with William D. Parker and Friends
: 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…
: 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…
: 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)…
: Play in new window | DownloadThis week’s discussion topic came to us in a question from a listener: As a prospective administrator (and someone who is coming from an elementary music background) what should I know about the RTI…
: Play in new window | DownloadMichael Alpert is a Crystal Apple Award Winning educator, and has worked in both small, rural districts and large, suburban districts in the Portland metro area, even serving overseas as a teacher and Central…
: 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 | 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 | 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 | DownloadDr. Tim Elmore is the founder and CEO of Growing Leaders. His work grew out of 20 years of serving alongside Dr. John C. Maxwell. Elmore has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, the…
: 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 | DownloadThis past month, we sent our third daughter to college. More than a year ago, she began to explore the possibility of studying abroad. As a result of months of apply to schools, virtual…
: 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 | DownloadEven in uncertain times, it is good to remember that positive ideas can come from even the most difficult situations. Juan David Campolargo, a seventeen-year-old high school student from Chicago, is no stranger to…
: Play in new window | DownloadIt goes without saying that in order to lead you must have followers. But taking others to a destination doesn’t just mean accomplishing all the to-do’s on your checklist. Leadership requires relationships. And meaningful…
: Play in new window | DownloadThis week I had the privilege of spending an afternoon with a team of new assistant principals. As we talked about their first semester, they shared the lessons they’ve learned in time management, communication,…
: Play in new window | DownloadEvery person in your school is at a different level of growth. Not just students, but teachers are also at stages of growth. Leadership is not any different. Some educators are just beginning the…
: Play in new window | DownloadLast week was the first time (except for a rare Christmas holiday) that I have not shared a blog post or podcast episode update in almost five years. At first, I thought it was…
: Play in new window | DownloadJesse Haynes is one of those rare people you meet in life who has dared to make his dreams come true. He is a recent graduate from the University of Tulsa who has reached…
: Play in new window | DownloadSeveral weeks ago, I had the privilege of visiting Norman High School, in Norman, Oklahoma. Dr. Scott Beck was recently named Oklahoma’s High School Principal of the Year, and I wanted to touch-base with…
: Play in new window | DownloadNext week, I have the privilege of gathering together with educators and school leaders for a Leadership & Learning Conference in Norman, Oklahoma. Guest speakers Jeff Zoul, Jack Berckemeyer, and Christine Handy will be…
: Play in new window | DownloadHow can schools integrate technology across all classrooms? Janalyn Taylor, Principal of Nance Elementary in Clinton, Oklahoma, believes that school leaders must be willing to model learning and teaching with technology in order to…
: Play in new window | DownloadWhen I was in high school and college, my brothers and I worked part-time diving for mussel shells in the Kentucky Lake area. We would sell them by the pound at local markets, and…
: Play in new window | DownloadOne of my favorite college education professors would often start class with a provoking question. As we would grapple with how to answer or support our positions, he would stand there with his large…
: Play in new window | DownloadRecently, the United States mourned the passing of Arizona Senator John McCain. Before his death, Senator McCain was asked by a reporter what words he hoped to see on his tombstone. He replied, “I’ve…
: Play in new window | DownloadWhen I was a Language Arts teacher, I would walk my students through a series of practices on identifying their surroundings and writing down the details. You could try it right now. Take a…
: Play in new window | DownloadThis summer my wife and I enjoyed time away celebrating our twenty fifth wedding anniversary in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. One afternoon we drove to Emerald Bay, a cove nestled a mile below the mountain…
: Play in new window | DownloadA few weeks ago, I was on an airplane with my oldest daughter, Emily, who just finished her first year of college and is enjoying summer break. Being with her brings back a lot…