Productive Disruption

Most districts know they're losing students. Very few know to whom. Almost none know why. In this episode, Rhodes Branding President Dan Wyar breaks down the four-part diagnostic Rhodes uses when a district comes to us with an enrollment problem including the one question most leaders never think to ask.

In this episode, Rhodes Branding President Dan Wyar walks through the exact questions we use before beginning any brand or campaign work and what the answers reveal. Every engagement at Rhodes Branding begins with a series of conversations we call Brand Insight Meetings. The questions we ask in those meetings determine everything that follows.

In this episode, Rhodes Branding President Dan Wyar sits down with Co-Founder Thomas Rhodes to revisit Thomas’s op-ed Honoring Work — a heartfelt call to restore respect and dignity to every kind of job. Together, they explore how our culture’s relationship with work has shifted, why certain career paths remain undervalued, and what it means for schools preparing the next generation of workers. Fr...

Many schools treat summer like the off-season. Parents don’t. In this conversation, Dan Wyar (President of Rhodes Branding) and Ginny Kowalski (VP of Operations) share two very different enrollment journeys Ginny experienced as a parent this past summer. One school went quiet after enrollment. The other stayed connected with intentional touchpoints that built trust and confidence. The lessons are...

Career & Technical Education (CTE) is about providing hands-on, real-world learning opportunities to students as they explore their passions to find their purpose. The Rhodes Branding team was thrilled to do just that by partnering with the Association for Career & Technical Education (ACTE) to mentor high school students in San Antonio, Texas, on a hands-on video production project for AC...

Career & Technical Education (CTE) is transforming the future of education and workforce development. In this special CTE Month edition of  Productive Disruption , host  Dan Wyar  sits down with three dynamic CTE leaders from across the country:   Chris Brida , Director of CTE & Advanced Coursework, Portland Public Schools (OR)   Leon Burgess , Director of Secondary Education, College &amp...

In honor of Careers in Construction Month, we invited a Construction Technology Instructor and the Director of Career & Technical Education from Austin Independent School District to share how the construction pathway in the eighth-largest school district in Texas prepares students for successful careers in a lucrative industry. They cover how project-based courses through the pathway provide...

On this episode of Productive Disruption, we sit down with  Channing Jones  of Minneapolis Public Schools and  Dr. Shelley Neilsen Gatti  from the University of St. Thomas to explore the  MPS + St. Thomas Teacher Residency  – an innovative partnership that’s cultivating homegrown talent, increasing diversity among educators, and creating a sustainable, supportive pathway to teaching. Discover how...

Go behind the scenes of a successful, 10-school rebrand with Dothan City Schools and Rhodes Branding! Get the scoop on this district-agency partnership from Dothan’s Public Relations Officer Meagan Dorsey and our Creative Director Michael Ho. Learn what goes into the creation, launch, and community adoption of 10 new visual identities that align Dothan City Schools’ elementaries with the district-...

Discover how leaders can create a supportive and inclusive online school culture. Dive into the digital realm of education with Alicia Hughes, an expert in organizational leadership in the virtual space – having pioneered a virtual public charter school that continues to thrive on collaboration and relationships. In this episode, Alicia shares tried-and-true strategies for setting professional and...

To explore ways K-12 Human Resources and district leaders can utilize AI to maximize efficiency in their districts, we’re talking with a superintendent from Ohio who’s well-versed and proactive in modeling effective usage of AI in his district. Kirk Koennecke, CEO/Superintendent of Indian Hill Exempted Village School District, shares how to empower and inspire administrators, teachers, and staff t...

February is Career & Technical Education Month, and we’re celebrating and elevating CTE with nationally recognized leader Dr. Sarah Heath! Recipient of Advance CTE’s 2023 State CTE Distinguished Leadership Award, Sarah is the State Director for Career and Technical Education in Colorado and Associate Vice Chancellor for Career and Technical Education (CTE) at the Colorado Community College Sys...

Superintendents set the stage for how values and vision drive district culture, making them key players in educator recruitment. To explore the superintendent’s role in educator recruitment and retention, we asked AASA’s 2023 National Superintendent of the Year® and leader of the No. 1 ranked district for "best places to teach" and "best teachers" in the Rochester, NY area what...

Tyler Vawser brings his personal experience in recruiting, onboarding, and culture as Apptegy/SchoolCEO’s former VP of People to a conversation about SchoolCEO’s extensive research on educator retention and recruitment. Today, Tyler is VP of Marketing and leads Apptegy’s Marketing & Media teams, which offer a number of resources to school leaders including guides to school marketing and School...

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) expert and K-12 communications director Rebecca Bultsma joins Molly at  Rhodes Branding  to demystify AI in education, share practical tactics, and discuss ethical implementation of the resource in modern educational settings. Follow Rebecca on  LinkedIn  and  Twitter  for more daily AI applications and insights.

In our second podcast featuring the Educator Perceptions and Insights Center (EPIC), we sit down with Dr. Luke Simmering, Owner and Director of Research. Luke is an experienced Industrial/Organizational Psychologist with over 15 years of experience leading talent assessment and development objectives for global organizations across multiple industries. Tune in to learn more about how Luke and EPIC...

American Association of School Personnel Administrators (AASPA) Executive Director Dr. Dale Fisher joined Molly McGowan Gorsuch to talk about this year's AASPA conference in Anaheim and current hot topics related to K-12 human resources, recruitment, and retention. An active AASPA member since 2012, Dr. Fisher is currently the Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources at Deerfield Public Sc...

Check out the latest episode of Productive Disruption! We sit down with Dr. Bret Church the Owner and Managing Director of the Educator Perceptions and Insights Center (EPIC) and an Associate Professor of School Leadership at Emporia State University. Bret is joining me today to discuss how he and his business partner, Dr. Luke Simmering, are bringing the industry-standard practice of using data t...

Check out the latest episode of Productive Disruption! We sit down with Dr. Don Killingbeck to talk about his innovative work as the Superintendent of the Hemlock Public School District. With his extensive background, including a doctorate in Educational Leadership & Administration and advanced degrees in Educational Technology and Instructional Design, Dr. Killingbeck is a passionate advocate...

For our first podcast of 2023, we dove into the world of higher education to learn how two university leaders are developing innovative strategies for engaging with prospective families during the admissions process. Bucknell University's Lisa Keegan and Heather Johns joined the podcast to discuss the different touchpoints throughout Bucknell's admissions process and some of the tools, tactics, an...

Welcome back to another episode of Productive Disruption! This week, we are joined by Larry Jacobs , the Founder and President of The American Consortium for Equity in Education (ACE-ED) . According to the company's website, ACE-ED is the only multimedia platform and educational organization focusing exclusively on equity and access for every learner. Additionally, Larry is the host of Ed Talk Rad...

This week, we are joined by Rebecca Rolland, author of "The Art of Talking With Children." In her latest book, she explores different techniques and methods to help parents and teachers build better relationships with their children. In addition to being an author, Rebecca is a speech pathologist and Harvard lecturer.    Connect with Rebecca: https://rebeccarolland.com/  Connect wit...

Welcome to a new episode of Productive Disruption! In this episode, Molly McGowan Gorsuch, APR sat down with Mark Sherwood, Chief Communications and Marketing Officer at Cincinnati Public Schools.    Topics covered in this episode:  The day-to-day role of a Chief Communications and Marketing Officer  The importance of a marketing team in K12 education  Corporate marketing...

Welcome back to another episode of Productive Disruption!  In this episode, Gabby Dionisio , Copywriter at Rhodes Branding, sits down with Shakaka Perry , a Re-Engagement Coordinator for Communities in Schools of Charlotte Mecklenburg. In this conversation, they discuss how crucial Shakaka's role is for her assigned school, what it takes to build strong relationships with students, and how CO...

Marie Russell is the Director of Communications, Family Engagement & Outreach & Turlock Unified School District in California, and was named the 2021-2022 Communicator of the Year by CalSPRA - the California state chapter of the National School Public Relations Association. Trinette Marquis is the Executive Director of CalSPRA, and serves as an instructor for the CalSPRA Academy courses. &...