Real Talk with Jeanne and Matt: Real People, Real Schools, and Real Situations

In this episode of Real Talk with Jeanne and Matt, hosts Jeanne Spiller and Matt Treadway sit down with new author, educational consultant, and thought leader Jason Williams to discuss his new book, Shared Data, Shared Decisions: A Student-Centered Framework for a Healthy Data Culture. Jason shares how schools can move beyond viewing data as something intimidating, punitive, or simply admired from a distance and instead create systems where data becomes a meaningful tool that drives decisions, strengthens collaboration, and improves student learning outcomes.

In this special episode of Real Talk with Jeanne and Matt, Matt sits down with Superintendent Eric Knowles of Waverly Central School District in Waverly, New York to discuss the district’s journey toward becoming a Professional Learning Community at Work®.Eric shares the leadership moves, cultural shifts, and lessons learned as Waverly has worked to build clarity around essential learning, strengthen collaborative teacher teams, and stay focused on student results. This conversation offers an honest look at what it takes to move PLC work from theory to practice across an entire district.

In this episode of Real Talk with Jeanne and Matt, hosts Jeanne Spiller and Matt Treadway dive deep into Matt’s new book Partners in Practice: Co-Teaching at Every Stage of Instruction. The conversation challenges the idea that co-teaching is simply two adults in a room and reframes it as shared responsibility across planning, instruction, assessment, and response.

In this episode of Real Talk with Jeanne and Matt, hosts Jeanne Spiller and Matt Treadway sit down with Jen Minor and Amy Moore, authors of Multi-School Collaborative Teams: Building Districtwide Partnerships in a PLC at Work®. Together, they explore how to connect teachers beyond the four walls of their building—linking educators across schools and districts to ensure no teacher ever works in isolation.

In this episode of Real Talk with Jeanne and Matt, hosts Jeanne Spiller and Matt Treadway discuss the importance of celebrating the work schools and teams are engaged as they pursue the PLC process. Authors of the book Celebrating in a PLC @ Work: A Leader’s Guide to Building Collective Efficacy and High‑Performing Collaborative Teams, Phillip Page and David Chiprany discuss this topic and offer guidance on how to celebrate the work from the district level down to the school level.

In this episode of Real Talk with Jeanne and Matt, hosts Jeanne Spiller and Matt Treadway discuss the new book All Means All: Essential Actions for Leveraging Yes We Can!, with authors Heather Frizielle, Julie Schmidt, and our own Jeanne Spiller!

In this episode of Real Talk with Jeanne and Matt, hosts Jeanne Spiller and Matt Treadway dive into the power of writing truly meaningful and life-changing Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). Joined by special guests Megan Clarke and Kristen Bordonaro, authors of The Collaborative IEP, they unpack what it takes to move beyond compliance and create IEPs that actually make a difference in students’ lives. The conversation centers on how collaboration, clarity, and intentionality can transform the IEP process into a tool for real student growth—and why that matters now more than ever.

In this episode ofReal Talk with Jeanne and Matt, hosts Jeanne Spiller and Matt Treadway tackle critical question 4 of the PLC process. They explore strategies for extending and enriching learning for students who have already mastered essential standards, ensuring every learner continues to grow. Special guests share insights on moving beyond proficiency and fostering deeper learning opportunities.

In this episode of Real Talk with Jeanne and Matt, hosts Jeanne Spiller and Matt Treadway discuss critical question 3 of the PLC process with Response to Intervention (RTI) guru and nationally acclaimed author/speaker Mike Mattos. They also discuss systematic intervention with practitioner Erin Wilson from New York.

In this episode of Real Talk with Jeanne and Matt, hosts Jeanne Spiller and Matt Treadway dive into critical question 2 of the PLC process. Author and educational consultant Cassandra Erkens joins the podcast to discuss her book "Collaborative Common Assessments" and she shares her expertise on all things assessment. The hosts also speak with current instructional coach Bri Crook from Iowa who is leading her school through this work.

In this episode of Real Talk with Jeanne and Matt, hosts Jeanne Spiller and Matt Treadway welcome four practitioners from Illinois and Wisconsin to share their expertise around leading the work of guiding teams through critical question 1 of the PLC process.

In this episode of Real Talk with Jeanne and Matt, hosts Jeanne Spiller and Matt Treadway explore the background of PLC @ Work with one of the originators, Dr. Bob Eaker. In the conversation, Dr. Eaker details how and why the Professional Learning Community @ Work process came to be what it is today. This episode is a launch for the next series of episodes all devoted towards exploring the work of a PLC.

In this episode of Real Talk with Jeanne and Matt, hosts Jeanne Spiller and Matt Treadway recap the first 15 episodes of Real Talk by sharing their favorite quotes and moments of the podcast. They also preview what to expect in season two.

In this episode of Real Talk with Jeanne and Matt, hosts Jeanne Spiller and Matt Treadway conclude the episode series on coaching with two of the authors of Energize Your Teams, Tom Many and Michael Maffoni. They discuss practical and useful tools from their book that can be implemented to coach teams through the PLC process.

In this episode of Real Talk with Jeanne and Matt, hosts Jeanne Spiller and Matt Treadway continue their focus on instructional coaching. Instead of a focus on coaching individual teachers though, the focus is shifted to coaching teams of teachers within the PLC process. Authors Tom Many and Tesha Ferriby Thomas join in on the conversation to discuss their book Amplify Your Impact and how schools can promote this work with intentional moves.

In this episode of Real Talk with Jeanne and Matt, hosts Jeanne Spiller and Matt Treadway discuss whether coaching is about fixing others or supporting them in reaching their goals. They also preview the next few episodes to wrap up their focus on coaching.

In this episode of Real Talk with Jeanne and Matt, hosts Jeanne Spiller and Matt Treadway welcome authors Kim Bailey and Chris Jakicic to the show to discuss their best-selling book, Make It Happen. With a focus on instructional coaching within a PLC @ Work, Kim and Chris share practical ideas, experiences, and advice on how coaches can best meet the learning needs of teachers in their school. Practitioners Lisa May and Sarah Gord share their insights into coaching teacher teams and how they have utilized tools and ideas from Make It Happen in their work.

Real Talk with Jeanne and Matt is back for an exciting second season! In this mini-pod kickoff episode for season 2, Jeanne and Matt discuss the word curriculum and the type of focus needed to advance student learning in your school. They also preview the upcoming season of Real Talk.

In episode 10 of Real Talk with Jeanne and Matt, hosts Jeanne Spiller and Matt Treadway begin a new conversation around the role of instructional coaching and the potential it has to improve student learning. Acclaimed author and educational expert Joellen Killion joins Jeanne and Matt to share her insights and discuss her book Coaching Matters. Current Instructional Specialist and Instructional Coach Crystal Hall joins the conversation to share her perspective on the potential to improve student learning as well.

In this episode of Real Talk with Jeanne and Matt, hosts Jeanne Spiller and Matt Treadway discuss the concept of high expectations. In terms of both students and adults, high expectations is an essential characteristic if high functioning schools. Join in on the discussion as Jeanne and Matt share practical examples and ideas that can be implemented to ensure high expectations are a part of your school and district culture.

In this mini-pod episode of Real Talk with Jeanne and Matt, hosts Jeanne Spiller and Matt Treadway discuss accountability. What does it mean? How do we ensure it is present in our leadership? Who does it apply to? All of these questions and so many more are addressed as Jeanne and Matt discuss this barrier schools frequently encounter.

In this mini-pod episode of Real Talk with Jeanne and Matt, hosts Jeanne Spiller and Matt Treadway discuss a common barrier schools often face in moving forward. In discussing apathy, Jeanne and Matt talk about possible solutions and opportunities leaders have to address this barrier within their school.

In episode 6 of Real Talk with Jeanne and Matt, hosts Jeanne Spiller and Matt Treadway finalize their three episode series on leadership by digging into how shared and widely dispersed leadership leads to greater organizational change. Author Bill Hall joins the podcast to discuss his book Powerful Guiding Coalitions and Principal Cheryl Fennell shares how Bill's book has impacted her Houston area elementary school.

In Episode 5 of Real Talk with Jeanne and Matt, hosts Jeanne Spiller and Matt Treadway discuss Jeanne's best-selling book Leading with Intention with her co-author Karen Power. Joining the conversation, practitioners Sarah Stobaugh and Dr. Brandy Howard share how their leadership at the school and district level were impacted by this book. 

In the last episode of of 2022, hosts Jeanne Spiller and Matt Treadway engage in a conversation around leadership and the change process. Episode 4 features renowned educators Dr. Luis Cruz and Dr. Anthony Muhammad and highlights their best selling book Time for Change. Also joining the conversation is practioner Vail Kieser as she discusses the change process at both the school and district levels. 

In Episode 3 of Real Talk with Jeanne and Matt, hosts Jeanne Spiller and Matt Treadway continue their conversation surrounding Special Education. In this episode, they interview author Nathan Levenson to discuss his new book Six Shifts to Improve Special Education and Other Interventions. They also meet with current principal practitioners Robert Mountjoy and Christina Meister as they share what some of these shifts look like in practice. 

The second episode of season 1 of Real Tal with Jeanne and Matt dives deeper into the conversation of equity by exploring the world of Special Education. Hosts Jeanne Spiller and Matt Treadway interview authors Heather Frizielle and Julie Schmidt who, along with Jeanne, co-wrote Yes We Can. This best selling book has been instrumental in reshaping mindsets around the way schools and district meets the needs of ALL learners in their classrooms. Michelle Wambach, a current principal from Arizona also joins the show to offer her experiences in reshaping her school with the mindset that ALL means ALL. 

The inaugural episode of Real Talk with Jeanne and Matt focuses on the important topic of equity. Hosts Jeanne Spiller and Matt Treadway interview acclaimed author and speaker, Ken Williams, and current practioner, Dr. LeViis Haney, as they discuss the topic of equity and how schools can shift practices to meet the needs of ALL students.