

Transformative Principal
Jethro Jones
Jethro Jones interviews instructional leaders from around the nation to learn and teach what it takes to become a transformative principal. Episodes address topics like Response to Intervention (RTI), Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS), Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS), the latest advances in educational research, standards-based grading, and interviews with industry leaders like Bill Daggett, Rick Wormeli, Todd Whitaker and even people outside the education like Seth Godin, JeVon McCormick, Liz Wiseman, and more.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Dec 22, 2019 • 23min
Confronting with Kindness with Rachel Brown Transformative Principal 310
Rachel Brown is a Curriculum, Instruction, & Professional Growth Strategist for Douglas County School District. Power in the missed opportunities You have the power of leading culture in your building. Even the opportunity of saying hello to a kid is really powerful. Each teacher had to own making a positive interaction with each child. When things were going unsaid, they festered Confronting with Kindness the things you don’t say could have a big impact on the climate and culture. Emotional intelligence - Elena Aguilar work on the art of coaching teams. Have to get rid of your ego, go in in a way that you open yourself up like a book. Buy the Communication Cards We didn’t do our best work. Kids couldn’t tell who was the principal New principal was very communicative and it changed the culture. How to be a transformative principal? This is a rough time for some kids and you can take the time to be an impactful person and not miss the opportunity to make a little adjustment to make your school feel like the safest home for those kids. Turmoil with change in leadership because of lack of communication and emotional intelligence. * Talking with team about how to make things better. * People coming to say Lost sight of standards - using the standards as our base. student centered coaching - to try to come http://calendly.com/jethro-jones/transformative-principal-interview https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/10/03/personal-best http://www.jethrojones.com/presentations
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.

Dec 15, 2019 • 25min
Learning with AI with Adam Bellow Transformative Principal 309
Adam Bellow is a dedicated educational technologist and father of two young boys. Adam is the co-founder of Breakout EDU, the immersive gaming platform that enables teachers and students to turn their classrooms into a place of discovery and inquiry based learning. Today we will be talking about learning with AI. How AI will play into education. Metacognitive piece - technology is serving our needs. Really helpful to a teacher. Empowering kids to get access to their own information before you. Building a voice profile. The use of the tool will have to outweigh the fears we have of it. You likely have an assistant available. My kids are very comfortable with robots. Game Designer Askmyclass Giving them the open-endedness is really powerful. as we look at school as more than just work-produced. How to be a transformative leader? Have a conversation with a small group of students
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.

Dec 8, 2019 • 28min
Cope, Adjust, Transform with Dwight Carter Transformative Principal 308
Dwight Carter is an award-winning school leader from Central Ohio. He believes reflection is at the heart of our practice and encourages principals, teachers, and students to focus on personal skill development to create the optimal conditions for learning to take place. Because of his collaborative and innovative leadership as a principal, he inducted into the Jostens Renaissance Educator Hall of Fame in 2010, he was named a 2013 National Association of Secondary School Principals Digital Principal of the Year, the 2014 Academy of Arts and Science Education High School Principal of the Year, and the 2015 Ohio Alliance of Black School Educators Principal of the Year. Register for the Future of Educational Technology conference here. Teaching in disruptive times. Mark Wright - coauthor of book. reforms are occurring in a shorter amount of time. How to handle disruptions 3–5 years for an initiative to stick but turnover is huge. How to deal with disruptive events? Cope Adjust Transform So many pathways to graduation and high school credit. Moving beyond credit recovery to credit acceleration. Schools are taking opportunity to remove barriers. Simply start by asking the question and have the conversation. What else can students take in place of ___ required learning? Kids have so much more opportunity today because of their access to opportunity. Negative impact of technology on their social emotional health. Both/and Generation Z - It’s all about choice. Work-based learning students doing amazing things The kids became teachers to me. How to be a transformative principal? Gather a group of students for an hour and ask them about how to improve their learning experience Jethro
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.

Dec 1, 2019 • 29min
My Grandma's Kitchen with Dr. A. Katrise Perera and Dr. Kimberly Miles Transformative Principal 307
My Grandma’s Kitchen with Dr. A. Katrise Perera and Dr. Kimberly Miles Transformative Principal 307 Social Media: Learning should be joyful. - @afewthingsworth Dr. A. Katrise Perera peers acknowledge her commitment, her dedication, her courageous leadership and for being an “equity warriorette.” In 2015, the National Association of School Superintendents (NASS) named her the National Superintendent of the Year. Before being recruited and hired by the Gresham-Barlow School District (Oregon) in May of 2017, she served in a variety of school leadership positions in Virginia, Texas, and as an executive leader with McGraw-Hill Publishing Company. Dr. Kimberly Miles is principal of East Gresham elementary, a turnaround principal and voracious reader. In this episode we will discuss equity in leadership and how to have joyful moments. Be determined. Perspectives of many other experiences. Equity in a school system is that it involves more than just a student and a teacher. Giving kids what they need when they need. In the kitchen with my grandmother. To have equity, you have to look at what kids are actually in need of. Look at policies, practices, systems, and more. what little things should we focus on? Is my approach helping them thrive? The foundation is culture. Need to know social and political response as well. Community Success Act We’re all going to get what we need. how to change the culture of putting the newest teachers with the most challenging situations? New teachers to the profession, because I can partner them with a collaborative team. Mentor teacher leaders. Benefit for new teachers to be supported by master teachers. Starts with professional development. How to be a transformative principal? Kimberly: Share the responsibility of change with someone else. Bring along your community together. Katrise: commitments—commit to reducing disproportionate suspension rates, early college, cultural competencies - commit to one!
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.

Nov 24, 2019 • 33min
Innovate Inside the Box with Dr. Katie Novak Transformative Principal 306
Katie Novak, Ed.D. is an internationally renowned education consultant as well as a practicing leader in education as an Assistant Superintendent of Schools in Massachusetts. With 15 years of experience in teaching and administration, an earned doctorate in curriculum and teaching, and 3 books published by CAST Professional Publications, Katie designs and presents workshops both nationally and internationally focusing on implementation of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and universally designed leadership. Today we talk about her book with George Couros, Innovate Inside the Box. UDL what is it? Multiple means of engagement multiple means of representation multiple means of action and expression Universal design stolen from architecture. The traditional model of education is there is “one way to do it.” We’re making content accessible as retrofits for really inaccessible lessons. Dinner party. Engagement is equal parts commitment and attention. Enrollment vs. engagement. When things get touch, I know how to manage it. Macro success looks like little bits of attention. Application for students with disabilities. If we want kids to be learners, we are much better slated to help kids create their own journeys to get there. How do we scaffold up to make it accessible and engaging. In my loyalty to that ____, I am excluding students. How do we teach empathy through these multiple means lenses? What do I have to do so every single student can do that? General ed teachers started referring to kids with special needs as their kids. When we see growth, it’s because of the teachers. How to be a transformative principal? In a classroom I believe in cocreation. Work with teachers to co-create professional learning and school improvement plans.
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.

Nov 17, 2019 • 19min
In Awe with Sarah Johnson Transformative Principal 305
In this Jolt episode, Sarah Johnson shares about the transformative power of practicing gratitude for ourselves as well a those around us. She shares research alignment, stories, and illustrates points from stories features during the month of November on the In AWE Podcast. Check out the The In AWE Podcast or In AWE Website Engage with Sarah at Sarah’s Website Resources for Gratitude: The Transformative Power of Gratitude Huffington Post Four Gratitude Strategies Berkeley The It’s Worth It Box
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.

Nov 10, 2019 • 28min
Candid Compassionate Feedback with TJ Vari and Joe Jones Transformative Principal 304
TJ Vari and Joe Jones are practicing Superintendents and coauthors of the book “Candid and Compassionate Feedback“. Result of fear of offending people is that it becomes offensive anyway. Ask questions to get them to see what they need to improve. The lack of candor can be what people are offended by. The candor is actually what is compassionate! TJ Turning the corner so your empathy is backed with concrete evidence backed with what to do better. Consistency is key. People are given that advice when they go into schools. Direct, sincere, accurate feedback. Identified the problem. Gave evidence. Provided a solution. Being clear does work. Learning walks are like formative assessments. Are the teachers using the “Goal” in their classroom? As teachers are teaching they’re often not aware of what they’re doing. Joe No way will a teacher ever grow through the formal observation process. We really should be getting into the mindset work among the staff. How to be a transformative principal? TJ: spend your time in the most important spaces in your school Joe: Disrupt your day. Speak to someone tomorrow that you haven’t spoken with this year. Bonus question: how to keep principals in the building?
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.

Nov 3, 2019 • 26min
Creating Psychological Safety with Keara Mascareñaz Transformative Principal 303
Keara Mascareñaz Managing Partner, Organizational Design at Education Elements. She helps schools and districts focuses build and scale a culture of innovation through leadership development, team habits, and human-centered organizational design. Learning, meeting, projects How do you create the environment of psychological safety? the team that is more effective would be making less mistakes. more comfort to talk about mistakes Amy Edmondson TED talk I didn’t say “I don’t know what I’m doing!“ It can feel high stakes, even though it is not. Two types of leaders: one best ideas should strive - leaders are smarter and make fewer mistakes. Interrogating archetypes. Two books: Multipliers with Liz Wiseman As soon as a speaker starts speaking, everyone stops talking. Here’s my interview with Liz Wiseman. Talking about Failure is crucial for Growth Noticing it is the first step to change. It’s hard to make big shifts. What foundation have I laid and signal have I given to my team about this? “I’ve had good ideas before that haven’t worked out!” So much deference made to people in power and authority. Habit of talking about mistakes. The more people in power can model talking about mistakes the more you can model and give more power to your people. How to be a transformative principal? Next time you’re in front of your staff think about 1. Learning challenge, vulnerability, asking for advice.
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.

Oct 27, 2019 • 34min
A Story about Fish with Danny Bauer and Dr. Kelly Crane Transformative Principal 302
A Story about Fish with Danny Bauer and Dr. Kelly Crane Transformative Principal 302 Social media: All of us are better than any of us. Danny Bauer and Kelly Crane are co-conspirators of Better Leaders Better Schools What do principals need to know about being a superintendent. Legal, politics, finance. Network. How to start acting as if. All of us are better than any of us. When you’re so close to the situation, it is really hard to see. Instructional leadership knowledge. Following through. Being authentic. Empathy when visiting Vulnerability. Radical listening. The mastermind is a sacred space. You gotta learn from the mistakes of others. How to be a transformative principal? Danny: Join a PLN! Kelly: be vulnerable when it is necessary. We don’t know it all and we have to reach out to others.
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.

Oct 20, 2019 • 30min
Making Inquiry Less Messy with Adam Fachler Transformative Principal 301
Adam Fachler has a proven process for planning amazing lessons. Take the EMPOWER Method for planning amazing lessons. We are all searching! Little quality control Making inquiry method a little less messy. Envision - see the end in mind. Map - simplifies a complex process. Prime - prior knowledge, emotional aspect of learning Orient Walkthrough Explore Reflect Teachers’ time to plan is too little. Yes this does take time. Whether you win in your classroom is decided well before you enter the classroom. Do this at the unit level - a time investment. Crystalize your learning outcome in a GEM: goal, evidence, measure of success. You are envisioning a destination for them. Mapping the path to mastery. School in the Square How to be a transformative principal? Start from the beginning, what’s the GEM for your upcoming unit?
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.