Transformative Principal

Summary Elizabeth Cushing, CEO of Playworks, joins Jethro Jones to talk about how play builds belonging, emotional resilience, leadership, and attendance at school. They discuss what changes when recess becomes a predictable, inclusive place where every student can join a game, how adults model connection by playing alongside students, and how junior coaches turn older students into peer leaders....

Recorded live at a conference session, Suzanne "Suzie" Myers, Jocelyn Washburn, and Bonnie Palysak from the University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning introduce I-STAR — a new adaptive, web-based platform built on the research-backed Strategic Instruction Model (SIM) writing strategies. The team walks through why they built it (teachers lack time to explicitly teach and grade writing), h...

Mike Caldwell talks with Nanette Merrill, executive director of the Idaho Charter School Association, about her path from stay-at-home mom to teacher, principal, and now state-level leader. They swap rapid-fire favorites (leadership books, reading habits, best advice), then dig into what makes strong schools stand out—clear mission, visible leadership, and a culture of belonging. Nanette shares in...

In this episode, live at ISTE, Jethro D. Jones talks with Kip Glazer, principal at Mountain View High School, about her book "Ready to Lead with AI: A Practical Guide for School Leaders." They dive into the emotional weight of school leadership — managing competing stakeholder demands, setting boundaries, and navigating disagreement while staying grounded in research and shared purpose. Kip explai...

Jethro D. Jones interviews Kevin Donohue, a Catholic school leader turned FACTS Education Solutions consultant, at ISTE 2026. Kevin shares his path from teacher to principal through a residency model in the LA Archdiocese, then dives deep into practical ways AI can support Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) — from scheduling and agenda-building to acting as a subject-matter "expert" or bias-...

Jethro D. Jones sits down with Evin Schwarz (co-founder of Thinkering) at ISTE/ASCD 2026 to discuss the partnership between Thinkering and the BE Podcast Network. They dig into why teacher voice matters more than ever, how podcasting helps educators clarify their thinking and build community, and the mechanics of Thinkering's 10-week cohort program that turns teachers into changemakers. Evin share...

In this episode, Jethro sits down with Dr. Erin Bailey, VP of Literacy Programs and Research at Reading Is Fundamental, to explore two exciting 2026 developments. Erin shares the growth of Skybrary, RIF's e-book app offering 1,000 read-to-me picture books, now with a free tier providing 100 books per household — a number rooted in research linking book access to reading and academic achievement. S...

Jethro D. Jones sits down with Simon and Jill from ClassVR at ISTE 2026 to talk about the company's newest VR innovations in education. They dive into Thrive, a sensory regulation product designed to support students who struggle with dysregulation, and preview ClassVR's new STEM library, which lets students safely experience hands-on experiments (like chemistry reactions and dissections) that are...

Kate O'Connell, an international education consultant and leadership coach based in Cambodia, joins the podcast to discuss her journey from classroom teacher to headship across four countries. She unpacks the difference between coaching and mentoring, and how she blends both to help school leaders find their own answers. The conversation also covers Link Leaders' new "Leadership Studios"—peer coho...

Jethro D. Jones interviews Jamie Candee (CEO of Edmentum) about bridging the gap between K-12 education and career readiness. They discuss how AI is reshaping the job market, why "durable skills" matter more than ever, and how schools can expose students to career paths early through career exploration tools, workplace internships, and real-world partnerships (like Edmentum's MajorClarity platform...

At ISTE 2026, Jethro Jones sits down with Mike Anderson to discuss his new book, Hugging Porcupines: Practical Strategies for Supporting Kids Who Struggle with Behavior in School . They explore why some students disengage, resist connection, and act out — and how teachers can respond with strategies built on the "three-legged stool" of academic engagement, respectful discipline, and positive relat...

Pete Hall joins Jethro Jones live at ISTE 2026 to discuss his new book, Reaching and Teaching Kids Who Don't Fit in the Box . They dig into the five core reasons students disengage from school (not fitting in, academic gaps, boredom, lack of support, and emotional struggles), and share practical strategies teachers can use immediately — including setting self-concordant student goals, using AI to...

In this episode, Mike Caldwell interviews Mike Huguelet, Executive Director of the Iowa Coalition of Public Charter Schools, about building Iowa's charter school movement from the ground up. Huguelet shares his path from teaching in Chicago (co-founding Noble Schools) to leading counseling programs in Des Moines Public Schools, and eventually launching the Iowa Coalition in 2023 — a state with one...

In this episode, host Mike Caldwell sits down with Jo Lane, an educator support and instructional coach with 16 years of experience, who is currently a principal coach based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Jo shares insights from her new book, Burn the Script: How Great Coaches Disrupt Thinking and Transform Practice , released May 19th. The conversation dives deep into the concept of "mental fossils" — the i...

In this episode of the Transformative Principal podcast, host Mike Caldwell talks with Jason Leshowitz, a New Jersey arts administrator and founder of Rejection Proof Career, about his upcoming book The Rejection Proof Educator . Jason shares how educators and school leaders can translate their skills and experience into compelling resumes and interview answers, whether they're pivoting upward int...

In this vault episode of Transformative Principle, host Jethro Jones interviews Glenn Robbins, principal of Northfield Community School in New Jersey and NASSP Digital Principal of 2016. Glenn shares how he builds a culture of innovation by prioritizing autonomy, transparency, and authentic collaboration among staff, students, and community. He discusses meeting daily with his union president to t...

In this vault episode of Transformative Principal, Jethro Jones revisits an interview with Amy Fast, then assistant principal at McMinnville High School in Oregon, originally recorded for the Transformative Leadership Summit. Amy shares how a tragic college shooting in nearby Roseburg prompted her and her principal to proactively survey all 2,100+ students about their wellbeing, connectedness, hop...

In this episode,  Rachael Thrash — educator, author, and Senior Director at Big Bad Boo Studios — joins Mike Caldwell to challenge the gap between student voice and student ownership. With 25+ years in education, Rachel argues that GPA-gated student councils and empty surveys exclude the students who need to be heard most. Through real examples of students solving real school problems, she shows w...

Mike Caldwell sits down with Scott Bess, President of the Indiana Charter Innovation Center and a member of the Indiana State Board of Education, for a wide-ranging conversation about what's broken in K-12 education — and what's actually being done to fix it. Scott shares his winding path from classroom teacher to CIO at Goodwill Industries to education innovator, including the founding of the Exc...

In this episode of Transformative Principle, Jethro Jones sits down with Jonathan Wennstrom, principal of Rosedale Elementary in Livonia, Michigan, to discuss the power of school-wide weekly meetings. Jonathan shares how he launched "Celebrate Monday" assemblies — 20-minute, student-centered gatherings held every Monday morning to kick off the week with positivity and purpose. Inspired by ideas fr...

Mike Caldwell sits down with Bill Knous, Senior Director of Quality and Growth at the Colorado League of Charter Schools and co-founder of Gran Via, a micro school in the Denver area. Bill shares his winding path into education — from a history degree and living abroad in Australia and Spain, to teaching multilingual learners in Denver and Philly, to leading classrooms and schools in Colombia. He...

In this episode, host Jethro interviews Robert Dillon, author and director of Bright Bytes, about the transformative power of learning spaces. Robert argues that reimagining physical classroom environments is one of the few true "big levers" of disruption in education — alongside grades and schedules. The conversation covers practical, low-cost strategies for redesigning spaces, including removing...

In this episode of the Transformative Leadership Summit, Jethro sits down with Kyle Palmer, principal of Lewis and Clark Elementary, to explore how school leaders can develop teacher leaders and build a culture of trust and innovation. Kyle shares the story of how his school evolved from a single maker space initiative—sparked by library teacher Angela Rosheim's genius hour instruction—into a scho...

In this episode from the Transformative Leadership Summit, Jethro Jones sits down with Daniel Bauer, host of the Better Leaders, Better Schools podcast, to explore why relationships are the cornerstone of transformative leadership. Daniel shares a candid, real-time example: his principal's unexpected departure and how a culture of trust and connection shaped how the school community responded to t...

In this 'From the Vault' episode of the Transformative Leadership Summit, Jethro sits down with Kimberly Miles, principal of East Gresham Elementary School, to explore her remarkable approach to reading as a leadership practice. Kimberly shares how she strategically selects books — only picking them up after hearing multiple recommendations — and then digs deep using a layered annotation system of...