Educational Leadership with Principal JL

Episode 64: How to Build a Real PLC Culture: Dr. Chad Dumas on Collaboration, the 4 PLC Questions, and Guaranteed Learning

Send a textWhat if the reason your PLCs feel flat is because they’re treated like a calendar event, not a culture? We sit down with Dr. Chad Dumas, former music teacher, principal, director of learning, author, and Solution Tree PLC at Work associate, to unpack how schools move from working hard to getting results. Chad’s story arcs from the band room to building leadership to district systems and national consulting, and along the way he reveals the practices that turn collaboration into guaranteed learning for every student.We dig into the mindset shift that changes everything: from “what do we want students to learn?” to “what will we guarantee every student learns in this unit?” That single promise forces clarity on power essentials, tightens common assessments, shortens feedback cycles, and demands targeted interventions and extensions. Chad explains why the most effective PLC work is owned at the building level, supported by the district but driven by course-alike teams close to the kids. He shares how Hastings Public Schools flipped district-led meetings into school-based collaboration and how distributed leadership made the work endure beyond any one person.You’ll hear practical moves you can use this week: crafting unit guarantees, aligning quick common checks, grouping students by target for interventions, and keeping agendas focused on the four questions. For aspiring leaders, Chad offers candid advice on scaling your impact, building trust, and leaving a legacy measured by how many leaders you grow. The conversation is hopeful and grounded, celebrating the daily excellence of educators while giving you concrete steps to make your PLCs more than a time slot.If this conversation helps you see leadership and collaboration in a new light, share it with a teammate, subscribe for more, and leave a review with one thing your PLC will guarantee next unit.Google Dr. Chad Dumas? Don't have to click the link below!Chad Dumas's Solution Tree Website:New and Improve  Teach Better Mid Roll Network Ad Support the showClick Here to Connect with Principal JL:

Episode 63: Assistant Principal Leadership Playbook with Dr. Sonia Matthew: Equity, School Systems & Student Achievement

Send a textA single line can change a career: “You’re not just an assistant principal.” Dr. Sonia Matthew joins us to show what that looks like when reflection, equity, and well-built systems collide to keep students in classrooms and learning at high levels. From her beginnings as a first-generation Canadian navigating language and stuttering to earning Maryland’s National Outstanding Assistant Principal of the Year, Sonia traces a journey defined by empathy, discipline, and community.We dig into the core moves that transform culture: knowing students and families deeply, streamlining interventions to protect instructional time, and measuring what matters so effort becomes impact. Sonia explains how adaptive leadership, SEL, and adult wellness help leaders listen with purpose, build trust, and tap hidden strengths across a staff. She walks us through concrete practices, clear routines for hallways and passes, progress monitoring with teeth, and collaborative decision-making, that reduce chaos and raise achievement.Sonia also shares how advisory councils shaped her view of policy and practice, why journaling and pattern-spotting power better decisions, and how optimism can be a strategic choice. Her nonprofit Imaginate and her forthcoming book, The Assistant Principal’s Blueprint: From Survival To Success, extend these ideas with practical tools for emerging leaders. If you’re an educator looking to sharpen systems, elevate equity, and energize your team, this conversation offers a playbook anchored in respect and results.Listen, share with a colleague who needs a spark, and subscribe so you never miss a story that moves education forward. If the episode resonates, leave a review and tell us: which school system would you streamline first?Connect with Dr. Sonia Matthew:Website: https://www.drsoniaamatthew.com/New and Improve  Teach Better Mid Roll Network Ad Support the showClick Here to Connect with Principal JL:

Episode 62: 2025 Pennsylvania Principal of the Year Laura Tobias on Restorative Leadership, Culture, and Student Engagement

Send a textWhat if a high school could heal and improve at the same time? Principal Laura Tobias, 2025 Pennsylvania Principal of the Year, shares how she led a 2,400‑student campus through crisis into a culture defined by love, restorative practices, and relentless follow‑through. The story begins with hard truths: post‑pandemic grief, serious discipline incidents, and a community searching for footing. Laura didn’t double down on exclusion; she doubled down on connection, clarity, and student voice.We dig into the daily moves that changed everything: a simple morning message, “We love you”, paired with visible, consistent expectations. Restorative circles became the default for conflict across students, staff, and even families, supported by the React process to surface harm and repair it with dignity. Instead of reflexive suspensions, students complete accountability projects that teach skills and rebuild trust. Discipline drops, belonging rises, and kids start asking for restorative conversations on their own.Culture sticks when recognition is real and routines are predictable. Laura’s team leveled up PBIS with clear mantras, respect it, own it, advocate for it, represent SC, and Pride Coins that celebrate small, specific wins in the moment. Student-produced videos reinforce monthly themes, while school wide mental health summits give everyone two hours of choice-driven connection before high-stress breaks. Teachers lead sessions based on their passions, building relationships that make learning safer and stronger.We also talk about the adults: designing teacher-led PD that people actually want, growing aspiring leaders through committees and shadowing, and recruiting the next generation of educators with honest optimism. The takeaway is practical and hopeful, compassion, and accountability aren’t opposites. When schools lead with love, set high expectations, and make consequences teach, communities transform.Connect with Laura Tobias:email: lst13@scasd.orgPhone: 814-574-1500New and Improve  Teach Better Mid Roll Network Ad Support the showClick Here to Connect with Principal JL:

Episode 61: Stop Eating Our Own: How Educator Language Shapes School Culture and the Future of Teaching

Send a textWhat happens when the stories educators tell about their work turn into the strongest recruiter, or the loudest warning, about our profession? We dive into Stop Eating Our Own by Robert Hinchliffe and Shawna Quenneville and unpack how a single choice of words online can shape school culture, public trust, and the pipeline of future teachers who are watching us closely.We explore the difference between honest critique and public venting, why negativity travels faster than hope, and how leaders at every level can flip the script without turning fake or ignoring real challenges. From hallway conversations to social media posts, we map practical shifts: amplify excellence instead of outrage, move problems to solution spaces, and narrate purpose so students, families, and aspiring educators see why this work matters. You’ll hear how two people can live the same school day and leave with opposite stories and how that mindset gap becomes contagious in a building and online.Along the way, we share simple, repeatable practices: swap countdowns for gratitude snapshots, preview meaningful learning instead of dreading Mondays, celebrate colleagues publicly while handling conflict privately, and document policy impact with data and proposed fixes. The result is a leadership approach that is bold, honest, and deeply pro-education. If we believe teaching changes lives, our language should prove it especially in the places where the next generation is listening.If this conversation sparks something, share it with a colleague, subscribe for more research-informed leadership talks, and leave a review to help other educators find us. Then tell us: what positive story about your students or teammates will you share this week?Get the Book: Stop Eating Our OwnNew and Improve  Support the showClick Here to Connect with Principal JL:

Episode 60: School Culture Over Programs: Robert Hinchliffe on Principal Leadership That Actually Works

Send a textWhat if the fastest way to better scores isn’t another program, but a stronger culture? We sit down with Las Vegas principal and author Robert Hinchliffe to unpack how trust, clear systems, and teacher autonomy transform schools into places kids and adults love. Robert’s journey from a high-school aide to AP to founding principal reveals what leadership really looks like behind the scenes: managing personalities, making uncomfortable decisions, and building structures that let great people do great work.We dig into the daily realities leaders carry that most never see—budget puzzles, hallway dynamics, policy thresholds, and how “guardrails” like MTSS, PBIS, and attendance systems create freedom, not red tape. Robert explains why micromanagement fails, how to design for teacher strengths, and what happens when you put morale ahead of the latest initiative. Expect candid takes on cell phone expectations, the myth of one right instructional path, and the honest truth that principals must be okay with being disliked when they choose what’s best for the school.Robert also shares the heart behind his books, More Than Just Teaching, More Than Just Support Staff, and More Than Just Principals; and the consistent lesson across small towns and big districts: relationships are the multiplier. When people feel seen and supported, they try more, risk more, and grow faster. If you’re an aspiring AP or principal, you’ll walk away with a practical blueprint: seek experiences, study leaders, manage personalities with care, and measure belonging alongside academics. Most of all, build a school you’d want your own kids to attend.If this conversation sparks ideas, follow Robert’s work and grab More Than Just Principals. Then share the episode with a colleague who needs a lift, subscribe for future interviews, and leave a quick review to help more school leaders find the show.Connect with Robert Hinchliffe:Website: https://roberthinchliffe.com/Tik Tok: @rhperspectiveNew and Improve  Teach Better Mid Roll Network Ad Support the showClick Here to Connect with Principal JL: