Principal Matters: The School Leader's Podcast with William D. Parker

A Quick Note to Listeners: Before each week’s interview, Jen Schwanke and I spend some time answering a listener question. This week’s question is: How do you coach and support teachers at different levels in their experience? For instance, new teachers, mid-level, and veterans? Listen in to hear our response! Meet Justin Wax: Justin Wax is the Louisiana Principal of the Year and is in his fifth year as principal of Denham Springs Junior High in Livingston Parish. Under his leadership, the school is a 2024 and 2025 Top Gains Honoree, was named one of U.S. News and World Report’s Best Middle Schools for 2024 – 2026, and has been named a 2026 Model School. A graduate of LSU with a bachelor’s in business administration and a master’s in educational leadership from Southeastern Louisiana University, Wax came to education through alternative certification. He runs an aquaponics lab to conserve endangered Louisiana plant and animal species, partners with community leaders to eliminate student fees, and supports a rapidly growing English learner population. Wax is committed to helping others become a capacity catalyst. He serves as Vice President of the Livingston Parish Principals Association and board member of Louisiana Association of Principals. Wax is a married father of three young children and serves as a deacon at his church. Build for Forever: In this episode of Principal Matters, host Dr. Jen Schwanke sits down with Justin Wax, Louisiana Principal of the Year and principal of Denham Springs Junior High, to discuss how leaders can shift from gatekeepers to empowerers. Justin shares actionable insights on how to step out of the way, build collective efficacy, and cultivate a vibrant school culture where everyone leads.  Here are a few key takeaways from the conversation with Justin: Shift from Leader to “Capacity Catalyst”: To stop being the bottleneck, you have to adopt a new mindset. Justin introduces the concept of the Capacity Catalyst—a leader who intentionally creates opportunities for others to step up, contribute, and shine. Time and resources are finite. Instead of trying to do it all, a capacity catalyst focuses on leveraging individual team strengths, fostering deep community relationships, and maximizing the tools already at hand.  We need to stop equating long hours with productivity and align schedules with actual priorities, ensuring time is spent on what truly moves the needle for your school community. Empower Others Through Trust (The 80% Rule): We often say “delegation” when we really mean “giving tasks away.” Justin prefers the word empowerment, which grants team members the actual authority and freedom to make decisions. Leaders often hoard work because they fear mistakes or believe they can do it better themselves. Justin uses a brilliant rule of thumb: aim for 80% completion from your team members, and then work together to cross the finish line. This builds immense trust, collaborative spirit, and a deep sense of staff ownership. Cultivate Teacher Leaders and Build Pipelines: Justin is clear that the accolades at Denham Springs Junior High aren’t a solo achievement; they are the result of collective effort. Justin shares how he intentionally builds sustainable leadership pipelines by giving teachers the space and independence to sponsor clubs, pioneer initiatives, and involve students in high-level decision-making. He encourages principals not to wait for a flawless plan. Embrace a “test and learn” environment. Cultivating a pilot mentality reduces the fear of failure and supercharges innovation. Protect the “Three Years of Awesome”: A thriving school culture relies entirely on strong relationships. Justin’s school’s mantra—“three years of awesome”—captures his fierce commitment to making the junior high experience unforgettable and positive for students and staff alike. He also suggests watching to see if students are actively taking ownership and leading the programming, because that is a clear sign that leadership isn’t just coming from the front office. This episode provides many takeaways for principals, and will help principals know how to do something Justin values— building not just for today, but for forever. Staying Connected: If you would like to connect with Justin Wax, you can reach him on Facebook. You can also visit his school’s Facebook to learn more about Denham Springs Jr. High. The post Build for Forever with Justin Wax – PMP526 appeared first on Principal Matters.

The Power of Negative Thinking: Turning Worry into Productive Planning by William D. Parker When I was a new assistant principal, I was excited and nervous about teacher observation and evaluation. The idea of sitting in other classrooms for extended amounts of time was something I had not done since student teaching. Now, it would be my responsibility to provide feedback to dozens of teachers. My intention was to give each one the kind of attention and support I had wanted as a teacher. Sadly, once the school year began, student discipline, parent concerns, and master schedule challenges quickly crowded into my calendar. Before long, I was months into the school year when I realized I wouldn’t finish my observations on time. What did I do? I crammed them all into a few days and gave feedback that was lacking and insufficient. What happens when we fail to anticipate the reality of what we’re going to experience, even when we have the best intentions? “The Power of Negative Thinking” I’ve been reading a book by Col. Chris Hadfield called An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth. He’s a Canadian astronaut who has flown missions with NASA, lived on the International Space Station, and became a YouTube sensation when singing songs with his guitar in space. The book is a deep dive into the preparation, skills, and mindset necessary for leadership in space, but it is also a great book for leadership in general. In particular, I have been pushed in my thinking as Hadfield espouses an idea he calls “the power of negative thinking.” Imagine the worst-case scenario, and then plan in advance how to respond if or when that happens. Better yet, plan in advance for how you may keep it from happening. What You Can’t Control Many situations are never within your control. You cannot control natural disasters, predict when a crisis will happen, or force people to behave perfectly. Life and humans are messy, and any leader who thinks he or she controls these outcomes is fooling themselves. Hadfield talks about scenarios where NASA team members pull together in advance of a mission and role-play his death (58–59). Sound morbid? It is, but it also reveals a lot of unanswered questions: Who will inform family members? How quickly can a press release be written? What happens if his wife cannot be reached by phone? These same scenarios apply to schools. Whether it is an intruder drill, a bad weather situation, or a car accident resulting in the death of a staff member or student, how do you role-play these scenarios in advance so that you are responding, not reacting, in these situations? What You Can Control On the other hand, some situations you can anticipate in advance. The end of a grading period is on the calendar. Spring semester will bring changes to your master schedule or course catalogs. Teacher observations and evaluations will be due by certain dates. How do you anticipate the best outcomes and plan accordingly? Or, as Hadfield would ask, how do you imagine a nightmare outcome? Then plan accordingly to keep that from happening. So, here’s a question his work prompted that I’ve never asked leaders before: Imagine the worst end-of-year outcomes you can think of. What would that feel like, look like, sound like, and be like for your school? Maybe it’s meeting none of the learning goals you’ve set. Maybe it is your school culture crumbling around you and turning toxic. Maybe the budget implodes and cuts are deeper than you’ve ever imagined. These scenarios are hard to imagine and feel so counterintuitive to how most school leaders operate—with the highest expectations in mind. Hadfield would say, however, that imagining the worst and then planning strategically for it not to happen is the opposite of worry—it’s a practice in productivity. How might this look in reality for your own leadership? It may mean pulling together trusted team members and talking about worst-case scenarios in advance, and then planning simulations or practices in case those situations occur. It may mean reexamining your procedures, plans, and norms around meetings, professional development, or teacher development—and asking if what you are doing is actually producing the kind of outcomes you were targeting. It may mean taking an honest look at your calendar and asking if what you said was most important for your outcomes is actually reflected in what you have scheduled and are doing. These are just a few ways that the “power of negative thinking,” as Hadfield puts it, can help you avoid worrying and turn those concerns into productive planning, strategy, and execution. Let’s Wrap This Up After my first year as an administrator, I learned that good intentions were not a plan. If I was going to observe and evaluate teachers with meaningful feedback, it meant I had to create a calendar for the school year in advance of the school year. I had to block out time each week for the names and rooms of teachers whom I would visit. I shared this schedule with them. It didn’t mean I followed it exactly or was able to write the script for each of my days. I still had to manage things out of my control, but because I had anticipated many things still in my control, I was able to achieve far more of what I intended than I had before. Now It’s Your Turn How would the “power of negative thinking” help you as you think ahead? What worst-case scenarios can you imagine that planning now might prepare you for? Thank you for your commitment to leading with intentionality, and thank you for doing what matters! Works Cited Hadfield, Chris. An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth: What Going to Space Taught Me About Ingenuity, Determination, and Being Prepared for Anything. Random House Canada, 2013. The post MONDAY MATTERS with Jen Schwanke and Will Parker – The Power of Negative Thinking appeared first on Principal Matters.

Don Smith, a former principal and education leadership specialist, and Jenni Donohoo, a renowned researcher on collective teacher efficacy, discuss what makes school improvement stick. They explore how principal confidence shapes teacher confidence, why efficacy requires evidence, how leaders can guide learning without mastering every subject, and how shared successes turn collaboration into lasting instructional progress.

The school lunchroom may be noisy, messy, and unpredictable, but it can also be the heartbeat of school life. This conversation explores how leaders use lunch and recess duty to stay visible, build bridges with cafeteria and custodial teams, connect with students in low-stakes moments, and gain valuable context for supporting classrooms. It also considers how to make routine responsibilities meaningful without sacrificing balance.

A Quick Note to Listeners: Before each week’s interview, Jen Schwanke and I take some time to answer a listener question. This week’s question is: How do I know if corrective feedback to my AP’s is more helpful than discouraging? Listen in to hear our response! Meet Casey Watts: Casey Watts has spent 20 years in education, as a teacher, coach, and consultant, watching talented educators become stuck in silos, overwhelmed by initiatives, and frustrated by collaboration that felt more like chaos than progress. She knows the real problem isn’t a lack of effort or expertise. It’s a lack of clarity. Through her Clarity Cycle Framework, Casey helps instructional leaders cut through the noise, align their teams, and turn collaboration into something that actually works. Because without clarity, even the best teams stay stuck. Now, as the founder of Casey Watts Coaching & Consulting, and host of The Catching Up with Casey Podcast, she’s on a mission to help school leaders stop spinning their wheels and start leading with purpose. Whether speaking, coaching, or leading workshops, Casey equips leaders with the tools to create the kind of teams that don’t just function but thrive. Why Clarity Matters In this episode, I had the opportunity to talk to Casey about one of the most important and often overlooked leadership skills in schools: clarity. Casey’s journey from classroom teacher to district instructional specialist to full-time consultant has been shaped by one central question: Why do so many well-intentioned teams struggle to collaborate effectively? Her answer, over time, has become clear: most teams aren’t lacking effort or expertise; they’re lacking clarity. Casey shared the story that led to the development of her Clarity Cycle Framework. While facilitating a day of curriculum work with teachers, she discovered that what administrators believed had been communicated clearly and what teachers believed they were there to do were completely different. That moment revealed a painful but common reality in schools: leaders often assume clarity has been established simply because something has been said. But as Casey reminded us, communication and clarity are not the same thing. Who Needs to Be at This Table? One of the biggest takeaways from our conversation was Casey’s reminder that school leaders cannot do this work alone. When the pressure mounts, the temptation is to carry everything yourself. But Casey encouraged leaders to stop asking “How do I do all this?” and start asking “Who needs to be at this table?”. Building an instructional leadership team that includes not only administrators but also instructional coaches, counselors, and teacher leaders creates the shared ownership necessary for sustainable improvement. Narrowing the Focus We also talked about the power of narrowing the focus. In a school environment filled with competing priorities, Casey challenged leaders to identify the one thing that matters most right now: the area of focus that, if improved, would have a ripple effect on everything else. Clarity begins with prioritization. And once that focus is identified, leaders must slow down enough to analyze it, unpack the language around it, and ensure everyone shares the same understanding of what success looks like. Listening Tours One of my favorite parts of our conversation was Casey’s explanation of how leaders can bridge the gap between expectations and ownership through listening tours. Instead of assuming teachers understand the vision, leaders need to create space to ask questions, listen carefully, and gather insight. Those conversations not only reveal where the confusion lies, but they also help leaders adjust their plans and bring people into the process. That’s where ownership begins. Painting the Picture I shared a story from my own classroom days about teaching research papers and realizing that my students needed a visible roadmap of the entire process before they could successfully complete it. That lesson reinforced what Casey teaches so well: clarity isn’t just about saying the right thing; it’s about painting the picture, mapping the journey, and helping people see where they are and where they’re headed. That’s true for students, and it’s just as true for adults. Let’s Wrap This Up: As we wrapped up, Casey offered a timely reminder for leaders entering the busy stretch of the school year: slow down. Protect time. Close the door. Gather your team. Clarify what matters most. In a season when everything can feel urgent, clarity gives us permission to focus on what is essential. If you’re a school leader feeling overwhelmed, stretched thin, or uncertain about how to bring alignment to your team, this conversation will encourage you and give you practical next steps. I know it did for me. You can connect with Casey through her website, Catching Up with Casey, or find her book The Craft of Clarity on Amazon. And as always, thanks for listening, and thank you for doing what matters! The post The Craft of Clarity with Casey Watts – PMP524 appeared first on Principal Matters.

Last week, I ran into an old friend, a retired admin, at the airport. He’s enjoying a new career and some traveling time. As we talked, he told me a quick story of hearing some bad news from his previous district.  He said, “As I was thinking about it, I realized I had this sick feeling in the pit of my stomach, and then I remembered, this is what leadership often felt like for me on my hardest days.  “The good times were really good,” he said, “But the hard times, I don’t miss…”  This week Jen Schwanke and I explore a conversation prompted by one of her recent newsletter posts: How do leaders, in particular, think about managing the suffering (or trauma) or others? What do leaders do with the weight they carry of managing not just their own stress but also carry the weight of helping others walk through difficult times? I hope you’ll listen in as Jen and I talk about optimism versus reality, suffering that comes with seasons of life, and the encouragement that you’re not alone. Thank you for listening to our conversation, and we’d love to hear your thoughts as well! The post MONDAY MATTERS with Jen Schwanke and Will Parker – Discussing Suffering appeared first on Principal Matters.

A Quick Note to Listeners: Before each week’s episode Jen Schwanke and I answer a listener question. This week’s question is: I had so many important intentions and priorities for this school year, but my day-to-day still feels like mostly putting out fires. How do I get back to the priorities we said this year would be about? Listen in to hear our response! Systems Coaching with Matt Renwick: In this week’s episode of Principal Matters, Jen Schwanke has the pleasure of catching up with her long-time colleague, author, and former award-winning elementary school principal, Matt Renwick. Currently a systems coach for CESA #3 in Wisconsin and a PhD student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Matt has spent time sitting in nearly every seat in education. They explore how his extensive background informed his transition into system-level coaching. The conversation centers on the profound shift from building principal to instructional coach, highlighting the delicate balance between structural management and human connection. Matt openly shared that transitioning out of an authority role wasn’t automatic, requiring humility, deep listening, and a commitment to earning trust within the districts he supports. We tackled the inherent paradox of modern school leadership—how striving for systemic change can inadvertently distance leaders from the very classrooms they want to impact—and explored actionable ways to reclaim that vital proximity to teaching and learning. Key Takeaways: Shifting from Authority to Partnership: Transitioning from the principal’s office to systems coaching requires a foundation of humility and active listening. True instructional coaching is built on earning the right to partner with teachers through consistency, visibility, and supportive, non-evaluative feedback. De-Siloing Student Support via MTSS: Effective systems coaching focuses on the whole child by breaking down traditional barriers between academics and behavior. By evaluating systemic hurdles rather than attempting to “fix” individual students, schools can uncover gaps in professional learning and data usage. The Power of Distributive Leadership: School leaders face a direct path to burnout if they try to shoulder every burden alone. True systemic impact happens when principals empower teacher-led instructional teams and cultivate student voice, giving everyone ownership over the school’s culture and environment. Navigating Modern Tools with Integrity: While structural policies and rigid regulations move too slowly to keep pace with rapid innovations like AI, leaders can focus on protecting professional growth. The priority must remain on teaching students and staff how to use modern tools ethically while keeping core human learning and authentic thinking at the center of education. Final Thoughts: Managing the modern school building can easily become an isolating endeavor, trapping well-intentioned leaders in the constant firefighting of daily administrative demands. Matt’s closing perspective serves as an essential reminder that we must intentionally build networks of professional community—whether through formal coaching or authentic local mastermind groups—to pull ourselves up to the “balcony level” for a clearer view. By anchoring our practice in clear, shared beliefs, prioritizing human connections, and pacing our leadership with intention, we can protect our well-being and stay focused on the purpose that brought us to education in the first place. Staying Connected: If you would like to learn more about Matt Renwick, you can connect with him on Substack or Linkedin. The post Systems Coaching with Matt Renwick – PMP523 appeared first on Principal Matters.

This week on Monday Matters, Jen Schwanke and I discuss a recent newsletter of Jen’s entitled, “Protect Your Perimeter”. She begins the conversation by stating that “your perimeter” is the space around you that you need to be mentally and emotionally healthy. Educators often mistakenly fall into the mindset that they are an educator first and foremost, when the reality is that you do not benefit from wearing your education hat everywhere. Protecting your perimeter means allowing yourself the space to be someone besides an educator, and it’s important to surround yourself with people who allow you to be that person.  Protecting your perimeter also looks like being mindful that you cannot diagnose an education problem from a school that is not your own. Sometimes educators feel pressure to answer education questions about schools or districts that they know nothing about. But the reality is, there are a thousand moving parts behind every school decision that none of us could possibly know from the outside. Letting other leaders lean into their own wisdom to solve the problems their school or district may be facing is a good way to protect your perimeter and keep yourself from being stretched too thin.   Now it’s Your Turn: Taking off your educator hat is easier said than done. As a way to practice protecting your perimeter, ask yourself the following two questions: What’s something you’re learning that excites you or has made the world seem more amazing to you? What’s something you’re currently still trying to learn or really struggling to understand or figure out? Listen into the full conversation for more takeaways! And, as always, thank you for doing what matters!  The post MONDAY MATTERS with Jen Schwanke and Will Parker – Protect Your Perimeter appeared first on Principal Matters.

A Quick Note to Listeners: Before each week’s interview, Will Parker and Jen Schwanke take some time to answer a listener question. This week’s question is: What do I do when I become aware of conversations in the teacher’s lounge – about my lack of support, for example – that filter their way back to my office? Listen in to hear their response! Meet Tony Bornhorst: A veteran educator, coach, and athletic administrator with over three decades of hands-on experience, Tony Bornhorst has dedicated his career to shaping high school athletic and academic communities across multiple distinct school districts. After earning his undergraduate degree from Ohio Wesleyan University and his Master’s degree from Miami University, Tony spent seven years teaching and coaching at Riverside-Brookfield High School in Illinois, followed by five years at Jackson High School in Ohio, before settling in Dublin Ohio as a teacher, coach, and assistant athletic director for the past 21 years. Over the course of his career, he has coached a wide array of sports—including basketball, cross country, football, and tennis—and has channeled that extensive sideline wisdom into his essential guide, Thinking About Coaching High School? Read This First. Using basketball as a medium, his book pulls back the curtain on the profession to offer prospective coaches a realistic, story-driven glimpse into the daily responsibilities and complex dynamics of education today. Lessons from Coaching High School: In this episode of Principal Matters Podcast, Jen Schwanke sits down with Tony Bornhorst to discuss his what lead him to write his book. He reflects on how coaching serves as a perfect microcosm of school administration, emphasizing that both roles require immense dedication, endless communication, and the courage to navigate difficult conversations. Whether managing playing-time complaints from parents or supporting a struggling program, Tony explains how setting boundaries with empathy builds foundational trust. He challenges school administrators to prioritize hiring coaches who are also full-time teachers in the building, noting the immeasurable impact a coach has when they are accessible to students throughout the instructional day. A Few Takeaways from the Episode: The Power of Parallel Leadership: Coaching and school administration are fundamentally parallel; a leader is only as good as their team, and maintaining the dignity of your staff or players is paramount. The Six Ps: Success in both the classroom and on the court relies on a core philosophy: proper, preparation, prevents, pathetically, poor, performance. Building-Based Coaching: Whenever possible, principals should hire coaches who also teach in the building. Having an educator-coach present during the school day allows for proactive mentoring and seamless support for student-athletes. Deflecting Blame, Sharing Credit: Exceptional leaders own the losses to protect their team from outside scrutiny, but step aside to give others full credit when celebrating a victory. The Impact of Affirmation: Small gestures from upper administration—like a supportive arm around the shoulder after a tough situation or an unannounced note of praise—can completely revitalize an educator’s morale. Defining Long-Term Success: The true reward of leadership is not found in the final score or a win-loss record, but in the lifelong relationships built with every student, parent, and player, long after they leave the school. Tony wraps up the episode with a powerful reminder for all school leaders, teachers, and coaches to find value in their daily grind and remember the profound weight of their purpose. For school leaders looking to support their athletic staff or looking for an impactful gift for their coaches, Tony’s book is a highly practical, story-driven resource. You can purchase your copy of Thinking About Coaching High School? Read This First on Amazon. Contact information:  If you would like to contact Tony, you can email him at [email protected]. The post PMP522: Lessons from Coaching High School with Tony Bornhorst appeared first on Principal Matters.

A few weeks ago, Jen Schwanke and I talked about the term “proflection”. Proflection is a term, coined by Jen, that combines reflection and proactivity. It means reflecting on past experiences in order to make changes to future practices. This week, Jen and I spend some time proflecting about work we have done recently. Jen shares some lessons that she presented at a conference in Louisiana, where she talked about the history of public education and the challenges that school leaders face in today’s educational landscape. I proflect on some lessons that I have been learning in my work in leadership and coaching sessions.  A theme that emerged during our time spent proflecting is that a lot of US school leaders are dealing with the same issues, no matter where they live. The solution to their problems are going to be different depending on the person and the setting in which they serve, but it can be helpful for school leaders to remember that they are not the only person dealing with their problems. As we wrap up the episode, we challenge listeners to spend time proflecting on whatever challenges they are facing this school year. Don’t miss the opportunity to grow from whatever you are experiencing today! Listen to our full conversation for some more great takeaways! And, as always, thank you for doing what matters! The post MONDAY MATTERS with Jen Schwanke and Will Parker – Let’s Proflect Together appeared first on Principal Matters.