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

Especially during difficult times, leaders need support from other leaders. Each week this past year, I have been hosting virtual one-hour conversations with select groups of school leaders through Principal Matters Masterminds. Together we have studied books, provided times for self-reflection, and allowed leaders to take turns in “hot-seat” opportunities. The result? I have built […] The post PMP206: Growing Through a Mastermind with Anthony Fisher appeared first on Principal Matters.

Jenny is a returning student at her high school. She has a part-time job which keeps her up late most nights.  When her school opens this fall, she knows remote-learning is the option until her building opens again. She calls the school but gets a busy signal. Then she uses her iPhone to log into […] The post PMP205: Preparing the Start-of-School Year in a Pandemic appeared first on Principal Matters.

This week I did my first in-person meeting with a group of fellow-school leaders as they plan for the beginning of a new school year. The team of administrators sat in a room with tables at appropriate distances, and we wore masks. Whenever I wear a mask, my glasses become foggy. So I held my […] The post PMP204: We are all Pioneers and Tweeners this school year! appeared first on Principal Matters.

One of the biggest challenges for the a new school year is deciding how to mitigate concerns for safety while ensuring ways to still actively engage, support, and reach students. In this week’s podcast episode, Dr. Jeff Springer shares takeaways from his research on the power of P.L.A.Y. in schools and offers suggestions for school […] The post PMP203: Cultivating PLAY in Leadership with Jeff Springer appeared first on Principal Matters.

As you think about your own leadership, I’m curious if you give yourself the kind of scrutiny you may give your own team members? In other words, are you allowing the kind of self-reflection where you first identify your own areas of needed growth before asking others to grow? These are the thoughts and questions […] The post PMP202: Transforming School Cultures with Dr. Anthony Muhammad appeared first on Principal Matters.

On March 17, 2020, many schools across the U.S. began responding to the global pandemic of COVID-19 with school closures. Most school leaders were scrambling to figure out how to keep school communities safe while adjusting to a new norm. Jen Schwanke, Principal of Indian Run Elementary in Dublin, Ohio, was no exception. While her […] The post PMP201: Rebooting for the Summer with Jen Schwanke appeared first on Principal Matters.

Now that the dust has settled from distance learning, school leaders are asking: what worked, and what didn’t work? How did you stay connected to people, or what important milestones did you miss? In this week’s podcast episode, Principal Jen Schwanke shares reflections on ways school leaders can look back at lessons during distance or […] The post PMP200: Looking Back at Distance Learning with Jen Schwanke appeared first on Principal Matters.

Last week, my guests William Stubbs, Marlena Gross-Taylor, and Don Parker shared feedback on their personal and professional reflections around equity, racism, and inequalities. They each gave suggestions to help you decide how to respond in your own school community. In Part 2 of this discussion, they dive even deeper as they share several strategies, […] The post PMP199: Panel Discussion on Equity & Racism, Part 2 appeared first on Principal Matters.

No community has been immune to conversations surrounding equity, racism, and inequalities. As Marlena Gross-Taylor, one of the guests on this week’s podcast episode explains, these conversations have been going on for at least four hundred years. It seems this time, however, communities have reached a tipping point – with vast majorities of Americans expressing […] The post PMP198: Panel Discussion on Equity and Racism, Part 1 appeared first on Principal Matters.

Starting a new school year is like preparing for a marathon. The journey begins with training long before the race begins. And once the race starts, you need a lot of endurance for the road ahead. School leadership is the same. As you enter summer, the ways you “condition” in the weeks ahead may help […] The post PMP197: 10 Tips for New Assistant Principals appeared first on Principal Matters.