Responding versus Reacting
9/15/25 by William D. Parker This morning when I woke up, I checked my phone to see what was going on in the world. This was probably a mistake, as the first thoughts that I encountered involved wars, murder, and…
9/15/25 by William D. Parker This morning when I woke up, I checked my phone to see what was going on in the world. This was probably a mistake, as the first thoughts that I encountered involved wars, murder, and…
: Play in new window | DownloadWelcome back to another Monday Matters! I can’t believe it is already summer. This week, our Monday Matters Podcast is going to be a little different than usual. As listeners may already know, the…
: Play in new window | DownloadThis week, Jen Schwanke and Will Parker tackle a question from an education leader: “As a principal, how can you monitor and ensure adherence to expected standards and outcomes in a way that is…
: Play in new window | DownloadIn this week’s episode, Dr. Jen Schwanke and I celebrate 400 episodes of the Principal Matters Podcast. We stroll down memory lane, reminiscing about 10-plus years of producing Principal Matters content. This podcast was…
: 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,…
: 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…
Will Parker and guest John Boyd discuss school management and leading your hometown high school in this week's episode of PMP.
: 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…
: 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…
Will Parker and co-host Jen Schwanke discuss how to reach and best serve younger generations in this week's episode of PMP.
: 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…
Will Parker talks to guest Jarrod Johnson about his Senior Culmination Series in this week's episode of the Principal Matters Podcast.
This week Jen Schwanke joins Will Parker as they explore what happens when we lose focus on the important goals and outcomes involved in serving others
: 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…
Will Parker and co-host Jen Schwanke discuss wrapping up the school year and the importance of rest in this week's episode of the PMP.
Are you looking for a crash-course in principal leadership? A principal buddy asked us if we could share with him a “top 5 episodes list” for new principals from Principal Matters: The School Leader’s Podcast. We chose the following: PMP157:…
William D. Parker and guest Dr. Brooke Tuttle discuss supporting students and staff through difficult times in this week's episode of the PMP.
Will Parker and guest Dr. Nick Davies discuss what it means to never stop learning and the lessons learned from unending learning.
This week Will and Jen share updates from their work, travel, and lives. They also discuss lessons related to the three R's in this week's episode of the PMP.
: 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…
Will Parker and guest Dr. Hellen Kelly discuss the importance of taking care of oneself as a school leader in this week's episode of the PMP.
Will Parker and guest Pete Dunlap discuss how leaders can influence change in their schools and Pete's business, Better Learning Education.
Will Parker is joined by guests Tyler Hawser and Brittany Keil on this week's episode to discuss how school leaders can market their schools.
Will Parker and co-host Jen Schwanke tackle a listener question about student discipline in this weeks episode of the PMP.
Will Parker and guest Naheed Bardai discuss the use of an AI called ChatGPT in schools in this week's episode.
Will Parker discusses transformational leadership in AP's with guest Joshua Spike on this week's episode.
Will Parker discusses ways to help leaders grow with guests Mary Beth Bowling and Amy Nall in this week's episode of the PMP.
Will Parker wraps up 2022, shares personal stories, and reveals some exciting news for 2023 in this week's episode of PMP.
Will Parker and Shenita Perry share with listeners one leader’s lessons in the journey of finding the right fit in leadership in this weeks episode.
This week, Will Parker and Jimmy Casas continue their conversation about Jimmy’s newest book, Recalibrate the Culture: Our Why...Our Work...Our Values.
In this weeks episode of Principal Matters Podcast, Will and Jimmy Casas discuss Casas' newest book is Recalibrate the Culture: Our Why...Our Work...Our Values.
This week Will discusses the book A New Kind of Diversity: Making Different Generations on Your Team a Competitive Advantage with author Tim Elmore.
Will Parker and Jen Schwanke tackle questions from listeners in this weeks episode of the Principal Matters Podcast.
: 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 | 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 | DownloadIn Jen Schwanke’s new role as an Deputy Superintendent and in dissertation work, she has been learning a lot about supporting school communities district-wide. In this week’s episode, she explains some of the main…
: Play in new window | DownloadWarren J. Glen has twenty years of experience in post-secondary education. His journey in higher education has enhanced his expertise to administer grants, manage deliverables, and mentor and motivate young scholars. Currently, he is…
: 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 | DownloadHow do you transform school culture so that you keep high quality teachers? Today’s guest include three education leaders: Dr. Salome Thomas-EL, Dr. TJ Vari and Dr. Joseph Jones. These men are school and…
: 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…