Covid. Book bans. Polarizing legislation. The last few years have been relentless in their efforts to pull district leaders’ attentions away from the normal business of running schools. But some leaders have remained a true beacon of light, keeping everyone’s eye on what is best for students. They remind educators that it is not SEL, or academics, or inclusion, but all of the above if we want an effective response to current challenges; that courage is the trait that precedes all others when deciding how to respond in a crisis. Listen as four leaders from all over the country show how they use their “spirit” to stay focused, build belonging, and successfully lead their schools. 

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For the first time in recent history, school leaders have five generations in their schools: Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, Gen Z (entering as brand-new teachers), and Gen Alpha students. In this far-reaching episode, Peter DeWitt and Mark White discuss how schools can leverage new technology to reach their youngest teachers and students, how to retain and attract more Millennials and Gen Z teachers, and how to move from managing to coaching with all generations. 

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In schools, the logistics of how our teams work together are just as important as what we work together to do. In this super practical episode, organizational development expert Anthony Kim shares better habits for school leadership teams to adopt.

Anthony is the CEO of Education Elements and the author of The New Team Habits and The New School Rules. 

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The stories we tell about school leadership are predominantly male - but that needs to change. In this important episode, authors Trudy Arriaga and Delores Lindsey share new stories about women in school leadership, and paint a picture of what gender equity actually looks like.

Trudy Arriaga and Delores Lindsay, along with Stacie Stanley, are the authors of Leading While Female: A Culturally Proficient Response for Gender Equity.

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Dr. Horacio Sanchez brings a wealth of expertise and knowledge to this deep dive into the effects of poverty on learning. Covering language development, empathy, behavior, and bias, this wide-ranging episode will center on what school leaders need to know to support students from impoverished situations.

Dr. Sanchez is the author of The Poverty Problem: How Education Can Promote Resilience and Counter Poverty's Impact on Brain Development and Functioning.

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In this episode, host Peter DeWitt sits in the hot seat to talk about his new book, Collective Leader Efficacy. Much has been written about the power of teachers' collective efficacy to impact student learning - but Peter has found that collective efficacy can enhance the role of instructional leadership teams as well. In this episode, Peter shares the 8 drivers that instructional leadership teams can use to build their collective efficacy. 

Learn more about Peter and sign up for his monthly newsletter at https://petermdewitt.com/.

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Daniel Bauer, self-proclaimed Ruckus Maker and host of the Better Leaders Better Schools podcast, is all about improving leadership development through masterminds: small groups of school leaders coming together to support each other and "level up" their leadership. Danny quotes Jim Rohn in saying that you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with, and argues that the best way to lead is from a place of authenticity, belonging, and challenge found in community.

Order Daniel's new book, Mastermind: Unlocking Talent Within Every School Leader here. Learn more about Daniel's work at https://betterleadersbetterschools.com/. 

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To prioritize all students' dignity as humans sometimes requires us to step outside of our comfort zones. In order to achieve racial equity, we have to interrogate and dismantle the structures that currently maintain the inequitable status quo. This is messy, uncomfortable work - and yet it's entirely necessary to accomplishing our goals. In this episode, the six authors of Humanity Over Comfort share their thoughts on how we can all contribute to achieving equity.

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Author, speaker, and expert mentor Carol Radford shares her expertise on why mentoring continues to be an important element of any teacher's success - but especially for new teachers after COVID-19.  Mentoring is key to raising teachers' self-efficacy, helping them improve, and building their confidence to lead to competence. Carol's work also centers the student as the focus of any mentoring conversation between leaders and teachers. This episode is a must-listen for leaders who want to build a better mentoring program in their schools!

Carol is the author of two bestselling books for mentors and mentees: Mentoring in Action (for mentors) and The First Years Matter (for novice teachers). Her newest book, Teaching With Light, offers teachers 10 lessons for finding wisdom, balance, and inspiration.

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Power house speaker and author Debbie Silver joins Peter DeWitt to talk about the importance of reaching students with authenticity and empowering them with high expectations. Debbie is a well known speaker on resilience and cultivating intrinsic motivation - and never has there been a time when those are needed more! She shares how leaders can help to recognize the genius in all of their teachers and establish a learning culture of high expectations.

Her bestselling book, Fall Down 7 Times, Get Up 8 (2nd Edition), helps leaders and teachers cultivate a culture of high expectations and resilience in their schools.

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