CheckBox Pro Series

Laura Tierney is the Founder and CEO of The Social Institute. At TSI, their goal is to help students navigate the social media world in positive and productive ways. Laura believes, "if students aren't healthy, they can't learn."

Through collaboration with students and schools, they have developed the core skills students believe they should have for social media use:

1. Playing to your core values
2. Protecting your privacy
3. Striking a balance for our time and attention
4. "Cyber-backing"
5. Finding your influencers
6. Using your mic for good
7. Handling the pressure

Tune in to learn how you too can be a positive role model for the students in your life so they can #WinAtSocial

RESOURCES:

• The Family Standards Agreement (https://thesocialinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/Family-Social-Standards-Agreement_The-Social-Institute.pdf), Elementary School Version (https://hubs.ly/Q02l9rD00)
• Full page of resources, webinars, and blogs (https://thesocialinstitute.com/resources/)

CONNECT:

• The Social Institute (https://thesocialinstitute.com/) - a K-12 curriculum that has created a gamified, peer-to-peer learning platform to equip students, educators, and families to navigate their social world - in the classroom and beyond, online and offline - in healthy, high-character ways.
• Laura Tierney (https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauractierney/)
• CheckBox Pro (https://www.checkboxpro.com/) - learn more about the services CheckBox Pro offers to make the work of school leaders more sustainable

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Danny Song was a teacher, leader, and founder for 15 years in the urban education sector. He recently transitioned to a CEO role of Give Services, a commercial services company with a mission to give back.

He shared how that transition was made easier by the skills he developed through his time in the classroom and leading schools. Most specifically, the skills of empathy and "knowing how to learn" can be carried over to any industry and make that person highly effective.

From school leader to school vendor, Danny understands the importance of being a strong vendor. Strong vendors allow leaders to focus on what matters most for their organizations, and he recommends school leaders consider the following when vetting potential vendors:

1. As a leader, have respect for your own time.
2. Find vendors that have that same level of respect for your time and expertise.
3. Find vendors that admire the work happening in your school.
4. Do a reference check.
5. Assess quality and attention to detail.

LINKS:

• Danny Song (https://www.linkedin.com/in/dannysong1/) - email him at [email protected] if you want to learn more about Give Thread or Give Clean.
• Give Services (https://giveservicesco.com/)
• CheckBox Pro (https://www.checkboxpro.com/)- learn more about the services CheckBox Pro offers to make the work of school leaders more sustainable

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Jill Dunchick has a mission of "developing authentic leaders through body, mind, and emotional cohesion." She walks us through how her coaching sessions, Impact Cohorts, and various training opportunities equip leaders to identify and live out their core values through "felt sense" and "interoception." Through this ongoing process, leaders are able to navigate the challenges and joys of school leadership and create sustainability for themselves.

She offers the following advice for leaders who hope to lead authentically and sustainably:

1. Consider your relationship to authority.
2. Consider your relationship with power.
3. Speak freely to your team members so they know when and how much of a say they have on decisions.
4. Give yourself structure: calendar time for mindfulness, prep for meetings, etc.

LINKS:

• Jill Dunchick (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jill-dunchick-2a9a0019/)
• Jill Dunchick Consulting (https://www.jilldunchick.com/)
• CheckBox Pro (https://www.checkboxpro.com/) - learn more about the services CheckBox Pro offers to make the work of school leaders more sustainable

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Elizabeth Simpson has extensive experience in education from teaching to leading to founding. She has managed to create sustainability for herself by embodying the philosophy of, "if I am well, then my school will be well."

She has founded two different schools, one pre-kids and the other after becoming a mom. In order to maintain a high level of effectiveness both at school and at home, she implements the following strategies:

• Strong communication
• Delegation
• Learning from other leaders
• Giving herself "think time"
• Investing in joyful and life-giving experiences
• Using AI for first drafts
• Outsourcing responsibilities when possible

Elizabeth's Superpower: Knowing her people.

LINKS:

• Elizabeth Simpson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-simpson-9a45653b/)
• CheckBox Pro (https://www.checkboxpro.com/) - learn more about the services CheckBox Pro offers to make the work of school leaders more sustainable

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Ryan Dolibois of the Sarofim Foundation has been in education since the 20th century! With much of his career focused on strategic planning and fundraising, he is able to speak extensively about how and why these two pieces are essential for the growth and sustainability of a non-profit organization, specifically charter and private schools.

Ryan quickly understood and embraced three main ideas while leading his school:

1. Your job is to fundraise
2. Your board is your secret weapon
3. Every meeting or interaction has value

This was evident in how he structured his calendar on a weekly basis. He engaged community members, collaborated with his board, and rarely found himself behind a desk!

When asked how he has managed to stay in education for so long, he had this advice for school leaders:

• Recharge. Do something fun for yourself.
• Take a sabbath. Find a day or even a couple of hours each week to just rest.
• Have an identity outside of the work.

LINKS: Ryan Dolibois (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-dolibois-6a308a6/) CheckBox Pro (https://www.checkboxpro.com/) - learn more about the services CheckBox Pro offers to make the work of school leaders more sustainable

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Mera Dougherty and Stephanie Parga are two leaders with one vision: provide an amazing academic experience for students and families. Every decision they make is with kids in mind, which is why they are intentional about their hiring practices and teacher development. Their advice when starting a new school in a community that may be hesitant to have you there:

1. Learn your community.
2. Hire from your community.
3. Develop your teachers slowly and consistently.
4. Create sustainability for your team.

They have been intentional with their own professional development along the way so that between the two of them they had the combined skills necessary to successfully found and open a school.

Stephanie's superpower: relentless in upholding high expectations. Mera's superpower: meeting people where they are. Mera understands who the person is now and offers them encouragement, so that Stephanie can push them to be their best for kids. LINKS:

Compass Rose - Destiny Campus (https://compassrosepublicschools.org/locations/destiny-campus/)

CheckBox Pro (https://www.checkboxpro.com/) - learn more about the services CheckBox Pro offers to make the work of school leaders more sustainable

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ID: ILRNI9DIEHE4JTVQ

Sam Durant of Libertas School of Memphis speaks with us about charter school expansion. What started out as a personal journey to find the right school for her daughter, became a professional passion to give this Montessori educational experience to all students.

She is now overseeing the expansion process of Libertas into grades 6th-8th. She had a wealth of knowledge about identifying when and how to expand your charter school and ensure you are asking the right questions to avoid as many challenges as possible.

Expanding your charter is not a solo project and Sam speaks about the various project management tools, team contributions, and coaching she has received to ensure they have a strong start in the Fall of 2024!

Some tips she has for school leaders in the expansion process and beyond:

1. Choose joy

2. Get in classrooms

3. Find partners to keep you accountable and offer support

LINKS:

Libertas School of Memphis (https://www.libertasmemphis.org/)

CheckBox Pro (https://www.checkboxpro.com/)- learn more about the services CheckBox Pro offers to make the work of school leaders more sustainable

Asana (https://asana.com/)- project management tool that Libertas has used during the expansion process

BES (https://bes.org/leadership/)- program for new or experienced leaders in the building or sustaining phase of their school

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Kalli Harrell is an Instructional Coach, science content lead, and adjunct professor with Memphis Teacher Residency (MTR). MTR trains prospective teachers in a year-long residency model through graduate courses, classroom internship, and personalized coaching. As a residency program, she shares how they work alongside various school leaders to ensure that their teachers are trained and equipped to be highly effective for the students of Memphis.

Kalli talked to us through how her years as a teacher, instructional coach, and dean of students in the school setting equipped her to support and coach teachers in their first 3 years across the city of Memphis.

She offers the following advice for leaders who are coaching teachers:

1. Be in classrooms as much as possible

2. Leverage the effective teachers you have in your building to coach newer teachers (and compensate them for these extra responsibilities)

3. Create strong alignment on what effective instruction looks like and is measured

4. Get to know the teacher and have a thorough understanding of their goals, growth areas, and strengths

5. Be a teacher's cheerleader

LINKS:

Memphis Teacher Residency (https://memphistr.org/) - learn more about the mission of MTR

MTR Application (https://memphistr.org/residency) - their application is open for anyone looking to live and work in Memphis, TN

National Center for Teacher Residencies (https://nctresidencies.org/) - identify if there are teacher residency programs near you

CheckBox Pro (https://www.checkboxpro.com/) - learn more about the services CheckBox Pro offers to make the work of school leaders more sustainable

Sam Brobeck is the Strategy and Partnerships Lead at Education Resource Strategies, a national nonprofit that partners with district, school and state leaders to transform how they use resources (people, time, and money) to create strategic school systems that enable every school to prepare every child for tomorrow, no matter their race or income.

Sam shared about the budgetary challenges that many states, districts and schools may be facing in the coming months and years coming out of the ESSER era. However, he was hopeful that schools will be able to sustain their investments by strategically focusing on the right levers to pull to maximize student learning. ERS helps leaders with this strategic piece through year-over-year partnerships, but also by providing access to free tools and publications to help leaders leverage their resources.

These publications include:

• spotlight of Indianapolis and Nashville's use of ESSER funds,

• equity detectives article about the ESSER fiscal cliff,

• staffing, spending, and scheduling toolkits for leaders interested in designing different experiences for students and teachers.

LINKS:

erstrategies.org (https://www.erstrategies.org/)

CheckBox Pro (https://www.checkboxpro.com/)

Sawyer Schafbuch founded Everydesk, a marketing consultancy aimed to help schools highlight their mission and vision to students and families! So many schools are doing the good work, but don't know how to strategically market their program to the right audience.

Sawyer walks us through why student recruitment needs to be a school's baseline when thinking about their revenue. Filling every seat gives that student access to a high quality education AND helps you meet your budgetary goals. It's a no-brainer!

He outlines common mistakes schools make when it comes to their website and misunderstanding the stages prospective families move through when they first learn about your school.

Finally, he offers some quick tips for schools to employ now to maximize their student enrollment:

1. Nurture your prospective families - send an email every other week that is mission aligned

2. Add a "how did you hear about us?" question to your application

3. Tell the story: What does student transformation look like for our students?

LINKS:

Everydesk

Everydesk student recruitment video series

Enrollment Calculator

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