The original plan was for Jeff to talk with Nora Gordon and Carrie Conaway, authors of Common Sense Evidence: The Education Leader's Guide to Using Data and Research. However, Carrie had a health-related issue, so it was just Nora and Jeff. Nonetheless, they had a super interesting discussion. Jeff loved the way these two professors have created a pragmatic guide for busy educational leaders to analyze data to make wise decisions and create a legitimate narrative. You are going to like this one.

As Jeff says, “Dr. Tim Elmore ALWAYS delivers”. Watching or listening to this Leader Chat, you will see that Tim and Jeff have a rapport. What you will also notice is that Tim’s new research and book, The Eight Paradoxes of Great Leadership, is a must-have for leaders in any industry, especially education. Tim- the Founder and CEO of Growing Leaders- has contributed to our Leadership Circle several times. His book, The Pandemic Population, was a hit amongst our members. This focus on leaders takes the relevance of his perspective to a new level for us.

Leadership transitions are tricky, not just for the school community, but also emotionally for the leader. Stephen Murley is a well-known and respected superintendent, successfully leading three different districts. Due to health concerns, Steve just resigned from his superintendent post in Green Bay Wisconsin. Jeff, a long-time colleague with Stephen, wanted to pick Stephen’s brain and discuss the emotions behind his past and current leadership transitions. This is a very relevant discussion for all educational leaders to hear and we appreciate the candid and thoughtful advice Stephen discusses with us.

Daniel Pink was with us! Seriously, that Daniel Pink . . . the author of five New York Times bestsellers, including his latest, The Power of Regret: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward. He has lots of fans, and clearly, Jeff is one of them. Jeff peppered Dan with questions about education and how leaders can learn from the “regret” research described in the book. Daniel is a wealth of information and is well-deserving of his stellar reputation. It was an absolute honor having him join us. You are going to LOVE this podcast!

In our last podcast with Karin Chenoweth discussing her new book, Districts That Succeed, Jeff simply was not able to squeeze his questions into just one sitting. Fortunately, she was gracious enough to come back for Part 2.

For schools to truly be successful, we learn in this conversation that the district does in fact matter. Jeff talks with the well-known educational author and researcher, Karin Chenowith. Karin is writer-in-residence at The Education Trust. Her latest book, Districts that Succeed: Breaking the Correlation Between Race, Poverty, and Achievement is what grabbed Jeff’s attention. In fact, this conversation is the first of a two-part Leader Chat. If you are an educational leader, responsible for supporting schools, these are must listens!

Schools communicating clearly with families and community is challenging, and yet so important. Educational leaders and teachers know the opportunity of improving our communication skills, but they don’t always know how to do it. Patricia Weinzapfel (wine + zap + ful) is an expert having served as a former television reporter who spends the last decade working with the Evansville Vanderburgh School Cooperation in Indiana. Here, she talks with Jeff about pragmatic and digestible ways educators can up their game in terms of communicating with those we serve.

Shannon Cox is a leader of leaders, and she also happens to be a Leadership Circle member. Shannon is the superintendent of the Montgomery County Educational Service Center in Ohio. Jeff teases her a bit about a recent nomination for a ‘Remarkable Woman’ award, but you will notice that she is remarkable. Shannon has been a TedTalk speaker and continues to think and lead in innovative ways. She talks with us about the importance of social-emotional support for students and educators, and her partnership with singer/songwriter Jewel is really cool.

If you track the ongoing weekly education articles that are published, you maybe know about the Marshall Memo. If not, you should. The Marshall Memo, published 50 times a year since 2003, is designed to keep principals, teachers, instructional coaches, and superintendents, well-informed on current research and best practices. In this Leader Chat Jeff talks with Kim Marshall, and as you will notice, they would ‘nerd-out’ on educational issues for hours if they were allowed. Clearly, Kim is well informed and connected to ongoing research and trends in education.

Clearly, Jeff and our guest Steven Constantino, know each other from their superintendent-days and can relate and empathize with educational leaders and their challenges. Steven has gone on to write and speak on a topic that has always been paramount but is likely more important now than ever . . . engaging families. His book, Engage Every Family, delves into the art and strategy, his five simple principles, of authentically caring and communicating with families.