The School Leadership Show – Details, episodes & analysis

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

Join us as we delve into the challenges of the modern information ecosystem and explore how educators can empower students to become savvy thinkers, rather than merely "endless scrollers".

Host: Ann Laszewski, Leadership Development Manager, NYSSBA

Guest: Dr. Mike Doughty, Assistant Superintendent, Northeastern Regional Information Center, Capital Region BOCES (Previously joined the podcast for Episode 39: What's So Scary About AI? in 2023).

Guest: Katherine Hamill, Director, Mid-Hudson Regional Information Center, Ulster BOCES

Want to learn more about today's topic? Additional resources can be found in the original show notes for this episode. https://soundcloud.com/thepresidentsgavel/empowering-critical-thinking-through-media-literacy

If you have questions, feedback, or suggestions for future episodes, including great non-education books with lessons for school leaders you can email me at Dr.mike.doughty@gmail.com.

I would really appreciate it if you could leave a rating and review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. It helps a lot. And if you found this episode helpful, please share it with your colleagues.

If you are interested in sponsoring the podcast, feel free to contact me directly at Dr.mike.doughty@gmail.com.

Stay connected with me here:

• Official Website: theschoolleadershipshow.org

• YouTube: youtube.com/@theschoolleadershipshow

• Facebook: facebook.com/theschoolleadershipshow

• Instagram: instagram.com/theschoolleadershipshow

How important is it to stay in touch with pop culture as a school leader?

In this episode, I chat with Brooke Hammerling, the host of "Pop Culture Mondays… on Thursdays" podcast and the author of the widely read Pop Culture Mondays Newsletter. We dive into Brooke's unique journey from PR and communications to becoming a vital source of pop culture knowledge, especially for a gen Xer like me.

Brooke shares how staying current with the latest trends can help educators connect better with their students, and the challenges and benefits of balancing communication in today's fast-paced, digital world. We also discuss the resurgence of 90s culture, iconic school movies, and why media literacy is crucial for today's students.

If you have questions, feedback, or suggestions for future episodes, including great non-education books with lessons for school leaders you can email me at Dr.mike.doughty@gmail.com.

I would really appreciate it if you could leave a rating and review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. It helps a lot. And if you found this episode helpful, please share it with your colleagues.

If you are interested in sponsoring the podcast, feel free to contact me directly at Dr.mike.doughty@gmail.com.

Stay connected with me here:

• Official Website: theschoolleadershipshow.org
• YouTube: youtube.com/@theschoolleadershipshow
• Facebook: facebook.com/theschoolleadershipshow
• Instagram: instagram.com/theschoolleadershipshow

 Connect with Brooke Hammerling and explore her insights:

• Podcast: Pop Culture Mondays… on Thursdays
• Newsletter: popculturemondays.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/brooke

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

00:23 Brooke's Background and Podcast

02:22 The Pop Culture Mondays Newsletter

05:25 Impact of Pop Culture on Schools

07:54 Communication Challenges in Modern Education

28:51 The Impact of Misinformation in Schools

29:55 Pop Culture's Reflection on Education

34:18 Favorite School-Centric Movies

41:30 The '90s Revival

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

Unfortunately, while we are losing a number of our new and newer teachers, we are also not doing as good of a job of supporting our new teachers as well. About 50% of all new teachers receive no induction at all.

Tara shared some of the problems our new teachers face. Sometimes they don't receive anything more than a welcome and then the rest of their new teacher support is left up to chance.

They also struggle with a whole new generation of classroom management issues that may have looked different in the past. Plus, newer teachers are increasingly coming through alternative certification routes so they may not have had enough training. 

Tara really emphasized the importance of DIFFERENTIATING the support we provide to new teachers and being extremely CLEAR.

We discussed THREE KEY COMPONENTS of an effective new teacher support system that the Wongs outlined in their book:

1. COLLABORATION

New teachers need to connect with a wide range of the people they plan to work with and need to feel they are part of something bigger than themselves. This connects to purpose and our Gen-Z teachers are particularly feeling the need to connect to their purpose.

2. PD TAILORED TO THE NEEDS OF NEW TEACHERS

We need to provide new teachers with PD on the basics -- classroom management, lesson design -- and not just jump into training them on the latest fad. As leaders we also need to continually model for new teachers. Be the model of what you want them to be.

3. A COMPREHENSIVE, MULTI-YEAR APPROACH

We need to do much more with our new teachers than have them come a day or two before the rest of the staff. Tara developed a model program S.H.I.N.E. (Supporting, Helping, and Inspiring New Educators) that lasts two full years. She shares some successful elements of her program but encourages you to ask your experienced teachers what was helpful in supporting them and look around at your own resources to see how you can use them to support new teachers. 

Where to start? Tara recommends just choosing ONE system of support. Choose something you are already doing well and plus-one it, that is, add to what you're already doing well.

RESOURCES

• THE New Teacher Induction Book: How to Recruit, Train, and Retain New Teachers by Harry and Rosemary Wong (and Jenn's summary for The Main Idea is out in April)

• Tara Link's latest book, Teacher Induction that Works: A Lasting Impact from Day One.

As always, send your comments, questions, and show ideas to mike@schoolleadershipshow.com. Consider rating the podcast in iTunes and leaving a comment.  And please pass the show along to your colleagues. Additionally, if you have other non-education books with implications for school leaders, send those suggestions our way, too. And finally, If you or someone you know would like to sponsor the show, send Mike an email at mike@schoolleadershipshow.com.

A conversation with Jenn David-Lang about The Art of Coaching Teams: Building Resilient Communities That Transform Schools, a book by Elena Aguilar.  

During this conversation, Jenn and I talk about her summary of the book The Art of Coaching Teams: Building Resilient Communities That Transform Schools, a book by Elena Aguilar.  This book is packed with practical strategies for helping all of the teams you work with improve their effectiveness.  It's a great conversation, and as always, I'm smarter for having talked with Jenn.  

You can reach Jenn at her website for The Main Idea (www.themainidea.net).  I'm a happy subscriber of The Main Idea and a big fan of Jenn's work.  She's offered to send listeners of this episode a free summary of The Art of Coaching Teams if you send her an email at J.David-Lang@TheMainIdea.net.  It's definitely worth the time.  Enjoy this interview with Jenn David-Lang.

Send your comments, questions, and show ideas to mike@schoolleadershipshow.com.  Consider rating the podcast in itunes and leaving a comment.  And please pass the show along to your colleagues.  If you or someone you know would like to sponsor the show, send me an email at mike@schoolleadershipshow.com.

During this conversation, Jenn and I talk about her summary of the book The Mindful School Leader: Practices to Transform Your Leadership and School, a book by Valerie Brown and Kirsten Olson.  We both make a case for the need for school administrators to develop their own mindfulness practices.  Science, stories, and strategies.  It's all here.  And if you don't think you have time for mindfulness practices, then you need them more than anyone.  

You can reach Jenn at her website for The Main Idea (www.themainidea.net).  I'm a happy subscriber of The Main Idea and a big fan of Jenn's work.  She's offered to send listeners of this episode a free summary of The Mindful School Leader if you send her an email at J.David-Lang@TheMainIdea.net.  It's definitely worth the time.  Enjoy this interview with Jenn David-Lang.

Send your comments, questions, and show ideas to mike@schoolleadershipshow.com.  Consider rating the podcast in itunes and leaving a comment.  And please pass the show along to your colleagues.  If you would like to support the show, visit www.patreon.com/leadership.

In this episode veteran superintendent Dan White and I have a wide-ranging conversation about context-based leadership.  Much of what we talk about is drawn from our many years of working with school leaders on the state, regional, and national levels.  This is the first in a series of episodes with Dan related to the nuts and bolts of leadership in general and school leadership specifically based on our popular workshop Liquid Gold for Leaders: 30 Rules No One Has the Guts to Tell You.  Enjoy this conversation with Dan White.

Send your comments, questions, and show ideas to mike@schoolleadershipshow.com.  Consider rating the podcast in itunes and leaving a comment.  And please pass the show along to your colleagues.  If you would like to support the show, visit www.patreon.com/leadership.

Jenn David-Lang makes her fifth appearance on the show.  She still holds the record.  And there's a reason I keep talking to Jenn - I always learn so much.  Jenn produces The Main Idea (http://www.themainidea.net/), a monthly summary of a current education book.  Jenn has over 30,000 subscribers and has an incredible perspective on all things education.  We talk about David Allen's updated edition of his classic Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity.  We get into Allen's organizational system to help "people with too much to do and too little time," Jenn's words.

You can reach Jenn at her website for The Main Idea (www.themainidea.net).  I'm a happy subscriber of The Main Idea and a big fan of Jenn's work.  She's offered to send listeners of this episode a free summaries of Getting Things Done if you send her an email at J.David-Lang@TheMainIdea.net.  It's definitely worth the time.  Enjoy this interview with Jenn David-Lang.

Send your comments, questions, and show ideas to mike@schoolleadershipshow.com.  Consider rating the podcast in itunes and leaving a comment.  And please pass the show along to your colleagues.  If you would like to support the show, visit www.patreon.com/leadership.

Jenn David-Lang makes her fourth appearance on the show.  She now holds the record.  And there's a reason I keep talking to Jenn - I always learn so much.  Jenn produces The Main Idea (http://www.themainidea.net/), a monthly summary of a current education book.  Jenn has over 30,000 subscribers and has an incredible perspective on all things education.  We talk about Paul Bambrick-Santoyo's new book Get Better Faster: A 90-Day Plan for Coaching New Teachers.  We get into Paul's model for coaching and how he recommends setting up an entire system.  The part about real-time, in-the-moment feedback is really cool.

You can reach Jenn at her website for The Main Idea (www.themainidea.net).  I'm a happy subscriber of The Main Idea and a big fan of Jenn's work.  She's offered to send listeners of the show some free book summaries if you send her an email at J.David-Lang@TheMainIdea.net.  It's definitely worth the time.  Enjoy this interview with Jenn David-Lang.

Send your comments, questions, and show ideas to mike@schoolleadershipshow.com.  Consider rating the podcast in itunes and leaving a comment.  And please pass the show along to your colleagues.  If you would like to support the show, visit www.patreon.com/leadership.

My favorite Professional Office Organizer, Kacy Paide, and I go a second round on getting and staying organized.  Kacy shares many strategies and tips to help us all get our acts together.  From the perils of too many systems to the power of structures, we get into lots of areas of organization and productivity.  Kacy and I talked about the following resources during the interview:

• Evernote software to organize and retrieve your stuff electronically: www.evernote.com
• Podcast Recommendations:
  • Debbie Millman's Design Matters
  • Asian Efficiency
  • Mike Vardy's The Productivityist
  • The Leverage Podcast  by Ari Meisel

You can learn more about Kacy and her work at www.theinspiredoffice.com.  I can't say enough about her work and how much she has helped me become more organized, efficient, and effective at work and at home.  Enjoy this follow up interview with Kacy Paide.

Send your comments, questions, and show ideas to mike@schoolleadershipshow.com.  Consider rating the podcast in itunes and leaving a comment.  And please pass the show along to your colleagues.  If you would like to support the show, visit www.patreon.com/leadership.

Parenting and educating teenagers can be challenging. Teenage girls can take that challenge to a whole new level.  In this episode Jenn David-Lang and her Husband Tim David-Lang and I discuss Lisa Damour's 2016 book Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls Through the Seven Transitions into Adulthood.  Not many books have had the impact on my thinking, my work, and my parenting that this one has had.  Jenn, Tim, and I have a lively conversation about what we learned from the book and our own experiences putting the information into practice at work and at home.  You'll remember Jenn from two previous podcast appearances.  She produces The Main Idea (http://www.themainidea.net/), a monthly summary of a current education book and has a ton of experience in education.  Tim David-Lang is a guidance counselor for the New York City Department of Education and has worked with teenagers for many years.  And like me, Jenn and Tim are the parents of teenage girls.  Enjoy this conversation about a great book.  Jenn has graciously agreed to share discussion questions and a summary of helpful language from the book.  You can email her directly at j.davidlang@gmail.com, and she'll send them to you.  

Support The School Leadership Show by becoming a patron: https://www.patreon.com/leadership. Help mae the show even better!

As always, send your comments, questions, and show ideas to mike@schoolleadershipshow.com.  Consider rating the podcast in iTunes and leaving a comment.  And please pass the show along to your colleagues.

If you'd like help improving your productivity and leadership skills, please contact me at mike@schoolleadershipshow.com or on Twitter @doughtymike.