THE MAIN IDEA Podcast: Books for the Busy School Leader

School leaders today are navigating a level of complexity we couldn’t have predicted, from a pandemic to political instability to rapid technological change (especially AI!)

I was glad I got to speak with longtime educator and leadership coach John D’Auria, co-author of The Influential School Leader. In this episode, we talk about a lot, and these two areas stick out:

Before solving a problem, leaders must first understand it. John suggests leaders use a systems-thinking lens and consider four perspectives:

1. Senior Leadership (district / central office)

2. Middle Management (principals)

3. Line Workers (teachers)

4. Clients (students and families)

John also says leaders can’t just jump into addressing complex change. Instead, we need to create these 4 conditions that allow meaningful change to take root.

1. Psychological Safety — Educators must feel safe to disagree, make mistakes, and be honest.

2. A Sense of Belonging — Everyone must feel heard and believe they have a role.

3. Open and Honest Communication — John emphasizes that to improve the health of the school, teams need to be able to discuss “undiscussables” (what people only talk about privately) even if that starts with anonymous surveys.

4. Encouraging Experimentation — Educators must view themselves as “scientists of learning,” experimenting with lessons, accepting failure is part of the process, and collaborating to improve.

Walk away with MAIN IDEAs…

1 MAIN IDEA: Complex change isn’t going away. But by shifting from authority to influence — and by building cultures grounded in safety, belonging, honest communication, and experimentation — school leaders can create systems that don’t just survive change, but learn from it.

RESOURCES: The Skilled Facilitator by Roger Schwarz and Teaming  by Amy Edmondson

Connect with John D’Auria: [email protected]

Book: The Influential School Leader

Jenn’s 1-pager for this book

Connect with Jenn: [email protected]

Get monthly book summaries from Jenn (The Main Idea)

Join an outstanding PD experience for leaders: Jenn’s Mastermind

If you got something out of this podcast, I hope you’ll share it with a colleague. Thanks!

What has the biggest impact on student achievement?

According to John Hattie’s massive research synthesis, the answer isn’t a program, curriculum, or strategy.

It’s collective teacher efficacy — the shared belief among educators that together, they can positively influence student outcomes.

In this episode, I was thrilled to be joined by Jenni Donohoo and Glenn Forbes, international gurus on teacher efficacy!

They break down what collective efficacy really is — and more importantly, how school leaders can actively build it.

Walk away with MAIN IDEAs…

1 MAIN IDEA

This book is a practical guide that explains the 12 barriers to teacher efficacy and what leaders can do to overcome them and build collective teacher efficacy.

1 HIGH-LEVERAGE ACTION

A simple activity you can do with a team right now is to have them answer this question,

“In 100 words or less, what is the story of our school’s belief in our impact?” and then discuss how the team would grow that collective efficacy.

1 RESOURCE

There’s a strong link between instructional leadership and collective teacher efficacy so check out Glenn’s new book, Instructional Leadership: 15 High-Impact Practices to Develop Instructional Leaders

Connect with Jenni Donohoo and Glenn Forbes

Book: Collective Impact: Overcoming the 12 Enemies of Teacher Efficacy

Connect with Jenn: [email protected]

Get monthly book summaries from Jenn (The Main Idea)

Join an outstanding PL experience for leaders: Jenn’s Mastermind

My 1-pager for this book: How to Build Teacher Efficacy

If you got something out of this podcast, I’d love it if you would share it. Thanks!

What if the expertise you need to improve teaching is already inside your building?

I was so excited to chat with Vicki WIlson about her powerful, practical approach to professional learning: strengths-based instructional rounds.

Instead of relying on outside consultants or top-down feedback, this model empowers teachers to learn directly from one another. 

And it doesn’t just improve teaching. It also builds trust, reduces burnout, and spreads great teaching ideas across your entire school. 

Vicki and I get into the details of how you transform isolated silos in your school into collaborative structures where teachers learn with and from each other.

Walk away with MAIN IDEAs…

1 MAIN IDEA: Lean into the strengths of teachers in your school. It’s all about elevating teacher strengths.

2 FIRST ACTIONs: To work on your own strengths-based mindset, visit teacher classrooms alone to look for the bright spots and discuss those with teachers one-on-one.

If you’re not ready for walkthroughs, move toward deprivatizing teacher practice by having staff share what’s working in their classrooms at staff meetings.

1 RESOURCE: The Power of Positive Inquiry: A Practical Guide to Positive Change

Connect with Vicki Wilson: https://www.vickiwilson.org/

Vicki’s Book: Lead with Instructional Rounds: Creating a Culture of Professional Learning

Connect with Jenn 

[email protected] — Email me for an overview of this book.

Get monthly book summaries from Jenn (The Main Idea).

Jenn’s Mastermind

If you got something out of this podcast, I’d appreciate it if you’d share it with a colleague. 

I didn’t enter the field of education just to teach quadratic equations or literary analysis. I came to make a difference. 

And I believe school leaders are in a unique position to create schools that prepare the next generation to build a better world.

That’s why I was so excited to talk about the book Educating for Justice: School-Wide Strategies to Prepare Students to Recognize, Analyze, and Challenge Inequity.

Authors Scott Seider, Aaliyah El-Amin, and Julia Bott created a four-part framework for helping schools systematically prepare students to recognize, analyze, and challenge injustice — in every grade, every classroom, and every content area.

Listen as we discuss those four parts to consider what you might bring back to your own school.

- Build Adult Capacity

- Foster Powerful Partnerships

- Center Justice in Curriculum and Pedagogy

- Engage Students in Social Action

Walk away with MAIN IDEAs…

1 MAIN IDEA: Schools have both the power and responsibility to prepare students to recognize, analyze, and challenge injustice — in every classroom and every subject.

1 HIGH-LEVERAGE ACTION: Use time intentionally. Create coherence across professional development, collaborative planning, and classroom instruction.

RESOURCES: Cultivating Genius by Gholdy Muhammad

Free 6-12th grade advisory curriculum for students to build a better world: bc.edu/4cs

Learn More About the Authors’ Work: 

Don’t Teach Your Students to be Passive Observers of Social Injustice

Critical Consciousness: A Key to Student Achievement

Five Ways to Teach Critical Thinking in Challenging Times 

Book: Educating for Justice: Schoolwide Strategies to Prepare Students to Recognize, Analyze, and Challenge Inequity

Jenn’s 1-pager for this book: Educating for Justice

Connect with Jenn

[email protected] — Email me for an overview of this book

Get monthly book summaries from Jenn (The Main Idea)

Jenn’s Mastermind

If you got something out of this podcast, I hope you’ll share it with a colleague. Thanks!

What if meeting students’ needs was about so much more than simply supporting them? What if it was the key to their academic success?

That is what Salmome Thomas-EL, a principal with nearly 40 years in education, has found in his work with kids and shares in his latest book, Meet Their Needs and They’ll Succeed.

Principal EL shares deeply personal stories — from a hospital stay that clarified his thinking about care and relationships, to lessons learned growing up in North Philly with a single mother, to early teaching mistakes that ultimately transformed his philosophy of leadership and relationship-building with students.

In our conversation we focus on the heart of his approach — a powerful, practical framework to support students to succeed: The Four Cs of School Success:

Crazy about our kids

Curious about their lives outside school

Consistent adults in students’ lives

Culture of love, support, and high expectations for all students

These are mindsets, not programs, that help educators build joyful, consistent, deeply caring relationships with students.

Walk away with MAIN IDEAs…

1 MAIN IDEA of the book: This book is about building strong, sustainable relationships and creating engaging learning environments where students find joy. Learn to equip educators to lead with empathy, courage, and commitment. 

1 HIGH-LEVERAGE ACTION: Take these mindsets, get in a classroom or the lunchroom, and think about how you can implement these into your daily routines. Find that one kid who could give aspirin a headache and make that kid your mentee. 

RESOURCES: There are lots of great resources at ascd.org by authors such as Baruti Kafele, Robyn Jackson, Todd Whitaker and more. 

Connect with Salome Thomas-EL: principal.com

Reach out to Principal EL for a free signed copy of his book.

Book: Meet Their Needs and They’ll Succeed

Get the Book: https://www.ascd.org/books/meet-their-needs-and-theyll-succeed?variant=121003 

 Jenn’s 1-pager for this book: Meet Their Needs and They’ll Succeed

Connect with Jenn

[email protected]

Reach out to me (Jenn) if you want a written overview of the Four Cs ([email protected])

If you got something out of this podcast, I’d appreciate it if you’d share it with a colleague. Thanks!

What if the biggest barrier to equity in our schools isn’t curriculum, engagement strategies, or even relationships — but the way we design learning itself?

Unfortunately, what looks like quiet, orderly, engaged students turns out to be dependent learning where only a few students are doing real cognitive work.

In this episode I got to sit down with renowned educator and author Zaretta Hammond to explore the core argument of her newest book, Rebuilding Students’ Learning Power: Teaching for Instructional Equity and Cognitive Justice.

Zaretta challenges leaders to look beyond surface-level engagement and compliance in classrooms and instead focus on whether students are becoming cognitively independent learners. 

Drawing on neuroscience, the science of learning, and decades of experience, she makes the case that real equity work must include intentionally developing students’ information processing skills — the mental “chewing” required to turn content into understanding.

This conversation is a powerful call to action for school leaders who want to move beyond quick reforms and toward building learning environments where every student develops the skills to learn deeply, independently, and with confidence.

Walk away with MAIN IDEAs…

MAIN IDEA: If we want more equitable outcomes, we need to ensure every student is a powerful learner. And the bottom line for what makes a powerful learner is information processing prowess.

THE CALL TO ACTION FOR LEADERS: Understand how you lead this work and that it’s  not strategy swapping, it really is shared language, building YOUR knowledge of the science of learning and how learning happens, and supporting teacher PLCs to implement this work.

MORE RESOURCES: The Human Side of School Change by Robert Evans and Switch by Dan and Chip Heath 

Connect with Zaretta Hammond: LinkedIn or https://ready4rigor.com/ to sign up for her newsletter or to find out about her FREE upcoming book clubs and coach clinics

Book: Rebuilding Students’ Learning Power

Get the Book: https://www.corwin.com/books/rebuilding-students-learning-267855?srsltid=AfmBOort64-2jubO8Gg6g1FUAg1zAYm5nDgZQv6o8vTa-okdbQeZRLJ3

Jenn’s 1-pager for this book: 5 Things Independent Learners do to Learn

Connect with Jenn

[email protected] — Email me for a 1-page preview of this book.

www.themainidea.net

Jenn’s Mastermind: https://www.themainidea.net/school-leadership-mastermind/

If you got something out of this podcast, I hope you’ll share it with a colleague. Thanks!

What does it truly mean to prepare students for life beyond school — not just academically, but as thinkers, collaborators, empathetic people, and engaged citizens?

In this episode I (host Jenn David-Lang) am joined by education leader, researcher, and consultant Lori McEwen to unpack the concept of a Portrait of a Graduate (POG). 

This portrait includes a set of skills that students must learn by the time they graduate in addition to the typical academic skills and content (skills like collaboration, communication, critical thinking, compassion, and creativity).

Lori explains what a portrait of a graduate is, why it has gained momentum across districts and states, and how it can serve as a powerful, student-centered vision for teaching and learning.

Together, Jenn and Lori explore how a portrait of a graduate can move beyond abstract “21st-century skills” to humanize learning, influence classroom instruction, and help schools create joyful, meaningful experiences for students — starting now, not just at graduation.

Walk away with MAIN IDEAs…

1 FIRST STEP: Start with questions. Ask the community: Who do they want their young people to become? Collect 3 to 5 adjectives and compile it into a community Wordle to get to a purpose for the POG.

1 PITFALL: Don’t stop with a poster of a POG! Everything doesn’t have to start immediately. Know that the portrait is aspirational — like the North Star  — and let people know that we’ll be going on a journey…

1 RESOURCE: See Lori’s website: https://lorimcewen.com/

Connect with Lori McEwen: https://lorimcewen.com/  

Connect with Jenn

[email protected]

www.themainidea.net

Jenn’s Mastermind: https://www.themainidea.net/school-leadership-mastermind/

If you got something out of this podcast, I’d appreciate it if you’d share it with a colleague. Thanks!

Artificial intelligence is no longer a future concern — it’s a present reality everywhere, and yes, that includes schools. 

But how should educational leaders actually think about AI? What are the opportunities, risks, and responsibilities when working with this powerful tool?

In this episode, I share ideas from the book Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI by Ethan Mollick, one of the most influential thinkers writing about artificial intelligence today. 

Then to translate Mollick’s ideas into the real work of schools I invited two school leaders to join me — Mike Yagid, a high school AP in Connecticut, and Jason Strzalkowski, an elementary principal in Michigan. 

Together, we explore how AI can serve as a thinking partner for educators — not a replacement for human judgment, relationships, or ethics.

Jason and Mike have some really novel ways you can consider using AI — many were new to me!

But I also make sure to balance enthusiasm with caution in this conversation by naming the very real risks around bias, hallucinations, privacy, authenticity, and student well-being.

Whether you’re AI-curious or already experimenting, this episode will help you think more clearly — and more humanly — about what it means to work with AI in schools.

Walk away with MAIN IDEAs…

1 MAIN IDEA: Think about the ways you can work with AI: either like a centaur (you and AI each do distinct tasks) or like a cyborg (there’s a back-and-forth sharing of tasks). Be clear about your values as you enter into this “co-intelligence” with AI.

1 NEXT ACTION: Prompt AI to be your critic (otherwise it just flatters you). Example, “Be an angry parent receiving this email I am sending to you. What flaws do you see in my email?”

A FEW RESOURCES:

Leon Furze — https://leonfurze.com/ — Helping leaders understand the practical and ethical implications of AI

The Hard Fork podcast about the future that’s already here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hard-fork/id1528594034

The Rithm Project — https://www.therithmproject.org/ — Empowering young people to build human connection in the age of AI

Book: Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI, by Ethan Mollick

Jenn’s 1-pager for this book: Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI

Connect with Jenn

[email protected]

www.themainidea.net

Jenn’s Mastermind: https://www.themainidea.net/school-leadership-mastermind/

If you got something out of this podcast, I’d appreciate it if you’d share it with a colleague. Thanks!

School leaders know they need to ask for feedback. But when they do, how often does that feedback actually lead to meaningful change?

In this episode, Jenn David Lang is joined by Andy Szeto, professor of educational leadership, district leader in New York City, and former school leader. 

Together, they unpack Andy’s recent Educational Leadership article, “Six Steps to Turn Qualitative Data into Actionable Insights,” and discuss how AI can support leaders in making sense of open-ended survey responses without losing the human element.

Andy’s 6-step process is one any leader can follow to more easily understand and organize the feedback they receive so they can truly make needed changes.

Walk away with MAIN IDEAs…

1 TAKEAWAY: Value doesn’t come from evaluating data fast – this protocol helps leaders stay with the feedback longer.

1 FIRST STEP: Try these 6 steps with just a few pieces of feedback or try it without AI.

1 RESOURCE: Thomas Guskey’s Framework for Evaluating PD: https://learningforward.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/guskey-5-levels.pdf

Connect with Andy Szeto: linkedin.com/in/dr-andy-szeto

The Article: “Six Steps to Turning Qualitative Data into Actionable Insights” - https://www.ascd.org/blogs/six-steps-to-turning-qualitative-data-into-actionable-insights

Connect with Jenn

[email protected]

www.themainidea.net 

Jenn’s Mastermind: https://www.themainidea.net/school-leadership-mastermind/ 

So glad I got to sit down with veteran educator and national thought leader Mark Shellinger, creator of the SAM Process (NSIP). Mark’s work—backed by a decade of research from the Wallace Foundation—helps principals dramatically increase the time they spend on instructional leadership.

Most principals spend 13% of their time instructionally engaged.SAM Principals? 57% or more.

How do they do it?

Mark tells the origin story of the SAM Process and shares immediately actionable strategies that any leader—whether part of NSIP or not—can use to spend more on instructional leadership and reclaim their time.

If you're a school leader who wants to shift from “interruption-driven management” to high-impact instructional leadership, this episode is for you.

Walk away with MAIN IDEAs…

1 MAIN IDEA: As a leader, think about the support you would want if you were the teacher. 

1 HIGH-LEVERAGE ACTION: Validate, Listen, Triage. Teach support staff to validate concerns of those coming into the office, listen, and then triage – send them to someone OTHER than the principal so the principal can focus on teaching and learning.

2 RESOURCES: To cut down on time choosing worthwhile articles and books to read, and then save time reading them, subscribe to The Marshall Memo and The Main Idea for summaries. 

Learn more about the National SAM Innovation Project: https://www.samprocess.com/ 

Connect with Jenn: [email protected]

THE MAIN IDEA Subscription (monthly book summaries): https://www.themainidea.net/ 

Jenn’s Mastermind: https://www.themainidea.net/school-leadership-mastermind/