The Modern Principal Podcast

Creating a vision for a school is an important responsibility of a leader.In this episode, Karen and Christy discuss the process of creating a vision for a school. They provide steps for creating a vision, including gathering stories, identifying themes, and drafting a why statement. They also discuss the challenges of creating a vision and the need for ongoing communication and repetition.  Be sure to check out Part 2 of this series for tips on sustaining a vision! 

On this week's episode, Karen and Christy discuss the idea that conflict is natural - and even necessary - in a school culture.  Listen to hear more about:  - how to use personality tests to create common language and understanding - normalizing conflict - creating a safe environment for conflict to occur This episode was sponsored by Just Right Reader and Peer-Driven PD. 

Ever had a staff member who shares lots of opinions on things that maybe don't apply to her? You probably want to acknowledge her concerns but also encourage her to "stay in your lane!" On this week's episode, Karen and Christy talk about: - why you should feel grateful when staff bring complaints out of their "lane" - how to use teams to improve decision-making and reduce complaints - setting ground rules for sharing feedback This podcast is sponsored by Just Right Reader and Peer-Driven PD. 

It can be anxiety-inducing for a principal to relay negative information to parents but especially when their child has made a mistake or engaged in a major behavior. On this episode of the pod, Karen and Christy talk about:  - how to get on top of behavior communication before the behavior even occurs - tips to prepare for a calm conversation - writing communication plans into behavior plans and more!  Check out our website at www.themodernprincipal.com and on social media @themodernprincipal. This episode is sponsored by: Just Right Reader and Peer-Driven PD.

In this episode, Christy and Karen interview Dr. Samantha Keppler, Assistant Professor of Technology and Operations, who studies education operations, or the management of human and material resources, in public schools.  In this episode Dr. Keppler helps principals: - understand the current data (or lack thereof) regarding how teachers are supplementing resources in their classrooms - the correlation of funded crowdsourcing projects and student achievement - the correlation of funded crowdsourcing projects on teacher retention - the complicated role of the principal in providing physical resources to staff Samantha M. Keppler received her PhD in Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences from the Robert R. McCormick School of Engineering at Northwestern University. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Technology and Operations at the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. Her research focuses on resource operations and management in public education. Before graduate school, she was a public school math teacher in New York City. Learn more about her work at www.samanthakeppler.com or email her at srmeyer@umich.edu.

On this week's pod, Karen and Christy chat with Kyle Pearce and Jon Orr, the math instructional experts behind MakeMathMoments.com.  You'll find: - the best thing a principal can do to improve math instruction - the importance of content knowledge - offerings from Kyle and Jon that can help your school Check them out here:  www.makemathmoments.com - Math Math Moments Academy, District Improvement Planning, Courses https://makemathmoments.com/podcast/ - Make Math Moments Podcast https://makemathmoments.com/districtassessment/  - Mathematics Program Assessment Screener for Leadership Teams Kyle is the K-12 Mathematics Consultant with the Greater Essex County District School Board and Jon is a high school math teacher at John McGregor Secondary School in the Lambton-Kent District School Board in Ontario Canada. Together, they co-founded Make Math Moments where they develop professional development and classroom resources for K-12 educators and district leaders to spark curiosity, fuel sense making and ignite teacher moves.

This week's pod welcomes Dr. Danielle Ricci, a high school principal and an educational leader with an expertise in cultivating collaborative cultures. Her research focuses on how school administrators lead teacher collaboration. Her background as an athlete has helped her to keep the concept of team at the heart of her work. Danielle is a wife, a mom to five, including newborn twins, and a cold-water enthusiast who swims in the Atlantic Ocean year-round to save her principal sanity! Danielle shares with us: - scheduling strategies to optimize staff collaboration - parent engagement solutions - student culture considerations!    

The Speech Language Pathologist is an important role in any school. In this week's episode, we interview Hallie Sherman from Speech Time Fun and discuss:  - the expertise of your SLP - how to partner with your SLP - how to develop a strong working relationship - evaluation techniques for your SLP - the importance of helping your SLP connect with others - ways to retain your SLP Check out Hallie's online presence here:  Speechtimefun.com Shopspeechtimefun.com Slpelevate.com Speechretreat.com https://bit.ly/SLPcoffeetalk https://bit.ly/STF-ELLABELLABOOK Check out our sponsors: Just Right Reader's Science of Reading decodables accelerate reading achievement with decodables packaged to support both in-school learning and family engagement. Each of their 380+ decodables is filled with vibrant illustrations, engaging authentic stories, and diverse characters that represent students in America's schools. The decodables follow a rigorous phonics progression supported by the latest science of reading research, and phonics instruction is reinforced with a QR code on the back of each decodable that links to a digital phonics lesson in Spanish and English–a great tool for classrooms and families. Peer Driven PD: We bring you candid conversations from some of the best classroom educators in the country. Get your training directly from the teachers in the trenches as current classroom teachers guide your professional learning with authentic insights and practical strategies you can try immediately.

Are you a principal who has thought about going back to school for your doctorate degree? Check out this week's pod where we discuss: - what to consider when looking at programs - if a degree is worth it for you - systems to help you get it all done - the importance of your advisor Check it out and let us know on Instagram @themodernprincipal if this episode helped you in your decision-making!  Resources:  6 Tips for Finding Balance During Your PhD This episode was brought to you by these sponsors: Just Right Reader's Science of Reading decodables accelerate reading achievement with decodables packaged to support both in-school learning and family engagement. Each of their 380+ decodables is filled with vibrant illustrations, engaging authentic stories, and diverse characters that represent students in America's schools. The decodables follow a rigorous phonics progression supported by the latest science of reading research, and phonics instruction is reinforced with a QR code on the back of each decodable that links to a digital phonics lesson in Spanish and English–a great tool for classrooms and families. Peer Driven PD: We bring you candid conversations from some of the best classroom educators in the country. Get your training directly from the teachers in the trenches as current classroom teachers guide your professional learning with authentic insights and practical strategies you can try immediately.

We contend that retention is the new recruitment, but sometimes you still need to hire when the pool is small! On this episode of the podcast, we talk about how to hire staff when there are few applicants to fill the roles.  Check out our sponsors: Just Right Reader's Science of Reading decodables accelerate reading achievement with decodables packaged to support both in-school learning and family engagement. Each of their 380+ decodables is filled with vibrant illustrations, engaging authentic stories, and diverse characters that represent students in America's schools. The decodables follow a rigorous phonics progression supported by the latest science of reading research, and phonics instruction is reinforced with a QR code on the back of each decodable that links to a digital phonics lesson in Spanish and English–a great tool for classrooms and families. Peer Driven PD: We bring you candid conversations from some of the best classroom educators in the country. Get your training directly from the teachers in the trenches as current classroom teachers guide your professional learning with authentic insights and practical strategies you can try immediately.

It's hiring season (isn't it always hiring season now? #neverfullystaffed)! Episodes 39, 40, & 41 deep dive the hiring process from the principal perspective, but this episode gives you a quick overview of the things to consider before hiring for a particular position to keep you transparent and get you the best candidate possible! 

Decided it's time to leave the principalship but not sure what to do? In this week's pod, Karen and Christy talk about their own experiences leaving the role and other ideas to consider, too! We talk through roles within school districts and also roles outside! NAESP Life After the Principalship by Laurel Schmidt

Feeling a little stuck as a principal? Thinking it might be time to leave your school, district, or the role altogether? You're not alone! It's normal to have those thoughts, and principal burnout is real. This week on the pod, Karen and Christy discuss how you might know it's time to leave the principalship and their own thoughts and feelings when they did the same. 

How do you know when you're ready to be a principal? This is one of The Modern Principal's most-asked questions, and on this week's podcast, we're breaking down the ways you might know you're ready for the role! The principalship is hard and grueling but also one of the most fulfilling and fun - are you ready to make the jump! Tune in this week to find out! 

It's a new year, and we can't help but talk about the new habits we are trying to cultivate. Whether it's screen time, health habits, or how you spend your weeknights, we talk all about the habits that are helping us balance our work and personal lives. Check out this week's pod!  Referenced: How a Modern Principal Plans her Day Laura Vanderkam's 168 Hours Charles Duhigg's The Power of Habit InsideOut Mastery New Year's Resolutions Stats

Is it essential for a principal to be the first to arrive to campus and the last to leave? How do you remain visible while still balancing your actual work and personal life? This week on the pod, Karen and Christy talk through how a principal can find ways to be visible that are authentic to YOU!  Referenced in This Week's Episode: Doug Reeves' Time Management for Busy School Leaders ASCD's How to Be a Visible Principal Leadership Voices' Three Characteristics of Visible Leaders

An unregulated adult cannot support an unregulated student. We know it's true, and it's up to us as principals to support our teachers and staff when student behavior is hard. Check out this week's pod all about supporting the adults in the school who are supporting our students through crisis.  Referenced:   When the Adults Change, Everything Changes by Paul Dix

Do you have several students exhibiting escalated, maybe even physical, behaviors? What is a principal to do when there are more kids than adults available? Check out this week's pod all about how to respond when your building is trying to address multiple behavior crises at once.  Referenced: Geoff Colvin and The Acting Out Cycle

Your teachers and staff are amazing. You appreciate everything they do but know you're not telling them enough. Check out this week's pod all about showing your teachers and staff how much you appreciate them! You'll find quick and easy tips to create a culture of gratitude in your school! 

This week on the pod, Karen and Christy do an overview of the elements to consider when planning for a student who needs Tier 3 behavior supports. The Modern Principal walks you through behaviors, antecedents, consequences, functions, and more! Check out this pod if you're struggling with student behaviors and need to get your team on the same page.

Have you noticed an increase in the need for student behavior supports? You're not alone. Students behaviors seem to have increased across the country, but you're in luck - we have Amanda and Danielle from Navigating Behavior Change here to help! They are passionate about providing supports to educators to help students change their socially significant behaviors for the better, and we need to start with Tier 1.  Check out Navigating Behavior Change! 

What even is attendance anymore? We came from a world of perfect attendance awards then to a world where we forced students to stay home for two weeks or more when they had a runny nose. So, what do we need to do in our schools with attendance now that we are in this new era? In this week's pod, The Modern Principal talks all things student attendance!  Check out the EdWeek article we referenced here! 

We started this podcast with a DISCLAIMER: All districts have their own approaches to special education, and even more important, there are a lot of laws and statutes of which we are not experts. However, with that being said, there ARE ways to grow your own knowledge of special education as a principal. You can be a confident leader who understands the processes and supports available and provide leadership to your staff, students, and families!

With more and more staffing shortages and uncertainties, some school districts are taking a more centralized approach to hiring. This means many principals may be welcoming staff members they didn't hire or maybe even didn't interview. What's the solution? Karen and Christy talk through how to deal with new colleagues that you didn't necessarily choose yourself. 

During Covid precautions, it was easy to feel more removed from your school community. This week's episode discusses how to bring families into your buildings after re-evaluating what you want community to look like in this new transition! 

Adding joy to the school day is important for increased attention and motivation for all students and staff. Plus, joy for the sake of joy is important, too! In this week's pod, we share how to infuse the fun and joy into each and every day, and also how to add in some bigger events throughout the year! Check it out! 

Schools across the country have a lot of new teachers this year. This week on the pod, The Modern Principal breaks down how to onboard and support new teachers to your school. Onboarding new teachers can't be a one-time meet 'n greet, but it needs to occur throughout the year. Check out this pod for all of our tips on supporting new teachers!  Books Referenced in This Podcast: Get Better Faster by Paul Bambrick-Santoyo 101 Answers for New Teachers and Their Mentors by Annette Breaux   Support this podcast by heading to www.justrightreader.com for all of your decodeable text needs!

As a principal, documentation is the last thing you want to do, but it's a must. In this podcast, we share the systems principals can use to document conversations with students, staff and parents. We share our systems that worked...and some that didn't. In the end, documentation is like pizza. When it's good, it is very very good. And when it's bad, it's better than nothing. Tune in today!

How do modern principals spend their summer so that they feel ready for the next school year? Obviously, rest and relax, but there are still lots of things to do that can make the school year go much more smoothly! From calendaring, to living in innovation, to meeting with school teams, we talk about the do's and don'ts for summer work.  Scholars Cited: EdWeek: 4 Things Principals Can Do This Summer to Get Ready for the School Year Edutopia: 10 Things Great School Leaders Do Over Summer

With 1 in 5 principals quitting each year, and 4 out of 5 saying they experience frequently experience job stress, it's likely your school will be welcoming a new principal in the near future. While the transition is ultimately the responsibility of the new principal, this pod is for staff members and parents who want to help make that transition as seamless and as smooth as possible!  Check out our blog on this same topic: 6 Tips for Welcoming a New Principal!  PTOtoday:  How to Work with a New Principal EdSource: Frustrating, exhausting but worth it: School principals tell what their jobs are like now  

Have you been asked to submit a 90-day entry plan for your new principalship? Look no further! Karen and Christy break down how to transition into your new role, discussing pitfalls and highlights of those first three months! 

Was the 2021-2022 school year the hardest you have experienced? Is it difficult to even imagine decompressing this summer? This week on the pod, Karen and Christy break down how to process all that occurred and how heal this summer. 

Planning meaningful and transformative professional development as a principal is hard. How do we ensure it isn't just one. more. thing. That's easy - make it more like a party! Elena Aguilar and Lori Cohen have written a manual to help us do just that - The PD Book. In this episode, we have Elena as our first-ever guest as she walks us through her new book and, as always, challenges us to be better and more intentional leaders when it comes to PD. 

Karen is moving out of the building principalship and into central office. What does this mean for her staff, her students, and .... The Modern Principal? Join us as Christy interviews Karen to hear all about her new gig including how she prepared for the interview and how she knew she was ready to make the leap! 

One of TMP's most frequently-asked questions is how to get your school started on a common vision or mission, and this week Karen and Christy break it down. You'll need a few hours with your team to follow some simple steps to get everyone moving in the same direction! 

This week on the pod, Karen and Christy complete the 3-part series on conducting interviews. We'll discuss all things that should happen AFTER the interview: how to announce, ensuring you call the peeps who didn't get the job,  how to welcome your new hire, and so much more! 

In Part 2 of 3 of Conducting Interviews, Karen and Christy walk you through how to ask quality questions that get you quality candidates and so much more!

Hiring a teacher is arguably the most important role of the administrator. SO much goes into the hiring process-  from reviewing resumes, to developing the interview team, to the questions to the reference checks! Join us this week as we conquer part one of a three-part series on the view from the other side of the interviewing desk. We tackle the work of resume review, creating the interview team, and preparing for the interviews!

Christy and Karen discuss the pros and cons of the long or short of a commute. With both of us having commutes ranging from 90 seconds to over 2 hours, we've seen the benefits and drawbacks of all things driving to work! Join us this episode to share strategies to maximize your commute, ways to think about work happiness over the commute itself, and several different scenarios related to decision-making about your career and your family balance!

This week's pod topic comes from a listener who just wants to know, "What do you do to survive each day and come back the next?" We know it's tough right now, but there are things we can do to overcome! Check out this episode for practical tips on getting through those times that feel like everything is on fire. 

Karen and Christy tackle the ever-popular topic of working mom balance in a much-requested follow-up to our past episode, "The Elusive Unicorn of Work/Life Balance." We tackle the topic from a more holistic perspective this time around and hope that if you take one thing away it's that we are all human and still figuring it out! 

Teachers routinely say one of the main things they are looking for in a principal is communication. But that's a BIG topic, so what exactly does that mean?! Christy and Karen tackle just that on this week's pod episode. We share resources from NSPRA as well as from our own experiences in the job. We go into the different ways principals communicate, and it's not just through what we say. Join us this week!

It's hiring season! In this week's pod, we share some of our best resume and interview tips from our live workshops if you're looking to change roles in education. We discuss making your resume shine, nailing the interview, and how to stand out in your current role. 

We've all been there - your boss makes a decision you disagree with. Or maybe you're the boss heading in the wrong direction. This week on the pod, Karen and Christy dive into how to disagree with your boss respectfully and make the change you think needs to happen! 

Are all failures and mistakes created equally? This week on the Modern Principal Podcast, Christy & Karen discuss some important life lessons we've learned in leadership and how those have guided the leaders we are still working to become today. Learn from our missteps in this episode and discover how you can move forward even after a failure!

In this recap episode, Karen & Christy reflect on 2021 and all the grand plans we laid out that may or may not have come to fruition. We discuss the crisis in education now with the stress facing our educators and the toll it is taking on people's mental and physical health. We hope you'll join us for this episode and this year as we drop more pods to guide you on your leadership journey!

This week we continue our focus on leading reading in your school, chatting through the common missteps Karen and Christy have both taken while focusing on implementing a reading initiative. Ever so often, our goal to strengthen one of the five pillars of reading and writing instruction causes the pendulum to swing and weakens another area. Covered in this pod is how to make sure balanced literacy stays balanced, guiding teachers on implementing reading strategies and reading standards and even the best ways to guide your teams through drafting a balanced assessment calendar. Listen in! Be sure to check out Just Right Reader for all your decodable text needs, too!

In this mini-pod, Karen and Christy walk you through the benefits of Just Right Reader! Check them out for all of your decodeable text, phonics continuum, and building-and-district-level needs! www.justrightreader.com - Tell them The Modern Principal sent you! 

In this four-part series, Karen and Christy will walk you through our instructional leadership mistakes in reading! This episode begins with a story of a classic mistake of putting the resource before the research which causes a disconnect between leaders, staff, and, ultimately, students. Listen in! 

What do you do when someone screenshots and sends you a post on social media that is complaining about your school or staff? What do you do when it feels so personal? This week, on the podcast, we discuss this very scenario. Step one is to be proactive with your social media post. If you aren't telling the story of your school, someone else will! We discuss various systems to help with that, as well as, how to be strategic with the content. We also discuss how to react when a post has made false claims about your school or staff. You'll have to tune in to hear about that and the tips we have to not take it personally.

As a building leader, we often think we need to prioritize our instructional leadership roles above all else. But without a strong organizational systems in place for your school, time will slowly get away from you and you may feel like you are doing nothing right! This week on the pod, Christy and Karen talk through the various ways they manage the day-to-day, more like week-to-week, tasks so that the priorities of the school can be balanced. We talk through calendar tools, structuring the day, and even ways to get paperwork done at school! Hope you'll listen in!