Principal Matters: The School Leader's Podcast with William D. Parker

Will You Help Us Celebrate?? Hello, Friends! It’s Will Parker here from Principal Matters: The School Leader’s Podcast. We’re excited to announce that we’re approaching our 400th episode! Can you believe it? To make this milestone even more special, we’d love to hear from you. If this podcast has inspired, helped, or encouraged you, would you consider sharing your thoughts with us? It’s easy: find a quiet spot, record a 60-second voice memo on your phone, and email it to will@williamdparker.com. We’re eager to hear why the show resonates with you, your favorite moments, or anything you find particularly thought-provoking or funny. Thanks in advance for your contributions, and thank you for doing what matters! In this week’s podcast episode, Will Parker and Jen Schwanke talk about how school leaders can handle conflicts without causing more trouble through their input. They use questions from Assistant Principals who want to become Principals to guide their discussion. The topics include building good relationships, setting boundaries, and becoming stronger organizational leaders. In their typical fashion, Will and Jen fashion, they only had time to tackle one question. Here’s the question we tackle:  How can leaders effectively guide and protect their teams without appearing confrontational, especially in sensitive situations like managing resistance from individuals loyal to previous administrations or calming angry parents? Jen’s advice: Use the Conflict Resolution Cycle: Anticipate, Analyze, Act. Tell the difference between someone being unsure and someone resisting. Don’t be defensive or confrontational. Taking a moment to pause can help build trust. Approach conflicts without getting too emotional; think of it more like solving a problem. If you’ve made a mistake, say sorry, and then focus on resolving the issue. Will’s thoughts: Good relationships are key to solving conflicts. Being clear in your communication is a way to be kind. Trying to make everyone happy won’t work. Aim to help everyone involved instead. Building trust is more important than winning an argument. Jen also mentioned that there’s often a lot of competition in education. Leaders should be open to hearing what they might be wrong and listen to understand others.  Please listen to the entire episode for more tips for school leaders on dealing with conflicts in ways that do not escalate unwanted behaviors in others. Thank you again for doing what matters! The post PMP396: Leadership Approaches to Conflict Resolution with Jen Schwanke and Will Parker appeared first on Principal Matters.

Alyssa Gallagher and Jen Schwanke discuss 'Embracing MESSY Leadership' in education, emphasizing design thinking, leadership challenges, courage, mindset shifts, and gratitude. They share insights on coaching, personal wellbeing, and creating a shared purpose with staff.

In this week’s episode, William D. Parker interviews Tomas Macaluso, a dynamic first-year principal who began his journey in Career and Technical Education (CTE), where he served for 10 years as a CTE teacher. In this role, Tomas taught business, graphic design, and IT. His major contribution was helping establish a signature academy, available to students county-wide. Transitioning into administration, Tomas served as a Dean of Students for a year, honing his leadership skills. He then progressed to an Assistant Principal position, a role he held for seven years. Notably, four of these years were at his current school, North Valleys High School, in Reno, Nevada, where he now proudly serves as the principal. He is the Past President of NACTE (Nevada Association of Career and Technical Education). His diverse experience in various educational roles underpins his commitment to student success and educational excellence. An avid fan of Disney, Tomas believes we must build the cultures we want. His office is full of memorabilia from his favorite animation movies.  Tomas and his staff have adopted four pillars as the foundation for their school practice: Take care of yourself. Set high expectations. Connect students to school. If you’re not growing, you’re not going anywhere. With 2,400 students in the largest geographic area in the district, North Valleys High School represents students from diverse demographic experiences. One of Tomas’s main goals is to create a school where students want to be. This means applying lessons he learned as a teacher who helped students to be successful in all their classes, not just his class. As a principal, this includes being visible. “99% of my day is devoted to doing the ‘other duties as assigned’ part of my contract.” As a former Assistant Principal, he learned that taking five minutes to solve a problem may provide someone with hours of productivity. Tomas finds his energy and joy in serving and helping other solve problems. This is possible because his admin team of four Assistant Principals know their roles and how to execute them well. “This allows me to be the chief culture officer,” he explains. Principal matters provided Tomas perspective into what leaders do and why they do what they do. As a result, Tomas believes, “If I take care of my teachers, they take care of our students.” Tomas recommends the book Creating Magic by Lee Cockrell. He has used it many times to inspire other educators in their journeys. He also believes “Culture is King.” Finally, he advises aspiring leaders to know their closure. Tomas’s closure in any interview is to say, “I want school to be like Disneyland, where students want to be, and they can’t wait to be back.” Connect with Tomas via his school website https://www.washoeschools.net/Page/6360 Or via email: tmacaluso@washoeschools.net The post PMP394: Lessons from a First Year Principal with Tomas Macaluso appeared first on Principal Matters.

Dr. Tameka Hyland, a transformative educational leader, shares insights on turnaround leadership. She discusses the importance of vision, building leadership, and empowering communities. Dr. Hyland emphasizes leveraging passionate individuals, creating effective structures, and talent recruitment for school growth and success.

Hi, 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 motivational powerhouse, inspiring lives and organizations as a keynote speaker, leadership consultant, and happiness coach. Overcoming personal adversities, she embarked on a journey of self-discovery, finding the key to shifting mindsets and achieving remarkable growth. Kim challenges the outdated notions of success, advocating for a life of passion, purpose, and potential. Her mission is to inspire change that boosts well-being and performance in the workplace. With over two decades of experience and reaching over half a million people, Kim’s impactful work includes collaborations with notable entities like The United Nations Global Happiness Summit. You’re going to be challenged and inspired by Kim’s vulnerability and authenticity. Thank you for doing what matters! – WDP From Dr. Jen Schwanke Welcome to Episode 392 of the Principal Matters podcast, where I sat down with Kim Strobel, owner of Strobel Education.  At the beginning of her career, Kim taught fourth grade and served as a building leader and literacy coordinator. These days, she is a motivational speaker for businesses and organizations, sharing information she’s learned from studying the science of happiness. She believes shifting simple habits and thought patterns can optimize performance, enhance employee well-being, and strengthen culture.  I was eager to talk to Kim about some of the motivational approaches that might be helpful to principals, and I had a clear idea of how I thought the interview might unfold. To that end, before recording this podcast, I’d sent Kim a list of questions we might cover.  We got to none of them.  Instead, we fell right into a conversation marked by vulnerability and authenticity. We covered “real talk” that will resonate with many listeners, starting with how principals often bury their own challenges and mental health needs in an effort to take care of the people in our schools.  Kim talks about her own inner critic—a voice she has humorously named Ethel—who comes into her mind and needs to be told to get back out. Kim knows many of us have an Ethel. If we push against those crippling voices, she says, and let ourselves feel the fears carried by our inner critic, we can learn to find a positive mindset versus a negative, neutral, or stressed mindset. That’s when we can get up, get out the door, and be productive.  Kim is careful not to fall into the risk of “toxic positivity.” She is willing to talk about her own time grappling with dark days, such as the period in her twenties when she was so debilitated by panic and anxiety that she was scared to leave her house. Learning how to accept her own pain helped her overcome it. She pushes back against old formulas for what the world tells us success and satisfaction should be. “It’s reengineering our brains to do more of the things we love and actually getting the results we’re looking for in our professional lives,” she says. This is just the beginning of the conversation. Listen in to learn more about Kim, about happiness, and about overcoming depressing and difficult days. At the end of the podcast, you’ll hear about Kim’s book, set to release in mid-April, titled, Teach Happy: Small Steps to Big Joy. As you listen, you’ll feel connected by Kim’s ability to acknowledge the difficulties and heart of being an educator— and be joyful and happy anyway. — Dr. Jen Schwanke The post PMP392: Small Steps to Big Joy with Kim Strobel and Jen Schwanke appeared first on Principal Matters.

Beau 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 alum, he ventured into college football at the University of Tulsa, then pursued his passion for education, earning a bachelor’s in middle childhood education from the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith, a master’s in educational leadership from Arkansas State University, and completed a Superintendent certification at Northeastern State University. Beau’s education career started at Alma Public Schools, teaching science and coaching football, before moving to Keys High School, where he was named District’s Teacher of the Year in 2015. Joining Union Public Schools in 2016, he taught Geometry and was part of the State Championship football team. Off the field and outside the classroom, Beau is a devoted husband to Caitlyn since 2013 and a proud father of two. It’s hiring season, and in this week’s interview, William D. Parker talks to Beau Brannon, a experienced principal who shares effective strategies for other principals looking to find new hires. Here’s a summary of the strategies Mr. Brannon discussed: Charting Interns and Referrals Brannon maintains a dynamic chart that tracks potential hires from various sources, including district-wide interns and personal referrals. This Excel spreadsheet is color-coded to distinguish interns, referrals, and those who have moved into new positions, ensuring a continuously updated list of potential candidates. Networking Brannon leverages his network, including friends and current staff, to identify potential hires. By asking if they know someone who might be interested in an open position, he has uncovered opportunities that he might not have found otherwise. University Partnerships Every fall, Brannon reaches out to universities to request teaching interns, inviting them to his school. Building relationships with these institutions through job fairs and support for interns has resulted in many becoming full-time teachers at his school. Making Cold Calls Brannon proactively contacts applicants who haven’t applied directly to his school but have shown interest in the district, exploring their interest in his school’s openings. This approach has successfully attracted diverse candidates, including a college career specialist and a bus driver, demonstrating the effectiveness of mission-driven recruitment. Staff Development Brannon focuses on hiring paraprofessionals and supporting their progress toward becoming teachers. Results in Retention These strategies, along with a strong emphasis on retaining teachers through various engagement and recognition tactics, has led to a 90% retention rate at his school. Brannon underscores the importance of conveying the school’s mission and creating a positive environment, quoting John Gordon and Maya Angelou to highlight the impact of leadership and the lasting impression made on others. Overall, Beau Brannon’s strategies are centered on proactive engagement, networking, and fostering a supportive and mission-driven school culture, proving effective in both attracting and retaining staff. As Mr. Brannon say, “Don’t wait. Be proactive. Seek connection. Love Care & Serve. As a person of faith, I know I have to be on a mission every day to be the light for all of those around me.” Listen-in to the entire conversation for even more takeaways! You can stay connected with Beau Brannon in the following ways: Twitter/X @Beau_Brannon, LinkIn Beau Brannon, and email beaubrannon@yahoo.com Thank you for doing what matters! The post PMP391: Hiring Tips from the Field with Principal Beau Brannon appeared first on Principal Matters.

Dr. 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 Leadership and his doctorate is in Innovation and Leadership. He holds several honors and distinctions, including his past appointment as President of the Delaware Association for School Administrators and the Paul Carlson Administrator of the Year Award. He teaches educational leadership courses at the master’s and doctoral levels. He has co-authored 5 books, including his latest two 7 Mindshifts for School Leaders: Finding New Ways to Think About Old Problems and Retention for a Change. He is a national presenter on school leadership topics and the co-founder of TheSchoolHouse302, a leadership development institute. District Highlights T.J. is proud of the work his district is doing with Pathways to Work, and Portrait of a Graduate. 94% of their students who go to college are persisting from year 1 to year 2. Dr. Vari confronts two myths in leadership: Myth #1: High Schools prepare you for college. Myth #2: High schools prepare you for a career. Students must have a viable credential or certificate to be prepared for work, and students deserve pathways for careers and college that place them on the road toward those ends. Turn-around restaurant manager Next, T.J. talks about how his years in the restaurant industry taught him how to turn underperforming stores into profitable businesses. 5 takeaways for school leaders Some things work. Discover them and use them. People must be shown a way and then supported in their performance. You must measure growth and ask ‘How do we know we have been effective?’ We must cultivate places of belonging. Pressure without support is not fair. Mindshifts In addition, Dr. Vari touched on the premise of the book he co-authored on mindshifts for leaders. He explained how the COVID years taught us that we can find transformative solutions to hard problems. Now we must replicate that cycle in an ongoing way we know what is important, what is urgent, and what is persistent. The book 7 Mindshifts for School Leaders lays out 7 models for addressing problems and finding solutions. Advice for APs For new Assistant Principals, Dr. Vari, asks them to keep two questions in mind each day: Do I need to solve the problem in front of me? Am I the right person to solve it? These questions will help APs steer away from the overwhelming requests for assistance that others can be trained to help answer while they remain available for their roles and responsibilities. Advice for New Principals For the new Principal, Dr. Vari suggests keeping three buckets in mind: Your vision/mission Your people/programs Innovative solutions Those areas are the responsibility of a building leader to be a part of guiding, directing, and supporting. Stay Connected You can stay connected with Dr. T.J. Vari at the website: https://theschoolhouse302.com/ Past episode Dr. Vari was a previous guest on PMP 285 with Dr. Joseph Jones and Dr. Salome Thomas-EL, talking about educator retention. Find that interview here. The post PMP390: Mindshifts for Leaders with Dr. T.J. Vari appeared first on Principal Matters.

Naheed 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, he served as dean of students and senior school principal during his 10 years at the Aga Khan Academy in Mombasa, Kenya. For Naheed, education is a deeply moral endeavor and the exercise of leadership demands a thoughtful, ethical foundation. His own rests on the tenets of pluralism, integrity, generosity and trust. He holds a Bachelor degree in Business Administration from the Western University, Canada; a Bachelor degree in Education from the University of British Columbia, Canada; Masters of Arts from the Institute of Education, University College London, UK; Masters of Educational Leadership from Teachers College, Columbia University, USA. Naheed was a past guest discussing the Chat GPT. You can find that episode, PMP333, here. In this episode, William D. Parker interviews Principal Naheed Bardai about the new Systems Transformation Pathway at UWC Atlantic. Listen to the entire conversation for great takeaways.  Questions we explore: Please tell us a little more about UWC Atlantic and its unique opportunities and offerings for students. Can you tell us what motivated you toward developing Systems Tranformation Pathway? What will be the practical outcomes for students who integrate Systems Tranformation Pathway into their curriculum and school experience? For schools that are International Baccalaureate® (IB) Diploma Programmes, how have you secured partnerships for Systems Transformation Pathway? For my listeners who are not in international school or IB programs, what advice might you have for them as they consider innovative programs like this in their own setting? Any other advice for leaders wanting to lead innovative initiatives in their own school school communities? How can others stay connected with you or learn more? Here’s a brief summary: Students at UWC board in Wales but are from 80+ countries representing multicultural experiences. Seeing the world through the lens of curiosity creates a place of belonging – “to know what I don’t know and ask lots of questions.” Understanding a vision for the future: Education should provide what students need for today’s world, helping them navigate changes in global population, climate, urban/rural developments, and biodiversity. The world today is almost unrecognizable to what it was 30 years ago. We must respond with education approaches that match those challenges. Looking towards 2050, our high school students today will be in their mid-40s. We must equip them in three areas:  Peace Sustainability Experiential Learning The complexity of the world requires systems of learning that can bridge the gap students and solutions for the world. Helping them understand systems. Helping them find their place in those systems. Helping them transform those systems. Systems Transformation Pathway: UWC has launched Systems Transformation Pathway that is transdisciplinary, collaborative, action-oriented, and intergenerational. For a student, this means: Joining a cohort (100 hours of curriculum) – engaging with lessons on economy, climate, narratives, belonging, power, and regenerative leadership (well-being). Areas of impact (250 hours) – identifying the systems in areas impacting our world, ie, food systems, energy systems, biodiversity (care for nature), and mass human migration. Applications –  Self-directed interventions in home countries of students who apprentice under someone in one of the systems of impact in their home communities.  Back-at-school collaboration as students implement lessons learned through community-based programs benefiting Wales and local community members. Festival of what works – celebrating, and showcasing what students are learning in line with a competency framework that is outcomes-driven. Advice for other leaders wanting to begin new initiatives: Know your why. Understand what is unique about your school and setting. Align your values and unique offerings with governance and stakeholder buy-in. Develop your own systems of transformation. Combine timing, resources, people, and foresight with a launch. Set operations in motion to implement while building a team to support with a framework. Stay connected with Naheed Bardai by visiting the UWC website:: https://www.atlanticcollege.org/ Email: Naheed.Bardai@uwcatlantic.org The post PMP389: Building a Systems Transformation Pathway with Naheed Bardai appeared first on Principal Matters.

In 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 the “right” decisions. Continuous Learning and Humility Will emphasizes the importance of humility in leadership, advocating for a mindset of constant inquiry and openness to learning. He suggests that asking questions is a fundamental way to deepen understanding and make informed decisions. Collaboration Over Isolation Jen warns against the pitfalls of isolation, stressing the value of collaboration and external perspectives. She champions the idea of thinking things through collectively and soliciting feedback by asking others to assume different roles (e.g., parent, teacher) to gain diverse insights. Confidence and Communication Both Jen and Will discuss the balance between humility and confidence. They touch upon the necessity of presenting decisions confidently and communicating them effectively, tying back to the organization’s mission and vision to ensure alignment and coherence. Coaching and Professional Development Jen references Atul Gawande’s article “Personal Best,” and Will references Michael Bungay Stanier’s book “The Coaching Habit” to highlight the importance of seeking coaching and professional development. These approaches help leaders refine their skills and decision-making precision. Strategic Questioning Will also reviews Michael Bungay Stanier’s seven coaching questions, which serve as a powerful framework for introspection and guidance. These questions range from identifying the core issue to considering the implications of decisions and learning from the process. Avoiding Binary Choices Jen and Will advise against reducing decisions to simple binaries, encouraging leaders to explore multiple options and perspectives. This approach facilitates more nuanced and effective decision-making. Pausing and Reflecting They advocate for giving oneself space to reflect on decisions, suggesting that not all decisions need to be made immediately. Pausing and even sleeping on decisions can lead to better outcomes. Accepting Imperfection Acknowledging the human element in leadership, Jen and Will remind listeners that no decision is perfect. They encourage leaders to accept their limitations, learn from their choices, and extend grace to themselves. Moving Forward Once a decision is made, the focus should shift to implementation and addressing subsequent priorities. This mindset helps leaders avoid dwelling on past decisions and maintains momentum towards achieving organizational goals. Let’s Wrap This Up This week’s conversation offers valuable lessons on the art and science of decision-making. By blending humility with confidence, seeking growth opportunities, engaging in strategic questioning, and embracing the complexity of leadership decisions, leaders can navigate their roles more effectively.  Listen to the entire episode for even more takeaways, or reach out to will@williamdparker.com or jen@jenschwanke.com to schedule a time to reflect on your own decision-making. The post PMP388: How Do You Know if You’re Making the Right Decision? – with Jen Schwanke and Will Parker appeared first on Principal Matters.

In 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 target of a lot of political discourse, beginning for many modern U.S. educators in the 1980’s with the report a Nation at Risk, that shined a light on discrepancies in student learning and an avalanche of new laws that dictated outcomes and punished schools for lack of progress or performance.  Fast forward to 2024, and schools have spent decades redesigning accountability structures – with both good and bad results. How do we step into healthy accountability (not toxic accountability) in a way that recognizes that strong organizations and schools share common expectations and share feedback in ways that help with both individual and collective growth? How do we redeem the word accountability? Jen shares a story of a friend who in analyzing her own child’s teacher recognized that not all outcomes can be measured by scores. Will shares two pieces of research that show different perspectives on accountability. Find the story of the Shell Oil rig and its “Learning Culture” here: NPR. (2016, June 17). Invisibilia: How Learning To Be Vulnerable Can Make Life Safer. Go here for story from Hidden Brain on the hospital cultures and one researcher’s findings on cultures where people are afraid to admit mistakes. Listen to the entire episode for more takeaways! As we wrapped the show, Jen adds a helpful suggestion for leaders to consider asking their own teachers in professional development. Keep listening to the very end of this week’s episode for that great takeaway! The post PMP387: Accountability – A Dirty Word or Essential? with Jen Schwanke and Will Parker appeared first on Principal Matters.