Podcast for Leaderful Schools

Dr. Mag Gardner,Senior Global Capacity Building Facilitator for New Pedagogies of Deep Learning, discusses "how four elements of learning design foster the development of six global competencies, creating deep learning for all students. "By inviting student voice and agency, teachers create a listening and coaching culture 'defronting their classrooms'. Deep learning is about drawing connections with what we learn, with whom we learn, and how we learn. It builds a sense of individual and collective efficacy, and changes students’ trajectories. Deep learning authentically supports equity and well-being."

https://deep-learning.global/

Will Richardson, co-founder of the Big Question Institute, explains, “It’s not going back to school, and doing things a bit better, but doing things differently; creating environments where learning happens really deeply. It’s capacity building around a coherent definition of learning, arising from conversations with students, teachers and the school community. It’s strategic design for the future.” https://bigquestions.institute/bqi-new-homepage/

Mary Kay Gallagher, Superintendent of Northville Public Schools, shares her inherent belief in the tremendous importance of collective work and shared leadership. “The leadership capacity work occurs when you’re looking at how your principals have a voice in what's happening in your district and at the building level when teachers are involved in looking at their sphere of influence and where they have impact, and the idea of leading from everywhere in your organization. It's not about your title; it's about your action.”

Lori Higgins is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Detroit. Chalkbeat is a national nonprofit educational news organization providing local coverage of educational policies and practices. Chalkbeat also covers school news in communities across the state. Lori Higgins discusses the media partnerships, covering district use of ESSER Funds, teacher recruitment and retention initiatives, and her experience reporting on COVID’s lasting toll on schools in an article co-published with the New York Times. https://www.chalkbeat.org/

Who would want to become a school superintendent during the pandemic? Dr. Chris Delgado, Superintendent of Farmington Public Schools, reflects on his experiences as he completes his first year in this position. He discusses building school board and community relationships, responding to social media, fostering distributed leadership, the challenges of teacher recruitment and retention, and the steps taken in his district to re-imagine education moving forward. Dr Delgado concludes the podcast with his advice to aspiring superintendents and a personal testament to the power of public education.

Dr. Gerald Hill engages in a rich conversation with Bob Maxfield and Suzanne Klein, reflecting on his district leadership experiences, guiding principles and vision for re-imagining teaching and learning. Drawing upon a wealth of experience as an educational leader and insight as a forward thinker, Dr. Hill shares his perspective and advice for current district leaders offering eight essential guideposts: School Finance; School Board Relations; Staff Relations; Organized Abandonment; Flexible Thinking; Student Learning Environments; Graduate Students with the Four C’s; and Support Current and Future Educators.

Dr. William Pearson, Director of the Office of Partnership Districts in the Michigan Department of Education, explains how partnership districts and schools are identified, and the support provided during their three-year agreement to increase student proficiency and growth scores. Dr. Pearson also discusses the state budget recommendations to address the teacher shortage: bonuses to retain current teachers, fellowships to pay student teachers, and funds designated to encourage high school and college students to pursue a teaching career.

Dr. David Dulio, Professor of Political Science at Oakland University and Director of the Center for Civic Engagement, explains the context of political polarization, how government representatives define their role as delegates or trustees, the impact of salient issues on their roles, and its application to school level politics. Referencing Richard Fenno’s seminal study of the home style of Congress Members (1978), Dr. Dulio cites for school leaders the three behaviors essential to building trust with the community: qualification, identification and empathy. He recommends increased transparency of process and information as a response plan for difficult educational issues that might divide the community.

[email protected] , https://oakland.edu/polisci/cce

Jay Westover, author of Districts on the Move and C.L.O. of InnovateEd, having been mentored by Rick DuFour and Michael Fullan, makes the case for systems thinking and coherence to create sustainable school improvement. He identifies four key drivers: clarity of focus, shared leadership, collaborative inquiry and a feedback loop. “If you want to build coherence and be a systems thinker, you have to be very intentional in how you transform climate, shape culture and build capacity to create coherence, and the end game has to be equity.” website: https://innovateed.com/

Vicki Wilson, school principal and author of Lead with Instructional Rounds: Creating a Culture of Professional Learning, is a passionate advocate of the benefit of Instructional Rounds to both students and teachers. She explains in detail that Instructional Rounds, when done well creates a collegial school culture, structures professional reflection and dialogue around the classroom observations, builds upon strength-based feedback and promotes the best instructional practices for optimal student learning. https://www.vickiwilson.org/