EdLeader

On this brand-new EdLeader special series, Leadership Lessons from the G.O.A.T., Dr. Rob Jackson is joined by his son JJ Jackson, host of the Locked On Blue Devils podcast and the daily radio show SportsCall Auburn, as well as Division 1 radio and television play-by-play announcer. Together, they delve into Coach K's book, Leading with the Heart, to share the leadership lessons of the basketball coach considered to be the G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All Time!)

In this episode, Dr. Jackson and JJ discuss Coach K's strategies for growing leaders. With stories about Christian Laettner, Steve Wojciechowski, Wendell Moore Jr., and AJ Griffin to illustrate Coach K's teachings, this is an episode you do not want to miss.

Coach K has served as the head men's basketball coach at Duke University since 1980, where he has led the Blue Devils to five NCAA Division I titles, 12 Final Fours, 15 ACC Men's Basketball Tournament championships, and 12 ACC regular-season titles. Coach K has also coached the US men's national basketball team to three gold medals and served as the head coach of the American team that won two FIBA World Cup gold medals. He is widely regarded as one of the best college basketball coaches of all time.

The EdLeader podcast is back as Dr. Jackson sits down with Mrs. Mollie Mayse to discuss the role of School Psychologists. In a time when the need to support the social, emotional, and mental health of students is more recognized than ever, School Psychologists are called upon for sage advice and wise counsel as they serve alongside educators. Working directly with students, families, and school support team members, school psychologists serve a vital role.

Mollie Mayse is a 16-year veteran School Psychologist serving in the Carteret County Public School system.  She earned both her Master of Arts degree in School Psychology and her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Appalachian State University. Mrs. Mayse says that her biggest assets and the "best" psychology" training she has ever received are her three sons, an eighth-grader, a sixth-grader, and a first-grader, and her husband, a Director of Admissions at a Rehabilitation Center.

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On this brand-new EdLeader special series, Leadership Lessons from the G.O.A.T., Dr. Rob Jackson is joined by his son JJ Jackson, host of the Locked On Blue Devils podcast, host of the daily radio show SportsCall Auburn, and Division 1 radio and television play-by-play announcer. Together, they delve into Coach K's book, Leading with the Heart, to share the leadership lessons of the basketball coach considered to be the G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All Time!)

In this episode, Dr. Jackson and JJ discuss Coach K's tenet that we need to give others our time and attention.

Coach K has served as the head men's basketball coach at Duke University since 1980, where he has led the Blue Devils to five NCAA Division I titles, 12 Final Fours, 15 ACC Men's Basketball Tournament championships, and 12 ACC regular-season titles. Coach K has also coached the US men's national basketball team to three gold medals and served as the head coach of the American team that won two FIBA World Cup gold medals. He is widely regarded as one of the best college basketball coaches of all time.

On this brand-new EdLeader special series, Leadership Lessons from the GOAT, Dr. Rob Jackson is joined by his son JJ Jackson, host of the Locked On Blue Devils podcast, host of the daily radio show SportsCall Auburn, and Division 1 radio and television play-by-play announcer. Together, they delve into Coach K's book, Leading with the Heart, to share the leadership lessons of the basketball coach considered to be the G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All Time!)

Coach K has served as the head men's basketball coach at Duke University since 1980, where he has led the Blue Devils to five NCAA Division I titles, 12 Final Fours, 15 ACC Men's Basketball Tournament championships, and 12 ACC regular-season titles. Coach K has also coached the US men's national basketball team to three gold medals and served as the head coach of the American team that won two FIBA World Cup gold medals. He is widely regarded as one of the best college basketball coaches of all time.

When making her first remarks as the 2021 Wells Fargo North Carolina State Principal of the Year, Dr. Ashburn shared from Amanda Gorman's poem, "The Hill We Climb"

When day comes we step out of the shade,

aflame and unafraid,

the new dawn blooms as we free it.

For there is always light,

if only we're brave enough to see it.

If only we're brave enough to be it.

Joining Dr. Jackson on the latest episode of the EdLeader podcast, Dr. Ashburn challenges and inspires educators to be brave enough to see the possibilities for education post-pandemic and to be brave enough to make it happen.

Dr. Elena Ashburn is the 2021 Wells Fargo North Carolina Principal of the Year. In making the announcement, North Carolina State Superintendent Catherine Truitt noted that “Elena exemplifies the best qualities of a strong and effective principal. She empowers teachers and staff and creates opportunities for them to grow and learn." Appointed principal of Needham B. Broughton High School in 2017, Dr. Ashburn grew up in southern Virginia and attended Longwood University, where she graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor's of English and minor in Spanish. After college, she joined Teach For America and began her career as an English teacher at Southern Durham High School. Dr. Ashburn earned a Master's of School Administration at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. After serving as an assistant principal at Fuquay-Varina High School, Dr. Ashburn became principal of East Garner Magnet Middle School in 2014.

At East Garner, Dr. Ashburn led the school in significantly improving student achievement outcomes, including exceeding expected growth targets for the first time in the school's history, improving the school's letter grade from D to C, and moving the school out of the state-sanctioned low-performing status in 2016.

At Broughton, Dr. Ashburn leads the Leadership Team and school community in the implementation of the Broughton Five Year Strategic Plan, which was created over the course of a full year in 2017. Since implementation, the team has led in affecting meaningful change, including achieving the highest student graduation rate in Broughton's history twice in both 2020 and 2021, increasing 9th grade promotion rate by nearly 50%, and improving teacher retention to its highest rate, with an improvement of nearly 70%.

Dr. Ashburn earned a Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2018 and was awarded the Michael Priddy Family Leadership Scholarship & Award for aspiring superintendents from the UNC School of Education the same year. Her dissertation research examined the underrepresentation of women in the superintendency, and in 2019, her research was presented at the annual global Women Leading Education conference in England. In addition to the principalship, Dr. Ashburn serves as a leadership coach for Magnet Schools of America, helping school leaders throughout the country implement magnet school programming in their schools and districts. In 2020, Dr. Ashburn was named the WCPSS Principal of the Year, the North Carolina North Central Region Principal of the Year, and the 2021 North Carolina Wells Fargo Principal of the Year.

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EdLeader is back for Season 3 and it is going to be bigger and better than ever! A big start with a big-time guest is here as Mr. Jack Hoke sits down with Dr. Jackson to discuss launching a new school year in the midst of challenges and uncertainty.  Authentic relationships, listening more than you speak, making sure the team has what it needs to succeed, and keeping the main thing the main thing is the secret to a Leadership Launch into an amazing new school year. 

Mr. Jack Hoke is one of the most respected and highly-regarded educational leaders in the state of North Carolina. He currently serves as Executive Director of the North Carolina School Superintendents’ Association.  He retired in April 2012 after serving twelve years as superintendent of the Alexander County Schools.  He also served as an associate superintendent for two years in the Alexander County Schools.  He previously served as principal at the elementary, middle, and high school levels in the Caldwell County Schools and served for 32 years in school administration.

He served as Superintendent Advisor to the North Carolina State Board of Education from 2009 – 2011 and was appointed by the Governor to serve on the Professional Teaching Standards Commission from 2006 – 2010.  He was involved in the development of the teacher, principal, and superintendent standards for North Carolina and assisted in the development of the North Carolina Education Evaluation System.  

As Executive Director of the North Carolina School Superintendents' Association, he has designed and conducted the professional development programs for superintendents and associate/assistant superintendents including the Next Generation Superintendent Development Program, Aspiring Superintendent Program, Digital Leadership Institute for Superintendents,  Future Focused Schools/Emerging Trends Network for NC School Districts, and The NC District Leaders Institute which provides executive coaching for new superintendents.

He was inducted into the Appalachian State University: Reich College of Education Rhododendron Society in 2021, received the Alexander County Schools Award of Honor and Caldwell County Schools Education Hall of Honor Award in 2017. In 2012, he received the state’s highest civilian award when he was awarded the Order of the Long Leaf Pine. Twice selected as a Regional Superintendent of the Year, he was selected as the North Carolina High School Athletic Association Superintendent of the Year in 2007.

More importantly than all of the awards and accolades and vast experience, today’s guest is who Superintendents call when they need advice, encouragement, or just a listening ear. 

In the book, "Good to Great," Jim Collins highlights the hedgehog concept based on the Greek parable that the fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one thing really well. For Perquimans County Schools Superintendent Dr. Tanya Turner, her hedgehog concept is and always has been the importance of literacy in every classroom and in every grade level. In the newest episode of the EdLeader podcast, Dr. Turner sits down with her former teammate Dr. Rob Jackson to discuss the importance of literacy and the school system's plans to increase the reading proficiency of every student in the school system.

Dr. Turner is recognized as an effective and highly regarded instructional leader in the Northeastern Region of North Carolina and across the state. She began her career in education as a fifth-grade teacher prior to serving as an instructional facilitator. She served as a Middle School Assistant Principal and later moved to a role as the district's Director of Teacher Development and Testing. She then served as a Middle School Principal leading school improvement efforts to move from a school that had not met growth in several years to meeting growth eight out of nine years, with seven of those years as high growth. Through her leadership, she implemented an organizational restructuring which led to the school being designated A School to Watch in 2010 and later being re-designated in 2013. After her successful tenure as a Middle School Principal, she was tapped as Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction with Edenton-Chowan Schools. 

Dr. Turner's EVAAS presentations have been recognized at the state level and published on the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction’s regional website as well as the NC STAR website. Her knowledge and leadership in data-driven instruction have afforded her the opportunity to conduct numerous EVAAS trainings across the state for many school districts. She is a former District Teacher of the Year, District Assistant Principal of the Year, and two-time District Principal of the Year.

Dr. Turner holds a Masters in Supervision and Administration from East Carolina University and a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Methodist University. She graduated from the North Carolina Aspiring Superintendent’s Program in 2017 as a member of the program's inaugural cohort.

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In the latest episode of EdLeader, Dr. Jackson is joined by Dr. Susan Enfield, Superintendent of Highline Public Schools in Burien, Washington. Dr. Enfield has served as the Superintendent of Highline since 2012, shepherding in outstanding student and staff success. In Highline Public Schools, the Graduation Rate has grown from 62.3% in 2013 to 83.8% in 2020. Central to the work of the district is the Highline Promise.

Knowing every student by name, strength, and need is the promise of Highline Public Schools. Under the leadership of Superintendent Susan Enfield, the district is implementing the second phase of its strategic plan committed to the academic and social-emotional growth of all students so they graduate prepared for the future they choose.

Dr. Enfield was selected as the AASA 2020 Women in Leadership Superintendent Award winner. 

A high school English, journalism, and ELL teacher, Susan served as Chief Academic Officer and then as Interim Superintendent for Seattle Public Schools before coming to Highline in 2012. She previously held leadership positions in Evergreen Public Schools (Vancouver, WA), Portland Public Schools, and the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

Susan is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, and earned master’s degrees from Stanford University and Harvard University. She also holds a doctoral degree in Administration, Planning, and Social Policy from Harvard’s Urban Superintendents Program.

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In Part II of this special two-part EdLeader series on the Effect of Principals, Dr. Jackson sits down with fellow former State Principals of the Year to review the recently released Wallace Foundation Report, "How Principals Affect Students and Schools: A Systematic Synthesis of Two Decades of Research." The researchers found that "an effective principal’s impact is stronger and broader than previously thought, making it “difficult to envision” a higher return on investment in K-12 education than the cultivation of high-quality school leadership, according to this research synthesis."

In a previous episode, Dr. Jackson spoke with Dr. Anna Egalite, coauthor of the Wallace Foundation Report on how principals affect students and schools, to delve into the research from the researcher's point of view. This time, skilled practitioners dig into the study's findings and find much that resonates with their practice.

Ms. Kisha Clemons is the 2020 Wells Fargo North Carolina Principal of the Year.  She is currently the principal at Shuford Elementary in Newton-Conover City Schools and a doctoral student in the Educational Leadership Department at UNC-Greensboro.  

Dr. Carrie Tulbert is currently in her 11th year as a middle school principal. She is the 2014 North Carolina Principal of the Year.  Carrie is a graduate of Wingate University with her Ed.S and Ed.D. 

Mr. Tabari Wallace earned a  Bachelor’s Degree and a Master’s Degree in Rehabilitation from East Carolina University. In 2018, he was named North Carolina’s Principal of the Year. He was a recent guest on the Ellen show and is a passionate educator.

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How Principals Affect Students and Schools: A Systematic Synthesis of Two Decades of Research by Dr. Jason A. Grissom, Vanderbilt University; Dr. Anna J. Egalite, North Carolina State University; and Dr. Constance A. Lindsay, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Summary of Key Findings - How Principals Affect Students and Schools

1. Effective principals are at least as important for student achievement as previous reports have concluded—and in fact, their importance may not have been stated strongly enough.

2. Principals have substantively important effects that extend beyond student achievement.

3. Effective principals orient their practice toward instructionally-focused interactions with teachers, building a productive school climate, facilitating collaboration and professional learning communities, and strategic personnel and resource management processes.

4. Principals must develop an equity lens, particularly as they are called on to meet the needs of growing numbers of marginalized students.

5. Effective principals are not equitably distributed across schools.

6. Principals are becoming more racially and ethnically diverse, but representation gaps with students are growing, which is concerning, given the payoffs to principal diversity.

7. Research on school principals is highly variable, and the field requires new investment in a rigorous, cohesive body of research. (as summarized by the NCDPI Weekly Top Ten)

In the latest episode of EdLeader, Dr. Jackson sits down with fellow former State Principals of the Year to review the recently released Wallace Foundation Report, "How Principals Affect Students and Schools: A Systematic Synthesis of Two Decades of Research." The researchers found that "an effective principal’s impact is stronger and broader than previously thought, making it “difficult to envision” a higher return on investment in K-12 education than the cultivation of high-quality school leadership, according to this research synthesis."

In a previous episode, Dr. Jackson spoke with Dr. Anna Egalite, coauthor of the Wallace Foundation Report on how principals affect students and schools, to delve into the research from the researcher's point of view. This time, skilled practitioners dig into the study's findings and find much that resonates with their practice.

Ms. Kisha Clemons is the 2020 Wells Fargo North Carolina Principal of the Year.  She is currently the principal at Shuford Elementary in Newton-Conover City Schools and a doctoral student in the Educational Leadership Department at UNC-Greensboro.  She is a North Carolina Principal Fellow and North Carolina Teaching Fellow alumnus from Appalachian State University. Under her leadership, Shuford Elementary has been selected as a National Title I Distinguished School and recognized for its work with personalized learning.  Ms. Clemons’ personal vision is to inspire greatness in others and she is proud to be a champion for her students, staff, and community.

Dr. Carrie Tulbert is currently in her 11th year as a middle school principal. She is the 2014 North Carolina Principal of the Year. She has led schools that truly run the gamut of student populations and sizes. She is approaching her 20th year in education. She's proud to be a North Carolina Teaching Fellow. Carrie is a graduate of Meredith College with her BA in English; Gardner Webb University with her MSA; and Wingate University with her Ed.S and Ed.D. Her greatest honor is being a mother of 2 sons, her most important "students," She passionately believes in public school and its power to transform students' lives. She also truly believes that being a principal is the BEST job in education!

In the 1990s,  Tabari Wallace aspired to a career in the NFL. With his long-held dream and his future at stake, he paid a visit to East Carolina University, where he was offered a walk-on spot on the team at ECU. He eventually earned a full scholarship and a Bachelor’s Degree and a Master’s Degree in Rehabilitation. His football career continued after college, but it competed with a new passion: teaching. He turned all of his attention to education and rose quickly through the ranks of public school to be promoted to his first assistant principalship in 2003. In 2018, he was named North Carolina’s Principal of the Year. He was a recent guest on the Ellen show and is a passionate educator.

With a panel of North Carolina State Principals of the Year and exciting new research on the importance of the principal on student achievement, this is going to be great!

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