The School Perceptions Podcast

Elise Murn and Kevin Mullen, of Baird’s Wisconsin School Financing team , join us to share their experiences and advice when it comes to informing concerned citizens about districts' financial situations. Hear about: Topics, questions, and responses that can derail community conversations The nuts and bolts of estimating tax impacts How property reassessments interact with school referendums....

In which Anne tells us all about what's new and different in Wisconsin's new biennial budget, what it means for schools and taxpayers, and what kinds of topics of conversation we can expect to hear popping up in communities around the state. For more on WASBO, where Anne is the Research Director, see their website . You can also see our own data on the history of Wisconsin school referendu...

Wendell Quesinberry, Administrator of Tomahawk School District , sits down with Derek to talk details about how Tomahawk improved staff and student perceptions of school discipline policies over the past few years. It involves strategic planning, cascading leadership, and of course lots and lots of listening. To keep up with the patterns we're seeing as we survey schools and districts around t...

Wade McKittrick, of Montevideo Public Schools and BetterU Solutions , shares how his Minnesota district flipped the script on school improvement. From student-led healthcare pathways and a thriving welding academy to community mental health initiatives that changed lives, Wade walks us through how authentic listening and small-town collaboration can lead to big-league innovation. Visit our website...

McFarland’s Aaron Tarnutzer joins us to discuss how, why, and with whom to take the summer months to analyze and plan for the future. Find more of our, well, findings at our Resource Center , and see our website for more information on the survey tools we offer.

Our VP of Research joins us once again, this time to talk about what we've learned from analyzing ALL of the staff, student, and parent surveys we conducted over the 2024-2025 academic year. There's good news, there's a little bad news, and there's some weird news, too. Subscribe to our Resource Center to stay on top of future analyses, visit our website to see all of our survey tools, and use our...

In this second half of my conversation with Ted Neitzke, we talk about the educator career ladder, managing conflict within systems, avoiding the dynamics of "reform churn," and so much more. You can hear more of Ted on his Smart Thinking podcast , you can subscribe to our own newsletter for our the latest research we put out, and you can check out our leadership survey tools to help you...

In part one of this two-part episode, leadership expert Ted Neitzke sits down with us to talk about the Baldrige Excellence Framework , the human need for structure and status, and how to draw upon "legacy experts" in the developing a strategic plan. Give Ted's Smart Thinking podcast a listen, if you haven't already; subscribe to our newsletter to stay on top of the resources we have to share; and...

The School District of Rhinelander's Eric Burke and Lexi Allen join us to talk about how they're expanding postsecondary pathways. Learn more at their Academic and Career Planning website , and find additional information about their Partners in Education program here, too. To stay on top of what we at School Perceptions are discovering through our survey work, sign up for our newsletter!

Under Kim Smessaert's guidance, Slinger's school store, the Rookery , has become so much more than an extension of DECA. Hear how Slinger is opening doors for its students, equipping them with the skills and experiences they'll need in their early jobs--and building community cohesion all the while! For our next live recording, join us here at this link TOMORROW, May 21st , 11:00am central time, t...

Gail Gilman of the Minnesota School Boards Association and Chris Thompson of the Unified School District of De Pere sit down with us to talk about how and why to do strategic planning right. Subscribe to the ⁠School Perceptions blog⁠ for information on upcoming live recordings. And ⁠ visit our website ⁠ to see what our community planning surveys can do for you!

Lake Mills Area schools received five times the expected number of applications for an open teaching position. What is going on there that makes the district one that staff want to join and stay in? Subscribe to the School Perceptions blog for information on upcoming live recordings. And visit our website to see what our staff surveys can do for you. LINKS to cited sources in early going: Tuan Ngu...

Our own Scott Girard and Rob DeMeuse help us think through the Wisconsin school referendum results from April 1st. It's a wide-ranging conversation 1.) How did April 1st fit into historical trends in the state, and what is driving those trends? 2.) How does community conversation -- the information school districts share with their constituents and the way districts listen to voters -- affect the...

School Perceptions is in the business of helping schools do their jobs well. Every school wants to help kids plan for and access opportunities after graduation. Our founder, Bill Foster, joins us today to talk about our new "Opening Doors" project, which shares concrete examples of schools and communities doing innovative and successful things in this space. Visit our Opening Doors page for more i...

Dr. Rachel White, founder of the Superintendent Lab , joins Derek and Dr. Rob DeMeuse to talk about what's driving superintendent transitions, who's filling those openings, and whether it's even a good idea for a new superintendent to try to "hit the ground running." Rob mentions our "pulse-check" tool for superintendents and boards, as well as our staff surveys , s...

What does it take to step out of or into the superintendency well? Edgerton's Dennis Pauli and Glendale River Hills's Anna Young sit down to talk about how they prepared to exit and to enter the superintendent position. LINKS: Contact us ! Our Resource Center The School Perceptions suite of leadership tools

Visit our website (SchoolPerceptions.com) to learn more about our work!