In our design spring workshop I facilitated today with school leaders, we spent time doing something that doesn’t always happen in busy school environments.We didn’t jump straight to solutions.Instead, we slowed down and worked through a simple proce...
Why This MattersWhen support aligns with real teacher needs, it builds trust and momentum. When it doesn’t, even well-designed efforts can feel like “one more thing.”The goal isn’t to add more support. It’s to make sure the support you’re offering ac...
Sometimes we put support structures in place with the best intentions… but they don’t quite land the way we hoped.A new initiative, a resource, a PD session, a check-in. On paper, it makes sense. But in practice, it doesn’t always connect to what tea...
It’s easy to feel like everything needs attention at once. But when everything is a priority, it becomes hard to move anything forward in a meaningful way.This week is about narrowing your focus to something you can actually act on.Why This MattersSu...
There are a lot of factors that influence whether teachers stay or leave a school. Some are big and structural. Some are outside of a principal’s direct control.But not all of them.In the middle of everything you’re navigating right now, it can be ea...
This week, we’re beginning a new focus: Providing Targeted Professional Development and Growth.After building stronger listening and follow-through habits, the next step is to think about how those insights show up in the learning opportunities we de...
Over the past several weeks, we’ve been focused on listening more closely to teachers, noticing patterns, and following up in ways that build trust.That work matters. And it leads to an important next question.Once teachers feel heard, what helps the...
Last week, you reflected on what happens after teachers speak up.This week’s resource is about making that “after” more visible and intentional without adding more to your plate.Why This MattersFollow-through doesn’t always mean solving everything. ...
Over the past few weeks, you’ve been noticing more. Listening more closely. Naming things that might have gone unspoken before.But one of the biggest trust-builders in a school isn’t just what you notice. It’s what you follow up on.Teachers are const...
Over the past few weeks, you’ve been building awareness. You’ve surfaced patterns, listened more closely, and started to see what might be sitting beneath everyday moments in your school.This week is about translating that awareness into action, in a...
Over the past few weeks, you’ve been paying closer attention.You’ve noticed the small moments that add up.You’ve reflected on what might be underneath teacher feedback.You’ve named things that aren’t being said out loud.But awareness alone doesn’t sh...
Last week, you named moments that quietly wear people down. This week’s discussion invited you to zoom out and think about why those patterns might be happening in the first place.Not every challenge shows up clearly on the surface. Often, what we no...
As we’ve moved through these past weeks, you’ve named real moments, surfaced quieter signals, and reflected on what might be sitting beneath what teachers say and do.At some point, though, reflection has to turn into action.Not big, sweeping change. ...
In the discussion this week, I invited you to pause and think about what you believe are the biggest reasons teachers leave schools.Our experiences as leaders give us valuable insight. At the same time, it can be helpful to look at what research has ...
Over the past several weeks, we have been paying close attention to moments inside our schools. Small signals. Conversations. Patterns that reveal something about the experience teachers are having.This week I want to step back and look at the bigger...
This week’s discussion invited you to reflect on something teachers may feel proud of that has not been celebrated publicly or widely.In schools, recognition often gravitates toward the most visible outcomes. Test scores, big events, awards, or majo...
In schools, we tend to celebrate what’s most visible: big events, major milestones, public wins. But some of the work teachers feel most proud of happens quietly, without an audience. It might be a relationship they’ve built with a hard-to-reach stud...
PurposeTo help you surface what a new teacher may be experiencing right now and identify one small action that increases clarity and belonging.10-Minute Activity: First-Month SnapshotOn a sheet of paper, make two quick lists:What Likely Feels ClearSy...
In the summer of 2019, I’d just accepted an eighth grade English Language Arts position in a new school district. Though I wasn’t new to teaching, I didn’t know anyone on the campus, and the principal that had originally hired me had been promoted to...
This week’s discussion invites you to notice requests from teachers that sound small on the surface but seem to carry more weight underneath.A tweak to the schedule.A request for more notice.A question about expectations.Individually, these moments c...
When I was in the classroom, approaching my principal with a suggestion usually meant I had thought about it for a while. Most days were already full, and speaking up wasn’t about preference; it was often about something that was getting in the way o...
Last week, you were invited to notice a moment that made you pause. A small interaction, decision, or request that quietly drained energy or morale.These moments are easy to overlook because they do not feel urgent or dramatic. Over time, they add up...
We’re trying something new to make it easier to stay connected to the work happening in the Ed Leadership Program community for school-based administrators. Going forward, you’ll receive a short bi-monthly newsletter that brings together key resource...
Most decisions about staying or leaving a school aren’t made in big, dramatic moments.They’re shaped by small, ordinary ones that add up over time. A meeting that runs long and lacks true purpose. A last-minute, semi-unreasonable ask that could have...
Why this Matters:Curiosity is often the first signal something important is happening beneath the surface.When leaders slow down to name their recurring questions, they resist the urge to jump straight to solutions — and instead focus on understandin...
Those who know me well know how much I LOVE planners and to-do lists!I’ve always been a person, both as a student and teacher, who thrives off of lists. This often leads to, and generates, a long list of clarifying questions and wonderings that swirl...
Why This Matters:Naming a problem is easy. Defining success is harder and far more important. Without clarity, even well-intentioned changes can feel like “one more thing” instead of meaningful improvement.The “If This Were Working…” TestTry This:Com...
As educators, we are often brimming with complaints, suggestions, and improvements that we believe leadership should devote time to addressing. What’s harder is slowing down once we’ve named a problem and being clear about what would actually make i...
Why This Matters:Not every perspective shows up in meetings, surveys, or hallway conversations. Often, the voices most impacted by a challenge are the least visible. This resource invites you to pause and intentionally notice whose experiences may be...
We often spend so much time on our campus that it truly feels like a second home. You’ve likely become familiar with the smells, sights, and sounds billowing through hallways; you can probably even recognize certain student, educator, or parent voi...
