The School Leadership Show

Jenn made me do this episode. I really didn't wat to, but I'm glad we did. As we approach the upcoming presidential election, you may remember the fallout from the last two elections. Some school communities experienced heightened divisions, increased bullying, more tension in classrooms, and a general sense of uncertainty.  Fortunately, there are some steps school and district leaders can take to...

Kim Marshall needs no introduction. He is the most recognized name in the field of educational leadership because he is the person behind the weekly Marshall Memo -- a subscription service that provides curated summaries of the most important articles in education each week.   In this podcast Kim provides an overview of the three essential areas school leaders need to keep an eye on to be successf...

In this episode, Jenn and I interview Dave Blanchard, a seasoned superintendent from a school district in Upstate New York. Three years ago Dave's district implemented a distraction-free environment, which included no cell phones during the school day. We talk about this leadership challenge in the context of Jonathan Haidt's 2024 book,  The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood...

We were fortunate to get to talk to the renowned Todd Whitaker in today's podcast. He is one of the most influential thought leaders in educational leadership and has written 65 books on staff motivation, teacher leadership, and principal effectiveness! Today Whitaker talks about the latest edition of his classic book, What Great Principals Do Differently: Twenty Things That Matter Most. Todd shar...

Teachers spend a lot of time making sure students know what they're supposed to do, and many students struggle to understand expectations and translate them into action. The results are less time for teaching and less capacity for learning.   Schools need to teach executive functions to all students in the context of the learning they are already doing to boost learning and engagement today and eq...

Students today are suffering from an epidemic of disconnection. School leaders I work with see it in students' disengagement from learning and in their mental health. While there are many factors at play here, there's no doubt that belonging is something that kids (and grown-ups too) desperately need.  In this episode, Jenn and I interview Dominique Smith, who along with his co-authors Douglas Fis...

In this episode, Jenn had the privilege of speaking to three rising juniors in college, all of whom want to become teachers. While we've spent so much time fearing the loss of teachers from our field, it was so inspiring to remember that some energetic young people are going to bring so much to our schools, too. Exciting! The passion of these three young women — Annie Morrison, Audrey Garfinkel, a...

According to Beverly Cleary (yes, that Beverly Cleary), "Children should learn that reading is pleasure, not just something that teachers make you do in school." Jenn and I couldn't agree more, and that's why in this episode we talk about the book  The Joy of Reading by Donalyn Miller and Teri S. Lesesne (Heinemann, 2022). Here's more of what we know: Decades of over-testing and standardized learn...

"If you're not reading by the end of third grade, there's a 70% chance you won't become a proficient reader." That's what author Karen Gazith told us as we talked with her about her most recent book, The Power of Effective Reading Instruction: How Neuroscience Informs Instruction Across All Grades and Disciplines . Here's more of what we know: Neuroscience and decades of research have provided a c...

In this fifth special episode, Jenn David-Lang of  The Main Idea and I talk about resources to help school leaders with building better teams. To support this work, Jenn has gathered her summaries of three must-read books: Learning by Doing by Richard DuFour et al. - This book shows how to effectively implement PLCs so they will raise student achievement and improve the professional lives of teach...

In this episode, we're shining a light on a pressing issue in the educational landscape: teacher burnout and attrition. With schools across the nation feeling the impact, we turn to expert Chase Mielke, author of Illuminate the Way: The School Leader's Guide to Addressing and Preventing Teacher Burnout (ASCD, 2023), for insights and solutions. If you're a school leader, educator, or anyone passion...

DEI feels like it's becoming the (a) third rail in K-12 education. The quote in the title is from Verna Myers, VP of inclusion strategy at Netflix, and is included in Ruchika Tulshyan's book Inclusion on Purpose: An Intersectional Approach to Creating a Culture of Belonging at Work . In this episode, Jenn and I have a real and practical conversation with Ruchika about what you can do personally an...

Many of us as educators have assumed that the kids with strong grades and strong test scores were set up for success. Isn't that what we were supposed to work toward in schools? Dr. Borba has interviewed scores of students and has found that these 2 areas – grades and test scores  –  are not the markers of success today in the 21st century. Instead, as educators, leaders, and parents we should be...

Everyone has hidden potential for growth and achievement, but standard approaches to studying, practicing, coaching, and organizing education often leave this potential untapped. The practices of high-achieving individuals (and a high-achieving school system) reveal the surprising skills, scaffolds,and systems that unlock potential. Even better, anyone can learn them, and anyone can teach them, to...

In this conversation between Dr. Andrea Terrero Gabbadon and Jenn, we talked about the reasons educators of color are leaving: working conditions and leadership behaviors. The good news is that school and district leaders can actually do something about this, and Dr. Gabbadon walks you through how. She shares 6 principles, backed by research, that will help you create the types of inclusive school...

In this episode, I talk with Becky Gerdes and Ryan Siegle about their book Six Steps Toward Teacher Retention and a Long-Lasting Legacy . We focus mainly on their Six Steps to Maximize Your Leadership Impact and Improve Teacher Retention: Step One: Lead Authentically Step Two: Build Teacher Self-Efficacy Step Three: Foster Collective Efficacy Among Your Staff Step Four: Cultivate a Culture of Trus...

In this episode, Jenn and I talk about Sharone Bar-David's book Trust Your Canary: Every Leader's Guide to Taming Workplace Incivility . Bar-David provides some simple strategies for helping leaders see incivility (even when it's hard to recognize) plus a whole toolkit of easy-to-implement ways to address it (so you can stop doubting yourself when it's time to intervene). These skills are critical...

Sometimes in education it helps to hear from our end users. In this episode I interview fellow Coke Scholar Raleigh Dewan ('19) . Raleigh is a 23-year-old entrepreneur and business owner ( https://steadispoon.com/ and https://sistershaq.com/ ) from Austin, Texas. Raleigh and I talk about his experiences in K-12 and higher ed. and the advice that he has for aspiring and practicing school leaders. R...

More than anything, organizations should strive for organizational health. In this episode, Jenn David-Lang and I talk about Patrick Lencioni's 2012 book  The Advantage Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else in Business . This book clearly and powerfully explains what your organization needs to do to become healthy: 1) Build a cohesive leadership team, 2) Create clarity, 3) Overcommunica...

In the field of education, we have no choice, AI is here to stay. So, listen to this whimsical conversation with Technology Coach, Jason Strzalkowski, whose enthusiasm for all-things-AI-in-schools is infectious! Yes, we share ideas to spice up teaching to make learning more engaging, accessible, and equitable. But we know our listeners are busy educational leaders so you will be excited to hear wa...

In this episode, Jenn and I interview Peter Liljedahl, the author of Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics: 14 Teaching Practices for Enhancing Learning . As former math teachers, Jenn and I had a great time talking with Peter about concrete and actionable ways teachers can improve math instruction. The practices are simple, high impact, and are easy and cheap to implement. Given what we kno...

The research is clear: to provide equitable learning opportunities for all, schools must actively include students with disabilities alongside their peers in general education settings. School leaders don't need a degree in special education to lead their school toward more equitable and inclusive education for all, but they do need to watch, listen, ask questions, and learn all they can about the...

Are you the type of leader who gets up at 4:00 AM to exercise before work? Then this episode is for you. Are you the type of leader who NEVER gets up at 4:00 AM to exercise before work? Then this episode is for you, too. Kelly and Juliet Starrett are highly regarded exercise and health gurus (they mention working with Barack Obama in the podcast!) and they believe that MOVEMENT throughout the day...

In this episode, Jenn interviews Mike about what new principals need to think about as they begin the new school year. Here is Mike's top ten list: Listen and Learn Communicate Effectively Lead by Example Stay Visible Manage Your Time Empower Your Teams Build Relationships Set Clear Goals Embrace Conflict Prioritize Self-Care If you would like us to go deeper on any of these individual topics, let...

In this episode, Jenn has a lively conversation with Ann Mausbach  and  Kimberly Morrison about their book Differentiated Supervision: Growing Teachers and Getting Results and how much of an impact you can have as a school leader by EXPANDING your supervisory practices beyond the typical individual observation and feedback we all do.   Instead, they suggest we include other practices such as obser...