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PODCAST · education

The School Leadership Show

by Dr. Mike Doughty

This is The School Leadership Show. Learn everything you need to know to thrive in school administration. The School Leadership Show is where ordinary school administrators become extraordinary leaders. The only podcast dedicated to helping practicing and aspiring school leaders realize their potential, advance their careers, and achieve work-life balance, The School Leadership Show brings together the greatest minds from inside and outside of education to deliver you the insights and tools you need to succeed in school leadership.

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Episodes

  1. S10 E06: Why should school leaders "slow the game down"?

    In this episode of The School Leadership Show, I sit down with Dr. L. Oliver Robinson to discuss his two decades of leadership at Shenendehowa. Dr. Robinson shares his unique path from economics into the superintendency, explaining why he remains a lifelong learner within the craft of school...

  2. S10 E5: Feelings are Data - What Your Gut is Trying to Tell You About Your School (with Erica Ebert)

    What if the best self-care strategy for school leaders isn't another wellness activity, but learning how to lead from a more regulated place? In this episode of The School Leadership Show, I sit down with Erica Ebert to move beyond the "yoga your way out of it" clichés and talk about what real...

  3. S10 E04: Decoding Misconceptions in Reading Education with Timothy Shanahan

    In this episode of The School Leadership Show, I interview acclaimed author and reading expert Timothy Shanahan. We delve into Timothy's new book, 'Leveled Reading, Leveled Lives' discussing the troubling stagnation in U.S. reading levels and how traditional approaches to reading instruction have...

  4. S10 E03: Navigating AI in Education: A Leadership Dialogue with Amanda Bickerstaff

    In this episode of the School Leadership Show, I had the pleasure of interviewing Amanda Bickerstaff, co-founder and CEO of AI for Education. We delved into Amanda's rich background in education and her pioneering work with AI. Amanda shared her journey from teaching high school biology in New…

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  5. Finding the Joy in Work (from NYSCOSS "Cabinet and Coffee" Holiday Edition)

    In this episode, I, Mike Doughty facilitates a conversation with cabinet level leaders sponsored by the New York State Council of School Superintendents (NYSCOSS). The group talked about strategies for finding the joy in work, cultivating positive culture in the workplace, and striving for...

  6. Technology and the Impact on the Developing Student Brain (from "NYSCATE Conference")

    In this special episode from the NYSCATE Conference, I, Mike Doughty, and Christy Bezrutczyk discuss the influence of technology and AI on the developing student brain. We examine recent findings in neuroscience, the impact of screen time and blue light on learning and behavior, and the evolving...

  7. Empowering Critical Thinking Through Media Literacy (from "NYSSBA's President's Gavel Podcast")

    I am excited to share a conversation I had recently with the New York State School Boards Association (NYSSBA) on The President's Gavel podcast. This episode, based on a popular session from this year's Leadership in Education Event, explores media literacy and why it is arguably the most crucial...

  8. S10 E2: Understanding Pop Culture's Role in Modern Education

    How important is it to stay in touch with pop culture as a school leader? In this episode, I chat with Brooke Hammerling, the host of "Pop Culture Mondays… on Thursdays" podcast and the author of the widely read Pop Culture Mondays Newsletter. We dive into Brooke's unique journey from PR and...

  9. S10 E1: Guiding Through Change (Insights from Marie Wiles)

    How does one navigate the journey from English teacher to Superintendent? In this episode, I sit down with the recently retired Marie Wiles in a unique in-person interview. We dive deep into her 36-year-long career, from early teaching days and curriculum development to her tenure in various...

  10. S9 E12: Are You a Pig Pen? Self-Awareness & Practical Leadership Skills for Dysregulated Times

    Feeling overwhelmed by the complexities of leadership today? Tune in to learn how building your self-regulation can help you navigate dysregulated times and have more effective conversations. In this episode, my co-host Jenn David-Lang and I had the pleasure of speaking with the amazing Jennifer...

  11. S9 E11: Becoming Your Own Factchecker (News Literacy for Students and Citizens)

    In this episode, I had the privilege of speaking with Howie Schneider, the executive director of the Center for News Literacy at Stony Brook University's School of Communication and Journalism. Howie shared his fascinating journey from a 35-year career in journalism, including being the editor of...

  12. S9 E10: Bridging the Implementation Gap in Education

    In this episode, Jenn David-Lang interviews Jenice Pizzuto and Steven Carney about their book Implement with IMPACT: A Strategic Framework for Leading School and District Initiatives. The discussion focuses on their strategic framework for effectively implementing school and district initiatives...

  13. S9 E9: How Principals Can Elevate Instructional Impact with Principal Kafele

    In this episode, Jenn David-Lang sits down with renowned educator and turnaround Principal Kafele to discuss his latest—and most personally significant—book: "What Is My Value Instructionally to the Teachers I Supervise?" This conversation zeroes in on the principal's role as an instructional...

  14. S9 E8: Rigor Redefined (Unpacking the Myths of Hard Work and Hierarchy)

    In this episode, Jenn David-Lang took the reins and had a fascinating conversation with Michael McDowell, author of Rigor Redefined: 10 Teaching Habits for Surface, Deep, and Transfer Learning. Listen to the podcast to hear how Michael challenges our traditional understanding of rigor.…

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  15. S9 E7: Don't Let Them Drown (Practical Support for First-Year Teachers)

    In this episode, I'm incredibly excited to be joined by two amazing people: my fantastic co-host, Jenn David-Lang, who's also stepping in as a guest today, and the one and only Kim Marshall! We're diving into a topic that feels more important than ever right now: supporting new teachers. It's...

  16. S9 E6: Unlocking Educator Joy (Pathways and Permission)

    In this episode, Jenn and I are thrilled to welcome William Parker! A longtime educator from Oklahoma who transitioned into full-time consulting, speaking, and writing, Will is the author of "Messaging Matters" and his new book, "Whose Permission Are You Waiting For?: An Educator's Guide to Doing...

  17. S9 E5: Don't leave teacher induction up to chance.

    In this episode, Jenn has a conversation with one of the educators who was featured prominently in Harry and Rosemary Wong's latest book, THE New Teacher Induction Book: How to Recruit, Train, and Retain New Teachers. Tara Link is a leader who started an induction program 18 years ago in Moberly,...

  18. S9 E4: S.H.I.N.E Bright: Empowering Women Leaders with LaVonna Roth

    March is Women's History Month! This episode features a conversation with LaVonna Roth, an inspirational speaker and consultant whose work has inspired women leaders everywhere. Jenn introduced LaVonna, highlighting her impactful speaking on leadership. LaVonna shared her "S.H.I.N.E." framework,...

  19. S9 E3: Are you REALLY ready to respond in an emergency?

    Responding to emergencies takes two things: leadership and communication. Are you prepared? Mike and Jenn had a truly productive conversation with school preparedness expert, Chris Joffe. He talked about everything from why leaders need to start with themselves and understand how THEY respond to...

  20. S9 E2: Year of Acceleration for All (Yes, that includes Black Males)

    Khalid Oluewu, principal of Webster Elementary School in Chicago, has done what many principals would love to do: He has created structures and practices at his school to ACCELERATE learning for all, and in particular for Black males. Wow. The idea started when he was a teacher and taught middle...

  21. S9 E1: A Truly Transformational Approach to Coaching

    After 30 years in the field Elena Aguilar gathered all of her experience and learning and put together the most powerful book on coaching we've seen -- Arise: The Art of Transformational Coaching. Elena sees coaching as the way -- one conversation at a time -- that we transform our schools. In…

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  22. S8 E10: Relationships, Relationships, Relationships

    Mike returns to the podcast! Jenn and Mike had a great conversation with Coach Carlos about his book Power Engage: Seven Power Moves for Building Strong Relationships to Increase Engagement with Students. No, he's not a coach of a sports team, but a former school leader who has successfully…

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  23. S8 E9: Building trust matters, and it matters deeply in schools

    Megan Tshannen-Moran and Jenn had a delightful conversation about the power of trust in schools. It is one of three factors that is so powerful that it oustrips SES in predicting student achievement. Far from being a "soft skill," building trust has become a must-have skill for educational…

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  24. S8 E8: Is A.I. the teaching assistant we've all been waiting for?

    What a great conversation about the new book, The Artificial Intelligence Playbook: Time-Saving Tools for Teachers that Make Learning More Engaging! Jenn got to talk to all three of the authors: Meghan Hargrave, Douglas Fisher, and Nancy Frey and learned so much. We discussed everything from what...

  25. S8 E7: How to Supercharge Your Communication

    You probably know Charles Duhigg from his book, The Power of Habit. Or maybe Smarter Faster Better. Now he has a newer book out that is another great resource for school leaders — Supercommunnicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection. Charles shares with Jenn how people mess up...

  26. S8 E6: The Secret to Turning Conflict into Collaboration

    Jenn had an outstanding conversation with Robert Feirsen, one of the two authors of From Conflict to Collaboration, along with author Seth Weitzman. They chatted about the tough stuff – like how prevalent conflict is in schools and a number of the sources of that conflict. But then Robert shared...

  27. S8 E5: How about some help with talking about the election in schools?

    Jenn made me do this episode. I really didn't wat to, but I'm glad we did. As we approach the upcoming presidential election, you may remember the fallout from the last two elections. Some school communities experienced heightened divisions, increased bullying, more tension in classrooms, and a...

  28. S8 E4: Want better supervision? Listen to the source.

    Kim Marshall needs no introduction. He is the most recognized name in the field of educational leadership because he is the person behind the weekly Marshall Memo -- a subscription service that provides curated summaries of the most important articles in education each week. In this podcast Kim...

  29. S8 E3: Leading When It's Hard - A Cell Phone Ban.

    In this episode, Jenn and I interview Dave Blanchard, a seasoned superintendent from a school district in Upstate New York. Three years ago Dave's district implemented a distraction-free environment, which included no cell phones during the school day. We talk about this leadership challenge in…

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  30. S8 E2: Learn what the BEST principals do differently than the AVERAGE ones.

    We were fortunate to get to talk to the renowned Todd Whitaker in today's podcast. He is one of the most influential thought leaders in educational leadership and has written 65 books on staff motivation, teacher leadership, and principal effectiveness! Today Whitaker talks about the latest…

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  31. S8 E1: Executive Functioning Isn't Just for Executives

    Teachers spend a lot of time making sure students know what they're supposed to do, and many students struggle to understand expectations and translate them into action. The results are less time for teaching and less capacity for learning. Schools need to teach executive functions to all…

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  32. S7 E10: It all starts with Belonging.

    Students today are suffering from an epidemic of disconnection. School leaders I work with see it in students' disengagement from learning and in their mental health. While there are many factors at play here, there's no doubt that belonging is something that kids (and grown-ups too) desperately...

  33. S7 E9 If these are the next generation of teachers, we're all good!

    In this episode, Jenn had the privilege of speaking to three rising juniors in college, all of whom want to become teachers. While we've spent so much time fearing the loss of teachers from our field, it was so inspiring to remember that some energetic young people are going to bring so much to…

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  34. S7 E8: Reading Is Everyone's Business, Part 2

    According to Beverly Cleary (yes, that Beverly Cleary), "Children should learn that reading is pleasure, not just something that teachers make you do in school." Jenn and I couldn't agree more, and that's why in this episode we talk about the book The Joy of Reading by Donalyn Miller and Teri S....

  35. S7 E7: Reading Is Everyone's Business (Part 1)

    "If you're not reading by the end of third grade, there's a 70% chance you won't become a proficient reader." That's what author Karen Gazith told us as we talked with her about her most recent book, The Power of Effective Reading Instruction: How Neuroscience Informs Instruction Across All…

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  36. Mini-sode 5: Trust us, your teams need work.

    In this fifth special episode, Jenn David-Lang of The Main Idea and I talk about resources to help school leaders with building better teams. To support this work, Jenn has gathered her summaries of three must-read books: Learning by Doing by Richard DuFour et al. - This book shows how to...

  37. S7 E6: We Can't Yoga Our Way Out of This

    In this episode, we're shining a light on a pressing issue in the educational landscape: teacher burnout and attrition. With schools across the nation feeling the impact, we turn to expert Chase Mielke, author of Illuminate the Way: The School Leader's Guide to Addressing and Preventing Teacher...

  38. S7: E5 "Diversity is being invited to the party, inclusion is being asked to dance."

    DEI feels like it's becoming the (a) third rail in K-12 education. The quote in the title is from Verna Myers, VP of inclusion strategy at Netflix, and is included in Ruchika Tulshyan's book Inclusion on Purpose: An Intersectional Approach to Creating a Culture of Belonging at Work. In this...

  39. S7 E4: We've had something wrong in education – it's not the GPA or the test scores.

    Many of us as educators have assumed that the kids with strong grades and strong test scores were set up for success. Isn't that what we were supposed to work toward in schools? Dr. Borba has interviewed scores of students and has found that these 2 areas – grades and test scores – are not the...

  40. S7 E3: Find and Tap Your Hidden Potential

    Everyone has hidden potential for growth and achievement, but standard approaches to studying, practicing, coaching, and organizing education often leave this potential untapped. The practices of high-achieving individuals (and a high-achieving school system) reveal the surprising skills,...

  41. S7 E2: Educators of color are leaving schools: What can leaders do differently to support them to stay?

    In this conversation between Dr. Andrea Terrero Gabbadon and Jenn, we talked about the reasons educators of color are leaving: working conditions and leadership behaviors. The good news is that school and district leaders can actually do something about this, and Dr. Gabbadon walks you through…

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  42. S7 E1: Forget Hiring; Let's Try to Keep the Teachers We Have

    In this episode, I talk with Becky Gerdes and Ryan Siegle about their book Six Steps Toward Teacher Retention and a Long-Lasting Legacy. We focus mainly on their Six Steps to Maximize Your Leadership Impact and Improve Teacher Retention: Step One: Lead Authentically Step Two: Build Teacher...

  43. S6 E10: Listen To Your Inner Canary

    In this episode, Jenn and I talk about Sharone Bar-David's book Trust Your Canary: Every Leader's Guide to Taming Workplace Incivility. Bar-David provides some simple strategies for helping leaders see incivility (even when it's hard to recognize) plus a whole toolkit of easy-to-implement ways to...

  44. S6 E9: An Entrepreneur Helps Mike Out

    Sometimes in education it helps to hear from our end users. In this episode I interview fellow Coke Scholar Raleigh Dewan ('19). Raleigh is a 23-year-old entrepreneur and business owner (https://steadispoon.com/ and https://sistershaq.com/) from Austin, Texas. Raleigh and I talk about his...

  45. S6 E8: How healthy is your organization?

    More than anything, organizations should strive for organizational health. In this episode, Jenn David-Lang and I talk about Patrick Lencioni's 2012 book The Advantage Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else in Business. This book clearly and powerfully explains what your organization...

  46. S6 E7: A.I. in K-12, Part 1

    In the field of education, we have no choice, AI is here to stay. So, listen to this whimsical conversation with Technology Coach, Jason Strzalkowski, whose enthusiasm for all-things-AI-in-schools is infectious! Yes, we share ideas to spice up teaching to make learning more engaging, accessible,...

  47. S6 E6: Let's Get Math Instruction Right

    In this episode, Jenn and I interview Peter Liljedahl, the author of Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics: 14 Teaching Practices for Enhancing Learning. As former math teachers, Jenn and I had a great time talking with Peter about concrete and actionable ways teachers can improve math...

  48. S6 E5: Creating an Inclusive Environment for Students with Disabilities

    The research is clear: to provide equitable learning opportunities for all, schools must actively include students with disabilities alongside their peers in general education settings.School leaders don't need a degree in special education to lead their school toward more equitable and inclusive...

  49. S6 E4: You're NOT Too Busy to Take Care of Yourself

    Are you the type of leader who gets up at 4:00 AM to exercise before work? Then this episode is for you. Are you the type of leader who NEVER gets up at 4:00 AM to exercise before work? Then this episode is for you, too. Kelly and Juliet Starrett are highly regarded exercise and health gurus…

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  50. S6 E3: Top Ten for New Principals

    In this episode, Jenn interviews Mike about what new principals need to think about as they begin the new school year. Here is Mike's top ten list: Listen and Learn Communicate Effectively Lead by Example Stay Visible Manage Your Time Empower Your Teams Build Relationships Set Clear Goals Embrace...

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ABOUT THIS SHOW

This is The School Leadership Show. Learn everything you need to know to thrive in school administration. The School Leadership Show is where ordinary school administrators become extraordinary leaders. The only podcast dedicated to helping practicing and aspiring school leaders realize their potential, advance their careers, and achieve work-life balance, The School Leadership Show brings together the greatest minds from inside and outside of education to deliver you the insights and tools you need to succeed in school leadership.

HOSTED BY

Dr. Mike Doughty

Produced by Michael Doughty

CATEGORIES

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does The School Leadership Show have?

The School Leadership Show currently has 145 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.

What is The School Leadership Show about?

This is The School Leadership Show. Learn everything you need to know to thrive in school administration. The School Leadership Show is where ordinary school administrators become extraordinary leaders. The only podcast dedicated to helping practicing and aspiring school leaders realize their...

How often does The School Leadership Show release new episodes?

The School Leadership Show publishes regularly with 145 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.

Where can I listen to The School Leadership Show?

You can listen to The School Leadership Show on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.

Who hosts The School Leadership Show?

The School Leadership Show is created and hosted by Dr. Mike Doughty.
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