Podcast: Play in new window | Download
A Quick Note to Listeners:
Before this week’s episode Will Parker and Jen Schwanke take some time to answer a listener question. This week’s question is:
How do you know when you should stay or leave? I’m in a place in my career where I’m wanting to do something different and not finding as much joy in my role as in the past. What should I do?
Listen in to hear their response!
Meet TJ Vari and Joseph Jones:
Joseph Jones and T.J.Vari have spent years as instructional leaders in various schools and districts. They have also provided professional learning and coaching to hundreds of school leaders. They have tested the strategies they recommend with principals, assistant principals and teacher leaders. They understand that the work we ask school leaders to do is complex and often time sensitive. They also know that schools are filled with daily distractions that often derail and take the leader away from the most important work which is getting into classrooms where they observe and provide feedback to teachers about the quality of instruction provided to students. They have shared many of these lessons in their other books such as Invest In Your Best, Passionate Leadership, 7 Mindshifts for School Leaders, Retention for Change, Building a Winning Team, and Candid and Compassionate Feedback.
Their newest book is Time, Tools, and Tactics of Instructional Leadership: A Principal’s Guide to Leading Learning Momentum.
Will Parker welcomes returning guests TJ Vari and Joseph Jones for a practical, high-impact conversation on the time, tools, and tactics of instructional leadership. With years of experience coaching and developing leaders across hundreds of schools, TJ and Joe speak directly to the reality principals and assistant principals face every day: instructional leadership matters most—but distractions, urgency, and weak systems often pull leaders away from classrooms, feedback, and learning momentum.
The conversation centers on their newest book, Time, Tools, and Tactics of Instructional Leadership: A Principal’s Guide to Leading Learning Momentum, which was born from a shared frustration: many leaders care deeply and work incredibly hard, yet struggle to execute instructional leadership consistently—not because they lack commitment, but because they lack systems. TJ and Joe explain how the book offers frameworks and models that serve as “architecture” until leaders build their own rhythms and habits.
Will highlights the book’s story-driven structure—seven leadership scenarios that mirror the real challenges school leaders face daily: finding time, delivering feedback that lands, balancing praise and coaching, asking effective questions, clarifying direction, and responding to resistance. TJ describes how each story builds intentionally from the last, moving leaders from “random acts of leadership” to consistent, aligned practice.
A major takeaway is the need to protect high-leverage priorities through intentional scheduling and reflection. TJ and Joe unpack time blocking and reverse time blocking as tools to help leaders see what’s actually consuming their day—and to reset back to priority work after inevitable interruptions. Joe emphasizes that when your time gets hijacked, your default can’t become empty space or reactive busywork—it must return to the high-leverage actions that move instruction forward.
The episode also digs into the danger of fear-based leadership, where leaders take the weight of school success on themselves. TJ and Joe stress that school improvement is a collective outcome and that culture strengthens through coherence and collective clarity, not pressure and control. They encourage leaders to build and develop strong leadership teams, align professional learning and feedback to clear priorities, and create shared language around what quality instruction looks like.
To close, TJ and Joe offer actionable guidance for leaders entering new roles: secure coaching support, read widely—especially about what works in schools—and focus on fundamentals. Joe adds a powerful reminder for sustainability: define the standards you want your school to embody, and when the work feels heavy, reconnect to your “why” by visiting classrooms where great teaching and learning are happening. Those moments, he says, re-center leaders faster than any mantra.
Stay Connected with TJ Vari & Joseph Jones:
You can connect with TJ and Joe, explore their services, and learn more about their work here:
- Website: https://theschoolhouse302.com
- Email: contact@theschoolhouse302.com
- Book (featured): Time, Tools, and Tactics of Instructional Leadership (available wherever books are sold)
