
Transformative Principal
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.
Latest episodes

Sep 27, 2015 • 20min
Good Teaching on Steriods with Piper Riddle Transformative Principal 091
Piper is the principal of Draper Elementary in Draper, UT. She has been a long-time friend and mentor to me, personally, and has helped me learn so much over the last few years.
ELA in English and Math in target language
Teachers more intentional in working together on content between languages.
MobyMax to supplement schoolwork. Reflex Math to focus on computation skills.
What she’s doing is working because Draper Elementary ranked 22 in the state in math.
How you ensure good instruction is taking place when you don’t speak the target language?
Anyone should be able to understand topic in the classroom when they are in the target language.
Good instruction on Steroids.
9 tenets of instruction from State of Utah
Listen.
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Join the Transformative Mastermind Today and work on your school, not just in it. Apply today. We’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.

Sep 20, 2015 • 23min
Dual Immersion Chinese with Piper Riddle Transformative Principal 090
Piper is the principal of Draper Elementary in Draper, UT. She has been a long-time friend and mentor to me, personally, and has helped me learn so much over the last few years.
Dual immersion schools - what is the process, and what challenges are unique to you?
200 dual immersion schools in the state, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, French
What barriers are there to having native speakers come teach in America?
A/B schedule at elementary level.
Teachers come from mainland China and local areas.
Immersion teacher and non-immersion teachers and culture issues.
Personalizing issues with culture.
Specials to integrate the two cultures.
Dragon Training
Seeking input to learn what was important to the students, faculty, and parents.
Blanket monkey.
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Ready for a Modern Web Site for your school? Simple School Sites is the place to go for high quality Wordpress sites specially designed for schools.
Please follow me on Twitter: @jethrojones for the host and @TrnFrmPrincipal for the show.
Buy Communication Cards
Show notes on TransformativePrincipal.com
Download Paperless Principal.
Join the Transformative Mastermind Today and work on your school, not just in it. Apply today. We’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.

Sep 13, 2015 • 29min
Facing History in Ourselves with Henry Turner Transformative Principal 089
Henry Turner is a fantastic principal doing some great things at Bedford High School outside Boston. He blogs at Leadingtolearn.
Implementing iPad initiative.
Focus on creating iPad content.
Fundraising
Upstander anti-bullying program. Facing History in Ourselves.
Asking curious questions.
Kids create public service announcements with their iPads.
Achievement gap strategies.
Data teams
Putting kids in levels, but not tracking them.
Conversations and district support.
The Calculus Project.
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Please take a moment to rate this podcast in iTunes or on Stitcher.
Ready for a Modern Web Site for your school? Simple School Sites is the place to go for high quality Wordpress sites specially designed for schools.
Please follow me on Twitter: @jethrojones for the host and @TrnFrmPrincipal for the show.
Buy Communication Cards
Show notes on TransformativePrincipal.com
Download Paperless Principal.
Join the Transformative Mastermind Today and work on your school, not just in it. Apply today. We’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.

Sep 6, 2015 • 30min
SIte Vists with Henry Turner Transformative Principal 088
Henry Turner - Principal of Bedford High School outside Boston.
Site visits is where the interview teams comes to the school to meet with the teams that work with the principal.
Tips to prepare.
Choose a diverse group of people.
Avoid some pitfalls: lack of preparation, only asking rockstars.
How to prepare people for the visit: Announce early to community.
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Please take a moment to rate this podcast in iTunes or on Stitcher.
Ready for a Modern Web Site for your school? Simple School Sites is the place to go for high quality Wordpress sites specially designed for schools.
Please follow me on Twitter: @jethrojones for the host and @TrnFrmPrincipal for the show.
Buy Communication Cards
Show notes on TransformativePrincipal.com
Download Paperless Principal.
Join the Transformative Mastermind Today and work on your school, not just in it. Apply today. We’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.

Aug 30, 2015 • 39min
Establishing PLCs with Geri Parscale Transformative Principal 087
This week Geri Parscale came to visit us in Kodiak and teach us about PLCs. The teachers walked away energized and excited. On Twitter she is @ParscaleG.
In this episode she talks about PLCs and culture. PLCs are a way of life, not a program, and that is what I have always enjoyed about the PLC approach.
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Please take a moment to rate this podcast in iTunes or on Stitcher.
Ready for a Modern Web Site for your school? Simple School Sites is the place to go for high quality Wordpress sites specially designed for schools.
Please follow me on Twitter: @jethrojones for the host and @TrnFrmPrincipal for the show.
Buy Communication Cards
Show notes on TransformativePrincipal.com
Download Paperless Principal.
Join the Transformative Mastermind Today and work on your school, not just in it. Apply today. We’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.

Aug 24, 2015 • 31min
Ditching Grading Periods with Mike Kelly Transformative Principal 086
Mike Kelly - Principal Eyer Middle School. East Penn School District. Mike on Twitter: @principalmkelly Mike’s Blog
The importance of blogging and reflection, sharing learning.
Personal growth mindset post.
The end of marking periods.
Starting removal of marking periods in 6th grade!
Arbitrary dates to complete learning on certain topics.
Extended learning program greatly reduces academic failures.
Many additional clubs and activities are offered.
“Required” extended learning program.
Perception of ELP.
Time and support are the variables and learning is the constant.
How to prepare for big changes in schools.
Parent concerns about end of marking periods.
Start with small parent groups.
How to gain teacher support for the end of marking periods.
The case against 0
The power of 0
Retesting and redo
How to be a transformative principal? Surround yourself with transformative people.
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Please take a moment to rate this podcast in iTunes or on Stitcher.
Ready for a Modern Web Site for your school? Simple School Sites is the place to go for high quality Wordpress sites specially designed for schools.
Please follow me on Twitter: @jethrojones for the host and @TrnFrmPrincipal for the show.
Buy Communication Cards
Show notes on TransformativePrincipal.com
Download Paperless Principal.
Join the Transformative Mastermind Today and work on your school, not just in it. Apply today. We’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.

Aug 16, 2015 • 31min
Breaking out of Isolation with Theresa Stager and Jessica Johnson Transformative Principal 085
Today I am joined by Theresa Stager and Jessica Johnson who talk about their book “Breaking out of Isolation”.
After the sad end of the Practical Principals podcast with Melinda Miller, Theresa and Jessica and Jethro all started a podcast at the same time.
Being connected sometimes makes you feel isolated.
On being a student again.
Fixed vs. growth mindset.
We are still in the middle of learning how to be connected.
You must always watch what you are saying and be cautious of what you are saying.
Connected Educator Series
How you can break out of isolation:
Jump on Twitter
Join #principalPLN and create your own personal little mentors.
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Please take a moment to rate this podcast in iTunes or on Stitcher.
Ready for a Modern Web Site for your school? Simple School Sites is the place to go for high quality Wordpress sites specially designed for schools.
Please follow me on Twitter: @jethrojones for the host and @TrnFrmPrincipal for the show.
Buy Communication Cards
Show notes on TransformativePrincipal.com
Download Paperless Principal.
Join the Transformative Mastermind Today and work on your school, not just in it. Apply today. We’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.

Aug 9, 2015 • 32min
How do You Contribute to Education with Dr. Robert Dillon Transformative Principal 084
Bob Dillon Twitter Web Site is the Director of Technology and Innovation for Afton School District. He has been a middle school principal for 15 years in three different places and currently helps many other principals improve their practices.
Join the PrincipalPLN Voxer group
1st order change - simple, fixit types of problems, typically exciting that help people feel good about things, but don’t really move the needle in improving a school.
2nd order change - moving from management to leadership. Changes that will last after you are gone. People start to feel like they are part of a special organization. Sometimes it is messy, people don’t know how things will play out.
Doug Timm Principal in Delaware.
Need to focus on what matters in the long term.
1st order change - painting over water stain on a house you just bought.
2nd order change - taking off the drywall and cleaning (or replacing) studs and insulation.
Playing the short and the long game.
Higher-level conversations
Difficulty of dealing with minor problems.
If you are working hard daily, people will be more likely to give you a break.
Build up key communicators in the building.
Trust your teachers to say things in a way that you know will be beneficial.
People need to hear the same in multiple ways.
How to help teachers be comfortable taking risks.
Need to scaffold to the higher level of risk-taking.
Part 2
Director of Innovation. My role is to keep the system lubricated.
Keep technology systems moving at a fast rate. Jump technology ahead.
Looking for other places that slow growth and inhibit innovation.
Empower the teachers that are moving forward and working hard.
Most of the rest of my career I will have jobs that don’t exist yet.
Important to change mental model of where and how kids learn.
Our teachers get better when they tell our story.
If it is not your strength to share, allow it to be the power of your students and allow them to share.
Give kids a voice.
Authentic audience raises the quality of work.
Book Ethic of Excellence
How are you contributing to Education beyond this school?
It is about being humble, and knowing you don’t have all the answers. If I want other people to help me, I need to help other people.
What prevents teachers from contributing?
Powerful connecting to other schools. Bettendorf High School and their partner school learning from each other. Doc Seacrist St. Joseph in Missouri(LINK)
Why Jimmy Casas continues to be a principal.
Leadership
K–1–2 Makerspace about the philosophy of allowing kids to grow creativity and problem solving.
Create, make, design for empowerment, engagement.
Helping kids become solution makers.
How you can be a transformative principal: Go read something that doesn’t have to do with education with your principal hat on. Lateral capacity building. Brendan Hufford
Entreleadership Podcast
Chris Locurto Show
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Please take a moment to rate this podcast in iTunes or on Stitcher.
Ready for a Modern Web Site for your school? Simple School Sites is the place to go for high quality Wordpress sites specially designed for schools.
Please follow me on Twitter: @jethrojones for the host and @TrnFrmPrincipal for the show.
Buy Communication Cards
Show notes on TransformativePrincipal.com
Download Paperless Principal.
Join the Transformative Mastermind Today and work on your school, not just in it. Apply today. We’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.

Aug 2, 2015 • 28min
Orders of Change with Dr. Robert Dillon Transformative Principal 083
Bob Dillon Twitter Web Site is the Director of Technology and Innovation for Afton School District. He has been a middle school principal for 15 years in three different places and currently helps many other principals improve their practices.
Join the PrincipalPLN Voxer group
1st order change - simple, fixit types of problems, typically exciting that help people feel good about things, but don’t really move the needle in improving a school.
2nd order change - moving from management to leadership. Changes that will last after you are gone. People start to feel like they are part of a special organization. Sometimes it is messy, people don’t know how things will play out.
Doug Timm Principal in Delaware.
Need to focus on what matters in the long term.
1st order change - painting over water stain on a house you just bought.
2nd order change - taking off the drywall and cleaning (or replacing) studs and insulation.
Playing the short and the long game.
Higher-level conversations
Difficulty of dealing with minor problems.
If you are working hard daily, people will be more likely to give you a break.
Build up key communicators in the building.
Trust your teachers to say things in a way that you know will be beneficial.
People need to hear the same in multiple ways.
How to help teachers be comfortable taking risks.
Need to scaffold to the higher level of risk-taking.
Part 2
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Please take a moment to rate this podcast in iTunes or on Stitcher.
Ready for a Modern Web Site for your school? Simple School Sites is the place to go for high quality Wordpress sites specially designed for schools.
Please follow me on Twitter: @jethrojones for the host and @TrnFrmPrincipal for the show.
Buy Communication Cards
Show notes on TransformativePrincipal.com
Download Paperless Principal.
Join the Transformative Mastermind Today and work on your school, not just in it. Apply today. We’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.

Jul 26, 2015 • 30min
Start Book Clubs with David Long Transformative Principal 082
David Long, CEO of My Employees. Started the company from Author of Built to Lead: 7 Management R.E.W.A.R.D.S Principles for Becoming a Top 10% Manager.. This book is amazing, and I learned a ton from talking to David. He is a businessman, and not an educator, but he is really on point here.
Top 1% in all three industries he has participated in, so topics relatable to all industries.
Employee recognition programs.
It’s not just plaques for employee recognition.
It is normal to procrastinate, forget, or otherwise delay awards and recognition for employees.
Great intentions last only 3 months.
Recognize 2 people from each department.
20% or higher growth per year because of this employee recognition.
Employee recognition is the greatest way to get people to buy into your vision for the school.
Teachers will only be successful if the kids are successful, so we need to make our teachers and kids successful.
Metrics for schools: Don’t want it to be a popularity contest!
Measure what you are already using.
Recognition has to be administered every 7–10 days.
Employee recognition reminder chart. - Digital Version Recognize everyone 3 times a month!
If you can’t find something to recognize them for, you’re dropping the ball as a leader.
We do not outgrow the desire to be shown that we are significant.
If teachers don’t feel like they are part of the team, they want to leave you.
Two reasons people want to leave your school: 1) Not getting recognition or 2) the leader is forcing them to work with incompetent people.
You have to show the teachers that they matter.
People will listen to you because you care.
You will lose good people sometimes if you focus on them
Many employees receive no recognition for months at a time.
Find as many metrics as you can.
Demotivator: not using metrics to determine employee recognition, i.e., If someone comes in late and leaves early every day, and you reward that person.
Don’t make recognition about “It’s this person’s turn.”
80/20 rule. Recognize top 20% of each department. Part 2
Student engagement surveys for teachers. Simplistic questions: How well do you feel the teacher teaches…? How well do you feel your teacher encourages you…? (What would be good)
Interview and assess what the kids are getting from their teachers.
Metrics he uses: Dollar/ticket, renewal sales, how many calls they answer, answering the phones by the third ring,
Kaizan - continuous improvement, monitoring something causes the production of it to increase by 10 percent.
TEDxCSDTeachers - increase attendance by 10%.
shoutoutcards.com - stubs or something to remind you of what someone did well.
Let your people shine.
Book clubs - teach your teachers how to improve their lives - personal development, not books related to our profession.
Dr. Tony Zeiss - 12 Essential Rules for Becoming Indispensable
Book clubs help teams that don’t usually work together work together.
Side note: teach kids how to use money and have their money spent effectively.
What can principals do? Use the recognition chart to make sure you are checking in on your teachers.
Invest in your own education, learn how to be a better principal, teacher, speaker, etc.
davidlong@top10manager.com
800–489–0230
Buy the hardback copy, get the kindle version free by emailing Copy of workbook from the
“You’re impacting lives every day, or you’re not!”
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Please take a moment to rate this podcast in iTunes or on Stitcher.
Ready for a Modern Web Site for your school? Simple School Sites is the place to go for high quality Wordpress sites specially designed for schools.
Please follow me on Twitter: @jethrojones for the host and @TrnFrmPrincipal for the show.
Buy Communication Cards
Show notes on TransformativePrincipal.com
Download Paperless Principal.
Join the Transformative Mastermind Today and work on your school, not just in it. Apply today. We’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.