The School Leadership Show

In this episode of The School Leadership Show, I interview acclaimed author and reading expert Timothy Shanahan. We delve into Timothy's new book, 'Leveled Reading, Leveled Lives' discussing the troubling stagnation in U.S. reading levels and how traditional approaches to reading instruction have failed over the decades. Timothy critiques the widespread but ineffective method of using leveled readers and advocates for teaching grade-level texts with appropriate support. The conversation covers historical and contemporary research, the evolution of instructional strategies, and practical advice for school administrators to help improve reading achievement across all grades. Learn more and visit Tim's website https://www.shanahanonliteracy.com/. 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 Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 01:20 Discussing the New Book: Leveled Reading Leveled Lives 04:28 Historical Context of Reading Instruction 10:22 Challenges with Current Reading Instruction Methods 21:43 Proposed Solutions and Future Directions 25:25 Addressing Reading Challenges in Young Learners 26:32 The Importance of Fluency and Comprehension 30:33 Background Knowledge and Its Role in Reading 35:55 Effective Reading Instruction Strategies 39:52 Reflecting on Changes in Reading Education

In this episode, I, Mike Doughty facilitates a conversation with cabinet level leaders sponsored by the New York State Council of School Superintendents (NYSCOSS). The group talked about strategies for finding the joy in work, cultivating positive culture in the workplace, and striving for work-life balance. If you're a cabinet level leader in New York State and would like to join future conversation like this, please visit the NYSCOSS website at https://www.nyscoss.org/ Grab your coffee and join us as we hear from veteran and emerging leaders about sustaining the passion for this work and modeling healthy boundaries for the next generation of educators. 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

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 does one navigate the journey from English teacher to Superintendent? In this episode, I sit down with the recently retired Marie Wiles in a unique in-person interview. We dive deep into her 36-year-long career, from early teaching days and curriculum development to her tenure in various leadership roles, including her time as a BOCES district superintendent. Marie shares her insights on the importance of instructional experience, the challenges of transitioning roles, the value of networks, and her unexpected journey into authoring a book, "Lessons from the Bard: What Shakespeare Can Teach Us about School District Leadership". This engaging episode unfolds Marie's remarkable experiences and her perspectives on the future of education amid financial uncertainties. 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 Chapters: 00:00 Introduction and Special Guest Announcement 00:49 Marie Wiles' Early Career in Education 01:46 Transition to Higher Education and Doctoral Studies 05:21 BOCES Experience and Leadership Roles 08:53 Personal Life and Career Moves 17:19 Balancing Lesson Plans and Student Interaction 19:51 The Dunning-Kruger Effect in Leadership 20:31 Challenges and Realities of Leadership Roles 23:23 Gender Disparity in Educational Leadership 25:49 Concerns for the Future of Education 28:48 Hope and Faith in Youth 31:46 Writing a Book: Lessons from Shakespeare 32:03 The Process of Writing and Publishing 37:26 Final Thoughts and Gratitude

In this episode, I had the privilege of speaking with Howie Schneider, the executive director of the Center for News Literacy at Stony Brook University's School of Communication and Journalism. Howie shared his fascinating journey from a 35-year career in journalism, including being the editor of Newsday, to leading the charge in preparing citizens to navigate today's complex information landscape. We delved into why Stony Brook created the first university course in the U.S. focused specifically on news literacy, defining reliable information not just as "truth," but as "actionable information." Howie explained their crucial realization that teaching these skills at the university level was "way, way too late," which led them to partner with K-12 districts to integrate news literacy into required instruction, starting as early as kindergarten. We discussed the major challenges students (and all of us) face, including information overload, the tension between speed and accuracy, blurring lines between sources, and the impact of our own biases. Howie outlined the essential concepts they teach: slowing down, asking critical questions about sources and evidence, practicing lateral reading, and becoming your own factchecker. He stressed that district leadership and commitment are key to making this transformative change and addressing the equity issue of relying on individual teachers. Our conversation touched on what keeps him up at night, including the slow progress in states like New York compared to others, the crisis facing the news industry, and the overwhelming "tsunami" of misinformation and disinformation we all face. Howie shared valuable advice for school leaders on why this work is urgent and how they can get involved and set an example. Are we ready to empower our students (and ourselves) to confidently discern reliable information in a world awash with news and fakes? Tune in to learn how we can help the next generation navigate the information revolution! If you have questions, feedback, or suggestions for future episodes—including great non-education books with lessons for school leaders—email us at Dr.mike.doughty@gmail.com. Please consider leaving a rating and review on Spotify or iTunes to support the show. Every bit helps! And if you found this episode helpful, share it with your colleagues. Interested in sponsoring the podcast? Contact Mike directly at Dr.mike.doughty@gmail.com. To explore insightful summaries of top leadership books, connect with Jenn David-Lang at Jenn@TheMainIdea.net or visit TheMainIdea.net. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 00:58 The Birth of News Literacy 04:30 Challenges in News Literacy Education 13:36 Implementing News Literacy in K-12 Education 23:23 Future of News Literacy and Final Thoughts

In this episode, Jenn David-Lang sits down with renowned educator and turnaround Principal Kafele to discuss his latest—and most personally significant—book: "What Is My Value Instructionally to the Teachers I Supervise?" This conversation zeroes in on the principal's role as an instructional leader. Principal Kafele makes it clear that the core focus of his message—and his latest book—is on how and why principals themselves must strengthen and own their role as instructional leaders. What You'll Learn: • Why the principal must lead instructionally • How self-reflection can transform your leadership practice • The 4 levels of reflection: Self-Reflection, Self-Assessment, Self-Adjustment, Self-Improvement • How your school culture either enables or prevents instructional leadership • Why now—at the end of the school year—is the best time to reflect deeply on your role as instructional leader This episode is a powerful call to action for principals to ask the right questions, assess their impact, and return with greater clarity and purpose next year. Learn more about Principal Kafele and his work: principalkafele.com If you have questions, feedback, or suggestions for future episodes—including great non-education books with lessons for school leaders—email us at Dr.mike.doughty@gmail.com. Please consider leaving a rating and review on Spotify or iTunes to support the show. Every bit helps! And if you found this episode helpful, share it with your colleagues. Interested in sponsoring the podcast? Contact Mike directly at Dr.mike.doughty@gmail.com. To learn more about Jenn's insightful book summaries and work, reach out at Jenn@TheMainIdea.net or visit TheMainIdea.net.

In this episode, I'm incredibly excited to be joined by two amazing people: my fantastic co-host, Jenn David-Lang, who's also stepping in as a guest today, and the one and only Kim Marshall! We're diving into a topic that feels more important than ever right now: supporting new teachers. It's something I'm seeing firsthand as my daughter navigates her first year teaching, and believe me, it's a challenge. That's why we're shining a spotlight on the brand-new, absolutely invaluable section on the bestofmarshallmemo.org website. Jenn and Kim have curated the most powerful, practical insights from thousands of articles specifically to help new educators, and the best part? It's all available for free! We get into the nitty-gritty of what new teachers really need to succeed. We discuss everything from crucial steps like onboarding and thoughtful scheduling to helping new teachers build resilience, tackle tough classroom management situations, and the vital role of teacher teams in combating isolation. My biggest hope is that the resources we discuss will help these dedicated new teachers, who face such immense challenges, not just get through their first years, but truly thrive and make a lasting career in this essential profession. Don't miss this conversation—and seriously, go check out the free resources at bestofmarshallmemo.org! Thank you for tuning in! If you have questions, feedback, or suggestions for future episodes—including great non-education books with lessons for school leaders—email us at Dr.mike.doughty@gmail.com. Please consider leaving a rating and review on Spotify or iTunes to support the show. Every bit helps! And if you found this episode helpful, share it with your colleagues. Interested in sponsoring the podcast? Contact Mike directly at Dr.mike.doughty@gmail.com. To explore insightful summaries of top leadership books, connect with Jenn David-Lang at Jenn@TheMainIdea.net or visit TheMainIdea.net.

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.

Responding to emergencies takes two things: leadership and communication. Are you prepared? Mike and Jenn had a truly productive conversation with school preparedness expert, Chris Joffe. He talked about everything from why leaders need to start with themselves and understand how THEY respond to emergencies. He also shared that one of the essential keys is having an emergency org chart and teams to deal with the wide range of emergencies your school might have. Throughout it all, Chris emphasized that humans and relationships are key. Why? Because "emergencies require people to respond." Unfortunately, his data shows that the vast majority of emergencies are an escalation of an event – an incident in school that leads to fights, weapons, or even worse, a school shooting. To learn more about Chris and the services Joffe Emergencies provides for school: https://www.joffeemergencyservices.com/ Chris has offered to do a free workshop for subscribers to THE MAIN IDEA on the emergency preparedness stuff you won't find in the district handbook – it will be April 7 at 4pm ET / 1pm PT – sign up here (https://forms.gle/TSStmwiAo8jkSmvn7 ) or reach out to me at Jenn@TheMainIdea.net 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.

After 30 years in the field Elena Aguilar gathered all of her experience and learning and put together the most powerful book on coaching we've seen -- Arise: The Art of Transformational Coaching. Elena sees coaching as the way -- one conversation at a time -- that we transform our schools. In this deeply insightful conversation she shares the importance of coaching more than the teacher BEHAVIORS we are all used to coaching. She shared an example of how, when she coached a teacher to change her behavior -- and change her classroom from rows and direct instruction to groups -- once Elena left, she reverted back to the rows. Elena asked, 'Why?" and the teacher was honest in saying she just didn't believe that groups were the best way for students to learn. Elena has come to the conclusion that for coaching to be truly transformative, we need to coach teachers' BELIEFS, BEHAVIORS, and ways of BEING, or the "Three Bs" as she calls it. This approach to coaching is so successful because she acknowledges that teachers are human, and we need to address the emotions that are involved in the job. Listen to this great conversation, and you'll walk away with several ideas you can use immediately. Elena shares how you can transform that staff meeting you're planning by cutting out some of the content and carving out 6 minutes for people to connect before diving in. She also shared a few tools that she uses in her coaching -- the Spheres of Influence and Gaps Framework -- and once you hear her explain them, you can use them in your conversations and coaching with staff as well. Overall, Elena's ideas from her book Arise all aim at helping you to COMMUNICATE better with staff and creating the CONDITIONS so your staff can thrive. Learn more about Elena and her work: https://www.brightmorningteam.com/ 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.

Megan Tshannen-Moran and Jenn had a delightful conversation about the power of trust in schools. It is one of three factors that is so powerful that it oustrips SES in predicting student achievement. Far from being a "soft skill," building trust has become a must-have skill for educational leaders. In this conversation Megan not only defines trust for us, but she also gives us lots of concrete strategies and tidbits to build and keep trust alive in schools. We discussed what happens with betrayals of trust and Megan outlines in detail how leaders can bring their school through a step-by-step Appreciative Inquiry process to help when a school is experiencing a low-trust moment. You can learn more about Megan Tshannen-Moran and her work here: https://schooltransformation.com/ She also kindly offered to answer your emails here: mxtsch@wm.edu 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.

You probably know Charles Duhigg from his book, The Power of Habit. Or maybe Smarter Faster Better. Now he has a newer book out that is another great resource for school leaders — Supercommunnicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection. Charles shares with Jenn how people mess up communication and how to improve it. He says that most miscommunication happens when we are having different conversations, and when we fail to connect. There are basically three conversation types: decision-making, emotional, and social relationships. You don't want to miss this conversation because you'll see how Jenn uses Charles's own techniques to connect with him emotionally in just ONE minute. And later in the podcast, Charles and Jenn role play a teacher and principal and how to diagnose and address a typical conflict. There are so many nuggets of wisdom for educational leaders in this podcast. One small thing you can do tomorrow? Ask deeper questions with staff. Instead of asking WHAT questions, like "What is happening today?" Ask, "How are you feeling about how things went today?" You can find more information at CharlesDuhigg.com or sign up for his Substack. He suggests supporting a local bookstore by picking up this book there. Also, Penguin Random House has a free guide for teachers and students on their website. 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.

Jenn made me do this episode. I really didn't wat to, but I'm glad we did. As we approach the upcoming presidential election, you may remember the fallout from the last two elections. Some school communities experienced heightened divisions, increased bullying, more tension in classrooms, and a general sense of uncertainty. Fortunately, there are some steps school and district leaders can take to proactively anticipate some of these challenges. We need to plan ways to communicate clearly, set expectations, and create a calm and inclusive school environment while also thinking through ways to address challenges that may arise (heightened emotions, legal issues, inappropriate behavior.) All of this while remembering that our purpose in schools is to educate! We need to remember this election brings plenty of opportunity (and responsibility!) to educate our students about civic issues, media literacy, and respectfully engaging in challenging and often contentious conversations. Take a look at this 2-page resource - 5 Ways School Leaders Can Prepare for a Contentious Election and listen to our conversation with the very thoughtful Debbie McFalone Dr. Debbie McFalone has a long and distinguished career in the field of education – after serving as a Teacher, Principal and Supe she now is a consultant and coach who works with both school-based and district-based individuals and teams across the state of Michigan. Her work focuses primarily on the areas of courage and integrity in leadership. Plus she has her 3rd book coming out in early 2025 Meeting The Moment: A Call For Courage. You can learn more about Debbie and her work at her website: https://www.livewellleadstrong.com/. 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.