58% of recent high school graduates say they held back their real opinion on a political or civic topic in class. When asked who they were worried about, 91% said their classmates. Only 41% said the teacher.

In this S6E2 Schoolutions solo episode, I break down the Sandra Day O'Connor Institute⁩'s 2026 report, "Why Are Students Self-Censoring in Civics Class?" It follows the institute's 2025 brief, which found almost 80% of civics teachers had avoided a topic in their own classroom for fear of pushback.

The surprising part: this isn't mostly about hostile classrooms. 73% of students said they felt comfortable sharing their views. Half of those comfortable students still self-censored at least once. A quiet room can look calm while every kid in it is running the math on social cost.

Other findings I share in this episode:
➡️26% of students who self-censored worried about being posted about on social media.
➡️21% worried about their grade.
➡️12% worried about caregivers or other adults hearing their views.
➡️53% had seen a teacher avoid, cut short, or shut down a political or current events discussion.
➡️Students asked for MORE discussion and debate, not less.

Five practical instructional strategies you can try from the report:
1. Teach constructive disagreement as a skill, including the difference between criticizing an idea and criticizing a person.
2. Run an anonymous norm check to show students they support respectful disagreement more than they think their peers do.
3. Lower the social stakes without lowering the standards, using assigned positions and anonymous opening responses.
4. Set a plain rule that nothing said in discussion gets recorded, screenshotted, or shared out of context.
5. Instructional leaders: back the teacher. School leaders and administrators can put in writing that contested civic questions are part of the job.

➡️2025 Report: "Why Are Teachers Uncomfortable Teaching Civics?"
➡️2026 Report: "Why Are Students Self-Censoring in Civics Class?"

Chapters:
0:00 When silence is risk management
0:20 Three questions to think about while you listen
0:50 Welcome to Schoolutions
1:00 91% of students fear their classmates
1:45 The 2025 report on teacher self-censoring
3:00 The 2026 student survey
3:15 58% held back, but 73% felt comfortable
4:00 Why "safe" classrooms still go quiet
4:15 Classmates vs teachers vs social media
5:05 Why this matters for civic learning
6:40 53% saw teachers shut down discussion
7:45 Students want more debate, not less
8:20 Strategy 1: Teach disagreement as a skill
8:55 Strategy 2: Make the peer norm visible
9:35 Strategy 3: Lower social stakes, keep standards
10:05 Strategy 4: A clear rule on screenshots and sharing
10:30 Strategy 5: School leaders, back your teachers
11:10 Safe does not mean comfortable
11:45 Try the anonymous norm check this week
12:25 Coaching and next week with Jennifer Orr

Schoolutions is the podcast for educators and caregivers who are ready to grow alongside their children. Each episode delivers research-backed strategies rooted in the five practices of expert teachers from my upcoming book: Forever Getting Better: 5 Essential Practices for Reclaiming Teacher Expertise, so every student finds their spark and receives the support they need to thrive.  I hope to have the book in your hands by June of 2027.

If this conversation has you thinking about how to create conditions where disagreement can be serious without becoming a social risk, let's get in touch. You can find me on my website. Click on the Coaching & Consulting tab to begin our thought partnership.

Next Week: A two-part conversation with Jennifer Orr, a National Board Certified teacher with nearly 30 years in elementary classrooms, on building a classroom that runs itself.

#Schoolutions #SchoolutionsPodcast #ForeverGettingBetter #5PracticesOfExpertTeachers #CuriosityDriven #EvidenceBasedClassroomReadyStrategies #OliviaWahlCoachingConsulting #CivicsEducation #CivilDiscourse #StudentVoice #SocialStudiesTeacher #ClassroomDiscussion #TeachingTips #InstructionalCoaching #SchoolLeadership #SchoolCulture #EducationPodcast #OliviaWahl

When teachers, coaches, administrators, and families grow together, schools change. Students get engaged, get support, and get the chance to thrive.

When teachers, coaches, administrators, and families grow together, schools change. Students get engaged, get support, and get the chance to thrive. 

91% of students who self-censor in civics class say they're worried about their classmates. Only 41% said the teacher.

That finding comes from a new Sandra Day O'Connor Institute report, "Why Are Students Self-Censoring in Civics Class?" I'm breaking down the full report Friday on the Schoolutions podcast. Today is one number and one strategy you can try tomorrow.

I was coaching in a high school this week. One social studies teacher opens every class with a bell ringer. He poses a "would you rather" or a single open question. Students debate it. Less than ten minutes later, that debate has walked them straight into the day's content.

Here's what makes it safe. He never tells students what he believes. He plays devil's advocate against every position in the room. "Well, what if...?" "Have you ever thought of this?" Nobody gets marked as the kid with the wrong opinion, because every opinion gets pushed on equally. He also uses humor, which middle and high schoolers need before they'll say anything risky in front of peers.

If your students go silent when a discussion turns political, the problem may be the kid in the next seat, not you. Build classroom belonging first and student participation follows.

New research every Thursday that you can apply right away. If this post has you thinking about how to create conditions where disagreement can be serious without becoming a social risk, let's get in touch. You can find me on my website. Click on the Coaching & Consulting tab to begin our thought partnership.

Chapters:
0:00 The self-censoring report
0:22 91% fear classmates, 41% fear the teacher
0:45 A high school bell ringer that opens discussion
1:10 Checking your bias and playing devil's advocate
1:30 Humor, safety and vulnerability
1:55 Full report drops Friday on Schoolutions

#Schoolutions #SchoolutionsPodcast #ForeverGettingBetter #5PracticesOfExpertTeachers #CuriosityDriven #EvidenceBasedClassroomReadyStrategies #OliviaWahlCoachingConsulting  #TeacherTips #TeachingTips #InstructionalCoaching #TeacherCoaching 
#ThoughtfulThursday #CivicsEducation #TeachingTips #StudentEngagement #ClassroomDiscussion #SocialStudiesTeacher #InstructionalCoaching #SchoolCulture  #Shorts

When teachers, coaches, administrators, and families grow together, schools change. Students get engaged, get support, and get the chance to thrive. 

Donald Trump was born in 1946, when Harry Truman was president. Truman was born in 1884, when Chester Arthur was president. Arthur was born when Andrew Jackson was president. Jackson was born in 1767, nine years before the Declaration of Independence.

That's four presidential lifetimes, and Jesseb uses them to show students how close the founding really is. The country grew from 2.5 million colonists to 338 million citizens and from 13 colonies to 50 states. The political divisions students see in their own classrooms were sitting in the room at the founding too.

Jesseb teaches civics and history at the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

Watch part one of our Schoolutions conversation for ideas about how you can be teaching civics more openly.

Chapters:
0:00 What it's like to teach civics at the 250th
0:10 From 2.5 million colonists to 338 million citizens
0:25 How close the founding really is
0:35 Trump to Truman to Chester Arthur to Andrew Jackson
0:50 Four presidential lifetimes cover our whole history
1:00 Division was in the room at the founding too

Schoolutions is the podcast for educators and caregivers who are ready to grow alongside their children. Each episode delivers research-backed strategies rooted in the five practices of expert teachers from my upcoming book: Forever Getting Better: 5 Essential Practices for Reclaiming Teacher Expertise, so every student finds their spark and receives the support they need to thrive.  I hope to have the book in your hands by June of 2027.

If this conversation has you thinking about teaching civics more openly, let's get in touch. You can find me on my website. Click on the Coaching & Consulting tab to begin our thought partnership.

#Schoolutions #SchoolutionsPodcast #ForeverGettingBetter #5PracticesOfExpertTeachers #CuriosityDriven #EvidenceBasedClassroomReadyStrategies #OliviaWahlCoachingConsulting  #SchoolLeadership #InstructionalLeadership #SchoolLeadership #TeacherCoaching #MentorTeachers #NewTeachers #ProfessionalDevelopment #SchoolCulture #PrincipalStrategies #BuildingTrust #EducationLeadership #SchoolImprovement #TeacherSupport #America250 #TeachingCivics #HistoryTeacher #teachingtips 

When teachers, coaches, administrators, and families grow together, schools change. Students get engaged, get support, and get the chance to thrive. 

Five-year-olds can practice critical thinking. So can seniors in high school. Pick a topic with several perspectives, let students learn why people see it differently, then ask where they stand and what they value.

That's this week's Try It Tuesday move. Your students don't need to know your political affiliation. They need to hear many perspectives on things happening in the world, pitched at a level that fits their age.

Topics and moves to explore with your students in your community:

1. A local zoning or development vote: Who gains, who loses, and who showed up to speak at the meeting? Interview a developer, a longtime neighbor, and a city staffer.
2. School cell phone policy: Talk to students, teachers, parents, and the principal. Compare the policy with what the research says.
3. A protest or rally in town: Read how three different outlets covered it. Ask people who attended and people who didn't. Trace the constitutional rights involved.
4. Where the school lunch money goes: Follow the budget. Ask the food service team, a parent, and a board member what trade-offs they see.
5. A new bike lane, bus route, or road closure: Ask a commuter, a business owner, and a person who doesn't drive.
6. Something in their own feed: Pick one viral claim. Find where it started, who benefits from it spreading, and whether other sources back it up.
7. A local election or ballot measure: Read the actual language. Compare what each side says it does with what it says.
8. The school dress code or attendance policy: Who wrote it, what problem was it solving, and who does it affect most?
9. AI in schools: Interview a teacher, a student, and a parent. Ask what AI helps with and what it replaces.
10. Water, parks, or a library budget cut: Talk to the people who use the service and the people who make the decision.
11. A Fourth Amendment scenario near them: Would a locker search, a school camera, or a phone check hold up? Ask a school resource officer and a civil liberties advocate.
12. A local business opening or closing: Ask the owner, a customer, and a competitor what changed.

Critical Thinking Next Steps: Each student gathers three perspectives that disagree with each other. They write down what each person wants, what evidence each one offers, and what would change each person's mind.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

New tip every Tuesday. If this post has you thinking about how make learning more relevant and meaningful for your students, let's get in touch. You can find me on my website. Click on the Coaching & Consulting tab to begin our thought partnership.

Chapters:

0:00 Try It Tuesday: explore critical thinking

0:08 What critical thinking looks like with students

0:35 Kindergarten to senior year

0:55 Why this is missing from classrooms right now

1:07 Kids never need to know your politics

1:27 Conversation ideas in the comments

#Schoolutions #SchoolutionsPodcast #ForeverGettingBetter #5PracticesOfExpertTeachers #CuriosityDriven #EvidenceBasedClassroomReadyStrategies #OliviaWahlCoachingConsulting  #TeacherTips #TeachingTips #InstructionalCoaching #TeacherCoaching #TryItTuesday #CriticalThinking #TeachingTips #StudentEngagement 

When teachers, coaches, administrators, and families grow together, schools change. Students get engaged, get support, and get the chance to thrive. 

S6E2 of Schoolutions is civics education at its best. 17 teachers who participated in the Civics for Colorado Summer Institute, answer one question: What does it feel like to teach civics and history at the exact moment the country turns 250? Their answers run from hopeful to unresolved, sometimes in the same breath.

The first teacher (Jesseb) covers all of American history in four presidential lifetimes. A first-year government teacher explains why polarized students need a voice from outside their own house. A teacher in a hunting community says his students arrive with mud on their boots from a duck blind, and that changes how the Second Amendment lands. Another teacher tells her class the Constitution is unfinished and they are standing inside the story.

Three questions to carry into the episode:
1. What happens to a classroom when students realize the founders were divided too?
2. How do teachers hold space for wildly different political views in one room without shutting either side down?
3. What does it mean to teach the Constitution as unfinished, still being written by the students in the room?

Chapters:
0:00 Three questions to think about
1:00 Four presidential lifetimes cover all of U.S. history
3:00 Defending the principles of the Declaration
4:15 Why a 250-year-old Constitution still matters
4:45 A first-year government teacher meets polarized students
5:30 Students who trust whatever showed up on their feed
7:15 A third-year civics teacher on building relevance
8:00 Division as a driver of change
9:30 Politics is downstream from family
10:15 Teaching America 250 and Colorado 150
12:30 AI, media, and the critical thinking gap
16:00 Reading the Declaration as a living document
17:00 The Constitution is not a finished product
18:45 Mud on their boots: the Second Amendment in a hunting town
20:30 Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment rights in local life
21:15 Fear of blowback, echo chambers, and why one teacher is hopeful
25:15 What all 17 teachers share and a look at Part II

Part two drops Friday. It's a solo episode built around a new report that landed on my desk from the Sandra Day O'Connor Institute this month, and I think every teacher needs to hear about it, not just civics teachers. Read the report ahead of time: https://oconnorinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/SDOI-Research-Brief-Why-Do-Students-Hold-Back-FINAL.pdf

Schoolutions is the podcast for educators and caregivers who are ready to grow alongside their children. Each episode delivers research-backed strategies rooted in the five practices of expert teachers from my upcoming book: Forever Getting Better: 5 Essential Practices for Reclaiming Teacher Expertise, so every student finds their spark and receives the support they need to thrive.  I hope to have the book in your hands by June of 2027.

If this conversation has you thinking about how to build a peer-driven culture in your own school or district, let's get in touch. You can find me on my website. Click on the Coaching & Consulting tab to begin our thought partnership.

#Schoolutions #SchoolutionsPodcast #ForeverGettingBetter #5PracticesOfExpertTeachers #CuriosityDriven #EvidenceBasedClassroomReadyStrategies #OliviaWahlCoachingConsulting  #SchoolLeadership #InstructionalCoaching #TeacherSupport #ProfessionalLearning #SchoolCulture #EducationPodcast #TeacherCoaching Schoolutions #TeachingCivics #America250 #CivicsEducation #teacherpodcast 

When teachers, coaches, administrators, and families grow together, schools change. Students get engaged, get support, and get the chance to thrive. 

Can a teacher name a real problem in a room that includes the person who evaluates them? Jenn David-Lang of ⁨@themainideaeducation⁩ breaks down why that question determines whether school leadership actually builds teacher support or just performs it.

In part two of this S6E1 Schoolutions conversation, Jenn walks us through her 15-minute consultancy protocol, a structure built for instructional coaching, teacher coaching, and peer-driven professional learning. She explains why mixing supervisors and supervisees kills psychological safety, and why mentor teachers and new teachers need rooms built specifically for coaching strategies that don't carry evaluation risk.

Jenn also unpacks the research behind student motivation and adult motivation alike: competence, autonomy, and relatedness. She connects that directly to classroom engagement, student engagement, and why low engagement in a staff meeting looks the same as low engagement in a classroom.

You'll learn about:
➡️Why instructional leadership requires protecting time for reflection, not just scheduling more meetings
➡️How a 48-hour communication norm changed one school's school culture and stopped gossip before it spread
➡️Why active learning for adults follows the same rules as active learning for students
➡️What separates effective teaching habits from performative teaching tips that don't stick

💫Check out part one and more resources from Jenn: 

⭐To learn more about Jenn's Masterminds: https://www.themainidea.net/school-leadership-mastermind/
⭐To learn about Jenn's subscription with book summaries: https://www.themainidea.net/
⭐To listen to Jenn's podcast: https://www.themainidea.net/podcasts/
⭐To develop the habit of professional reading, see Jenn's latest published article: https://www.ascd.org/blogs/yes-principals-can-make-time-to-read

Chapters
0:00 – Cold open: would you admit a problem in front of your evaluator?
1:00 – Welcome back and today's focus: peer-driven leadership
2:00 – The consultancy protocol, step by step
4:00 – Who belongs in the room (and who doesn't)
6:00 – The three drivers of real motivation: competence, autonomy, relatedness
8:00 – Why concrete ideas beat theory every time
9:00 – Evidence begets confidence
10:00 – Parallel practice across every level of a school system
11:00 – Building a reflection habit that actually sticks
12:00 – The 48-hour rule and what one leader discovered on her own
14:00 – Closing thoughts and what's next this season

Schoolutions is the podcast for educators and caregivers who are ready to grow alongside their children. Each episode delivers research-backed strategies rooted in the five practices of expert teachers from my upcoming book: Forever Getting Better: 5 Essential Practices for Reclaiming Teacher Expertise, so every student finds their spark and receives the support they need to thrive.  I hope to have the book in  your hands by June of 2027.

If this conversation has you thinking about how to build a peer-driven culture in your own school or district, let's get in touch. You can find me on my website. Click on the Coaching & Consulting tab to begin our thought partnership.

Next Week: You're going to hear from 17 teachers who were attending the Civics for Colorado Summer Institute. They all answer the question: What is it like to teach civics and history at the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence? It's a two-part conversation about the challenges teachers face and hopes for the future of civics instruction. Make sure not to miss it. 

#Schoolutions #SchoolutionsPodcast #ForeverGettingBetter #5PracticesOfExpertTeachers #CuriosityDriven #EvidenceBasedClassroomReadyStrategies #OliviaWahlCoachingConsulting  #SchoolLeadership #InstructionalCoaching #TeacherSupport #ProfessionalLearning #SchoolCulture #EducationPodcast #TeacherCoaching #PrincipalLife #InstructionalLeadership #StudentEngagement #EffectiveTeaching #NewTeachers #MentorTeachers #EducationLeadership #WholeChildEducation #EquityInEducation #ParentInvolvement #JennDavidLang #TheMainIdea

When teachers, coaches, administrators, and families grow together, schools change. Students get engaged, get support, and get the chance to thrive. 

It's Thursday, and I'm starting a new series called Thoughtful Thursday. Each week I'll offer you one piece of research you can apply to your life or your classroom right away.

This week's topic is motivation. I was in conversation with Jenn David-Lang of @themainideaeducation,  and she connected motivation to Richard Ryan and Edward Deci's Self-Determination Theory. It comes down to three factors.

That reminded me of Daniel Pink's book Drive, which names three factors of its own for living a satisfied life. I lay them side by side here.

Ryan, Deci, and Pink all point to autonomy first. Do you feel in control of the choices in your life? Are you driving your own path?

Deci and Ryan call the second factor relatedness. Pink calls it purpose. Relatedness asks if you feel like you belong, if you're cared for, if you're part of a learning community. Purpose asks if you're doing something bigger than yourself, something that serves the world.

The third factor is competence for Deci and Ryan, mastery for Pink. Competence asks if you feel capable and effective. Mastery asks what you're building, what you're creating to prove that growth.

Lining these up side by side gives you a clearer map for motivating yourself and the people around you, whether that's students, staff, or your own team.

New research drops every Thursday. If this conversation has you thinking about how to motivate your students (or yourself), let's get in touch. You can find me on my website. Click on the Coaching & Consulting tab to begin our thought partnership. 

Chapters:
0:00 Introducing Thoughtful Thursday
0:12 Motivation, Jenn David-Lang, and self-determination theory
0:24 Autonomy: control over your choices
0:47 Relatedness and purpose: belonging versus serving something bigger
1:22 Competence and mastery: capability versus creation
1:52 See you next Thursday

#ThoughtfulThursday #Schoolutions #SchoolutionsPodcast #ForeverGettingBetter #5PracticesOfExpertTeachers #CuriosityDriven #EvidenceBasedClassroomReadyStrategies #OliviaWahlCoachingConsulting  #TeacherTips #TeachingTips #InstructionalCoaching #TeacherCoaching

When teachers, coaches, administrators, and families grow together, schools change. Students get engaged, get support, and get the chance to thrive. 

In this clip from my conversation with Jenn David-Lang of  @themainideaeducation , she breaks down a shift that changes how new leaders solve problems. In her mastermind groups for aspiring leaders, someone always brings the same complaint early in the year: a teacher won't do what's being asked, and the instinct is to have the principal force it. 

Jenn pushes back on that instinct. Real influence starts long before the issue comes up, built through credibility and trust with the people you lead. Then she names the one question that changes the whole conversation. Is this a skill problem, or is this a will problem? Too often, we jump straight to solutions before we understand what's actually driving the behavior. 

Watch part one of our Schoolutions conversation for more on peer-driven leadership, teacher support, and what it actually takes to build trust as an instructional leader here.

Chapters:

0:00 A common problem in aspiring leader groups

0:08 The gut reaction: just tell the principal

0:16 Why influence starts long before the issue

0:24 The real question: skill or will

0:31 Why we jump to solutions too fast

Resources:

⭐To learn more about Jenn's Masterminds: https://www.themainidea.net/school-leadership-mastermind/

⭐To learn about Jenn's subscription with book summaries: https://www.themainidea.net/

⭐To listen to Jenn's podcast: https://www.themainidea.net/podcasts/

⭐To develop the habit of professional reading, see Jenn's latest published article: https://www.ascd.org/blogs/yes-principals-can-make-time-to-read

Schoolutions is the podcast for educators and caregivers who are ready to grow alongside their children. Each episode delivers research-backed strategies rooted in the five practices of expert teachers from my upcoming book: Forever Getting Better: 5 Essential Practices for Reclaiming Teacher Expertise, so every student finds their spark and receives the support they need to thrive.  I hope to have the book in your hands by June of 2027. 

If this conversation has you thinking about how to build a peer-driven culture in your own school or district, let's get in touch. You can find me on my website. Click on the Coaching & Consulting tab to begin our thought partnership.

#Schoolutions #SchoolutionsPodcast #ForeverGettingBetter #5PracticesOfExpertTeachers #CuriosityDriven #EvidenceBasedClassroomReadyStrategies #OliviaWahlCoachingConsulting  #SchoolLeadership #InstructionalLeadership #SchoolLeadership #TeacherCoaching #MentorTeachers #NewTeachers #ProfessionalDevelopment #SchoolCulture #PrincipalStrategies #BuildingTrust #EducationLeadership #SchoolImprovement #TeacherSupport

When teachers, coaches, administrators, and families grow together, schools change. Students get engaged, get support, and get the chance to thrive. 

It's Tuesday, and I'm starting a new weekly series called Try It Tuesday. Each week, I'll give you one teacher move that has a real, measurable impact on student success and student engagement.

This week's tip comes from a moment with Cris Tovani, and it's about relevance. We were standing in a high school classroom together, and the teacher couldn't quite explain why the content mattered to her students. Cris said one thing: Google it. So we did. We searched why kids still need to learn this specific topic, and Google gave us real, usable answers.

If you try this and the search comes up empty, that's your signal to reframe the lesson before you teach it. Relevance alone isn't enough, though. Expert teachers go one step further and connect the learning to meaning because students engage more deeply when they understand why a lesson matters to them personally.

This is a fast, practical instructional strategy you can use in lesson planning this week, whether you're a new teacher building your toolkit or a veteran teacher refreshing your approach. Kids show up differently when the work feels relevant.

New tip every Tuesday. If this conversation has you thinking about how to make learning more relevant and meaningful for your students, let's get in touch. You can find me on my website. Click on the Coaching & Consulting tab to begin our thought partnership.

Chapters:
0:00 Introducing Try It Tuesday
0:08 This week's tip: relevance
0:15 The Cris Tovani story: just Google it
0:33 What to do if the search doesn't help
0:44 Relevance versus meaning
0:54 See you next Tuesday

#Schoolutions #SchoolutionsPodcast #ForeverGettingBetter #5PracticesOfExpertTeachers #CuriosityDriven #EvidenceBasedClassroomReadyStrategies #OliviaWahlCoachingConsulting  #TeacherTips #TeachingTips #InstructionalCoaching #TeacherCoaching 

When teachers, coaches, administrators, and families grow together, schools change. Students get engaged, get support, and get the chance to thrive. 

Jenn David-Lang has spent over 20 years supporting school leaders, first through @themainideaeducation, her monthly education and leadership book summary service, and now through the peer-led Mastermind groups she facilitates for principals and aspiring leaders.

In part one of this S6E1 Schoolutions conversation, Jenn and I break down what school leadership actually looks like when instructional leadership comes from the people already in the building instead of an outside consultant.

Jenn explains why school improvement rarely comes from a single professional learning session and why school culture change depends on habitual, weekly learning: PLCs, instructional coaching, mentor teachers, and leaders who ask the same reflective questions after every walkthrough.

She walks through her Mastermind model step by step: a live read, a structured discussion protocol. This is teacher coaching and school leadership support built as peer coaching, not top-down mandates.

The conversation addresses two issues that come up constantly in schools: How to get staff to commit to things they're reluctant to do and managing interpersonal issues with grace. Jenn's answer starts with a question every instructional coach should ask before jumping to solutions: Is this a skill problem or a will problem? That distinction reshapes how principal strategies, teacher support, and difficult conversations get handled, and it applies just as directly to classroom behavior and student engagement, since the same skill-versus-will question shows up when a student seems to have low engagement or has checked out of active learning.

Part two of this conversation with Jenn David-Lang (releasing on Friday) covers her think tank model in more depth and what it takes for leaders to practice instructional leadership in real time.

Check out these resources from Jenn:
⭐To learn more about Jenn's Masterminds: https://www.themainidea.net/school-leadership-mastermind/
⭐To learn about Jenn's subscription with book summaries: https://www.themainidea.net/
⭐To listen to Jenn's podcast: https://www.themainidea.net/podcasts/
⭐To develop the habit of professional reading, see Jenn's latest published article: https://www.ascd.org/blogs/yes-principals-can-make-time-to-read

Chapters:
0:00 — Cold open: the smartest person in the building
1:00 — Meet Jenn David-Lang and the Schoolutions intro
2:00 — Jenn's path from teaching to leadership
3:00 — Why Jenn launched The Main Idea in 2007
5:00 — Why expertise has to come from within a school
7:00 — John Hattie, coaching, and being a "second set of eyes"
8:00 — What a mastermind group actually is
9:00 — Inside the hour: live reads, protocols, and think tank time
12:00 — Two problems that come up in every school
13:00 — How Jenn stays sharp as a facilitator
14:00 — Skill or will: solving the real problem, not the symptom
16:00 — The leadership skill Jenn is still working on
17:00 — The feedback move that builds trust fast
19:00 — Closing thoughts and where to find Jenn's work
20:00 — Olivia's takeaway and what's coming in Part 2

Schoolutions is the podcast for educators and caregivers who are ready to grow alongside their children. Each episode delivers research-backed strategies rooted in the five practices of expert teachers from my upcoming book: Forever Getting Better: 5 Essential Practices for Reclaiming Teacher Expertise, so every student finds their spark and receives the support they need to thrive.  I hope to have the book in your hands by June of 2027.

If this conversation has you thinking about how to build a peer-driven culture in your own school or district, let's get in touch. You can find me on my website. Click on the Coaching & Consulting tab to begin our thought partnership.

#Schoolutions #SchoolutionsPodcast #ForeverGettingBetter #5PracticesOfExpertTeachers #CuriosityDriven #EvidenceBasedClassroomReadyStrategies #OliviaWahlCoachingConsulting  #SchoolLeadership #InstructionalCoaching #TeacherSupport #ProfessionalLearning #SchoolCulture #EducationPodcast #TeacherCoaching #PrincipalLife #InstructionalLeadership #StudentEngagement #EffectiveTeaching #NewTeachers #MentorTeachers #EducationLeadership #WholeChildEducation #EquityInEducation #ParentInvolvement #JennDavidLang #TheMainIdea

When teachers, coaches, administrators, and families grow together, schools change. Students get engaged, get support, and get the chance to thrive.