Summary: Join C.T. and guest Russell Campisi, Principal of Harvest Park Middle School in Pleasanton, California, as they explore the organic, community-driven leadership approach that has earned the school multiple accolades, including the prestigious Golden Bell Award for transformative special education programming.

Key Takeaways:

• Organic Leadership & Community: Russell leads with an organic, community-driven approach, empowering passionate teachers and staff to create “islands of awesome” that foster innovation and engagement across the school.
• Award-Winning Inclusion: Harvest Park earned the prestigious Golden Bell Award for transformative special education programming by dramatically increasing inclusion and creating successful pathways for students with IEPs.
• High Student Connectedness: The school boasts an exceptional 80% student connectedness rate, reflecting strong relationships and a supportive environment.
• Engaged Families & Diverse Community: Families intentionally choose the area for its supportive, emotionally and academically enriching environment, contributing to a diverse, motivated community invested in student success.
• Distributed Leadership & Implementation: Russell acts as a “party planner,” facilitating and aligning resources and people to ensure initiatives are implemented effectively without micromanaging, allowing individual passions to drive innovation.
• Balancing Coherence and Creativity: While maintaining a clear district-aligned vision and framework, the school encourages creativity and diverse “passion projects,” ensuring they align enough to build a cohesive, thriving school culture.
• Focus on Access & Equity: Programs like sports and extracurriculars are designed to be inclusive, with supports in place to ensure all students can participate fully.
• Sustainable, Scalable Innovation: The school’s inclusive practices and innovations are sustainable and serve as a model that can be replicated across other districts.

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

01:09 Meet the Principal: Russell Campisi

02:06 Community and School Dynamics

03:19 Engagement and High Expectations

05:58 Creating Islands of Awesome

11:58 Inclusive Programming and Special Education

14:53 Data-Driven Leadership

22:38 Significant Drop in Grades: A Case Study

23:17 Understanding Teacher Assumptions and Beliefs

23:41 Addressing Student Challenges and Data Interpretation

25:09 Sustainable Implementation and Administrative Support

26:15 Clarifying Standards and Accommodations

27:40 Co-Teaching and Systemized Support

28:57 Inclusive Decision-Making and Community Involvement

32:27 Iterative Clarifications and Frameworks

35:31 Heuristics and Leadership Philosophies

Connect with CT: linkedin.com/in/cheetung

Connect with Russell Campisi: linkedin.com/in/russell-campisi-96b251167



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