This week on Monday Matters, Will and Jen talk about professional pathways for educators and getting through the end of the school year. They discuss strategies for powering through what Will and Jen call the “slog” at the end of the school year, and share how they have each adjusted their mindset to have a more positive outlook towards the “slog”.

Next, Will shares some insights from his new book, Whose Permission Are You Waiting For? An Educators Guide to Doing What You Love. He addresses some factors that make the education career path unique and different from others. For example, according to a study done by the Economic Policy Institute (2023), teachers on average earn 73.6 cents for every dollar made by other professionals with their educational achievements. He also speaks about the different career options that are available within the field of education. Two of the questions he asks individuals exploring their career options within the field of education are: 

Jen chimes in and explains that as students, we saw a lot of teachers, whereas we rarely saw a person in an administrative role in action. She then shares a mistake that people often make (including herself) is trying to overly plan their careers. Her advice to listeners is, “Be ready for the job you might want.”

Listen in to hear the entire conversation and to hear some great takeaways on professional pathways for educators. Thank you for doing what matters!

The post MONDAY MATTERS with Jen Schwanke and Will Parker – Professional Pathways for Educators appeared first on Principal Matters.

Happy Friday! Our encore episode this week is one from 2021, another interview with D.J. Klein. His interviews on this show are popular for a reason; he always has sage advice to offer listeners! Check out this interview to hear him share ten lessons he learned in his first year as an assistant principal. Listen in to hear the whole conversation or follow this link to read the original blog post. Thank you for doing what matters!

The post ENCORE FRIDAY – PMP253: 10 Lessons from a First Year Assistant Principal with D.J. Klein appeared first on Principal Matters.

—- The Question of the Week is supported by Summer Pops Math Workbooks.

Principals, when students practice math over the summer, math scores go up. What’s your summer math plan this year? A great way to start is by ordering FREE summer workbook samples at Summer Pops Workbooks.com. —-

Before this week’s interview, Jen Schwanke and Will Parker answer a listener question with a five minute response. 

The question is: How did your leadership style evolve over the course of your principalship and how did it impact the way you manage human capital?

Listen in to hear their response and thank you for doing what matters!

John Marinucci currently serves as the Principal of St Francis College, a role he has held since 2019. St Francis College is a contemporary Catholic school located in Logan City, on the southern edges of Brisbane, Australia. The institution is deeply rooted in Franciscan values, emphasizing simplicity and harmony in its educational approach.

Before his appointment as Principal, John was the Head of Campus for grades 7 to 12 at St Francis College. His leadership experience also includes significant roles at Carmel College in Thornlands and St Mary’s College in Ipswich. John holds a Master of Educational Leadership from the Australian Catholic University, a Bachelor of Business Accountancy from the Queensland University of Technology, and a Diploma of Teaching from Mt. Gravatt College of Advanced Education, now a part of Griffith University.

Outside his professional life, John enjoys crosswords, sudoku, camping, and spending quality time with his wife and three adult children. 

John’s career reflects a deep commitment to educational leadership and the nurturing of future leaders within the Catholic education system. His contributions continue to shape and inspire the community at St Francis College and beyond. Something that listeners may be surprised to learn about him is that he spoke Italian at home, so when he started school, he only had a vocabulary of about six English words. 

When asked what inspired his current work, John cites a love for the relationship building that comes with working in education. He has spent 35 years on and off working in education. At one point in his career, John left the field of education, but decided to come back because he missed the relationships he was able to build with young people through his work. Unquestionably, John is committed to serving students and families from all kinds of cultural and religious backgrounds. Currently, his school serves five of the eight poorest communities in Queensland. 

The values that John’s school is rooted in are called Franciscan values, emphasizing simplicity and harmony in its educational approach. One way that his school approaches the values of simplicity and harmony is through teaching students how to get along with people who are not like them. John says that students at his school have about twenty different faiths among them, which contributes to the students learning to be tolerant of people who are different from them. Another way that John’s school practices simplicity and harmony is by increasing parents’ involvement by celebrating student achievement. John emphasizes that things can be complex, but not complicated, and discusses the practice of seeking to make things simpler, not easier.  

When thinking about tips he has for school leaders on time management, John points out that he, like many school leaders, has a tendency to overcommit. Nevertheless, John states that he tries to keep his days balanced. He carves out time before and after school each day for work so that he can dedicate his time during the school day to staff and students. Furthermore, John makes sure to take time each morning going for a walk with his dog, and he uses that time for meditation or to plan his day.

As he considered what advice he would give to a new leader, John offered several pieces of sage advice. First, John talks about the importance of always treating people with dignity and respect. He states that genuinely caring about people helps foster a culture of trust and respect. Second, John emphasizes that leaders need to embrace change and see it as an opportunity for growth. Third, he tells listeners that they should always communicate the bad to people, as they will always find out what is going on, and it should come from you. John reminds listeners that hard conversations are really crucial conversations. Next, John says that young leaders must find a mentor who can guide you along the way. Finally, he reminds new leaders of the importance of really getting to know the people who work for you.

John’s advice to veteran leaders is to constantly remind yourself that you’re making a difference. He also discusses using the holiday break as a way to examine and evaluate why he does this work. Constantly setting new goals helps reignite his passion and keeps him motivated in his work for the long haul.

Listeners can stay connected to John via Linkedin or through email: [email protected]

The post PMP444: Leading with Simplicity and Harmony with John Marinucci appeared first on Principal Matters.

Happy Monday, friends! This week for Monday Matters, Jen and Will are taking some time to catch up and talk about the exciting work we have been doing recently. 

Jen talks about a presentation she gave recently. By the time this recording comes out, she will have returned from speaking at national school boards association with some of her colleagues. They are presenting about their social worker cohort, an idea dreamed up by Jen’s superintendent and brought to life by Jen and her colleagues. Essentially, this program is for teachers who want to get a masters in social work. This ensures that graduates from the program will have the classroom experience that is critical for guidance counselors and social workers for understanding school based interventions. The social worker cohort program was a resounding success; the program had over a hundred applicants and 25 ended up going through the program. The masters program itself is rigorous, and at the end of the program the students will be guaranteed job placement as a social worker within the school district. Listen to the episode to hear all the amazing details about this program!

Will talk about his new book, Whose Permission Are You Waiting For? An Educator’s Guide to Doing What You Love. He talks about wanting to share with listeners why he wrote this book. When summarizing why he wrote the book, Will says that he has spent the last several years coaching high-achieving school leaders. As he was coaching leaders, he found himself giving advice on similar themes. Eventually, Will says that he realized he should write down the advice he keeps giving to leaders, recognizing that other leaders he is not coaching may be struggling with the same issues as the leaders he is coaching. Drawing on his experience, and the experience of others, Will wrote 20 different chapters that will help transform the work and lives of school leaders. Tune in to hear more about Will’s new book or purchase your copy here.

Thank you for doing what matters! 

The post MONDAY MATTERS with Jen Schwanke and Will Parker – Catching Up appeared first on Principal Matters.

Welcome back to Encore Friday! This week’s episode is one from 2021, a conversation with Jen Schwanke about gaining buy-in and building leadership teams. Tune in to hear us answer the following questions from principals:

Listen in to hear the entire episode, or follow this link to read the original blog post. Thank you for doing what matters!

The post ENCORE FRIDAY – PMP270: Gaining Buy-In & Building Leadership Teams with Jen Schwanke appeared first on Principal Matters.

—- The Question of the Week is supported by Summer Pops Math Workbooks.

Principals, when students practice math over the summer, math scores go up. What’s your summer math plan this year? A great way to start is by ordering FREE summer workbook samples at Summer Pops Workbooks.com. —-

Before this week’s interview, Jen Schwanke and Will Parker answer a listener question with a five minute response. 

The question is: How can we build stronger partnerships with community organizations?

Listen in to hear their response and thank you for doing what matters!

T.J. Vari is the Senior Director of Product Strategy at MaiaLearning and a former Deputy Superintendent, Principal, Assistant Principal, and High School English Teacher. He spent 20 years in public education before transitioning to the position he currently holds. His master’s degree is in School Leadership and his doctorate is in Innovation and Leadership. He holds several honors and distinctions, including his past appointment as President of the Delaware Association for School Administrators and the Paul Carlson Administrator of the Year Award. He teaches educational leadership courses at the master’s and doctoral levels. 

T.J’s passion is college and career readiness. He has co-authored 6 books, including his latest two 7 Mindshifts for School Leaders and Invest In Your Best. He is a national presenter on school leadership and college and career readiness,  and he’s the co-founder of TheSchoolHouse302, a leadership development institute.

Dr. Vari strongly believes that it is important to ensure that every student has a post-secondary plan. It is important for educators to recognize that this is an equity problem: privileged kids are talking about their post-secondary plans very young whereas other kids are not. One method that helps students create a post-secondary plan is advisory periods, ensuring that there is space in the student day to do some work making post-secondary plans. T.J. calls educators to think about how they are intentionally introducing these conversations with their students. 

As a coach and leader of leaders, Dr. Vari says that the answer to helping students reach their best outcomes is through school leadership. He often works with school leaders to build their capacity to change things. This work is important because the education system was never built to do what is best for all students. The education system, as it works currently, was built to dole out privilege. It takes a leader who is willing to challenge the status quo and is willing to make change happen for the system to benefit all students. T.J. coaches leaders to read about change in order to understand management and change models. He emphasizes that change is not going to happen naturally, leaders need to learn how to make change happen if they want everyone of their students to benefit from school. 

T.J. discusses why examining and reflecting on one’s motivations can be a helpful practice when it comes to decision making. His personal philosophy is that “Somebody’s going to have to go first, so it might as well be me”. There are a lot of people waiting around for someone to tell them to change instead of actually changing. The job of a leader is to make incremental changes each day that will eventually lead to massive change. Part of making that change in education is asking what kids really need to be successful in life. One big area that educators need to focus on is helping students learn how to read. A lot of people who are in trouble in this country either do not read well or cannot read at all. Another need that students have is a need to feel valued and that they have a purpose. This need can be met through using career exploration as a part of SEL. Understanding what students need in order to be successful can make decision making for leaders easier in the long run. 

Dr. Vari offers up three pieces of advice for new and aspiring school leaders. The first is time blocking. Every leader has a vision for what their day is supposed to look like. Time blocking allows leaders to use their time for a specific task. In order to successfully time block, everything needs to go on the calendar, and leaders should try to block their whole day or even their whole week out in advance. The second piece of advice T.J. offers is the strategy of reverse time blocking. To do this, leaders need to take out what was going to be in a calendar block and put what actually happened there. This requires a time of reflection each week to figure out what is derailing the leader’s schedule. T.J. emphasizes that reflection is what will help leaders improve how they are using their time. Finally, T.J tells leaders to ask themselves if they should really be the person to do all the things in their calendar. This helps determine what tasks can be delegated to other people on your team and will allow leaders to fill up their calendars with the things they really want to be doing. 

Resource: The Happiness Box by Sam Horn

The post PMP443: Why Every Student Deserves a Pathway with Dr. T.J. Vari appeared first on Principal Matters.

Hi, friends. This week for Monday Matters, Jen and I are taking some time to talk about an exciting new offering from Principal Matters, led by Jen Schwanke! Based on her book, The Principal’s Guide to Conflict Management, Jen will be leading a 3-hour masterclass on June 3rd, 2025, at 11 am EDT. This dynamic virtual training equips school leaders with practical strategies to transform conflict from a dreaded challenge into an opportunity for growth. Through interactive workshops and reflective sessions, participants will learn to shift their mindset towards embracing conflict, understand its various forms, and master a three-step “Anticipate, Analyze, Act” cycle for effective resolution. The program addresses common school conflicts, emphasizes empowering others to manage disputes, and even explores personal accountability in conflict situations, providing attendees with immediate, actionable tools to build a positive and resilient school environment. Register at https://williamdparker.com/guide/. Listen in to hear more about the masterclass. We look forward to learning and growing with you!

The post MONDAY MATTERS with Jen Schwanke and Will Parker – Introducing a New PD Offering from Jen Schwanke appeared first on Principal Matters.

Happy Friday, friends! This week, we are re-releasing an episode from 2022, an interview with a rockstar leader DJ Klein. DJ Klein has been featured on the podcast several times throughout the years and he is still doing the same phenomenal work in 2025 that he was doing in 2022. Listen in to hear the full episode or follow this link to read the original blog post. Thank you for doing what matters!

The post ENCORE FRIDAY – PMP299: 10 Lessons from a 2nd Year in School Admin with DJ Klein appeared first on Principal Matters.

—- The Question of the Week is supported by Summer Pops Math Workbooks.

Principals, when students practice math over the summer, math scores go up. What’s your summer math plan this year? A great way to start is by ordering FREE summer workbook samples at Summer Pops Workbooks.com. —-

Before this week’s interview, Jen Schwanke and Will Parker answer a listener question with a five minute response. 

The question is: What are some strategies that foster parent involvement in the school?

Listen in to hear their response and thank you for doing what matters!

John Mihalyo, founder of Elementary Advancement Solutions, is a seasoned education professional with over 20 years of administrative experience and 15 years as a Catholic school principal. He has a proven track record in supporting Catholic and faith-based school leaders in leadership, advancement, and enrollment. John has successfully collaborated with leaders across multiple states, establishing himself as a respected authority in education.

His accomplishments include founding two Advancement Offices and securing over $1.8 million in funding. Additionally, he led a $6 million renovation project and increased school enrollment by 24% as a principal. Through Elementary Advancement Solutions, John partners with schools to develop customized strategies, leveraging his expertise to help them achieve their goals. While in college, John played tennis and later coached a state championship team. He resides with his family in Apex, North Carolina.

John has worked as an administrator in both public and Catholic schools. One experience that he is immensely proud of is his work in a struggling Catholic school. When he took over, enrollment was down and the building was falling apart. Through his experience at this school, he learned that families are often hungry for a vision, and, if you can show them where the school is going, they’ll work with you to achieve that vision. John states that the experience led him to develop a passion for the business side of education and inspired the work he does currently. 

Identity and culture are the hub for all other outcomes of successful schools. John describes culture as the way we do things, while emphasizing that culture does not mean the way we always do things. He encourages school leaders to meet with their team and define the core set of values that will guide all future decisions. When defining those core values, it is important for schools and leaders to be realistic. They should not define their core values as what they want them to be, but rather what they are today. Doing so will help leaders keep themselves on track towards meeting their goals. 

A key point John impresses on listeners is that they do not always have to look at other schools to be a great school. Once, when John was at a conference, he attended a hospital management lecture. He was impressed by the organization of the hospital and decided to take some of their practices and apply them to his work. Another point that John emphasizes is that everybody in a school should have some kind of leadership role, students and teachers alike. When it comes to the hub of identity and culture within a certain school, John states that there are five things (or ‘spokes’) that indicate that a school is thriving and has students that are growing. Those five spokes are: 

One piece of advice that John offers for school leaders trying to implement change is focusing on building your school brand. He defines the school brand by what people say about your school when your back is turned. Another recommendation that John makes for leaders of struggling schools is to be honest and be willing to listen. In fact, he recommends that leaders do twice as much listening as they do talking. When tackling problems, John tells leaders that they need to really peel back the layers of problems and get to the root of the problem. Lastly, John reminds leaders that the transition period of change is what people do not like about change. If people can get through the transition period of change, then good change will happen. 

As a parting piece of advice, John discusses using the word ‘ambassador’ rather than ‘volunteer’ when seeking community engagement during school events. Engagement is something that people will be proud of and will foster a sense of excitement among people about getting involved.

You can stay connected with John Mihalyo via:

The post PMP442: Keys to Successful Schools with John Mihalyo appeared first on Principal Matters.

Welcome back to Monday Matters! This week Jen Schwanke and Will Parker are sharing some lessons learned from doing PD with school leaders. They talk about some of the strengths that leaders who are women bring to the table, as well as strengths that leaders who are men bring to the table. During their conversation, Will and Jen discuss an article from the Harvard Kennedy School called “The Advantage of Women”. A few highlights from their discussion of the article are: 

Will also brings up a blog post he wrote in 2013 called 5 Ways to Maintain Sanity in Stressful Times, and he and Jen discuss a TED Talk by Margaret Hefferman. Listen in for more takeaways!

The post MONDAY MATTERS with Jen Schwanke and Will Parker – Tips on Maintaining Sanity appeared first on Principal Matters.