In this episode, one of our Best of 2024, internationally known authority on educational leadership Michael Fullan joins the show.

Michael’s work has influenced countless education leaders at all levels. The former Dean of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education and Professor Emeritus of the University of Toronto, he is co-leader of the New Pedagogies for Deep Learning global initiative, served as Premier Dalton’s Special Policy Adviser in Ontario from 2003-2013, and received the Order of Canada (OC) in December 2012.

Michael is the author of numerous books, including The Principal 2.0: Three Keys to Maximizing Impact (Jossey-Bass).

We talked about the following and more:

• The Principal 2.0 (2023) is 90% new material from The Principal (2014). We cover the events that caused Michael to undertake such a significant revisitation.
• The disruptions of the past few years are forcing change in schools – which can turn out for better or worse depending on the evolving role of the principal.
• What forces have traditionally boxed principals into a narrower role?
• Spirit Work
• Global evidence for these principles
• Systemness in Action
• Connected Autonomy
• The Drivers – system change from the bottom up
• Reasons for optimism about the future

Find The Principal 2.0 here: https://bit.ly/3TYJZx4

About today’s guest

Michael Fullan is an internationally known authority on educational leadership. Professor emeritus at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto, Fullan is Global Co-Director of New Pedagogies for Deep Learning. He is an adviser and consultant on major education reform initiatives around the world. His previous books include Change Leader, The Six Secrets of Change, and Leading in a Culture of Change. Learn more: https://michaelfullan.ca/

About the host

Ross Romano is a co-founder of the Be Podcast Network and CEO of September Strategies. He is a leadership development and performance coach for professionals in a range of industries and consults with organizations and high-performing leaders in the K-12 education industry to help communicate their vision and make strategic decisions that lead to long-term success. Connect on Blueskyand LinkedIn

I also host Sideline Sessions, a podcast for coaches and parents of student-athletes. The show features conversations with coaches and performance experts in the NFL, NBA, NCAA, Olympics, and more. Listen here: https://bit.ly/3Rp0QGt

My guests today are Dr. Kathy Perez and Dr. Margaret Coughlan.

Kathy is a professor emerita at Saint Mary’s College of California. She has extensive teaching experience as a general and special educator, literacy and ESL coach, administrator, and curriculum- and staff-development coordinator. Margaret is a classroom teacher, district leader, researcher, and adjunct faculty at Saint Mary’s College of California. Her professional work includes teaching elementary students, teachers, and graduate school master level candidates.

We discuss their book The Emerging Teacher Leader: Six Dynamic Practices to Nurture Professional Growth and cover:

• What is a teacher leader — and what should it be? (positional/formal)
• Who initiates teacher leadership?
• The practices of a teacher leader
• Focusing on your purpose
• Growing as a teacher and leader
• Effecting change through collaboration
• Building and sustaining healthy relationships
• Taking care of yourself
• Cultivating a growth mindset

Find The Emerging Teacher Leader from Solution Tree or wherever you get your books.

About the host

Ross Romano is a co-founder of the Be Podcast Network and CEO of September Strategies. He is a leadership development and performance coach for professionals in a range of industries and consults with organizations and high-performing leaders in the K-12 education industry to help communicate their vision and make strategic decisions that lead to long-term success. Connect on Bluesky and LinkedIn

I also host Sideline Sessions, a podcast for coaches and parents of student-athletes. The show features conversations with coaches and performance experts in the NFL, NBA, NCAA, Olympics, and more. Listen here: https://bit.ly/3Rp0QGt

I still can't believe it's the year 2025. Can you? But since it is, we can enjoy revisiting some of our top episodes from 2024. Today, I'm sharing my conversation with Lacey Robinson.

Lacey is president and CEO of UnboundEd. A former teacher, principal, and professional development specialist who has focused on literacy, equity, and school leadership for more than 25 years, her life’s work aims to enable educators to disrupt systemic inequities in their school districts and classrooms. We talked about her book Justice Seekers: Pursuing Equity in the Details of Teaching and Learning.

The conversation includes:

• GLEAM — Grade-Level, Engaging, Affirming, Meaningful instruction
• The relationship between justice and equity
• Justice is found in the details of teaching and learning
• What’s hard about being a truth-teller?
• What can a teacher do in an environment that discourages or prohibits explicit discussion of race?
• How does administration create a supportive environment for this approach?

Learn more about Justice Seekers at www.unbounded.org or find it on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, bookshop.org or wherever you get your books.

About today’s guest

Lacey Robinson is the president and CEO of UnboundEd, and the chair of the Board of CORE Learning. As CEO, Robinson sets the organization’s vision for transforming instruction for students at the margins. She is a former teacher, principal, and professional development specialist who has focused on literacy, equity, and school leadership for more than 25 years. Her life’s work aims to enable educators to disrupt systemic inequities in their school districts and classrooms. She led the merger of UnboundEd, Pivot Learning, and CORE Learning under the UnboundEd banner — creating the nation’s largest K–12 educator development organization focused on improving teaching and learning for underserved students.

Robinson is a leading national voice on disrupting the predictability of students’ educational outcomes, and was named to 2023’s Forbes 50 Over 50 list in recognition of her innovative leadership. She frequently serves as a keynote speaker and is featured on Emily Hanford’s 2022 “Sold a Story” podcast.

About the host

Ross Romano is a co-founder of the Be Podcast Network and CEO of September Strategies. He is a leadership development and performance coach for professionals in a range of industries and consults with organizations and high-performing leaders in the K-12 education industry to help communicate their vision and make strategic decisions that lead to long-term success. Connect on Twitter @RossBRomano and LinkedIn

Today I’m pleased to speak with Dr. Hayley Watson, a Clinical Psychologist who holds a PhD in school bullying interventions, along with four further degrees in the field of mental health. She has been creating and delivering programs for youth and practitioners across the US, Canada, the UK, and Australia for the past 20 years.

Hayley is the founder and CEO of Open Parachute, a Tier 1 K-12 curriculum program that supports the mental health of students, teachers, and parents. We talk about her book Finding the Words: Empowering Struggling Students Through Guided Conversations.

The episode covers:

• Hayley’s perspective on the job of an educator
• Biggest mental health factors to be aware of with students
• Internal hurdles for educators to overcome
• Why should teachers be dealing with the mental health of students, when they are not experts in this area?
• Why should mental health be discussed in schools? Doesn't it take away time from core teaching subjects?
• Protecting the mental health of teachers

Learn more at the website https://openparachuteschools.com/ or connect with Hayley on LinkedIn.

Get Finding the Words from Wiley or wherever you get your books.

Visit https://bepodcast.network to learn about all our shows.

About the host

Ross Romano is a co-founder of the Be Podcast Network and CEO of September Strategies, a coaching and consulting firm that helps organizations and high-performing leaders in the K-12 education industry communicate their vision and make strategic decisions that lead to long-term success. Connect on Twitter @RossBRomano or LinkedIn

I also host Sideline Sessions, a podcast for coaches and parents of student-athletes. The show features conversations with coaches and performance experts in the NFL, NBA, NCAA, Olympics, and more. Listen here: https://bit.ly/3Rp0QGt

Damon Lembi is a two-time bestselling author, the host of The Learn-It-All Podcast, and CEO of Learnit – a live learning platform that has upskilled over 2 million people. He also was a Division-I college baseball player who was drafted to play professionally and draws from this experience to bring an athlete’s perspective to leadership. Through his journey, he has gained invaluable insights into what helps organizations grow, how great leaders learn, and why learn-it-all companies outpace their competitors every time.

Damon is author of The Learn-It-All Leader: Mindset, Traits and Tools.

Hear about:

• “Great leaders aren't born. They're not made, either. They're in the making. They're constantly creating and re-creating themselves, their companies, and their leadership.”
• Learn-it-all versus know-it-all leaders
• Overcoming imposter syndrome
• Recognizing the potential of leaders
• Empowering the right people — choosing potential over experience
• What happens to organizations led by know-it-all leaders?
• What is the “trust tax?”
• How implementing a culture of continuous learning & professional development helps attract & retain talent
• Focus on elevating strengths over improving weaknesses

Find The Learn-It-All Leader on Amazon or wherever you get your books.

Connect with our guest

• https://www.thelearnitallleader.com/podcast
• https://www.learnit.com
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/damonlembi
• Instagram: @damonlembi, @Learnittraining

About the host

Ross Romano is a co-founder of the Be Podcast Network and CEO of September Strategies, a coaching and consulting firm that helps organizations and high-performing leaders in the K-12 education industry communicate their vision and make strategic decisions that lead to long-term success. Connect on LinkedIn or Bluesky.

I also host Sideline Sessions, a podcast for coaches and parents of student-athletes. The show features conversations with coaches and performance experts in the NFL, NBA, NCAA, Olympics, and more. Listen here: https://bit.ly/3Rp0QGt

Ryan Steuer is an author, podcaster, and thought leader who specializes in project-based learning. He’s a curious visionary who is a former engineer at a Fortune 50 company and former 8th grade English teacher who now leads Magnify Learning - a PBL professional development company that customizes every PBL training.

In this episode, we talk about his book PBL Simplified: 6 Steps to Move Project Based Learning from Idea to Reality.

Hear about:

• What is the case for PBL?
• Why PBL is timely and relevant to students’ future needs
• 6 Steps simplified — Problem, Solution, Evaluation
• Choosing when to use PBL and how
• Choosing a solution and evaluating
• Common pitfalls of PBL implementation
• What leaders need to do to support PBL implementation
• Examples of learning that isn’t actually PBL
• How to simplify PBL while still protecting its integrity

Find PBL Simplified on Amazon or wherever you get your books.

Connect with our guest

• www.whatispbl.com
• www.magnifypbl.com
• @ryansteuer
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryansteuer

About the host

Ross Romano is a co-founder of the Be Podcast Network and CEO of September Strategies, a coaching and consulting firm that helps organizations and high-performing leaders in the K-12 education industry communicate their vision and make strategic decisions that lead to long-term success. Connect on LinkedIn or Bluesky.

I also host Sideline Sessions, a podcast for coaches and parents of student-athletes. The show features conversations with coaches and performance experts in the NFL, NBA, NCAA, Olympics, and more. Listen here: https://bit.ly/3Rp0QGt

Thank you all for your support and listenership of The Authority this year. I'm pleased this week to share one of our top episodes of 2024, with guest Micah Miner.

Micah is the District Instructional Technology & Social Studies Coordinator at Maywood-Melrose Park-Broadview School District 89 in Illinois. He was an Excellence in Equity Award winner from the American Consortium for Equity in Education, he’s also an ACE-Ed.org Contributing Writer, Ryze AI Advisor, and ISTE Community Leader.

Micah is author of AI Goes to School: How to Harness Artificial Intelligence in Education to Prepare Students for the Future (And make you an even better teacher).

We discuss:

• AI's impact on instruction
• What should stay the same and what should change instructionally as AI tools become integrated into K-12 education?
• Identifying the sources of AI resistance
• Reasonable concerns about access and use
• How technoskepticism and digital citizenship can be helpful to equipping teachers, administrators, parents, and other stakeholders to deal with AI
• Identifying goals so we appropriately embrace AI and then choose the right tools.
• How AI tools can be connected to pedagogies and learning philosophies such as constructivism
• What needs to happen in the next year?

Find AI Goes to School from Times 10 Publications or wherever you get your books.

About today’s guest

Micah Miner, MA, MEd, EdS has over two decades of experience including time as a teacher in K–12 settings for both regular classrooms and alternative schools, a social studies department chair, an instructional technology coach, an adjunct professor in social studies and instructional technology, and a school and district administrator. He currently serves as the District Instructional Technology & Social Studies Coordinator at Maywood-Melrose Park-Broadview School District 89 near Chicago. Connect at https://micahminer.com, LinkedIn, or @minerclass on X, BlueSky and Mastodon.

About the host

Ross Romano is a co-founder of the Be Podcast Network and CEO of September Strategies, a coaching and consulting firm that helps organizations and high-performing leaders in the K-12 education industry communicate their vision and make strategic decisions that lead to long-term success. Connect on LinkedIn or Bluesky.

I also host Sideline Sessions, a podcast for coaches and parents of student-athletes. The show features conversations with coaches and performance experts in the NFL, NBA, NCAA, Olympics, and more. Listen here: https://bit.ly/3Rp0QGt

Dr. Alan Nelson is a leadership development specialist, trainer, speaker, and Lecturer of Management at the Naval Postgraduate School.

Alan founded KidLead Academy, the world’s first online course to train parents how to develop their child’s leadership potential. He also founded LeadYoung Training Systems, designing organizational leadership curricula for 3-23-year-olds.

He is the author of 40 books and over 200 articles on personal growth and leadership, including KidLead: Growing Great Leaders and My Kid Leads!

We discuss:

• The best time to develop leaders is between ages 3-23
• What leadership development looks like at different age levels
• Are leaders born or made?
• How to identify leadership talent
• How to talk to kids about leadership
• Leadership experts who influenced Alan’s work
• How adults inadvertently shut down children’s leadership potential
• What can parents and educators can do to develop their child's leadership potential

Learn more about Alan’s books at www.kidlead.com. Connect with him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alanenelson.

About the host

Ross Romano is a co-founder of the Be Podcast Network and CEO of September Strategies, a coaching and consulting firm that helps organizations and high-performing leaders in the K-12 education industry communicate their vision and make strategic decisions that lead to long-term success. Connect on LinkedIn or Bluesky.

I also host Sideline Sessions, a podcast for coaches and parents of student-athletes. The show features conversations with coaches and performance experts in the NFL, NBA, NCAA, Olympics, and more. Listen here: https://bit.ly/3Rp0QGt