September 25, 2025 Q&A Session

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Questions and Timestamps:

(0:00) How do I navigate the issue of parents who are upset that their child is getting too much homework?

(5:59) What is the most frequent source of friction between parents and the school and how do you fix it?

(13:06) What are some effective strategies for improving the attendance of a student with significant school avoidance/school anxiety?

(22:21) At what point in the school year should I start to focus on student retention? (Some helpful retention episodes from the podcast: Episode 9, Episode 20, Episode 51

(27:29) We have 1-1 Chromebooks in our MS/HS. How can we better supervise what the students actually have on their screens?

(36:02) What can I do to improve the punctuality of a chronically late teacher?

(41:55) How do we balance promoting academic rigor with showcasing the nurturing/community aspect of our school?

(47:38) How do you measure the health of a school culture? (5 Strategies to Significantly Improve The Culture At Your School: Part 1, Part 2

August 28, 2025 Q&A Session

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Questions and Timestamps:

(0:00) What is the best way to navigate difficult conversations with parents about academic and/or behavioral issues?

(8:18) How can I reduce the risk of an armed intruder doing harm on my campus?

(26:05) Should I have a school Instagram account? If yes, why?

(30:30) How do I get my “old school” teachers to use more modern teaching practices, including technology?

(36:38) What are some effective ways to support students who are dealing with significant family issues and/or trauma at home?

July 31, 2025 Q&A Session

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Questions and Timestamps:

(0:00) How do I avoid the "admin bashing" that is ubiquitous on social media this time of year?

(5:37) How do I navigate the onslaught of complaints and "tyranny of the drama" from teachers during In-Service?

(10:25) How can I effectively set expectations with parents at the beginning of the school year?

(15:55) How can my school proactively address bullying in a way that actually works?

(25:42) What is the most important thing that my teachers should be doing on the first day of school?

(32:31) Every year, I have good intentions about observing and evaluating my teachers. How can I make this year different?

(40:16) How can I build trust with my new teachers?

(46:56) What are some things that I should be aware of when a family wants to enroll their child in August?

June 23, 2025 Q&A Session

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Questions and Timestamps:

(0:00) How can I do a better job maintaining boundaries between school and home?

(7:46) How do we navigate a wide range of parenting styles and still provide a predictable environment for our students?

(14:11) How can I do a better job onboarding new teachers?

(21:00) How can we do a better job helping students who are struggling with mental health issues?

(30:58) How should I balance formal observations with informal observations?

(38:17) How can I build trust with my teachers?

May 29, 2025 Q&A Session

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Questions and Timestamps:

(0:00) How do I balance the role of visionary leader while dealing with the tyranny of the urgent?

(8:45) What's the best way to build resilience in our students?

(13:10) What are some ways that I can intentionally grow my leadership skills this summer?

(18:10) How should I spend the first hour with my team during Teacher In-Service?

(37:45) What can I do this summer to increase the level of teacher professionalism in 25/26?

(41:50) What can I do this summer to improve student behavior in 25/26?

(47:30) How can I set better boundaries during my summer work?

April 24, 2025 Q&A Session

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Questions and Timestamps:

(0:00) How do I get authentic, year-end feedback from my teachers?

(9:00) How can I increase student retention?

(17:00) How can I improve the recruitment of new students?

(24:30) How can I hold teachers accountable without negatively impacting morale?

(35:20) How can I improve annual giving?

(43:45) How can I get parents to open and read the emails that the school sends?

March 27, 2025 Q&A Session

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Questions and Timestamps:

(0:00) How do I handle parents that are bad mouthing the school?

(7:05) What kind of conversation should I have with my direct report that is always "overwhelmed", makes excuses and doesn't do her job that is objectively "doable?"

(15:05) How can I avoid hiring the energy vampire, drama queen/king teacher?

(22:21) How can I improve my onboarding process for new teachers this fall?

(26:30) How can I avoid getting sucked into "Teacher Drama?"

(40:01) How do I avoid having ruminating/invasive thoughts about our enrollment numbers?

(46:00) How do I know whether to suspend or expel a student?