

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

Feb 8, 2015 • 28min
Rigor & Relevance for ALL Students with Bill Daggett Transformative Principal 058
Bill Daggett is the founder and Chairman of the International Center for Leadership in Education. He has worked all over the world helping schools improve and currently hosts the model school conference which showcases the 40 top performing schools in the country.
Other nations were doing some things better than us, but not everything. One thing we do much better is educating ALL students.
No nation in the world that would do what public education was doing for my family.
Spoke in 29 nations in 2 years.
Pulled company back to focus on America.
Carefully interviews people who need help, and mentor the schools to help them.
5,000 - 8,000 people at Model Schools Conference in June.
Teaming is important. We have created artificial silos that don’t help students learn in real-life situations. School
Rigor, Relevance, and Relationships for ALL students
Schools are organized for ease of the teachers, not students.
Schools are organized for the top 1/3 of the students.
Want to motivate kids? Better make it relevant for them.
Interdisciplinary teams.
To start find two people who are willing to work together and go from there.
Build your master schedule around them.
Takes about 3–5 years for these initiatives to work.
We need the common planning period between disciplines.
Gotta pick the battles you are going to fight.
That’s too revolutionary and revolutionists get killed.
Breaking staff into thirds - Lunatic Fringe (let’s do every new initiative), Realists (I need some data to change first), Over My Dead Body (I’m not changing for nothing!). And it is not always broken down into even thirds.
Just leave the bottom third alone. Spend your time and resources on the top third.
Took 7 years working with that district for Brockton High School to start changing.
Teachers need an ongoing network of people beyond their own building.
Running Interference: Find ways to unlock teachers potential and remove roadblocks (state regs, parents/kids, union).
Get parent advocates. Talk to the parents of students who are doing a really great job. Get that parent to run for school board. Over time, it grows.
Public education has been around for a long time, you won’t change it overnight.
Measure what matters.
Academic Tenacity - do kids feel school is relevant? Do they feel safe? WE Surveys help find out if kids feel connected to school.
Do students and teachers agree that what is being taught is relevant?
Student and parent engagement are important.
Content, Methodology, Academic Tenacity, Parent/Community. We are so hung up on Content, that we can’t get to next three items. High performing schools don’t begin with content, they begin with getting the kids engaged.
Culture trumps strategy.
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Please take a moment to rate this podcast in iTunes or on Stitcher.
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.

Feb 2, 2015 • 27min
Making Kids Guilty of Learning with Randy Barron Transformative Principal 057
There is a little audio issue at about 2:15 (and at the end) from my new microphone that I used for this. I couldn’t remove it without removing the whole piece. Please forgive me. ;)
Randy Barron Kennedy Center Teaching Artist. More info here
Kennedy Center teaching artists integrate arts into the curriculum. Much more focused on students creatively solving problems.
Arts integration is an approach to teaching where students create an art form to solve a problem.
Still want to have art taught as an art form,
Find ways to make kids guilty of learning.
Find ways to show movement with content areas.
Science and Poetry are areas that naturally relate to movement. Math is a little more difficult, so it may not connect with skills, but it does still connect with concepts.
Kids solve problems. Kids make water cycle through dance.
First drafts are not all that they do, it is just the beginning.
Integrating close reading of text and other strategies to make sure students understand content, as well as dance.
Playing with purpose.
Outside of comfort zone is in their learning zone.
Students use drawings, demonstrations, writing, and more to show what they are doing. Each child has their own record.
Randy started dancing at age 19.
Art integration is incredibly efficient.
Using verbal, physical, kinesthetic modalities.
Movement and dance gives them more of a reason to know something, makes it easy for kids to understand and remember.
Uncover the content versus cover the content.
Interleaving (or spiraling)
Tip for getting started: Find a Kennedy Center partnership to get started.
Principals: Make sure you let your teachers have a little breathing space.
http://kennedy-center.org
Contact Randy here
Web site

Jan 25, 2015 • 34min
How to Run Great IEP Meetings with Charles Fox Transformative Principal 056
Please take a moment to rate this podcast in iTunes or on Stitcher.
Please follow me on Twitter: @jethrojones for the host and @TrnFrmPrincipal for the show.
Buy Communication Cards Use code TRANSFORMATIVE to save $10
Show notes on TransformativePrincipal.com
Download Paperless Principal.

Jan 18, 2015 • 29min
Avoid Special Ed Lawsuits with Charles Fox Transformative Principal 055
Please take a moment to rate this podcast in iTunes or on Stitcher.
Please follow me on Twitter: @jethrojones for the host and @TrnFrmPrincipal for the show.
Buy Communication Cards Use code TRANSFORMATIVE to save $10!
Show notes on TransformativePrincipal.com
Download Paperless Principal.

Jan 11, 2015 • 38min
54 Improving School-Wide Behavior with Frank Schofield Transformative Principal
Please take a moment to rate this podcast in iTunes or on Stitcher.
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.

Jan 4, 2015 • 24min
Co-Taught Math Classes with Frank Schofield Transformative Principal 053
Please take a moment to rate this podcast in iTunes or on Stitcher.
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.

Dec 14, 2014 • 38min
Implenting 1:1 iPads with Theresa Stager Transformative Principal 052
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Please follow me on Twitter: @jethrojones for the host and @TrnFrmPrincipal for the show.
Show notes on TransformativePrincipal.com
Download Paperless Principal.

Dec 8, 2014 • 25min
Establishing Trust with Theresa Stager Transformative Principal 051
Please take a moment to rate this podcast in iTunes or on Stitcher.
Please follow me on Twitter: @jethrojones for the host and @TrnFrmPrincipal for the show.
Show notes on TransformativePrincipal.com
Download Paperless Principal.

Nov 30, 2014 • 30min
Marzano Observation Framework with Jethro Jones Transformative Principal 050
Please take a moment to rate this podcast in iTunes or on Stitcher.
Please follow me on Twitter: @jethrojones for the host and @TrnFrmPrincipal for the show.
Show notes on TransformativePrincipal.com
Download Paperless Principal.

Nov 23, 2014 • 25min
The Power of Daily Blogging with Dr. Spike Cook Transformative Principal 049
Show notes on TransformativePrincipal.com


