EdVantage with David Young

Horacio Sanchez, one of the nation’s most prominent experts on resiliency and applying brain science to improve school outcomes, joins me on the podcast today. Horacio shares some fascinating insights how certain elements of our school culture can impact student behavior, academic achievement, and resiliency. It’s a “behind the curtain” conversation that reveals how our actions as teachers and lea...

Author, podcaster, publisher, and all-around educational leadership expert Jimmy Casas joins the show today. We discuss his journey in education, the process of creating a healthy culture in your school or district, plus lots of great ideas for school leaders. Jimmy will be the Day 1 keynote speaker at Central Kentucky EDUCON on June 10 in Richmond, KY. For more information on EDUCON, visit www.ck...

It's hiring season again, and let's face it - there is nothing more important we do as leaders. Those who hire well give the organization an unparalleled opportunity to exponentially "leap forward" to higher levels of achievement. The best leaders know how to target, recognize, and prioritize high levels of talent when considering applicants. Mike Lafavers, former superintendent...

Principals matter on EdVantage! Will Parker, host of the popular national podcast Principal Matters: The School Leader’s Podcast , joins me today. Will is an author, consultant, speaker, and executive coach who leverages his expertise in school culture, leadership, and communication to equip educators with strategies for motivating students, inspiring teachers, and reaching communities. His latest...

Take a look at what is happening in the educational ecosystem - in our communities, state, legislature, funding, etc. It’s pretty to see that things are changing. As leaders, if we can anticipate the changes and make proactive shifts, it positions our schools and districts positively when those changes occur. This episode (and the blog post below) dig into the future of education and what we can d...

BALANCE is such a tough concept to understand. If we're honest, most of us struggle with it.  A big part of remedying the problem is to first become aware of the imbalance that exists. That's true of several balance points in education. We are aware of some of them - we just don't know how to address them. There are also others that we maybe haven't even considered. That's what...

It's March, which begins maybe the busiest time of the year for principals! The next few months will be spent trying to end this year strong while simultaneously planning for the summer and next year.  Evaluations, scheduling, testing, and hiring are only a few of the important tasks on the "to do" list.  It can be overwhelming, but there ARE some things you can do to make it more ma...

Artificial intelligence is taking the world by storm! It is really exciting, and it seems like the possibilities are endless - but it's also moving really fast. Those of us in administration are trying to figure out how students should and shouldn’t use it in the classroom, but there is another aspect we should consider: How can we use it to make us more effective leaders? AI expert Brian Buff...

Effective management of student behavior might be the top issue plaguing schools. Behavior specialist Maggie Hartlage joins EdVantage today with some tools and mindsets to help both principals and teachers begin moving student behavior in a positive direction. Negative, disruptive, and/or aggressive behavior can be crippling to the learning process and can make the school feel unsafe. Couple this...

It's the time of year when principals start thinking about professional development for the summer. There's so much to do at this time of year, and it's sometimes hard to know where to begin. In today's episode, we walk through the process of designing PD sessions that matter to your teachers and the school as a whole, deciding which PD topics are the best areas of focus for your s...

In today’s episode, we tackle a tough situation that all principals find themselves in from time to time: How should you handle it when a teacher isn’t meeting expectations? It falls on your shoulders to find the remedy. How should you think about the process? What steps should you take to help the teacher? When does the process become more evaluation than coaching? Knowing how to navigate these s...

What are the common characteristics of high impact schools, and how do they differ from low impact schools? How do leaders take random best practices and build them into a system for success? Whether you are a leader in a high-performing, average, or low performing school or district, there are some great information for you in today’s episode of EdVantage. 

Today, we pick up where we left off last week with walk-through observations. What should you be looking for when you enter the classroom? How do you leave feedback that helps teachers improve?  How do you utilize walk-throughs as a key tool for implementing your school’s agreements in every classroom? We talk about all of that and more in this week’s episode. 

Today, we talk about one of the most important things principals can do as an instructional leader - frequent classroom walk-through observations. We know how important they are, but sometimes they are so tough to get done. In the episode, we discuss the many benefits of walk-throughs, the two different types (including which is most popular and which is most valuable), and the three key criteria...

Building off last week's episode, David discusses how principals can operationalize the best practices used in superstar teachers' classrooms and scale them across the school.

The principal's job can be tough. It is arguably the most important role an educator can play in a school district. Successful principals must have a diverse skillset and the ability to lead effectively across many areas. How do you narrow the focus in order to achieve high levels of success? Join David as he discusses the principal's job in one sentence.

As principals and district instructional leaders, we often focus much of our professional learning on HOW teachers are teaching - as in, what techniques are being used during lessons. However, there is a blind spot that deserves some serious consideration before we focus so much on the HOW. Join David as he discusses the importance of WHAT teachers are teaching in the classroom.

Ron Clark, founder of the Ron Clark Academy, joins David on the podcast today. Ron is well-known throughout the education community as a force in education, sought-after consultant, keynote speaker, and New York Times Best Selling author. His perspective on how schools can help students succeed is refreshing and powerful. Also, Ron will be the keynote speaker new June 13 at the Central Kentucky ED...

TEACH LIKE A PIRATE author Dave Burgess joins the show to talk about leadership and great classroom instruction, as well as combining the best aspects of your personality, experiences, and expertise in order to become the best educator you can be. Dave will be speaking at the Central KY EDUCON on June 14, 2024. Space is limited, so visit WWW.CKEC.ORG to get more information and register for this a...

In the "Give Me 5" series, David outlines the Top 5 return on investment, can't miss, bang for your buck, structures, mindsets, and approaches for school and district success in Core Curriculum and Instruction.

Take a look at any education-related social media account, and you will see lots of messaging about the importance of relationships. This isn't incorrect - but it is incomplete. Relationships are important, for sure, but it's a lot more nuanced than that. Superintendent Matt Moore and Director of Elementary Schools Lori Jones of Jessamine County Schools join David today to talk about this...

Chad Brown, co-host of the popular podcast Naked Leadership and associate partner at business coaching firm Take New Ground, joins David to talk about focus, detailed vision, leading in "moments", ways to alleviate the tension we feel in leadership, and much more.

David spends some time talking with his kids - triplets Mason, Connor, and Emma - about their perspectives as students. They cover topics that will interest school and district leaders, including safety, teaching and learning, building relationships, career opportunities, and more.

If I said that I could identify your priorities and goals by looking at your budget, would you believe me? As educational leaders, we have to take strategic, purposeful action in order for our efforts to have the greatest impact - and that includes how we manage our funding. CKEC Associate Director and school finance expert David Morris joins the podcast today to share his Top 5 "can't mi...

As leaders, instilling a little fun into our organization can have a huge strategic impact. It can be engaging, stress-relieving, and empowering to staff. It can increase job satisfaction and have a ripple effect across the organization. Not only that, but it can make the new learning "episodic", which helps individuals retain and transfer the knowledge and skills they've attained. B...