SchoolCEO: K-12 Marketing + Communications

Dr. Frank Davidson and Dr. Howard Carlson have a lot in common. They’re both educators, they both ended up as academics at Northern Arizona, and they both recently retired from long, well-regarded careers as superintendents. Frank retired from Casa Grande Elementary School District in 2017 after 20 years of leading his district and Howard retired after eleven years at the Wickenburg Unified School District. Following their retirements, Frank and Howard launched a new project researching what felt to them was an under-explored territory that every superintendent experiences: navigating successful transitions between superintendents. In this episode, Frank and Howard are digging deeper into what can make or break a transition between superintendents, based both on their data and their own invaluable experience. As recent reports suggest an increase in turnover among superintendents and other school leaders, this research is vitally important as we move forward into a period of rapid, industry-wide change.  For more information about the NAU Department of Educational Leadership Rural & Small Schools Resource Center (NAURRC), visit naurrc.org.Dr. Frank Davidson (@FDavidsonAZ)Dr. Howard Carlson (@HowardCarlson2)You can view the research conducted by Dr. Davidson and Dr. Carlson in the Winter 2021 edition of AASA's Journal of Scholarship and Practice. Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for more advice, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you’d like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com. Follow SchoolCEO on LinkedIn or X/Twitter @school_ceo. Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for research, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you’d like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com.Learn more about SchoolCEO and all of our resources on our About page. SchoolCEO is powered by Apptegy, the maker of the leading K-12 communications and brand management platform. 

Dr. Rocky Killion says he never really liked school, mostly because he was bullied as an elementary student. But one teacher—his high school band director—would change his mind about education. His passion for music and performing arts would light a fire in Killion and set him on his own path to becoming an administrator who leads from the heart. After being a band and choir director in several small schools, Killion found his way into administration and has served as superintendent of Indiana’s West Lafayette Community School Corporation for the last 14 years. West Lafayette has been a high-performing district during Killion’s time there, with increased graduation and college attendance rates. The district was also named a 2020 Best Community for Music Education by the NAMM Foundation. In 2021, Niche.com ranked WLCSC as the #1 best school district in Indiana.In this episode, Killion discusses his 5 C’s of effective leadership and how they’ve helped him make West Lafayette Community School Corporation a place of thriving student enrollment and financial stability. West Lafayette Community Schools (@WL_RDP)Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for more advice, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you’d like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com. Follow SchoolCEO on LinkedIn or X/Twitter @school_ceo. Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for research, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you’d like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com.Learn more about SchoolCEO and all of our resources on our About page. SchoolCEO is powered by Apptegy, the maker of the leading K-12 communications and brand management platform. 

Dr. Allyn Roche began his career in education as a college cheerleading coach—a position that would help him develop a lifelong appreciation for the impact that empathy and kindness can have on students. Now two years into his superintendency at Upper Perkiomen School District, Roche prides himself on the strong sense of community that all stakeholders—students, educators, and families—have within his district, even after a year that kept most people out of physical school buildings. To keep this sense of community going, Roche isn’t afraid to think creatively. He’s facilitated online scavenger hunts and builds regular opportunities for inter-school collaboration for administrators. Most importantly though, Roche has made space to prioritize the relationship building that he believes is essential to keeping his district a positive place to work and learn. In this episode, Roche explores how his emphasis on employee morale translates to stronger connections for his community. Dr. Allyn Roche and Upper Perkiomen School District (@UPSDTribe)Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for more advice, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you’d like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com. Follow SchoolCEO on LinkedIn or X/Twitter @school_ceo. Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for research, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you’d like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com.Learn more about SchoolCEO and all of our resources on our About page. SchoolCEO is powered by Apptegy, the maker of the leading K-12 communications and brand management platform. 

Dr. Jamie Piraino's path to the superintendency started in high school when his wrestling coach encouraged him to mentor younger kids on the team. Through that mentoring, he found that he had a talent for leadership and working with students—and the rest is history. Now the superintendent of Franklin Regional School District in Pennsylvania, he's working to give his staff and students the encouragement he once received. Whether it's mentoring teachers or partnering with local businesses to provide students with career experience, Piraino is developing leadership in his district, both for the present and the future.Dr. Jamie Piraino and Franklin Regional School District (@FRSDPanthers)Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for more advice, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you’d like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com. Follow SchoolCEO on LinkedIn or X/Twitter @school_ceo. Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for research, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you’d like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com.Learn more about SchoolCEO and all of our resources on our About page. SchoolCEO is powered by Apptegy, the maker of the leading K-12 communications and brand management platform. 

Dr. Michael Hinojsa credits his personal sense of dedication to the success of his 41-year-long career in education. Although Hinojosa didn’t know that he wanted to be an educator until a teacher suggested it, he has never looked back. Now in his second term as superintendent of Dallas ISD, Hinojosa has turned his sense of dedication to using research-based practices to create equitable education outcomes for all students. For Hinojosa, this means leading a community-wide initiative to support families of toddlers so that they are prepared for school well before they enter the classroom. This also means working to instill a sense of ownership in his leaders so that the work continues for decades to come.In this episode, Hinojosa shares how he is building a legacy of educational equity at Dallas ISD.Dr. Michael Hinojosa and Dallas ISD (@dallasschools)Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for more advice, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you’d like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com. Follow SchoolCEO on LinkedIn or X/Twitter @school_ceo. Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for research, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you’d like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com.Learn more about SchoolCEO and all of our resources on our About page. SchoolCEO is powered by Apptegy, the maker of the leading K-12 communications and brand management platform. 

Dr. Teresa Hill has been motivated by educational inequity since she was a student. Although she was tracked into rigorous classes and pushed to attend Ivy League schools, she was frustrated that this wasn’t true for all of her peers. This frustration would lead her to pursue a lifelong career as an educator and author of Combating the Achievement Gap: Ending Failure as a Default in Schools. Now, as a superintendent, Hill works hard to lead a district where no student encounters what she calls, “failure as a default” or a mindset that accepts that some groups of students are unlikely to succeed no matter how they are educated. Hill believes that all students are capable of success given the appropriate support and that this belief must be non-negotiable for educators.  In this episode, Hill shares how recognizing and dismantling the “failure as a default” mentality raises the bar for student success. Check out Combating the Achievement Gap: Ending Failure as a Default in Schools by Dr. Hill wherever you purchase your books.Dr. Teresa Hill (LinkedIn)South Holland School District #151 (@shsd151) Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for more advice, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you’d like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com. Follow SchoolCEO on LinkedIn or X/Twitter @school_ceo. Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for research, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you’d like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com.Learn more about SchoolCEO and all of our resources on our About page. SchoolCEO is powered by Apptegy, the maker of the leading K-12 communications and brand management platform. 

After years of being misunderstood, Career and Technical Education has recently seen a resurgence in public schools. Among calls for schools to “prepare students for the real world,” the pendulum of attention has swung back towards CTE.Dave Deskins has seen the pendulum swing back and forth multiple times. Growing up, he experienced another growth and decline in CTE. Now, as superintendent of Ohio’s Greene County Career Center, he's strengthening not only the career outlook for students but also the economy of the entire region. In this episode, Deskins shares his experiences leading during different eras of CTE and how programs like these can change a region.Greene County Career Center (@GreeneCCC)Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for more advice, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you’d like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com. Follow SchoolCEO on LinkedIn or X/Twitter @school_ceo. Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for research, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you’d like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com.Learn more about SchoolCEO and all of our resources on our About page. SchoolCEO is powered by Apptegy, the maker of the leading K-12 communications and brand management platform. 

Dr. David Vroonland has always believed that the purpose of education is to equip children with the tools they need to become self-determined adults. As the nature of work has changed in the US, Vroonland has spearheaded programs in his district to make sure its students are ready–no matter what paths they choose to pursue once they graduate. To make this happen, Vroonland celebrates elevating purpose over strategy, both in his district programming and his own leadership. This has fostered an environment where fast-paced innovation serves to support a district where students are able to take ownership over their own highly individualized learning paths. In this episode, Vroonland shares how decoupling from standardization has made Mesquite ISD a better place to work and a better place to learn. Dr. David Vroonland (@DrVroonland)Mesquite Independent School District (@mesquiteisdtx)Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for more advice, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you’d like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com. Follow SchoolCEO on LinkedIn or X/Twitter @school_ceo. Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for research, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you’d like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com.Learn more about SchoolCEO and all of our resources on our About page. SchoolCEO is powered by Apptegy, the maker of the leading K-12 communications and brand management platform. 

For Dr. Steve Webb, the role of public schools is personal. “I know something first hand about generational poverty,” he tells us. “Poverty is not a learning disability,” he says, “but it presents real barriers to student success in too many classrooms in our country.”Recently retired as superintendent of Washington’s Vancouver Public Schools, Webb centered his career on putting student and community needs first. VPS serves about 23,400 students and has experienced rapid growth and diversification over the last decade as a result of nearby Portland’s rising costs of living. To meet the needs of VPS students—especially those living in poverty—Webb and his team established 20 Family-Community Resource Centers (FCRCs)—facilities that remove barriers and connect families with available community resources to increase student success. In this episode, Dr. Webb shares his success story with FCRCs, his personal connection to public education, and his thoughts on how other districts can develop similar support networks through the power of collective efficacy. Dr. Steve Webb (@SuptWebb)To read more about Dr. Webb's work at VPS here, or you can learn more about community schools by checking out the Coalition for Community Schools. Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for more advice, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you’d like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com. Follow SchoolCEO on LinkedIn or X/Twitter @school_ceo. Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for research, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you’d like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com.Learn more about SchoolCEO and all of our resources on our About page. SchoolCEO is powered by Apptegy, the maker of the leading K-12 communications and brand management platform. 

For Dr. Tammy Campbell, equity could not be more central to her purpose. When she joined Washington’s Federal Way Public Schools in 2015, her work with her board began immediately—building a systemic approach to equity that was woven into each goal of the district. This approach hinges on regarding every stakeholder as a vital participant, responsible for their own “bold and courageous actions” to push the school district to be more socially just. As an educator of color who grew up in the South, Campbell has pushed to change the narrative of racial equity in education in a way that reflects her own lived experience. This includes celebrating the power of teachers, who Dr. Campbell acknowledges as her own original “sheroes and heroes” and listening and changing course based on feedback from students and families. In this episode, Campbell shares how equity has served as “the red thread” of large-scale improvement in all of her district’s strategies.Dr. Tammy Campbell (@SupCampbellFWPS)Federal Way Public Schools (@FWPS210)Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for more advice, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you’d like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com. Follow SchoolCEO on LinkedIn or X/Twitter @school_ceo. Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for research, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you’d like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com.Learn more about SchoolCEO and all of our resources on our About page. SchoolCEO is powered by Apptegy, the maker of the leading K-12 communications and brand management platform.