Educational Relevance

Wright's 5C Turnaround Plan, created by veteran principal and change agent Bryan R. Wright, is a proven, people-centered structured approach for school improvement that focuses on five key areas: Code, Climate, Culture, Curriculum, and ConnectionsFor more than 30 years, Bryan has led effective turnaround work in alternative schools, comprehensive high schools, IB programs, and urban middle schools—delivering consistent, data-driven results. When school leaders are intentionally coached in implementing the 5C Turnaround Plan, measurable outcomes follow, including increased attendance, improved test scores, a reduction in discipline referrals, and sustainable school improvement.For more information about the topics discussed,  contact us at Bryan Wright: [email protected] you found value in today’s episode, share it with a colleague, subscribe, and leave us a review. It helps us to continue bringing you conversations that matter.Thanks for listening. Until next time, keep leading with heart—and stay educationally relevant.

Leadership isn’t about doing more—it’s about moving together.Dr. Frank Davila shares his insights on Orchestrated School Rhythm and how it strengthens the 5Cs—Code, Climate, Culture, Curriculum, and Connections to improve today’s schools.If you’re looking to create alignment, momentum, and sustainable change in your school, this is a must-watch.Listen and rethink how rhythm drives results.For more information about the topics discussed,  contact us at Bryan Wright: [email protected] you found value in today’s episode, share it with a colleague, subscribe, and leave us a review. It helps us to continue bringing you conversations that matter.Thanks for listening. Until next time, keep leading with heart—and stay educationally relevant.

This week on Educational Relevance, we’re joined by Dr. Eric Gallien,  a seasoned educational leader who opens up about navigating both personal and professional challenges in the world of education.From community resistance to personal loss, hear how resilience, reflection, and relentless focus helped them lead with impact.If you’re a school leader, educator, or aspiring administrator—this one’s for you. Now streaming on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major platforms.#EducationMatters #LeadershipPodcast #ResilientLeadership #SchoolLeaders #EducationalRelevanceFor more information about the topics discussed,  contact us at Bryan Wright: [email protected] you found value in today’s episode, share it with a colleague, subscribe, and leave us a review. It helps us to continue bringing you conversations that matter.Thanks for listening. Until next time, keep leading with heart—and stay educationally relevant.

Join us on Educational Relevance as we welcome Elizabeth Steege—a dynamic music educator with over 30 years of experience in the Racine Unified School District. Hosts Bryan Wright and Mark McBeth sit down with Elizabeth to explore how she built a lasting classroom culture, led with heart, and used the power of music to impact generations of students. Don’t miss this inspiring conversation with a true educational changemaker!For more information about the topics discussed,  contact us at Bryan Wright: [email protected] you found value in today’s episode, share it with a colleague, subscribe, and leave us a review. It helps us to continue bringing you conversations that matter.Thanks for listening. Until next time, keep leading with heart—and stay educationally relevant.

Coach Michael P. Dressler, inducted into the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2006, has built a remarkable career grounded in a set of five non-negotiable life rules:Be on Time. Pay Attention. Do Your Best. Do What is Right. Don’t Lie.More than slogans, these values became the foundation for how he led his teams, taught his students, and influenced generations of young people across Wisconsin. From Pulaski High School to Fond du Lac and beyond, Coach Dressler’s legacy is one of integrity, consistency, and transformational leadership.Join Bryan Wright and Mark McBeth as Coach Dressler shares how he developed and lived by this code—and how he inspired others to do the same.For more information about the topics discussed,  contact us at Bryan Wright: [email protected] you found value in today’s episode, share it with a colleague, subscribe, and leave us a review. It helps us to continue bringing you conversations that matter.Thanks for listening. Until next time, keep leading with heart—and stay educationally relevant.

Learn about about Laser Conversations and the SR3: A Framework for Teacher Evaluation and SupportLaser Conversations are a tool for administrators to conduct informal, focused check-ins with staff throughout the day. These are brief but intentional conversations centered around a specific topic, strategy, or area of practice. The goal is to support teacher growth by providing timely feedback, asking reflective questions, and fostering professional dialogue. Unlike formal evaluations, Laser Conversations are designed to be low-stakes, high-impact interactions that encourage continuous improvement in teaching and learning.As the school year winds down and teacher evaluations wrap up, it's the perfect time to revisit the SR3 process—a structured approach for administrators to guide teachers toward sustained improvement.SR3 stands for: Step 1: Support Step 2: Repeat Step 3: Remediate Step 4: RemoveThe purpose of SR3 is to ensure that teachers are positively impacting student learning and to provide a clear, fair path toward improvement if concerns arise.For more information about the topics discussed,  contact us at Bryan Wright: [email protected] you found value in today’s episode, share it with a colleague, subscribe, and leave us a review. It helps us to continue bringing you conversations that matter.Thanks for listening. Until next time, keep leading with heart—and stay educationally relevant.

Growing Intentionally via Systemic Thinkingby Dr. Frank DavilaThis is an insightful perspective! Growth, whether personal or professional, often requires a deliberate and intentional approach. Dr. Frank Davila's emphasis on systemic thinking highlights the importance of preparation and understanding the interconnectedness of actions and decisions in leadership and teaching.For more information about the topics discussed,  contact us at Bryan Wright: [email protected] you found value in today’s episode, share it with a colleague, subscribe, and leave us a review. It helps us to continue bringing you conversations that matter.Thanks for listening. Until next time, keep leading with heart—and stay educationally relevant.

Restorative practices are a teaching and learning approach that focuses on building relationships and repairing harm in schools:Building relationships: Restorative practices help students and staff build relationships and create a safe learning environment.Repairing harm: When harm is caused, restorative practices help students understand how their actions impact others and work to repair the harm.Accountability: Restorative practices help students take accountability for their actions.Community: Restorative practices help create a sense of community where everyone feels they belong.Positive school culture: Restorative practices can improve school culture and reduce the need for stronger responses over time.Indigenous traditions: Restorative practices are rooted in the traditions of Indigenous people and communities of color.Restorative practices can help with: Bullying prevention, Improving attendance,Reducing suspension ratesNarrowing gaps in suspension rates between student sub groupsOur guest, Diana Beitz, has 31 years in public education, mainly working with at-risk populations in grades K-12. Her experience ranges including a classroom teacher, a learning coach, Achievement Coordinator and School Principal. She holds a Master’s in Educational Technology from Washburn University. She shares her knowledge and experience in meeting student achievement through the use of restorative practices. For more information about the topics discussed,  contact us at Bryan Wright: [email protected] you found value in today’s episode, share it with a colleague, subscribe, and leave us a review. It helps us to continue bringing you conversations that matter.Thanks for listening. Until next time, keep leading with heart—and stay educationally relevant.

Welcome to our exciting new series focused on School Discipline and Classroom Management. In this four-part exploration, we aim to empower educators with effective strategies and insights from experienced professionals in the field. Each session will feature guest speakers who have successfully navigated the challenges of discipline and management, offering proven methods that can be adapted to various educational environments.For more information about the topics discussed,  contact us at Bryan Wright: [email protected] you found value in today’s episode, share it with a colleague, subscribe, and leave us a review. It helps us to continue bringing you conversations that matter.Thanks for listening. Until next time, keep leading with heart—and stay educationally relevant.

Turnaround 4C Plan Tools:Three Tier Teacher Evaluations, SR3 method of evaluating teachers, 5 x 5 Parent ContractThe Tier Teacher Evaluations, SR3 Method of Evaluating Teachers, and the 5 x 5 Parent Contract, integral components of the 4C Turnaround Plan, are key strategies designed to support new teachers in enhancing student learning and building leadership capacity across all stakeholders: students, teachers, administrators, and the community.When implemented with fidelity, these tools foster school improvement through the four pillars of Climate, Culture, Curriculum, and Connections. This holistic approach not only promotes student success but also encourages the development of leadership within the school environment, ensuring long-term growth and positive change.For more information about the topics discussed,  contact us at Bryan Wright: [email protected] you found value in today’s episode, share it with a colleague, subscribe, and leave us a review. It helps us to continue bringing you conversations that matter.Thanks for listening. Until next time, keep leading with heart—and stay educationally relevant.

The Discipline Matrix is a progressive disciplinary model to be used by staff that brings consistency to student consequences for minor behavior infractions. Teachers are empowered to address student behavior issues before it moves to administration. It identifies inappropriate student behaviors and provides consequences for their actions but also allows fairness in providing students opportunities to make informed decisions.    When implemented with fidelity and consistency, school climate becomes more positive and the culture of student learning is enhanced. For more information about the topics discussed,  contact us at Bryan Wright: [email protected] you found value in today’s episode, share it with a colleague, subscribe, and leave us a review. It helps us to continue bringing you conversations that matter.Thanks for listening. Until next time, keep leading with heart—and stay educationally relevant.

The Turnaround 4C Plan is your educational map for the school year to improve student success. This starts with developing a strong culture where all groups, students, teachers, and parents, feel safe and comfortable in their school, where they feel that they matter.Your game plan goals are to build a positive climate, create a unified working environment, have a viable curriculum that will improve test scores and increase a school’s overall GPA, and finally, build up leadership density in the school. In addition, the school improvement plan includeswhy these goals are important to improving the school this yearwho it will be impacted in reaching these goalsidentify your indicators of successFor a template, feel free to reach us. Bryan Wright at at [email protected] Mark McBeth at [email protected] or For more information about the topics discussed,  contact us at Bryan Wright: [email protected] you found value in today’s episode, share it with a colleague, subscribe, and leave us a review. It helps us to continue bringing you conversations that matter.Thanks for listening. Until next time, keep leading with heart—and stay educationally relevant.

The last piece of the Turnaround 4C Plan is Connections. Bryan and Mark discuss how Connections is the interwoven piece that makes the other three components; Climate, Culture, Curriculum successful and sustainable part of the process. In addition, they share how relationships between teachers, students, administration and community build connections and how each group buy-in contributes to the success of improving a school. For more information about the topics discussed,  contact us at Bryan Wright: [email protected] you found value in today’s episode, share it with a colleague, subscribe, and leave us a review. It helps us to continue bringing you conversations that matter.Thanks for listening. Until next time, keep leading with heart—and stay educationally relevant.

Bryan Wright and Mark McBeth discuss part three of the Turnaround 4CPlan. Once Climate and Culture is implemented with fidelity, schools are ready for true academic change that is sustainable. This usually occurs in year three. For more information about the topics discussed,  contact us at Bryan Wright: [email protected] you found value in today’s episode, share it with a colleague, subscribe, and leave us a review. It helps us to continue bringing you conversations that matter.Thanks for listening. Until next time, keep leading with heart—and stay educationally relevant.

Welcome to Educational Relevance, a platform for experienced educators to share proven successful strategies to educate today’s students. Bryan Wright, who has over 25 years experience as a lead school administrator, along with Mark McBeth, who also has experience as a school administrator, will continue sharing the Turnaround 4C Plan to improve any school. The 4Cs stands for Climate, Culture, Curriculum, and Connections. Climate is who we are. Culture is what we do. Culture is when climate's expectations become norms. It’s imperative to build a strong school climate and culture to make improvements long lasting. Every school needs to have four goals to attain as well as be able to measure in order to embed the culture. The four goals are first, to enhance the culture, second, set up a viable curriculum, next, student engagement, and finally build leadership density, For more information about the topics discussed,  contact us at Bryan Wright: [email protected] you found value in today’s episode, share it with a colleague, subscribe, and leave us a review. It helps us to continue bringing you conversations that matter.Thanks for listening. Until next time, keep leading with heart—and stay educationally relevant.

Part Two of the Turnaround 4C PlanBryan Wright and Mark McBeth discuss tools used to build a positive school climate in order for students to feel safe in their school which will increase student learning. Tools such as norms vs. rules, and being visible in the community. For more information about the topics discussed,  contact us at Bryan Wright: [email protected] you found value in today’s episode, share it with a colleague, subscribe, and leave us a review. It helps us to continue bringing you conversations that matter.Thanks for listening. Until next time, keep leading with heart—and stay educationally relevant.

With the new school year fast approaching, learn about the Turnaround 4C Plan. A proven method used over the past twenty years to improve school test scores, increase attendance, lower disciplinary rates, and for high schools, increase graduation rates. Topics discussed:Each component of the Turnaround 4C PlanWhy improvement starts with your school’s climate (not school curriculum)Developing your code as the educational leader and the impact it will have on your school’s success.This series will delve into each component of the Turnaround 4C Plan and share proven successful tools and methods to improve your school. To learn more about the Turnaround 4C Plan please email Bryan Wright at [email protected] or Mark McBeth at [email protected] more information about the topics discussed,  contact us at Bryan Wright: [email protected] you found value in today’s episode, share it with a colleague, subscribe, and leave us a review. It helps us to continue bringing you conversations that matter.Thanks for listening. Until next time, keep leading with heart—and stay educationally relevant.

Dr. Jerry Valentine, who is a professor emeritus at the University of Missouri, brings over 50 years of experience to the educational field. His strategies have been utilized in over 35 states currently in several international countries.Dr. Valentine will share information on higher order thinking in order to positively impact academic success. For more information about the topics discussed,  contact us at Bryan Wright: [email protected] you found value in today’s episode, share it with a colleague, subscribe, and leave us a review. It helps us to continue bringing you conversations that matter.Thanks for listening. Until next time, keep leading with heart—and stay educationally relevant.

Dr. Jerry Valentine, a professor emeritus at the University of Missouri. Jerry brings a half century of knowledge and experience and is sharing the instructional practice inventory which involves an opportunity to collect data and communicate with educators about what is happening inside the classrooms to engage students.For more information on this process, contact Dr. Jerry Valentine at  [email protected] more information about the topics discussed,  contact us at Bryan Wright: [email protected] you found value in today’s episode, share it with a colleague, subscribe, and leave us a review. It helps us to continue bringing you conversations that matter.Thanks for listening. Until next time, keep leading with heart—and stay educationally relevant.

Sue Alexander and Dr. Sarah Jerome share ideas on being a creative thinker in order to develop consensus and build a vision in your schools and school district. These educators have decades of successful school leadership experience to share. For more information about the topics discussed,  contact us at Bryan Wright: [email protected] you found value in today’s episode, share it with a colleague, subscribe, and leave us a review. It helps us to continue bringing you conversations that matter.Thanks for listening. Until next time, keep leading with heart—and stay educationally relevant.

Our guests, Sue Alexander and Dr. Sarah Jerome, share strategies, Isolate the Issue and Predict and Prevent, which efficiently and effectively address problems that arise for the school administrator. This episode will be helpful to new and experienced school administrators.Sue Alexander served on administrative teams in three different public-school districts holding the positions of SuperintendentHigh School PrincipalAssistant PrincipalPrior to education, worked 10 years in business finance and held the positions of Secretary of the Board of Directors of a no-load mutual fund and as Vice President of an Investment Advisory Company. "In diversity lies stability." Dr. Sarah Jerome has 46 years in education23 of those years as a superintendent: 15 years in Kettle Moraine, WI and 8 years in Arlington Heights, ILPrincipal at Nicolet High School and Assistant Superintendent in Rockford Illinois.  Served in 9 school districts in 5 states. Served as President of AASA-American Association of School Administrators. Currently working for HYA Consulting which does superintendent searches and strategic planning for school districts. My mantra and motto: Public Education is the Backbone of Democracy!For more information about the topics discussed,  contact us at Bryan Wright: [email protected] you found value in today’s episode, share it with a colleague, subscribe, and leave us a review. It helps us to continue bringing you conversations that matter.Thanks for listening. Until next time, keep leading with heart—and stay educationally relevant.

For more information about the topics discussed,  contact us at Bryan Wright: [email protected] you found value in today’s episode, share it with a colleague, subscribe, and leave us a review. It helps us to continue bringing you conversations that matter.Thanks for listening. Until next time, keep leading with heart—and stay educationally relevant.

For more information about the topics discussed,  contact us at Bryan Wright: [email protected] you found value in today’s episode, share it with a colleague, subscribe, and leave us a review. It helps us to continue bringing you conversations that matter.Thanks for listening. Until next time, keep leading with heart—and stay educationally relevant.

For more information about the topics discussed,  contact us at Bryan Wright: [email protected] you found value in today’s episode, share it with a colleague, subscribe, and leave us a review. It helps us to continue bringing you conversations that matter.Thanks for listening. Until next time, keep leading with heart—and stay educationally relevant.

 Dr. Davila will be talking about being a material leader and listening to your voice from within. Listeners can find a link to his article titled Leadership Voices on YouTube, Facebook, and Buzzsprout as well as the link below. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JZHZj4ZY-6W37axC_a9x7Fch3utAHEav/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=114539196425473710011&rtpof=true&sd=trueFor more information about the topics discussed,  contact us at Bryan Wright: [email protected] you found value in today’s episode, share it with a colleague, subscribe, and leave us a review. It helps us to continue bringing you conversations that matter.Thanks for listening. Until next time, keep leading with heart—and stay educationally relevant.

Be sure to check out our episode on Educational Relevance featuring our guest, Dr. Frank Davila. Dr. Davila will be talking about leadership in a diverse school and providing an equitable education for every single child, regardless of their background, language, culture and traditions.As well as ways to make adjustments to help them get into the system in a more productive and dynamic method. For more information about the topics discussed,  contact us at Bryan Wright: [email protected] you found value in today’s episode, share it with a colleague, subscribe, and leave us a review. It helps us to continue bringing you conversations that matter.Thanks for listening. Until next time, keep leading with heart—and stay educationally relevant.

For teachers who need a fun, engaging, simple lesson to get through the few weeks of instruction during the month of December, listen to this proven successful lesson from Sue Knopp, retired educator from District 11 in Colorado Springs. The strategy called Gallery Walk can be used for any subject and any time of the year. For more information about the topics discussed,  contact us at Bryan Wright: [email protected] you found value in today’s episode, share it with a colleague, subscribe, and leave us a review. It helps us to continue bringing you conversations that matter.Thanks for listening. Until next time, keep leading with heart—and stay educationally relevant.

Introducing our podcast, Educational Relevance. This podcast is a platform for experienced educators to share proven successful strategies to educate today's students.Hosted by Mark McBeth and Bryan WrightIn our upcoming podcasts, you'll hear more stories and strategies from our guests and hosts on various topics. New podcasts will be released every Wednesday. For more information about the topics discussed,  contact us at Bryan Wright: [email protected] you found value in today’s episode, share it with a colleague, subscribe, and leave us a review. It helps us to continue bringing you conversations that matter.Thanks for listening. Until next time, keep leading with heart—and stay educationally relevant.