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A Quick Note to Listeners:
Before this week’s episode, Jen Schwanke and I take some time to answer a listener question. This week’s question is:
What do I do if I have a colleague who views collaboration as an opportunity to hand me work that is actually their own responsibility area?
Listen in to hear our response!
Meet Don Smith & Jenni Donohoo:
Don Smith is the Director of Professional Services at FIRST Educational Resources, where he supports school leaders and systems across the country in grading reform, instructional clarity, and leadership development. A former principal and longtime advocate for effective implementation, Don brings a practitioner’s lens to the challenges of leading meaningful change in schools.
Jenni Donohoo is an internationally recognized author, speaker, and researcher whose work focuses on collective teacher efficacy, school improvement, and leadership. Her work has been widely cited by educational researchers, including John Hattie, and she has helped shape the global conversation around efficacy in schools. In collaboration with Don Smith, her newest book, The Confidence to Lead: Building Principal and Collective Efficacy in Schools, provides research-based guidance for building stronger leaders and stronger teams.
What makes school improvement stick?
That’s the question I explore this week with two outstanding voices in education leadership, Don Smith and Jenni Donohoo, as we unpack their new book, The Confidence to Lead. Together, we dive into one of the most important (and often overlooked) drivers of school success: principal efficacy.
We talk a lot in education about collective teacher efficacy, but Don and Jenni challenge us to think one step earlier. What if the confidence of the leader is the catalyst that shapes everything else? What if the principal’s belief in their ability to guide instruction, navigate challenges, and support teachers is the missing link in school improvement?
In this conversation, Don shares powerful stories from his own leadership journey, including a vulnerable moment early in his principal-ship when he realized his lack of confidence in literacy leadership was holding his staff back. Jenni expands on the research behind efficacy, reminding us that efficacy isn’t just positive thinking. It’s a shared belief, grounded in evidence, that we can overcome barriers together and make a difference for students.
One of the biggest takeaways for me was this: leaders do not have to be masters of every content area, but they do need to master the process of leading learning. That means creating the conditions where teachers collaborate with purpose, focus on instructional improvement, and see evidence that their work is making an impact.
We also discuss:
- Why some schools make meaningful change while others stall
- The critical connection between principal efficacy and collective teacher efficacy
- How leaders build confidence through action, not before action
- Why small wins and mastery experiences matter
- How efficacy works at every level (from principals to teachers to students)
Jenni reminds us that confidence isn’t a prerequisite for hard work; it’s the product of doing hard work well, together.
And Don offers one of the most practical reflection tools in the episode: list every initiative happening in your building and honestly ask yourself, How confident am I leading this? That reflection may reveal why some things are thriving while others are stuck.
This conversation is full of practical wisdom, honest reflection, and encouragement for leaders who may feel overwhelmed by the weight of the work.
If you’re leading a school, supporting leaders, or trying to strengthen your team’s belief in what’s possible, this episode will challenge and encourage you.
Key takeaway:
The goal isn’t perfection. The goal is growth. And the belief we build around that growth shapes everything.
Connect with Don and Jenni through First Educational Resources and check out their new book, The Confidence to Lead: Building Principal and Collective Efficacy in Schools.
Contact information:
You can email Don Smith at don@firsteducation-us.com and Jenni Donohoo at jenni@firsteducation-us.com.
