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

Timothy Alexander is a bestselling writer, award-winning speaker, and life coach who thrives at the intersection of character development, counseling, and mentorship. After a life changing car accident in 2006 left him paralyzed from the neck down, Timothy has embodied a “never give up” spirit that inspires educators to do the impossible in their schools […] The post PMP284: Triumph over Tragedy with Timothy Alexander appeared first on Principal Matters.

Jethro Jones is the founder of Transformative Principal, which provides leadership development, weekly masterminds, and one-on-one coaching for school leaders across the nation and internationally. In 2017, he was recognized as Digital Principal of the Year by the National Association of Secondary School Principals. He has turned his years of experience and learning into books, […] The post PMP283: How to Be a Transformative Principal with Jethro Jones appeared first on Principal Matters.

Kyle Palmer is currently Executive Director of Human Resources for the Center School District of South Kansas City, MO. Before this transition, Dr. Palmer spent the previous ten years as principal of nationally recognized Lewis and Clark Elementary in Liberty, MO. Kyle began his career as a 4th grade teacher in Ankeny, Iowa in 2000. […] The post PMP282: Building ‘Parentships’ with Dr. Kyle Palmer appeared first on Principal Matters.

Dr. Tim Elmore is the founder and CEO of Growing Leaders. His work grew out of 20 years of serving alongside Dr. John C. Maxwell. Elmore has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, USA Today, Psychology Today and he’s been featured on CNN’s Headline News and Fox and Friends. Tim has written […] The post PMP281: Paradoxes of Leadership with Dr. Tim Elmore appeared first on Principal Matters.

Last month I had the privilege of presenting in a virtual event to a group of assistant principals and aspiring school leaders at Pecos Barstow Toyah ISD in Pecos, Texas. As part of a series we have been doing together this school year, I shared a session on the ‘Hat of Communication’ that is so […] The post PMP280: The Power of Your Messaging appeared first on Principal Matters.

Dr. Christopher Jones has been an educator in Massachusetts for 22 years.  He has just finished his 14th year as a building administrator.  True to his “why” of improving the educational experience for as many people as possible, he is currently the Principal of Whitman-Hanson Regional High School in Whitman, Massachusetts. Chris is passionate about […] The post PMP279: Support, Empower, Engage with Chris Jones appeared first on Principal Matters.

In a recent article Jen Schwanke published with ASCD, First Engage Teachers: A Principal’s Role in Cultivating Staff Motivation, Jen makes the following assertion: “When principals foster a staff’s collective belief in themselves, their staff will incorporate that positive esteem toward their own motivation and engagement to work with students.”   How does this looks when […] The post PMP278: Encouraging & Motivating Staff with Jen Schwanke appeared first on Principal Matters.

Last week a principal wrote to tell me he was short 25 teachers or staff as he ended his first week back in the new semester. Another principal wrote that he spent his first morning back from Christmas break finding coverage for 9 classes without teachers. Just today in my own community, one of our […] The post PMP277: Lessons in Leadership from a Colonial Midwife appeared first on Principal Matters.

This morning I read a gripping opinion post in Education Week by Lisa Mead, a principal in upstate New York, whose piece titled A Principal’s Assessment: ‘We’re Not OK’. She shared what I’ve heard from many principals this past year: 2021 was in many ways harder than 2020. Among the many important ideas she shared, […] The post PMP276: 2021 Year in Review & 2022 Goal Setting appeared first on Principal Matters.

What would happen if you asked your team, ‘What question would you predict I’m going to ask in a meeting?’ Brad Gustafson poses this scenario in Part 2 of our conversation about literacy. Educators know literacy is essential to student learning. Brad reminds principals what role school leaders play in helping grow a culture of […] The post PMP275: 6 Literacy Levers, Part 2 with Brad Gustafson appeared first on Principal Matters.