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

In this week’s episode, Jen Schwanke and Will Parker discuss the difference between systems leadership and people leadership. Here’s a quick summary: Leaders need to understand both. As one of Jen’s advisors told her, “If there is no route for the bus, it doesn’t really matter what people are on it.” In other words, we […] The post PMP379: Systems Leader vs People Leader with Will Parker and Jen Schwanke appeared first on Principal Matters.

Mark Geraets, is an education leader with a career spanning 40 impactful years. Born in New Zealand as the youngest of seven to Dutch immigrant parents, Mark’s university education journey began at 16, as the youngest student at Teacher’s College. By 30, he assumed his first principal role in Whakatane, NZ. Venturing abroad, he taught […] The post PMP378: Surfing the Crest of New Waves with Mark Geraets appeared first on Principal Matters.

Jennifer Abrams is an international educational and communications consultant for public and independent schools, universities, and nonprofits. She trains and coaches teachers, administrators, and others on new teacher/employee support, having hard conversations, collaboration skills, and being your best adult self at work. In her over two decades at Palo Alto Unified School District (Palo Alto, […] The post PMP377: Conversations that Matter with Jennifer Abrams appeared first on Principal Matters.

In this week’s episode, Will and Jen flip the mic, and Jen interviews Will about his experiences with Principal Matters as his full time work in the past six months of 2023. They discuss the emotional ups and downs of the new work, the stats from the previous year, and lessons learned in goal setting […] The post PMP376: Year in Review – Where Are You Growing? with Will Parker and Jen Schwanke appeared first on Principal Matters.

A few quick words from Will Parker: Hi, Friends! You’re going to be listening to an interview hosted by Jen Schwanke with our guest, Rachel George, the author of the book, She Leads: The Woman’s Guide to a Career in Educational Leadership, co-authored with Majalise Tolan. You’re going to love this conversation about Rachel’s background […] The post PMP375: She Leads with Dr. Rachael George and Dr. Jen Schwanke appeared first on Principal Matters.

Dr. James Flynn has been a teacher, coach, Assistant Principal, Principal of the Grades 3-6 Intermediate School in Burlington City, Principal of Burlington City High School, and is currently the Director of Planning/Research, Evaluation, Operations, and State and Federal Programs for the Burlington City School District, Burlington, New Jersey.  Jim’s principal practice included a number […] The post PMP374: Accelerating Student Voice with Dr. James Flynn appeared first on Principal Matters.

Donna Hayward began her professional career as a high school mathematics teacher after earning her Bachelors and Masters degrees from Smith College. Inspired by her own high school principal, Donna completed her Sixth Year through UCONN and served as Assistant Principal/ Principal of Rocky Hill High School for a decade. During this time, she markedly […] The post PMP373: Increasing Your Impact with Donna Hayward appeared first on Principal Matters.

In this week’s episode, Dr. Jen Schwanke hosts an episode interviewing Drs. Rob Russell and Dustin Miller, with lessons from a recent article they authored on The Power of Principal Mindfulness. Rob Russell, Ed. D., is an assistant principal at New Albany High School in New Albany, Ohio. He is a former science teacher. His […] The post PMP372: The Power of Principal Mindfulness with Dr. Rob Russell and Dr. Dustin Miller appeared first on Principal Matters.

As a child, I had the privilege of observing my grandparent’s farming responsibilities, so this week’s conversation with Jen Schwanke is important to me personally and professionally. In it, we discuss a documentary about traditional farming methods, and we draw connections between producing healthy soil and cultivating strong school cultures.  How might the story of […] The post PMP371: Simplicity in Leadership Does Not Equal Easier with Jen Schwanke and Will Parker appeared first on Principal Matters.

Phyllis L. Fagell, LCPC, is a school counselor in Washington, DC, a therapist who works with children and teens in private practice, and an author and journalist. She is the author of Middle School Matters: The 10 Key Skills Kids Need to Thrive in Middle School and Beyond – and How Parents Can Help, and […] The post PMP370: Middle School Superpowers with Phyllis Fagell appeared first on Principal Matters.