David spends some time talking with his kids - triplets Mason, Connor, and Emma - about their perspectives as students. They cover topics that will interest school and district leaders, including safety, teaching and learning, building relationships, career opportunities, and more.

If I said that I could identify your priorities and goals by looking at your budget, would you believe me? As educational leaders, we have to take strategic, purposeful action in order for our efforts to have the greatest impact - and that includes how we manage our funding. CKEC Associate Director and school finance expert David Morris joins the podcast today to share his Top 5 "can't miss" finance strategies for school principals.

As leaders, instilling a little fun into our organization can have a huge strategic impact. It can be engaging, stress-relieving, and empowering to staff. It can increase job satisfaction and have a ripple effect across the organization. Not only that, but it can make the new learning "episodic", which helps individuals retain and transfer the knowledge and skills they've attained. Brian Buffington of the Pioneer Regional Educational Service Agency in Northeastern Georgia joins David to discuss this topic and much more.

Working in the field of education is a calling and a blessing in many ways, but it can also be a heavy weight to carry. We need to have the tools to navigate this in a healthy way. Nationally-known keynote speaker, consultant, and education thought leader Kim Strobel joins us today to talk about increasing our happiness and the compounding positive effect it can have on our lives. Check out Kim's free Gratitude Tracker at https://strobeleducation.com/gratitude-habit-tracker/.

Nationally-known author, keynote speaker, and current Illinois Superintendent of the Year Dr. PJ Caposey joins the podcast to talk about the first things to look for when improving your school or district, the evolution of education, the impact of coaches and coaching, and much more.

Sometimes it's fun when an idea "goes against the grain", but works! Join David as he describes five counterintuitive practices that, when implemented purposefully and intentionally, can lead to significant academic success in classrooms, schools, and districts.

What are the 3 traits that leaders need to have in order to be successful, and what are the 3 questions that people have to answer in a positive way before they will choose to follow your lead? 3 + 3 = 6 important things that successful leaders need to know. Join David as he digs into these important leadership lessons.

When we approach our work competitively, we tend to set lofty goals and work hard to achieve them. In a school or district setting, this can have a tremendous positive impact on students. On the other hand, when we "share our secrets" and collaborate with talented educators from other schools and districts, students benefit from that, too. Join David and Superintendent Mike Stacy of Beechwood Independent as they discuss the importance of finding balance between competition and collaboration.

Joining David today are two talented teacher leaders, John-Austin Jenkins and TJ Spivey, of Anderson County Schools. Strong teacher leaders are priceless when it comes to school success.  They are kid-focused, hard-working, often innovative, and see the big picture when it comes to what’s best for their own classrooms and the school as a whole.  John-Austin and TJ give us some great insight into how we, as school and district leaders, can harness the positive power of our teacher leaders.

Principals Lesley Lawson and Kia Lamb of Garrard County Schools join David today to talk about what it's like to be a building administrator in today's schools. There is nothing better than hearing from talented folks like these two who are leading important work in their buildings right now. Their stories and advice for administrators are practical, heartwarming, and valuable for both building and district leaders.