Explore every episode of the podcast The Better Leaders Better Schools Podcast | The #1 Downloaded School Leadership Show
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Experiential Education: Why Your Lesson Plan Is Failing Students | 12 Aug 2026 | 00:49:21 | |
Phil Brown trains educators to build the kind of learning moments a curriculum can't schedule. As an experiential and adventure education trainer at High 5 Adventure Learning Center, he's guided everyone from Iraqi high schoolers working through conflict resolution to NHL players from the Boston Bruins and Calgary Flames through experiences designed to stretch — not break — them. He also serves on the board of the Association for Experiential Education and hosts the podcast Vertical Playpen, where he digs deeper into the theory and practice behind this work. Most principals have sat through a lesson that went exactly as planned and taught nobody anything. Phil Brown has the opposite story: a day where nothing went as planned, and it became the most important teaching moment of his career. This episode is about what happened in between — and why experiential education, not another curriculum map, might be the fix your campus actually needs. 🫶 What You'll Learn
"Find the pine cone. That just really means to be open to students' natural curiosity and follow it." — Phil Brown "Connection before content." — Phil Brown "It's the same thing with that supervisor who says, my door is always open — you know full well that door is not open." — Phil Brown "When in doubt, give them your heart." — Phil Brown "The only thing that you learn when you panic is, hell no, I don't want to do it again." — Phil Brown "Your aim is not to be childish, but be childlike." — Phil Brown 🚵♀️ Your Do School Different ChallengeReady to implement? Start here:
👩🏻💻 Website: https://high5adventure.org/ , https://www.aee.org/ 👉 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/phil-brown-high5 🎧 Listen & SubscribeListen to Better Leaders Better Schools on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Youtube or wherever you get your podcasts. If today's episode moved you, leave a review — it helps more Ruckus Makers find the show. 🧔🏻♂️ Your SelfMentorship GuideMeet Digital Danny — your SelfMentorship guide. Always available, never forgets, and evolves with you. Think through your next leadership move at myprincipalcoach.com Today's RuckusCast PartnersStill scrambling for supplies like it's 1999? ODP Business Solutions has been the trusted supply partner for schools for 30 years — from restocking eight campuses with sustainable, scalable solutions to redesigning a tired computer lab into a full STEAM innovation center. Everything comes from one supplier, which means simpler ordering, streamlined budgeting, and easy access to cooperative contracts. 🔎 Visit ODPbusiness.com/education to see what they can build for your district. IXL isn't just a teacher tool — it's a leadership dashboard. Ruckus Makers use IXL to put a finger on the pulse of student performance, drilling down to individual growth and customizing reports around what matters most to their goals. 🔎 Get started at ixl.com/leaders Kids First Education was founded by career educators who partner with Pre-K through 12 schools and districts to deliver instructional coaching, leadership development, and curriculum support built on collaboration and real classroom data — not theory. Whether you lead a single building or an entire system, they meet your team where it is. 🔎 Learn more at kidsfirst.llc META DESCRIPTION: Experiential education beats lesson plans. Learn how connection-before-content and stretch zones drive real student engagement.
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| The Learning Model That Turned a Dropout Into the Class Speaker with Jenny Curtin | 09 Aug 2026 | 00:42:36 | |
Jenny Curtin partners with schools and districts across New England on behalf of the Barr Foundation, where she helps build and scale Transformative Learning Experiences — rigorous, project-based units developed with partner Springpoint that pull students out of the classroom and into courtrooms, communities, and real business ventures. Her work runs on a philanthropic value most funders don't practice: taking the long view, and staying with schools through the slow, unglamorous work of actual change. A student named Buddha dropped out of high school after years of disconnected, irrelevant coursework — and became his graduation class speaker after enrolling somewhere that taught differently. Jenny Curtin of the Barr Foundation joins the show to explain the model behind that turnaround, and why most school transformation efforts stall before they ever reach a kid like him. 🫶 What You'll Learn
"The silver bullets that are always coming on the scene for education are a trap." "We're not interested in people just adding more decorations onto an existing cake." "If we aren't ever designing at those margins of who isn't being served well, we're never going to get to those young people." "There's like many different, beautiful high school models that can exist that do not have to look all the same." "We're not interested in making marginal changes to make things marginally better for young people." Ready to implement? Start here:
Website: https://www.barrfoundation.org/ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jennycurtin 🎧 Listen & SubscribeListen to Better Leaders Better Schools on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Youtube or wherever you get your podcasts. If today's episode moved you, leave a review — it helps more Ruckus Makers find the show. 🧔🏻♂️ Your SelfMentorship GuideMeet Digital Danny — your SelfMentorship guide. Always available, never forgets, and evolves with you. Think through your next leadership move at myprincipalcoach.com 🫶 Today's RuckusCast PartnersODP Business Solutions has been the behind-the-scenes partner for schools for three decades — not just competitive pricing, but negotiated cooperative contracts that stretch every dollar. They helped Baldwin School District overhaul its entire campus without blowing the budget, combining smart design with smarter purchasing. From essential supplies to cutting-edge tech to flexible furniture, it's one supplier instead of ten separate headaches. Frontline Education's 2026 K12 Lens Report makes one thing clear: retention, not just hiring, is what determines staffing stability. Districts running structured, automated professional growth software report easier hiring nearly half the time — compared to just 30% of districts without it. If you're building a campus where great educators actually want to stay, this report is your blueprint. IXL kills the guesswork in lesson planning — teachers get ready-made, standards-aligned lessons built for exactly what their textbooks already cover. Add daily insight into student performance and teachers can adjust instruction before a gap becomes a pattern. Your teachers get the tool, your students get the growth. META DESCRIPTION: Barr Foundation's Jenny Curtin on why real high school transformation starts with slowing down, not adding another program. | |||
| Why Firing Yourself Might Be Your Best Leadership Move | 05 Aug 2026 | 00:41:37 | |
A principal and coach based in Prince George, British Columbia, Canada, this episode's guest flips the usual format and turns the mic on Danny Bauer instead of the other way around. He brings the same coaching lens to the conversation that he uses inside the Better Leaders Better Schools Mastermind, where he works alongside other school leaders on the exact challenges this episode covers. His questions push Danny past the usual talking points and into the mechanics of building a leadership vision that doesn't depend on him. Most principals think the answer to burnout is working harder. Danny Bauer argues the opposite — that in an AI-accelerated world, grinding is the least effective thing a school leader can do, and the real work is learning to fire yourself from the things you love most. 🧠 What You'll Learn
"You might be the biggest bottleneck in your organization, not because you're incompetent, but because you're holding on to everything you're really good at." — Danny Bauer "What would happen if you disappeared tomorrow? Would your vision sustain, or would it collapse because it was always about you, not the system you built?" — Danny Bauer "Do you realize that most of what you're doing is all made up?" — Danny Bauer "If you don't like the game, change the rules, make up a new game." — Danny Bauer "The leader is the chief opportunity and bottleneck to every organization." — Danny Bauer "Tell it to strangers, and if they don't smile and lean in, you suck at storytelling." — Danny Bauer "Think of the context of a school leader that hopes their vision is a collective one and not solely theirs." — Dan Watt 🚵♀️ Your Do School Different ChallengeReady to implement? Start here:
Listen to Better Leaders Better Schools on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Youtube or wherever you get your podcasts. If today's episode moved you, leave a review — it helps more Ruckus Makers find the show. 🧔🏻♂️ Your SelfMentorship GuideMeet Digital Danny — your SelfMentorship guide. Always available, never forgets, and evolves with you. Think through your next leadership move at myprincipalcoach.com 🫶 Today's RuckusCast PartnersODP Business Solutions has been the behind-the-scenes partner for schools for three decades — not just competitive pricing, but negotiated cooperative contracts that stretch every dollar. They helped Baldwin School District overhaul its entire campus without blowing the budget, combining smart design with smarter purchasing. From essential supplies to cutting-edge tech to flexible furniture, it's one supplier instead of ten separate headaches. Frontline Education's 2026 K12 Lens Report makes one thing clear: retention, not just hiring, is what determines staffing stability. Districts running structured, automated professional growth software report easier hiring nearly half the time — compared to just 30% of districts without it. If you're building a campus where great educators actually want to stay, this report is your blueprint. IXL kills the guesswork in lesson planning — teachers get ready-made, standards-aligned lessons built for exactly what their textbooks already cover. Add daily insight into student performance and teachers can adjust instruction before a gap becomes a pattern. Your teachers get the tool, your students get the growth. META DESCRIPTION: Danny Bauer on why grinding harder fails school leaders, and how firing yourself from what you love builds a vision that outlasts you. | |||
| Why Your Equity Work Isn't Closing the Gap with Zaretta Hammond | 29 Jul 2026 | 00:46:00 | |
Zaretta Hammond has spent her career pushing school leaders past feel-good equity language and into the instructional core, where the real gaps live. Her latest book, Rebuilding Students' Learning Power: Teaching for Instructional Equity and Cognitive Justice, names a pattern she calls cognition redlining — the quiet, well-intentioned way schools underdevelop the thinking capacity of historically marginalized students. She's the author behind Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain, a text already sitting on most instructional coaches' shelves. Districts have poured billions into equity work for three decades, and the outcomes for Black, brown, Indigenous, and linguistically diverse students haven't moved. Zaretta Hammond says that's not a funding problem or an effort problem — it's a cognition problem, and most principals have never been trained to see it. 🫶 What You'll Learn
"Getting students through the lesson doesn't build their learning power. That's the trap." "The personal trainer doesn't do the push-ups for you. They assess you, design a program, and coach you through the obstacles." "Be closer to hearing students talk about their understanding. Not their look-busyness." "Information processing is not the same as executive function. An organized binder won't get you conceptual understanding." "Change takes a dip before it levels off. That first pancake is bad, but you don't shut the kitchen down." "You let go of one bar and hang in the air before you grab the other. If leaders can't hold that space, people go back to what wasn't working." "Instructional leadership is not instructional management. A pacing guide is management — a personal trainer gives you skills for outside the hour." "You have to set up a culture of errors before you ask students to struggle. Mistakes are data." Ready to implement? Start here:
Website: https://ready4rigor.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zaretta-hammond-2b122ba/ 🎙️ Listen & SubscribeListen to Better Leaders Better Schools on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Youtube or wherever you get your podcasts. If today's episode moved you, leave a review — it helps more Ruckus Makers find the show. 🧔🏻♂️ Your SelfMentorship GuideMeet Digital Danny — your SelfMentorship guide. Always available, never forgets, and evolves with you. Think through your next leadership move at myprincipalcoach.com 🫶 Today's RuckusCast PartnersODP Business Solutions has spent 30 years helping schools move from whiteboards to smart boards. They don't just deliver supplies — they design dynamic, flexible learning spaces from a single supplier, so ordering and budgeting stay simple while you stay compliant with cooperative contracts. Staffing stability isn't about filling seats — it's about keeping great people from burning out. Frontline Education's 2026 K12 Lens report found that districts using structured, automated professional growth tools report meaningfully easier hiring than those that don't. Over 1 million teachers already rely on IXL to stop guessing what their students know. Its diagnostic automatically flags each student's knowledge gaps and builds a personalized growth plan, adjusting difficulty in real time as they learn. META DESCRIPTION: Zaretta Hammond on cognition redlining, closing the learning power gap, and what real instructional equity looks like for principals.
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| The Real Reason Principals Burn Out (And How to Fix It): Adorable Red Hats with Dan Watt | 22 Jul 2026 | 00:52:14 | |
Running an elementary school in rural British Columbia hasn't stopped this Ruckus Maker from building an indoor worm farm, growing hydroponic lettuce, and taking a self-funded year off to reset — proof that a principal's personality is not a distraction from the job. Dan Watt is a Mastermind Coach inside the Ruckus Maker community and a recurring co-host of the Ruckuscast, known for turning "pay yourself first" into a leadership philosophy that's kept him energized four years into the role. Joining him is Mitch Weathers, CEO and author of Executive Functions for Every Classroom, whose work on entry plans and executive functioning has become required reading for school leaders trying to build systems that actually stick. Find them both at betterleadersbetterschools.com. Principal burnout doesn't start with too many emails — it starts the moment you decide the job requires you to leave your actual personality at the door. This episode is an Adorable Red Hats reunion where two veteran school leaders make the case that worm farms, hydroponics, and paying yourself first aren't distractions from leadership — they're the thing that makes it sustainable. 📚 What You'll Learn
"Most school leaders think professionalism means leaving their personality at the door." — Danny Bauer "The best schools aren't run by heroes. They're run by leaders who know how to enroll conspirators." — Danny Bauer "It becomes the work. It makes the work sustainable because folks are having fun showing up." — Dan Watt "It's a human system and it's prioritizing human well being." — Dan Watt "When I write those newsletters on Sunday, I try to write them with a smile on my face." — Dan Watt "Are we prepared to lessen the amount of content we teach in order to provide more meaningful learning experiences that have a greater chance of leading to deeper learning, increased storage and long term memory, and the acquisition of new skills?" — Mitch Weathers "If school leaders put into action the entry plan carefully outlined in this book, the stress they are used to carrying into the school year will vanish." — Mitch Weathers 🚵♀️ Your Do School Different ChallengeReady to implement? Start here:
👩🏻💻 Mitch Weathers
👩🏻💻 Dan Watt:
Listen to Better Leaders Better Schools on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Youtube or wherever you get your podcasts. If today's episode moved you, leave a review — it helps more Ruckus Makers find the show. 🧔🏻♂️ Your SelfMentorship GuideMeet Digital Danny — your SelfMentorship guide. Always available, never forgets, and evolves with you. Think through your next leadership move at myprincipalcoach.com 🫶 Today's RuckusCast PartnersODP Business Solutions has been the trusted supply partner for schools for 30 years — and they've moved way past pencils and paper. Want to turn a tired computer lab into a STEAM innovation center, or upgrade every classroom from whiteboards to interactive displays? Their team designs it, and you order it all from a single supplier with access to cooperative contracts that simplify budgeting and keep you compliant. ⚡️ Learn more at ODPbusiness.com/education Frontline Education's 2026 K12 Lens report tracked how professional learning design connects to staffing stability across districts — and the findings are a wake-up call for anyone planning next year's PD calendar. Districts with structured, individually targeted professional growth report easier hiring; nearly half of districts using software to manage that growth say hiring has gotten easier, compared to just 30% of districts that don't. ⚡️ Download the full report at frontlineeducation.com/leaders IXL is the adaptive platform teachers already trust to make differentiated instruction simple — and for Ruckus Makers, it does even more. Its dashboard gives school leaders a real-time pulse on student performance, drillable down to the individual student, with reports you can customize to whatever matters most to your building. ⚡️ Get started today at ixl.com/leaders META DESCRIPTION: Why principal burnout starts with hiding your personality at work — and how pay yourself first and the Harada Method fix it. | |||
| 3 Easy Ways to Build Your Confidence This Summer Before School Starts | 19 Jul 2026 | 00:17:00 | |
Confidence as a principal isn't something you're born with — it's something you build. I've been asking new Mastermind members and Digital Danny users why they're signing up, and I keep hearing the same thing: they're working on their confidence. Most won't say it out loud. Most think their doubt means they're not cut out for this. That's the pattern I'm noticing. Here are three concrete practices — starting with a 90-second daily routine — that transform how you show up next year. You'll stop questioning every decision. You'll start trusting your gut. You'll lead like you mean it. THINK THROUGH YOUR NEXT LEADERSHIP MOVE https://myprincipalcoach.com — your AI-powered principal coach, available 24/7. ⌚️ TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Cold open: Building confidence with an unconventional story 01:57 - Why so many principals struggle with self-doubt 03:41 - Method 1: The EPS Journal for a 90-second daily boost 05:17 - How the EPS Journal builds your personal highlight reel 07:02 - Method 2: Watch the language that sabotages your confidence 08:47 - Common self-sabotaging phrases principals use 10:42 - Method 3: Stop leading in isolation 12:42 - Why doing leadership alone is holding you back 14:25 - Digital Danny: Your AI-powered principal coach 15:25 - The Mastermind: Weekly support and peer mentorship 16:19 - Options to build confidence this summer CONNECT & CONTINUE WHENEVER YOU ARE READY, HERE'S 3 WAYS TO HELP YOU DO SCHOOL DIFFERENT:
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| The CEO Who Gets 91% Teacher Retention Without Tenure with Pablo Villavicencio | 15 Jul 2026 | 00:50:27 | |
Leading a 25-school network to a 96% graduation rate and 91% staff retention — with zero tenure protection — takes more than good policy. It takes a leader who has lived the exact inequity his schools now solve for. Pablo Villavicencio grew up in East LA, where his own neighborhood school graduated less than half its students, and only got a real shot at a quality education because his parents falsified an address to send him to a school 30 miles away. He carried that lesson through Teach For America, a school closure in Harlem, and five years as a founding high school principal in the Bronx before landing back in the exact Los Angeles community he grew up in — this time as CEO of Alliance College-Ready Public Schools. Find Alliance's work at laalliance.org. Teacher retention is the number every superintendent claims to be working on and almost none can move. Pablo Villavicencio's network sits at 91% retention across every employee group, without tenure, while running 25 schools and a 96% graduation rate in some of LA's highest-poverty neighborhoods — and in this episode, he breaks down exactly how belief, not policy, got him there. ✍️ What You'll Learn
"You have to believe, deeply believe, that all kids can learn." — Pablo Villavicencio "Equity to me is not about fairness. It's about making sure kids get what they need in order so that they're successful." — Pablo Villavicencio "We have 91% retention across all employee groups in Alliance. It is not common in the educational space." — Pablo Villavicencio "Large bureaucracies or large systems will never fully get the results that are needed for hyper community, like for local context, because those closest to the impact that you're hoping to have are not at the decision-making table." — Pablo Villavicencio "You have so much power, you have such a high locus of control." — Pablo Villavicencio "You have to be talking to your teachers and your kids on a regular basis. You have to be in relationship, you have to have a pulse on the ground." — Pablo Villavicencio 🚵♀️ Your Do School Different ChallengeReady to implement? Start here:
Listen to Better Leaders Better Schools on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Youtube or wherever you get your podcasts. If today's episode moved you, leave a review — it helps more Ruckus Makers find the show. 🧔🏻♂️ Your SelfMentorship GuideMeet Digital Danny — your SelfMentorship guide. Always available, never forgets, and evolves with you. Think through your next leadership move at myprincipalcoach.com 🤝 Today's RuckusCast PartnersODP Business Solutions has spent 30 years equipping schools through negotiated cooperative contracts that stretch every budget dollar — from furniture and tech to sustainable cleaning solutions, all from a single supplier. They helped Baldwin School District transform its entire campus while staying under budget by pairing smart design with smarter purchasing. 🎙️ See how at ODPbusiness.com/education Frontline Education's 2026 K12 Lens report digs into how districts connect professional growth to staffing stability — districts that automate professional growth report easier hiring nearly 50% of the time, compared to 30% of those that don't. If you're building a campus where great educators choose to stay. 🎙️ The full report is free at FrontlineEducation.com/leaders IXL eliminates the guesswork in lesson planning with ready-made plans aligned directly to your textbooks and state standards, so teachers spend less time building and more time teaching. Daily performance insights let teachers adjust instruction before a small gap becomes a big one. 🎙️ Get started at ixl.com/leaders META DESCRIPTION: How Alliance CEO Pablo Villavicencio hit 91% teacher retention and a 96% graduation rate — without tenure. A belief-driven leadership model.
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| Why Your Tutoring Program Is Quietly Failing Students With Aly Murray | 13 Jul 2026 | 00:49:41 | |
Building a tutoring nonprofit that now serves 25,000 students a year — with a vision to reach millions — required someone who'd lived the exact gap she was trying to close. Aly Murray grew up a low-income student raised by a single immigrant mother, moved through a string of Title 1 schools, and felt firsthand what it's like to navigate homework and college applications without support at home. She left a trading job at JP Morgan eight years ago to build Upchieve, a nonprofit offering free, 24/7 human tutoring and college counseling to every Title 1 middle and high school student in the country. Her work is backed by a Gates Foundation-funded study comparing human and AI tutoring, and Upchieve now partners with schools, districts, and CMOs at a cost of about 50 cents per tutoring session. Most school tutoring programs run from 3 to 5pm — and that single design choice quietly locks out the students who need help the most. Aly Murray, founder of the nonprofit Upchieve, built a 24/7 human tutoring program instead, and the data on why AI can't replace it yet might surprise you. 📚 What You'll Learn
"Tutoring is completely misunderstood and, in fact, undervalued as a tool that schools should be using to drive outcomes for their students." — Aly Murray "If you don't offer transportation after tutoring, you're going to lose all the kids who depend on the school bus to get home. I was one of those kids." — Aly Murray "There are enough humans to provide human tutoring to every student that needs it." — Aly Murray "When presented with a choice between an AI tutor and a human tutor, students overwhelmingly choose the human tutor." — Aly Murray "Anytime you have a one-on-one pairing of a student and a tutor and they get enough hours of tutoring, it works. It improves learning outcomes. It always works." — Aly Murray "Things can be not fun, but still worth doing." — Aly Murray "How can I, as a leader, claim to care about students' upward mobility if my staff are not making a living wage?" — Aly Murray 🚵♀️ Your Do School Different ChallengeReady to implement? Start here:
🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alymurray 👩🏻💻 Website: upchieve.org 🎙️ Listen & SubscribeListen to Better Leaders Better Schools on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Youtube or wherever you get your podcasts. If today's episode moved you, leave a review — it helps more Ruckus Makers find the show. 🧔🏻♂️ Your SelfMentorship GuideMeet Digital Danny — your SelfMentorship guide. Always available, never forgets, and evolves with you. Think through your next leadership move at myprincipalcoach.com 🫶 Today's RuckusCast PartnersODP Business Solutions has been the trusted supply partner for schools for 30 years — and they've moved way past pencils and paper. Want to turn a tired computer lab into a STEAM innovation center, or upgrade every classroom from whiteboards to interactive displays? Their team designs it, and you order it all from a single supplier with access to cooperative contracts that simplify budgeting and keep you compliant. ⚡️ Learn more at ODPbusiness.com/education Frontline Education's 2026 K12 Lens report tracked how professional learning design connects to staffing stability across districts — and the findings are a wake-up call for anyone planning next year's PD calendar. Districts with structured, individually targeted professional growth report easier hiring; nearly half of districts using software to manage that growth say hiring has gotten easier, compared to just 30% of districts that don't. ⚡️ Download the full report at frontlineeducation.com/leaders IXL is the adaptive platform teachers already trust to make differentiated instruction simple — and for Ruckus Makers, it does even more. Its dashboard gives school leaders a real-time pulse on student performance, drillable down to the individual student, with reports you can customize to whatever matters most to your building. ⚡️ Get started today at ixl.com/leaders META DESCRIPTION: Aly Murray of Upchieve on why after-school tutoring fails low-income students, and the research behind 24/7 human tutoring that works.
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| Why Reacting to Student Outbursts Destroys Your Classroom with Adam Wolfsdorf | 08 Jul 2026 | 00:54:27 | |
Adam Wolfsdorf chairs the Humanities Department at Bay Ridge Preparatory in Brooklyn and teaches graduate students at NYU and Wesleyan, drawing on 26 years inside the classroom. He's the author of Teaching in the Riptide, where he names the moments educators get pulled under by something more powerful than their plan — and what to do when that happens. Outside the classroom, he spent 25 years performing professionally, including national tours of RENT and Grease. A student kicks over a trash can, slams the door, and storms out mid-lesson. Seventeen other students sit frozen, waiting to see what the teacher does next. That moment — and the instinct to fight back in it — is what most classroom management training gets wrong. Dr. Adam Wolfsdorf has spent 26 years studying what happens when teachers refuse to match a student's energy, and why that refusal is the most powerful classroom management tool no one teaches. 🫶 What You'll Learn
"Do you understand that you are the punchline of the classroom?" — Dr. Adam Wolfsdorf "Sometimes the student needs to give the teacher a hard time because the teacher is the one who needs to learn more than the student in that particular situation." — Dr. Adam Wolfsdorf "There are educators who really want students to learn, and then there are educators who kind of want to torture students." — Dr. Adam Wolfsdorf "Systems don't change unless they get rattled." — Dr. Adam Wolfsdorf "We have to be aware that we could be a counter narrative to those destructive elements." — Dr. Adam Wolfsdorf "Sometimes it's the case that it's the teacher even more than the student who needs the education." — Dr. Adam Wolfsdorf "If you have the equanimity to resist, even if you're feeling it, that's a pretty powerful lesson." — Dr. Adam Wolfsdorf 🧠 Your Do School Different ChallengeReady to implement? Start here:
Listen to Better Leaders Better Schools on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Youtube or wherever you get your podcasts. If today's episode moved you, leave a review — it helps more Ruckus Makers find the show. 🧔🏻♂️ Your SelfMentorship GuideMeet Digital Danny — your SelfMentorship guide. Always available, never forgets, and evolves with you. Think through your next leadership move at myprincipalcoach.com 🤝 Today's RuckusCast PartnersODP Business Solutions has spent 30 years equipping schools through negotiated cooperative contracts that stretch every budget dollar — from furniture and tech to sustainable cleaning solutions, all from a single supplier. They helped Baldwin School District transform its entire campus while staying under budget by pairing smart design with smarter purchasing. 🎙️ See how at ODPbusiness.com/education Frontline Education's 2026 K12 Lens report digs into how districts connect professional growth to staffing stability — districts that automate professional growth report easier hiring nearly 50% of the time, compared to 30% of those that don't. If you're building a campus where great educators choose to stay. 🎙️ The full report is free at FrontlineEducation.com/leaders IXL eliminates the guesswork in lesson planning with ready-made plans aligned directly to your textbooks and state standards, so teachers spend less time building and more time teaching. Daily performance insights let teachers adjust instruction before a small gap becomes a big one. 🎙️ Get started at ixl.com/leaders META DESCRIPTION: Why reacting to student outbursts backfires — Dr. Adam Wolfsdorf on classroom management, compliance, and constructive subversion.
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| Why Your Neurodivergent Students Are Disappearing with Vanessa Castañeda Gill | 01 Jul 2026 | 00:45:04 | |
She spent six years hiding her autism diagnosis from everyone — peers, friends, even herself. Then she built a neuroscience-backed video game that's changing how neurodivergent students understand who they are. Vanessa Castañeda Gill the founder of Social Cipher, an SEL video game platform designed by and for neurodivergent people, developed in partnership with the LEGO Foundation. Her work sits at the intersection of neuroscience research and lived autistic experience — and she's one of the few people in edtech who has both. She was diagnosed autistic at 14, went on to become a published neuroscience researcher, and turned her personal story into a scalable tool now reaching classrooms across the country. 80% of school avoidance students are neurodivergent. That single stat reframes every conversation you've been having about "disengaged" kids in your building. Your neurodivergent students aren't checking out because they don't care — they're burning out from performing normalcy in a system that was never designed for how their brains actually work. This episode is a practical roadmap for principals who want to close the gap between their inclusion vision and what neurodivergent students are actually experiencing every single day. 🤩 What You'll Learn
"Neurodivergence doesn't need fixing. Your approach does." — Vanessa Castaneda Gill "The world won't work without all kinds of minds." — Vanessa Castaneda Gill "It is part of my identity and part of who I am. It is not all of who I am, and it's not something that needs to be fixed." — Vanessa Castaneda Gill "If you are in a position of leadership, model that vulnerability. It will just allow for so much more vulnerability between your employees or your students and you." — Vanessa Castaneda Gill "It's really hard to tell nuanced and rich and resonant stories that kids can actually root for and feel represented by if it wasn't led by neurodivergent experience." — Vanessa Castaneda Gill "You can give kids all of the tools in the world to be able to learn their best with their neurodivergence. But if representation and vulnerability in sharing those experiences is not part of that, then a lot of those tools kind of go out the window." — Vanessa Castaneda Gill "Instead of playing it safe, we make it safe to play." — Vanessa Castaneda Gill 🤔 Your Do School Different ChallengeReady to implement? Start here:
Listen to Better Leaders Better Schools on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Youtube or wherever you get your podcasts. If today's episode moved you, leave a review — it helps more Ruckus Makers find the show. 🧔🏻♂️ Your SelfMentorship GuideMeet Digital Danny — your SelfMentorship guide., never forgets, and evolves with you. Think through your next leadership move at myprincipalcoach.com 🤝 Today's RuckusCast PartnersODP Business Solutions has been a trusted partner for schools for 30 years — and they're not just filling supply orders. They help you design dynamic learning environments with tech integrations that bring lessons to life, flexible furniture that transforms any space into a collaboration zone, and sustainable solutions that teach by example. One supplier, everything you need, cooperative contract compliant. 🔍 Visit ODPbusiness.com/education Frontline Education's 2026 K12 Lens Report is the data every principal trying to retain great staff needs right now. Districts that use software to automate professional growth are nearly twice as likely to report improved hiring outcomes compared to those that don't — and the report breaks down exactly what's working. 🔍 Download the full report at frontlineeducation.com/leaders IXL's diagnostic automatically identifies knowledge gaps and gives every teacher a personalized growth plan for each student — so nobody walks into class guessing what their kids know. As students learn, IXL adapts to the right level of difficulty for each individual. Close the knowledge gaps that are holding your building. 🔍 Get started at ixl.com/leaders META DESCRIPTION: 80% of school avoidance students are neurodivergent. Social Cipher founder Vanessa Castaneda Gill shows principals how to actually close that gap.
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| Why Every Student at This College Must Launch a Business- With Jeff Meade | 24 Jun 2026 | 00:46:42 | |
Jeff Meade spent 20 years building companies. Then a friend asked him one question on a hike near Mount Fuji — what makes you happy? — and he couldn't answer it. That four-hour conversation led him to Paul Quinn College in Dallas, where he now serves as Chief Innovation Officer and runs a program with one non-negotiable rule: every student, regardless of major, must start and operate a real business before they graduate. No simulations. No worksheets. Real ventures, real customers, real failure. Every school says it wants future-ready students. Most are still teaching them how to pass tests. Jeff Meade decided that wasn't good enough — and built a venture-based learning model that turns a graduation requirement into the most practical education a student can get. If you're a school leader wondering whether entrepreneurship education belongs on your campus, this episode answers the question. ✅ What You'll Learn
"Students don't just study entrepreneurship, they actually do it." — Jeff Meade "The marketplace was telling us that they wanted a different type of student. So when I show up with this idea that every student starts a business, it's like, oh my God, you were answering sort of the prayers that we had." — Jeff Meade "You want somebody who thinks like this and not somebody who is trying to pass a test. That doesn't do anything for anybody." — Jeff Meade "I want you to fail big and fast. And that's so hard because you just graduated high school, you just took your SATs, you want to be on the dean's list. And then you walk into my class and I'm like, oh, you are going to fail so quick." — Jeff Meade "Students are dream chasers. They have these dreams — sometimes they may be uncomfortable sharing them, but they have these really cool dreams. And so we have the power to help them dream bigger and actualize those dreams." — Jeff Meade "In order for you to take it to another level and actually grow a business, you have to sit across from somebody and share your dream." — Jeff Meade 🤗 Your Do School Different ChallengeReady to implement? Start here:
Website: jeff-meade.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jeffmeade 🎧 Listen & SubscribeListen to Better Leaders Better Schools on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Youtube or wherever you get your podcasts. If today's episode moved you, leave a review — it helps more Ruckus Makers find the show. 🧔🏻♂️ Your SelfMentorship GuideMeet Digital Danny — your SelfMentorship guide. Always available, never forgets, and evolves with you. Think through your next leadership move at myprincipalcoach.com 🤝 Today's RuckusCast PartnersODP Business Solutions has spent 30 years helping school districts build environments where students actually want to show up. From flexible learning spaces to tech integration to sustainable solutions, they deliver it all from a single supplier — simplifying ordering and keeping you compliant with cooperative contracts. One school, Belago Academy, worked with ODP to create collaborative spaces so engaging that students forgot to check their phones. 🔍 Visit ODPbusiness.com/education to see what's possible. Frontline Education's 2026 K–12 Lens Report cuts through the noise with insights from over 1,000 school leaders navigating staffing, student support, operations, and technology — all at once, all interconnected. If your district is managing multiple pressures simultaneously (and whose isn't?), this report shows how other leaders are adapting their strategies in real time. 🔍 Get the full picture at FrontlineEducation.com/leaders IXL's universal screener identifies every student who needs intervention in 20 minutes or less — and then its adaptive learning platform automatically adjusts difficulty for each individual student as they work. Over 1 million teachers use IXL because it makes differentiated instruction something you can actually execute, not just aspire to. 🔍 Get started today at IXL.com/leaders META DESCRIPTION: Paul Quinn College requires every student to launch a real business before graduation. Here's what venture-based learning looks like — and what K–12 leaders can steal from it.
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| Why Your Edtech Is Failing Students (And What to Do Instead) with Kris Rockwell | 17 Jun 2026 | 00:44:47 | |
A researcher, Edtech expert, and PhD candidate studying the intersection of AI, learning, and human experience, Kris brings a rare combination of academic rigor and real-world application to the question every principal is quietly asking: is all this technology actually helping? His work with Play Piper puts him at the front lines of how kids interact with screens — and what happens when that interaction goes wrong. Kris has been studying and speaking about screen usage in learning environments since 2013, long before most districts had a policy on the subject. AI policy still doesn't exist in most school districts in 2026. Meta and YouTube just lost a major court case over intentionally building products harmful to kids. And the principals who bought Edtech tools during COVID are still living with implementations they never had time to design properly. Kris returns to the RuckusCast to name the problem clearly: technology in schools is being treated as the experience instead of a tool within the experience — and that distinction is costing students more than anyone wants to admit. 🎯 What You'll Learn
"The idea that Silicon Valley is defining how humans will interact in the future is the most perverse thing that's ever happened in the history of society." — Kris Rockwell "Trinity does not learn how to fly a helicopter. She learns how to simulate a helicopter. She has no idea how to fly a helicopter once she's unplugged from that experience. So in that realm, what we're doing is looking at the simulation and saying, well, this is the future of learning. But it's not." — Kris Rockwell "What's being put into the system directly feeds what is coming out of the system." — Kris Rockwell "Code is becoming philosophy rather than engineering at this point." — Kris Rockwell "If I'm the co principal, I'm focusing on the human elements and how to make these things functional and how to make sure that the critical thinking is there." — Kris Rockwell "Ensure that it is a tool and not the tool. Ensure that those things that the kids have access to extend beyond what they're staring at." — Kris Rockwell 🧗♂️ Your Do School Different ChallengeReady to implement? Start here:
00:00 - Silicon Valley is defining how kids learn 04:15 - Meta and YouTube court ruling unpacked 07:25 - The "new and shiny" edtech trap 09:13 - Simulation vs. actual learning (the Matrix problem) 13:03 - Why COVID broke edtech implementation 19:17 - How China vs. the West frames AI differently 28:06 - Most districts still have no AI policy in 2026 30:26 - Code is becoming philosophy, not engineering 39:21 - How to co-principal with AI 43:11 - The one thing every Ruckus Maker should remember Connect With Chris👩🏻💻 Follow Kris Rockwell:
Listen to Better Leaders Better Schools on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Youtube or wherever you get your podcasts. If today's episode moved you, leave a review — it helps more Ruckus Makers find the show. 🧔🏻♂️ Your SelfMentorship GuideMeet Digital Danny — your SelfMentorship guide. Always available, never forgets, and evolves with you. Think through your next leadership move at myprincipalcoach.com 🤝 Today's RuckusCast PartnersODP Business Solutions has been a trusted partner for schools for 30 years. They don't just drop off supplies — they'll help you design a STEAM Innovation center, keep multiple buildings stocked and compliant, and streamline ordering across your entire district through a single supplier with cooperative contract access. However you want to advance, they've seen it and solved it. 🔍 Visit ODPbusiness.com/education to learn more The staffing crisis isn't over — it's just shifted. Frontline Education's 2026 K12 Lens Report found that districts with structured, targeted professional learning are nearly twice as likely to report easier hiring than those without. The data is in: professional growth that extends beyond onboarding builds the culture that retains teachers before the year even starts. 🔍 Download the full report at frontlineducation.com/leaders IXL gives school leaders what teachers already love: an adaptive platform that handles differentiated instruction and delivers dashboards that let you drill down to individual student growth in real time. Make data-informed decisions that move the needle on student growth goals. 🔍 Get started today at ixl.com/leaders META DESCRIPTION: AI policy is missing in most districts. Edtech is failing students. This episode breaks down why — and how principals can lead differently.
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| How to Turn Around a Failing School: Real-Time Coaching That Works | 10 Jun 2026 | 00:46:15 | |
Eight years ago, Chad Weiden walked into one of South Carolina's most underperforming elementary schools — a campus so low-rated that the state took it over, failed to fix it, and handed it back to the district. He just turned it into a good school. The strategy for school turnaround he used wasn't a new curriculum, a fresh initiative, or a culture retreat. It was building beacons of excellence on every team and coaching teachers in real time, in the moment, while students were in the room. Weiden spent nearly three decades building and leading schools across Chicago and South Carolina, including turning around Meeting Street Burns Pre-K through second grade from "unsatisfactory" to "good" on the state report card — in one of the most underserved communities in the state. He's a principal who understands that every child can learn and that the system, not the child, is what needs fixing. Find him on LinkedIn to follow his work. School turnaround is one of the most searched and least understood challenges in school leadership. Most principals know they need to fix culture — what they don't know is which two or three instructional moves actually move the needle. This episode answers that question directly, from a principal who lived it in real time in a school the system had already given up on. 🤩 What You'll Learn
"I had to build a beacon of a teacher on each team. One beacon of what the bar should be — because when you leave, they're really holding the expectations. They're showing other people what it looks like." — Chad Weiden "Act like the school is your classroom. Every classroom is my classroom, and when I walk in, I'm going to co-teach with you. That's how we built really great teachers really quickly — that system of real-time coaching." — Chad Weiden "There's nothing better when you get feedback that helps you feel more effective or confident. You start to crave it. And once people realize this is going to make your job easier — not tomorrow, right now — they're like, okay, this is weird, but dang, that was helpful." — Chad Weiden "To truly love a child is to hold that child to the highest expectation possible. To not love a child is to lower the expectation. I really lived in black and white — what I've deeply changed my mind about is I embrace the paradox." — Chad Weiden "Joy isn't big joy. Joy is in small moments — nerding out in a text with a kid, seeing them light up over a pattern they've spotted. That's joy. It's not performative. Because performative is exhausting and you can't do it every moment of every day." — Chad Weiden "The system is perfectly designed to get the results that it has." — Chad Weiden "Let kids do the work. Teachers hold the learning, hold the modelling — we're talking too much. Let kids do the work. They're ready." — Chad Weiden 🧗♂️ Your Do School Different ChallengeReady to implement? Start here:
Listen to Better Leaders Better Schools on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Youtube or wherever you get your podcasts. If today's episode moved you, leave a review — it helps more Ruckus Makers find the show. 🧔🏻♂️ Your SelfMentorship GuideMeet Digital Danny — your SelfMentorship guide. Always available, never forgets, and evolves with you. Think through your next leadership move at myprincipalcoach.com. 🎙️ Today's Ruckuscast PartnersODP Business Solutions has been a trusted partner for schools for 30 years — and they're not just a supplier, they're a strategic advantage. They give districts access to negotiated cooperative contracts that maximize every education dollar, and they proved it by helping the Baldwin School District transform an entire campus while staying under budget. From essential supplies to cutting-edge technology to flexible furniture, they're your one-stop shop to do school different. 🔍 Visit ODPbusiness.com/education to get started. Frontline Education's 2026 K12 Lens Report makes the retention argument in hard numbers: districts that manage professional growth with software are nearly twice as likely to report easier hiring — 47% versus 30%. If you're serious about building a campus where great educators want to stay, this report is the data behind the strategy. 🔍 Download the full K12 Lens Report at FrontlineEducation.com/leaders. IXL takes the guesswork out of what teachers do next. Ready-made lesson plans aligned to textbooks and state standards, plus daily student performance insights that let teachers adjust instruction before a gap becomes a problem. It's the kind of instructional support that turns real-time coaching from a principal strategy into a school-wide system. 🔍 Start today at IXL.com/leaders. META DESCRIPTION: School turnaround principal Chad Weiden shares the real-time coaching system and beacon teacher strategy that took a failing school to good-rated in South Carolina. | |||
| 10 Lessons from 10 Years of School Leadership Podcasting with Danny Bauer | 03 Jun 2026 | 00:44:16 | |
A decade into the Better Leaders Better Schools Ruckuscast, Danny Bauer has coached and interviewed hundreds of school leaders — and the patterns are clear. Dan Watt, elementary principal in British Columbia and Ruckus Maker, flips the microphone and puts Danny in the guest chair. What follows isn't nostalgia. It's the unfiltered architecture of a school leadership development ecosystem that actually works — and what it means for how you lead your campus. The Ruckuscast turns 10 this year. That's 10 years of watching which principals grow and which ones stall, which leadership beliefs hold up and which ones collapse under pressure. This episode is the debrief. 🌟 What You'll Learn
"If you come in there judging it and being like that was the worst lesson I've ever seen, is that teacher ever going to take a risk again? Probably not. Because you're a jerk. And you evaluated them into being average." — Danny Bauer "A Play-It-Safe Principal is just going to wait for the school district or whoever to develop them. Are you the hero of your story? Or are you a victim?" — Danny Bauer "Busyness is not a badge of honour, nor is it something that usually leads to the results that we want." — Danny Bauer "You exist in the system and there's a way that things are done. And so if you want to dream big and be bold in your leadership, then you have to get outside perspectives." — Danny Bauer "Your people really want to know the answer to two questions: Do I belong here? And am I doing a good job? If there's an absence of those answers, there's going to be problems within your culture." — Danny Bauer "What does it matter if I have a viral thread on X or a million comments on Facebook if they're just comments and nobody changes?" — Danny Bauer "Leadership is a human endeavor." — Danny Bauer 🧗♂️ Your Do School Different ChallengeReady to implement? Start here:
Listen to Better Leaders Better Schools on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Youtube or wherever you get your podcasts. If today's episode moved you, leave a review — it helps more Ruckus Makers find the show. 🧔🏻♂️ Your SelfMentorship GuideMeet Digital Danny — your SelfMentorship guide. Always available, never forgets, and evolves with you. Think through your next leadership move at myprincipalcoach.com. 🤝 Today's Ruckuscast PartnersODP Business Solutions has been a trusted partner for schools for 30 years — and they're not just dropping off supplies. They help school leaders design dynamic learning environments where students are actually excited to show up, from tech integrations that bring lessons to life to flexible furniture that turns any room into a collaboration zone. Everything ships from a single supplier so you can simplify ordering, stay on budget, and access cooperative contracts without the compliance headache. 🔍 Visit ODPbusiness.com/education to learn more. Frontline Education's 2026 K12 Lens Report surfaces exactly what districts are doing differently to keep great teachers from burning out and walking out. The data is specific: districts that automate professional development processes are nearly twice as likely to report easier hiring outcomes than those that don't — and nearly half report measurable improvement. If you're building a campus where people feel supported and proud to stay, 🔍 Download the full report at frontlineducation.com/leaders. IXL doesn't ask teachers to guess what their students know. Its diagnostic automatically identifies every knowledge gap, then builds a personalized growth plan for each individual student — so teachers walk into class informed, not hoping. The adaptive platform adjusts difficulty in real time as students learn, closing gaps without requiring teachers to manually differentiate everything. 🔍 Get started at ixl.com/leaders. META DESCRIPTION: Danny Bauer reflects on 10 years of school leadership podcasting — what he unlearned, what separates growing principals from stalled ones, and why curiosity beats judgment.
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| Why Your Open Door Policy Is Destroying Your Leadership with Michelle Sloan | 27 May 2026 | 00:44:53 | |
She helps principals stop surviving their schools and start leading them. Michelle Sloan is an educator, author, and leadership coach who spent seven years building a school from the ground up — which gave her something rare: "firsthand proof that mission-driven leadership isn't a feel-good concept, it's a survival strategy." Her book The Purpose Driven Principal is the framework she wishes she'd had in year one. School leadership burnout is not a willpower problem. It's a systems problem. A principal walks in energized, writes down what matters, and by 6pm hasn't touched a single item on the list. This episode is about diagnosing that drift — and building the structure to stop it from swallowing another year. 📚 What You'll Learn
"A good principal is in their office solving problems. But a great principal is out in the classrooms preventing them." — Michelle Sloan "What's predictable is preventable." — Michelle Sloan "If you never get out of that cycle, you can never be intentional about fulfilling your purpose in your mission. You're just in that cycle of whatever the day brings." — Michelle Sloan "You shouldn't lose yourself in the process because you stepped into leadership." — Michelle Sloan "There's a difference between perfection and being excellent. Do and just loving your people." — Michelle Sloan "You get out of alignment when you don't know who you are and why you exist." — Michelle Sloan "You were created on purpose and for a purpose. You have unique gifts and talents that only you have and the world needs." — Michelle Sloan 🧗♂️ Your Do School Different ChallengeReady to implement? Start here:
👩🏻💻 Website: Sloan Leadership Solutions 🔗 Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn 📕 Book: Purpose-Driven Principal Book 🗞️ Purpose-Driven Principal Weekly Newsletter 🎧 Listen & SubscribeListen to Better Leaders Better Schools on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Youtube or wherever you get your podcasts. If today's episode moved you, leave a review — it helps more Ruckus Makers find the show. 🧔🏻♂️ Your Selfmentorship GuideMeet Digital Danny — your Selfmentorship guide. Always available, never forgets, and evolves with you. Think through your next leadership move at myprincipalcoach.com 🎙️ Today's Ruckuscast PartnersODP Business Solutions has 30 years of experience helping school districts build spaces where learning actually happens. They helped Belago Academy go from ordinary classrooms to collaborative environments so engaging that students forgot to check their phones — through tech integration, flexible furniture, and sustainable design, all from a single supplier that keeps your purchasing compliant and your budget sane. 🔍 Visit ODPbusiness.com/education to see what's possible. Frontline Education's 2026 K–12 Lens Report exists because staffing, student support, operations, and technology aren't separate problems — they're the same pressure showing up in different forms. Built from insights across more than 1,000 school leaders, this report gives you the clearest available picture of how districts are adapting right now. 🔍 Get the full report at FrontlineEducation.com/leaders IXL takes differentiated instruction from aspiration to 20-minute reality. Its universal screener identifies which students need intervention fast, and its adaptive learning platform then adjusts difficulty for each individual student as they work — so one teacher can actually reach every kid in the room. Over a million teachers are already using it. 🔍 Get started at IXL.com/leaders
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| Why Your Drive Home Feels Empty (And How to Fix It Fast) | 25 May 2026 | 00:08:51 | |
The principal drive home test: if you can't name one thing that mattered today, you're in reactive mode. Here's the fix. Principal burnout doesn't start in a crisis. It starts in the car at 6pm, when you've done a lot but moved nothing forward — the instructional leadership, the culture work, the long game stuff that actually changes outcomes never got touched. That's not a productivity problem. It's an access problem. This episode introduces selfmentorship — the practice of being your own first coach instead of waiting for permission-based PD, the right mentor, or the right conference to land in your lap. You'll hear how Elaine, an AVID coordinator stepping into a brand new school, used 90 minutes of clear thinking to walk in day one with a real plan instead of firefighting her way through week six. Then you'll hear how to join the next Selfmentorship Sprint on Thursday, May 28 at 7pm Eastern — a live one-hour training plus 90 days of Digital Danny access for $100. Reserve your seat: https://ruckusmakers.news/sprint | |||
| Why Your PLCs Aren't Solving Problems (And What Does) | 20 May 2026 | 00:37:03 | |
A professor at San Diego's High Tech High Graduate School of Education and co-author of PLC+: Better Decisions and Greater Impact by Design, Nancy Frey has spent decades studying how teachers actually collaborate — and why most of it doesn't work. Her research-backed PLC+ framework is the difference between a Wednesday morning ritual and a genuine engine of collective efficacy. She teaches full-time at a high school that runs every student through a real-world internship program, so her frameworks aren't theoretical — they're road-tested. Find her work at hightechhigh.org. Professional learning communities were supposed to fix teacher isolation. Instead, most schools turned them into a weekly meeting where teachers explain why students failed. If your PLCs feel like compliance theater, this episode of the Ruckuscast is the reset you need — Nancy Frey breaks down the PLC+ model and the exact questions that shift a team from admiring problems to solving them. 🌟 What You'll Learn
What's broken: Research shows that 85% of PLC conversations focus on student deficits — language barriers, behaviour, home life, or suspected disabilities — rather than instructional changes. The shift: Name a specific, solvable common challenge your team can actually affect, then spend PLC time designing and evaluating actions toward that challenge. Impact: Teams move from collective helplessness to collective efficacy — and teachers stop feeling like they're carrying student achievement alone. 🧠 Key Insight #2: Organizing PLCs by Grade Level Locks Out the Most Valuable CollaborationWhat's broken: Grade-level and department groupings leave singleton teachers — art, PE, music — without a collaborative home and trap everyone else with the same colleagues year after year. The shift: Organize teams around a shared common challenge, letting staff self-select based on what's genuinely perplexing them right now, regardless of content area. Impact: Teachers encounter new practices, new contexts, and new colleagues — what Nancy calls a more "vivid" way to experience school as a professional. 🧠 Key Insight #3: The Wrong Question Is Driving Every PLC in AmericaWhat's broken: Schools open PLCs by asking "how do we raise reading scores?" — a question so broad it guarantees vague answers and no accountability. The shift: Drill down to a problem statement specific enough to act on, like "our multilingual learners struggle to answer questions about details from an audio presentation of an academic topic." Impact: When the problem is scoped correctly, teams can design targeted actions, measure impact, and actually see what's working — instead of chasing a metric nobody controls. 🎙️ NANCY FREY QUOTES FROM THE RUCKUSCAST"It's not problem solving, it's admiring the problem." — Nancy Frey "85% of the time, one of four approaches was used when data were shared — and none of them were about what to do differently instructionally." — Nancy Frey "The plus is us. There's a collective responsibility and a collective efficacy to what it is that we do." — Nancy Frey "When teams don't understand their collective wherewithal to be able to impact in a positive way, and they're left with going, I don't know what else to do — you can either say it's on me or it's on them. And it honestly is kind of easier to say it's on them." — Nancy Frey "They are your top, your advanced students. They already knew it and they did not benefit from what it was that you taught. Because your pre and your post information looks exactly the same. Those students are also hiding in plain sight." — Nancy Frey "Nothing is lonelier than feeling like you are the only person taking on all of these challenges." — Nancy Frey 🧩 Your Do School Different ChallengeReady to implement? Start here:
00:00 - Teachers wildly underestimate their students 01:55 - Why PLCs became a compliance checkbox 05:04 - What teachers predicted vs. what students actually scored 07:46 - Old PLC models schools are still running 10:06 - Collaboration isn't just Wednesday mornings 11:11 - Why standards debates still waste PLC time 13:39 - Organizing PLCs around common challenges instead of grade level 14:57 - How PLCs drive deficit thinking — the research 20:01 - The wrong question most schools ask 22:53 - What strength-based PLC conversations sound like 24:34 - What the "plus" means in PLC+ 30:20 - Building student internship partnerships with healthcare 33:05 - Advice for Ruckus Makers who want to start internship programs 🔗 Connect With Nancy Frey👩🏻💻 Website: https://fisherandfrey.com/ https://www.facebook.com/nancy.frey1/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancyfreysdsu/ 🎧 Listen & SubscribeListen to Better Leaders Better Schools on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Youtube or wherever you get your podcasts. If today's episode moved you, leave a review — it helps more Ruckus Makers find the show. 🧔🏻♂️ Your SelfMentorship GuideMeet Digital Danny — your Selfmentorship guide. Always available, never forgets, and evolves with you. Think through your next leadership move at myprincipalcoach.com 🎙️ Today's Ruckuscast PartnersODP Business Solutions has been a strategic partner for schools for 30 years — from designing STEAM innovation centers to keeping eight campuses stocked from a single supplier with cooperative contract compliance built in. Whether you're upgrading from whiteboards to interactive displays or building out a new learning space from scratch, they handle the full process. 🔍 Visit ODPbusiness.com/education to learn more. Frontline Education's 2026 K–12 Lens Report makes the staffing case for structured professional learning: districts with targeted, individualized PD report easier hiring at nearly twice the rate of those without it. The data shows that summer is when the culture work starts — and this report shows exactly how. 🔍 Download it at frontlineeducation.com/leaders IXL gives classroom teachers an adaptive platform that makes differentiated instruction genuinely manageable — and gives you dashboards that show growth at the individual student level so you're never guessing. Customize your reports to surface the data that actually drives your decisions. 🔍 Get started at ixl.com/leaders META DESCRIPTION: PLCs in most schools spend 85% of time on student deficits. Nancy Frey's PLC+ framework shows principals how to fix that — fast.
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| Why Avoiding Hard Conversations Is Costing Your School with Sage Hobbs | 17 May 2026 | 00:36:40 | |
Her career started in Philadelphia public schools in the 90s, full of idealism and a master's in counseling psychology. A decade later, she was coaching executives in global corporations. Now Sage Hobbs coaches school principals and superintendents on the skill that drives everything else — the ability to have conversations that actually matter. She is the author of Naked Communication: Courageously Create the Relationships You Really Want and the host of the Principal Pep Talks podcast. School leadership research points to strategy, curriculum, data, and policy as the levers that move outcomes. Sage Hobbs will tell you those are all downstream of something simpler: the conversations principals are avoiding. If you've ever softened a message that needed to land hard, or left a difficult conversation for "another time" that never came, this episode is the diagnosis. 🤩 What You'll Learn
"Conversations are currency — every conversation is an opportunity for connection, and they're highly effective for building trust and collaboration. And they're free." — Sage Hobbs "To lead is to risk. You can't please everyone. You don't always know the best next steps. You have to be willing to learn and pivot and be wrong — and that runs counter to everything, because you get rewarded for knowing the answers." — Sage Hobbs "Leadership and management are not the same thing, and they're both important. But leadership requires hard conversations, and that's really where change often happens." — Sage Hobbs "Can we lead with curiosity as opposed to assuming that person is incompetent or wrong? I wonder what's going on there. I wonder why they see it that way. I wonder if it's a skill deficit versus an actual incompetency." — Sage Hobbs "If you don't believe that community and connection is central to an organization running well, this book probably isn't for you. I'm not there to build the case for that — I'm here to tell you how to do that part better." — Sage Hobbs "Schools should be community hubs — a real sense of belonging and connection happening there. Make friends, learn cool stuff, and feel cared for." — Sage Hobbs 🧗♂️ Your Do School Different ChallengeReady to implement? Start here:
Listen to Better Leaders Better Schools on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Youtube or wherever you get your podcasts. If today's episode moved you, leave a review — it helps more Ruckus Makers find the show. 🧔🏻♂️ Your Selfmentorship GuideMeet Digital Danny — your Selfmentorship guide. Always available, never forgets, and evolves with you. Think through your next leadership move at myprincipalcoach.com Today's Ruckuscast PartnersODP Business Solutions has been transforming school learning spaces for 30 years — from smart boards to flexible furniture to sustainable solutions that free you from managing five different suppliers. They help you design dynamic environments that make students excited to show up, and their cooperative contracts keep you compliant without the procurement headache. 👉 Visit ODPbusiness.com/education to see what's possible. Frontline Education's 2026 K-12 Lens Report is built from insights gathered from over 1,000 school leaders across the country — giving you a clear picture of where staffing pressures are easing, where they aren't, and how districts are making decisions that hold. If you're navigating operations, student support, or personnel decisions this year, this is the context you need. 👉 Get the full report at frontlineeducation.com/leaders IXL's adaptive platform automatically identifies knowledge gaps for every student and hands teachers a personalized growth plan before the bell rings — so no one walks into a classroom guessing what their students know. Over one million teachers use it because it makes differentiated instruction actionable, not aspirational. 👉 Get started at ixl.com/leaders META DESCRIPTION: Hard conversations are the most underused leadership tool principals have. Sage Hobbs explains why curiosity — not certainty — is what builds trust and drives real change.
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| How Arts Programs in Schools Change Student Trajectories | 13 May 2026 | 00:44:06 | |
A Chicano educator from Los Angeles has spent nearly 20 years building the infrastructure that schools won't — the kind that catches students before they fall through the cracks. Hector Chaira is the Director of Education Programs at the Latino Film Institute , home to the Youth Cinema Project, a filmmaking mentorship program now operating in 21 California school districts across 61 classrooms. YCP brings professional filmmakers into English classes to guide students from concept to screen over a full school year. The results — in test scores, reclassification rates, graduation, and lives redirected — are impossible to ignore. Find ALIFI at latinofilm.org. Arts integration in schools has been underfunded, undervalued, and cut first for decades. This episode is the case against that pattern — told through data, two schools that are outperforming their affluent neighbors, and a story about a kid living in a motel who just won Best High School Actor. 🧠 What You'll Learn
"We firmly believe that students need to be creators and not just consumers." — Hector Chaira "Access is everything. When we can bring quality program and meet them where they are — that reinforce that investment in time, talent, treasure leads to impact." — Hector Chaira "We need to redefine what success looks like. It's not a new conversation, but if we can anchor it where our students are, then they're going to show up." — Hector Chaira "It only takes one person to lead a difference. Had I not walked up to mom, you would not have heard this story." — Hector Chaira "Art isn't extra — it's actually essential. It physically shapes the brain, strengthening learning, memory, and executive function." — Hector Chaira "Take the first step. If your intentions are aligned with the goals and the purpose — take the first step. You're going to find a way." — Hector Chaira "We're stepping into a very traditional system and shaking it up. Anyone can lead a difference." — Hector Chaira 🧗♂️ Your Do School Different ChallengeReady to implement? Start here:
00:00 - Student finds purpose through filmmaking 03:08 - Hector introduces the Latino Film Institute 07:17 - What access and high expectations actually produce 10:10 - Youth Cinema Project explained 13:19 - Academic results from arts integration 19:35 - Why arts get cut — and why that's wrong 21:44 - Two schools proving arts integration works 26:15 - Identity, culture, and who this work is for 34:10 - Marquee message: take the first step 37:52 - Dream school: three guiding principles 41:50 - One thing every Ruckus Maker should remember 🔗 Connect With Hector Chaira👩🏻💻 Hector Chaira
Listen to Better Leaders Better Schools on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Youtube or wherever you get your podcasts. If today's episode moved you, leave a review — it helps more Ruckus Makers find the show. 🧔🏻♂️ Your Selfmentorship GuideMeet Digital Danny — your Selfmentorship guide. Always available, never forgets, and evolves with you. 👉 Think through your next leadership move at myprincipalcoach.com 🤝 Today's RuckusCast PartnersODP Business Solutions has been equipping schools for 30 years — and their edge isn't just competitive pricing, it's access to negotiated cooperative contracts that maximize every dollar you spend. They helped the Baldwin school district transform their entire campus while staying under budget by combining smart design with smarter purchasing, from essential supplies to cutting-edge tech to flexible furniture. One supplier, simplified ordering, full compliance. 🔍 Visit ODPbusiness.com/education to learn more. Frontline Education's 2026 K12 Lens report found that districts with structured, automated professional growth are nearly twice as likely to report easier hiring compared to those without it. If you're building a campus where great educators want to stay, the data on what actually drives retention is all in one place. 🔍 Download the full report at FrontlineEducation.com/leaders IXL takes the guesswork out of lesson planning — ready-made plans aligned to your textbooks and state standards so teachers spend less time preparing and more time teaching. Principals who want their teachers working smarter, not harder, start here. 🔍 Visit IXL.com/leaders to get started today. META DESCRIPTION: Arts integration in schools is changing student trajectories — here's how one program does it across 21 California districts and what principals can learn from it.
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| Why the Best Teachers Are Different — and What That Costs You — Bonus Episode with Christopher Lochhead | 10 May 2026 | 01:01:04 | |
The man who co-created category design — the strategic framework behind companies like Salesforce, HubSpot, and Drift — has a blunt message for principals: your recruiting ads are announcing that nobody wants to work at your school. Christopher Lochhead is co-author of Play Bigger, Niche Down, and Category Pirates, the wildly popular business newsletter read by some of the sharpest operators in tech and venture. His latest book, Creator Capitalist, makes the case that the creator economy isn't a trend — it's the future of every career, including the ones you're trying to build on your campus. Most principals spend their careers trying to fix a reputation problem they don't realize they have. This conversation with Christopher Lochhead lands like a two-by-four: your school's reputation is built entirely by what people say when you're not in the room, and most of the signals you're sending are saying the opposite of what you intend. The connection between category design, teacher recruitment, AI in education, and what it means to do school different turns out to be a single through-line — and it starts with the courage to be different. 🤩 What You'll Learn
"The people who make the biggest difference, by definition, are different. Because if you're the same, you fit in. And when you're the same, you don't stand out. And as a result of not standing out, you don't make much of a difference." — Christopher Lochhead "When you put an ad out there that says we need teachers, and here's a list of 200 job openings or whatever it is, what's the unspoken? The unspoken is nobody wants to work here." — Christopher Lochhead "If I'm an educator, I want my school to equal working at Nvidia. Because if somebody qualifies to get into my school, when they go forward in their life and they say, I was a teacher at X, everybody goes, oh, wow, that's a great school. That's a halo." — Christopher Lochhead "AI makes the availability of existing knowledge closer and closer to free every day. And many people in the education business thought they were in the business of imparting knowledge. Well, not so much anymore." — Christopher Lochhead "I want to teach young people to learn from AI and to create and build things on their own with AI. Just like when the pen was invented, we learned to create things with the pen. This is the new pen." — Christopher Lochhead "People don't go to school to see Professor Danny or Teacher Danny perform. They go to school for themselves. So the real question is, what do we need to create for them — for the students to be legendary?" — Christopher Lochhead "You are more legendary than you know. The vast majority of people, including insanely successful people, undervalue the value of their value." — Christopher Lochhead 🧗♂️ Your Do School Different ChallengeReady to implement? Start here:
Listen to Better Leaders Better Schools on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Youtube or wherever you get your podcasts. If today's episode moved you, leave a review — it helps more Ruckus Makers find the show. 🧔🏻♂️Your Selfmentorship GuideMeet Digital Danny — your Selfmentorship guide. Always available, never forgets, and evolves with you. Think through your next leadership move at myprincipalcoach.com 🤝 Today's Ruckuscast PartnersODP Business Solutions has been a trusted partner for schools for 30 years — and they're not just a vendor, they're a strategic partner in transformation. Want to turn a tired computer lab into a STEAM innovation center? Need to keep eight schools stocked, spotless, and compliant through cooperative contracts? They handle it all from a single supplier so you can stop juggling and start leading. Visit ODPbusiness.com/education to learn more. Frontline Education's 2026 K12 Lens Report is built for exactly the kind of decisions Ruckus Makers face right now — staffing, student support, operations — and it's grounded in insights from over 1,000 school leaders across the country. Know where pressure is building and where smart districts are getting ahead. Get your full report at FrontlineEducation.com/leaders IXL gives classroom teachers an adaptive platform that makes differentiated instruction manageable, while giving school leaders dashboard-level visibility into student progress and growth — customizable down to the individual student. Make data-informed decisions that actually move the needle. Get started at IXL.com/leaders META DESCRIPTION: Category design legend Christopher Lochhead tells principals why their recruiting ads repel teachers — and how AI is making memorization-obsessed schools obsolete.
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| The Stories That Built a Top 1% Podcast/ Building Better Leaders | 06 May 2026 | 01:01:10 | |
Ten years of school leadership podcasting reveals one consistent truth: most principals are doing it alone when they don't have to. In this special anniversary episode, Danny Bauer sits down with co-host Dan Watt to trace the arc from isolated AP to category-defining podcast host — and what he's learned coaching hundreds of school leaders along the way. Dan Watt is a school principal, leadership coach, and Mastermind coach for Better Leaders Better Schools, based in northern British Columbia, Canada. He joined the Ruckus Maker community as a member before stepping into a coaching role, and now co-writes the weekly Ruckus Makers newsletter. He brings a practitioner's lens to every conversation — someone still in the building, still doing the work. Find him through the Ruckus Makers community at ruckusmakers.news. ☑️ What You'll Learn
What's broken: Districts treat effort and visibility as the measure of a leader's worth — the longer you're on campus, the more you're seen as committed. The shift: Value created and culture built are the real metrics — not hours logged or sleeves rolled up. Impact: Mastermind member Justin stopped seeing more hours as the solution to feeling overwhelmed, found his North Star, and called it transformative. 🧰 Key Insight #2: Isolation Is a Choice, Not a ConditionWhat's broken: Most school leaders wait for the district to provide mentorship, community, or coaching — and the district almost never delivers. The shift: Choosing yourself means actively seeking a community, a coach, and the tools to grow on a weekly basis — not waiting for permission. Impact: When Danny built the Mastermind in 2016, he introduced peer coaching to an industry that had nothing like it; leaders who join stop leading alone. 🧰 Key Insight #3: You Become What You Think AboutWhat's broken: Leaders absorb a deficit mindset — kids are broken post-COVID, resources are disappearing, the system is against them — and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. The shift: The Beautiful Constraint mindset asks: given this reality, what needs to be true to accomplish what we want? Impact: Principals who reframe obstacles as constraints to work within — rather than walls to hide behind — lead higher-engagement campuses regardless of what the district hands them. 🗣️ DANNY BAUER QUOTES FROM THE RUCKUS-CAST"The strangest secret is we become what we think about." — Danny Bauer "I no longer see putting in more hours as a solution to this feeling. I very much feel like I'm failing forward with this approach, but I feel like I've found a North Star." — Danny Bauer (quoting Mastermind member Justin) "You can work in isolation and get bumps and bruises and learn from sparring in real life — or you could join a community and hear about everybody else's war wounds and scars, and learn from that without having to go through it yourself." — Danny Bauer "I don't want it to be like a cult of personality. I have an expiration date. And also, I'm only one guy with one perspective, and it's not always the best." — Danny BaueR "Every school leader that wants to grow and meet their potential should join our Mastermind. If you don't want to do that, don't join." — Danny Bauer 🧗♂️ Your Do School Different ChallengeReady to implement? Start here: Tomorrow: Identify one place you're measuring your leadership worth in hours instead of value — and write down what the actual result looks like instead. This Month: Audit your professional development diet: if a conference once a year is your only growth structure, find one weekly or monthly touchpoint — a book, a community, a coach — and commit to it. This Semester: Build or join a peer learning structure where you're both giving and receiving feedback on real leadership challenges, not just sitting in a room listening to a presenter. ⌚️ Episode Timestamps00:00 - Why Danny started the podcast 10 years ago 04:35 - Danny's early leadership gaps as an AP 08:49 - The public feedback mistake and what it cost 13:38 - Why principals always learn even off the hot seat 20:12 - What were the real stakes 10 years ago 29:54 - How the Mastermind started from a void in education 34:11 - Justin's email: stop measuring worth in hours 40:46 - The Beautiful Constraint mindset for today's climate 48:56 - How Danny lives "you're worth it" daily 55:32 - Where the Ruckus Maker brand is going next 🎧 Listen & SubscribeListen to Better Leaders Better Schools on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Youtube or wherever you get your podcasts. If today's episode moved you, leave a review — it helps more Ruckus Makers find the show. 🧔🏻♂️ Your Self-Mentorship GuideMeet Digital Danny — your self-mentorship guide. Always available, never forgets, and evolves with you. Think through your next leadership move at myprincipalcoach.com. 🤝 Today's Ruckus-Cast Partners
🔍 visit ODPbusiness.com/education.
🔍 Download the full report at frontlineeducation.com/leaders — it shows exactly what high performing districts are doing differently.
🔍 Get started today at ixl.com/leaders. META DESCRIPTION: 10 years of school leadership coaching distilled into one conversation. What Danny Bauer learned building the top 1% podcast for principals who do school different.
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| Why Not Today? The Mindset That Changes Everything in Schools with Jesus Huerta | 03 May 2026 | 00:51:04 | |
🧰 The Ruckus Report Quick take: This episode is a masterclass in what happens when a teacher stops delivering lessons — and starts creating life-changing experiences. 🙋♂️ Meet Your Fellow Ruckus MakerJesus Huerta is an educator and innovation coach who transforms classrooms into launchpads for curiosity, creativity, and future careers. From 3D printing to robotics, his work centers on one mission: give students access, spark possibility, and let them build what's next. 🔨 Breaking Down the Old RulesIn this episode, Jesus Huerta challenges traditional education paradigms: 🎯 Key Insight #1: Engagement Comes from Compliance
"If I'm bored teaching the lesson, the kids are definitely bored learning it." – Jesus Huerta 🏋️♂️ Your Do School Different ChallengeReady to implement these ideas? Start here:
🎯 Get the full episode transcript here 👩🏻💻 Follow Jesus Huerta:
If education ain't a bit disruptive, then what are your students really learning? This show isn't about doing school better. It's about Doing School Different — and joining a growing movement of bold, creative school leaders who reject legacy models and reimagine what's possible. 🧠 Four Ways We Can Help You on Your Do School Different Journey📬 Subscribe to the Free Newsletter — An opportunity to Do School Different 3x a week. Tools, mindset shifts, and strategies that actually work: 🗞 Read Ruckus Maker Media — Exclusive content on Substack. Premium leadership insights, AI prompts and custom GPTs, new books before the bookshelf. 💥 Join The Ruckus Maker Club — Our private network + workshops, The Automatic School tools, AI Prompt Library, and more: 🧨 Apply to the Mastermind — Weekly coaching, peer mentorship, and our proven leadership system (The Ruckus Maker Flywheel) to help you transform your campus: https://betterleadersbetterschools.com/mastermind Every tool, community, and coaching program we offer is built to help visionary school leaders play the new game — one where leadership is creative, tech-enabled, and unapologetically student-centered. 🎙 The podcast is your starting point. The movement is just getting started. 🤝 Today's RUCKUScast in Partnership with:ODP Business Solutions®: Looking to create the kind of campus experience students never forget? ODP Business Solutions® transforms ordinary spaces into extraordinary learning environments. 🔍 Learn more: https://odpbusiness.com/education IXL: Over 1 million teachers rely on IXL because it is empowering, it helps them make better decisions with reliable data, and it adapts instruction based on student performance. 🔍 Learn more: https://ixl.com/leaders Frontline Education: 1,000+ school leaders just weighed in on staffing, absenteeism, AI, and funding shifts. The 2026 K-12 Lens Survey Report gives you a national view of where the pressure is — and where momentum is building. 🔍 Learn more: https://frontlineeducation.com/leaders Twelve Practices LLC © 2026 | Create a Campus Experience Worth Showing Up For
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| Reimagining Untapped School Spaces with Anne Seeley | 29 Apr 2026 | 00:41:29 | |
📋 The Ruckus Report Quick take: Most principals accept their school building as a fixed constraint. Anne Seeley proves it's actually your most under-utilized leadership tool — and you don't need a construction budget to start. 🎓 Meet Your Fellow Ruckus MakerAnne Seeley, a Senior Associate Project Manager, NCARB, LEED, AP, AIA is an accomplished architect with a distinct blend of expertise. For over 20 years, she has focused on educational architecture, creating everything from visionary master plans and engaging student Centers to complex campus renovations. Anne doesn't just design buildings; she creates thoughtful environments that reflect the goals and ideas of the people she works with. Anne's commitment to improving the user experience makes her a leading figure in educational design. 🔨 Breaking Down the Old RulesIn this episode, Anne Seeley challenges how school leaders think about physical space: 🧰 Key Insight #1: Space is named, not designed for purpose
"Rather than giving a name to something — this is a classroom, this is a corridor — what if the space is a space for engagement? – Anne Seeley What if it's a zone for peer-to-peer instruction? When you start naming the activity, it breaks down our association of what the space looks like and starts to give us opportunities to reimagine it." – Anne Seeley 🧩 Your Do School Different ChallengeReady to implement these ideas? Start here:
👩🏻💻 Follow Anne Seeley:
If education ain't a bit disruptive, then what are your students really learning? This show isn't about doing school better. It's about Doing School Different — and joining a growing movement of bold, creative school leaders who reject legacy models and reimagine what's possible. 🧠 Four Ways We Can Help You on Your Do School Different Journey📬 Subscribe to the Free Newsletter — An opportunity to Do School Different 3x a week. Tools, mindset shifts, and strategies that actually work: 🗞 Read Ruckus Maker Media — Exclusive content on Substack. Premium leadership insights, AI prompts and custom GPTs, new books before the bookshelf. 💥 Join The Ruckus Maker Club — Our private network + workshops, The Automatic School tools, AI Prompt Library, and more: 🧨 Apply to the Mastermind — Weekly coaching, peer mentorship, and our proven leadership system (The Ruckus Maker Flywheel) to help you transform your campus: https://betterleadersbetterschools.com/mastermind 🤝 Today's RUCKUScast in Partnership with:ODP Business Solutions®: Looking to create the kind of campus experience students never forget? ODP Business Solutions® transforms ordinary spaces into extraordinary learning environments. 🔍 Learn more: odpbusiness.com/education IXL: Over 1 million teachers rely on IXL because it empowers better decisions with reliable data and adapts instruction based on student performance. 🔍 Learn more: ixl.com/leaders Frontline Education: Strong school culture doesn't happen by accident — it's built through meaningful support and growth. Frontline Education's 2026 K-12 Lens Report shows how districts are connecting professional development to stronger staffing outcomes. 🔍 Get the full report: frontlineeducation.com/leaders Twelve Practices LLC © 2026 | Create a Campus Experience Worth Showing Up For
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| What Happens When a Principal Drives Their Own Development | 26 Apr 2026 | 00:06:51 | |
Principal leadership development is broken — 3 out of 4 school leaders have no coach, no mentor, no one to think it through with. Principal coaching and self-mentorship are the difference between leaders who wait for answers and leaders who generate their own. Corey, a Chicago principal, logged 910 conversations with Digital Danny over one school year — not for generic advice, but to think through the hardest decisions he faced: a staff situation, a career crossroads, a coaching conversation he needed to get right. He called it "almost like your self mentor." That's the category. That's what this is. This sprint on April 30 gives you one hour to experience the framework, watch a live Digital Danny session, and work through something real you're carrying right now. $100 gets you in — and that includes 30 days of Digital Danny access. Register for the sprint here: https://ruckusmakers.news/sprint ⌚️ TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - 3 out of 4 principals lead without a mentor 00:46 - Corey's first Digital Danny conversation 01:38 - The basketball coach situation and the shift 02:25 - Corey's career question and interview prep 03:13 - Digital Danny retrains — Corey accelerates 04:14 - What self-mentorship actually means 05:12 - The Self-Mentorship Sprint: April 30 details | |||
| Tech Intentional Schools: Why More Screens Are Failing Kids with Emily Cherkin | 22 Apr 2026 | 00:39:29 | |
📋 The Ruckus Report Quick take: Schools didn't gradually adopt tech — they surrendered to it. This episode is a wake-up call for leaders ready to reclaim learning, relationships, and childhood from screens. 🎓Meet Your Fellow Ruckus MakerEmily Cherkin, M.Ed., The Screentime Consultant, is leading the fight for a Tech-IntentionalTM childhood. Emily works with schools, families, policymakers, and advocacy organizations to ensure the future of education prioritizes skills, safety, and relationships over screens, EdTech, and A.I. Emily is an author, speaker, consultant, and associate professor of public policy at the University of Washington. She is also co-chair of Fairplay's Screens in Schools Action Network and the lead plaintiff in a class action lawsuit against one of the largest EdTech companies in the world. Emily is also the creator of the UnPlug EdTech Toolkit. 🌱 Breaking Down the Old RulesIn this episode, Emily Cherkin challenges traditional education paradigms: 🧰 Key Insight #1: EdTech = Innovation
"If Tech is doing the thinking, your students aren't!" – Emily Cherkin 🧩 Your Do School Different ChallengeReady to implement these ideas? Start here:
🎯 Get the full episode transcript here 👩🏻💻 Follow Emily Cherkin: 💻 Website: https://thescreentimeconsultant.com 😎 The Unplug EdTech ToolKit https://thescreentimeconsultant.com/resources/unplug-edtech-toolkit 🤝 Emily speaking to UK Parliament: https://firstfish.substack.com/p/testimony-to-uk-parliament?r=250yb9 📕 Book: https://www.amazon.com/Screentime- Solution-Judgment-Free-Becoming- Tech-Intentional/dp/B0CB9JS5KB
If education ain't a bit disruptive, then what are your students really learning? This show isn't about doing school better. It's about Doing School Different — and joining a growing movement of bold, creative school leaders who reject legacy models and reimagine what's possible. 🧠 Four Ways We Can Help You on Your Do School Different Journey📬 Subscribe to the Free Newsletter — An opportunity to Do School Different 3x a week. Tools, mindset shifts, and strategies that actually work: 🗞 Read Ruckus Maker Media — Exclusive content on Substack. Premium leadership insights, AI prompts and custom GPTs, new books before the bookshelf. 💥 Join The Ruckus Maker Club — Our private network + workshops, The Automatic School tools, AI Prompt Library, and more: 🧨 Apply to the Mastermind — Weekly coaching, peer mentorship, and our proven leadership system (The Ruckus Maker Flywheel) to help you transform your campus: https://betterleadersbetterschools.com/mastermind ✅ Every tool, community, and coaching program we offer is built to help visionary school leaders play the new game — one where leadership is creative, tech-enabled, and unapologetically student-centered. The podcast is your starting point. The movement is just getting started. 🎙️ Today's RUCKUScast in Partnership with:ODP Business Solutions®: Looking to create the kind of campus experience students never forget? ODP Business Solutions® transforms ordinary spaces into extraordinary learning environments. 🔍 Learn more: https://odpbusiness.com/education IXL: Over 1 million teachers rely on IXL because it is empowering, it helps them make better decisions with reliable data, and it adapts instruction based on student performance. 🔍 Learn more: https://ixl.com/leaders Frontline Education: 1,000+ school leaders just weighed in on staffing, absenteeism, AI, and funding shifts. The 2026 K-12 Lens Survey Report gives you a national view of where the pressure is — and where momentum is building. 🔍 Learn more: https://frontlineeducation.com/leaders Twelve Practices LLC © 2026 | Create a Campus Experience Worth Showing Up For
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| The Leadership Move Most Superintendents Avoid with Dr. Lindsay Whorton | 15 Apr 2026 | 00:43:52 | |
📋 The Ruckus Report Quick take: Most systems are designed to control people, not empower them.This episode shows what happens when a leader flips that script — and trusts the people closest to students to lead. 🙋♂️ Meet Your Fellow Ruckus MakerDr. Lindsay Whorton is president of The Holdsworth Center, a nonprofit building stronger leaders for public schools. She's the author of A New School Leadership Architecture, a bold blueprint for redesigning leadership roles so educators are supported, developed, and able to help students thrive. ⚒ Breaking Down the Old RulesIn this episode, Dr. Lindsay Whorton challenges traditional education paradigms: 🧩 Key Insight #1: Stop Hoarding Power at the Top
"You're not punishing anyone but your students if you stay stuck in scarcity." – Dr. Lindsay Whorton 🧗♂️ Your Do School Different ChallengeReady to implement these ideas? Start here:
🎯 Get the full episode transcript ****here 👩🏻💻 Follow Dr. Lindsay Whorton:
If education ain't a bit disruptive, then what are your students really learning? This show isn't about doing school better. It's about Doing School Different — and joining a growing movement of bold, creative school leaders who reject legacy models and reimagine what's possible. 🧠 Four Ways We Can Help You on Your Do School Different Journey📬 Subscribe to the Free Newsletter — An opportunity to Do School Different 3x a week. Tools, mindset shifts, and strategies that actually work: 🗞 Read Ruckus Maker Media — Exclusive content on Substack. Premium leadership insights, AI prompts and custom GPTs, new books before the bookshelf. 💥 Join The Ruckus Maker Club — Our private network + workshops, The Automatic School tools, AI Prompt Library, and more: 🧨 Apply to the Mastermind — Weekly coaching, peer mentorship, and our proven leadership system (The Ruckus Maker Flywheel) to help you transform your campus: https://betterleadersbetterschools.com/mastermind 📌 Ruckus Makers Don't Just Listen — They ActIf you're waiting for more resources, more clarity, or more permission… you'll be waiting forever. The leaders changing schools right now aren't waiting. They're redistributing power, building leaders, and creating campuses worth showing up for. 🤝 Today's RUCKUScast in Partnership with:ODP Business Solutions®: Looking to create the kind of campus experience students never forget? ODP Business Solutions® transforms ordinary spaces into extraordinary learning environments. 🔍 Learn more: https://odpbusiness.com/education IXL: Over 1 million teachers rely on IXL because it is empowering, it helps them make better decisions with reliable data, and it adapts instruction based on student performance. 🔍 Learn more: https://ixl.com/leaders Frontline Education: 1,000+ school leaders just weighed in on staffing, absenteeism, AI, and funding shifts. The 2026 K-12 Lens Survey Report gives you a national view of where the pressure is — and where momentum is building. 🔍 Learn more: https://frontlineeducation.com/leaders © 2026 Twelve Practices LLC | If Education Ain't a Bit Disruptive, Then What Are Your Students Learning?
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| Creating Campus Experiences Students Actually Care About With Tommy Floyd | 08 Apr 2026 | 00:40:33 | |
🎯 The Ruckus Report Quick take: You can't force engagement — but you can design for success. Tommy Floyd breaks down how one meaningful win can transform disconnected students into confident, motivated learners. 🎓 Meet Your Fellow Ruckus MakerTommy Floyd originally became involved in NASP® in 2003, while serving as a high school principal and NASP® coach. Several of the first NASP® state champions were on the Somerset High School team that Tommy coached. He has seen, first-hand, how the program positively impacts students, parents, and teachers. He has seen NASP® promote constructive teacher/student relationships, academic motivation and the promotion of students becoming involved with their school – many for the first time. 🔨 Breaking Down the Old RulesIn this episode, Tommy Floyd challenges traditional education paradigms: 😎 Key Insight #1: You Can't Force Engagement
"Every child needs success. What are you doing?" – Tommy Floyd 🧗♂️ Your Do School Different ChallengeReady to implement these ideas? Start here:
🎯 Get the full episode transcript here 👩🏻💻 Follow Tommy Floyd:
If education ain't a bit disruptive, then what are your students really learning? This show isn't about doing school better. It's about Doing School Different — and joining a growing movement of bold, creative school leaders who reject legacy models and reimagine what's possible. 🧠 Here are four ways we can help you on your Do School Different journey📬 Subscribe to the Free Newsletter — An opportunity to Do School Different 3x a week. Tools, mindset shifts, and strategies that actually work: ruckusmakers.news 🗞 Read Ruckus Maker Media — Exclusive content on Substack. Premium leadership insights, AI prompts and custom gpts, new books before the bookshelf. ruckusmakers.media 💥 Join The Ruckus Maker Club — Our private network + workshops, The Automatic School tools, AI Prompt Library, and more: ruckusmakers.club 🧨 Apply to the Mastermind — Weekly coaching, peer mentorship, and our proven leadership system (The Ruckus Maker Flywheel) to help you transform your campus: Apply Now 🎙 Today's RUCKUS cast in Partnership With:
For over 30 years, ODP Business Solutions® has helped schools transform from whiteboards to smartboards. Why? Because when you get the right tools, everyone wins. 🔍 Visit odpbusiness.com/education to revolutionize your school's learning spaces.
Over 1 million teachers rely on IXL because it is empowering, it helps them make better decisions with reliable data, and it adapts instruction based on student performance. 🔍 Get started today at ixl.com/leaders
1,000+ school leaders just weighed in on staffing, absenteeism, AI, and funding shifts. The 2026 K-12 Lens Survey Report gives you a national view of where the pressure is — and where momentum is building. 🔍 Learn more: https://frontlineeducation.com/leaders © 2026 Twelve Practices LLC | If Education Ain't a Bit Disruptive, Then What Are Your Students Learning?
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| Turning Community Engagement into a Strategic Planning Superpower with Drew Howick & Dr. Jeffrey Axelbank | 01 Apr 2026 | 00:45:03 | |
📕 The Ruckus Report Quick take: Most strategic plans fail for one simple reason — leaders try to sell a vision the community didn't help create. Drew Howick and Dr. Jeffrey Axelbank reveal how the Future Search process flips that script by putting the whole community in the room to design the future together. 🫂 Meet Your Fellow Ruckus MakersDrew Howick is the founder of Howick Associates, a highly regarded consulting firm based in Madison Wis, and is well regarded as a trusted advisor and collaborative partner to hundreds of schools districts, most of which are in Wisconsin. He is the author of the book, The New Compleat Facilitator: A Handbook for Facilitators. Dr. Jeffrey Axelbank is a psychologist and consultant based in Highland Park, NJ. His consulting work focuses on strategic engagement - getting everyone pulling in the same direction. He is particularly passionate about whole-system interventions such as Future Search, to help diverse stakeholders in organizations and communities discover common ground in their vision of their shared future. 🔨 Breaking Down the Old RulesIn this episode, Drew Howick and Dr. Jeffrey Axelbank challenge traditional education paradigms: 🧰 Key Insight #1: Stop "Selling" Strategic Plans
"Strong schools require strong community partnerships — and those partnerships don't just happen. Someone has to start the conversation." – Drew Howick "When people help create the vision for the future, they don't fight the plan — they help build it." – Dr. Jeffrey Axelbank 🔗 Connect & Continue🎯 Get the full episode transcript here 👩🏻💻 Follow Drew Howick:
AASA JSP Comm'ty Engage using Future Search.pdf 👩🏻💻 Follow Dr. Jeffrey Axelbank:
Ready to implement these ideas? Start here:
If education ain't a bit disruptive, then what are your students really learning? This show isn't about doing school better. It's about Doing School Different — and joining a growing movement of bold, creative school leaders who reject legacy models and reimagine what's possible. 🧠 Here are four ways we can help you on your Do School Different journey📬 Subscribe to the Free Newsletter — An opportunity to Do School Different 3x a week. Tools, mindset shifts, and strategies that actually work https://ruckusmakers.news/subscribe 🗞 Read Ruckus Maker Media — Exclusive content on Substack. Premium leadership insights, AI prompts and custom gpts, new books before the bookshelf.https://ruckusmakers.media 💥 Join The Ruckus Maker Club — Our private network + workshops, The Automatic School tools, AI Prompt Library, and more: https://members.ruckusmakers.club/plans/1428145?bundle_token=e8203ab7f9df767a6cf6b98e18a4ff0d&utm_source=manual 🧨 Apply to the Mastermind — Weekly coaching, peer mentorship, and our proven leadership system (The Ruckus Maker Flywheel) to help you transform your campus: https://www.betterleadersbetterschools.com/mastermind-application 🎙 Today's RUCKUS cast in Partnership With:
For over 30 years, ODP Business Solutions® has helped schools transform from whiteboards to smart-boards. Why? Because when you get the right tools, everyone wins. 🔍 Visit odpbusiness.com/education to revolutionize your school's learning spaces.
Over 1 million teachers rely on IXL because it is empowering, it helps them make better decisions with reliable data, and it adapts instruction based on student performance. 🔍 Get started today at ixl.com/leaders
1,000+ school leaders just weighed in on staffing, absenteeism, AI, and funding shifts. The 2026 K-12 Lens Survey Report gives you a national view of where the pressure is — and where momentum is building. 🔍 Learn more: https://frontlineeducation.com/leaders © 2026 Twelve Practices LLC | If Education Ain't a Bit Disruptive, Then What Are Your Students Learning?
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| Reimagining the architecture of learning by challenging traditional, standardized education models with Adrian Ireland | 25 Mar 2026 | 00:54:56 | |
🧰 The Ruckus Report Quick take: This episode flips the script on school culture and student motivation. Adrian Ireland shows why most engagement issues aren't about effort — they're about environment — and what to do instead. 🫂 Meet Your Fellow Ruckus MakerAdrian Ireland is an international educator, systems thinker, and author who reimagines the architecture of learning by challenging traditional, standardized education models. With experience leading across Asia and Europe, he champions learner-centered approaches that elevate curiosity, individuality, and creativity. 🔨 Breaking Down the Old Rules 😎 Key Insight #1: Schools don't have effort problems — they have architecture problems
"Culture is really system architecture in disguise." – Adrian Ireland 🧗♂️ Your Do School Different ChallengeReady to implement these ideas? Start here:
🎯 Get the full episode transcript here 👩🏻💻 Follow Adrian Ireland:
If education ain't a bit disruptive, then what are your students really learning? This show isn't about doing school better. It's about Doing School Different — and joining a growing movement of bold, creative school leaders who reject legacy models and reimagine what's possible. 🧠 Here are four ways we can help you on your Do School Different journey📬 Subscribe to the Free Newsletter — An opportunity to Do School Different 3x a week. Tools, mindset shifts, and strategies that actually work: ruckusmakers.news 🗞 Read Ruckus Maker Media — Exclusive content on Substack. Premium leadership insights, AI prompts and custom GPTs, new books before the bookshelf. ruckusmakers.media 💥 Join The Ruckus Maker Club — Our private network + workshops, The Automatic School tools, AI Prompt Library, and more: ruckusmakers.club 🧨 Apply to the Mastermind — Weekly coaching, peer mentorship, and our proven leadership system (The Ruckus Maker Flywheel) to help you transform your campus: Apply Now 🎙 Today's RUCKUS cast in Partnership With:Play Piper Every student starts with curiosity — Piper keeps it alive. Our hands-on STEM kits turn gaming passion into real engineering skills. 🔍 Spark confidence in your students at playpiper.com/ruckus. ODP Business Solutions® Still scrambling for supplies like it's 1999? ODP streamlines everything from pencils to projectors so you can focus on what matters — making an impact. 🔍 Visit odpbusiness.com/education to learn more. IXL If you could differentiate instruction in 20 minutes or less, would you do it? Over 1 million teachers use IXL to make data-informed instruction effortless. 🔍 Start today at ixl.com/leaders. © 2026 Twelve Practices LLC | If Education Ain't a Bit Disruptive, Then What Are Your Students Learning?
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| Start Next School Year with Confidence and Clarity with Danny | 18 Mar 2026 | 00:19:04 | |
📕 The Ruckus Report Quick take: Danny tells the brutal story of a "worst first day of school ever" moment — when half the students had no schedules — and uses it to make the case for a 90-day entry plan that builds trust fast, reduces stress, and keeps your campus from spiralling into avoidable chaos. 🔨 Breaking Down the Old RulesIn this episode, Danny challenges the "vibes-only leadership" approach and lays out why leaders need a real plan — what you're doing, why you're doing it, and how you'll execute — especially in the first 90 days. 🧨 Key Insight #1 — The real "first day" starts months earlier
"As school leaders, we make a promise to our community — and it's important that you deliver on that promise, especially in the first 90 days." Ready to implement these ideas? Start here:
🎯 Get the full episode transcript here 👉Apply to The Entry Plan Intensive: https://entryplanintensive.com/
If education ain't a bit disruptive, then what are your students really learning? This show isn't about doing school better. It's about Doing School Different — and joining a growing movement of bold, creative school leaders who reject legacy models and reimagine what's possible. 🧠 Here are four ways we can help you on your Do School Different journey:📬 Subscribe to the Free Newsletter — An opportunity to Do School Different 3x a week. Tools, mindset shifts, and strategies that actually work: https://ruckusmakers.news/subscribe 🗞 Read Ruckus Maker Media — Exclusive content on Substack. Premium leadership insights, AI prompts and custom gpts, new books before the bookshelf: https://ruckusmakers.media/ 💥 Join The Ruckus Maker Club — Our private network + workshops, The Automatic School tools, AI Prompt Library, and more: https://ruckusmakers.club/join 🧨 Apply to the Mastermind — Weekly coaching, peer mentorship, and our proven leadership system (The Ruckus Maker Flywheel) to help you transform your campus: https://betterleadersbetterschools.com/mastermind 🎙 Today's RUCKUS cast in Partnership With:
For over 30 years, ODP Business Solutions® has helped schools transform from whiteboards to smartboards. Why? Because when you get the right tools, everyone wins. 🔍 Visit odpbusiness.com/education to revolutionize your school's learning spaces.
Over 1 million teachers rely on IXL because it is empowering, it helps them make better decisions with reliable data, and it adapts instruction based on student performance. 🔍 Get started today at ixl.com/leaders
This episode is brought to you by Play Piper. At Piper, we believe STEM doesn't have to feel out of reach. Too many kids love gaming but give up on science and engineering because school doesn't spark their interest. That's where Piper comes in - They have hands-on STEM kits designed to turn curiosity into confidence and keep the pipeline of future innovators flowing strong. 🔍 Learn more at playpiper.com/ruckus © 2026 Twelve Practices LLC | If Education Ain't a Bit Disruptive, Then What Are Your Students Learning?
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| Build the School You Wish Existed (and Let Students Run the Culture) with Will Campbell | 11 Mar 2026 | 00:53:34 | |
🧨 The Ruckus Report Quick take: Most leaders say they want innovation… then rebuild the same dusty campus experience with newer paint. Will Campbell shows what happens when you press reset, redesign the human experience of school, and trust students to build the culture while teachers get time to grow inside the workday. Meet Your Fellow Ruckus MakerWill Campbell is redefining what's possible with modern education. As the Founding Head of Franklin School in Jersey City, named the The Most Innovative School in the World by T4 Education, Will has built a learning ecosystem that fuses timeless educational wisdom with breakthrough innovation. His work challenges the traditional playbook, empowering students and educators to think boldly, act with purpose, and lead with vision. 🔨 Breaking Down the Old RulesIn this episode, Will Campbell challenges traditional education paradigms: 🧰 Key Insight #1: Building from scratch isn't freedom, It's leadership under uncertainty
"Not everything can be a yes, but everything doesn't have to be a no." – Will Campbell 🧗♂️ Your Do School Different ChallengeReady to implement these ideas? Start here:
If education ain't a bit disruptive, then what are your students really learning? This show isn't about doing school better. It's about Doing School Different — and joining a growing movement of bold, creative school leaders who reject legacy models and reimagine what's possible. 🧠 Here are four ways we can help you on your Do School Different journey:📬 Subscribe to the Free Newsletter — An opportunity to Do School Different 3x a week. Tools, mindset shifts, and strategies that actually work: https://ruckusmakers.news/subscribe 🗞 Read Ruckus Maker Media — Exclusive content on Substack. Premium leadership insights, AI prompts and custom gpts, new books before the bookshelf: https://ruckusmakers.media/ 💥 Join The Ruckus Maker Club — Our private network + workshops, The Automatic School tools, AI Prompt Library, and more: https://ruckusmakers.club/join 🧨 Apply to the Mastermind — Weekly coaching, peer mentorship, and our proven leadership system (The Ruckus Maker Flywheel) to help you transform your campus: https://betterleadersbetterschools.com/mastermind 🎙 Today's RUCKUS cast in Partnership With:
For over 30 years, ODP Business Solutions® has helped schools transform from whiteboards to smartboards. Why? Because when you get the right tools, everyone wins. 🔍 Visit odpbusiness.com/education to revolutionize your school's learning spaces.
Over 1 million teachers rely on IXL because it is empowering, it helps them make better decisions with reliable data, and it adapts instruction based on student performance. 🔍 Get started today at ixl.com/leaders
This episode is brought to you by Play Piper. At Piper, we believe STEM doesn't have to feel out of reach. Too many kids love gaming but give up on science and engineering because school doesn't spark their interest. That's where Piper comes in - They have hands-on STEM kits designed to turn curiosity into confidence and keep the pipeline of future innovators flowing strong. 🔍 Learn more at playpiper.com/ruckus © 2026 Twelve Practices LLC | If Education Ain't a Bit Disruptive, Then What Are Your Students Learning?
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| From Panic to Purpose: How Kim Strobel Teaches Happiness in Schools | 04 Mar 2026 | 00:22:23 | |
🎯 The Ruckus Report Quick take: Kim Strobel's been attacked for teaching differently — and still chose joy. In this episode, she shows school leaders how happiness isn't fluff — it's the foundation. Learn how to fight for your fire, rewire your brain, and lead a school worth showing up for. 🎓 Meet Your Fellow Ruckus MakerKim Strobel is a former teacher and administrator turned global speaker, author, and happiness coach. After battling a debilitating panic disorder, she transformed her pain into purpose — helping educators reclaim joy, build resilience, and spark cultures of well-being in their schools. She's the author of Teach Happy: Small Steps to Big Joy and speaks on stages around the world, including events for the FBI and thousands of educators each year. 🔨 Breaking Down the Old Rules 🧨 Key Insight #1: You have to play it safe to survive school culture
"If your classroom doesn't have joy, curiosity, or risk, then what exactly are you preparing kids for?" – Kim Strobel 📈 Your Do School Different ChallengeReady to implement these ideas? Start here:
🎯 Get the full episode transcript here 👩🏻💻 Follow Kim Strobel:
If education ain't a bit disruptive, then what are your students really learning? This show isn't about doing school better. It's about Doing School Different — and joining a growing movement of bold, creative school leaders who reject legacy models and reimagine what's possible. 🧠 Here are four ways we can help you on your Do School Different journey:📬 Subscribe to the Free Newsletter — An opportunity to Do School Different 3x a week. Tools, mindset shifts, and strategies that actually work: https://ruckusmakers.news/subscribe 🗞 Read Ruckus Maker Media — Exclusive content on Substack. Premium leadership insights, AI prompts and custom gpts, new books before the bookshelf: https://ruckusmakers.media/ 💥 Join The Ruckus Maker Club — Our private network + workshops, The Automatic School tools, AI Prompt Library, and more: https://ruckusmakers.club/join 🧨 Apply to the Mastermind — Weekly coaching, peer mentorship, and our proven leadership system (The Ruckus Maker Flywheel) to help you transform your campus: https://betterleadersbetterschools.com/mastermind 🎙 Today's RUCKUS cast in Partnership With:
For over 30 years, ODP Business Solutions® has helped schools transform from whiteboards to smartboards. Why? Because when you get the right tools, everyone wins. 🔍 Visit odpbusiness.com/education to revolutionize your school's learning spaces.
Over 1 million teachers rely on IXL because it is empowering, it helps them make better decisions with reliable data, and it adapts instruction based on student performance. 🔍 Get started today at ixl.com/leaders
This episode is brought to you by Play Piper. At Piper, we believe STEM doesn't have to feel out of reach. Too many kids love gaming but give up on science and engineering because school doesn't spark their interest. That's where Piper comes in - They have hands-on STEM kits designed to turn curiosity into confidence and keep the pipeline of future innovators flowing strong. 🔍 Learn more at playpiper.com/ruckus © 2026 Twelve Practices LLC | If Education Ain't a Bit Disruptive, Then What Are Your Students Learning?
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| The Hands-On Cure for Screen-Addicted Schools with Kris Rockwell | 25 Feb 2026 | 00:54:05 | |
📣 The Ruckus Report Quick take: What if the cure for disengagement isn't better apps, but real tools in real hands? In this episode, Kris Rockwell challenges the one-way screen model that dominates modern classrooms — and makes a powerful case for hands-on learning that sparks joy, confidence, and curiosity. 🤝 Meet Your Fellow Ruckus MakerKris Rockwell works at the intersection of venture capital, technology, and non-profit initiatives. After spending over fifteen years in the eLearning field, he went on to lead the S. Kent Rockwell Foundation, supporting initiatives in conservation, entrepreneurship, and addiction recovery. He currently serves as Head of Product Development at Play Piper Inc. an edtech company based in San Francisco, the founder of AoS Ventures, a Pittsburgh-based venture capital group, and the co-founder of Praxis Science, a company that focuses on blockchain applications for decentralized science. 🔨 Breaking Down the Old RulesIn this episode, Kris Rockwell challenges traditional education paradigms: 🧠 Key Insight #1: The Tyranny of the One-Way Screen
"Confidence doesn't come from clicking — it comes from building." – Kris Rockwell 🧗♂️ Your Do School Different Challenge👉 Ready to implement these ideas? Start here:
📌 Get the full episode transcript here 👩🏻💻 Follow Kris Rockwell:
If education ain't a bit disruptive, then what are your students really learning? This show isn't about doing school better. It's about Doing School Different — and joining a growing movement of bold, creative school leaders who reject legacy models and reimagine what's possible. 🧠 Here are four ways we can help you on your Do School Different journey:📬 Subscribe to the Free Newsletter — Tools, mindset shifts, and strategies that actually work: https://ruckusmakers.news 🗞 Read Ruckus Maker Media — Premium insights and early book drops: https://ruckusmakers.media 💥 Join The Ruckus Maker Club — Private network, AI Prompt Library, and more: https://ruckusmakers.club/join 🧨 Apply to the Mastermind — Coaching + The Ruckus Maker Flywheel: https://betterleadersbetterschools.com/mastermind 🎙 Today's RUCKUS cast in Partnership With:
For over 30 years, ODP Business Solutions® has helped schools transform from whiteboards to smartboards. Why? Because when you get the right tools, everyone wins. 🔍 Visit odpbusiness.com/education to revolutionize your school's learning spaces.
Over 1 million teachers rely on IXL because it is empowering, it helps them make better decisions with reliable data, and it adapts instruction based on student performance. 🔍 Get started today at ixl.com/leaders
This episode is brought to you by Play Piper. At Piper, we believe STEM doesn't have to feel out of reach. Too many kids love gaming but give up on science and engineering because school doesn't spark their interest. That's where Piper comes in - They have hands-on STEM kits designed to turn curiosity into confidence and keep the pipeline of future innovators flowing strong. 🔍 Learn more at playpiper.com/ruckus © 2026 Twelve Practices LLC | If Education Ain't a Bit Disruptive, Then What Are Your Students Learning?
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| Linking Learning to Life: Dr. Annalies Corbin's 5 Power Strategies | 18 Feb 2026 | 00:46:20 | |
📣 The Ruckus Report Quick take: What if the best learning doesn't happen in a classroom? Dr. Annalies Corbin shares 5 proven strategies to design schools that actually connect learning to real life. 🎓 Meet Your Fellow Ruckus MakerDr. Annalies Corbin is the Founder & CEO of the PAST Foundation, a trailblazing organization transforming education for the 21st century. A relentless innovator, Dr. Corbin has been reshaping how we connect learning to life for the past 25 years, bridging the gap between scientific research, real-world problem-solving, and classroom experiences. 🔨 Breaking Down the Old RulesIn this episode, Dr. Corbin challenges traditional education paradigms: 🎯 Key Insight #1: Student Agency
"Say Yes! Too many great ideas die before they start because we begin with all the reasons why not." ** — Dr. Annalies Corbin** 📈 Your Do School Different ChallengeReady to implement these ideas? Start here:
🎯 Get the full episode transcript here 👩🏻💻 Follow Dr. Annalies Corbin:
If education ain't a bit disruptive, then what are your students really learning? This show isn't about doing school better. It's about Doing School Different — and joining a growing movement of bold, creative school leaders who reject legacy models and reimagine what's possible. 🧠 Here are four ways we can help you on your Do School Different journey:📬 Subscribe to the Free Newsletter — Tools, mindset shifts, and strategies that actually work: ruckusmakers.news 🗞️ Read Ruckus Maker Media — Premium Substack content, AI prompts, book previews: ruckusmakers.media 💥 Join The Ruckus Maker Club — Private network, workshops, The Automatic School toolkit, and more: ruckusmakers.club 🧨 Apply to the Mastermind — Weekly coaching, peer mentorship, and our proven leadership system: Apply Now 🎙 Today's RUCKUS cast in Partnership With:
For over 30 years, ODP Business Solutions® has helped schools transform from whiteboards to smartboards. Why? Because when you get the right tools, everyone wins. 🔍 Visit odpbusiness.com/education to revolutionize your school's learning spaces.
Over 1 million teachers rely on IXL because it is empowering, it helps them make better decisions with reliable data, and it adapts instruction based on student performance. 🔍 Get started today at ixl.com/leaders
This episode is brought to you by Play Piper. At Piper, we believe STEM doesn't have to feel out of reach. Too many kids love gaming but give up on science and engineering because school doesn't spark their interest. That's where Piper comes in - They have hands-on STEM kits designed to turn curiosity into confidence and keep the pipeline of future innovators flowing strong. 🔍 Learn more at playpiper.com/ruckus © 2026 Twelve Practices LLC | If Education Ain't a Bit Disruptive, Then What Are Your Students Learning?
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| The Whiteboard on Every Desk: Anthony Beckett's Vision for Inclusive Learning | 11 Feb 2026 | 01:01:32 | |
🎙 The Ruckus Report Quick Take: What happens when a high school sophomore builds the tool he wishes his teacher had? You get Markify — a collaborative, accessible classroom platform now used by 20,000+ students. In this episode, Anthony Beckett shares how a missed note sparked a movement and what school leaders can learn from a student-led disruption. 👋 Meet Your Fellow Ruckus MakerAnthony Beckett is the founder of Markify, an EdTech startup transforming classrooms into collaborative learning environments. After building the prototype while still in high school, Anthony scaled Markify to 1,500+ schools and continues to grow the company as a college student. He's presented at ISTE, FETC, and speaks nationally about accessibility, student agency, and rethinking how classrooms operate. 🔨 Breaking Down the Old Rules 🧠 Key Insight #1 — Make Classrooms More Accessible
"The real challenge isn't distraction — it's disinterest. If school isn't more engaging than TikTok, we've already lost." — Anthony Beckett 🎯 Your Do School Different ChallengeReady to implement these ideas? Start here:
🎯 Get the full episode transcript here 👩🏻💻 Follow Anthony Beckett:
If education ain't a bit disruptive, then what are your students really learning? This show isn't about doing school better. It's about Doing School Different — and joining a movement of bold, creative school leaders who reject legacy models and reimagine what's possible. 🧠 Here Are Four Ways We Can Help You on Your Do School Different Journey📬 Subscribe to the Free Newsletter — Tools, mindset shifts, and strategies that actually work: ruckusmakers.news 🗞️ Read Ruckus Maker Media — Premium Substack content, AI prompts, book previews: ruckusmakers.media 💥 Join The Ruckus Maker Club — Private network, workshops, The Automatic School toolkit, and more: ruckusmakers.club 🧨 Apply to the Mastermind — Weekly coaching, peer mentorship, and our proven leadership system: Apply Now 🎙 Today's RUCKUS cast in Partnership With:
For over 30 years, ODP Business Solutions® has helped schools transform from whiteboards to smartboards. Why? Because when you get the right tools, everyone wins. 🔍 Visit odpbusiness.com/education to revolutionize your school's learning spaces.
Over 1 million teachers rely on IXL because it is empowering, it helps them make better decisions with reliable data, and it adapts instruction based on student performance. 🔍 Get started today at ixl.com/leaders
This episode is brought to you by Play Piper. At Piper, we believe STEM doesn't have to feel out of reach. Too many kids love gaming but give up on science and engineering because school doesn't spark their interest. That's where Piper comes in - They have hands-on STEM kits designed to turn curiosity into confidence and keep the pipeline of future innovators flowing strong. 🔍 Learn more at playpiper.com/ruckus
© 2026 Twelve Practices LLC | If Education Ain't a Bit Disruptive, Then What Are Your Students Learning?
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| Lead Yourself First: The Awakening Every Principal Needs with Joël McLean | 04 Feb 2026 | 00:53:34 | |
🎯 The Ruckus Report Quick take: If you're leading from an empty tank, you're not leading at all. Joël McLean learned the hard way that transformational leadership starts within — and he built a roadmap any school leader can follow. 🎓 Meet Your Fellow Ruckus MakerJoël McLean is a former principal turned certified leadership coach, committed to helping leaders at every level develop skills and confidence to thrive. With 27+ years in education and founder of Inspire Leadership Coaching, he's on a mission to spark transformation from the inside out. 🔨 Breaking Down the Old RulesIn this episode, Joël McLean challenges traditional education paradigms: 🤯 Key Insight #1: Self-Leadership Over More Initiatives
"If people are depending on me as a leader, then I need to make sure I'm at my best." – Joël McLean 🧗♂️ Your Do School Different ChallengeReady to implement these ideas? Start here:
🌟 Get the full episode transcript here 👩🏻💻 Follow Joël McLean:
📕 Buy Transcending Your Leadership here. 📌 Ruckus Makers Don't Just Listen — They ActIf education ain't a bit disruptive, then what are your students really learning? This show isn't about doing school better. It's about Doing School Different — and joining a growing movement of bold, creative school leaders who reject legacy models and reimagine what's possible. 🧠 Here are four ways we can help you on your Do School Different journey📬 Subscribe to the Free Newsletter — An opportunity to Do School Different 3x a week. Tools, mindset shifts, and strategies that actually work: https://ruckusmakers.news 🗳 Read Ruckus Maker Media — Exclusive content on Substack. Premium leadership insights, AI prompts and custom gpts, new books before the bookshelf. https://ruckusmakers.media 💥 Join The Ruckus Maker Club — Our private network + workshops, The Automatic School tools, AI Prompt Library, and more: https://ruckusmakers.club 🫸 Apply to the Mastermind — Weekly coaching, peer mentorship, and our proven leadership system (The Ruckus Maker Flywheel) to help you transform your campus: https://betterleadersbetterschools.com/mastermind 🎙 Today's RUCKUS cast in Partnership With:
Looking to create the kind of campus experience students never forget? ODP Business Solutions® transforms ordinary spaces into extraordinary learning environments. 🔍 Visit **odpbusiness.com/education** and let's Do School Different.
IXL takes the guesswork out of lesson planning for teachers. IXL's ready-made lesson plans are aligned to your textbooks and state standards, so teachers can turn to IXL for the exact content they need to help their students. 🔍 Get started today at ixl.com/leaders
This episode of Better Leaders Better Schools is sponsored by Play Piper. Every student starts with curiosity - Piper keeps it alive. Our hands-on STEM kits turn gaming passion into real engineering skills. 🔍 Spark confidence in your students at https://www.playpiper.com/ruckus © 2026 Twelve Practices LLC | If Education Ain't a Bit Disruptive, Then What Are Your Students Learning?
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| Trade Fear for Courage: Ryan Hennessey's Grand Finale to Teachin | 28 Jan 2026 | 00:44:28 | |
📣 The Ruckus Report Quick take: Ryan Hennessey didn't just walk away from teaching — he dropped the mic. In this episode, he reveals how to leave on your own terms, build brave spaces that spark curiosity, and model vulnerability without losing yourself in the process. 🎓 Meet Your Fellow Ruckus MakerRyan Hennessey is a former award-winning educator turned heart-led entrepreneur who refuses to accept "good enough." A science teacher by training and disruptor by design, he equips leaders to build spaces (and lives) that are brave, human, and wildly effective. Ryan believes in trading fear for courage, autopilot for true agency, and busy work for inspiring learning that sticks. 🔨 Breaking Down the Old RulesIn this episode, Ryan Hennessey challenges traditional education paradigms: 🧠 Key Insight #1: From Compliance to Curiosity
"Find the courage to fail spectacularly today." – Ryan Hennessey 🧩 Your Do School Different ChallengeReady to implement these ideas? Start here:
🎯 Get the full episode transcript: Read here 👩🏻💻 Follow Ryan Hennessey:
If education ain't a bit disruptive, then what are your students really learning? This show isn't about doing school better. It's about Doing School Different — and joining a growing movement of bold, creative school leaders who reject legacy models and reimagine what's possible. 🧠 Here are four ways we can help you on your Do School Different journey:📬 Subscribe to the Free Newsletter — An opportunity to Do School Different 3x a week. Tools, mindset shifts, and strategies that actually work: ruckusmakers.news 🗞 Read Ruckus Maker Media — Exclusive content on Substack. Premium leadership insights, AI prompts and custom GPTs, new books before the bookshelf. ruckusmakers.media 💥 Join The Ruckus Maker Club — Our private network + workshops, The Automatic School tools, AI Prompt Library, and more: ruckusmakers.club 🧨 Apply to the Mastermind — Weekly coaching, peer mentorship, and our proven leadership system (The Ruckus Maker Flywheel): Apply here 🎙 Today's RUCKUS cast in Partnership With:
Looking to create the kind of campus experience students never forget? ODP Business Solutions® transforms ordinary spaces into extraordinary learning environments. 🔍 Visit **odpbusiness.com/education** and let's Do School Different.
IXL takes the guesswork out of lesson planning for teachers. IXL's ready-made lesson plans are aligned to your textbooks and state standards, so teachers can turn to IXL for the exact content they need to help their students. 🔍 Get started today at ixl.com/leaders
This episode of Better Leaders Better Schools is sponsored by Play Piper. Every student starts with curiosity - Piper keeps it alive. Our hands-on STEM kits turn gaming passion into real engineering skills. 🔍 Spark confidence in your students at https://www.playpiper.com/ruckus © 2026 Twelve Practices LLC | If Education Ain't a Bit Disruptive, Then What Are Your Students Learning?
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| Compton Is What the Future Looks Like - Leading with Ethics, Vision, and Results with Micah Ali | 21 Jan 2026 | 00:45:54 | |
😎 The Ruckus Report Quick take: Micah Ali dismantles outdated mindsets about urban education and shares how Compton Unified went from a district people had written off to one that's setting the pace for California. Learn what it takes to build trust, flip expectations, and drive equity by doing what's ethical. 🙌 Meet Your Fellow Ruckus MakerMicah Ali is the longest-serving President in the history of the Compton Unified School District Board of Trustees. A lifelong Compton resident and education advocate, he has championed transformational change in public education, equity in opportunity, and investments that uplift Black and Brown communities in California and across the nation. 🔨 Breaking Down the Old Rules 🧠 Key Insight #1: Focus on Students, Not Adult Comfort
"Compton is what the future looks like. And Compton students are not expectations, they are examples." — Micah Ali 🎒Your Do School Different ChallengeReady to implement these ideas? Start here:
🎯 Get the full episode transcript here 👩🏻💻 Follow Micah Ali:
If education ain't a bit disruptive, then what are your students really learning? This show isn't about doing school better. It's about Doing School Different — and joining a growing movement of bold, creative school leaders who reject legacy models and reimagine what's possible. 🧠 Here are four ways we can help you on your Do School Different journey:📬 Subscribe to the Free Newsletter — An opportunity to Do School Different 3x a week. Tools, mindset shifts, and strategies that actually work: https://ruckusmakers.news/subscribe 🗞 Read Ruckus Maker Media — Exclusive content on Substack. Premium leadership insights, AI prompts and custom gpts, new books before the bookshelf. https://ruckusmakers.media 💥 Join The Ruckus Maker Club — Our private network + workshops, The Automatic School tools, AI Prompt Library, and more: https://ruckusmakers.club/join 🧨 Apply to the Mastermind — Weekly coaching, peer mentorship, and our proven leadership system (The Ruckus Maker Flywheel) to help you transform your campus: https://betterleadersbetterschools.com/mastermind 🎙 Today's RUCKUS cast in Partnership With:
Looking to create the kind of campus experience students never forget? ODP Business Solutions® transforms ordinary spaces into extraordinary learning environments. 🔍 Visit odpbusiness.com/education and let's Do School Different.
Over 1 million teachers rely on IXL because it is empowering, it helps them make better decisions with reliable data, and it adapts instruction based on student performance. 🔍 Get started today at ixl.com/leaders
Kids love gaming and computers, but are disengaged from Math and Science at school. Play Piper changes that with hands-on STEM kits and a coding curriculum. 🔍 Learn more at playpiper.com © 2026 Twelve Practices LLC | If Education Ain't a Bit Disruptive, Then What Are Your Students Learning?
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| Build Trust First, Curriculum Second with Joe LaTorre | 14 Jan 2026 | 00:54:19 | |
📣 The Ruckus Report Quick take: What if the key to student achievement wasn't curriculum coverage or test prep, but trust? Joe LaTorre's classroom proves that when you lead with relationships, kids show up, lean in, and thrive. 🤝 Meet Your Fellow Ruckus MakerJoe LaTorre is a nationally recognized middle school teacher from Oceanside, NY. Known for building powerful classroom culture and eliminating discipline referrals, Joe helps students read 10–15 books a year, double the average. He's also the co-creator of the Bridges program, uniting students across racially and socioeconomically segregated communities. Joe is an award-winning educator, speaker, and proud Ruckus Maker. 🔨 Breaking Down the Old Rules 🧠 Key Insight #1: The Trust Shortcut
"Start with the stretching. Trust is the classroom version of that. If you build it first, you go farther." – Joe LaTorre 📈 Your Do School Different ChallengeReady to implement these ideas? Start here:
🌟 Get the full episode transcript: Read it here 👩🏻💻 Follow Joe LaTorre:
If education ain't a bit disruptive, then what are your students really learning? This show isn't about doing school better. It's about Doing School Different — and joining a growing movement of bold, creative school leaders who reject legacy models and reimagine what's possible. 🧠 Here are four ways we can help you on your Do School Different journey📌 Subscribe to the Free Newsletter — Get tools, mindset shifts, and strategies that actually work 3x a week: ruckusmakers.news 🗖 Read Ruckus Maker Media — Exclusive content, AI prompts, new books before the bookshelf: ruckusmakers.media 💥 Join The Ruckus Maker Club — Our private network, workshops, AI tools, and more: ruckusmakers.club 🧨 Apply to The Mastermind — Weekly coaching, peer mentorship, and our proven Ruckus Maker Flywheel: betterleadersbetterschools.com/mastermind 🎧 Today's RUCKUScast in Partnership With:
Looking to create the kind of campus experience students never forget? ODP Business Solutions® transforms ordinary spaces into extraordinary learning environments. 🔍 Visit odpbusiness.com/education and let's Do School Different.
Over 1 million teachers rely on IXL because it is empowering, it helps them make better decisions with reliable data, and it adapts instruction based on student performance. 🔍 Get started today at ixl.com/leaders
Kids love gaming and computers, but are disengaged from Math and Science at school. Play Piper changes that with hands-on STEM kits and a coding curriculum. 🔍 Learn more at playpiper.com © 2026 Twelve Practices LLC | If Education Ain't a Bit Disruptive, Then What Are Your Students Learning?
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| From Overcrowded to One-on-One: Reimagining School with Fusion's Micro Model with Lynna Martinez-Khalilian | 07 Jan 2026 | 00:44:01 | |
📣 The Ruckus Report Quick take: When the system broke her heart, she built a new one. From a classroom with no chairs to a network of 1:1 micro schools, Lynna Martinez-Khalilian is rewriting the rules of what school can be. 🤝 Meet Your Fellow Ruckus MakerLynna Martinez-Khalilian is a former classroom teacher who experienced the limits of traditional schooling firsthand. Now a pioneer at Fusion Education Group, Lynna leads a nationwide network of one-to-one micro schools designed to prioritize student belonging, interest-driven learning, and flexible, personalized schedules. She's on a mission to put love at the center of school design — and create places where students thrive, not just survive. 🔨 Breaking Down the Old Rules 🎯 Key Insight #1: The Class Size Myth
"Love, motivate, teach. That's the order — and that's the revolution." – Lynna Martinez Khalilian 🏋️ Your Do School Different ChallengeReady to implement these ideas? Start here:
🎯 Get the full episode transcript here 🔗 Follow Lynna Martinez Khalilian:
If education ain't a bit disruptive, then what are your students really learning? This show isn't about doing school better. It's about Doing School Different — and joining a movement of bold, creative school leaders who reject legacy models and reimagine what's possible. 🧠 Here are four ways we can help you on your Do School Different journey:📬 Subscribe to the Free Newsletter — 3x a week tools, mindset shifts, and strategies that actually work: ruckusmakers.news 🗞 Read Ruckus Maker Media — Exclusive content on Substack. Leadership insights, AI tools, book previews: ruckusmakers.media 💥 Join The Ruckus Maker Club — Private network + workshops, AI Prompt Library, The Automatic School tools: ruckusmakers.club 🧨 Apply to the Mastermind — Weekly coaching, peer mentorship, and our proven Ruckus Maker Flywheel: betterleadersbetterschools.com/mastermind 🎙 Today's RUCKUS cast in Partnership With:
Looking to create the kind of campus experience students never forget? ODP Business Solutions® transforms ordinary spaces into extraordinary learning environments. 🔍 Visit odpbusiness.com/education and let's Do School Different.
Over 1 million teachers rely on IXL because it is empowering, it helps them make better decisions with reliable data, and it adapts instruction based on student performance. 🔍 Get started today at ixl.com/leaders
Kids love gaming and computers, but are disengaged from Math and Science at school. Play Piper changes that with hands-on STEM kits and a coding curriculum. 🔍 Learn more at playpiper.com © 2026 Twelve Practices LLC | If Education Ain't a Bit Disruptive, Then What Are Your Students Learning?
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| How ABCDE Days Made 6th Graders Love Science Again with Jessica Levine & Mitch Weathers | 31 Dec 2025 | 00:57:11 | |
📣 The Ruckus Report Quick take: Jessica Levine restructured Wednesdays to unlock autonomy, connection, and deep learning in her sixth-grade science class. Joined by Mitch Weathers, this episode explores student voice, the power of routine, and why helping kids feel known is just as critical as teaching content. 🎓 Meet Your Fellow Ruckus MakersJessica Levine is a sixth-grade science teacher who created "ABCDE Days" — a protocol born from pandemic chaos that now transforms how her students learn, reflect, and grow. Mitch Weathers is an educator, author, and systems guru who helps schools build executive function and organization into the DNA of instruction. He co-founded Organized Binder and co-authored a new book on self-regulation in early grades. 🔨 Breaking Down the Old Rules 🧠 Key Insight #1: School should center the whole child, not just content.
"I'm not teaching content anymore. I'm teaching kids how to learn — and how their brains work." – Jessica Levine 🏋️ Your Do School Different ChallengeReady to implement these ideas? Start here:
🎯 Get the full episode transcript here 🔗 Join us on the Adorable Red Hats show. 📧 Email hello@adorableredhats.com with your pitch. 👩🏻💻 Learn more at adorableredhats.com. 📌 Ruckus Makers Don't Just Listen — They ActIf education ain't a bit disruptive, then what are your students really learning? This show isn't about doing school better. It's about Doing School Different — and joining a growing movement of bold, creative school leaders who reject legacy models and reimagine what's possible. 🧠 Here are four ways we can help you on your Do School Different journey📬 Subscribe to the Free Newsletter — An opportunity to Do School Different 3x a week. Tools, mindset shifts, and strategies that actually work: https://ruckusmakers.news 🗖 Read Ruckus Maker Media — Exclusive content on Substack. Premium leadership insights, AI prompts and custom gpts, new books before the bookshelf: https://ruckusmakers.media 💥 Join The Ruckus Maker Club — Our private network + workshops, The Automatic School tools, AI Prompt Library, and more: https://ruckusmakers.club 🤨 Apply to the Mastermind — Weekly coaching, peer mentorship, and our proven leadership system (The Ruckus Maker Flywheel) to help you transform your campus: https://betterleadersbetterschools.com/mastermind 🔍 Today's RUCKUScast in Partnership with:
© 2025 Twelve Practices LLC | If Education Ain't a Bit Disruptive, Then What Are Your Students Learning?
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| Tier 1 or Bust: How Great Schools Stay Out of the Referral Spiral | 24 Dec 2025 | 00:54:02 | |
🎯 The Ruckus Report Quick take: Most schools are drowning in Tier 2 and Tier 3 referrals. Mitch Weathers shows why fixing Tier 1 first is the only way out — and how to actually make it work. 🤝 Meet Your Fellow Ruckus MakerMitch Weathers is a veteran educator, author, and co-founder of Organized Binder. He's helped thousands of schools rethink their Tier 1 systems and center equity, consistency, and executive function in the classroom. Mitch has keynoted across the U.S. and even rocked turquoise jewelry markets in New Mexico (true story). 🔨 Breaking Down the Old RulesIn this episode, Mitch challenges traditional education paradigms: 🧠 Key Insight #1: Tier 1 is the Foundation
"You can't Tier 2 your way out of a Tier 1 problem." — Mitch Weathers 📈 Your Do School Different ChallengeReady to implement these ideas? Start here:
🌟 Get the full episode transcript here 🔗 Join us on the Adorable Red Hats show. 📧 Email hello@adorableredhats.com with your pitch. 👩🏻💻 Learn more at adorableredhats.com. 📌 Ruckus Makers Don't Just Listen — They ActIf education ain't a bit disruptive, then what are your students really learning? This show isn't about doing school better. It's about Doing School Different — and joining a growing movement of bold, creative school leaders who reject legacy models and reimagine what's possible. 🧠 Here are four ways we can help you on your Do School Different journey:📬 Subscribe to the Free Newsletter — An opportunity to Do School Different 3x a week. Tools, mindset shifts, and strategies that actually work: https://ruckusmakers.news 🗖 Read Ruckus Maker Media — Exclusive content on Substack. Premium leadership insights, AI prompts and custom gpts, new books before the bookshelf: https://ruckusmakers.media 💥 Join The Ruckus Maker Club — Our private network + workshops, The Automatic School tools, AI Prompt Library, and more: https://ruckusmakers.club 🤨 Apply to the Mastermind — Weekly coaching, peer mentorship, and our proven leadership system (The Ruckus Maker Flywheel) to help you transform your campus: https://betterleadersbetterschools.com/mastermind 🔍 Today's RUCKUScast in Partnership with:
© 2025 Twelve Practices LLC | If Education Ain't a Bit Disruptive, Then What Are Your Students Learning?
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| Every Voice Matters: Reimagining Leadership with Dr. Brandi Kelly | 17 Dec 2025 | 00:39:34 | |
🎯 The Ruckus Report Quick take: Dr. Brandi Kelly offers a refreshing reminder that hope isn't fluffy — it's foundational. In this episode, she unpacks how school leaders can reconnect with what matters most: the heartbeat of their schools. 🎓 Meet Your Fellow Ruckus MakerDr. Brandi Kelly is a seasoned educator with 20+ years of experience as a school social worker, principal, and superintendent. She's a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Maxwell Certified Coach who founded Spark HOPE Edu to help leaders cultivate schools where every person feels seen, heard, and valued. 🔨 Breaking Down the Old RulesIn this episode, Dr. Brandi Kelly challenges traditional education paradigms: 🧠 Key Insight #1: Leadership by Compliance
"You matter. Your story matters. And there is greatness inside of you. So go shine your light in this world bright." – Dr. Brandi Kelly 🏋️ Your Do School Different ChallengeReady to implement these ideas? Start here:
🌟 Get the full episode transcript here 🔗 Follow Dr. Brandi Kelly:
If education ain't a bit disruptive, then what are your students really learning? This show isn't about doing school better. It's about Doing School Different — and joining a growing movement of bold, creative school leaders who reject legacy models and reimagine what's possible. 🧠 Here are four ways we can help you on your Do School Different journey:📬 Subscribe to the Free Newsletter — An opportunity to Do School Different 3x a week. Tools, mindset shifts, and strategies that actually work: https://ruckusmakers.news 🗖 Read Ruckus Maker Media — Exclusive content on Substack. Premium leadership insights, AI prompts and custom gpts, new books before the bookshelf: https://ruckusmakers.media 💥 Join The Ruckus Maker Club — Our private network + workshops, The Automatic School tools, AI Prompt Library, and more: https://ruckusmakers.club 🤨 Apply to the Mastermind — Weekly coaching, peer mentorship, and our proven leadership system (The Ruckus Maker Flywheel) to help you transform your campus: https://betterleadersbetterschools.com/mastermind 🤝 Today's RUCKUScast in Partnership with:
© 2025 Twelve Practices LLC | If Education Ain't a Bit Disruptive, Then What Are Your Students Learning?
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| Discipline Isn't About Fixing Kids — It's About Fixing Us with Charle Peck & Joshua Stamper | 10 Dec 2025 | 00:53:02 | |
🎯 The Ruckus Report Quick take: Traditional discipline assumes kids will reflect, reset, and return on their own. Charle Peck and Joshua Stamper expose the myth of self-regulation and offer a proven, trauma-informed framework that transforms behavior systems from reactive to relational. 🤝 Meet Your Fellow Ruckus MakersCharle Peck is a global keynote speaker and co-author of The Language of Behavior and Improving School Mental Health. Her experience as a high school teacher turned clinical therapist brings real-world insight and urgency to her work supporting educators. Joshua Stamper is an author, speaker, and former middle school administrator with a passion for trauma-informed education and leadership. He created Aspire to Lead to equip educators with practical, empathetic strategies that drive real change. As co-author of The Language of Behavior, Joshua helps schools implement transformative, relationship-centered approaches to discipline and student support. 🔨 Breaking Down the Old RulesIn this episode, Charle Peck and Joshua Stamper challenge traditional education paradigms: 🧠 Key Insight #1: Discipline Isn't Magic
"Too often we forget that discipline really means to teach, not to punish." – Charle Peck "Connection before correction is the key." – Joshua Stamper 📈 Your Do School Different ChallengeReady to implement these ideas? Start here:
🌟 Get the full episode transcript here 👩🏻💻 Follow Charle Peck:
👩🏻💻 Follow Joshua Stamper:
If education ain't a bit disruptive, then what are your students really learning? This show isn't about doing school better. It's about Doing School Different — and joining a growing movement of bold, creative school leaders who reject legacy models and reimagine what's possible. 🧠 Here are four ways we can help you on your Do School Different journey📬 Subscribe to the Free Newsletter — Do School Different 3x a week. Tools, mindset shifts, and strategies that actually work: ruckusmakers.news 🗳 Read Ruckus Maker Media — Premium leadership insights, AI prompts and custom GPTs, new books before the bookshelf. ruckusmakers.media 💥 Join The Ruckus Maker Club — Our private network + workshops, The Automatic School tools, AI Prompt Library, and more: ruckusmakers.club 🫸 Apply to the Mastermind — Weekly coaching, peer mentorship, and our proven leadership system (The Ruckus Maker Flywheel) to help you transform your campus: Apply Now 🔍 Today's RUCKUScast in Partnership with:ODP Business Solutions®: Looking to create the kind of campus experience students never forget? ODP Business Solutions® transforms ordinary spaces into extraordinary learning environments. 🔍 Visit odpbusiness.com/education and let's Do School Different. IXL: Over 1 million teachers rely on IXL because it is empowering, it helps them make better decisions with reliable data, and it adapts instruction based on student performance. 🔍 Learn more: ixl.com/leaders. Play Piper: Too many students love tech but don't see themselves as scientists or engineers. Play Piper's hands-on STEM kits and engaging curriculum changes that. 🔍 Learn more: playpiper.com © 2025 Twelve Practices LLC | If Education Ain't a Bit Disruptive, Then What Are Your Students Learning?
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| Connection Is the New Curriculum: Building Schools Worth Showing Up For — with Dr. Anne Paonessa | 03 Dec 2025 | 00:52:14 | |
🎯 The Ruckus Report Quick take: What if connection — not curriculum — was the real driver of academic success? In this episode, Dr. Anne Paonessa reframes student disengagement as feedback, not failure, and reveals how connection fuels attendance, learning, and belonging on every campus. 🎓 Meet Your Fellow Ruckus MakerDr. Anne Paonessa is a former assistant superintendent, national speaker, and author of Essential Connection Skills. She helps school leaders build connected classrooms that combat disconnection, burnout, and disengagement by focusing on four essential domains of connection. 🔨 Breaking Down the Old RulesIn this episode, Dr. Anne Paonessa challenges traditional education paradigms: 🧠 Key Insight #1 – Connection Over Compliance
"Connection isn't something extra. It really is at the core of learning." — Dr. Anne Paonessa 📈 Your Do School Different ChallengeReady to implement these ideas? Start here: Tomorrow: Build a reflective pause into one lesson — ask students what they're proud of learning. This Month: Partner with your team to identify one of Paonessa's four connection domains to strengthen on campus. This Semester: Host a "Connection Audit" with students and staff — gather stories, data, and wins to build momentum. 🔗 Connect & Continue🎯 Get the full episode transcript here 🔗 Follow Dr. Anne Paonessa:
If education ain't a bit disruptive, then what are your students really learning? This show isn't about doing school better. It's about Doing School Different — and joining a growing movement of bold, creative school leaders who reject legacy models and reimagine what's possible. 🧠 Here are four ways we can help you on your Do School Different journey:📬 Subscribe to the Free Newsletter — 3x a week, tools and mindset shifts that actually work: ruckusmakers.news 🗞 Read Ruckus Maker Media — Exclusive content, AI prompts, and new books before the bookshelf: ruckusmakers.media 💥 Join The Ruckus Maker Club — Our private network + workshops, The Automatic School tools, AI Prompt Library, and more: ruckusmakers.club 🧨 Apply to the Mastermind — Weekly coaching, peer mentorship, and our proven leadership system (The Ruckus Maker Flywheel): betterleadersbetterschools.com/mastermind 🎙 Today's RUCKUS cast in Partnership With:ODP Business Solutions® Looking to create the kind of campus experience students never forget? ODP Business Solutions® transforms ordinary spaces into extraordinary learning environments. 🔍 Visit odpbusiness.com/education and let's Do School Different. IXL Over 1 million teachers rely on IXL because it empowers them to make better decisions with reliable data and adapts instruction based on performance. 🔍 Get started today at ixl.com/leaders. PLAY PIPER Kids love gaming but disengage from Math and Science at school. Play Piper changes that with hands-on STEM kits and coding curriculum that spark curiosity and confidence. 🔍 Visit Play Piper © 2025 Twelve Practices LLC | If Education Ain't a Bit Disruptive, Then What Are Your Students Learning?
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| Reject the Premise Part 4 with Jethro Jones | 26 Nov 2025 | 00:48:26 | |
🎯 The Ruckus Report Quick take: If you think skipping lunch and glorifying stress proves your worth as a school leader, this episode will hit different. Danny and Jethro rip the mask off martyrdom in education and offer a new, healthier way to lead. 🤝 Meet Your Fellow Ruckus MakerJethro Jones is a former principal and host of the Transformative Principal podcast. He's coached school leaders around the world and is passionate about rejecting outdated norms, rethinking leadership, and helping principals stop chasing busy and start leading with clarity. 🔨 Breaking Down the Old RulesIn this episode, Jethro Jones challenges traditional education paradigms: 💡 Key Insight #1: The Myth of Busyness = Importance
"Busyness is the choice of a hopeless mind." — Jethro Jones 📈 Your Do School Different ChallengeReady to implement these ideas? Start here:
🎯 Get the full episode transcript here 💪 Join the Ruckus Maker Movement: ruckusmakers.club/join 📌 Ruckus Makers Don't Just Listen — They ActIf education ain't a bit disruptive, then what are your students really learning? This show isn't about doing school better. It's about Doing School Different — and joining a growing movement of bold, creative school leaders who reject legacy models and reimagine what's possible. 🧠 Here are four ways we can help you on your Do School Different journey:📬 Subscribe to the Free Newsletter — Tools, mindset shifts, and strategies that actually work: https://ruckusmakers.news 📜 Read Ruckus Maker Media — Premium insights, AI prompts, and early book drops: https://ruckusmakers.media 💥 Join The Ruckus Maker Club — Private network, AI tools, and workshops: https://ruckusmakers.club 🧨 Apply to the Mastermind — Our proven leadership system to transform your campus: https://betterleadersbetterschools.com/mastermind 🤝 Today's RUCKUScast in Partnership with:ODP Business Solutions® — Transform ordinary spaces into unforgettable learning environments. 🔍 Learn more: https://odpbusiness.com/education IXL — Adaptive instruction + data insights trusted by over 1 million teachers. 🔍 Learn more: https://ixl.com/leaders Play Piper — Hands-on STEM kits that turn gamers into future engineers. 🔍 Learn more: https://playpiper.com Twelve Practices LLC © 2025 | If Education Ain't a Bit Disruptive, Then What Are Your Students Learning?
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| Raise Thinkers, Embrace Humanity, Teach for Tomorrow with Anna Rita Pergolizzi-Wentworth | 19 Nov 2025 | 00:45:59 | |
🎯 The Ruckus Report Quick take: Most schools are stuck in the past. But Anna Rita Pergolizzi-Wentworth is building a future-fluent model that fuses AI, global citizenship, and joy — and it's working. 🎓 Meet Your Fellow Ruckus MakerAnna Rita Pergolizzi-Wentworth is Head of School at Pine Street School, a private International Baccalaureate school in Manhattan. A trilingual leader with global roots in Montessori and IB education, she's also the former Head of School at Battery Park Montessori and founding leader of Del Mar Academy in Costa Rica. 🔨 Breaking Down the Old RulesIn this episode, Anna Rita challenges traditional education paradigms: 🧠 Key Insight #1: Balance Isn't Optional — It's the Blueprint
"Raise thinkers, embrace humanity, and teach for tomorrow." — Anna Rita Pergolizzi-Wentworth 🧩 Your Do School Different ChallengeReady to implement these ideas? start here:
🎯 Get the full episode transcript here 🔗 Follow Anna Rita Pergolizzi-Wentworth:
If education ain't a bit disruptive, then what are your students really learning? This show isn't about doing school better. It's about Doing School Different — and joining a growing movement of bold, creative school leaders who reject legacy models and reimagine what's possible. 💡 Here are four ways we can help you on your Do School Different journey📬 Subscribe to the Free Newsletter — 3x a week insights and tools that actually work: ruckusmakers.news 🗞 Read Ruckus Maker Media — Premium leadership content, AI prompts, and early book drops: ruckusmakers.media 💥 Join The Ruckus Maker Club — Private network, workshops, tools, and more: ruckusmakers.club 🧨 Apply to the Mastermind — Coaching, peer mentorship, and our proven leadership system: Apply Now 🔍 Today's RUCKUScast in Partnership With:ODP Business Solutions® Looking to create the kind of campus experience students never forget? ODP Business Solutions® transforms ordinary spaces into extraordinary learning environments. 🔍 Visit odpbusiness.com/education and let's Do School Different. IXL Over 1 million teachers rely on IXL because it is empowering, it helps them make better decisions with reliable data, and it adapts instruction based on student performance. 🔍 Get started today at ixl.com/leaders PLAY PIPER Kids love gaming and computers, but are disengaged from Math and Science at school. Play Piper changes that with hands-on STEM kits and a coding curriculum. 🔍 Learn more at playpiper.com Twelve Practices LLC © 2025 | If Education Ain't a Bit Disruptive, Then What Are Your Students Learning?
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| Reclaiming Black Educational Power with Dr. Karida L. Brown | 12 Nov 2025 | 00:41:13 | |
🖊 The Ruckus Report Quick take: What if the most powerful classrooms in American history operated under segregation? Dr. Karida L. Brown reframes our understanding of Black education during Jim Crow and offers a compelling vision for nurturing students through ecosystems of care. 🤝 Meet Your Fellow Ruckus MakerDr. Karida L. Brown is an NAACP Image Award-winning author, professor at Emory University, and public intellectual. Known for her groundbreaking research on systemic racism and Black life, she's the author of six books, including The Battle for the Black Mind. 🔨 Breaking Down the Old Rules 🧠 Key Insight #1: Schools aren't neutral. And pretending they are is dangerous.
"Walk these halls like somebody fought like hell for you to be here." — Dr. Karida Brown 📈 Your Do School Different ChallengeReady to implement these ideas? Start here:
🎯 Get the full episode transcript here. 🔗 Follow Dr. Karida Brown:
If education ain't a bit disruptive, then what are your students really learning? This show isn't about doing school better. It's about Do School Different — and joining a growing movement of bold, creative school leaders who reject legacy models and reimagine what's possible. 🖊 Here are four ways we can help you on your Do School Different journey
🔍 Visit odpbusiness.com/education and let's Do School Different.
🔍 Get started today at ixl.com/leaders
🔍 Learn more at PlayPiper.com.
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| Stop Asking "What Do I Do?" and Start Asking "Who Am I?" — with Dr. Chad Dumas | 05 Nov 2025 | 00:37:37 | |
📣 The Ruckus Report Quick take: Most leaders ask the wrong question. They obsess over what to do next instead of who they're becoming. In this episode, Dr. Chad Dumas unpacks how self-awareness, non-verbal cues, and intentional presence shape your entire school culture before a single decision is made. 🎓 Meet Your Fellow Ruckus MakerDr. Chad Dumas is an international consultant, author, and award-winning researcher who helps educators build capacity for self, team, and system improvement. A former teacher, principal, and central office administrator, he's the author of Let's Put the C in PLC, An Action Guide to Put the C in PLC, and The Teacher Team Leader Handbook. 🔨 Breaking Down the Old RulesIn this episode, Danny Bauer and Dr. Chad Dumas dive deep into the inner work required to lead effectively. They challenge the surface-level "what do I do?" mentality and replace it with a leadership identity rooted in humility, empathy, and self-awareness. 🧠 Key Insight #1: Start with Who, Not What
"It's not about the do. It's about the who. Who you are as a person and as a leader — that's where everything starts." — Dr. Chad Dumas 📈 Your Do School Different ChallengeReady to implement these ideas? Start here: Tomorrow: Before your next meeting, take one deep breath and pause before you speak. Notice how it changes the tone. This Month: Identify one assumption you hold about your staff that might not serve you. Replace it with the belief that they're doing their best. This Semester: Build time for reflection into your team meetings. Make space for silence, processing, and joy. 🔗 Connect & Continue🎯 Get the full episode transcript here 🔗 Follow Dr. Chad Dumas: Website, YouTube, Twitter/X, Facebook, LinkedIn 📌 Ruckus Makers Don't Just Listen — They ActIf education ain't a bit disruptive, then what are your students really learning? This show isn't about doing school better. It's about Doing School Different — and joining a growing movement of bold, creative school leaders who reject legacy models and reimagine what's possible. 🎯 Here are four ways we can help you on your Do School Different journey:📬 Subscribe to the Free Newsletter — Tools, mindset shifts, and strategies that actually work: ruckusmakers.news 🗞 Read Ruckus Maker Media — Premium leadership insights, AI prompts, and new books before the bookshelf: ruckusmakers.media 💥 Join The Ruckus Maker Club — Private network + workshops, The Automatic School tools, AI Prompt Library, and more: ruckusmakers.club 🧨 Apply to the Mastermind — Weekly coaching, peer mentorship, and our proven Ruckus Maker Flywheel to transform your campus: betterleadersbetterschools.com/mastermind 🔍 Today's RUCKUScast in Partnership with:ODP Business Solutions® — Transform ordinary spaces into extraordinary learning environments. 🔍 Learn more: odpbusiness.com/education IXL — Empower teachers with adaptive instruction and data that drive results. 🔍 Learn more: ixl.com/leaders Play Piper — Hands-on STEM kits that turn curiosity into engineering confidence. 🔍 Learn more: playpiper.com Twelve Practices LLC © 2025 | If Education Ain't a Bit Disruptive, Then What Are Your Students Learning?
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| Ted Dintersmith on Redefining Math and Purpose in School | 29 Oct 2025 | 00:57:20 | |
🧨 The Ruckus Report Quick take: What if everything you believed about math education was wrong? In this episode, Ted Dintersmith, bestselling author of Aftermath and What School Could Be, pulls back the curtain on how math has been weaponized — and how school leaders can transform learning by teaching the math that actually matters. 🎓 Meet Your Fellow Ruckus MakerTed Dintersmith is a bestselling author, education advocate, and former venture capitalist who believes traditional math education has failed our students. In Aftermath, he unveils the life-changing, real-world math skills students deserve to learn. 🔨 Breaking Down the Old Rules 🎯 Key Insight #1: Real Math Skills Are Ignored in School
"The math that really matters in life does not have one right answer." – Ted Dintersmith 🚀 Your Do School Different ChallengeReady to implement these ideas? Start here:
🎯 Get the full episode transcript here 🔗 Follow Ted: teddintersmith.com 📌 Ruckus Makers Don't Just Listen — They ActIf education ain't a bit disruptive, then what are your students really learning? This show isn't about doing school better. It's about Do School Different — and joining a growing movement of bold, creative school leaders who reject legacy models and reimagine what's possible. 🧠 4 Ways to Do School Different
The podcast is your starting point. The movement is just getting started. 🎙 Today's RUCKUS cast in Partnership With: ODP Business Solutions®
🔍 Learn more: odpbusiness.com/education IXL
🔍 Get started: ixl.com/leaders PLAY PIPER
🔍 Learn more: playpiper.com Twelve Practices LLC © 2025 | If Education Ain't a Bit Disruptive, Then What Are Your Students Learning?
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