SchoolCEO: Marketing for School Leaders

When Jenna Rhodes entered the classroom, she admits that she knew more about biology than pedagogy. But as she began her teaching career, she became fascinated how she could become a better teacher, using biology— brain science in particular.Jenna's quest for understanding led her to NeuroTeach, a book based on the work Glen Whitman and Dr. Ian Kelleher. Jenna was amazed at what she learned— and started a quest to partner with NeuroTeach to bring neuroscience-based teaching to her district in one of Georgia's most impoverished counties. In this episode of SchooCEO Conversations, Jenna discusses how neuroscience has impacted her work as an educator and what school leaders can do to better teach in concert with their students' brain development. Follow Jenna at @rhodes_jjLearn more about Neuroteach Global at https://neuroteach.us/. Subscribe to SchoolCEO at  SchoolCEO.com for more advice, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you'd like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com.

Dr. Philip Lanoue has always been interested in the big ideas in public education, and after serving as an educator for over 40 years, he has the experience to back up his ideas. Because of his work as a superintendent in Georgia's Clarke County School District, Dr. Lanoue was recognized as AASA's 2015 National Superintendent of the Year. Dr. Lanoue has authored multiple books on public education including The Emerging Work of Today's Superintendent and Navigating the Unknown in Education.In this episode of SchooCEO Conversations, Dr. Lanoue discusses his experiences as a lifelong educator, his current research, and what he is looking forward to in the ever-changing landscape of American public education. Follow Dr. Philip Lanoue at: @pdlconsultants or at https://pdlconsultants.com/'Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for more advice, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you'd like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com.

Nearing the one-year anniversary of the attack on the US Capitol, we explore US public education's history and its relationship with democracy. Joining us, Dr. Johann N. Neem, the author of Democracy's Schools: The Rise of Public Education in America, shares insights from his research and how many of the debates today mirror those in the early republicDr. Johann N. Neem is a professor of history at Western Washington University and an editor for the Journal of the Early Republic. Dr. Neem's most recent book What's the Point of College? Seeking Purpose in an Age of Reform explores the debates around higher education and its value.Dr. Johann N. Neem (@JohannNeem)Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for more advice, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you'd like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com.

Approaching the one-year anniversary of AASA's Aspiring Superintendents Academy for Latino and Latina Leaders, Dr. Lupita Hightower joins us to share the amazing stories from their very first cohort. Dr. Hightower previously joined us on the podcast to discuss her experiences as superintendent of Arizona's Tolleson Elementary School. She coteaches the academy with Dr. Gladys Cruz, superintendent of New York's Questar III BOCES. If you are interested in applying to one of AASA's Aspiring Superintendents Academy or know someone who should apply, check out aasa.org/aspiring.Dr. Lupita Hightower (@LupitaHightower)AASA (@AASAHQ)Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for more advice, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you'd like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com.

The pandemic has shown many school districts how important school nurses are to a successful school district. Despite everyone knowing about school nursing, many educators don't realize all that school nurses do for students on any given day.In this episode, Donna Mazyck, the Executive Director of the National Association of School Nurses, shares her own experiences as a school nurse and the real impact school nurses have on students. Donna further shares how district leaders can fund school nursing through health care funding instead of education funding.Check out the Healthy Schools Campaign to learn how to leverage COVID relief funds and Medicaid to establish long-term school nursing and school health programs. Donna Mazyck (@DonnaMazyck)National Association of School Nurses (@schoolnurses)Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for more advice, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you'd like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com.

For Dr. Jeremy Owoh, listening has always been a cornerstone of his leadership philosophy. Now superintendent of the recently established Jacksonville-North Pulaski Schools, Owoh is striving to establish a district that has authentic educational equity at its heart—and a big part of that is built on the practice of deep listening and honest conversations.In this episode of SchooCEO Conversations, Owoh discusses authentic educational equity, the unique voice inherent in student advisory councils, and how to make PLCs a space where failure is understood as a part of growth.Dr. Jeremy Owoh: @DrJay_06Jacksonville/North Pulaski Schools: @JNPSD1Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for more advice, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you'd like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com.

Chris Cipriano, Ph.D., is an Applied Developmental and Educational Psychologist whose research has focused on Social-Emotional Learning, especially as it relates to marginalized student and teacher populations. In this episode, Dr. Cipriano shares insights from her research around SEL and her own personal experiences as a parent of a child with special needs.Dr. Cipriano currently serves as the Director of Research for the Yale Center of Emotional Intelligence and is an Assistant Professor at the Yale Child Study Center at the Yale School of Medicine. Dr. Chris Cipriano (@drchriscip)You can reach out to Chris at christina.cipriano@yale.edu or on her website at drcriscip.com. Check out ycei.org for more information about the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence.Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for more advice, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you'd like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com. 

Danielle Dreilinger is the North Carolina Storytelling Reporter for the USA Today Network and the author of The Secret History of Home Economics: How Trailblazing Women Harnessed the Power of Home and Changed the Way We Live, which was published in 2021. Prior to researching her book, Danielle covered the charter school movement for NOLA.com. In this episode, Danielle discusses her book and the surprising impact that the home economics movement has on the way we live today. Danielle also shares home economics impacts on public education, from paving the way for free school lunches to teaching generations of students about food safety and home maintenance. We then dive into the future of home economics classes and how they might be poised for a resurgence given the rising importance of social-emotional learning and students' interest in sustainable living. Danielle can be reached via Twitter at @djdreilinger or through her website at thedailyreason.com. Superintendents interested in learning more about home economics should reach out to the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (https://www.aafcs.org/) which has chapters in every state.Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for more advice, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you'd like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com.

The charter school movement has exploded since the first ones opened in Minnesota in the 1980s. But when the first charter school moved in near Dr. Shon Hildreth, then a principal in North Carolina, he didn't know how to respond. After experiencing the impact on his school's enrollment, Shon decided to explore in his dissertation how a charter school opening impacts a local district. He was familiar with the enrollment changes, but he decided to dig deeper into whether the districts changed their practices in response to the charter school and if the charter school led to improvement and innovation in the local districts. In this episode, Shon shares his insights from his research and his own experiences working in districts impacted by charter schools.Randolph County Schools (@RandCoSchools)Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for more advice, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you'd like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com.

Dr. Andy Crozier became a superintendent when he was 28. At the time, he was the youngest superintendent in the state of Iowa. Despite his age and the dreaded label “millennial,” Dr. Crozier simply focused on what all good superintendents do—building trust. There have been many misconceptions pushed about millennials. Even now, many don't realize that the youngest millennials graduated college years ago, and the oldest are hitting their 40s. With millennials now making up the majority of the workforce—including in schools—more superintendencies will be filled by millennials. In this episode, Dr. Crozier shares his own experience as a millennial superintendent and speculates on how the superintendency might change with generational shifts.Dr. Andy Crozier (@acrozier22)Central Lee Community School District (@CentralLeeCSD)Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for more advice, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you'd like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com.

By the time a student graduates high school, they'll have spent about a year of their education under the supervision of a substitute teacher. Unfortunately, for most schools, the only requirement to “sub” is a negative TB test. It's a lose-lose system—kids miss learning; administrators, paraprofessionals, and teachers are frustrated; and the substitutes themselves often have no context for the schools they're walking into.In light of these issues, Central Falls School District decided to rethink the traditional substitute teacher model. In this episode, Jay Midwood, the district's Chief of Human Capital, shares how the small Rhode Island district built its Warrior Teaching Fellowship to ensure quality instruction for students and a robust talent pipeline for the district.If you would like to connect with Jay about the Warrior Teaching Fellowship, you can email at midwoodj@cfschools.net or reach him on Twitter.Jay Midwood (@JayMidwood)Central Falls School District (@CFSchoolsRI)Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for more advice, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you'd like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com.

If you've been in the education field for some time, you've probably heard people championing the need for social and emotional learning in schools. And once the pandemic hit, the cries for more SEL—not just for your students, for you and your staff as well—became even louder.But not everyone sees the value in greater social-emotional supports. Many educators were surprised when some conservatives began speaking out against SEL in schools, connecting it with critical race theory and Marxism. Now, school boards and district leaders are dealing with yet another ideological uproar.In this episode, we chat with Adam Tyner, Associate Director of Research for the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, about his recent report, How to Sell SEL: Parents and the Politics of Social-Emotional Learning, in which he explores the connection between political party affiliation and support for SEL.Adam Tyner (@redandexpert)Thomas B Fordham Institute (@educationgadfly)Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for more advice, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you'd like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com.

School shootings have been on the rise in recent years. For obvious reasons, any measure about school safety usually gets a lot of attention and strong opinions. One proposal in the school safety discussion is having armed personnel on school grounds. While many districts now have resources officers in buildings, some have proposed arming teachers and other non-law enforcement members of the school team. In his recent dissertation, Dr. Mark Lenhian from Wayne Community Schools in Nebraska researched school emergency management planning, including arming teachers. Mark surveyed superintendents from Nebraska, some of whom are in the unique position of being miles away from any form of professional emergency response, about their perceptions of arming their staff to protect students. In this episode, Mark shares how his research has surprised him and how he is working to continually better understand how to keep schools like his own safe places to learn. Dr. Mark Lenihan (@MarkLenihan61)Wayne Community Schools (@WayneSchools)Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for more advice, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you'd like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com.

When Dr. Julie Vitale was growing up, she wanted to be a nun, an actress, or a teacher. Because of the impact teachers had on her own life, teaching won out. Now at the helm of California's Oceanside Unified School District, Vitale has brought her passion for making students feel loved, cared for, and welcome to the extremely diverse district. Thanks to the work she and her team have done, Vitale was named the 2021 Equity Champion by the San Diego County of Education. In this episode, Vitale shares how Oceanside has become a leader in addressing equity challenges and how this work is at the core of her love for education.Dr. Julie Vitale (@OsideSup)Oceanside Unified School District (@OsideUSD)Click here to access the LGBTQ+ Youth Standards of Care, which are mentioned in this episode.Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for more advice, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you'd like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com.

Dr. Julie Stamm grew up loving sports—from the three she lettered in throughout high school to her beloved Wisconsin Badgers football. This passion led her to a career in athletic training, where she eventually witnessed a high school football player suffer a traumatic concussion that affected all aspects of his life.Wanting to understand more about the brain and how to keep it safe, Stamm went on to become a researcher at the Boston University Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) Center and the Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory at Harvard Medical School. Now, she's an expert on brain development and how contact sports can impact the brains of young athletes.In her recently published book The Brain on Youth Sports: The Science, the Myth, and the Future, Stamm explores the benefits of sports for youth and what we need to know about protecting young athletes' brains. In this episode, she shares not only her research and recommendations, but also the personal experiences with sports that shaped her life and education.Dr. Julie Stamm (@JulieStammPhD)You can find Dr. Stamm's book The Brain On Youth Sports: The Science, The Myths, And The Future on her website or wherever you get your books. Check out the Virginia Tech Helmet Ratings to see unbiased reports on helmets and other safety equipment for sports. Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for more advice, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you'd like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com.

Until 2019, Liz Kirby had spent her entire education career in Chicago, moving from a teacher to a superintendent-equivalent position in the country's third-largest school district. When she decided to “come home” to the Cleveland, Ohio, area, she thought Chicago had prepared her for just about anything. But after taking the helm at Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District, Kirby realized there was a big difference between leading in Chicago and being the superintendent of a smaller school district in a state rife with school choice legislation. Early on, Kirby recognized that she would need to take on more roles than she ever expected—including that of a politician. In this episode, Kirby shares how she balances her district duties with her political advocacy at the state and local level, working to provide the best possible education for her students.Liz Kirby (@CHUHSupt)Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District (@CHUHSchools)Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for more advice, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you'd like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com.

When the pandemic hit, districts across the country had to rely on their technology teams like never before. Thanks to the pandemic, technology is irrevocably intertwined with education, and superintendents have to be technologically literate. Luckily for his district, Dr. Doug Brubaker, Superintendent of Texarkana ISD in Texas, served as a technology director before ever reaching the superintendency, helping him and his teams respond to the tech demands the pandemic brought. In this episode, Dr. Brubaker shares how he's thinking about technology in the Texas district and how superintendents can use technology not to replace educational practices, but to redefine them.Dr. Doug Brubaker (@DougBrubaker)Texarkana ISD (@TexarkanaISD)Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for more advice, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you'd like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com.

Having come from a long line of educators, Jeff Butts always knew he wanted to be an administrator. Now, Butts is the superintendent of MSD Wayne township, one of 11 school districts in Indianapolis. As the superintendent of a diverse student body, a large percentage of whom qualify for assistance, Butts' leadership is characterized by visibility and advocacy. Butts is intentional about how he engages with all sectors of the community, believing that a great community makes great schools and vice versa. In this episode of SchoolCEO Conversations, Butts shares how he has worked with his community to support students—from getting coffee with legislators to meeting with health commissioners to borrowing all the coolers he could find in order to safely transport meals to students at the beginning of the pandemic.Dr. Jeff Butts (@WayneTwpSuper)MSD Wayne Township (@WayneTwpSchools)Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for more advice, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you'd like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com.

Coaching girls' swimming is where Jill Siler first heard the call to education. After that, Siler's passion for impacting students' lives has only grown. Now, with 26 years in education, Siler has served nearly 10 years as Gunter ISD's superintendent, authored the book Thrive through the Five: Practical Truths to Powerfully Lead through Challenging Times, and is transitioning into a new role with TASA (Texas Association of School Administrators). A proponent of leading with vulnerability, Siler faces challenges head on with openness and honesty. Instead of shying away from the struggles inherent in leadership roles, she considers it a privilege to be trusted with making the hard decisions and recognizes hardship as a key ingredient for growing as a leader.In this episode of SchoolCEO Conversations, Siler shares her passion for effective leadership and discusses major themes from her book, including mentorship, motherhood and women in the superintendency, and how to thrive during seasons of difficulty.To check out Thrive Through the Five and find book study resources, go to jillmsiler.com/book.Dr. Jill Siler (@jillmsiler)Texas Association of School Administrators (@tasanet)Texas Council of Women School Executives (tcwse.org)Gunter ISD (@Gunter_ISD)Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for more advice, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you'd like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com. 

Starting his education career as a teacher and soccer coach, Dr. Glenn Robbins learned the power of connection and teamwork early on. Fortunately for the students and staff in Brigantine—the small island community just north of Atlantic City—this was an invaluable asset when the pandemic sent everyone home just one month into Robbins' superintendence. Keenly focused on the needs of his district's stakeholders, Robbins has been able to rally Brigantine together to streamline online learning, make asynchronous instruction more inclusive, and instill a sense of hope and growth into the students and families the district serves. In this episode, Robbins shares his passion for building connections, bringing people together to achieve the seemingly insurmountable, and growing a learning community where students can design their own futures.Dr. Glenn Robbins (@Glennr1809)Brigantine Community School (@brigschools)Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for more advice, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you'd like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com.

Starting her career as a journalist before moving into school public relations, Lesley Bruinton quickly realized that many schools don't know how to utilize or value their communications and public relations professionals.So she set out to discover how she could use her skills and experience as a communicator to effect change for students and families in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Recognizing herself as a content specialist, Bruinton incorporates strategic communications into her work, focusing on the four-step process of Research, Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation. This has helped Bruinton streamline her work and build capacity in others to be effective communicators. In this episode of SchoolCEO Conversations, Bruinton shares her thoughts on the field of school communications, the role that PR professionals can and should play in schools, and how they can help leaders in times of transition.To learn more about  NSPRA, the National School Public Relations Association, check them out on Twitter @NSPRA or find your local chapter at nspra.org. Lesley Bruinton, A.P.R. (@lesleybruinton)Tuscaloosa City Schools ( @TCSBoardofEd)Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for more advice, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you'd like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com.

When most people think of Selma, AL, they think of a past associated with images like the Edmund Pettus Bridge, John Lewis, and the Civil Rights Movement. But for Dr. Avis Williams, superintendent of Selma City Schools, her Selma is about the future. Although Selma has a rich history, when Dr. Williams arrived in the district, the small school district in the Black Belt of Alabama faced many of the same challenges that small school districts across the country experience, including a shrinking teacher and leadership pool. The lack of available talent was so bad that whenever the district needed to hire someone for a leadership role—whether in the classroom or in administration—they were constantly having to look elsewhere. In order to ensure an even brighter future for Selma, Dr. Williams and her team developed a leadership pipeline in the small district.  In this episode, Dr. Williams shares how the small district of Selma was able to create a robust leadership pipeline for teachers and administrators.Dr. Avis Williams (@DrAvisW)Selma City Schools (@SelmaSchools)Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for more advice, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you'd like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com.

Lisa Elliot has deep roots in her school district—she's spent over 29 years as a teacher, principal, and now superintendent in Greenfield School District. Nestled in the suburbs of Milwaukee, Greenfield ISD includes a student body that speaks over 40 different languages within just six schools. To make sure her district is the ideal place to meet the needs of both its students and its teachers, Elliot has reworked the very fabric of her district using the Understanding by Design framework. This has meant rethinking professional learning and intentionally choosing language that is both meaningful and empowering. In this episode, Elliot shares how her district is backward planning to be a district where teachers and students thrive as leaders and learners.You can follow Lisa Elliot and the School District of Greenfield on Twitter @Greenfield_SDSubscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for more advice, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you'd like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com.

In his long career as superintendent, Dr. Roger Catania has thought continuously about how to lead his schools so that their students become citizens that enrich their communities. In his final years as superintendent, however, Roger began considering something else— how communities, and more specifically businesses, can make schools a better place to learn. In doing this, Roger has created a set of standards that he believes all businesses should follow—if they want to do business with schools. In this episode, Roger explores how corporate practices can impact student learning and what schools can do about it. You  can read Dr. Catania's views on ethical school purchasing in the AASA's Journal of Scholarship and Practice. Lake Placid Central School DistrictSubscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for more advice, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you'd like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com.

Growing up in Central Arkansas, Jon Laffoon found his passion for science and education thanks to a teacher who left a lasting impression. Now, he's paying it forward, working to help students in his home state see their own potential.Now, Laffoon has brought both his background in science and his personal investment in students to his superintendency. Leading Northwest Arkansas' Farmington Public Schools, he's making sure his community knows not just about the district's great STEM programs, but also the care and concern his staff shows every student.Jon Laffoon (@laffoon_jon)Farmington School District (@farmcards)Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for more advice, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you'd like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com.

Dr. Victor Simon's own experience growing up in Chicago has driven his approach to leadership. Simon describes himself as “a difficult student,” and teachers usually didn't take kindly to Simon's behavior as a child. Simon recognizes that his life would be completely different if it weren't for the two teachers that did value him. Wanting to be the change for students that he saw in those two teachers led him to a career in education. Prior to becoming superintendent of Illinois' Gower School District 62, Simon grew up in and spent his entire professional career in Chicago Public Schools. In this episode, Simon shares how his personal experiences have informed his need for leadership to be an “or bust” mentality.Dr. Victor Simon (@drvsimon)Gower School District 62 (@GowerTweet)Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for more advice, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you'd like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com. 

Prof. Derek W. Black is an accomplished education legal scholar and constitutional law professor whose 2020 book, Schoolhouse Burning: Public Education and the Assault on American Democracy, interprets the education privatization movement of today within the context of American history. Black's accolades include publishing over thirty scholarly articles in the nation's top legal journals and having his work cited by the Supreme Court. Black currently serves as the Ernest F. Hollings Chair in Constitutional Law at the University of South Carolina School of Law. Although he may not be a school leader, Black's deep roots in education history have helped him become one of the nation's foremost voices in interpreting today's current political and educational climate through the lens of history. Derek is especially interested in how a strong public school system is vital to a thriving democracy. In this special episode, Black illuminates how school leaders can make their way through today's tumultuous educational landscape by digging deep into their relationships with their community. Prof. Derek W. Black (@DerekWBlack)https://www.derekwblack.com/Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for more advice, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you'd like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com.

Dr. Bob Baldwin had never planned on being a superintendent at Fairhaven, but he had always planned to send his children there.  So Bob was shocked nearly a decade ago when his wife, an alumna who "bled blue and white," told him that she didn't think Fairhaven schools were good enough anymore. Because of his family's passion for the district, he knew he had to help make Fairhaven not only a great district, but a district any employee would want to send their kids to. As luck would have it, Bob was already looking for a superintendency, and Fairhaven's was open. In this episode, Bob shares how Fairhaven is building leaders to make the district a destination that teachers, staff, and students are proud to call home.Dr. Bob Baldwin and Fairhaven Public Schools (@Fairhevn_PS)Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for more advice, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you'd like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com.

Dr. Frank Davidson and Dr. Howard Carlson have a lot in common. They're both educators, they both ended up as academics at Northern Arizona, and they both recently retired from long, well-regarded careers as superintendents. Frank retired from Casa Grande Elementary School District in 2017 after 20 years of leading his district and Howard retired after eleven years at the Wickenburg Unified School District. Following their retirements, Frank and Howard launched a new project researching what felt to them was an under-explored territory that every superintendent experiences: navigating successful transitions between superintendents. In this episode, Frank and Howard are digging deeper into what can make or break a transition between superintendents, based both on their data and their own invaluable experience. As recent reports suggest an increase in turnover among superintendents and other school leaders, this research is vitally important as we move forward into a period of rapid, industry-wide change.  For more information about the NAU Department of Educational Leadership Rural & Small Schools Resource Center (NAURRC), visit naurrc.org.Dr. Frank Davidson (@FDavidsonAZ)Dr. Howard Carlson (@HowardCarlson2)You can view the research conducted by Dr. Davidson and Dr. Carlson in the Winter 2021 edition of AASA's Journal of Scholarship and Practice. Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for more advice, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you'd like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com.

Dr. Rocky Killion says he never really liked school, mostly because he was bullied as an elementary student. But one teacher—his high school band director—would change his mind about education. His passion for music and performing arts would light a fire in Killion and set him on his own path to becoming an administrator who leads from the heart. After being a band and choir director in several small schools, Killion found his way into administration and has served as superintendent of Indiana's West Lafayette Community School Corporation for the last 14 years. West Lafayette has been a high-performing district during Killion's time there, with increased graduation and college attendance rates. The district was also named a 2020 Best Community for Music Education by the NAMM Foundation. In 2021, Niche.com ranked WLCSC as the #1 best school district in Indiana.In this episode, Killion discusses his 5 C's of effective leadership and how they've helped him make West Lafayette Community School Corporation a place of thriving student enrollment and financial stability. West Lafayette Community Schools (@WL_RDP)Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for more advice, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you'd like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com.

Dr. Allyn Roche began his career in education as a college cheerleading coach—a position that would help him develop a lifelong appreciation for the impact that empathy and kindness can have on students. Now two years into his superintendency at Upper Perkiomen School District, Roche prides himself on the strong sense of community that all stakeholders—students, educators, and families—have within his district, even after a year that kept most people out of physical school buildings. To keep this sense of community going, Roche isn't afraid to think creatively. He's facilitated online scavenger hunts and builds regular opportunities for inter-school collaboration for administrators. Most importantly though, Roche has made space to prioritize the relationship building that he believes is essential to keeping his district a positive place to work and learn. In this episode, Roche explores how his emphasis on employee morale translates to stronger connections for his community. Dr. Allyn Roche and Upper Perkiomen School District (@UPSDTribe)Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for more advice, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you'd like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com.

Dr. Jamie Piraino's path to the superintendency started in high school when his wrestling coach encouraged him to mentor younger kids on the team. Through that mentoring, he found that he had a talent for leadership and working with students—and the rest is history. Now the superintendent of Franklin Regional School District in Pennsylvania, he's working to give his staff and students the encouragement he once received. Whether it's mentoring teachers or partnering with local businesses to provide students with career experience, Piraino is developing leadership in his district, both for the present and the future.Dr. Jamie Piraino and Franklin Regional School District (@FRSDPanthers)Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for more advice, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you'd like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com.

Dr. Michael Hinojsa credits his personal sense of dedication to the success of his 41-year-long career in education. Although Hinojosa didn't know that he wanted to be an educator until a teacher suggested it, he has never looked back. Now in his second term as superintendent of Dallas ISD, Hinojosa has turned his sense of dedication to using research-based practices to create equitable education outcomes for all students. For Hinojosa, this means leading a community-wide initiative to support families of toddlers so that they are prepared for school well before they enter the classroom. This also means working to instill a sense of ownership in his leaders so that the work continues for decades to come.In this episode, Hinojosa shares how he is building a legacy of educational equity at Dallas ISD.Dr. Michael Hinojosa and Dallas ISD (@dallasschools)Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for more advice, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you'd like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com.

Dr. Teresa Hill has been motivated by educational inequity since she was a student. Although she was tracked into rigorous classes and pushed to attend Ivy League schools, she was frustrated that this wasn't true for all of her peers. This frustration would lead her to pursue a lifelong career as an educator and author of Combating the Achievement Gap: Ending Failure as a Default in Schools. Now, as a superintendent, Hill works hard to lead a district where no student encounters what she calls, “failure as a default” or a mindset that accepts that some groups of students are unlikely to succeed no matter how they are educated. Hill believes that all students are capable of success given the appropriate support and that this belief must be non-negotiable for educators.  In this episode, Hill shares how recognizing and dismantling the “failure as a default” mentality raises the bar for student success. Check out Combating the Achievement Gap: Ending Failure as a Default in Schools by Dr. Hill wherever you purchase your books.Dr. Teresa Hill (LinkedIn)South Holland School District #151 (@shsd151) Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for more advice, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you'd like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com.

After years of being misunderstood, Career and Technical Education has recently seen a resurgence in public schools. Among calls for schools to “prepare students for the real world,” the pendulum of attention has swung back towards CTE.Dave Deskins has seen the pendulum swing back and forth multiple times. Growing up, he experienced another growth and decline in CTE. Now, as superintendent of Ohio's Greene County Career Center, he's strengthening not only the career outlook for students but also the economy of the entire region. In this episode, Deskins shares his experiences leading during different eras of CTE and how programs like these can change a region.Greene County Career Center (@GreeneCCC)Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for more advice, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you'd like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com.

Dr. David Vroonland has always believed that the purpose of education is to equip children with the tools they need to become self-determined adults. As the nature of work has changed in the US, Vroonland has spearheaded programs in his district to make sure its students are ready–no matter what paths they choose to pursue once they graduate. To make this happen, Vroonland celebrates elevating purpose over strategy, both in his district programming and his own leadership. This has fostered an environment where fast-paced innovation serves to support a district where students are able to take ownership over their own highly individualized learning paths. In this episode, Vroonland shares how decoupling from standardization has made Mesquite ISD a better place to work and a better place to learn. Dr. David Vroonland (@DrVroonland)Mesquite Independent School District (@mesquiteisdtx)Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for more advice, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you'd like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com.

For Dr. Steve Webb, the role of public schools is personal. “I know something first hand about generational poverty,” he tells us. “Poverty is not a learning disability,” he says, “but it presents real barriers to student success in too many classrooms in our country.”Recently retired as superintendent of Washington's Vancouver Public Schools, Webb centered his career on putting student and community needs first. VPS serves about 23,400 students and has experienced rapid growth and diversification over the last decade as a result of nearby Portland's rising costs of living. To meet the needs of VPS students—especially those living in poverty—Webb and his team established 20 Family-Community Resource Centers (FCRCs)—facilities that remove barriers and connect families with available community resources to increase student success. In this episode, Dr. Webb shares his success story with FCRCs, his personal connection to public education, and his thoughts on how other districts can develop similar support networks through the power of collective efficacy. Dr. Steve Webb (@SuptWebb)To read more about Dr. Webb's work at VPS here, or you can learn more about community schools by checking out the Coalition for Community Schools. Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for more advice, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you'd like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com.

For Dr. Tammy Campbell, equity could not be more central to her purpose. When she joined Washington's Federal Way Public Schools in 2015, her work with her board began immediately—building a systemic approach to equity that was woven into each goal of the district. This approach hinges on regarding every stakeholder as a vital participant, responsible for their own “bold and courageous actions” to push the school district to be more socially just. As an educator of color who grew up in the South, Campbell has pushed to change the narrative of racial equity in education in a way that reflects her own lived experience. This includes celebrating the power of teachers, who Dr. Campbell acknowledges as her own original “sheroes and heroes” and listening and changing course based on feedback from students and families. In this episode, Campbell shares how equity has served as “the red thread” of large-scale improvement in all of her district's strategies.Dr. Tammy Campbell (@SupCampbellFWPS)Federal Way Public Schools (@FWPS210)Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for more advice, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you'd like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com.

Dr. Paul O'Malley has always understood the foundational role of education—after all, he still remembers his teachers' names decades later. When the pandemic hit, O'Malley knew that he would need to lead his district in a way that allowed schools to prioritize safe, whole-child education, even if that meant doing things differently.To make this happen, O'Malley strategized with his team at Butler 53 and a neighboring district to leave no stone unturned in seeking how to make learning safer. This led him to initiate regular, school-based COVID-19 testing for the entire Butler community, an effort that would earn him recognition from other districts across Illinois—and trust from his community. In this episode,  O'Malley shares how rethinking how his schools served as bedrocks of the community allowed him to lead his district to reopen schools safely in October 2020. If you would like to connect with Dr. O'Malley about how Butler 53 has implemented testing and other measures, you can contact him below. Dr. Paul O'Malley (@D53ButlerSupt)Butler School District 53 (@ButlerSD53)Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for more advice, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you'd like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com.

Dr. Carol Birks' start at Chester Upland School District didn't go quite as planned. Like most entering superintendents, Birks had planned to spend her first months at the Pennsylvania district meeting and listening  to her community. However, the COVID-19 pandemic changed all of that. Instead of hitting the ground running in July 2020, Birks was forced to alter her entrance strategy. Instead of the standard transition, she found ways to meet people who  couldn't be physically present and navigate school reopening in an area with extremely high transmission rates.  In this episode, Birks shares how she made connections in spite of COVID-19, and how Chester Upland is now returning to the classroom.Dr. Carol Birks (@drcarolbirks)Chester Upland School District (@ChesterUplandSD)Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for more advice, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you'd like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com.

Dr. Kevin McCahill grew up across the Hudson River from the high-rise buildings he'd eventually work in on Wall Street. Despite beginning a lucrative career as a bond broker, he felt unfulfilled and jealous of his fiancee (now wife) and sister—both teachers. McCahill decided to trade in Wall Street to start his education career earning $100 per day as a substitute math teacher. McCahill eventually became the superintendent of New York's Nanuet Union Free School District.  In this episode, McCahill shares how his story shapes his understanding of leadership and his role as Nanuet UFSD's CEO—Chief Enthusiasm Officer.Dr. Kevin McCahill (@McCahillk2013)Nanuet Union Free School District (@NUFSD)Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for more advice, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you'd like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com.

Despite his passion for service, Dr. Francisco Escobedo never planned on being an educator. Growing up in New York City, he always dreamed of being a police officer. After attending Yale, Escobedo moved to San Diego to realize his dream. Despite his lifelong dream and aspirations to move up in the force, a chance arrest of a teenage boy changed everything for him. With encouragement from his patrol partner, Escobedo realized he wanted to serve and help young people before they ever entered the criminal justice system. Years later, Escobedo is now the superintendent of Chula Vista Elementary School District in San Diego, where he's promoting innovation through partnerships. Prior to the pandemic, Chula Vista established Stations across San Diego to inspire innovation and creativity among students. However, when the pandemic hit, the Chula Vista team felt the lessons learned in the stations were too great to not provide them in some way during distance learning. In this episode, Escobedo shares not only his personal story but how Chula Vista is bringing innovation into students' homes through Innovation LIVE! You can connect with Dr. Francisco Escobedo on LinkedIn.Chula Vista Elementary School District (@CVESDNews)Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for more advice, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you'd like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com.

Dr. Chris Meyrick knows how important social-emotional learning is. Before developing his own SEL program or writing his dissertation on how to implement SEL, Meyrick learned how to regulate his emotions through his interactions with his teachers and principals growing up. Meyrick, now the superintendent and principal of New Jersey's Beach Haven Borough School District, has devoted his career in education to promoting SEL wherever he goes. However, his own everyday experiences growing up showed him that SEL is done best when it's part of the culture of a district and not an extracurricular. In this episode, Meyrick shares how he's built a culture of SEL wherever he's led and how your students can build social-emotional skills without an expensive program. Dr. Chris Meyrick (@CSMeyrick)Beach Haven Borough School DistrictSubscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for more advice, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you'd like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com.

During Ken Gutman's tenure, Michigan's Walled Lake School District has passed several bonds and secured lots of community support. In 2019, the 13,000 student school district passed a $319 million bond for Building, Infrastructure, and Equity—the second-largest bond ever in the state at the time.It's safe to say Gutman knows how to get a bond passed. From gaining buy-in to marketing the outcomes, he has a process for getting even the largest votes passed. However, it wasn't flashy mailers that got Walled Lake's buy-in. Gutman shares how the relationships he's built over the more than a decade in the role at Walled Lake has ultimately been the key to his success.Ken Gutman (@kennethgutman)Walled Lake School District (@WalledLkSchools)Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for more advice, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you'd like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com.

This isn't Dr. Joe Ricca's first pandemic. A decade ago, he also led his district through the H1N1 Swine Flu Pandemic. Now, Ricca is building on his previous experience to lead New York's White Plains School District through COVID-19. In addition to leading a district through one of the most challenging years in education's history, Ricca also serves on the New Jersey State Board of Education. From these vantage points, he's been able to see how the pandemic has impacted not just his district, but education throughout an entire state.In this episode, Ricca shares how building buy-in long before is the best way to navigate a crisis when it hits. He also dives into what schools and the government need to do before another crisis arrives.Dr. Joe Ricca (@DrJosephRicca)White Plains CSD (@wplainsschools)Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for more advice, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you'd like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com.

Dr. Lupita Hightower always wanted to be an educator. Even before she and her family immigrated to the United States when she was a child, Dr. Hightower knew she wanted to make a difference in the lives of students.  Despite her passion, some teachers and classmates discouraged Hightower along the way, claiming she could never be successful in the classroom. Years later, Dr. Hightower credits the teachers who believed in her—without exception—with the success she's had for over a decade as superintendent of Arizona's Tolleson Elementary School District.In this episode, we discuss with Dr. Hightower how she is using the Kids at Hope philosophy and how her own experiences as a student are shaping her leadership at Tolleson.Dr. Lupita Hightower (@LupitaHightower)Tolleson Elementary (@TollesonESD)Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for more advice, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you'd like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com.

Dr. Jason Andrews has seen school leadership from both sides. Now the superintendent of New York's Windsor Central School District, he began his career in education as a member of his local district's school board—three weeks before he graduated from high school. He's taken the lessons gleaned from that experience with him through his more than 25 years in education, and now, he uses his expertise to help other school leaders build positive relationships with their boards. Today on the podcast, we'll ask Dr. Andrews how supers can work with their boards to produce the best possible outcomes for students.Dr. Jason Andrews (@WBKANDREWS)Windsor CSD (@Windsor_CSD)Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for more advice, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you'd like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com.

Mike Nelson, Assistant Executive Director for Professional Learning at the Washington Association of School Administrators, knows how difficult 2020 was for educators, especially superintendents. When the pandemic hit in March, Nelson was superintendent of Enumclaw School District, the district he grew up in. With the start of the new year, Nelson and WASA launched a campaign to bring hope to educators across the state after the toughest year they have ever faced. Every day in January, Nelson and other Washington school leaders shared short videos of hope with their colleagues on WASA's social media. In this episode, Nelson shares how he launched “A New Beginning...2021: 31 Days of Hope” to show other administrators and superintendents that despite the challenges of 2020, the work all educators do brings hope to us all.Mike Nelson (@SuitguyMike)You can find all entries in the 31 Days of Hope on WASA's Twitter and Facebook.Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for more advice, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you'd like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com.

Dr. Calvin Watts often says, “My wife and I have 26,000 children, but only one who lives with us.” Needless to say, Watts leads Washington's Kent School District with unrivaled passion. The district serves students who speak over 130 languages, making it one of the most richly diverse school systems in the country—a huge source of pride for the Washington native. “There is not a classroom in any of our 42 schools where you will not see someone who doesn't look like you,” he says. “That's the beauty of diversity. The challenge is ensuring equity, which we define as making sure students and families, and the adults who serve them, get what they need when they need it.” Since stepping into the superintendency in 2015, Watts has devoted much of his time to promoting and nurturing equity in Kent schools. With a strong focus on community input and bringing students and families to the decision-making table, Watts is leading Kent into a new era of accountability, inclusiveness, and community. In this episode, Dr. Watts discusses his dedication to serving all students, his approach to equity and inclusion in our turbulent times, and how he's using his leadership role to create lasting change. Dr. Calvin Watts (@SuptCalvinWatts)Kent School District (@KentSchools415)You can check out all of the books and resources Dr. Watts mentions in the episode below.Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. KendiHow to be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi Children's Books:The Day You Begin by Jacqueline WoodsonI Am Enough by Grace ByersAll Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold and Suzanne KaufmanI Promise by Lebron JamesSubscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for more advice, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you'd like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com.

Superintendent Lori Gonzalez knows the value of being “boots on the ground.” That may seem easy in El Nido Elementary School District, a California district with one building and fewer than 200 students. But cutting her teeth as an administrator in larger districts, she learned how important it was to engage firsthand with students and teachers. By staying present in her community, she's managed to make enormous strides toward community support of the district. In this episode, Superintendent Gonzalez shares how she and her small team are transforming lives and changing the future of El Nido—whether it's through increased access to technology, improved community support, or even building a gym.Lori Gonzalez (@LoriGonzalezEDU)El Nido (@ElNidoESD)Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for more advice, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you'd like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com.

From her childhood onward, Dr. Nisha Patel has understood the power of a good education. Her parents believed it was worth crossing oceans for. Born in Kenya, Patel is now the superintendent of Fox C-6 School District, an 11,000-student district near St. Louis—and by communicating her district's collective efficacy, she's working to make sure all of her students can cash in on the promise of public education. In this episode, we talk to Dr. Patel about amplifying staff and student voices, particularly through the district's podcast.Dr, Nisha Patel (@FoxC6Super)Fox C-6 School District (@FoxC6Schools)You can check out the #FoxC6Strong Voices Podcast here or wherever you get your podcasts. To learn more about Dr. Patel's work at Fox C-6, visit SchoolCEO.com/Patel.Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for more advice, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you'd like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com.