Transformative Principal

In this episode, Dr. Erin Bailey joins Jethro Jones to talk about how to engage families in inspiring the joy of reading in children. Making reading backed by research, powered by joyConcerns in children’s reading - not teaching it correctlyTeaching teachers to be culturally responsiveTrain teachers in getting to know their students. Things we should do to teach kids reading: phonological awareness (hearing and manipulating sounds), phonics, vocabulary, fluency (rate, accuracy, expression), and comprehension.Typically science of reading stops at the first two.There’s no one way to teach readingMotivation to readGiving children access to books that they own and chooseLink between motivation and reading, and motivation and comprehensionBookmobile, printed, SkybraryGetting joy from the experienceParents are the primary educatorsYou can’t out-teach the culture of the home.Teacher PD about family engagement systemsFamily engagement vs. family involvementFamily engagement is the family system and the school system

In this episode, Matthew Ebert joins Jethro to discuss how to actively and intentionally create the space for educators to be their authentic selves at work and how that impacts a greater school community.Ongoing, authentic, and messy1:1 meetings with all the staff.Slack as a schoolwide communication tool - How to implement without teachers feeling like they need to be in the Avoid performative care6 staff meetings in one year. Use Slack as you need it - AutonomyPower of muting channelsHilarious communitiesThe power of continuous meetings. All development is personal. (The Personal is Professional)Must have holistic approaches to all things. Try, fail, cry, and try again. 6 staff meetingsThe Art of GatheringInitiatives came from the teachers, not from the administration. Grades were not an accurate reflection of what kids really could do. Care vs. accountability Schools are not families, they’re teams. How to be a transformative principal? Stop going to meetings and start going to classrooms. About Matthew Eb

Jethro sits down with David Bryan to talk about how to make school more worthwhile. The difference between public and private schoolsMore freedom in a private school to address issues in their schools.How to manage high tuition.All students paid tuition.Why he started New Roads to connect people. The richness of a diverse population leads to amazing environments.Schools that are worthwhile are flexible, nimble, and messy. What does the future of education look like? Schools have to invest in those areas where kids are interested.Improving the conversation by being together.Every human being has been learning from the time they were aware. “Getting Credit” for their learning.Kids learning skateboarding tricks. Fan the flames that are there. Grade school teachers David Bolton - Educational ActivistCuriosity Invited PodcastHow to be a transformative principal? Pause before you say no. About David BryanThrough a decades-long career in the trade, business, and education spaces, Dr. David Bryan has garnered the ski

How to converse with Chatbots using other toolsBackground in ELA teachingThinking of the tool as a reading assistantWhat is a reading assistant?Getting an executive summary Get an idea if I should really dive into this idea. Process - find the text, ask what it is, then zoom in, Zoom out as neededHallucinations exist, but they are reduced when the text is there. AI For the rest of us - AugmentationHow does this make Rod a better learner?Focuses my time better and helps me know what I should spend my time on. How leaders talk to one another. Finding a gap in the research - hard to discern the landscape. Reading more scholarly research because I have a tool that helps me know I’m going to get something from it. Science Direct and Google Scholar to find resources.Like the autonomy of interacting directly with the source. @rodjnaquin everywhere but check out the substack.

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 teachPK-8th grade over a quarter million devoted to studentsSmall class sizes, 2 teachers in a class of 20. Started at 85 studentsIncredible amount of individual supportTransportation is 7% of the budget. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner every dayWraparound servicesOn-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 marshallWorking with a local Medicaid provider30% higher in every category than every other child on MedicaidLooking at lots of data for whole-child outcomes51% at grade level at the start, and 85% at grade level at the end of the year.Not all roses and sunshineScreenings 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 mattersBenjamin Bloom’s Research - Acton AcademyUsing p

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 integrityYou 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 everythingLeaders give people authority and trust to own that part of the organizationThis 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

Linking Leaders Podcast - subscribe and listen in your podcast player of choice.Small little seeds of ideas Administrator hacks - How they interactBuilding pathways for administrator prep and their early days.Content and process of what we provide.Connector for administratorsMentoring aspiring administratorsWhat 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 practiceLower 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 summitsPlay-based learning2nd 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

How the coaching call worked well for Hillary. Female, like-minded folksTrying PQ reps has been newWorking on one saboteur - physically embody that saboteur.Constantly on technology and value time away from technologyListening to my team and giving them space. Teams focusing on helping her with her saboteur when she divulged what her saboteur isHow 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 asiAbout Hillary ChapmanHillary 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

Family Engagement - Daily practice employing executive functioning skillsIf parents are informed they can help in a more powerful wayBringing parents into the process mattersHow do I hone this down into a daily task?Alexis Reid Podcast on Resilient SchoolsHow to keep from fighting with your kidsModeling 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 growAccountability - 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 creatingThen evaluate what you need to adjust to make it happenWorking on it over timeActual implementation is much better than lessonsThe actual implementation for schools and families - where to find everything, asking questions (prompts), Having Routines and modeling

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 pe

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

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

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 PohlJC Pohl is an award-winning producer, nationally recognized speaker, and certified counselor who has reached more than 12 million people with his efforts to buil

Dr. Robert Feirsen is currently associate professor and coordinator of the Educational Leadership Program at Manhattanville College. Previously, he was assistant professor and chair of the Education Department at New York Institute of Technology. A former SAANYS member,  Dr. Feirsen enjoyed a distinguished career in P-12 schools. As a school building leader in Westchester and Nassau Counties, he served as an elementary school principal, a middle school assistant principal, and a middle school principal. At the central office level, he served as an assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, deputy superintendent, and superintendent of schools. Dr. Feirsen taught at the elementary, middle, and high school levels as a social studies and special education teacher in schools in New York City before moving into supervisory roles. Dr. Feirsen holds an Ed.D. from Fordham University.Dr. Feirsen’s research interests include addressing organizational conflict, the school principal-school counselor relation

Maxwell Roach is the founder of JonAyves Learning Club. He’s toured the world as a musician sharing stages with artists such as Beyoncé and the Rolling Stones, directed operations for a multi-million dollar tech company, created and sold health products into grocery stores, and was the  CEO of a child care organization with over 250 children across 4 centres.In today’s episode, we discuss the role of tutoring, the negative connotation it can carry with students and families, and how it can fit the current need of addressing post pandemic learning across the world.  His experiences with his own children learning to master the Rubik's cube and Abacus help illustrate the power of harnessing technology and welcoming those outside of the classroom to help achieve the mission of all students learning at high levels.Max can be reached by going to jonayveslearningclub.com

Dr. John Schembari is an Improvement Coach through which he supports teachers and school leaders by performing on site evaluations, identifying data informed trends, reviewing curriculum/assessment materials, creating improvement plans, coaching individuals one-on-one, developing and delivering group training to educators, and implementing evidence-based instructional strategies that improve teaching practices and increase student learning. JOHN SCHEMBARI Senior Education Executive  In today’s episode, we discuss everything curriculum.  John shares his answer when teachers say “I’m just going to hurry up and teach all of the curriculum” and  “I’m done with the curriculum work”.  Instead of teaching the curriculum, John explains how we should be focused on student learning, and he describes the importance of curriculum review cycles.  We also explore the role textbooks play and what teachers need if they are going to be tasked with developing their own curriculum and assessments. Best way for listeners to reac

Matt Chaussee is the CEO of Be More Colorful, a Midwest-based immersive media production studio whose platform, CareerViewXR, is rapidly gaining national attention. Matt, along with his wife (and company owner) Katie, lead an innovative team of creatives who are laser focused on making career exploration affordable, accessible, and fun! CareerViewXR provides students and adult career seekers across the country with an unprecedented opportunity to experience real-world careers through virtual reality technology. Recently selected from a field of over 2,000 applicants to be one of 33 Semifinalists for the prestigious Yass Prize, Matt will discuss the significance of the award, and how he sees tools like CareerViewXR transforming how we guide students on their educational journey.Please add questions that we would ask here, and you can add anything that you would like to add as well.  STOP Principles of the Yass Prize Help us connect with students in new and different ways.  How do we use tried and true strategi

The Bridging to Resilience conference is about coming together with educators, social workers, health care professionals, religious communities, and other helping professionals to share conversations, ideas, strategies, tools, and connections to help build resilience and heal trauma in our own communities. November 6-8 in Wichita, Kansas. Register to attend this conference today! James Anderson is an Australian-based international speaker, author, and educator who is passionate about helping us become better learners. His Mindset Continuum builds on Carol Dweck's work on Growth Mindsets to give us practical tools to nurture a deeper understanding of ourselves as learners. His description of  Learnership - the skill of learning, then gives us a powerful way to understand and improve how we engage in the learning process.  The result: we get better at getting better!Originally a teacher and school leader, for the past 20 years, James has been working with schools to make classrooms more thoughtful places. He ch

The Bridging to Resilience conference is about coming together with educators, social workers, health care professionals, religious communities, and other helping professionals to share conversations, ideas, strategies, tools, and connections to help build resilience and heal trauma in our own communities. November 6-8 in Wichita, Kansas. Register to attend this conference today! Andrea Gribble is the master of all things social media for schools.  Her first book recently launched: Social Media for Schools: Proven Storytelling Strategies & Ideas to Celebrate Your Students & Staff - Without Losing Your Sanity  and she is the host of a podcast called Mastering Social Media for SchoolsIn today’s episode, Andrea shares where staff can start when they are handed the social media duties for the school or district.  She describes the systems she uses to schedule content and keep followers engaged, how to keep the content going during the summer months, and how to keep it positive.Andrea can be reached by goi