Transformative Principal

Developing the Leader Within with Christopher Grode

School leaders can spend an entire day solving problems and still have little time for the leadership work they want to do. Mike Caldwell talks with Christopher Grode, Ph.D., about creating routines that make room for that work and finding people who can offer an honest outside perspective.

Drawing on 19 years as an Illinois superintendent and his research with executive coaches, Chris describes how his view of leadership development changed. He shares his monthly "90 for 90" review, a five-minute morning journal, and the habit of revisiting earlier entries to see what mattered over time. They also discuss his "leadership gateway" of attitudes, behaviors, practices, identity, and purpose, along with the challenge of separating your identity from your job during retirement.

Practical ideas from the conversation

About the guest

Christopher Grode, Ph.D., is a retired Illinois superintendent who served in the role for 19 years. He also worked as a teacher, principal, and assistant superintendent for finance. His doctorate is in industrial-organizational psychology, and his dissertation examined executive coaching strategies for superintendents. He is the author of The Leader Within.

Resources

We’re proud to be sponsored by IXL. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Summary

Elizabeth Cushing, CEO of Playworks, joins Jethro Jones to talk about how play builds belonging, emotional resilience, leadership, and attendance at school. They discuss what changes when recess becomes a predictable, inclusive place where every student can join a game, how adults model connection by playing alongside students, and how junior coaches turn older students into peer leaders.

They also talk about the practical side of bringing Playworks into a school: choosing games that keep students moving, reducing conflicts that follow students back to class, using Title I and other funding sources, and helping school communities make recess a meaningful part of the school day.

Chapters

• 0:00 — Welcome to Transformative Principal
• 0:59 — What Playworks changes on the playground
• 2:45 — Games that keep every student included
• 5:30 — Bringing play into classrooms
• 7:01 — Why play builds emotional resilience
• 10:16 — Adults, attendance, and belonging
• 13:30 — Junior coaches and student leadership
• 17:25 — How schools pay for Playworks
• 19:37 — Why every age needs meaningful play
• 20:40 — Transforming a playground community
• 23:10 — Recess, school pride, and belonging
• 25:40 — A practical invitation to go play

Show Notes

• Guest: Elizabeth Cushing, CEO of Playworks
• Playworks: playworks.org
• Playworks podcast and 30-Day Attendance Reset: playworks.org/podcast
• Topics: inclusive recess, emotional resilience, attendance, school climate, peer leadership, junior coaches, and funding school-based play

We’re proud to be sponsored by IXL. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Recorded live at a conference session, Suzanne "Suzie" Myers, Jocelyn Washburn, and Bonnie Palysak from the University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning introduce I-STAR — a new adaptive, web-based platform built on the research-backed Strategic Instruction Model (SIM) writing strategies. The team walks through why they built it (teachers lack time to explicitly teach and grade writing), how it works (teacher-led instruction paired with auto-scoring, adaptive practice, and progress tracking), and shares a moving case study of a student's growth from disjointed to sophisticated writing. They also pull back the curtain on the challenges of translating decades-old paper-based strategies into technology with a non-education-focused development team, including AI-generated practice sentences. The session closes with interactive audience brainstorming for future dashboard features and a call for schools to join their pilot study.

We’re proud to be sponsored by IXL. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Mike Caldwell talks with Nanette Merrill, executive director of the Idaho Charter School Association, about her path from stay-at-home mom to teacher, principal, and now state-level leader. They swap rapid-fire favorites (leadership books, reading habits, best advice), then dig into what makes strong schools stand out—clear mission, visible leadership, and a culture of belonging. Nanette shares insights from visiting dozens of charter schools this past year, the value of mentorship and coaching for school leaders, and her new coaching initiative supporting Idaho's charter leaders. 

We’re proud to be sponsored by IXL. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

In this episode, live at ISTE, Jethro D. Jones talks with Kip Glazer, principal at Mountain View High School, about her book "Ready to Lead with AI: A Practical Guide for School Leaders." They dive into the emotional weight of school leadership — managing competing stakeholder demands, setting boundaries, and navigating disagreement while staying grounded in research and shared purpose. Kip explains why she actively shares positive stories from her school on social media to counter media narratives that skew toward the sensational, and discusses the post-pandemic emotional toll on educators and parents alike. She closes with a reminder that leadership is about listening, building empathy, and trusting that small, consistent connection has real impact.

We’re proud to be sponsored by IXL. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Jethro D. Jones interviews Kevin Donohue, a Catholic school leader turned FACTS Education Solutions consultant, at ISTE 2026. Kevin shares his path from teacher to principal through a residency model in the LA Archdiocese, then dives deep into practical ways AI can support Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) — from scheduling and agenda-building to acting as a subject-matter "expert" or bias-checking moderator. The conversation tackles crucial student data privacy concerns (anonymizing names, avoiding PII in AI tools), and debates where the human/AI line should be drawn in grading versus feedback. Kevin and Jethro agree AI excels at binary, objective tasks (like grading) while human relationship-building remains essential for meaningful feedback and individualized learning paths.

We’re proud to be sponsored by IXL. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Jethro D. Jones sits down with Evin Schwartz (co-founder of Thinkering) at ISTE/ASCD 2026 to discuss the partnership between Thinkering and the BE Podcast Network. They dig into why teacher voice matters more than ever, how podcasting helps educators clarify their thinking and build community, and the mechanics of Thinkering's 10-week cohort program that turns teachers into changemakers. Evin shares powerful stories — from a $80 poetry slam to a school garden that tackled food insecurity — illustrating how small acts of teacher-led innovation ripple outward. The conversation closes with reflections on teacher retention, the sub shortage, AI's disruptive role in education, and how listeners can get involved with Thinkering.

We’re proud to be sponsored by IXL. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

In this episode, Jethro sits down with Dr. Erin Bailey, VP of Literacy Programs and Research at Reading Is Fundamental, to explore two exciting 2026 developments. Erin shares the growth of Skybrary, RIF's e-book app offering 1,000 read-to-me picture books, now with a free tier providing 100 books per household — a number rooted in research linking book access to reading and academic achievement. She also discusses RIF's acquisition of August House Publishing, bringing 185 titles focused on oral storytelling into RIF's mission of book access. The conversation turns to Erin's own podcast, Reading Inspires, covering the realities of podcast production, building thought leadership, and RIF's core belief that reading should above all be joyful.

We’re proud to be sponsored by IXL. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Kate O'Connell, an international education consultant and leadership coach based in Cambodia, joins the podcast to discuss her journey from classroom teacher to headship across four countries. She unpacks the difference between coaching and mentoring, and how she blends both to help school leaders find their own answers. The conversation also covers Link Leaders' new "Leadership Studios"—peer cohorts that create safe spaces for leaders to connect and grow—and why differentiated, problem-based support is key to effective professional development. Kate closes with her mission to humanize education through leadership, and simple advice: get a coach.

We’re proud to be sponsored by IXL. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Jethro D. Jones sits down with Simon and Jill from ClassVR at ISTE 2026 to talk about the company's newest VR innovations in education. They dive into Thrive, a sensory regulation product designed to support students who struggle with dysregulation, and preview ClassVR's new STEM library, which lets students safely experience hands-on experiments (like chemistry reactions and dissections) that are often limited by budget or safety concerns in real classrooms. The conversation also explores how VR builds "organic skills" that develop over time, why immersive, judgment-free environments help students practice soft skills, and what schools should consider before adopting VR — from full-solution onboarding to keeping VR sessions short and focused for maximum engagement.

We’re proud to be sponsored by IXL. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.