Transformative Principal

This is a continuation of our coaching calls with Eric Makelky. Please check our previous episodes 532527523 519 514, 510, 506, and 501In this episode, we talk about onboarding new staff. What Eric has done that has been helpful.District duties and Principal duties.How do we make people stick around?New Teacher Academy - in-house teachers come in and model, share, and showcase practices from their classroom.In-house people leading these things.Half-day around the building - basic information.Make a list, and trickle in during the summer.And what do they really need to be ready for the first day of school?Resources, curriculum, plan, classroom management.Big Picture vs. Details.How do you do that?Trello Board about onboardingHow do you avoid overwhelming them?Identify what is really valuable and what is extraMentoring new teachersHow do you not force mentoring on teachers?Collaborative teams within PLCs.Solid mentorMentorship is done according to the needs of the menteeIt’s about mentoring culture not just pedagogy.Have retired teachers come and be mentors when appropriate. LinkedLeaders: You need support. Get just-in-time mentoring at LinkedLeaders.comWe’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Danny Bauer is a Principal Development & Retention ExpertBest Selling AuthorAnd Host of Two of the World’s Most Downloaded PodcastsAs the Chief Ruckus Maker, he founded Better Leaders Better Schools in 2015.In this episode, we talk about his new book and other various and random things. Why an experimental mindset is so important.Deliver a result in as few words as possibleBuild Leadership MomentumGift yourself a 3-hour deep work blockPerfect principal entry planJohn Unger - after I started this all the stress was gone.Should veteran school leaders still pick up this book?How to get out of your own head?Imagine worst-case scenarios.I’ve already imagined worse than this.What would it take for you to hold this with an open hand?Outcomes are never in your control, inputs are.5 categories within the framework - start with the individual school leader, ruckus maker mindset tool.Everything else builds on top of each other and leads toSignificant and legacy work is not found in operations.The mark you leave on a campus is found on the other parts besidesBreaking up the entry plan to focus on significant time periods.Each campus is different and has unique needs.Take actionHow to turn off the noise.Get the book here: buildleadershipmomentum.comBonuses: LinkedLeaders: You need support. Get just-in-time mentoring at LinkedLeaders.comWe’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

In this episode, we talk with Dr. Robert Feirsen and Dr. Seth Weitzman about their new book From Conflict to Collaboration: A School Leader’s Guide to Unleashing Conflict’s Problem-Solving Power.We talk about how to avoid conflict, the three A’s to approach conflict, and much more.About the GuestsDr. Robert Feirsen is currently an associate professor and coordinator of the Educational Leadership Program at Manhattanville College. Previously, he was assistant professor and chair of the Education Department at the New York Institute of Technology. A former SAANYS member, Dr. Feirsen enjoyed a distinguished career in P-12 schools. As a school building leader in Westchester and Nassau Counties, he served as an elementary school principal, a middle school assistant principal, and a middle school principal. At the central office level, he served as an assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, deputy superintendent, and superintendent of schools. Dr. Feirsen taught at the elementary, middle, and high school levels as a social studies and special education teacher in schools in New York City before moving into supervisory roles. Dr. Feirsen holds an Ed.D. from Fordham University. Dr. Feirsen’s research interests include addressing organizational conflict, the school principal-school counselor relationship, principal and teacher retention, the relationship between psychological ownership and professional learning, college readiness, and the applications of design thinking. His research and other articles have been published in a number of academic journals, as well as Educational Leadership and Education Week. Dr. Feirsen has led workshops at such venues as ASCD, the American School Counselor Association (ASCA), the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE), and the American Educational Research Association (AERA). With Seth Weitzman, he has presented at national and statewide conferences including ASCD, the New York State Council of School Superintendents (NYSCOSS), and the New York Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (NYACTE). Seth Weitzman is also the co-author of From Conflict to Collaboration: A School Leader’s Guide to Unleashing Conflict’s Problem-Solving Power and How to Get the Teaching Job You Want.Dr. Seth Weitzman sat in a middle school principal’s chair for 27 years in Nassau and Westchester counties. Leadership positions included co-president of the Mamaroneck administrators’ union, president of the Nassau County, and later, the Westchester County Middle School Principals’ Association, and a New York State Middle-Level Liaison (a working group of principals representing every county and BOCES in New York State meeting with NYSED officials). Together with Dr. Robert Feirsen, he is the co-author of two books: How to Get the Teaching Job You Want and From Conflict to Collaboration: A School Leader’s Guide to Unleashing Conflict’s Problem-Solving Power. He is either author or co-author of a number of articles published in national education journals including Educational Leadership and American Middle-Level Education Magazine. Drs. Feirsen and Weitzman have presented in numerous professional association conferences at the county, state, and local levels (e.g. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, American Association of School Personnel Administrators, New York State Middle School Association, New York State Association of Teacher Educators) and graduate-level classes (Teachers College, Bank Street College of Education). He is currently Senior Instructor in the Mercy College Educational Leadership Department. His 40-year education career began teaching elementary school and middle school in Connecticut and New York City. He holds an EdD from Teachers College, Columbia University. LinkedLeaders: You need support. Get just-in-time mentoring at LinkedLeaders.comWe’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Shelley Groves is an assistant superintendent of a Career Technical Education Planning District in Ohio. In this podcast, she shares her experiences with CTE, work-based learning experiences, how she keeps kids from failing, and how she has changed the curriculum to give students more choice while still focusing on the standards. She also talks about the collaboration between the two campuses and the Focus Friday pilot program that has helped to build more effective relationships.In Ohio, CTE can be delivered several different ways: career technical planning districtOne exceptional experience. 2 campuses, Fairfield and Franklin CountiesOnly juniors and seniors.From career exploration to workforce development.How far do kids have to travel. 1 hour bus ride for some.Perkins funding comes with CTE.Required to have work-based learning experiences.Failure is not an option.My students don’t fail, because I don’t give them an option.Kids are leaving and working on the job.AASA last year - listening to one of the speakers. Why are we afraid to ask for student feedback.What are we afraid they are going to say?Looking at our curriculum, students who come here are hands-on, but over the past years, our academic model didn’t reflect what’s happening in our CTE labs.How do we help students love the academic model?Gave students Children’s literature class and Inquiry passion projects based on their own interests.Some students don’t report to campus at all.Stopped doing English 11 and started giving kids more choice so they could focus on the standards.Scary thing for teachers because they have to learn with the students.The teacher already knows the standards.Are you getting what you need from this class?Two campuses - struggling with collaboration.Two schools working independently of each other.Teachers wondering if they are going to go through it every year?How do we make classes sufficient so that kids can do things in any section or period?Applied academics - kids who are in construction go to each of their classes together.Students’ concerns are that they don’t want to be identified by just their program.Pilot Program - Focus Fridays - no classes on those days, different sessions you can attend.How different classes have helped teachers build more effective relationships.Kids really feel like the school is committed to them as an individual.Passion for learning, what better way to model this than to give kids opportunities to do what classes they want.Applications are up by 300 students.Lots of communication behind the “Why”How can you fix the academic part of it?Why are we teaching what we’re teaching and how are we teaching it?How to be a transformative Principal? Try something new. Model something new for your staff and don’t give up.About our GuestShelley Groves has been in education for 25 years, started as teacher of math and now overseeing curriculum as assistant superintendent of a CTE Planning District. They serve 16 schools districts About our HostJethro Jones, 2017 Digital Principal of the Year, is a former principal and founder of the BE Podcast Network. He is also the author of the books How to be a Transformative Principal and SchoolX: How principals can design a transformative school experience for students, teachers, parents – and themselves! Jethro currently speaks around the country on a variety of subjects from principal leadership to student driven learning. Jethro has worked as a principal at all K–12 levels, including a prison school, a district coach, distance learning team lead, and English teacher. LinkedLeaders: You need support. Get just-in-time mentoring at LinkedLeaders.comWe’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

This is a continuation of our coaching calls with Eric Makelky. Please check in our previous episodes 527, 523, 519, 514, 510, 506, and 501In this episode we talk about dealing with difficult parents. - Celebration - Just calling someone who applied. - Someone applying - Reaching out immediately - Making it personal. - Parents - How to get them on your team? - 25–30 parents now on the advisory council. - Challenges with parents - Being a successful principal is about being popular and making everyone happy. - Parents can be really challenging. - Education is the parents’ responsibility and we are here to help out. - What about when there isn’t a reason? - I’m recording this conversation…Me, too. - Would you like me to send a copy to you? - Intimidation approaches - Next time: so many things to learn that I didn’t have things in place for helping new staff. How do I help new staff transition in? Sponsors Transformative Principal MastermindLead a school everyone can be proud of.Being a principal is tough work. You’re pulled in all kinds of directions. You never have the time to do the work that really matters. Join me as I help school leaders find the time to do the work they became principals to do.I help you stop putting out fires and start leading.Learn more at https://transformativeprincipal.com LinkedLeaders: You need support. Get just-in-time mentoring at LinkedLeaders.comWe’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Jack Arend joined the AWSP team in July 2019. He has served in education since 1989 as an elementary, middle and high school music teacher. He began his building leadership career in the fall of 2006 as the principal of Peter G. Schmidt Elementary in the Tumwater School District. After eleven years in the principalship, he served two years at the Central Office level overseeing multiple content areas and mentoring first year teachers. Jack and his wife are both graduates of Washington State University. Jack received his Masters Degree from Western Washington University and his Administrative credentials from Seattle Pacific University. Jack and his wife Brenda enjoy living in the Olympia area and love spending time with their three children, Amanda, Emily, and Thomas. The Move Up Workshop online version is now closed, but if you are interested, you can join the waitlist at my web site Move Up workshop Do you see your school vision in your classroom observations Professional Learning is self-care for the school leader. Self-care is how you get your power back. From aspiring to retiring School Leadership matters Are there systems set up that allow you to leave? Can you schedule an in-person event and not feel guilty. Distributive leadership Saddened when people can’t go There’s no “coverage for my building” so I can’t go. Learning is a part of our job. Schools are big machines to keep running. It’s no small job that schools run efficiently every day. Every moving part is not contingent on moving the wheel. It doesn’t always have to be the school leader. I thought I was there to take things off their plates. Delegation Giving people opportunities for others enables me to do other things Trust can take so long to develop and take split second to break Trust is like walking on a glass tabletop. Start with honesty and clarity Not taking things off my plate that should be on my plate. Let it happen, and don’t micromanage. “How’d it go?” Drafting a master schedule example What are their parameters, and what is out of bounds? Importance of understanding the task. People want to have a voice How to be a transformative principal? Get to know your people. It’s 100% relational. Sponsors Transformative Principal Mastermind Lead a school everyone can be proud of. Being a principal is tough work. You’re pulled in all kinds of directions. You never have the time to do the work that really matters. Join me as I help school leaders find the time to do the work they became principals to do. I help you stop putting out fires and start leading. Learn more at https://transformativeprincipal.com LinkedLeaders: You need support. Get just-in-time mentoring at LinkedLeaders.comWe’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Ryan Henton is the Assistant Principal at 450-student Castle Rock High School. He’s in his 15th year as an educator and his first year as an administrator. Previous to administration, he was an English teacher teaching everything from 6th grade to English AP, in California and now in Castle Rock. In this episode, we talk about Ryan’s experience at the Move Up workshop which you can join virtually starting next week! Worksheet hanging on his wall. Helped me focus more learning on the job is so fast and furious. Show up Lead Up, Level Up Ryan’s one thing is “How to make today a WIN.” Moving from Prevention to Promotion mindset. Focusing on his destination. Did I make the right move? So many hats to wear and so many things to do. I always went home feeling not successful. The workshop helped me see things in a different way. Connecting with other assistant principals. Format | Calendar | popped up | | ———– | ———————- | | Podcast | bullying investigation | | JV Practice | Meet with parents | This workshop was an upgrade in my thinking! Making me think and reflect day-to-day Forces me to reassess my goals for that day. How the one thing has impacted his leadership The principal has seen it, but he isn’t sure if the staff sees it. My world was my classroom Your classroom is your priority. I’ve become more attentive, more focused Important to you, but not important to the whole How to be a transformative principal? Lean into your strengths! Sponsors Transformative Principal Mastermind Lead a school everyone can be proud of. Being a principal is tough work. You’re pulled in all kinds of directions. You never have the time to do the work that really matters. Join me as I help school leaders find the time to do the work they became principals to do. I help you stop putting out fires and start leading. Learn more at https://transformativeprincipal.com LinkedLeaders: You need support. Get just-in-time mentoring at LinkedLeaders.comWe’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

In this interview, Jethro talks with Lynn Hardin about the Move Up Workshop.  LinkedLeaders: You need support. Get just-in-time mentoring at LinkedLeaders.comWe’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

On this episode we talk about the Move Up Workshop, where you will learn how to show up, lead up and level up so you can move up. Are you ready to move up? Take the 2-minute assessment here and see for yourself. Shaun Cornwall is a seasoned educator and administrator dedicated to delivering top-notch education to all learners. Shaun embraces a well-rounded approach to education, focusing on academic, engineering, artistic, wellness, and social-emotional aspects. With a 20-year background in education, he has served as an Assistant Principal, Dean of Students, and elementary-level classroom teacher. He is currently serving as an assistant principal in the issaquah school district. Shaun has a knack for incorporating technology into learning environments and has successfully developed STEM programs during his career. With a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership and a principal’s license, he is also an active member of ASCD and AWSEP, and has contributed to STEM conferences and the NSTA’s Science Scope journal. Apart from his professional life, Shaun is a devoted husband and father to four wonderful children, aged between 7 and 17. In his spare time, he loves designing and playing board games, crafting delicious sourdough bread, and catching the latest films at the movies. Most valuable from the workshop was around evaluations and aligning myself around her values Our staff will be intervention experts is our vision. Rubric-based observations vs. a conversational approach Robotic and not super focused or helpful for teachers? Feedback is more authentic Teachers want to be better teachers and my feedback actually helps them now. One thing: going to be in one lunch every day. Put it on the calendar and told people they can expect to see me. Having a paraprofessional out there with me observing how I was handling it. Why you should attend the workshop. You are in charge of your own professional growth. What has made Shaun a great principal? Other principals. A great principal: Mary Kay Summers More about being intervention experts: meeting students where they need and what they need How to support teachers in that realm. How to be a transformative principal? Get out of your office. Be with kids. Connect with kids that don’t see you as much. Sponsors Transformative Principal Mastermind Lead a school everyone can be proud of. Being a principal is tough work. You’re pulled in all kinds of directions. You never have the time to do the work that really matters. Join me as I help school leaders find the time to do the work they became principals to do. I help you stop putting out fires and start leading. Learn more at https://transformativeprincipal.com LinkedLeaders: You need support. Get just-in-time mentoring at LinkedLeaders.comWe’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Ben Ziegler started his teaching career in SW Washington back in 2009. For a decade now, he has been a part of the Battle Ground School District, and for the past four years, he has been serving as an administrator. Throughout his tenure, Ben has held various positions, including a Dean for Students at the high school level, three years as an elementary AP, and currently, he is an AP at the middle school level. On this episode we talk about the Move Up Workshop, where you will learn how to show up, lead up and level up so you can move up. Are you ready to move up? Take the 2-minute assessment here and see for yourself. What was most valuable from the workshop you attended with Jethro?  Getting our mission/vision statements into our observations. How we are aligning in our vision and mission Coherence - aligning academics and social emotional. TPEP What is your one thing? Being aware 2x a day, ask myself if I’m aware. Helping teachers be more willing to try new things and do different things. How has your one thing impacted you in ways you didn’t expect? Had a really good conversation with a staff member here and made some suggestions to a staff member. Believe in myself more and slow down in moments in dealing with people. Strategic vs. Tactical approaches. Perspective Surprised in a good way with how much it aligned with what I already believe. Inventory of gratitude If someone is considering attending this workshop, what advice would you give them?  What is your vision for your career?  Started coaching middle school sports at 19 years old. Loved teaching and coaching. Be the head coach of a school. You work with people to improve their schools but help them be the best they can be. Knowing when to pull back and when to push. It comes down to relationships. It often comes down to the right question at the right time. Let people sit there. How to be a transformative Principal? Figure out your one thing for yourself - go out and observe and listen. LinkedLeaders: You need support. Get just-in-time mentoring at LinkedLeaders.comWe’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.