For principals, Summer is an opportunity for growth, reflection, and crucially: rest. We sit down with Minnesota principal Jessica Cabeen to talk about how principals can ensure they strike the right balance between taking care of yourself personally and professionally over the Summer. In this episode, we discuss:

• Managing Summer goals

Jessica Cabeen is principal of Ellis Middle School in Austin, Minnesota. She is a regular contributor to outlets such as Edutopia, SavED by Grace, and Principal magazine. As a fellow at NAESP's Center for Middle-Level Leadership, she will be speaking at NAESP's Pre-K–8 Principals Conference this July in Chicago.

Congratulations, you've gotten through rounds of vetting, interviews, and are now serving as a principal of your school! But there's still plenty of work to do and challenges to unpack. We sat down with Rosalba Rodriguez—who is about to make the jump from AP to principal in her district—to discuss:

• How the process unfolds

Supervising and evaluating teachers effectively is crucial for school success. But too often for teachers and principals it can feel like just a box being ticked. We sit down with Oregon educator LaKeyshua Washington to discuss how to ensure evaluation is seen and used as an opportunity for growth.

In this episode, we discuss:

The good and bad of evaluations and supervision

The difference between supervising and coaching

How to get the most out of the process

LaKeyshua Washington serves as director of teaching and learning-secondary in Gresham-Barlow School District in Gresham, Oregon, supporting middle and high school principals, assistant principals, and teachers in curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Washington most recently served as a middle school principal in Compton, California.

The pandemic has presented daunting challenges for school systems, and there's an understandable fear that it's been a "lost" year for students. But maybe it's not quite as bad as we've been led to believe. Adam and Rachel sit down with Massachusetts principal Liz Garden take a look at the bright side and show how schools have risen to meet these challenges and grown in spite of the circumstances.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The response in schools this past year

Liz Garden is principal of Leroy E. Mayo Elementary School in Holden, Massachusetts.

Every principal wants to start off a new school year on the right foot. But that strong start actually begins many months before classes even start. Adam and Rachael have a one-on-one discussing how principals can effectively plan for the next school year. In this episode, they discuss:

• Grade placement of students

A commitment to providing a strong foundation to all students is crucial at any school. We sit down with Texas principal Danieli Parker about why Tier I instruction is so important for principals to focus on, regardless of their school's unique location or situation. In this episode, we discuss:

• How to do well regardless of setting

Danieli Parker is principal of Hallsville North Elementary in Hallsville, Texas. You can follow her on Twitter @danieli_parker.

For principals, summer learning is more than just a reading list assigned to students. The summer break can offer more time for educators to learn and grow in their own practice. In this episode, we sit down with Chicago principal Dr. Efraín Martínez to share summer learning best practices. We discuss:

• Strategies for students vs. strategies for you

Dr. Efraín Martínez is the proud principal at Orozco Academy since 2015. Before beginning his principalship journey, Dr. Martínez worked as a Teacher Assistant of Spanish at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), as a 5th grade teacher at Rufino Tamayo Charter School, and an office manager at Rush University Medical Hospital, UIC, and at Northwestern University School of Medicine. Thanks to an opportunity with the Chicago Teaching Fellows, he became a certified Spanish teacher and taught at four schools in CPS. After two years as an assistant principal in both the south and north sides of the city, Dr. Martínez was fortunate to be unanimously elected to the most coveted principal spot in the area.

In the midst of an ongoing pandemic, students across the country will still be taking standardized tests and assessments. Arkansas educator Bethany Hill joins us to share thoughts on testing during a pandemic, and how principals can respond to the challenges it presents.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The role of assessments and testing

How to make the best of it

Bethany Hill is a teacher who is currently serving as an administrator. During her 23 years in education, she taught kindergarten, first, second, and third grades. She was a curriculum/academic coach for 3 years, an assistant principal in an K-4 building for 5 years, a principal in a P-4 building for 5 years, and is currently serving as an assistant principal in a P-4 building. All of her service has been in the Cabot School District in Cabot, Arkansas. 

More often than not, what's working at your school depends on who's working there. Finding—and keeping—staff that have a positive impact is an essential part of every school's success.

In this episode, we're joined by Texas principal Porsha Dudley to discuss:

• Finding the best candidates

Porsha Dudley is principal of Arizona Fleming Elementary school in Houston, Texas and has been an educator for the past 16 years. Connect with her on Twitter @PorshaDudley1.

It's that time of year ... job hunting season. With the help of Zandra Jo Galván, a Superintendent from California, we get you geared up and fired up as you set your sights on the future.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Applying for the job

Zandra Jo Galván is superintendent of the Greenfield Union School District in California, and has worked in public education for the past 27 years. Connect with her on Twitter (@zjgalvan), Instagram (@zangalvan), Facebook, and LinkedIn.