The School Leadership Show

In this episode I sit down with friend and colleague, Dr. Jeff Cimmerer. Jeff is the Chief Information Officer for a large suburban school district in Upstate New York. He and I have a lively discussion about the horrible presentations we have seen during our time as school leaders. We share a bunch of dos and don’ts about planning, designing, and delivering effective presentations. Don’t be one of those school administrators that we talk about for giving bad presentations. You can get better. For more on this topic consider listening to my interviews with Dr. Stephanie Evergreen and Dr. Nick Morgan. If you’d like help improving your presentation skills or would like one of us to come talk to your team, please contact us. You can reach me at mike@schoolleadershipshow.com and Dr. Jeff Cimmerer at drjpc21@gmail.com. Send your comments, questions, and show ideas to mike@schoolleadershipshow.com. Consider rating the podcast in itunes and leaving a comment. And please pass the show along to your colleagues.

In this episode I interview political reporter, television pundit, and author Eleanor Clift. Eleanor is a regular contributor to The Daily Beast and has a long history covering national politics - every presidential election since 1976. Many people know Eleanor as a perennial panelist on the syndicated talk show, “The McLaughlin Group.” I started watching “The Group” as a high school student in the early 90s, and I’ve been a faithful viewer ever since. Eleanor and I talk about writing, communication with new media, what makes a good leader, and the challenges facing K-12 education. She even predicts the candidates and the outcome of the 2016 presidential election. To learn more about Eleanor and her work visit http://www.eleanorclift.com/. Enjoy this interview with Eleanor Clift.

In this episode I interview writer, speaker, and broadcaster Merlin Mann. We talk about managing all of the inputs that come your way. We go into great depth on managing email and working toward what Merlin has coined “inbox zero.” We also talk about strategies for managing your time and attention in order to set yourself up for doing your best, most creative work. To learn more about Merlin and his work visit http://www.merlinmann.com/. Enjoy this interview with Merlin Mann. Send your comments, questions, and show ideas to mike@schoolleadershipshow.com. Consider rating the podcast in itunes and leaving a comment. And please pass the show along to your colleagues.

In this episode I interview two fantastic attorneys whom I’ve known for several years about special education law. Joyce Berkowitz has a practice representing parents, and Dave Oakes works for the Harris Beach Law Firm and represents school districts. Our lively discussion centers on what school administrators need to know about special education law. We get into mistakes to avoid, how to stay current on changes to special education law - if that’s even possible, when to call the attorneys, what to expect when the attorneys show up, and where the focus of all this work rightfully should be - on children. Joyce and Dave also share insights about their own personal productivity and setting priorities. To reach Joyce you can Google her name (Joyce B. Berkowitz) or call her at (585) 421-9094. You can learn more about Dave and his work at Harris Beach’s website (www.harrisbeach.com). Enjoy this interview with Joyce Berkowitz and Dave Oakes. Send your comments, questions, and show ideas to mike@schoolleadershipshow.com. Consider rating the podcast in itunes and leaving a comment. And please pass the show along to your colleagues.

We all know how to implement, right? It’s not as easy as it sounds. In this episode I interview Caryn Ward. Caryn works with the National Implementation Research Network or NIRN (http://nirn.fpg.unc.edu/). She is an expert on implementation science the research that supports it. We talk about the Five Implementation Frameworks, how they apply to education, and what they mean for school leaders, and pitfalls to avoid. Additional information and tools that Caryn mentions in the podcast can be found at The Active Implementation Hub (http://implementation.fpg.unc.edu/). Send your comments, questions, and show ideas to mike@schoolleadershipshow.com. Consider rating the podcast in itunes and leaving a comment. And please pass the show along to your colleagues.

In this episode I interview Professional Office Organizing Consultant Kacy Paide. We talk about how much more productive and focused you can be when your environment is organized. It sounds so simple. Why aren’t more of us there already? We get into practical tips, where to start, and mistakes to avoid. Kacy mentioned the following resources during the interview: Evernote software to organize and retrieve your stuff electronically: www.evernote.com Tim Ferriss’s blog and podcasts: http://fourhourworkweek.com/ The Pomordo Technique: http://pomodorotechnique.com/ Book recommendation: Hug Your Customers by Jack Mitchell You can learn more about Kacy and her work at www.theinspiredoffice.com. She has a blog and a bunch of great instructional videos. Enjoy this interview with Kacy Paide. Send your comments, questions, and show ideas to mike@schoolleadershipshow.com. Consider rating the podcast in itunes and leaving a comment. And please pass the show along to your colleagues.

In this episode I interview Jenn David-Lang. Jenn produces The Main Idea (http://www.themainidea.net/), a monthly summary of a current education book. Jenn has over 30,000 subscribers and has an incredible perspective on where we’ve been, where we are, and where we’re headed in education. We talk about the importance of building relationships, mistakes for administrators to avoid, tips for personal productivity, and much more. Enjoy this interview with Jenn David-Lang. Send your comments, questions, and show ideas to mike@schoolleadershipshow.com. Consider rating the podcast in iTunes and leaving a comment. And please pass the show along to your colleagues.

In this episode I go another round with educator and author Kim Marshall. This time we talk in detail about teacher observation and evaluation and ways to make the process meaningful and doable for everyone involved. Kim shares several resources including a tool that districts might consider using to help streamline the paperwork involved with the observation process (https://www.t-eval.com/). You can access much of Kim Marshall’s work for free at www.marshallmemo.com. His weekly Marshall Memo helps countless educators stay current on what’s happening in K-12 education. Enjoy this interview with Kim Marshall. Send your comments, questions, and show ideas to mike@schoolleadershipshow.com. Consider rating the podcast in iTunes and leaving a comment. And please pass the show along to your colleagues.

In this episode I interview Justin Murphy. Justin is a seasoned journalist who reports on education both in print and online. We talk about how school administrators can build positive relationships with the media, mistakes to avoid when working with the press, and how to figure out the real story when you have conflicting information from different sources. We also get into a couple of productivity hacks that Justin has found useful as a reporter as well as his approach to staying caught up on email. Enjoy this interview with Justin Murphy.

In this episode I interview Dan White. Dan has been a school counselor, a high school principal, and a school district superintendent. He is currently the superintendent of a large educational service agency. We talk mainly about decision making, specifically how not to let another person’s crisis become your crisis, using the time you have to make decisions, not hitting flies with sledgehammers, making thoughtful course corrections, and much more. This is likely the first of several episodes with Dan related to the nuts and bolts of leadership in general and school leadership specifically. The book Dan mentions towards the end of the episode is Time Present, Time Past by Bill Bradley. Enjoy this interview with Dan White.