The Better Leaders Better Schools Podcast with Daniel Bauer

📣 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 Maker
Dr. 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 Rules
In this episode, Dr. Corbin challenges traditional education paradigms:
🎯 Key Insight #1: Student Agency
What's broken: Teacher-centered control that strips students of voice and choice.
The shift: Design learning environments that start with student agency.
Impact: Students become self-directed, engaged, and deeply invested in their learning journey.
🎯 Key Insight #2: Cultural Relevancy
What's broken: Curriculum that doesn't reflect students' identities or lived experiences.
The shift: Make learning culturally relevant so students see themselves in the material.
Impact: Increased connection, confidence, and comprehension.
🎯 Key Insight #3: Mastery over Time
What's broken: Time-based pacing guides and one-size-fits-all assessments.
The shift: Competency-based learning that honors student readiness.
Impact: Deeper understanding and real application beyond test scores.
🎯 Key Insight #4: Transdisciplinary Learning
What's broken: Artificial silos separating math, science, English, and real life.
The shift: Learning that blends disciplines around authentic context and problems.
Impact: Greater engagement and relevance across all content areas.
🎯 Key Insight #5: Problem-Based Learning
What's broken: Projects done "for the grade" rather than solving something real.
The shift: Start with real-world problems and design learning around solving them.
Impact: Students learn how to think critically and contribute meaningfully to their communities.
💬 Quotable Ruckus
"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 Challenge
Ready to implement these ideas? Start here:
Tomorrow: Ask your students what they want to learn this week — and act on one idea.
This Month: Audit your lessons for cultural relevancy. Where are students missing?
This Semester: Launch one real-world, problem-based project that connects to your local community.
🔗 Connect & Continue
🎯 Get the full episode transcript here
👩🏻‍💻  Follow Dr. Annalies Corbin:
Website: https://www.pastfoundation.org/annalies-corbin pastfoundation.org/hackingschool | pastfoundation.org/learning-unboxed \
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annalies-corbin-4016121
📌 Ruckus Makers Don't Just Listen — They Act
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:
ODP Business Solutions®
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.
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
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?

🎙 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 Maker
Anthony 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
What's broken: Teachers lecture. Students copy notes. And if you miss it, you're out of luck.
The shift: Markify puts the whiteboard on every student's desk — live, editable, and archived.
Impact: All students — even those in the back row or with attention challenges — can review, interact, and participate at their own pace.
🧠 Key Insight #2 — Design for Collaboration Without Chaos
What's broken: Classrooms are still built for compliance, not contribution. Group work is rare, and many tools are either clunky or chaotic.
The shift: Markify allows controlled collaboration with real-time editing, permissions, and engagement features.
Impact: Shy students speak up. Peer feedback flows. Classwide documents become shared artifacts — not worksheets in isolation.
🧠 Key Insight #3 — Fight Fire With Fire (Engagement > Distraction)
What's broken: Schools treat phones and tech as threats instead of opportunities.
The shift: Build experiences so engaging, students choose learning over scrolling.
Impact: One student hid in the janitor's closet to avoid speaking in class — until Markify gave her a voice. Two weeks later, she was leading a group project.
💬 Quotable Ruckus
"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 Challenge
Ready to implement these ideas? Start here:
Tomorrow: Ask students how they would redesign one traditional lesson. Try one of their suggestions.
This Month: Pilot a collaborative tool like Markify in one unit or course.
This Semester: Launch a student-led innovation — let learners solve a real campus problem with tech, process, or design.
🔗 Connect & Continue
🎯 Get the full episode transcript here
👩🏻‍💻 Follow Anthony Beckett:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/beckett-anthony
Markify LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/markifyapp
Markify Twitter/X: https://x.com/markifytool
Markify Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markifytool
Markify YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@markifyexotek
Markify Website: https://markifyapp.com
📌 Ruckus Makers Don't Just Listen — They Act
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:
ODP Business Solutions®
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.
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
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?

🎯 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 Maker
Joël 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 Rules
In this episode, Joël McLean challenges traditional education paradigms:
🤯 Key Insight #1: Self-Leadership Over More Initiatives
What's broken: More hours, more meetings, and more pressure are seen as the solution to underperformance.
The shift: Joël argues that success starts with self-leadership and intentional reflection.
Impact: Leaders who focus inward show up with clarity, energy, and stronger school-wide influence.
🤯Key Insight #2: Leadership Is Human, Not Just Measurable
What's broken: Leadership is treated as purely results-driven, often ignoring the personal development of the leader.
The shift: Joël reframes leadership as a human-centered, values-based journey.
Impact: Schools thrive when principals build themselves first, then build others.
🤯 Key Insight #3: Cross-Discipline Growth Builds Better Leaders
What's broken: Rigid leadership paths discourage creative growth and perspective-taking outside education.
The shift: Joël models how borrowing from business, coaching, and mindfulness unlocks new leadership capacity.
Impact: Innovative thinking and intentional design create empowered, future-ready campuses.
💬 Quotable Ruckus
"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 Challenge
Ready to implement these ideas? Start here:
Tomorrow: Block 15 minutes for uninterrupted reflection. Ask yourself: "Who do I want to be as a leader this week?"
This Month: Write your own Leader's Code. Define your values, vision, and what success looks like for you.
This Semester: Begin building systems to support adult learning and staff development aligned with your leadership code.
🔗 Connect & Continue
🌟 Get the full episode transcript here
👩🏻‍💻 Follow Joël McLean:
My website: inspireleadership.ca
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/inspirelifeleadershipcoaching
Instagram: @inspireleadershipcoaching
📕 Buy Transcending Your Leadership here.
📌 Ruckus Makers Don't Just Listen — They Act
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 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
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
PLAY PIPER
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?

📣 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 Maker
Ryan 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 Rules
In this episode, Ryan Hennessey challenges traditional education paradigms:
🧠 Key Insight #1: From Compliance to Curiosity
What's broken: Classrooms designed for control, not connection.
The shift: Ditch the worksheet culture and build can't-miss learning experiences.
Impact: Students re-engage, show up with energy, and begin asking better questions.
🧠 Key Insight #2: From Burnout to Wholeness
What's broken: The myth that great teachers must sacrifice everything.
The shift: Choose integrity and presence — even if it means leaving.
Impact: Greater sustainability and joy for teachers, deeper impact on students.
🧠 Key Insight #3: From Fear to Vulnerability
What's broken: Hyper-vigilant environments that punish risk-taking.
The shift: Lead with humanity and model failure.
Impact: Classrooms become brave spaces where trust, growth, and agency thrive.
🎙️ Quotable Ruckus
"Find the courage to fail spectacularly today." – Ryan Hennessey
🧩 Your Do School Different Challenge
Ready to implement these ideas? Start here:
Tomorrow: Ask yourself: Do students want to be in this space? Then do one thing to make the answer "yes."
This Month: Build one immersive lesson that ditches the script and leans into curiosity.
This Semester: Model vulnerability. Tell students when you're trying something new — and invite them to do the same.
🔗 Connect & Continue
🎯 Get the full episode transcript: Read here
👩🏻‍💻 Follow Ryan Hennessey:
Website: www.ryan-hennessey.com/
Substack: Handle: @IAMRYANHENNESSEY  |                                                                   Link: substack.com/@iamryanhennessey
Instagram: Handle: @IAMRYANHENNESSEY | Link: www.instagram.com/iamryanhennessey
LinkedIn: Link: www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-hennessey
📌 Ruckus Makers Don't Just Listen — They Act
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:
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
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
PLAY PIPER
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?

😎 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 Maker
Micah 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
What's broken: Urban education blamed for failing because of zip codes and funding gaps
The shift: Real issue is adult comfort — not student success
Impact: Compton Unified refocused priorities, bucked the failure narrative, and rebuilt community trust
🧠 Key Insight #2: From Expectations to Examples
What's broken: Low expectations for Black and Brown communities
The shift: Redefining students as examples, not expectations
Impact: 90%+ student participation in STEAM, national recognition, and record-breaking graduation rates
🧠 Key Insight #3: Replace Equity Buzzwords with Ethics
What's broken: DEI as a buzzword without substance
The shift: Replace diversity and equity with ethics
Impact: Every student gets what they need — not because it's politically correct, but because it's morally required
🗣 Quotable Ruckus
"Compton is what the future looks like. And Compton students are not expectations, they are examples." — Micah Ali
🎒Your Do School Different Challenge
Ready to implement these ideas? Start here:
Tomorrow: Audit one adult-centered practice and replace it with a student-focused one
This Month: Reach out to one potential partner outside your zip code — think big (DLR, Apple, Zoom)
This Semester: Launch one initiative that proves belief in students — housing, pathways, real opportunities
🔗 Connect & Continue
🎯 Get the full episode transcript here
👩🏻‍💻 Follow Micah Ali:
https://www.compton.k12.ca.us/
https://www.dlrgroup.com/work/compton-high-school/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/micah-ali-54503823/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/compton-unified-school-district/posts/?feedView=all
https://www.linkedin.com/company/dlrgroup/posts/?feedView=all
📌 Ruckus Makers Don't Just Listen — They Act
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:
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
© 2026 Twelve Practices LLC | If Education Ain't a Bit Disruptive, Then What Are Your Students Learning?