In this episode the Leading Better and Growing Faster podcast for school leaders, Joe and T.J. discuss how school leaders can effectively manage the riptides found in everyday school leadership.. Imagine a calm beach day, preferably Savage Ditch, Delaware, where you can drive onto the beach and enjoy an incredible experience of sun and sand. Imagin…

About Glenn RobbinsGlenn Robbins is the proud Superintendent of the Brigantine Public School District in Brigantine, New Jersey. He has served as a public school superintendent in New Jersey since 2016. Prior to becoming a superintendent, he was a middle school principal, a high school assistant principal, a high school social studies teacher, and …

In this episode of Leading Better and Growing Faster for school leaders, Joe and T.J. discuss how school leaders must recognize how their decisions create undercurrents within the organization. Every decision you make at school, from offering certain foods in the cafeteria to the consequence a student receives for being late to school because they …

Unlocking Excellence: Read to Lead Better, Learn to Grow FasterIn this episode, Joe and T.J. introduce two books that they know will make the difference in your life as a leader. Kotler’s book is about operating in a state of flow for improved focus and productivity. Who couldn’t benefit from learning more about flow and how we can get into a flow …

About Curtiss MurphyCurtiss Murphy has spent 32 years as a software engineer (20 of those years in games and gaming and twelve years building educational games. He spent 3 summers hosting the NSF's Edugaming workshop and six years as a professor of game design at Laguna College of Art and Design (for their Game Design MFA program). He has a few doz…

Unlocking Excellence: Read to Lead Better, Learn to Grow FasterThese are two powerhouse books that capture the journey of leadership. These two books are distinctly different, but both reflect our focus on school leaders' need to Navigate the Seas of School Leadership. Joe recommends, Sea Stories: My Life in Special Operations, which is an autobiog…

About Donya BallDr. Donya Ball is a leader, author, and national keynote speaker. She currently serves as a superintendent of schools in California and, for over two decades, has been a change-maker in public education. Dr. Ball is a professor of both educational administration and teacher education. She is passionate about studying, writing, and s…

In this episode the Leading Better and Growing Faster podcast for school leaders, Joe and T.J. tackle strategies for building an environment where teachers want to work and want to stay. As our good friend, Principal EL, always says, “trying to find, hire, and retain teachers is like the hunger games.” There is definitely a shortage of qualified te…

Joe and T.J. Recommend that School Leaders Read The Song of Significance and Retention for A ChangeIt’s no mystery that we are big fans of Seth Godin, especially T.J., but there is a good reason for that in terms of learning to lead better and grow faster. In many ways, Godin challenges conventional wisdom, but yet remains practical in his advice. …

In this podcast, we are completely focused on successfully implementing and managing the multiple initiatives that can be found in every school system. What you’ll find in this episode:Despite the enormous amount of various initiatives in schools, maintain a mindset that sees how they all fit into the system versus it being “one more thing.”Zoom ou…

Leading Better and Growing Faster with Joe & TJ: Guest Debbie Silver Talks about Inspiring Educators to Enjoy the Job They Once LovedAbout Debbie SilverDr. Debbie Silver is a former Louisiana Teacher of the Year, a best-selling author, and a highly sought-after speaker. She has presented to educators, administrators, parents, and students in 49 sta…

Walk into any school and you’ll find countless different types of work being done. Yes, teaching and learning are at the heart of what we do, but a great school culture, one where teaching and learning can thrive, is about so much more. Creating this kind of culture places a huge demand on countless people who are doing exciting work. But, at times…

About Miriam PlotinskyMiriam Plotinsky is an instructional specialist with Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland, where she has taught and led for more than 20 years. She is the author of Teach More, Hover Less, Lead Like a Teacher, and Writing Their Future Selves (W.W. Norton & Company). She is also a National Board–Certified Teacher and a …

About Jim MarshallJim Marshall’s life-long work lies at the intersection of people and the organizations in which they work—and optimizing the synergy that fertile convergence holds. A Professor of Educational Leadership at San Diego State University, his scholarship, teaching, and consulting combine our understanding of human performance and organ…

Joe and T.J. Recommend that School Leaders Read In Search of Deeper Learning and Fearless SchoolsWhat you’ll discover in this episode of Leading Better & Growing Faster w/ Joe & T.J.We recommend In Search of Deeper Learning for school leaders. We also recommend Fearless Schools for school leaders. Why in the world is Joe wearing a NASA Jacket?There…

About Jennifer AbramsFormerly a high school English teacher and a new teacher coach in Palo Alto Unified School District (Palo Alto, CA, USA), Jennifer Abrams is currently a communications consultant and author who works with educators and others on leadership development at all levels, effective collaboration skills, having hard conversations and …

Joe and T.J. Recommend that School Leaders Read Harvard Business Review’s On Mental Toughness and Success Through A Positive Mental AttitudeIn this episode, you’ll hear key points made by both T.J. and Joe about two books every school leader should read to mind your mental map to the future.T.J. immediately underscores that On Mental Toughness has …

In this episode, Joe and T.J. explore what it really means to mind your mental map. Our minds can be very scary places if we are not careful. School leaders must remain in a productive space in order to lead effectively, but the thread of events throughout the day and week can take their toll. This is why school leaders must do the following:Flip Y…

About Nancy and Elizabeth JorgensenElizabeth Jorgensen has been published in many popular journals, including the English Journal, Edutopia, Teachers & Writers Magazine, and many, many more. Her book on process-based assessment, Hacking Student Learning Habits, was published by Times 10 Publications in 2022, and her most recent book was released in…

Mitch Weathers Joins Joe & T.J. Mitch became a gifted teacher because he was a mediocre student. He rarely felt comfortable in the classroom. In fact, it took him 7 years for him to graduate from college.Choosing to become a teacher, Mitch was fortunate enough to experience school as if it was happening all around him. He was unsure how to jump int…

In our most recent book, 7 Mindshifts for School Leaders: Finding New Ways to Think About Old Problems, we introduce 7 Mindshifts that principals and other school leaders can use to solve problems that are constantly plaguing our schools. It’s important that not every problem requires these shifts, but rather those that are important, persistent, a…

Joe and T.J. Recommend that School Leaders Read 7 Mindshifts for School Leaders: Finding New Ways to Think About Old ProblemsWe want to share some of our favorite aspects of our newest book, 7 Mindshifts for School Leaders: Finding New Ways to Think About Old Problems. Written with our co-author, Connie Hamilton, this book calls into question some …

Our job is to make the learner’s thinking visible. ~ Paul Blooberg About Paul BloombergDr. Paul Bloomberg is the Founder and CEO of The Core Collaborative Learning Network based in San Diego, CA and New York City. The mission of the Core Collaborative Learning Network is to expand learner ownership and agency through building a culture of belonging…

About Tanya SheckleyTanya Sheckley is Founder and President of UP Academy, an elementary lab school which values innovation, empathy and strength and incorporates a unique neuro-development program for children with physical disabilities. Tanya’s vision and mission show it’s possible to celebrate differences, challenge what’s broken in the American…

What You Should Know About DanDan Shortridge, author of DIY Public Relations, is a communications and marketing consultant and author with more than 20 years of experience in the trenches of local public relations and daily journalism. He's led communications for a school district and state government agencies and has helped support small businesse…

In this episode of 302 Thoughts, Joe and T.J. riff on how school leaders take control of their school’s story. Schools are unique and complex hubs of the community, doing incredible things each and every day that must be shared. The harsh reality is that many people believe that schools are failing our students. There is no doubt that schools and s…

About Amanda HoldsworthDr. Amanda Holdsworth, APR, is the founder of Holdsworth Communications, a PR andenrollment marketing agency in the education sector; the School Comms Lab, amembership community for school communicators; and Comms Mom, a globalcommunity for moms working in communications. A former collegiate tennis and soccer player, Amanda e…

School leaders who want to build a strong school brand recognize the importance of learning specific skills to do so effectively. This month Joe and T.J. offer two books that reinforce their 5 ways that school leaders can think like a marketer and tell your school’s story.Culture is King--Marketing is about who you are, not what you are Great Brand…

About Jonathan AlsheimerJonathan Alsheimer is the unorthodox, energetic, and entertaining middle school teacher who refuses to live a life of limitations. Jonathan is often referred to as "my favorite teacher" by his students, and he’s the author of NEXT LEVEL TEACHING.As a passionate educator and National Keynote Speaker, Jonathan Alsheimer presen…

If You’re Going to Lead then You Must ReadLearning and growing as a school leader through reflection, training, and experience is a professional choice. One powerful way to improve is through reading great books, which is why we feature two books on a particular topic each month. These are books that we have curated from 100s of titles to help scho…

In this episode of 302 Thoughts, Joe and T.J. dig into how school leaders must be very tactical about supporting their new teachers. So much time is spent identifying personnel needs, preparing for interviews, drafting the right questions, using the write words in the position posting, and the interview itself, but all of that means nothing if you …

About Frederick WhiteDr. Frederick White is the COO of Digital PD 4 You, LLC and the author of the book, The Skin You Are In: Colorism in the Black Community, the First (2020) and Second (2021) Edition. Frederick has served as a leader in the educational field for twenty-four years.Dr. White has also spent the past fourteen years serving as an AVID…

302 Thoughts for School Leaders In this episode of 302 Thoughts, Joe and T.J. dig into how school leaders must shift their minds to lead better and grow faster. Shifting our mindset is not easy. It requires a dogged pursuit to focus our mind in the most productive ways to function better as a leader. There are two major shifts that are worth making…

Leaders are ReadersLearning and growing as a school leader through reflection, training, and experience is a professional choice. One powerful way to improve is through reading great books, which is why we feature two books on a particular topic each month. These are books that we believe can help school leaders to lead better and grow faster.This …

Leaders have to regularly do hard things. ~ Ryan Hawk About Ryan Hawk Ryan Hawk is the host of The Learning Leader Show. He has recorded more than 475 episodes over the past 7 years. Forbes called The Learning Leader Show, “the most dynamic leadership podcast around.” Inc Magazine said, “it’s one of the 5 podcasts to make you a smarter leader.” App…

In this episode of 302 Thoughts, Joe and T.J. dig into how school leaders can turn adversity into opportunity. Every leader will face issues and how they perceive those problems often determines how they will approach them, which can be the difference between success and failure. Listen to Joe describe the power of It’s Possible. This isn’t just wi…

Leaders are ReadersLearning and growing as a school leader through reflection, training, and experience is a professional choice. One powerful way to improve is through reading great books, which is why we feature a couple of books on a particular topic each month. These are books we enjoy and believe are worth reading. Our aim is to link great boo…

When we start a new initiative in schools, we have to take into account the rich tapestry of things that are already in place. ~ Nathan MaynardAbout Nathan MaynardNathan Maynard is a youth advocate, educational leader, and change maker. He is the co-author of the Washington Post bestselling and award-winning book, Hacking School Discipline: 9 Ways …

In this episode of 302 Thoughts, Joe and T.J. dig into how leaders can implement, develop, and support innovation in schools by identifying three ideas that actually work for school leaders. Innovation in schools is often a byproduct of other areas of focus. For example, if schools purchase instructional technology, many leaders hope that the bypro…

Great School Leaders are Avid ReadersLearning and growing as a school leader through reflection, training, and experience is a professional choice. One powerful way to improve is through reading great books, which is why we feature a couple of books that we benefit from each month. Our aim is to link great books to our theme for the month. This mon…

About David BrazerS. David Brazer is Principal Consultant at. Formerly Associate Professor and Director of Leadership Degree Programs in the Stanford University Graduate School of Education (where he earned his Ph.D.), Brazer continues to design courses and teach in the Stanford EdLEADers online professional development program for executive level …

In this episode of 302 Thoughts, Joe and T.J. dig into a major responsibility of school leaders that very often poses challenges. Although professional learning is common in schools, not everyone views it as a primary vehicle for getting better. Whether for personal development or improving instructional practices, leveling up one’s skills aren’t a…

Great School Leaders are Avid ReadersLearning and growing as a school leader through reflection, training, and experience is a professional choice. One powerful way to improve is through reading great books, which is why we feature a couple of great books each month. Our aim is to link great books to our theme for the month. This month we are focus…

In this episode of 302 Thoughts, Joe and T.J. tackle a common topic in education--support. Although common, it’s an elusive concept because it means so many different things for so many different people. It is also challenging to do in a systematic and organized way. We also should clarify that we are not talking about showing support when needed, …

About Dan ButlerDan Butler serves as the principal of Epworth Elementary School and has been named the next Superintendent in the Western Dubuque Community School District effective July 1. Previously, he was the principal of Epworth and Farley Elementary Schools simultaneously for four years, focusing on positive relationships with all members of …

Great School Leaders are Avid ReadersLearning and growing as a school leader through reflection, training, and experience is a professional choice. One powerful way to improve is through reading great books, which is why we feature a couple each month. Our aim is to link great books to our theme for the month. This month we are focused on rethinkin…

In this episode of 302 Thoughts, Joe and T.J. take a deep dive into how school and district leaders, at all levels, can rethink accountability in a post-pandemic world. The tough reality is that many of the mandated efforts force school leaders to take a direction that leaves other critical work in its wake. Ask any effective principal, assistant p…

About Joy KellyJoy Kelly has been an educator for more than 25 years. She has served as a high school teacher, 7-12 parochial school principal, and a public high school associate principal, where she was named the Iowa 2015 Associate Principal of the Year. After serving as high school principal, Joy currently serves as the Head of School at Regina …

Great School Leaders are Avid ReadersLearning and growing as a school leader through reflection, training, and experience is a professional choice. One powerful way to improve is through reading great books, which is why we feature a couple each month. Our aim is to link great books to our theme for the month. This month we are focused on rethinkin…