The Modern Principal Podcast

Christy and Karen explore the idea of adult mindset when it comes to student achievement. This week, we dive into the language we use in schools that perpetuate achievement gaps and further stereotypes and inequities. We also explore how teachers' mindset, their belief that all students can succeed, is the greatest predictor of student success. Deficit thinking perpetuates inequities and we talk a...

Ever feel like work is taking over every facet of your life? Or you are moody, cranky and just a wreck at home and at school? We hear that! And we've been there. Work and life balance is a challenge for those of us in education and educational leadership. Work/life balance isn't something you achieve and can check off your list. It's something you are constantly having to monitor and make adjustme...

What's working, what isn't and what could be...in relation to facility design?? Not the most riveting concept that's ever been podcasted on before, but Karen and Christy think creating a school to meet the needs of the future is something we all should be dreaming about in education.   In this podcast, we stick with our scholar meets soul approach -- exploring what research says our spaces and pla...

Be prepared for a different kind of podcast today. With some unexpected news for Christy this month, we decided to dedicate a special episode to when unexpected change occurs in your career. After four years at one elementary school, Christy is moving to another within her district. In this Q & A session, Karen and Christy uncover initial reactions and start to brainstorm plans to move forward. We...

Stepping outside the classroom into a leadership role can feel lonely and at times, isolating.  It becomes even more of a challenge when a few members of the 'lead team' have a closer personal relationship and you get left out of conversations.  In this week's episode, Karen and Christy tackle a scenario shared by an assistant principal who is struggling to stay connected to the administrative goa...

In this episode of The Modern Principal Podcast, Karen and Christy share what they've learned about navigating communication in the Covid pandemic to other crises. Whether they are big and long-lasting, or small and quick, every crisis requires communication, and TMP helps you find proactive ways to prevent mistakes and also how to be more responsive in the reactive moments you can't prepare for....

Building leadership teams is an essential component to a principal's effectiveness, but how do you ensure the team is the most effective it can be? Karen and Christy reflect on their own lessons learned in teamwork, as well as, use the expertise from researcher, Bill McKeever (Nine Lessons of Successful School Leadership Teams), to uncover the best wisdom in developing the leadership team's succes...

This is one of the most commonly-asked questions we get at The Modern Principal, "How do you celebrate and support your staff, especially now in a pandemic?" For sure, teachers need morale boosters and a positive work environment, but even more than that, teachers need their leaders to advocate for, support, listen to, and trust them. On this episode of The Modern Principal Podcast, Christy and Ka...

Christy and Karen tackle another scenario this week that appears to be about troubles with collaboration. As they dig deeper, however, it's revealed that one individual is hindering the forward progress and impact of the team. Using our systems, scholar, and soul approach, The Modern Principal creates a plan to address the root of the issue, not just the surface behaviors (but we address those, to...

Karen and Christy tackle a scenario sent from a listener - what happens when visitors are consistently impolite to to staff members? Using scholar, system, and soul, The Modern Principal deep dives the research and our experience to share proactive and reactive strategies to invest in our families for long-term relationships. 

Karen and Christy of The Modern Principal reflect on a scenario submitted by a listener: A new admin team takes over after the previous principal had been in the building for 15 years and had much different expectations. The staff is rejecting lesson plan requirements, questioning new philosophies of student abilities, and generally has low morale. Listen for how to use scholar, systems, and soul...

Karen and Christy of The Modern Principal take a real-life scenario sent to them from an 8th grade math teacher. Ally has three years of experience and is struggling to collaborate with her more veteran colleague. What are steps she can take to have the meaningful collaboration she craves? 

After an eye-opening conversation with education guru Adam Welcome, Karen and Christy dive into the essence of prioritizing and communicating your goals. Whether it's a social media platform or a school, you have to define your priorities and stay the course for maximum impact.