The Ruckus Report Quick take: A former teacher turned ed-tech founder reveals how simple daily actions - from hallway check-ins to thoughtful class placements - can transform school culture and help every student thrive.

Meet Your Fellow Ruckus Maker Mike Cronley is the CEO and co-founder of Class Composer, bringing 12 years of 3rd grade teaching experience to revolutionize how elementary schools create balanced classes. After witnessing firsthand how traditional class placement methods could unintentionally disrupt student relationships and learning environments, he developed a solution to help schools make more informed, equitable placement decisions.

Breaking Down the Old Rules 🔨 In this episode, Mike challenges traditional education paradigms:

Key Insight #1: The Power of Being Present

What's broken: Leaders getting caught up in administrative tasks and losing touch with their staff
The shift: Intentional daily check-ins and genuine conversations with teachers
Impact: Teachers feel valued, leading to increased motivation and better student outcomes

Key Insight #2: From Paper to Purpose

What's broken: Complex, paper-based class placement systems that miss crucial student dynamics
The shift: Data-informed decisions that consider academic, social, and emotional needs
Impact: More balanced classes and stronger student relationships

Key Insight #3: Taking Smart Risks

What's broken: Fear of failure leading to stagnation in educational practices
The shift: Creating a culture where trying new approaches is encouraged
Impact: Continuous improvement through calculated risk-taking and innovation

Quotable Ruckus "You have to be willing to take risks and try to improve. Not gigantic risks, but if you want to move the needle and do something different and better, you have to be willing to try." – Mike Cronley

Your Do School Different Challenge Ready to implement these ideas? Start here:

Tomorrow: Walk your halls after school and have one genuine conversation with a teacher
This Month: Create a system to track meaningful check-ins with all staff members
This Semester: Review your class placement process and identify opportunities for more data-informed decisions

Connect & Continue

🎯 Get the full episode transcript: Link
🔗 Follow Mike: LinkedIn, Facebook
💪 Join the Ruckus Maker Movement: https://ruckusmakers.club/join

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Today's RUCKUScast in Partnership with:

Class Composer: Want to know why Ruckus Makers love Class Composer? Because it turns the dreaded end-of-year class placement meetings into a streamlined, data-driven process. Your teachers will save hours of time while ensuring that nothing is overlooked, including student separations. 🔍 Learn More Here.

Quest Food Management Services: Creating joyful learning environments starts in the cafeteria. Quest brings 40 years of expertise in crafting scratch-made meals that nurture both body and community spirit through innovative student engagement programs. 🔍 Learn more here.

ODP Business Solutions: Most schools botch STEAM implementation because they're missing 3 critical elements. Here's the wild part: it's not about fancy tech or massive budgets. ODP Business Solutions® has researched many successful programs to identify what actually works (and what's just burning cash). 🔍 Learn the blueprint: here

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