with William D. Parker and Friends
Category Interviews
PMP393: Turnaround Leadership with Dr. Tameka Hyland
: Play in new window | DownloadDr. Tameka D. Hyland is a transformative educational leader. As principal of Sherman Avenue Elementary, she and her team raised its grade from D to C and scored the second highest reading scores in…
PMP392: Small Steps to Big Joy with Kim Strobel and Jen Schwanke
: Play in new window | DownloadHi, Friends. William D. Parker here. As you listen to this week’s show, you’re going to hear a powerful conversation Dr. Jen Schwanke has interviewing author and educator Kim Strobel. Kim Strobel is a…
PMP391: Hiring Tips from the Field with Principal Beau Brannon
: Play in new window | DownloadBeau Brannon has served as principal of Union High School Freshman Academy, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, since the summer of 2022. Previously, he served four years as its assistant principal. A 2008 Muldrow High School…
PMP390: Mindshifts for Leaders with Dr. T.J. Vari
: Play in new window | DownloadDr. T.J. Vari is the Deputy Superintendent of the Appoquinimink School District. T.J. is a former middle school assistant principal and principal and former high school English teacher. His master’s degree is in School…
PMP389: Building a Systems Transformation Pathway with Naheed Bardai
: Play in new window | DownloadNaheed Bardai is the Principal of UWC Atlantic and arrived in south Wales in August 2021 from Upper Canada College in Toronto, where he was head of upper school for six years. Before that,…
PMP388: How Do You Know if You’re Making the Right Decision? – with Jen Schwanke and Will Parker
: Play in new window | DownloadIn this week’s episode, Dr. Jen Schwanke and William D. Parker delve into the complexities of decision-making, particularly in leadership roles. Both share insights and strategies to navigate the often murky waters of making…
PMP387: Accountability – A Dirty Word or Essential? with Jen Schwanke and Will Parker
: Play in new window | DownloadIn this week’s episode, Jen Schwanke and Will Parker talk about the word accountability. In education, this word can be perceived as both positive and negative. On the negative side, education has been the…
PMP386: Connecting Every Student to Caring Adults with Melissa Barlow
: Play in new window | DownloadMelissa Barlow is in her eleventh year as Principal of Yukon High School in Yukon, Oklahoma. In her past two decades as an educator, she has taught both middle-level and high school science and…
PMP385: Capturing Kids Hearts with Flip Flippen
: Play in new window | DownloadFlip Flippen is a New York Times best-selling author, social entrepreneur, psychotherapist, and the founder and chairman of Capturing Kids’ Hearts, one of the largest educator training and team development companies in North America.…
PMP384: Anticipate, Analyze, and Act with Jen Schwanke and Will Parker
: Play in new window | DownloadIn this week’s episode Will Parker and Jen Schwanke discuss more about Dr. Schwanke’s new book, The Principal’s Guide to Conflict Management. Jen asked leaders to consider a circle to anticipate, analyze and act…
PMP383: The Principal’s Guide to Conflict Management – Jen’s new book!
: Play in new window | DownloadConflicts are inevitable. The question is how do you manage them in healthy ways with the appropriate mindset, anticipation, analysis, and action? This week, Dr. Jen Schwanke shares takeaways with William D. Parker from…
PMP382: Profoundly Impacting Learning Culture with Dan Kelley
: Play in new window | DownloadDaniel Kelley is an Associate Teaching Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy at the University of Rhode Island. He previously served as the principal of Smithfield High School in Smithfield, RI. During his tenure,…
PMP381: Maximizing the Superpowers of each Individual with Jim Wichman
: Play in new window | DownloadJim Wichman is the founder of Inspired Edification, LLC, a seasoned educational administrator with over 25 years of experience. Jim has a rich history of service in both urban and rural public school settings.…
PMP380: Dynamics of Building Leaders vs District Leaders with Will Parker and Jen Schwanke
: Play in new window | DownloadThis week Jen Schwanke and Will Parker discuss the dynamics involved in building leadership vs district leadership. Although still a principal at heart, Jen has served in the role of Deputy Superintendent now for…
PMP379: Systems Leader vs People Leader with Will Parker and Jen Schwanke
: Play in new window | DownloadIn this week’s episode, Jen Schwanke and Will Parker discuss the difference between systems leadership and people leadership. Here’s a quick summary: Leaders need to understand both. As one of Jen’s advisors told her,…
PMP378: Surfing the Crest of New Waves with Mark Geraets
: Play in new window | DownloadMark Geraets, is an education leader with a career spanning 40 impactful years. Born in New Zealand as the youngest of seven to Dutch immigrant parents, Mark’s university education journey began at 16, as…
PMP377: Conversations that Matter with Jennifer Abrams
: Play in new window | DownloadJennifer Abrams is an international educational and communications consultant for public and independent schools, universities, and nonprofits. She trains and coaches teachers, administrators, and others on new teacher/employee support, having hard conversations, collaboration skills,…
PMP376: Year in Review – Where Are You Growing? with Will Parker and Jen Schwanke
: Play in new window | DownloadIn this week’s episode, Will and Jen flip the mic, and Jen interviews Will about his experiences with Principal Matters as his full time work in the past six months of 2023. They discuss…
PMP375: She Leads with Dr. Rachael George and Dr. Jen Schwanke
: Play in new window | DownloadA few quick words from Will Parker: Hi, Friends! You’re going to be listening to an interview hosted by Jen Schwanke with our guest, Rachel George, the author of the book, She Leads: The…
PMP374: Accelerating Student Voice with Dr. James Flynn
: Play in new window | DownloadDr. James Flynn has been a teacher, coach, Assistant Principal, Principal of the Grades 3-6 Intermediate School in Burlington City, Principal of Burlington City High School, and is currently the Director of Planning/Research, Evaluation,…
PMP373: Increasing Your Impact with Donna Hayward
: Play in new window | DownloadDonna Hayward began her professional career as a high school mathematics teacher after earning her Bachelors and Masters degrees from Smith College. Inspired by her own high school principal, Donna completed her Sixth Year…
PMP370: Middle School Superpowers with Phyllis Fagell
: Play in new window | DownloadPhyllis L. Fagell, LCPC, is a school counselor in Washington, DC, a therapist who works with children and teens in private practice, and an author and journalist. She is the author of Middle School…
PMP369: Connecting Through Conversation with Erika Bare and Tiffany Burns
: Play in new window | DownloadErika Bare has been an educator for over 20 years, currently serving as the Assistant Superintendent in the Ashland School District in Oregon. A special education teacher by training, she is passionate about supporting…
PMP368: Buildership with Robyn Jackson and Jen Schwanke
: Play in new window | DownloadHi, Friends. Will Parker here. A quick shout-out to Dr. Jen Schwanke and Dr. Robyn Jackson who agreed to record this special edition of Principal Matters where Jen hosts the show. In this conversation,…
PMP367: Head and Heart, A Principal’s Tools with Jen Schwanke
: Play in new window | DownloadIn this episode, Will Parker and Jen Schwanke, talk about her recent article, “Heart and head: A Principal’s Essential Tools,” written for the ASCD Education Leadership magazine. Check it out here. Jen started the…
PMP366: Navigating Leadership Drift with Cale Birk
: Play in new window | DownloadCale Birk is a former teacher, high school principal, and District Head of Innovation from British Columbia, Canada. In 2015, one of his schools was named one of the first Model PLC Schools in…
PMP365: Likable Leadership with Lisa Parry
: Play in new window | DownloadLisa Parry is a veteran English teacher (1994-present) and K-12 principal (2018-present) who is proud to lead a 2021 National Blue Ribbon Elementary School and a 2020 ESEA Distinguished Elementary School. In 2022, her …
PMP364: Not Missing Out on Your Best Kept Secrets with Jen Schwanke and Will Parker
: Play in new window | DownloadIn today’s episode, Will Parker shares poignant takeaways from a summer hiking trip with his son, Jack, applying those insights to the realm of school leadership. The discussion centers on the importance of being…
PMP363: Building Stronger, Authentic Relationships with Jen Schwanke and Will Parker
: Play in new window | DownloadThis week Will Parker and Jen Schwanke respond to a listener question submitted several months ago but still relevant today for leaders: “I’ve been a loyal listener of the Principal Matters podcast and value…
PMP362: Be The Driving Force with Dr. Don Parker
: Play in new window | DownloadDr. Don Parker is a leading voice in professional development and educational transformation. Since beginning his educational journey in 1997, Dr. Parker has served in diverse roles, from teaching in Chicago’s inner-city schools to…
PMP361: Coaching Questions for Leaders with Jen Schwanke and Will Parker
PMP360: Creating Resilience in Learning and Leadership with Cheryl Step
PMP359: Building Trust & Thriving as an Assistant Principal with Jen Schwanke and Will Parker
PMP358: Inspired to Be Faithful with Timothy Alexander
PMP357: Leading Your Hometown School with John Boyd
PMP356: Escaping the Black Hole of Urgency with Dr. Frederick Buskey
: Play in new window | DownloadFrederick Buskey lives in Cullowhee, North Carolina, and helps assistant principals live and lead better by teaching them how to escape the black hole of urgency. Building on 32 years of K-12 and higher…
PMP355: Using Reflective Questions with Jen Schwanke and Will Parker
PMP354: Questions on Allocation of Support with Jen Schwanke and Will Parker
PMP353: How to Provide Meaningful Feedback in Observations with Jen Schwanke and Will Parker
: Play in new window | DownloadIn this episode, Jen Schwanke shares insights from a new Quick Reference Guide she authored for ASCD on Teacher Observation and Feedback. You can find the resource here. As the author of this new…
PMP352: Grow Your Leadership with the Palo Alto High School Admin Team
PMP351: Understanding How to Serve Generations with Will Parker and Jen Schwanke
PMP350: T.E.A.M: Together Everyone Achieves More with Bryan Miltenberg & Gary Karlson
: Play in new window | DownloadBryan Miltenberg is the proud principal of Aquebogue Elementary School in Riverhead, New York. He’s been a teacher, dean, and middle school assistant principal, and has presented and published on topics including school climate…
PMP349: Helping Graduates Be Life Ready with Jarrod Johnson
PMP348: Staying on the Path with Will Parker & Jen Schwanke
PMP347: Becoming Better Leaders with Robyn Hamasaki
PMP346: Equity for Multilingual Learners, Part 2 with Carlene Thomas
: Play in new window | DownloadLast week, we met Carlene Thomas. This week, she returns to answer more questions from school leaders searching for solutions for Multilingual Learners. Carlene Thomas is the CEO and founder of an educational consulting…
PMP345: Equity for Multilingual Learners with Carlene Thomas
: Play in new window | DownloadCarlene Thomas is the CEO and founder of an educational consulting company that advocates for equity for multilingual learners (MLs) and specializes in support for bilingual education and English as a second language (ESL)…