Transformative Principal

This is a trailer for a new show I just started called A Vision for Learning. In it, we focus on the Apple Vision Pro, AR, VR, XR, AI, and the future of learning. I've already released some great episodes, including two interviews with people who have been using AR in schools for years already!

Click here to subscribe and get my learning-focused review of the Apple Vision Pro this weekend!

If you listen to Transformative Principal, you'll love A Vision for Learning. 

• What we teach and how we teach
• PK-8th grade over a quarter million devoted to students
• Small class sizes, 2 teachers in a class of 20. Started at 85 students
• Incredible amount of individual support
• Transportation is 7% of the budget. 
• Breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day
• Wraparound services
• On-site partnership with Dayton’s Children's Hospital - full-time mental health, doctor, and other services for kids.
• Startup year - be naive about what starting a school entails. 
• Temporary site - Fire marshall
• Working with a local Medicaid provider
• 30% higher in every category than every other child on Medicaid
• Looking at lots of data for whole-child outcomes
• 51% at grade level at the start, and 85% at grade level at the end of the year.
• Not all roses and sunshine
• Screenings for character, mental health, etc. 
• Age 27 goals. 
• How they teach - Tried finding instructional strategies that really moved the needle. 
• Influenced by Hattie’s work - prioritized by effect size.
• Teacher quality matters
• Benjamin Bloom’s Research - Acton Academy
• Using personalized tools in a smart way. 
• Zearn math program - typically used as supplemental
• Thrown the idea out the window
• Mixed-age classrooms. 
• Start teaching at the instructional level, not the age or grade level.
• Personality and character benefits
• Looking at Age 27, and how that reflects in 1 year. 
• Hire in the top 10% of teachers. 

About AJ Stich

Adam J. Stich (A.J.) is the founding principal of The Greater Dayton School.  Prior to starting in this role, he spent nearly seven years as a principal in Chicago Public Schools, where he drove strong outcomes for students and teachers.  You can hear his first interview on Transformative Principal at this link.

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 show we talk about creating a personal operating system, the core four needed to make yourself an amazing human being. You’re going to love this interview. 

• You can’t lead others to do something you’re not willing to do yourself.
• Self-leadership in four core areas. 
• Gap in what 
• Leader who has a deep level of integrity 
• Because of the depth of your own integrity
• You can be better, but a great leader is someone who can find people who are better in their area of expertise. 
• The thing that we are unwilling to do will cause resentment in those we lead. 
• Nobody expects the leader to be better than everyone at everything
• Leaders give people authority and trust to own that part of the organization
• This all starts at home. 
• Servant-hearted leadership is the most powerful leadership. 
• Doing it at home with your family makes it easier to translate to the workplace. 
• The more I hold onto stuff, the more I’m the bottleneck.
• You have to let go in order to grow. 
• Priority and sequence to everything. 
• Get myself on point so I’m on the highest level of capacity to serve the people that matter the most. 
• The family gets what is best first. 
• If I’m on point with my wife and kids, and the family is thriving, that gives me a clarity to work in the workplace. 
• Everything is connected. 
• Relationships healthy
• Struggling everywhere, systems and processes made things better. 
• Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande
• You need a system to help you be on point. 
• Core Four - Body, Being, Balance, Business
  • Sweat and Green Smoothie
  • Prayer/meditation and journal
  • Note to wife and children and one act of service
  • Learn something new every day applicable to your career
• More powerful to experience than to explain. 
• So easy to run and hide when things are difficult. 
• Weaponizing your body - making your body the weapon to do the work you need to do. 
• Download your tracker to change your life in 30 days at TheWorldNeedsMen.com

About Franklin Swann

Franklin Swann, an entrepreneur from Tyler, Texas, is the proud owner of Swann Furniture and Design. Beyond the realm of business, he is a loving husband to his beautiful wife, Brooke, and a devoted father to two remarkable children. Deeply rooted in his faith, Franklin is a committed follower of Christ, infusing his values into both his personal and professional life.

Franklin is the torchbearer of a remarkable legacy, serving as the fifth-generation owner of Swann's Furniture & Design, a rich 128-year history. His leadership reflects a relentless pursuit of personal growth and development, setting the tone for the continued success of the family business. But Franklin is more than his furniture empire, like all of us. He is a multifaceted individual dedicated to family, faith, and the enduring pursuit of excellence.

You can listen to his podcast at theworldneedsmen.com

Explore more BE Podcast Network shows:

• The Authority Podcast: https://bit.ly/48dhakQ 
• Morning Motivation for Educators: https://bit.ly/42dLGJa
• The Learning Bridge with Richard Gerver: https://bit.ly/3Hw3AgC
• Sideline Sessions: https://bit.ly/3Rp0QGt

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.

• Linking Leaders Podcast - subscribe and listen in your podcast player of choice.
• Small little seeds of ideas 
• Administrator hacks - How they interact
• Building pathways for administrator prep and their early days.
• Content and process of what we provide.
• Connector for administrators
• Mentoring aspiring administrators
• What administrators need are connections with others. 
• Opportunity and process to come together.
• Creating the time to step aside and having people think through a problem of practice
• Lower the temperature - make them feel less stressed. 
• “It mattered that we met because…”
• Every time I’m in front of a group of leaders, I’m able to model something that they can learn too. 
• Center for Leadership and Innovation - Planning summits, step aside, go deep. 
• Rather than frequent check-ins do half day summits
• Play-based learning
• 2nd year around - how do you take on everything but not getting in over your head? 
• Marking where we have had some impact in our state. 
• How to prioritize what you should change. 
• Pulse surveys. 
• Is this valuable to our leaders on a broader scale?
• Networking and building connections. 
• How to be a transformative principal? Push your chair back and just listen. 

About Dr. Alicia Bowman

Dr. Alicia Bowman currently works for the Connecticut Association of Schools, as Associate Executive Director and Director of the Center for Leadership and Innovation. Prior to joining CAS, she spent twenty years serving the Farmington Public Schools at the school and district levels. Alicia was Connecticut’s Elementary Principal of the Year and National Distinguished Principal in 2015. She was featured in a chapter of Lee Teitel’s book School-Based Instructional Rounds, and in NAESP’s Principal Magazine for her work in using collaborative classroom observations and analysis to drive school and district improvement. Alicia is an active adjunct faculty member of UCAPP.

Explore more BE Podcast Network shows:

• The Authority Podcast: https://bit.ly/48dhakQ 
• Morning Motivation for Educators: https://bit.ly/42dLGJa
• The Learning Bridge with Richard Gerver: https://bit.ly/3Hw3AgC
• Sideline Sessions: https://bit.ly/3Rp0QGt

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.

• How the coaching call worked well for Hillary. 
• Female, like-minded folks
• Trying PQ reps has been new
• Working on one saboteur - physically embody that saboteur.
• Constantly on technology and value time away from technology
• Listening to my team and giving them space. 
• Teams focusing on helping her with her saboteur when she divulged what her saboteur is
• How this is helping in her career changes. 
• Loving the challenge of change. 
• Fearful that I wasn’t very good at it, and you’re not until you get some experience and get your feet on the ground. 
• How her leadership is supporting her in a career change.
• Focus to where she wants to live. 
• How job interviews will be impacted by what she’s learning. 
• You need to take care of you first. 
• It takes discipline. 
• You are worthy. Set asi

About Hillary Chapman

Hillary Chapman dreamed of being an educator at age 4 when she would assign homework to her neighborhood friends from her parent’s Readers Digest and National Geographic.  Thanks to her Mom encouraging her to have more recess…Hillary has developed into an international educator and WA state librarian advocate.  As an educator for 28 years, a school librarian for 20 years, and an international educator of 12 years, Hillary has grown roots in SW Washington and found a home in Washougal as the District Librarian TOSA.  However, as the consummate student, Hillary attained her Principal’s Certification from EWU and aspires to grow her career into an Assistant Principal position in sunny California, returning to her husband Jim’s native roots.  But, the uphill climb to administrator has been bumpier than expected.  But, in Hillary’s eyes, it’s truly been a “Bloom where I’m planted” experience.

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.

Family Engagement - 

• Daily practice employing executive functioning skills
• If parents are informed they can help in a more powerful way
• Bringing parents into the process matters
• How do I hone this down into a daily task?
• Alexis Reid Podcast on Resilient Schools
• How to keep from fighting with your kids
• Modeling and routines with kids.
• Physical tactile colored Organized Binder.
• Requires use of skills and practice.
• Predictable learning routines help kids take risks.
• If they get practice, they get opportunities to grow
• Accountability - something that young people learn to do with practice.
• Getting practice with them in a “no-stakes” way. 
• Jethro’s family goal setting page.
• Singular practice on goal setting - goal, sub goal, when and where, see what impacts it is creating
• Then evaluate what you need to adjust to make it happen
• Working on it over time
• Actual implementation is much better than lessons
• The actual implementation for schools and families - where to find everything, asking questions (prompts), 
• Having Routines and modeling makes things very clear for the student. 
• Advice for leaders about executive functioning skills - What would it look like to not teach them, but give them exposure to them through modeling rather than just teaching.

About Mitch Weathers

Mitch Weathers founded Organized Binder out of a need to support struggling students with effective tools. He realized the importance of content-agnostic resources that could benefit students of all abilities. His journey began by embedding essential skills practice into his classroom routine, leading to improved student success and confidence.

Today, Organized Binder is an evidence-based MTSS Tier 1 solution, creating structured, dependable learning environments. It offers content-agnostic tools for goal setting, reflective learning, time management, and more, aligning with UDL principles. Collaborating with diverse educational institutions, Organized Binder empowers students and supports educators in implementing best teaching practices under Mitch Weathers' leadership as the Founder and CEO.

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.

We also talk about Jethro's six week coaching program that is incredibly powerful. Taylor shares her 1-session experience that made her want to go all in for the six week program. If you want a free coaching session like that for yourself, schedule a time here.

• Want to do more to level up and help people
• The saboteur conversation really spoke to me. 
• Identifying what path I do want to go down. 
• Power of the free coaching call. 
• The free coaching session kept Taylor from admiring the problem, and being able to focus on a solution.
• Getting deeper into the root cause of the problem of practice
• How the program helps her find success in current busy times.
• It’s OK to take 2 minutes to take a breather during the day. 
• Heavy, tense training, and now she knows how to do manage it a little better. 
• You don’t have to be isolated or alone doing this work. 
• We should be doing this when things are hard. 
• How this program helps with the really difficult things that are happening in Taylor’s personal life. 
• This is about personal and professional development. 
• Education is about working with humans, so we can’t forget about the human aspect. 
• The challenge of working as the admin in the building with her son in the building. 

About Taylor Davis

After completing college, Taylor Davis embarked on a professional journey as an account executive in marketing/sales. However, a realization struck – inspired by the wisdom of her father, a dedicated teacher and administrator – that a true passion lay in working with children. This revelation led Taylor back to school to pursue a Master’s degree and transition into a fulfilling career as an educator.

The initial teaching years were spent in Georgia, where she dedicated three years to shaping young minds. Subsequently, a return to the home state of Washington extended her teaching career for an additional six years. During this time, the desire to make a broader impact on a larger scale ignited, prompting Taylor, with the support of her father, to pursue administrative credentials. This decision culminated in a role as an elementary Associate Principal in the Lake Washington School District, where she has dedicated the last nine years.

Throughout this period, Taylor encountered the challenges and triumphs of education, navigating a pandemic alongside a myriad of high-needs situations within the school environment. These challenges included addressing behavioral concerns, trauma, and supporting low-income students and families. Taylor found herself in a leadership role twice within seven years, unexpectedly managing the responsibilities of the school due to principals being placed on administrative leave.

Beyond the professional challenges, Taylor faced personal struggles, coping with an abusive relationship while being a new mom. The difficulty of concealing this trauma within the school context, where the same authorities were involved, led Taylor to prioritize professional needs until it became untenable. The onset of the pandemic coincided with a high-conflict divorce from a narcissistic partner, extending over four years. Despite these personal challenges, Taylor remained a committed principal and a full-time single mom to a kindergartner in the school.

This unique blend of professional and personal experiences has given Taylor a distinctive perspective, particularly in understanding the complexities that families and students face, especially those dealing with trauma or poverty. Having emerged on the other side of personal trauma, Taylor is now poised to channel her healing journey into helping others. With an eagerness to utilize her voice for a greater purpose, Taylor is exploring avenues to contribute meaningfully, driven by a sense that there is more she can do to make a positive 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.

In this episode, we talk about self-identifying the challenges we face and asking for help when we need it. We also talk about Jethro's six-week coaching program which is incredibly powerful. Sam shares the 1-session experience that made her want to do the six weeks. If you want a free coaching session like that for yourself, schedule a time here.

• Why Sam was interested in Coaching with Jethro
• Identity tied up in a certain position in a school.
• Struggles: ability to relate to other people following a difficult day. 
• Felt alone as a middle school principal
• Difficult days are especially challenging
• People don’t bring positives to you, they bring problems to you. 
• Don’t have the same opportunities to get support and positive feedback from others. 
• The negative stands out more than the positive. 
• People asking “Are you ok?”
• People were willing to say, “Yes, let’s talk” but she also needed someone outside to say
• The advantage of having a neutral party. 
• Spinning tires on a problem, look at the problem from a human side of it. 
• The outcome was the same, but how she approached it was so much different. 
• Teacher not meeting my expectations - needed to see this person as a human being who was also frustrated and annoyed. 
• How can I help you? What do you need?
• The feedback I’m getting from those being led: more positive things to say, people noticing it. 
• Appreciate how my demeanor has changed in the past few days.
• Internalized a lot of how people perceive me and my school. 
• Just because I was an effective teacher doesn’t mean my way was the best way for this group at this school. 
• How to be a transformative principal? Having a winning mentality that you’re going to win every day, regardless. Allow yourself to have a positive outlook

About Samantha Opperman

Samantha Opperman has 11 years of experience in education. She has served as an English teacher at the secondary and post-secondary level for nine years, an instructional coach at a middle school for one year, and is currently the building principal at Bradshaw Mountain Middle School in Dewey, Arizona.

Opperman is originally from California and moved to Arizona in 2019. She is married to her husband, Daryl, and they have two sons, Luke (5) and Reed (2). Opperman is also in her first year of an educational doctorate program for Leadership and Innovation at Arizona State University.

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 episodes, Kelly interviews Jethro about his Coaching Practice. If you want a free coaching session like that for yourself, schedule a time here.

• The power of mental fitness - starts with self, judgment, and relationships
• jethrojones.com/coach 
• 10 saboteurs and how they show up. 
• Sage powers 
• Mastermind coaching vs. Individual coaching
• Success Mindsets

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 is joined by JC Pohl, of TeenTruth.net to discuss his new book Rising Above: A Story of Positive School Conflict Resolution

• Background is in film and Rising Above is told in a narrative format
• Monica is modeling the behaviors she’s experiencing
• Conflict is such a negative term. 
• Relate at the human level
• Connect, then collaborate
• Give people a voice in the plan, and let them stay in and move forward
• Be curious, ask questions
• We have to go out of our way to make the face-to-face communications needed.
• Administrators do need to have PR and need to have marketing skills
• Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath
• How to partner with parents, rather than dictate to parents
• Not every family is playing with a full deck when it comes to parent involvement - 
• Invite parents into the school more. 
• Scavenger hunt outside of Dallas

About JC Pohl
JC Pohl is an award-winning producer, nationally recognized speaker, and certified counselor who has reached more than 12 million people with his efforts to build school culture and empower student voices. He has produced groundbreaking programs such as TEEN TRUTH and RISING UP, and award-winning content for companies such as Warner Brothers, ESPN, and Disney. He is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and can be reached on Facebook and LinkedIn or directly at www.jcpohl.com.

https://teentruth.net/schoolconflict for more info

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.