Transformative Principal

• The SchoolX Book Study with Shenita Perry

  In this episode, host Jethro Jones welcomes Shenita Perry, an assistant principal from Montgomery Public Schools, Alabama. They discuss the unique challenges of educating gifted students, Shenita's experience with the SchoolX book study, and valuable insights on empathy and perspective in education. Shenita also shares practical advice for transformative leadership.Magnet Middle School Academically and artistically gifted childrenAwkwardness of being middle schoolers and gifted can be challengingPrincipal Matters ListenersThe School Experience vs the Traditional ExperienceDesign thinking processWhat does the school look like through the other peoples’ viewpoints. Treating kids as if they’re not human. We forget the humanity of every other part. Day to day work - Looking at things through other peoples’ eye. How to be a transformative principal? Have a listening ear and an open eye to see from different perspectives. Listen to understand instead of listening to respond. Join the book study here. We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

  --------  

  23:43
• A Doctorate in Character Education with Melinda Bier

  In this episode of Transformative Principal, host Jethro Jones welcomes Dr. Melinda Bier, the Theresa M. Fisher Endowed Professor for citizenship education at the University of Missouri St. Louis. They discuss the character education program, the impact of a national cohort, and faculty changes during the pandemic. They also delve into the design of the new cohort at UMSL, the importance of practical learning, and the integration of character education and social emotional learning into school leadership.Having a national cohort, online only programReally interesting what people learned from each otherThe design of the programAdaptive to the needs of studentsUrban university with a historyLoss of faculty membersModeling is an important part of our theoretical basisNext cohort - character development, social-emotional learning, and leadershipFaculty team to walk through this with people. Who You are is More Important with Tom Hoerr Transformative Principal 224Formative Five with Tom Hoerr Transformative Principal 225Chief Empathy Officer with Dr. Tom Hoerr Transformative Principal 495Character Education is a focus on the whole personAdults need to model the behaviors they want to see in the kids. Kids need opportunities to experience all the virtues. Use your power for the common good. Kids get gains in academics when you start with character. Schools have changed a lot over the last few years. Dissertation in Practice is a different kind of dissertationRetrospective pretest. About Mindy BierMindy Bier is currently the Teresa M. Fischer Endowed Professor for Citizenship Education at University of Missouri, St. Louis. Mindy’s expertise spans the fields of Character Education, teacher preparation and professional development, and the design and use of instructional technology for enhanced teaching and learning. She has extensive experience in the adoption of K-12 educational innovations, providing and managing professional development for geographically and culturally diverse teachers, and in the philanthropic sector. Mindy is the principal investigator for a series of cross-disciplinary service learning projects that address the social determinants of health disparities called Youth Empowerment in Action (YEA!) We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

  --------  

  34:39
• Stop Wasting Teacher Time: Local Curriculum Empowers Real Learning with Emily Makelky

  Are your teachers overwhelmed with busywork and disconnected mandates? In this episode of Transformative Principal, Jethro Jones sits down with Emily Makelky, Vice President of the Curriculum Leadership Institute, to tackle the real problem facing schools: how to create a meaningful, locally-developed curriculum that actually improves teaching and learning.Discover:The difference between curriculum, standards, and resources (and why it matters)Why local, district-wide curriculum is essential for student and teacher successHow to involve teachers in meaningful work that energizes them (not just more paperwork)The role of principals in supporting—not micromanaging—curriculum developmentHow to keep curriculum relevant, flexible, and focused on what students really needWhether you’re a principal, teacher, or education leader, you’ll walk away with practical ideas to make curriculum work for your school community. We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

  --------  

  46:58
• Using AI Layering to Create Hyper-Localized Curriculum with Brent Zirkel

  In this episode, Jethro Jones interviews Brent Zirkel, the elementary principal at Mary Welsh Elementary in Williamsburg, Iowa. They discuss how Brent is utilizing artificial intelligence to create curriculum tailored for his students. The conversation covers a range of topics including the advantages of AI in organizing content, creating engaging learning activities, and facilitating high-level thinking. Brent shares his experiences and insights on curating educational materials that resonate with both students and the community, and the importance of transparency in education.Importance of curriculum being transparentMaking sure parents know exactly what we are teaching. Web sites for classroom. If you put yourself out there in the public, it motivates you to create more and better things. https://Raidersocialstudies.com AI makes it easier to organize your thoughts and put it in a systemic way. 80/20 in work usage. Middle East UnitGives kids deeper ways to understand what is going on in the world. Not getting kids to understand facts and dates. Helping kids understand and perceive the world and make judgments. American values and patriotism are very important to our community. When you arm teachers with good curriculum you can have good discussions. Greater freedom in the discussion point because it is a discussion, not a “lesson”. Layering with AI - Using multiple technologies that wouldn’t be possible with just one AI. AI Tools used: Suno (music), ChatGPT (art & more), MagicSchool (make it relevant), SchoolAI, assessmentsAI Tools are thought partners. How to be a transformative principal? Good Better Best, Never Let it rest till your good is better and your better is your best. About Brent Zirkel:Brent Zirkel is currently the Elementary Principal at Mary Welsh Elementary in Williamsburg, Iowa, a school of about 650 students.  He also serves as the district ELL Director, Migratory Education Program Director, and Preschool Program Director. Brent has previously served as the Associate Principal at Williamsburg Jr/Sr. High School (7-12) and Fort Madison Middle School (4-8).  Brent taught Spanish at Fort Madison High School for 12 years where he was honored for 5 consecutive years with the Terry Branstad Inspiring Teacher Award for serving as a motivational force to some of Iowa’s top-performing high school students. He has a BA in Geography and Spanish Education, an MS in Interdisciplinary Studies with an emphasis in Bilingual Education (ELL), and is certified as a Pre-K-12 Administrator and Special Education Supervisor.Brent is also a co-founder of the Test Kitchen Educational Foundation: a non-profit organization that creates innovative after-school programming for rural communities in Iowa by getting youth excited about learning through engagement in academics, culinary arts, and valuable life skills.  Brent is married to Michelle, a K-6 Media Teacher, and has two children, Brevin (16) and Bram (10). Brent enjoys spending time with his family. He is an avid fan of Survivor, the TV show, and is a true believer in progress through struggle. Brent sees education as the greatest opportunity to build a better tomorrow by positively impacting the lives of his students today. We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

  --------  

  37:50
• Building Trust Through Formative Supervision with Dr. Valerie Dehombreux

  In this episode, Jethro Jones interviews Dr. Valerie Dehombreux, an experienced educator and school principal who recently completed her doctorate in leadership and innovation. They discuss her dissertation on the trust-based observation protocol and its application, providing valuable insights for both her work and Jethro’s own doctoral process.Started as a 3rd grade teacher on the white mountain apache reservation. Engaging in an intervention that is solving a problem of practice. You can just do stuff! Valerie adopted his book and implemented it. Literature review - showed how his approach was good. Chose 4 research questions because they were all important. Open-ended interview questions. Formative interviews along the way. Mixed-methods approach. Reflective conversations are so powerful. How to be a transformative principal? Start talking and meeting with your teachers. About:Dr. Valerie Dehombreux has been a PreK-12 educator for 27 years including 15 as a school principal and 22 years in providing teacher training and professional development. Valerie holds Arizona superintendent, principal, and teacher certifications with two endorsements: Early Childhood and English as a Second Language. In 2019 as principal of McDowell Mountain Elementary School in the Fountain Hills Unified School District, Valerie led the school community in achieving an Arizona Educational Foundation A+ School of Excellence™ award for the first time in the school’s and district’s history. In December 2024, Valerie graduated with an EdD in Leadership and Innovation from Arizona State University. It is a unique, 3 ½-year cohort program that follows the Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate (CPED) model where practitioners identify a Problem of Practice (PoP) in their work place settings and conduct cycles of action research to implement innovations/interventions seeking to address the PoP and to build up to the culminating experience of the final dissertation. Valerie’s action research explored formative teacher supervision’s effects on trusting administrator–teacher relationships and teachers’ professional growth. We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

  --------  

  30:55

More Education podcasts

Trending Education podcasts

About Transformative Principal

Transformative Principal: Podcasts in Family