De Facto Leaders

Teen’s brains are wired to seek pleasure, avoid pain, and conserve energy. On top of that their prefrontal cortex isn’t fully developed yet, which means they don’t always make decisions that are in their best interest. 

They’re learning so much about how to navigate relationships and manage their day-to-day lives. 

Things like:

👉Handling setbacks, like not making the sports team or getting the job
👉Learning to be comfortable with how they look/sound/act
👉Figuring out how to make and keep friends
👉Discovering how to delay gratification and work towards long-term goals
👉Understanding dating and romantic relationships

So many of these things are impacted by neurological development, and I love a good metaphor for explaining complex processes like this. 

Joey Mascio, my guest for episode 134 of the De Facto Leaders podcast is full of great metaphors to help kids understand how their brains work. 

Joey is a Teen Life Coach, former teacher, and creator of the SideKick To Hero mindset coaching app for teens. He’s also the host of the Secrets to An Awesome Life podcast. 

In this episode we talk about helping teens embrace discomfort, navigate the nuances of dating and friendships, and create a personal narrative that helps them reach their goals.

In this episode, we discuss: 

✅Does self-help focused on relaxation and taking a break help teens find happiness? 

✅How he uses Victor Frankl’s 3 ways to find meaning to coach teens, including: meaningful work, connection with others, and having a productive attitude toward unavoidable suffering. 

✅Tips for helping teens and tweens handle rejection. 

✅How to help teens navigate the nuances of friendships and dating

✅Ways to help teens delay gratification and get comfortable being uncomfortable. 

In this episode, I mention the School of Clinical Leadership, my program for related service providers who want to take a leadership role in implementing executive functioning support. I also give you strategies that support self-directed talk and working memory. You can learn more about the program here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/efleadership

Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks and IXL:

We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.

If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. 

These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. 

We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

The whole point of school is to prepare kids for adult life, but many people worry we aren’t giving kids what they need.

Whether kids go right into the workforce after high school or plan to attend college or trade school, they need certain skills to succeed at work. 

That’s why I wanted to have a discussion about the ins and outs of employee training and onboarding with experts in the learning and development field. 

In episode 133, I invited Scott Schuette, Zeta Gardner, and Daniel Coonrod from the Fabulous Learning Nerds podcast for a panel discussion on adult learning and employee training. 

Zeta Gardner is an illustrator and instructional designer. With over a decade of experience bringing client's ideas to life, her focus on design gives her an ability to create engaging and visually pleasing learning experiences.  She believes learning is a lifelong journey and aspires to be part of creating those journeys for others. 

Daniel Coonrod is a training strategist and instructional design manager who focuses on building great teams and creating effective training materials that drive business success. Daniel excels at using technology to solve traditionally difficult problems, and has a track record of great results.

Scott Schuette is a learning and development executive with years of experience creating education programs for major corporate enterprise companies. He’s focused on building and empowering diverse cross-functional teams, creating comprehensive training strategies, and improving operations to increase revenue growth, productivity, and employee success.

In this conversation, we discuss:

✅What is adult learning theory? Is it different from the way we approach learning in K-12 education?

✅How do good employee training programs look, and how do companies teach their employees on-the-job skills?

✅What skill gaps may be present in new employees, and what are some skills K-12 staff can teach kids to prepare them for their first job?

✅Defining terms like “competency” vs “mastery” and why this distinction is important to continuous adult learning.

You can listen to the Fabulous Learning Nerds Podcast here: https://www.thelearningnerds.com/ where you can learn more about where to connect with Zeta, Daniel, and Scott. You can connect with them on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/LearningNerds/

You can listen to my guest appearance on the Fabulous Learning Nerds podcast, where we talk about professional development in K-12 education here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-75-professional-development-in-k12-featuring/id1555562692?i=1000619621947

Be sure to check out the BE podcast network for educators and aspiring leaders. If you’re looking for shows to inspire you to level up in your career or more effectively serve students, we’ve got you covered. Learn more about the BE podcast network at http://bepodcastnetwork.com/

In this episode, I mentioned the School of Clinical Leadership, my program that helps pediatric therapists and educators learn strategies for supporting executive functioning and deliver them in a model that supports generalization. Learn more about the program here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/clinicalleadership 

Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks and IXL:

We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.

If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. 

These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. 

We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

In some of the work we do with students, we may have to help them interpret the actions of others or help them understand how they’re coming across.
 
Within the context of executive functioning, this is known as perspective-taking.

This is an essential life skill in both our professional and personal lives; which is why we need to keep developing this skill through adulthood. 

With the life coaching industry growing, this has triggered discussions about “mindset”. It can include the way we attach meaning to things that happen around us; as well as the way we interpret the intention behind the actions of others. 

This conversation is about how we can improve our own ability to use perspective-taking skills in the work we do. 

As I support members of IEP teams, I’ve seen scenarios come up that involve potential disagreements or misunderstandings; and my first instinct is to get to the bottom of what’s going on so I can understand how they can best approach the others involved.

That’s why I invited Lynn Hardin, retired principal and life coach to episode 132 of the De Facto Leaders podcast. She shares how to be proactive as a member of your school team and how to approach conversations intentionally, improve relationships, and decrease burnout. 

Lynn was an elementary school principal for 25 years, and became a life coach because of her deep love for educators. As a principal she struggled to clear a desk of work, to take care of her mental and physical health, manage time, and balance work with life. She wanted a different life of purpose to support educators and students, so she became a Life and Leadership Coach.

In this conversation, we discuss ways that people working in schools can create more balance in their work and have better relationships with their team.

We discuss questions like:

✅What’s driving the decisions building administrators make regarding building-wide policies about service-delivery?

✅What should members of the IEP team do if they have concerns about policies and procedures being implemented in their buildings?

✅What should team members do if the IEP isn’t being fully implemented by members of the team?

✅How to mitigate the primary causes of burnout among educators: Trying to control things, perfectionism, and not asking for help.

You can connect with Lynn on her website here: https://www.lynnhardin.com/ 
and learn more about the Principal Purpose Podcast here: https://www.lynnhardin.com/podcast

You can sign up for her free “Healthy Work-Life Balance” guide here: https://www.lynnhardin.com/guide

In this episode, I mentioned the Time Tracking Journal, a strategy for improving time-management, future planning, and executive functioning during daily tasks like academic assignments or daily routines. You can learn more about the Time Tracking Journal here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/timejournal

Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks and IXL:

We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.

If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. 

These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. 

We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

In K-12 education, there’s been a recent push to go digital, and many educators are wondering if people creating the products have the kids’ best interest in mind; especially in the for-profit space.

That’s why I invited Meg Hearn to episode 131 of the De Facto Leaders podcast to get a behind-the-scenes perspective of curriculum and tech products for kids. 

Meg is an educator with over 20 years of experience. She currently leads a highly collaborative and growing team of curriculum specialists that enhance the Imagine Learning Illustrative Mathematics core curriculums. 

In her previous role as Director of Mathematics Curriculum at Age of Learning, she worked with teams that created digital curriculum content for educational games, serving learners ages 2-10. Before that, she oversaw the development of a K–5 digital curriculum at LearnZillion. Her work in public schools preceded her foray into the Edtech world. As a mathematics coach in the Howard County Public School System in Maryland, she facilitated school-based professional development with elementary school teachers focusing on developing conceptual understanding through problem-based teaching. 

She’s been published in School Library Journal and by ISTE and has spent a decade as an adjunct professor at Notre Dame of Maryland University, where she teaches gaming in education and mathematics methods courses at the graduate level. She holds a Mathematics Instructional Leadership Graduate Certificate from Notre Dame of Maryland University, a post-master's certificate in administration and supervision from Johns Hopkins University, a master's degree in education from McDaniel College, and a bachelor's degree from University of Maryland. 

Her bachelor's degree was in design, not education. She is still applying what she learned from her design training to this day, which we talk about in the interview.

In this conversation, we discuss:

✅How EdTech product teams work; and how they test their products to make sure they’re helping kids learn.

✅The balancing acts K-12 EdTech companies face; including content, design, application features, usability, and other factors that impact accessibility and equity. 

✅Designing a learning experience: Prioritizing accountability, alignment, and evidence-based practices while still making learning a creative, engaging experience. 

✅Why math can be a prime opportunity to work on executive functioning, why it’s embedded in to many math curriculums; plus early math skills kids need to thrive.

You can connect with Meg on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meg-hearn-m-ed-nbct-47a67071/

In this episode, I mentioned the Time Tracking Journal, a strategy for improving time-management, future planning, and executive functioning during daily tasks like academic assignments or daily routines. You can learn more about the Time Tracking Journal here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/timejournal

Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks and IXL:

We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.

If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. 

These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. 

We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Most people involved in K-12 education aren’t in it for the money, but with high caseloads and low pay; a lot of people are considering a career transition.

For people in therapy roles, private practice is a common option on the table; but many come from a “helping people” mindset and struggle with the idea of focusing on business and revenue.

That’s why I invited Ebony Green to episode 130 of the De Facto Leaders podcast to talk about how scaling her private practice has helped her provide accessible services to underserved communities as well as fulfilling careers for therapists. 

Ebony Green, M.S., is the CEO and founder of SLP Business Suite, an innovative educational platform where she teaches speech-language pathologists how to grow their businesses to six and seven figures. Ebony has more than a decade of public and private sector experience as a certified speech therapist who specializes in autism and bilingual speech support. She grew her own practice, CASA Speech Development Services, to seven figures in just three years through multiple school contracts that support more than 700 students annually. Ebony has helped her clients secure contracts across the country totaling in the millions.

Esteemed industry organizations, including the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and the National Black Speech Hearing Association, have tapped Ebony to present both virtually and in-person for national conferences. She’s the host of the SLP Business Podcast and has also been sought after in various media outlets including The Speech Goods Podcast, Telepractice Today, Speechie Side Up, SLP Money, Bird Means Business, and VoyagePhoenix. A married mother of two, Ebony lives outside of Phoenix, Arizona and enjoys being a soccer mom and volunteering with her daughter’s Girl Scout Troop in her free time.

In this conversation, she shares:

✅How expanding her service offerings and revenue has allowed her to offer inclusive services to communities that previously had limited access to support. 

✅Why contracting with schools has allowed her to offer competitive pay for her team, while advocating for manageable caseloads.

✅How to determine what services to offer and what niches to serve (and how to determine when you should say “Yes” to opportunities).

✅The importance of finding coaches and mentors to help you advance in your career; including how to find the right advice at the right time.

You can learn more about Ebony’s private practice at: https://casaspeech.com/services and on Instagram at @casaspeech_ot_az/

Learn more about the SLP Business Suite at: https://theslpbusinesssuite.teachable.com/ and on Instagram at @theslpbusiness_suite/

Connect with Ebony on Instagram at:@slpcontractsqueen/

In this episode, I mentioned the Time Tracking Journal, a strategy for improving time-management, future planning, and executive functioning during daily tasks like academic assignments or daily routines. You can learn more about the Time Tracking Journal here.

Be sure to check out the BE podcast network for educators and aspiring leaders. If you’re looking for shows to inspire you to level up in your career or more effectively serve students, we’ve got you covered.
Learn more about the BE podcast network at http://bepodcastnetwork.com/

Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks and IXL:

We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.

If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. 

These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. 

We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Many of my listeners don’t know this, but I went to a private Catholic school until 8th grade before transitioning to a public high school. 

I had what I like to call “Catholic school RtI”, where I got extra reading help with Sister Marie (and it paid off!).

I’ve focused a lot of my content on issues impacting the public schools, so when I connected with Tom Conroy, a Catholic school principal, I thought he’d bring an interesting perspective to the show; especially because I know that many of my listeners may be working with students who attend private schools. 

Tom Conroy is currently the principal of Our Lady of the Lake Catholic School in Verona, NJ. He retired from public school after 30 years and dove into the world of Catholic Education. Tom has held both teaching and administrative positions on the elementary, middle, high school, and district levels. Tom served for eight years on the New Jersey Principal and Supervisor Association/Foundation for Education Administration (NJPSA/FEA) Leadership Academy Development and Presentation Teams. Tom completed both his undergraduate and graduate work at Montclair State University.

We start out by discussing some differences in private vs. public education; but transition to talking about topics that will be useful regardless of what K-12 setting you’re in. 

In this episode, we discuss:

✅Do private schools have more resources and support than public schools? 

✅Why a school curriculum should be a living document and tool for communication (and not a scripted program).

✅How to reform curriculum in a way that builds a culture of autonomy and how to create alignment across grade levels, buildings, and disciplines (including related service providers).

✅The inner workings of successful professional learning communities (and why they help eliminate unproductive staff meetings).

✅How to maintain a high level of rigor in standards and assessment protocols, without “teaching to the test” and overemphasizing standardized tools.

In this episode, I mentioned the Time Tracking Journal, a strategy for improving time-management, future planning, and executive functioning during daily tasks like academic assignments or daily routines. You can learn more about the Time Tracking Journal here (https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/timejournal). 

You can connect with Tom on LinkedIn here(https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-conroy-0ab187b0/), or connect with him on the My Lady of the Lake website here (https://myoll.org/faculty-and-staff). 

Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks and IXL:

We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.

If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. 

These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. 

We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

If kids haven’t developed certain academic skills by a certain age, their ability to advance in their education diminishes. This means the opportunities they have in adulthood decreases. 

As I’ve been talking with different curriculum experts and school leaders, many of them have shared that closing academic skill gaps is an important part of addressing equity issues. Kids need to learn the skills that will enable them to advance in their education because it can substantially expand their career options in the future. 

I wanted to dive into this topic a bit further, so that’s why I invited Dr. Joseph Williams, III to episode 128 of the De Facto Leaders podcast. 

Dr. Joseph Williams III is a dedicated and accomplished school leader, currently serving as the principal of Franklin High School in Seattle, Washington. With over 25 years of experience in PreK-12 education, he has made a significant impact in various roles throughout his career. 

Dr. Williams began his journey in education as a special education and social studies teacher, gaining valuable insights and honing his teaching skills for a decade. His passion for helping students with diverse needs led him to pursue leadership positions. Over the course of 13 years, he served as an assistant principal and principal, bringing his expertise and dedication to elementary and secondary schools.

As an African American school leader, Dr. Williams is deeply passionate about equity and access in K-12 education. Dr. Williams understands firsthand the importance of turnaround school leadership and the transformative power of K-12 education to ensure that no student's race, identity, gender, economic status, or zip code limits their potential.  

Growing up as the second oldest among six siblings, Dr. Williams experienced the challenges of relying on public assistance in Kansas City, Missouri. This background has fueled his unwavering belief that all children, regardless of their socioeconomic background, deserve a quality education and the opportunity to build fulfilling lives.

His personal journey is a testament to the belief that every child can achieve academic success and lead extraordinary lives.

In this interview, he shares how having positive role models in the early years has shaped the trajectory of his life, and how he’s used it in his work in inner city schools.

We also discuss the importance of closing academic gaps in the early elementary years, and why this has such a huge impact on equity and access to education in the later years.

Dr. Williams has an amazing story and I’m so excited to share this conversation with you.

In this episode, I mentioned the Time Tracking Journal, a strategy for improving time-management, future planning, and executive functioning during daily tasks like academic assignments or daily routines.

You can learn more about the Time Tracking Journal here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/timejournal).

You can connect with Dr. Joseph Williams, III on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drjwilliamsiii/ ), and you can get more information about his book “Mama put us first” here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/everyone-has-book-within-them-joseph-williams-iii-ed-d-/ 

Listen to his podcast, the My K-12 Career Show here on the Elevating K-12 Education newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/elevating-k12-education-6940938756417863680/

Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks and IXL:

We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.

If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. 

These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. 

We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

I’m excited to share episode 127 of De Facto Leaders about a common debate for therapists and teachers:

“Is it worth it to get a doctorate?”

In this wide-ranging conversation with my colleague Dr. Christy Borders, we discuss ways to build language skills in students with hearing loss, as well as how to decide if it's time to take the leap and get your doctorate. 

The backstory of this conversation is that I recorded it back when I didn’t have a podcast thinking, “Maybe one day I’ll launch a podcast and be able to use this as an episode”. 

That’s exactly what I did! 

Since I’ve been getting so many comments and questions lately from people wondering if a doctorate is the right choice for them, I wanted to share it on the show!

The first part of the conversation, Dr. Borders shares the first stage of her career as a teacher for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing population; and why she decided it was time to take the leap to higher ed, even though she loved her job. 

We get into the discussion about making the decision to get a doctorate in the second half of the conversation. Here’s the run-down of what we cover in this conversation:

When you listen to this interview, you'll learn: 

✅How the Deaf and Hard of Hearing population learns to read, write, and speak. 

✅The impact of waiting until 6-12 months to get a hearing aid/cochlear implant. 

✅How to know if you should get a doctorate,  plus survival tips if you do take the leap.

✅How to get funding for a doctoral degree. 

✅The difference between an EdD and a PhD. 

✅What many people don’t know about research and scientists in the field of special education (and why this is actually good news). 

✅The best way to start an IEP meeting (especially if you have a strained relationship with the parents).

In this episode, I mentioned the School of Clinical Leadership, my course that helps school clinicians take the executive functioning lead in their building. To learn more about the program, go to drkarendudekbrannan.com/clinicalleadership (http://drkarendudekbrannan.com/clinicalleadership)

Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks and IXL:

We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.

If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. 

These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. 

We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Many clinicians start their careers feeling unprepared to navigate the job market. 

In a lot of professional groups, I’ve noticed a skepticism towards contract companies, recruiters, and staffing agencies simply because many people working in school settings don’t know who they can trust.

If you’ve ever had a recruiter awkwardly slide into your DMs or advertise in your online group without permission, you might be feeling some of that skepticism yourself. 

There is an art and a science to navigating career placements, job searching, and working with recruiters and staffing agencies. Having this skill set can be a game changer when it comes to finding fulfilling work. Recruiters can be a huge asset if you know how to work with them and if you can spot a good one. 

That’s why I invited Ryan Cleaveland to episode 126 of the De Facto Leaders podcast to give you a peek behind the curtain of staffing and recruiting. 

Ryan is the CEO of Spotter Staffing (https://www.spotterstaffing.com/), a company that helps connect schools with highly qualified therapists and special education teachers. After over two decades in corporate staffing across multiple industries, he started Spotter Staffing with his best friend, Ryan Allen, COO. They wanted to provide staffing for an ethical and selfless industry, so that’s what inspired them to focus on connecting special education professionals with school districts. 

In this conversation, we discuss:

✅How does staffing and recruiting work? What are the different types of contracts and employment options? 

✅How can you tell if you’re working with a qualified recruiter, and how do you advocate for yourself during the hiring process? 

✅What are the benefits of working with a recruiter who has also been a therapist? Are there benefits to working with a recruiter or job coach who doesn’t have a clinical background?

✅How to avoid “the grass is greener” thinking when approaching your career; and how to weigh the benefits and drawbacks of being an employee vs a contractor vs self-employed.

In this episode, I mentioned the School of Clinical Leadership, my course that helps school clinicians take the executive functioning lead in their building.

To learn more about the program, go to drkarendudekbrannan.com/clinicalleadership

You can learn more about Spotter Staffing at: https://www.spotterstaffing.com/

Connect with Ryan on LinkedIn here (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-cleaveland-2aa5a87/) or on Twitter @ryan_cleaveland (https://twitter.com/Ryan_Cleaveland).

Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks and IXL:

We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.

If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. 

These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. 

We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

This week, I’m sharing an interview from another host on the BE podcast network because I think it’s something you’ll really enjoy. The episode is going live in the De Facto Leaders podcast feed. 

I’m pleased to bring you a conversation from The Authority Podcast here on the Be Podcast Network. You’ll hear from Principal Baruti Kafele, author of seven best-selling books, including The Equity & Social Justice Education 50.

About Baruti Kafele

One of the most sought-after school leadership and classroom equity presenters in America, Principal Kafele is impacting America’s schools! He has delivered over 2500 conferences and program keynotes, professional development workshops, parenting seminars and student assemblies over his 35 years of public speaking. An expert in the area of “attitude transformation,” Principal Kafele is the leading authority on providing effective classroom and school leadership strategies toward closing what he coined, the "Attitude Gap.” He has authored twelve books, including seven ASCD best-sellers. 

The discussion includes:

✅ Equity vs. Equality — the strategy vs. the goal and why it matters

✅ Does my presence positively alter the trajectory of my students?

✅ How do I ensure that no student is invisible in my classroom?

✅Becoming credible to your students

✅ “I want my readers to be comfortable with being uncomfortable and uncomfortable with being comfortable.”

✅The Big 3: Individuality, Identity, and Voice. Why these are non-negotiables in every classroom.

✅The leader’s role in making equity work resilient

You can learn more about Barute Kafele’s work on his website here.

About The Authority Podcast

"Interviews with people who know what they're talking about."

On The Authority, leadership coach, storytelling strategist and edtech advisor Ross Romano interviews leading authors from the education world and beyond to draw out their invaluable insights on leadership, culture-building, transformation, and student & educator success. Join each week to hear ideas for addressing your current pain points, new perspectives from the authors you admire, and fresh takes from up-and-coming voices. Subscribe on your favorite platform: https://bit.ly/m/theauthoritypodcast

Be sure to check out the BE podcast network for educators and aspiring leaders. If you’re looking for shows to inspire you to level up in your career or more effectively serve students, we’ve got you covered. Learn more about the BE podcast network at http://bepodcastnetwork.com/

Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks and IXL:

We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.

If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. 

These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. 

We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.