself asking, "Didn't we do this PD last year...

Whether you have found yourself saying or thinking THIS: "I don’t even know where to begin to make this better...," or THIS: "There are too many problems- I don’t even know where to start...," or THIS: "It is too hard to get people to implement this and I’m just one person...," you're going to want to tune into this episode! I know exactly how it feels to be the p...

I know your goal is to align curriculum and instruction so that unintentional learning gaps are decreased and teacher capacity increases (along with student learning). But isn't that always easier said than done? A lot of the time the attempt to get everyone moving forward on the same path ends up fizzling out (if it ever starts). Most leaders don't know that this happens because they don&...

As an idea girl, I LOVE when people ask for ideas! But I can only help them and share valuable ideas if I have a more detailed picture of what it is they are seeking. For example, asking me for ideas for your son's birthday party doesn't really give me much information. I could provide better, more appropriate ideas if I knew his age, what he enjoys doing, what kind of party you're wan...

Karle Delo ​, a passionate and SUPER tech savvy educator, provides the most awesome tech tips on her social media platforms. She shares about everything from Google Docs, to Canva, to ChatGPT! I am always intrigued and excited by her content and I'm thrilled to have her as a guest on this episode! Catch our live conversation or the replay about ways leaders can embrace technology AND reduce te...

As we begin to think about the year ahead, you are very likely considering how to support PLCs so they are effective and valuable instead of lame and something to check off a to-do list. I LOVED this Change Catalyst Conversation with Cory Camp about Blended PLCs and Teams! She brings her experience and expertise about what this looks like in schools so YOU can shape PLCs into what they were meant...

In this Change Catalyst Conversation, I'm going to share about a Root-Cause analysis strategy known as the 10-5-5 protocol! This protocol will help you take a problem statement and drill down to determine a root cause that you then can strategically approach with reasonable solutions within your control. Bonus: I'm going to model what it looks like to go through this process with a problem...

Being the "newbie" on the team or the "newbie" to the school as an instructional leader can be exciting, daunting, invigorating, terrifying- ALL the things! Because we can be eager and anxious to get started, it can be a little overwhelming to navigate the new terrain and take the right steps. In this live session, I'm sharing the 5 of the most interesting (and powerful) th...

If you’re planning a summer PD for teams or thinking about how to spend time at the beginning of the year having teachers investigate standards, this will be super helpful!  Sarah Henry, coauthor if  Arrows: A Systems-Based Approach to School Leadership , will be sharing about how she mapping standards with teams. She'll be sharing about the strategies and processes necessary to map standards...

Instructional Leaders!!! This is an episode you don't want to miss! Here's the question we're conversing around: Is lesson design a lost art? If so, why? What should lesson design truly entail? And how does lesson design affect school teams? Join me with my guests, Alissa Crabtree , Jana Lee, and Michelle Ruhe for this hot topic discussion and then enjoy the resources we've linked...

Last month one of my podcast episodes was all about Why Tier 1 Instruction is Collapsing . I reviewed response data from a variety of stakeholders about this concept and the evidence was clear- everyone knows that Tier 1 instruction is lacking and almost everyone wants to place their focus on improving Tier 1 instruction in their school. But what wasn't clear to stakeholders is HOW exactly to...

Let's talk about the POWER of Listening Tours, a way Sherry St. Clair has crafted to help lead change in schools confidently and competently! In this episode, Sherry St. Clair will share all about the effective practice of Listening Tours. We'll chat about how listening tours can be implemented by instructional leaders as well as what to consider before delving into listening tours. Join u...

In this episode, I interview Carrie Rosebrock about how she leads districtwide PLC processes and structures! Talk about making change happen! This special guest is the co-author of the book, Arrows: A Systems-Based Approach to School Leadership . She has LOTS of great nuggets to share and I can't wait for you to listen! You'll learn about what she means when she says: "Tight-lose-tigh...

I recently read a post on LinkedIn that read: "If you have 800 students in Tier 2, you don't have an intervention problem; you have a Tier 1 problem." That post blew up with comments! Hundreds of people engaged with the post. So, I started asking different groups the question, "Do you believe Tier 1 instruction is lacking or flat out missing? If so, why?" Again, the respons...