Transformative Principal

By Jethro JonesEducation Self-Improvement

Transformative Principal episodes

March 17, 2016Mastermind with Jethro Jones and Daniel Bauer Transformative Principal
Today, Daniel Bauer and I talk about our Mastermind. I encourage you to join. Check it out here: Transformative Mastermind.

If you still have questions or are ready to join, please set up a brief phone call. Schedule a call
Daniel and I are both setting up masterminds. I interview him on his podcast: Better Leaders Better Schools

Mastermind For Principals
We all know that being a principal can be a lonely job. It is isolating to be the only one who has to deal with everything that goes on in your day-to-day life. Some of us have assistant principals, some of us have co principals, but each of us know that there are some things that are just hard to help other people understand what you’re going through.
Enter a mastermind. A mastermind is a group of people who are dedicated to investing in themselves to improve their lives.
We all have social networks which help us in various ways. If you have been on Twitter, in Facebook groups, or Voxer groups, you know there can be an ebb and flow with the conversation and ability to help other people in the group. You know there are a lot of lurkers. You also know that sometimes your questions and needs don’t get answered. Sometimes you don’t even ask questions because you can’t articulate what the problem is without giving a big back story.
A mastermind is different. You commit to being there for yourself and for your teammates. You commit to answering their questions, to supporting them, and, most importantly, to investing in yourself to help you be the best you can be.
Schedule a call with me right now
The truth is, a mastermind isn’t for everybody. Answer the following questions and see if you might be one of the ten principals in the country that will be able to join this mastermind.
Do you want your work and home life to be in balance?
Do you want to lead with a new level of confidence and ability?
Do you want to learn how to communicate with your teachers and students so they understand the vision you have?
Do you want to learn how to work with other principals and leaders in your district to be on the same page, working towards the same mission?
Do you want to be healthier?
Do you want to have better relationships with those you love?
If you answered yes to the questions above, then let’s set up a call and talk further about the possibilities.
Click here to set up the call
What do you get as a member of the mastermind?
Weekly meetings online to facilitate the mastermind.
A group of principals that are willing to help you as you help them.
A monthly leadership book club
A DISC personality profile test to help you understand how you communicate, and help people communicate with you.
Free access to events and trainings.
Private Facebook group and Voxer group.
A rotating weekly problem-solving session that allows you to go deep into the primary problem you are facing in your school.
Specific curated podcast list of the best podcasts available.
Celebrations of overcoming obstacles at your school with people who will understand the complexity of the obstacle.
A time to reflect that will energize you for the next week to be your best.
Lifelong relationships with other principals.
I hope you will join me, and take your leadership to a level you never could have imagined.
Click here to set up a call with me
If you are still not sure, please read through the frequently asked questions below and set up a call with me!
What is the time commitment? We will meet each week online for about 60–90 minutes. These sessions will be jam packed with useful information, problem solving, and reflection.
Why does it cost money? I can join a Voxer group for free! This is more than a Voxer group. This is a group of people, meeting regularly, to make sure that we are being the best we can be. Simply put, if you don’t pay for it, you will likely get “too busy” and blow it off. When you invest an amount of money you are going to be more dedicated to it. Your level of commitment and dedication will be commensurate to the monetary value associated with it. Your monetary investment in yourself shows that you are serious about learning and growing.
What if I don’t have the time for something like this? Then it is not for you.
What if I don’t find it valuable? If you’re not satisfied with it, you can call me and ask for a refund. I’ll ask for feedback about how to make it more meaningful, and happily refund your money.
What if I just want to listen and not participate? The mastermind is for those who want to do. It won’t be as beneficial if you are on the sidelines. That being said, we won’t be forcing anyone to do anything. You will get out of this what you put into it.
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.
24 min
March 13, 2016Top Ranked and Still Improving with Eric Hieser Transformative Principal 115
A continuation of my discussion with Eric Heiser, Exectuve direction or Sturgis Public Charter school in Mass.
Teachers go above and beyond often.
Teachers who join us are into teaching students, not content.
Students thrive on feedback, and if they feel they are going to get it, they are going to go to teachers for it more often.
Teachers mindset has to be, I’m going to do everything I can to help kids be successful.
How do you tease out that mindset?
If I took over your class, and I had no clue about what you were teaching, what words and phrases would your students have about you? How does the teacher see their role and connection?
Tell me something that went really well in the last week and why it went well.
Tell me something that didn’t go well and why didn’t it?
How did you choose your university? Tell me about your favorite class at university and why they were your favorite?
How do you connect outside the classroom and why do you do that?
Student discipline is not about the consequence, but it is about the opportunity to build a connection with the student after a situation and help the student see what they could have done.
Should be about the student growing, not about consequences.
Professional development focused on three areas: 1. Differentiation 2. Habits of mind 3. IB-specific training
Helping all faculty integrate Theory of Knowledge questions.
Preparing students well for assessments, but helping faculty collaborate daily.
Guiding principle is helping each student maximize their potential.
Recruited 5 people over the past month and a half who are the best.
Build passion and enthusiasm in their class, because it is about student learning.
We want every teacher to be at the top of their game every year.
If you’re really really careful about who you hire, you can be successful.
Tell faculty to recommend those who are great. Only recommend top 15%.
We want our kids to experience a star, each and every day.
Start with Why Simon Sinek TED Talk
Don’t measure student success on a specific score on a specific assessment. It is different for each student.
It’s not about a number, it is about them.
Loading…
Please take a moment to rate this podcast in iTunes or on Stitcher.
Ready for a Modern Web Site for your school? Simple School Sites is the place to go for high quality Wordpress sites specially designed for schools.
Please follow me on Twitter: @jethrojones for the host and @TrnFrmPrincipal for the show.
Buy Communication Cards
Show notes on TransformativePrincipal.com
Download Paperless Principal.
Sponsor: Sanebox
Web Site
Transformative Principal on Stitcher
Refer A Principal
Best Tools for Busy Administrators Survey
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.
20 min
March 06, 2016How to Create Learning with Eric Hieser Transformative Principal 114
Eric Heiser is the Exective Director of Sturgis Public Charter School in Massachusetts, where students have a 20% chance of getting in if you don’t have a sibling
International Baccalaureate has programs from K–12 and early college.
IB Diploma program the best preparation for College.
IB Program is a whole conception of a program. Rigorous courses and also character building.
Theory of knowledge, Creative action and service activities.
Gain points for what they know, rather than losing points for what they don’t.
Very few multiple choice tests in the assessments given.
IB for All - no non-IB courses for grades 11 and 12. 9th and 10th grade IB Prep.
Students challenge themselves, and grow into their commitment of becoming all they can be.
Special Needs at Sturgis on the web site
Guiding points on vision: 1. Help each student maximize their own individual potential. 2. Student learning is why we are here and should drive every decision we make.
Moving away from the word teach and saying “How do we create learning?”
3 Rs - Rigor, Relevance, Relationships
IB provides external accountability for Rigor.
Help students see how what they are learning is relevant to their life.
Relationships are enhanced with smaller numbers (2 campuses with 400 students each).
School culture has a deep impact on the students’ learning.
Don’t do ranking, valedictorians, etc. Want students to be their own personal best.
To help students be successful, they need a lot of support, counseling, and care.
Schools can unintentionally create systems and events that detract from student learning.
Recruiting outstanding faculty is the most important thing I do.
Relationship is the most important thing about school. 23"37’
Loading…
Please take a moment to rate this podcast in iTunes or on Stitcher.
Ready for a Modern Web Site for your school? Simple School Sites is the place to go for high quality Wordpress sites specially designed for schools.
Please follow me on Twitter: @jethrojones for the host and @TrnFrmPrincipal for the show.
Buy Communication Cards
Show notes on TransformativePrincipal.com
Download Paperless Principal.
Sponsor: Sanebox
Web Site
Transformative Principal on Stitcher
Refer A Principal
Best Tools for Busy Administrators Survey
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.
22 min
February 28, 2016Smart Professionals with Kimberly Miles Transformative Principal 113
Kimberly Miles is the principal of East Gresham Elementary School. 425 kids, mobility rate 64 students moving in and out since the beginning of the year. 33 percent ELL students. SUN School - community support in the school.
PLCs
Leadership Team
25 minutes each week with principal discussing the instruction and learning.
Instructional coach.
Essential Questions
Meet weekly as a team
Sense of urgency is happening.
PD for Leadership Team
Smart professionals can choose their own tools for the job.
Also more fun to let them experience their own success.
New focus is seeing students
Comprehensive needs assessments
Students need shared ownership
Specific feedback
Universal screeners for our students, they showed they were really struggling.
DIBELs gives an indicator
Phonics Screener
Still need to create common formative assessments to help students demonstrate proficiency.
Consultants come in to work with team to facilitate the needed changes.
How to facilitate difficult conversations.
Strict schedule is needed.
Really want to be a good listener as a leader.
How to be a transformative principal: Ask
Loading…
Please take a moment to rate this podcast in iTunes or on Stitcher.
Ready for a Modern Web Site for your school? Simple School Sites is the place to go for high quality Wordpress sites specially designed for schools.
Please follow me on Twitter: @jethrojones for the host and @TrnFrmPrincipal for the show.
Buy Communication Cards
Show notes on TransformativePrincipal.com
Download Paperless Principal.
Sponsor: Sanebox
Web Site
Transformative Principal on Stitcher
Refer A Principal
Best Tools for Busy Administrators Survey
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.
18 min
February 27, 2016Helping Great Teachers Fly with Rick Wormeli and Todd Whitaker Transformative Principal Special #nassp16
I was so honored to chat with Todd Whitaker and Rick Wormeli after their keynote at the #nassp16 conference.
This was a really fun conversation today. These two guys were so excited about what they were talking about they just kept going. It was awesome.
Professional Development.
Twitter chats (Comprehensive list of Twitter Chats)
Twitter is the best free professional development there is.
Exposed to newer research-based information
How sad that we use research as an excuse to not do something.
The teachers is a ceaseless researcher in their classroom.
When there is a great teacher, there is no research, because it has never been done.
How to help your great teachers fly.
How to help struggling teachers.

Loading…
Please take a moment to rate this podcast in iTunes or on Stitcher.
Ready for a Modern Web Site for your school? Simple School Sites is the place to go for high quality Wordpress sites specially designed for schools.
Please follow me on Twitter: @jethrojones for the host and @TrnFrmPrincipal for the show.
Buy Communication Cards
Show notes on TransformativePrincipal.com
Download Paperless Principal.
Sponsor: Sanebox
Web Site
Transformative Principal on Stitcher
Refer A Principal
Best Tools for Busy Administrators Survey
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.
34 min
February 23, 2016Don't be an Alchemist with Cory Doctorow Transformative Principal Special
Cory Doctorow is a Canadian journalist and science fiction author. Follow him on Twitter, Web site, BoingBoing
Cory spoke at ASTE this week, and I am excited to share the things I learned from him.
Failing well
We tend to ignore failing.
What we should teach kids about technology
Reidentification - people can figure out who you are.
What we should teach kids
Anonymity + distance = jerky behavior
Should we be critical of the software and systems we use?
Proprietary vs. open
There’s never been a field or endeavor where scrutiny by your peers has not helped.
Adversarial peer review.
You can lock yourself into bad systems if you’re not careful.
If 10% of a group got together and spent their money on developing open source software then they would produce something better that what is available.
We did this at Kodiak Middle with our Pickr app
Collective action threshold
What is one thing that you can do to be a transformative principal? Got out of the students’ way. Employees were empowered to cost the company money if that made the experience better.
His teacher let him read all day for two days.
Electronic Frontier Foundation
National network of campus clubs for EFF. Email [email protected] for more information.
Loading…
Please take a moment to rate this podcast in iTunes or on Stitcher.
Ready for a Modern Web Site for your school? Simple School Sites is the place to go for high quality Wordpress sites specially designed for schools.
Please follow me on Twitter: @jethrojones for the host and @TrnFrmPrincipal for the show.
Buy Communication Cards
Show notes on TransformativePrincipal.com
Download Paperless Principal.
Sponsor: Sanebox
Web Site
Transformative Principal on Stitcher
Refer A Principal
Best Tools for Busy Administrators Survey
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.
27 min
February 21, 2016Improving Professional Learning with Carl Hooker Transformative Principal Special
Special Episode!
This weekend I am at the ASTE Conference, and I had the privilege of learning from Carl Hooker for a leadership workshop all day on Saturday. It’s always fun to learn from a great presenter, and Carl is one of those. Carl did a great job of engaging a bunch of administrators, helping us get our guard down, and making the conversation great.
Carl has been involved in education since graduating from the University of Texas in 1998. He has been in a variety of positions in both Austin ISD and Eanes ISD, from 1st grade teacher to Virtualization Coordinator. He’s a father of three girls, Sophia, Lauren, and Caroline and a wonderful, understanding wife Renee, all of which play a large role in any presentations he gives or blogs he writes. Carl is the Director of Innovation & Digital Learning in the Eanes Independent School District. He is also the founder of the learning festival called iPadpalooza.
As Director, he utilizes his background in both education and technology to bring a unique vision to the district and its programs. During his time in the position, the district has jumped into social media, adopted the Google Apps for Education and started to build a paperless environment with Google Docs. He helped spearhead the LEAP (Learning and Engaging through Access and Personalization) which put 1:1 iPads into the hands of all K–12 students at Eanes.
See more at Mr. Hooker's Web Site!
Director of Innovation
How to engage people for professional development
Building in reflection
Brain Breaks Search on Twitter
Would I want to be a learner in my own class?
Reverse Charades
Padlet
Ben Breedlove Story
Dropvox
PechaFlickr - Powerpoint Karaoke - Here's what I did during this session: https://youtu.be/-smF0nG2KYk
Loading…
Please take a moment to rate this podcast in iTunes or on Stitcher.
Ready for a Modern Web Site for your school? Simple School Sites is the place to go for high quality Wordpress sites specially designed for schools.
Please follow me on Twitter: @jethrojones for the host and @TrnFrmPrincipal for the show.
Buy Communication Cards
Show notes on TransformativePrincipal.com
Download Paperless Principal.
Sponsor: Sanebox
Web Site
Transformative Principal on Stitcher
Refer A Principal
Best Tools for Busy Administrators Survey
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.
17 min
February 21, 2016Turnaround Principal with Kimberly Miles Transformative Principal 112
Kimberly Miles is the principal of East Gresham Elementary School. 425 kids, mobility rate 64 students moving in and out since the beginning of the year. 33 percent ELL students. SUN School - community support in the school.
Turnaround principal.
Everyone had the choice to leave or apply to stay.
Looking for a willingness to do what works.
How are we as a team going to fulfill that need for our kids?
So much work to be done. Where would you start first for equitable student achievement?
Are you willing to do the work?
Building a culture of change. We GET to do this, and isn’t that exciting?
As a leader, I go fast. Go slow to go fast.
3 things we did: 1. Culture change 2. Targeted Professional Development 3. Effective instruction
Focus on literacy. How to teach the Big 5 in literacy.
Grit and growth mindset.
I can’t do it, yet.
Feedback and trust are vital.
Learning to trust each other and admit that I don’t know.
Willingness to try something different.
Loading…
Please take a moment to rate this podcast in iTunes or on Stitcher.
Ready for a Modern Web Site for your school? Simple School Sites is the place to go for high quality Wordpress sites specially designed for schools.
Please follow me on Twitter: @jethrojones for the host and @TrnFrmPrincipal for the show.
Buy Communication Cards
Show notes on TransformativePrincipal.com
Download Paperless Principal.
Sponsor: Sanebox
Web Site
Transformative Principal on Stitcher
Refer A Principal
Best Tools for Busy Administrators Survey
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.
18 min
February 14, 2016Establishing Healthy Boundaries with Frederick Lane Transformative Principal 111
Frederick Lane is an author, attorney, educational consultant, and lecturer based in Brooklyn, NY. He is a nationally-recognized expert in the areas of cybersafety, digital misconduct, personal privacy, and other topics at the intersection of law, technology, and society. Lane has appeared on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” CNN, NBC, ABC, CBS, the BBC, and MSNBC. He has written eight books, including most recently Cybertraps for Educators (Mathom Press 2015). All of his books are available on Amazon.com or through his Web site, FrederickLane.com.
Less concerned about teachers communicating directly with parents. Not really a problem unless they are having a problem or argument.
Need to have the mindfulness to step back and get someone else involved if there is a disagreement.
General rule of thumb. No unmediated electronic communication between a teacher and a student.
Digital communication inherently strips out that humanity, so why not have it mediated.
Take whatever steps necessary to make it difficult to be found by your students.
Make accounts as private as possible.
Select different social media channels for different purposes.
Difficult to pull things back once you put them out there.
How to be a transformative principal: Communication is the key to all of this.
Post unto others as you would be posted to.
1:1 education - when schools provide the technology, they need to play an aggressive and firm role in monitoring what kind of activity happens in school.
The real problem is bypassing the schools network.
Ongoing education, clear acceptable use policies, more education.
Web site
Loading…
Please take a moment to rate this podcast in iTunes or on Stitcher.
Ready for a Modern Web Site for your school? Simple School Sites is the place to go for high quality Wordpress sites specially designed for schools.
Please follow me on Twitter: @jethrojones for the host and @TrnFrmPrincipal for the show.
Buy Communication Cards
Show notes on TransformativePrincipal.com
Download Paperless Principal.
Sponsor: Sanebox
Web Site
Transformative Principal on Stitcher
Refer A Principal
Best Tools for Busy Administrators Survey
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.
24 min
February 07, 2016Cybertraps for Educators with Frederick Lane Transformative Principal 110
Frederick Lane is an author, attorney, educational consultant, and lecturer based in Brooklyn, NY. He is a nationally-recognized expert in the areas of cybersafety, digital misconduct, personal privacy, and other topics at the intersection of law, technology, and society. Lane has appeared on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” CNN, NBC, ABC, CBS, the BBC, and MSNBC. He has written eight books, including most recently Cybertraps for Educators (Mathom Press 2015). All of his books are available on Amazon.com or through his Web site, FrederickLane.com.
Cybertraps - problems that people have dealt with for many years
Technology makes things easier.
We don’t have a good clearinghouse across the country.
Don’t need technology to be a predator.
Slippery slope of boundary violations.
Most common cybertraps: productivity within the school environment, oversharing of personal information, use of social media to start or engage in an inappropriate relationship.
Digital technology has a leveling effect.
Personal information about someone is not helpful in the education environment.
You don’t need to share information with your students in order to have a relationship with them.
Responsibility to educate students about technology.
Idea that smartphones need to have a learner’s permit.
Cell phones are the equivalent of high powered equipment that needs training and supervision.
Kids are experts in the operation of technology.
Our current adult generation was blindsided by the introduction of technology.
Develop ways of thinking about this to fold new technology into appropriate social interactions.
Web site
Loading…
Please take a moment to rate this podcast in iTunes or on Stitcher.
Ready for a Modern Web Site for your school? Simple School Sites is the place to go for high quality Wordpress sites specially designed for schools.
Please follow me on Twitter: @jethrojones for the host and @TrnFrmPrincipal for the show.
Buy Communication Cards
Show notes on TransformativePrincipal.com
Download Paperless Principal.
Sponsor: Sanebox
Web Site
Transformative Principal on Stitcher
Refer A Principal
Best Tools for Busy Administrators Survey
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.
29 min

About Transformative Principal

From the publisher's feed

Jethro Jones interviews instructional leaders from around the nation to learn and teach what it takes to become a transformative principal. Episodes address topics like Response to Intervention (RTI),…