with William D. Parker and Friends
: Play in new window | DownloadSchools across the U.S. continue to respond to teacher shortages. On September 1, the White House announced recruitment partnerships to addresses the challenges. Groups like the National Center for Grow have partnered with states…
: Play in new window | DownloadThis week, Will interviews Principal Sapna Hopkins. Listen to the entire show for her inspiring personal story and journey in education. Plus, learn ways she is engaging her new school community that can motivate…
: Play in new window | DownloadThis week Jen Schwanke and Will Parker continue conversations about ways school leaders can prepare for the school year – especially those who may be early career education leaders. Relying on strategies from her…
: Play in new window | DownloadWhat priorities must you keep in mind as you start a new school year? In this week’s episode, Will Parker and Jen Schwanke draw on years of experience to provide ideas and takeaways –…
: Play in new window | DownloadThis week Jen Schwanke gives a sneak-peek into her newest book, The Teacher’s Principal: How School Leaders Can Support and Motivate Their Teachers, coming out this summer. Jen explains: Why she wrote the book…
: Play in new window | DownloadIn this episode, Jen Schwanke and I discuss ways that principals can reflect over summer break. We begin with the questions: What makes you anxious? Is your anxiety about the coming school year because…
: Play in new window | DownloadJen Schwanke, ASCD author and veteran educator, joins me in this episode to answer listener questions. Question #1 “How do you or would you mediate negative relationships between staff members in your building and…
: Play in new window | DownloadDaniel (DJ) Klein is an Assistant Principal at Ocean Springs High School, in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. For longtime Principal Matters listeners, you may recognize the name DJ Klein from two previous episodes: First, on…
: Play in new window | DownloadIn this week’s episode, I am joined again by my friend Daniel Bauer, education leader, podcaster and author of the book Mastermind: Unlocking Talent Within Every School Leader. We explore how he applies his 5…
: Play in new window | DownloadA couple of weeks ago, I was on a call with my friend Daniel Bauer, education leader, podcaster and author of the book Mastermind: Unlocking Talent Within Every School Leader. He had included me…
: Play in new window | DownloadI enjoy the sounds of morning. Yesterday, as I sat on my back porch sipping coffee, I could hear the patt-pattering of a woodpecker in the Cottonwood tree. Three squirrels were scampering along the…
: Play in new window | DownloadThis school year I had the privilege of connecting with leaders from schools in the great state of Ohio through a series of Zoom meetings. We worked through twenty sessions together covering leadership content,…
: Play in new window | DownloadBrent Kline is Principal of Palo Alto High School, in Palo Alto, California. His previous administration roles include four years at Santa Cruz High School. He began his education career as a teacher in…
: Play in new window | DownloadLast week Garth Larson was a guest on episode 292 as he shared the Profile of a School Leader. During our pre-show conversation, we reflected on the lessons both of us had learned in…
: Play in new window | DownloadGarth Larson, Ed.D is the Co-Founder and CEO of FIRST Educational Resources. Garth has previously worked as the Director of Learning for the Winneconne Community School District in northeast Wisconsin, was an elementary principal…
: Play in new window | DownloadDr. Keri Launius has worked in PreK-16 education for over 22 years. With experiences from classroom teacher, campus principal and district administration, she has had ample opportunities to learn and grow as an educator.…
: Play in new window | DownloadThis week Jen Schwanke and William D. Parker talk about how principals and education leaders can recruit and retain high quality teachers: Learn about efforts school districts are using involving supporting employment funnels from…
: Play in new window | DownloadVeteran school administrator and educational consultant Pete Hall channels his experiences as a school principal, life coach, and small-business owner into manageable lessons for continuous growth, personal improvement, and positive mindset. Hall served 12…
: Play in new window | DownloadEric Garcia is a Washington, D.C.-based journalist focused on politics and policy and currently the senior Washington correspondent for The Independent. His first book We’re Not Broken: Changing the Autism Conversation, which the Washington…
: Play in new window | DownloadThis week I’m taking a break from posting so that I can enjoy more time with family during Spring Break. I hope you are doing the same if you are on break this time…
: Play in new window | DownloadTimothy Alexander is a bestselling writer, award-winning speaker, and life coach who thrives at the intersection of character development, counseling, and mentorship. After a life changing car accident in 2006 left him paralyzed from…
: Play in new window | DownloadJethro Jones is the founder of Transformative Principal, which provides leadership development, weekly masterminds, and one-on-one coaching for school leaders across the nation and internationally. In 2017, he was recognized as Digital Principal of…
: Play in new window | DownloadKyle Palmer is currently Executive Director of Human Resources for the Center School District of South Kansas City, MO. Before this transition, Dr. Palmer spent the previous ten years as principal of nationally recognized…
: Play in new window | DownloadLast month I had the privilege of presenting in a virtual event to a group of assistant principals and aspiring school leaders at Pecos Barstow Toyah ISD in Pecos, Texas. As part of a…
: Play in new window | DownloadDr. Christopher Jones has been an educator in Massachusetts for 22 years. He has just finished his 14th year as a building administrator. True to his “why” of improving the educational experience for as…
: Play in new window | DownloadIn a recent article Jen Schwanke published with ASCD, First Engage Teachers: A Principal’s Role in Cultivating Staff Motivation, Jen makes the following assertion: “When principals foster a staff’s collective belief in themselves, their…
: Play in new window | DownloadLast week a principal wrote to tell me he was short 25 teachers or staff as he ended his first week back in the new semester. Another principal wrote that he spent his first…
: Play in new window | DownloadThis morning I read a gripping opinion post in Education Week by Lisa Mead, a principal in upstate New York, whose piece titled A Principal’s Assessment: ‘We’re Not OK’. She shared what I’ve heard…
: Play in new window | DownloadWhat would happen if you asked your team, ‘What question would you predict I’m going to ask in a meeting?’ Brad Gustafson poses this scenario in Part 2 of our conversation about literacy. Educators…
: Play in new window | DownloadThis week I’m sharing one of the most popular episodes from the Principal Matters archives. If you know a new or aspiring assistant principal, please pass this along. These tips are also good reminders…
: Play in new window | DownloadThis week William D. Parker and Jen Schwanke answer the question: What do you do about a teacher who likes to ‘stir the pot’ about other teachers? Feedback includes suggestions on: Having open, honest,…
: Play in new window | DownloadThis week Jen Schwanke joins Will Parker to discuss stories of gratitude from former teachers and educators in their lives. Will references this recent video from the singer Adele paying tribute to her teacher that…
: Play in new window | DownloadThis week Jen Schwanke and Will Parker answer the principal question: “How do you structure discipline so that punishments fit the crime?” We talk about how the word discipline, instead of punishment, carries an…
: Play in new window | DownloadThis week Jen Schwanke and Will Parker answer principal questions: How do you gain ‘buy-in’ among staff vs just ‘setting expectations’ when it comes to structuring or implementing new programs to support student learning?…
: Play in new window | DownloadJanelle McLaughlin, is an Education Consultant for Advanced Learning Partnerships working with districts all across the United States. She is a former curriculum director for Manchester Community Schools in Indiana. Prior to that role,…
: Play in new window | DownloadEnid Lee is a front-line educator, an anti-racist professional development specialist, leadership coach, writer and community builder. She began her joyful journey as a teacher on the Caribbean island of Antigua about 5 decades…
: Play in new window | DownloadThis week, Jen Schwanke, joins me as we respond to more listener questions. Jen Schwanke is an author and education leader from Dublin City Schools in Dublin, Ohio. Question: How do you manage leading…
: Play in new window | DownloadJen Schwanke joins me this week as we respond to listener questions. Jen Schwanke is an author and education leader from Dublin City Schools in Dublin, Ohio. We have two questions from a listener who…
: Play in new window | DownloadThis week I have the privilege of sharing Part 2 of a conversation with Daniel Bauer about his new book, His new book, Mastermind: Unlocking Talent Within Every School Leader. Danny’s new book reimagines what…
: Play in new window | DownloadTrevor Goertzen was recognized in 2020 as a National Digital Principal of the Year. He currently serves as the Principal of Spring Hill Middle School in Spring Hill, Kansas, and is an adjunct professor…
: Play in new window | DownloadOne year ago, June 4, 2020, D.J. Klein was a guest on the Principal Matters podcast when we shared advice for his first year as a school administrator. You can hear the 10 Tips…
: Play in new window | DownloadLeadership requires relationships, understanding others, and negotiating through conflicts. This week I am privileged to share a conversation from Chris Zervas about his book, Bomb-Proof Constructive Feedback. Chris Zervas helps busy leaders improve their…
: Play in new window | DownloadThis week marks the end of June 2021, and just today I heard from a principal friend, Andrew O’Farrell, West Islip Unified School District in Massapequa, New York, who is enjoying his first week…