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School Leader's Review - Podcasts

Stay up-to-date on the most important issues in school leadership with this podcast series, School Leader’s Review. Check back often for updates and new discussions and interviews.

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  • Sen. Al Franken Speaks to Priority of Principal Bill
    NASSP Executive Director Gerald N. Tirozzi interviews Sen. Al Franken about his recently introduced bill, the Principal Recruitment and Training Act, and the prospect of ESEA reauthorization. 3/4/10, 6:57
  • A Conversation with ED's new School-Safety Chief Kevin Jennings
    We've made great strides in the reduction of violent incidents in public schools over the years. But for new U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary for Safe and Drug-Free Schools Kevin Jennings, safety means much more than just the assence of violence. In this interview Jennings discusses his priorities as the safe-schools chief in the Obama administration and how those priorities fit into the administration's school-improvement agenda. 12/2/09, 10:25
  • The Missing "M" in ESEA
    On the heels of the reintroduction of the Success in the Middle Act, NASSP's Patti Kinney speaks to the need of this important legislation and why the nation can no longer afford to leave out the middle level. 8/21/09 10:39
  • Secretary Duncan Addresses School Leaders
    U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan called for a cadre of "warrior principals" for our nation's neediest schools during his remarks to the leaders of the state and national principals organizations at the 2009 National Leaders' Conference. 7/19/09, 33:31
  • School Preparation for an H1N1 Outbreak
    NASSP's Mel Riddile reports on a briefing at the U.S. Department of Education that made it clear that schools will play a central role in the dissemination of information and immunization of students for the anticipated outbreak of H1N1 flu. 8/10/09, 11:57
  • Managing the H1N1 Outbreak at Ground Zero
    Principal Rick Herrig didn't know what would hit him when he took the reins of an American school in Mexico City. His discussion of the experience of managing the H1N1 (swine) flu outbreak holds lessons for school leaders everywhere. 6/15/09, 10:28
  • Asst. Principal of the Year Melissa Shindel on Professional Growth
    2009 NASSP-Virco National Assistant Principal of the Year Melissa Shindel discusses how she makes professional growth and instructional leadership her priorities in a job that often emphasizes management and student discipline. 4/14/09, 7:31
  • Diversity and Equity in Today's Schools
    Judith Richardson, NASSP director of diversity, equity, and urban initiatives, discusses what diversity and equity mean in today's schools and the kinds of tools principals need in schools that are increasingly diverse. 4/1/09, 7:39
  • The Breaking Ranks Change Process
    NewsLeader editor Sarah McKibben speaks with NASSP director of program services John Nori about the latest book in the Breaking Ranks series, Breaking Ranks: A Field Guide for Leading Change and the process that moves schools beyond structural change to deeper, sustained improvements. 2/25/09, 13:30
  • Personalizing the School for All Students: A Conversation with Debbie Phelps
    Debbie Phelps is probably best known as the mother of greatest Olympian of all time. But to the 600 students at Windsor Mill Middle School in Baltimore County, MD, she is Mrs. Phelps, the principal. In this podcast, Debbie discusses the wisdom she has gained from the experience of raising a son with ADHD, how that has influenced her as a principal, and her new support network for parents of kids with ADHD (www.facebook.com/adhdmoms). 12/8/08, 14:24.
  • Election Day School Safety
    Is your school a polling place on election day? School safety expert Ken Trump offers tips for principals who must open their doors to voters on November 4. 10/14/08 15:11
  • Doug Reeves on Breaking Down Barriers to Teacher Leadership
    Doug Reeves, founder of the Leadership and Learning Center, identifies the three Bs--blame, bureaucracy, and baloney--that often get in the way of effective teacher leadership and provides guidance for how schools can overcome them. (Visit www.principals.org/pl for the complete interview.) 9/15/08, 8:02.
  • Principals Take the Lead for Greener Schools
    Assistant Principal Aaron Steinly discusses the new initiative, Principals for Change (www.principalsforchange.org), he and his colleagues launched to promote the greening of U.S. schools. Steinly offers tips for what principals can do right now to make their schools more energy efficient. 8/27/08, 8:15.
  • The High School Principal's Priorities
    Mel Riddile, 2006 MetLife/NASSP National High School Principal of the Year and new NASSP associate director for high school services, discusses the greatest challenges facing high school principals today and the primacy of literacy as a "gateway skill." 8/15/08, 10:18.
  • True Collaborative Leadership with Carolyn Custard, Finalist for the 2009 MetLife/NASSP National Principal of the Year Award
    At C.D. Hylton Senior High School in Woodbridge, VA, Carolyn Custard has a Principal's Advisory Council composed of faculty, students, and parents that represent the school population and help to make sure the school is meeting the needs of the entire school family. 8/11/08, 10:47.
  • Building Leadership Capacity with Professional Development
    As principal of Killingly Intermediate School, in Dayville, CT, Sheryl Kempain, finalist for the 2009 MetLife/NASSP National Principal of the Year award, provides a plethora of professional development opportunities for her staff to build their leadership capacity. She has brought in high profile speakers, taken groups to conferences, and helped to train staff members to increase student achievement. How does she do it? She'll tell you. 8/11/08, 11:07.
  • Educating Students who Live in Poverty
    A discussion with Ray Landers, principal at Boaz Middle School in Boaz, AL, and finalist for the 2009 MetLife/NASSP National Principal of the Year award, about the reform efforts he has implemented at his school to reach students from low socio-economic backgrounds. 8/11/08, 9:52.
  • The Hybrid Schedule
    Mark Wilson, finalist for the 2009 MetLife/NASSP National Principal of the Year award, and his staff at Morgan County High School in Madison, GA, have been able to close the achievement gap by radically altering the schedule to create a more personalized learning environment. 08/11/08, 8:11.
  • Increasing the Graduation Rate
    The graduation rate at Eisenhower High School in Yakima, WA, has grown from 68% to 88% because of the atmosphere of leadership, trust, and teamwork, according to principal Stacey Locke, finalist for the 2009 MetLife/NASSP National Principal of the Year award. In this podcast, she talks about how students are encouraged to complete school, even if it takes them more than four years. It's working. The extended-time graduation rate at Eishenhower is 97%. 8/11/08, 13:29.
  • Showing Middle Level Students the Path to College
    Pat Schmidt, principal of Hopkins North Junior High School in Minnetonka, MN, and finalist for the 2009 MetLife/NASSP National Principal of the Year award, discusses how her school has helped students to see the path to college. She also talks about the process of reforming her school, or as she says, turning the cruiseship. 8/11/08, 12:14.
  • Reducing Ninth Grade Failure Rates in Urban Schools
    Urban schools continue to fall short in yielding immediate and continued increases in ninth to tenth grade promotion rates, according to the results of Lynnell Theard Gibson's research. Gibson was selected as the 2008 NASSP High School Dissertation Award winner for her research on the challenges educators face in working with ninth grade transition programs. The complete text of her dissertation is available at www.principals.org/dissertation. 6
  • Leading for Student Achievement
    The effective analysis and use of data significantly impacts a school’s ability to improve student achievement. Linda W. Robinson is an educational consultant and former president of National Middle School Association. Leading for Student Achievement was the third workshop in the Middle Level Leadership Series. 3/2008, 9:56.
  • Leading for Professional Conversations
    Directly linked to the establishment of a highly effective collaborative culture is the school leader’s ability to facilitate ongoing professional conversations . Nancy Doda is a professional development consultant and an outstanding educator who lead a workshop on this topic as part of the Middle Level Leadership Series. 3/2008, 8:40.
  • Leading for Differentiation
    Differentiation of instruction is a proven strategy for enhancing student achievement. Rick Wormeli, an accomplished teacher, internationally sought after consultant, and prolific author on the topic of middle level education, discusses this topic which was one of the seminars of the Middle Level Leadership Series. 3/2008, 9:49.
  • Rick Wormeli on the Fallacy of the "Zero" Grade
    Education consultant and author Rick Wormeli discusses the fallacy of assigning a grade of zero to students, arguing that a minimum grade of 50 or 60 carries the same message--without making it mathematically impossible for students to bounce back. 5/21/08, 18:45.
  • The Power of Advisories
    Advisories have long been considered a key tool for personalizing schools, and some recent research bears that out. Sarah Brody Shulkind, the 2008 NASSP Middle Level Dissertation Award winner, shares the findings of her research and underscores how much students value advisories--even when advisors themselves might not see the value. The complete text of Shulkind's dissertation is available at www.principals.org/dissertation. 5/9/08, 21:46.
  • James Dierke on Leading an Urban Middle School
    What does it take to lead an inner-city middle school? Learn the keys to success firsthand from James Dierke, principal at Visitacion Valley Middle School in San Francisco, CA, and 2008 MetLife/NASSP National Middle Level Principal of the Year. Dierke is interviewed by Patti Kinney, principal of the NASSP National Center for Middle Level Leadership--and a former national principal of the year. 3/19/08, 21:32.
  • A Profile of Concurrent Enrollment
    Two Utah high school vice principals, Pamela Drake and Scott Nielson, profile their concurrent enrollment partnership programs and highlight the impact they have had on schoolwide academic rigor, particularly for traditionally low-performing populations. 1/25/08, 23:23.
  • Robert Marzano on Supporting Instruction
    Renowned education researcher and author Robert Marzano shares his thoughts on how principals can best support classroom instruction and discusses the phases in a process for systematically improving teaching and learning schoolwide. 11/26/07, 17:34.
  • Improving Schoolwide Numeracy
    A discussion with Judith Richardson, the author of Making the Mathematics Curriculum Count, about improving mathematical literacy, or numeracy, at the middle and high school levels. 10/30/07, 7:28.
  • Key Findings from "A Voice in the Middle" Poll of Middle Level Students
    In May 2007, NASSP and Phi Delta Kappa International released the first-ever nationwide poll of students in middle level schools, called "A Voice from the Middle," to gauge young adolescents' hopes, dreams, and aspirations and they prepare for high school and beyond. In this interview, NASSP Director of Instructional Leadership Resources John Nori discusses the poll's findings. 5/31/07, 14:56.
  • Transforming Your School's Culture
    Transforming a school's culture is the principal's greatest challenge, yet it's essential to any real improvement in schoolwide achievement. Robert D. Ramsey, author of Don't Teach the Canaries Not to Sing: Creating a School Culture That Boosts Achievement, points to some key strategies for identifying and adjusting a school's culture and underscores the importance of principal leadership if any real improvement is to take place. The book is the October 2007 selection for the Leading Community Schools
    Jason Dial, principal of William Chrisman High School in Independence, MO, and Carlos Azcoitia, founding principal of Spry Community School in Chicago, IL, demystify the role of the principal in leading a community school. Both schools and their districts have been recognized with Community Schools National Awards for Excellence. 9/5/07, 23:33.