Leaders AdvantEDGE

Host: Joy O'Brien Guests: Michelle Szczepanski and Erin Elder Recorded: On-Site at the OAESA Professional Conference

How can school leaders lead meaningful change, build staff buy-in, and improve student outcomes without adding more to teachers' already full plates?

In this On-Site at the OAESA Conference episode of the Leaders AdvantEDGE podcast, host Joy O'Brien sits down with Michelle Szczepanski and Erin Elder to explore how influence, trust, and servant leadership can create lasting change.

Building on their conference clinic session, Michelle and Erin share practical, principal-tested strategies for earning staff buy-in, removing unnecessary demands, and making meaningful improvements without overwhelming the people doing the work. They explore what it means to lead through influence rather than authority and why putting people first can ultimately amplify student growth.

• Why influence matters more than authority when leading change

• The power of removing demands rather than continually adding initiatives

• Building trust with staff who may be hesitant to buy in

• What "working smarter, not harder" looks like in practice

• Leading sustainable change while protecting staff capacity and well-being

Key Topics: Servant leadership, staff buy-in, school culture, teacher well-being, leading change, principal leadership, staff engagement, sustainable school improvement

Host: Matt Bradley Guests: Mike Lipnos and Chris Irick Recorded: On-Site at the OAESA Professional Conference

What does Ohio's new Math Plan mean for principals, teachers, and school districts—and how can school leaders help bring its vision to life?

In this On-Site at the OAESA Conference episode of the Leaders AdvantEDGE podcast, host Matt Bradley sits down with Mike Lipnos and Chris Irick to explore Ohio's Math Plan and what it means for schools at the building and district levels. They discuss common misconceptions, how leaders can support math instruction even without a math background, and the shared responsibility of helping every student succeed mathematically.

• Understanding Ohio's Math Plan and its vision for math instruction

• Clearing up common misconceptions

• Supporting math teachers as a school leader

• One practical action principals can take to get started

Strong school culture doesn't happen by accident. It is built through intentional leadership, consistent systems, and a commitment to the well-being of both students and staff.

In this On-Site at the OAESA Conference episode of the Leaders AdvantEDGE podcast, Matt Bradley sits down with Ernest Doc West to explore practical, principal-tested strategies for strengthening school culture, climate, and leadership structures.

Drawing from his conference clinic session, Ernest shares insights on building effective leadership teams, supporting teacher leadership, creating systems that promote attendance and student well-being, and fostering a collaborative environment where educators and students can thrive.

Guest: Ernest Doc West Recorded: On-Site at the OAESA Professional Conference

From Presence to Progress: How Intentional Walkthroughs Strengthened Instruction and Improved State Report Card Outcomes

Host: Matt Bradley Guest: Rachael Coleman Recorded: On-Site at the OAESA Professional Conference

What happens when classroom walkthroughs move beyond compliance and become a meaningful tool for instructional growth?

In this third On-Site at the OAESA Conference episode of the Leaders AdvantEDGE podcast, host Matt Bradley talks with Rachael Coleman about the power of intentional principal presence in classrooms.

Building on Rachael's conference session, From Presence to Progress, they discuss how purposeful walkthroughs, clear instructional look-fors, and high-quality feedback can strengthen teaching, build shared expectations, and contribute to improved schoolwide outcomes.

• Building a culture of principal presence
• Identifying meaningful instructional look-fors
• Making walkthroughs a tool for growth—not compliance
• Creating sustainable walkthrough practices
• One strategy every school leader can use to get started

Key Topics: Instructional leadership, classroom walkthroughs, principal presence, teacher feedback, instructional improvement, school culture, Ohio State Report Card

In this second On the Road at the OAESA Conference edition of the Leaders AdvantEDGE podcast, host Matt Bradley, Principal at Highland Middle School, sits down with Shayla Ivezzy, Assistant Principal at Maple Leaf Elementary in Garfield Heights, to explore the challenge of balancing the many demands of school leadership.

Building on Shayla's conference clinic session, From Busy to Balanced: How Leaders Can See—and Improve—their Daily Work, this conversation takes a practical look at how school leaders can use simple activity-tracking tools to better understand how they spend their time and determine whether their daily work reflects their most important leadership priorities.

Shayla shares insights from her own experience analyzing her day-to-day responsibilities, along with strategies principals and assistant principals can use to become more intentional with their time—without adding another complicated task to an already full schedule.

Whether you're a principal, assistant principal, or aspiring school leader, this episode offers a simple reminder: You can't change what you don't see. By taking a closer look at how we spend our time, we can make more intentional choices about where our leadership energy goes—and ensure our daily work is aligned with what matters most.

Click HERE to view Shayla's presentation and if you missed her session at the conference, she will be presenting at the 2027 Women's Leadership Conference February 22-23.

In our first "On-site at the Professional Conference" edition of the Leaders AdvantEDGE podcast, Matt Bradley sits down with presenters Amanda Steward and Candace Platt to dig deeper into their clinic session, "Empowering Teams Through Student-Level Data Meetings: Strengthening MTSS for Every Learner." Their session highlighted how student-level data meetings anchor an effective MTSS framework and explored practical tools and collaborative structures that support data-driven decisions, strengthen tiered interventions, and improve student outcomes. Amanda and Candace share how intentional, collaborative data conversations help school teams identify student needs, align interventions, monitor progress, and ensure every learner receives the support they need to succeed.

Whether you're refining an existing MTSS process or building one from the ground up, this episode offers actionable ideas, proven structures, and practical takeaways you can implement in your own school.

Click HERE to view the slides and resources from their session.

Our newest rotating host, Kirk Pavelich, principal at Richfield Elementary in Revere Local Schools, brings us a conversation with two of his former colleagues from North Royalton Elementary School, Mike McGinnis and Katie Bober. We'll be talking about Crushing Your CORE: From Data to Impact and how schools can strengthen Tier 1 instruction through collaboration, data, and engagement. Don't miss this valuable conversation and a sneak peek into their clinic session at OAESA's Annual Professional Conference, The Principal Influence: Leading Schools that Thrive.

On this episode of Leaders AdvantEDGE: On the Road with OAESA, rotating host Joy O'Brien sits down with Dave Haluga, assistant principal at Maddux Elementary in Forest Hills Schools, for a conversation about bringing energy, humor, and creativity to one of the most important topics educational leaders face: legislative updates.

Dave shares a behind-the-scenes look at the Tuesday morning conference session he and Brian Lyons will lead at The Principal Influence, where they are transforming policy talk into an engaging, SNL-inspired experience packed with sharp commentary, quick takes, practical insight, and just the right amount of humor.

Listeners will hear why staying informed about legislation matters more than ever, how school leaders can make complex information more accessible for their teams, and why learning doesn't have to feel dry to be meaningful. It's a fun and thoughtful conversation about leadership, communication, and finding ways to keep educators engaged while tackling serious topics.

This episode of the Leaders AdvantEDGE podcast, Taking Care of Kids, introduces a new rotating host, Matt Bradley, principal at Highland Middle School. Matt's conversation with Brianne Jaynes, Highland Middle School's school counselor, focuses on a few key initiatives they have developed to support students who may be struggling to engage in learning on a given day.

You can connect with Matt for more details at [email protected].

Joy O'Brien's conversation with Maddux Elementary's head custodian, Mike Abbinante, dives into the heart of school culture — the people and programs that keep our schools thriving. They share some innovative ways that Mike's leadership in the building has positively impacted their PBIS Program and overall culture in the building.