The Modern Principal Podcast

Feeling a little stuck as a principal? Thinking it might be time to leave your school, district, or the role altogether? You're not alone! It's normal to have those thoughts, and principal burnout is real. This week on the pod, Karen and Christy discuss how you might know it's time to leave the principalship and their own thoughts and feelings when they did the same. 

How do you know when you're ready to be a principal? This is one of The Modern Principal's most-asked questions, and on this week's podcast, we're breaking down the ways you might know you're ready for the role! The principalship is hard and grueling but also one of the most fulfilling and fun - are you ready to make the jump! Tune in this week to find out! 

It's a new year, and we can't help but talk about the new habits we are trying to cultivate. Whether it's screen time, health habits, or how you spend your weeknights, we talk all about the habits that are helping us balance our work and personal lives. Check out this week's pod!  Referenced: How a Modern Principal Plans her Day Laura Vanderkam's 168 Hours Charles Duhigg's The Power of Habit Insid...

Is it essential for a principal to be the first to arrive to campus and the last to leave? How do you remain visible while still balancing your actual work and personal life? This week on the pod, Karen and Christy talk through how a principal can find ways to be visible that are authentic to YOU!  Referenced in This Week's Episode: Doug Reeves' Time Management for Busy School Leaders ASCD's How t...

An unregulated adult cannot support an unregulated student. We know it's true, and it's up to us as principals to support our teachers and staff when student behavior is hard. Check out this week's pod all about supporting the adults in the school who are supporting our students through crisis.  Referenced:   When the Adults Change, Everything Changes by Paul Dix

Do you have several students exhibiting escalated, maybe even physical, behaviors? What is a principal to do when there are more kids than adults available? Check out this week's pod all about how to respond when your building is trying to address multiple behavior crises at once.  Referenced: Geoff Colvin and The Acting Out Cycle

Your teachers and staff are amazing. You appreciate everything they do but know you're not telling them enough. Check out this week's pod all about showing your teachers and staff how much you appreciate them! You'll find quick and easy tips to create a culture of gratitude in your school! 

This week on the pod, Karen and Christy do an overview of the elements to consider when planning for a student who needs Tier 3 behavior supports. The Modern Principal walks you through behaviors, antecedents, consequences, functions, and more! Check out this pod if you're struggling with student behaviors and need to get your team on the same page.

Have you noticed an increase in the need for student behavior supports? You're not alone. Students behaviors seem to have increased across the country, but you're in luck - we have Amanda and Danielle from Navigating Behavior Change here to help! They are passionate about providing supports to educators to help students change their socially significant behaviors for the better, and we need to sta...

What even is attendance anymore? We came from a world of perfect attendance awards then to a world where we forced students to stay home for two weeks or more when they had a runny nose. So, what do we need to do in our schools with attendance now that we are in this new era? In this week's pod, The Modern Principal talks all things student attendance!  Check out the EdWeek article we referenced h...

We started this podcast with a DISCLAIMER: All districts have their own approaches to special education, and even more important, there are a lot of laws and statutes of which we are not experts. However, with that being said, there ARE ways to grow your own knowledge of special education as a principal. You can be a confident leader who understands the processes and supports available and provide...

With more and more staffing shortages and uncertainties, some school districts are taking a more centralized approach to hiring. This means many principals may be welcoming staff members they didn't hire or maybe even didn't interview. What's the solution? Karen and Christy talk through how to deal with new colleagues that you didn't necessarily choose yourself. 

During Covid precautions, it was easy to feel more removed from your school community. This week's episode discusses how to bring families into your buildings after re-evaluating what you want community to look like in this new transition! 

Adding joy to the school day is important for increased attention and motivation for all students and staff. Plus, joy for the sake of joy is important, too! In this week's pod, we share how to infuse the fun and joy into each and every day, and also how to add in some bigger events throughout the year! Check it out! 

Schools across the country have a lot of new teachers this year. This week on the pod, The Modern Principal breaks down how to onboard and support new teachers to your school. Onboarding new teachers can't be a one-time meet 'n greet, but it needs to occur throughout the year. Check out this pod for all of our tips on supporting new teachers!  Books Referenced in This Podcast: Get Better Faster by...

As a principal, documentation is the last thing you want to do, but it's a must. In this podcast, we share the systems principals can use to document conversations with students, staff and parents. We share our systems that worked...and some that didn't. In the end, documentation is like pizza. When it's good, it is very very good. And when it's bad, it's better than nothing. Tune in today!

How do modern principals spend their summer so that they feel ready for the next school year? Obviously, rest and relax, but there are still lots of things to do that can make the school year go much more smoothly! From calendaring, to living in innovation, to meeting with school teams, we talk about the do's and don'ts for summer work.  Scholars Cited: EdWeek: 4 Things Principals Can Do This Summ...

With 1 in 5 principals quitting each year, and 4 out of 5 saying they experience frequently experience job stress, it's likely your school will be welcoming a new principal in the near future. While the transition is ultimately the responsibility of the new principal, this pod is for staff members and parents who want to help make that transition as seamless and as smooth as possible!  Check out o...

Have you been asked to submit a 90-day entry plan for your new principalship? Look no further! Karen and Christy break down how to transition into your new role, discussing pitfalls and highlights of those first three months! 

Was the 2021-2022 school year the hardest you have experienced? Is it difficult to even imagine decompressing this summer? This week on the pod, Karen and Christy break down how to process all that occurred and how heal this summer. 

Planning meaningful and transformative professional development as a principal is hard. How do we ensure it isn't just one. more. thing. That's easy - make it more like a party! Elena Aguilar and Lori Cohen have written a manual to help us do just that - The PD Book. In this episode, we have Elena as our first-ever guest as she walks us through her new book and, as always, challenges us to be bett...

Karen is moving out of the building principalship and into central office. What does this mean for her staff, her students, and .... The Modern Principal? Join us as Christy interviews Karen to hear all about her new gig including how she prepared for the interview and how she knew she was ready to make the leap! 

One of TMP's most frequently-asked questions is how to get your school started on a common vision or mission, and this week Karen and Christy break it down. You'll need a few hours with your team to follow some simple steps to get everyone moving in the same direction! 

This week on the pod, Karen and Christy complete the 3-part series on conducting interviews. We'll discuss all things that should happen AFTER the interview: how to announce, ensuring you call the peeps who didn't get the job,  how to welcome your new hire, and so much more! 

In Part 2 of 3 of Conducting Interviews, Karen and Christy walk you through how to ask quality questions that get you quality candidates and so much more!