Episode #344: Rob Owen
https://outofthetrenches.podbean.com/e/episode-244-rob-owen/
For over 20 years as a school principal, educator, author, and coach, Rob Owen has seen the deep impact that stress and burnout have on teachers. After a life-changing car accident at 17, Rob found healing through Tai Chi and Qigong, practices that became central to both his personal and professional life. Now, he shares these mindful practices through Move 2 Focus, helping educators and students—especially those with ADHD and anxiety—find calm, focus, and emotional balance in the classroom and beyond.
Trench story: taught children w/ neurodiversity. 5 boys w/ hyperactive ADHD. Standard cr management wasn’t working so he started w/ Tai Chi and Qigong. Took them outside. The kids knew they were dysregulated.
Tell me about your journey as an educator. Is currently teaching PT. Has been an educator for 23 yrs. Has studied Tai Chi and Qigong since he was 26. Did before mindfulness was a thing- since 2001/02. Infused into the cr w/ younger kids, 3-4th grade. Started teaching kids kung fu (after school).
How did you decide to start Move 2 Focus? Had been practicing Tai Chi and Qigong for yrs. Wanted to put it all in 1 place for educators.
What does Move 2 Focus offer? currently teaches at the school he works at but trains the faculty @ other schools. 1-2 min practices when they come in from recess. Goes to ES/MS. Teaches an after-school class w/ some HS. Has 1-1 coaching w/ teachers, preventative measures, morning meditation, small group classes. In Dec. gave a free one-hour course. In New Year will have a paid 3 hr course. Also teaches teens & parents. Harder to get into public schools, easier for private.
What are Tai Chi and Qi Gong? mindful movement- slow body-based movements where focus is integrated w/ body/breath. Qi Gong means energy work. Many diff. kinds. Repetitive movement many x’s. Often stationary. Tai Chi is fundamentally a martial art. Multiple movements in a single session. Can do 30 sec- 1 hr. He does 20-45 m in the morning. He teaches teachers 3-5 m. movements.
How can teachers use Tai Chi and Qi Gong in their classrooms? yoga is sitting. Qi Gong is 4000 yrs old. It’s considered a martial art. He starts w/ a single movement. Like after school, asking everyone to stand up. When he was teaching academics would have the kids stand @ beginning of class. Start off @ the beginning of the year in the morning. Or after breaks. Infusing it into P.E. class currently. You can slowly infuse more and more postures. Use as a preventative practice more than reactionary.
What benefits have you seen from using these practices? it gets kids refocused & back into their bodies. There are coordination/balance benefits. Research can be found on his website. Yoga was popularized quicker. You get immediate results regulating nervous system. Peter Wane from Harvard did lots of research. Take a video of class of how they come into CR for a week. Then start the practice, film the first 10m. it’s night & day.
Why do you think yoga is more popular in schools and wellness programs than Tai Chi or Qi Gong? He has a lot of friends who are yoga teachers, they have it @ the school he works at. In yoga they’re sitting down, in Qi Gong & Tai Chi they stand up. Some ppl see Tai Chi as more complex. Advanced yoga isn’t easy though. In his practice the movements are linked. Kids are able to start leading the session- they do that in the P.E. class he teaches. Last week a girl asked to show a new student the moves.
What advice would you give educators interested in starting to do this in their classrooms, getting the approval of principal? He takes a group of kids who may be struggling w/ emotional regulation. They may be more introverted. admin are usually supportive to relax the kids. You can start in small doses- or you can order his program & train all the teachers. On his IG page there are basic movements, you can try those out.
What’s one thing? Tools for well-being are right in front of you. Have been done for 1000’s of years. Take a moment & slow down. It’s been there the whole time.
Where can ppl find you online? https://www.instagram.com/move_2_focus/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertowen2019/ https://move2focus.com/
This link will direct listeners to a teacher stress test (10 ?’s) and 3-day mini course that will offer free lessons in Tai Chi and Qigong for the classroom – for both teacher and students. Is t’s score as having higher stress it will give them a taste of it. He introduces simple movements on his IG page.
View this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/i1RaR1mwYyg
Episode #245: Dr. Rick Hess
https://outofthetrenches.podbean.com/e/episode-345-dr-rick-hess/
Rick Hess is a scholar, author, and educator. Pens “Rick Hess Straight Up” for Education Week and “Old School with Rick Hess” for Education Next. Senior contributor to Forbes, executive editor of Education Next, contributing editor to National Review, and author of books including A Search for Common Ground and The Great School Rethink. Dr. Hess started his career as a high school social studies teacher. He has taught at the University of Virginia, the University of Pennsylvania, Georgetown University, Rice University, Johns Hopkins University, and Harvard University. He is also the senior founding fellow of the Public Education Foundation’s Leadership Institute of Nevada.
Trenches story: going back to when he was hired to teach in East Baton Rouge, LA. Was hired to teach AP. 2nd yr, tried to start again, they’d already built his schedule. He was willing to give up his prep period. Principal said he could take it up w/ central admin. Had a mtg w/ them. The next morning principal said come to his office. He was surprised Rick had gone to central. He realized it was the culture that was so much the part of t’s lives. It becomes punishing for t’s. Rick got the PhD.
Talk about a few of your recent books/articles written? like No, the U.S. Ed. Dept. Won’t Be Abolished. But Here’s What’s Likely to Happen Instead | American Enterprise Institute – AEI: He thinks it would be fine if it would be. IT was created in ‘76 by Carter. It was to go away it would have no impact on the lives of teachers & st.s The funding would get moved to another federal agency. $ from Title I would still flow. Noone wants to 0 out $. The convo tends to be performative. If the filibuster is abolished, then maybe. It’s about simple math. A lot of the fear @ conferences in Nov/Dec. are around practical changes. 1 big set is that it’s possible Congress would take a lot of the springs around Title funds. Time & Effort reporting. All of those rules are written in order to ensure Title $ gets spent the way it’s supposed to get spent. Congress may do a “block grant”. Office of Civil Rights will approach its work differently. Existing language around discrimination- under Democratic administrations they’ve looked at evidence of discrimination in discipline around Black & Brown kids. There will be much more leeway around that. There will be more race-based affinity groups. Many districts who have thought about civil rights enforcement. Funding- 90% of school spending is local & state. Otherwise, there are marginal programs, class size reduction, etc. For instructional expenses- ESSR is running out. There will be budgetary holes ($200 billion). Those budget decision will have little to do with WL, science, and other electives.
*While Dana, the podcast host with a 20+ year career as a public educator, does not support the DoE being dismantled, the purpose of informed dialogue around education and educational policies is to hear both sides of issues that are currently affecting the state of public education in the United States. *
What’s one thing? You hear @ conferences the dept will get abolished, it’s easy to wind up in a bubble. It’s important to search out other sources. Look @ it from a different perspective. Focus on the real changes, what’s coming down the pike.
Where can ppl find you online? X: @rickhess99 https://www.aei.org/profile/frederick-m-hess/
View this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/K6xHyjlRE4c
Episode #346: Debra Armstrong
https://www.podbean.com/ep/pb-8pkwq-186270d
Debra Armstrong is an Educator, Trainer, and Coach (ETC) dedicated to guiding professionals and small business owners on their journeys to achieve professional growth and business success. With years of experience, she has honed the art of personalized coaching, offering tailored solutions that fit her clients’ unique needs, goals, and personalities.
Trench story: She wants to do another also before the layoffs, when she worked for the county office of education- occupational programs teaching business. Reported to 5 different districts, 3 different schools. 1 program got cut. They did the business co-op. Different schedules, start dates, vacations.Told director next year she’d rather be part time. Worked as a recruiter. 2010-11. Then layoffs during the Great Recession, school didn’t have the funding. Made the decision to leave education then. Pay ranges in school districts varied widely. Business classes were taught through the county. She connected w/ someone who knew someone who wanted someone to teach adults in a non-profit org. Transferred CTE certification into a training position. Was in Bay area then moved to ID.
Career journey: Has worked w/ some educators who have left. Worked w/ tech a lot. Had a business background, then went into edu. Worked in business, retail management, entrepreneur. Worked at a staffing firm & talked to schools. Then got her teaching credential, HS business. then taught at a MS, CTE as well. Also works w/ people who are in tech who want to go into education.
Educators become good entrepreneurs-she does a lot of work w/ people who “find” their own business. Former educators are used to working on their own. She works w/ ppl on paperwork part, put it together, get through it, then there’s maintenance. Marketing- it depends on what they want to do. Educators are creative, they need to set up a plan & following through. They may have to start small.
For educators who are looking to exit education: Listeners may hear the same thing Mike Beyer episode #307 said. You may go into banking, etc. but can then do training & development. Take your skills & use them to train adults. Not a huge difference- you have a skill of transferring knowledge. A woman who started working @ Cosco, then became a trainer. You can start in one path then veer off. Talk to people who are in different industries. Stakeholder managers- like dealing w/ parents. Creating curriculum- you have skills collaboration w/ different departments.
Informational interviews: exploring other people’s careers. You can start talking about how your skillset will match other industries. As a teacher you’re exposed to a lot of parents who are in different fields, f.ex. baking- start to talk to ppl who are in those fields. You can have an informational interview w/ these parents. You’ll want to ask ?’s about career tracks, what education gap there is, classes you may need to take, etc. You may want to job shadow someone. Customer-facing roles like real estate. Sending out a bunch of resumes won’t work. A lot is based on individual conversations. Managing a classroom= ability to manage a staff. Talk to parents= working w/ key stakeholders.
Importance of a resume, practicing your interview, LinkedIn. Educators don’t often use LinkedIn. Don’t keep things like “classroom management”, keep things in “corporate” manner. Match wording they have in a job description. What are the skills you can transfer from the area you’re teaching in? Elementary- you have understanding of a lot. Electives, science, math, what are skill sets you can look @? When she was interviewing for teaching roles- there was only 1 interview then you get the job. In corporate world you may have 4-5 interviews. They have behavioral questions like “tell me about a time you failed”. For corporate training, you may need to do a mock training. AI can help you with practice interview. Save job descriptions!
LinkedIn: valuable tool in terms of exploring & making a change. 95% of businesses use it for recruiting. They have “sourcers”, you have to put in right skills/information.You can connect w/ people there who have had the same career trajectory. Network, make contacts. It will build up what you’re doing for recruiters to find you. What you share- it’s important. Visibility & commenting on other ppl’s posts. You can say, “I liked x,y,z about this”. 2nd or 3rd connections may see the posts. Don’t just throw up posts w/o interacting w/ others.
AI can help ppl find jobs where ppl may use that skillset. She uses chat GPT, you can use it and ask it what adjacent fields are, it may help you figure it out. You can connect w/ some @ the school before a position opens, and do an informational interview w/ that person. Look for the skillset that’s needed for a particular job. Ask for introductions. Referrals to other ppl in that field. You can have AI help you write out bullets for accomplishments. ATS- Applicant Tracking Systems- has been around since the 90’s, still not as sophisticated as it needs to be. It looks for exact matches. You talk to students in a language they understand
Talk about your program- you developed ppl can use this for interviews, resumes, group coaching sessions. It’s more affordable for ppl to do. Should be ready in January. She’s developing a class. She doesn’t want to give too much- firehose. You learn a lot from people around you. 7-8 modules. Can join whenever you want. There will also be group sessions- 2x/week, others will learn when you hear Debra answer qu’s. Will be about 90m. She loves helping ppl move fwd professionally.
What’s one thing? you want to connect the dots for wherever you need to go. You have to “speak their language”. You need to see what they’re looking for.
Where can ppl find you online? www.nexxtlevelcareers.com LinkedIn @debraarmstrong
View this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/wc3UFM_uWZM
Episode #347: Joe Davis
https://outofthetrenches.podbean.com/e/episode-346-joe-davis/
Joe Davis is the author of The Generous Leader: 7 Ways to Give of Yourself for Everyone’s Gain. Joe has had forty-plus years of experience managing and leading teams, culminating in my position as head of BCG North America where I led a seven-thousand-plus-employee business. Joe Davis is a Managing Director and Senior Partner at the Boston Consulting Group. He is a former Head of BCG in North America and member of the firm’s Executive Committee. He oversaw BCG’s operations in the US, Canada and Mexico and was recognized as one of the Top 25 Consultants of the year in 2011.Has 4 children and 8 grandchildren. Board chair Center for Inclusion and Equity. Read up to here on podcast
Throughout my career, I have opened new offices and new businesses, and I’ve navigated many turbulent times: the dot-com crisis, 9/11, the American war in Iraq, the Great Recession of 2008, and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic—to name a few dramatic disruptions. I also have the privilege of serving as the chair of BCG’s Center for Inclusion and Equity and am a founding steering committee member of CEO Action for Racial Equity and the Southern Communities Initiative.
All of these experiences across roles and geographies have helped me see the many ways that hardship can impact employees and their families and how yesterday’s rigid, profit-oriented leadership styles served as more of an encumbrance than a springboard to growth and success. I discovered the necessity of becoming a leader who cares deeply about my teams and my colleagues, and in so doing, I saw firsthand the value of leading with care, leading from the heart.
Along the way, I also gained access to dozens of other high-level professionals and thousands of regular “Joes” (pun intended—we were all once regular Joes). They, too, learned the hard lessons over these past several decades and came to recognize the value of compassionate leadership. With the help of these colleagues, I developed the belief that it’s finding the commonality between all of us, and connecting through it, that is at the core of our best humanity.”
Trench story: #1; in HS, worked in a restaurant. They asked how Ron, the manager was doing, Joe had told him to his face when he didn’t know who Ron was #2: First FT job, Proctor & Gamble, 4 reps worked with him. He’d checked out as a manager. He’d never told anything negative to the ppl being evaluated. You owe it to people to tell them. #3:when COVID hit noone had answers. He learned the importance, power & emotion of ppl.It lifted ppl up.
How did you get started with Boston Consulting Group (37yrs). after your experience managing and leading teams? How the company has evolved-make it about leadership. When you get a job like that, you ask “do I belong here?”. BCG is always challenging people. Do the best at the job you can. It helped him across his various roles. Inspire leadership with your heart.
Discuss your book, The Generous leader: The Generous Leader Joe tells a story about a performance review from early in his career: to summarize, he was told he is not the best at problem solving in a vacuum, but in collaboration with others, can solve any challenge, make change happen. Why? Because early in Joe’s career this mentor identified his key strength—Joe was a person who could connect with anyone.
Using this story as a pivot, mentor said Joe will make change happen. His superpower was connecting w/ others, collaboration w/ them. Not being stuck in his head. Teachers are in his family. All educators have the uniqueness that they bring to the classroom. Best way to motivate & inspire is that weren’t not just cogs in a wheel. A leader is someone who performs at their best.
How can an educator apply that to their district, school or classroom leadership? You have to like ppl. You want to connect w/ students. Come back to that. Be willing to show your own humanity. One element is leading with your heart- understanding what someone else knows, not acting like you have all the answers. His mom went through a number of principals, several weren’t great. You also don’t want a leader who just listens to 1-2 staff members. Involve paras, cafeteria workers, janitors. Go down to the front line to see what’s going.
Discuss one of your articles: The Importance of Being an Empathetic Leader | BCG: Distributive leadership is something one learns over time. Ppl want to see leader as a human- be vulnerable. Say “I don’t know” sometimes. Show whatever version it is for you, so you allow others to move past roadblocks. How can you move into this type of leadership? Learn from what others are doing. Think back to when you shared a vulnerable piece and what happened.If you have to “always be right”, you need to work on that.
What are some key takeaways you’d give school or district leaders from the business world? Very important: ask & listen. It’s the safest thing to do. You need humility. As a board chair- does a professor ask “Did you learn anything” after a lecture, it’s vulnerable. Ppl you’re working w/ are humans. Then engage them, it’s not heard. Leader who eats in the cafeteria has a much better
Speaking- you’ve appeared on numerous podcasts (Principal Center included) but do you do keynotes, convocations, etc? He’s talked to HS building management teams, superintendents, etc. before. He does and hopes to do more. Would you be available for district keynotes? Will do coaching/sharing wisdom. He’s shared w/ superintendents.
What’s one thing? there’s a big difference b/w management and leadership. Hire and motivate rather than just managing them.
Where can ppl find you online? www.JoeDavis.com LinkedIn @JoeDavis, FB
View this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/a7H4MTgVRv4
Episode #348: Dr. Debbie Zacarian
https://outofthetrenches.podbean.com/e/episode-348-dr-debbie-zacarian/
Dr. Debbie Zacarian is known for her expertise in strengths-based leadership, policy analysis, instructional practices, and partnerships with culturally and linguistically diverse student and family populations. With over three decades of combined experience as a district administrator, university faculty member, and educational service agency leader, she founded Zacarian & Associates and has been providing consulting and professional development throughout the United States. She has written many books (including top- and best-selling) and more than 100 journal articles as well as district and state policies focused on leadership, strategic planning and analysis, and instructional practices with diverse learners- including multilingual learners and students living with adversity.
Trench story: when she works with districts who are out of compliance with MLLs, they don’t know what to do, & how to make it work. For her it’s about helping them move out of the trenches just like educators help MLLs feel a sense of confidence to believe in themselves.
Talk about a few of your recent books: Transforming Schools for Multilingual Learners: A Comprehensive Guide for Educators, 2nd edition how would that help schools with a large influx of immigrants? She herself was a child of immigrants and met with state dept of edu. St’s did really well. She got asked to go to other districts. Schools had st’s with high levels of literacy in L1. She got her doctorate then. She wrote policies (30) for districts, needed to write a guidebook. Approached a publisher about writing a book for admin. Book came out in 2011, based on 2 federal studies about what works. Editor contacted her in 2020 to update w/ new laws. 2nd edition is meant for all who work on behalf of MLLs. Addresses really important topics, came out in early 2023.
Beyond Crises: Overcoming Linguistic and Cultural Inequities in Communities, Schools, and Classrooms (co-written with Margarita Espino Calderón, and Margo Gottlieb)– she loves co-writing with them. Book came out as a result of timing. Corwin contacted them during COVID. It was about how to provide a high-quality education for MLLs during crises. If ½ of all st’s experience ACES, what about MLLs and how is that distinct? Esp. if they fled their country due to a variety of reasons and live in constant fear of deportation. How can we help st’s be members of their classroom, community, peer group? They interviewed ppl from across the country, teachers, superintendents, etc. If we want schools to work well we want to partner w/ families.
Responsive Schooling for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students (co-written with Ivannia Soto)
Wrote Serving English Learners: laws, policies and regulations, a user-friendly guide about US federal laws for Colorín Colorado wrote an update up on now. Prior one is from 2011. Covering every child succeeds act, etc. helps educators no matter what district. For listeners who may not know, many laws regarding MLLs came about 50 yrs ago. It was about providing all st’s with an equal education. Covers NCLB, etc. In 2015 we had every child succeed. The new one is based on the “Dear Colleague” letter from 2015. 10 reasons many districts aren’t in compliance. What should I know as an educator, here are some remedies & protocols, tools. How can I stay in compliance? Link to the 2nd edition of the policy guide written for Colorin Colorado https://www.
You served on the faculty of the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. You were also the founder and director of the Center for English Language Education and Advancing Student
Achievement at the Collaborative for Educational Services and the founding director of Amherst Public Schools bilingual and English learner program where she and the district received many local, state, and national honors for its work with multilingual learners. She can speak about UMass & taught every course for Culturally Responsive Classrooms no matter what the educator major was. Moved into consulting then. She left the Univ & district to go to an educational service agency. It’s when she wrote the 1st edition of Colorin Colorado. Worked for the Univ. for over 10 yrs.
Speaking engagements, etc.? She does a lot of presentations for districts. Usually does WIDA & TESOL but not this year. Will email links to some training that are largely available. 3 part series if you’re a member of AFT/AEA-” What does it take to support students to feel sense of safety & belonging?” Book talks about identity safety. Aval. online. Not just for MLL. They spoke w/ 3 individuals who talk about this matter. She will send other events if they come to mind.
What’s one thing? We can’t do this work alone for many reasons. Educators are siloed. It’s not just the U.S. dept of edu, when we work together, we do better. Find someone who you feel you can work together w/. Build upon these partnerships.
Where can ppl find you online? www.zacarianconsulting.com reach out there- look @ what she’s written
View this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Jp7OmPYoyfg
Episode #349: Dr. Chris Culver
https://outofthetrenches.podbean.com/e/episode-349-dr-chris-culver/
Dr. Christopher Culver is a proud product of Oklahoma education and has served educational communities since 2013 as a classroom teacher, secondary principal, and most recently as a cabinet-level administrator. Dr. Culver is a product of a divorced family and split time between Tulsa & Wyandotte, OK and Fayetteville, NC during his childhood. Currently, Dr. Culver serves as a consultant with expertise in kindness, culture and understanding Gen Z/Gen A, and as an adjunct professor at Oklahoma City University, teaching future teachers and leaders.
He is well known for his high-energy, passionate, engaging, and motivational professional development. Participants call him “engaging, charismatic, dynamic, and enthusiastic.” He has his pulse on today’s generation. He is focused on spreading kindness, improving mindset, cultivating culture, and educating about Gen Z/A. (read up to here on podcast)
Additional info for show notes:As a teacher, Dr. Culver achieved remarkable success, with 95% of his students passing the graduation-required assessment in English Language Arts (ELA). His leadership as ELA Department Chair was instrumental in elevating the ELA department’s grade from an F to a C within one academic school year, demonstrating his commitment to academic excellence and student achievement.
Transitioning to a site-level administrator, Dr. Culver continued to make impactful changes. He improved student attendance rates from 71% to an impressive 93% in just one year. His efforts in reducing discipline referrals and out-of-school suspensions by 35% also contributed to a more positive and conducive learning environment. Additionally, he increased academic achievement outcomes in core content areas by over 20% in a single year, showcasing his ability to drive significant improvements in student performance.
In his role as a district-level administrator, Dr. Culver further demonstrated his leadership capabilities. He joined the Superintendent’s cabinet amidst a State Intervention to help improve educational experiences and opportunities. He played a key role in enhancing ACT scores across the district and facilitated the removal of two schools from the Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) list by the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE). Under his guidance, the English Language Proficiency Assessment (ELPA) scores improved from an F to a B in one academic year, and for dually identified students (Special Education and Multilingual Learners), the ELPA score increased from an F to an A. His efforts also transformed Jet Academy from a needs improvement status with the OSDE while also supporting the recovery of more than 1,300 course credits for students. Culver increased the district’s graduation rate and led the strategic planning process from inception to board approval. He successfully launched dual language programs in two schools, resulting in increased enrollment and higher student outcomes.
Dr. Culver is the current Past-President of the Oklahoma Association for Bilingual Education, where he has championed work to bring awareness to the importance and benefits of multilingual and dual language education. During his tenure, he successfully launched the inaugural OABE Summer Virtual Institute which is free of charge to educators and features internationally recognized keynote speakers.
Culver has also been a voice on a national level, contributing to panels that focus on improving public education and shaping federal educational policies. His academic credentials include a Bachelor of Arts in English Education and a Master’s in Educational Leadership from Northeastern State University, and a Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership and Administration from Southern Nazarene University, where he explored the power of motivation and a positive school culture.
Dr. Chris Culver’s extensive experience in educational leadership, marked by significant improvements in student outcomes, strategic planning, and innovative program implementation, highlights his commitment to fostering educational excellence. His work continues to make a profound impact on the communities he serves, inspiring positive change and growth in the field of education.
(we actually graduated from the same HS in Tulsa)
Trench story: First year as AP. Joined a campus w/ a principal who he didn’t see eye to eye with. Was at a low. Did the EAP therapy sessions. Got out the trenches b/c he found therapy but also found kindness. Understood empathy greater. Didn’t understand what was happening at the time. Wouldn’t have pursued his Ed.D.had he not had that experience.
Talk about resources on character development, infographics (for staff also), empathy, etc. When you go into schools to talk about these topics, where do you start? He earned his Ed.D. on teacher retention. In spring 2022, served as an adjunct professor on human development. Wasn’t quite prepared. Students want relationships, power, autonomy and recognition. He first helps schools understand the mindset of individuals, then work w/ what they already have. He tries to work around what they already have. Understanding today’s learners. There’s been a decline in empathy since 2020.
In terms of schools needing a culture shift- where do you start? In creating the most perfect culture, where do you start? Different individuals go to diff. parts of the corner. Staff build cohesions & culture. Start w/ your own experiences & unconscious bias. We bring strings as adults. Students bring strings.
When you’re working with a mostly veteran of teachers who feel like they aren’t getting through to their Gen Alpha students (always brought up in his sessions). You have to understand it takes community. His 2nd year and until he stopped teaching, he learned you have mandates, you have curricula. Elevating voice & choice. Kinesthetic experiences. Competence & confidence.Don’t only go into compliance-based measures. It’s very different how to reach Gen A kids. Behaviors are higher due to likes, comments, shares, they want on social media. When he taught Shakespeare, he used Shakespearian insults. “Kindness battle”, lean into their Gen A slang. Yo-momma rapper battle on MTV. When you lean into it, you begin to foster trust. He uses these in workshops. Kids are coming to schools w/ far more ACE experiences.
Under your guidance, the English Language Proficiency Assessment (ELPA) scores improved from an F to a B in one academic year, and for dually identified students (Special Education and Multilingual Learners): Was an executive team member in state supt. cabinet. his district was taken over by district in 1 year. The state superintendent didn’t give them public recognition. Talk to me about Dual Language strategies for bringing students up to proficiency. Leverage edu skills- Home Language Survey data capture. Prof dev. from Dr. Kelly Forbes. All teachers weren’t trained in WIDA.
The training opened their eyes to the rigor in WIDA so they included speaking, reading, writing, listening.
Tips for Exciting MLL program: test to make sure it’s not an L1 deficit.Use translanguaging to build upon. This gives them the understanding in English. They can draw from their experiences, native heritage. We have to build up their assets to become bilingual
Seal of Biliteracy/Heritage Language classes: funding is a huge piece. In his district, they launched 2 dual language programs. Worked w/ referendums of understanding.Hired native speakers from abroad. It isn’t just beneficial for MLLs, it’s beneficial for st’s who are learning WL. It helps them have more access to a global world. Cognitive
Talk about a few of your services, keynotes (as ppl think about beginning of the year): will be doing local OK work in Jan/FEb. Keynote speaker for OK city readiness, others in negotiations. He shares through social & his website.
Blog: the kind voice: highlight a recent post Wrote one about the power of kindness and circle of courage. He’s had a lot of positive contributions from st’s and educators. Gratitude is powerful. Transformational impact of relationships. He always welcomes guest bloggers.
What’s one thing? Treat others the way you want to be treated. Assume positive intent. It’s teaching us something.
(he’d love to have me write for the blog about MLLs’ and empathy/kindness.Plug podcast/business
Where can ppl find you online?
www.orangesparrow.org • christopher@orangepsparrow.org
Follow me on social media | @DrChrisCulver X, FB, IG, Tik Tok
View this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/LXNL0x9IgmM
Episode #350: Dr. Jim Marshall
https://outofthetrenches.podbean.com/e/episode-350-dr-jim-marshall/
Dr. Jim Marshall is the author of Right from the Start: The Essential Guide to Implementing School Initiatives Professor of Educational Leadership at San Diego State University, where he serves as the Senior Director for the Ed.D. program in PK-12 School Leadership. Dr. James Marshall’s life-long work lies at the intersection of people and the organizations in which they work—and optimizing the synergy that fertile convergence holds. His scholarship, teaching, and consulting combine our understanding of human performance and organization development to assess strengths, devise strategy, and improve even the most vexing of challenges. Engagements have found him evaluating virtual reality-delivered training for active shooter containment, to devising strategy that improved the community-focused impacts realized by the national network of over 150 public television stations. His book,Right from the Start: The Essential Guide to Implementing School Initiatives,summarizes lessons learned through evaluation of hundreds of programs in both the public and private sectors. It was released in May, 2023. His newest book, Fixing Education Initiatives in Crisis: 24 go-to strategies, came out this past summer.
Marshall currently serves as Professor of Educational Leadership at San Diego State University (SDSU), in the #1 ranked California State University (CSU) College of Education. During his post as Director, SDSU’s Doctorate in Education (Ed.D.) became the largest doctoral program across the 23-campus CSU while, at the same time, achieving increased racial and gender diversity. At the same time, SDSU’s Educational Administration programs premiered at number 26 nationwide on U.S. News & World Report’s 2023 list of the nation’s top graduate education programs. Prior to his current appointment, he held tenure-line positions in both Educational Technology and Learning Design and Technology. In further support of California’s educator preparation, he has been appointed to the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing’s Board of Institutional Reviewers, for which he has been designated a Team Lead for accreditation review.
With over 200 publications to his credit, Dr. Marshall’s scholarship encompasses a diverse range of works that include empirical research, program evaluation efforts, and policy development. His program evaluation endeavors are particularly significant and include over 250 individual studies of funded projects and program investments totaling over $120 million dollars. This work has been funded by diverse agencies that include the National Science Foundation, the Institute for Library and Museum Services, the Public Broadcasting Service, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, as well as the U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Department of the Interior, and the Transportation Security Administration. His work with state and local education agencies, school systems, and regional offices of education encompasses 40 of the 50 United States.
Internationally, Dr. Marshall has influenced human and organization performance through his service on the International Board of Standards for Training, Performance, and Instruction (IBSTPI) Board of Directors. Here, his needs assessment-focused research assisted the organization in better understanding its audiences and needs, as it reformulated its long-term strategy and support of learning leaders worldwide.
In his private practice, he serves as a thought partner to leaders seeking to hasten the collective impact of their organization’s investments. From assessing strengths and needs, to conceptualizing strategy and program initiatives, and then measuring return on investment, Dr. Marshall’s unique approach relies on a proven mix of assessment and evaluation, appreciative inquiry, and empathic understanding that predictably yields quantifiable results. Clients particularly note his ability to use data—with novelty and persuasion—to drive change.
Trench story: if you’re a school leader, your life is a combination of programs & initiatives. A non-profit in D.C. that exists to educate folks- no name given but it’s one of the largest libraries in the world. Colleague was leading over 60 edu. prgms. Her observation at 1st glance was she was certain they couldn’t be doing all well. 3 staff members- 20+ programs each. Needed to do risk analysis. Which ones are core to my work? De-implementation- doesn’t always mean getting rid of program. Hybrid program eval- he helped go to schools & understand which ones were needed.
Talk about your book, Right from the Start: The Essential Guide to Implementing School Initiatives, is it for district or school leaders or both? He says both & educators at any level. Classroom teachers are often “voluntold” to create new programs. Needs assessment is the first step. School leaders are ultimately responsible. OFten they don’t talk to teachers before the initiative is done to us. Outcomes are based on needs & strengths. Not everyone knows what the initiatives are supposed to do.
Expectations for change over time? There still isn’t excellent research over what the amount of time needed for change is. How do you get buy-in, collect early data, etc? 3 yrs is the minimum to get one implemented w/ consistency. A few more yrs is needed to evaluate impact. Fidelity = teacher clarity. It needs to be in place for at least 3 yrs to be effective.
How to get the initiatives off the ground & keep them off the ground? Phase-in implementation w/ pilots in a few schools has a lot of benefits. we need to understand our client- students, parents or staff (for PD). In his Crisis book- it talks about 6 different types of crises in case we have a problem- attention-span crisis (they forget about it). The idea of scaling is growing in size or scaling a mountain. What can we adjust for context? Tailor for diff. schools? Make the implementation gradual.
Initiatives that failed often, then new leaders try to implement it later. What would you say to the leaders? That’s a top-down approach. B52-Model. You expect the world to change but you just did a fly-by. There’s unique context w/n a school. What are the things that have to be replicated? What are the unique needs? “With fidelity” people hate. “Teacher clarity” and “collective efficacy” are able to get ppl more on board. “B52 model”- dropped off and “fly by”. Staff have to know how it can improve their site. Build up belief as to why it could be of value 2nd time around. Give voice to ppl involved & listen to the ppl who were there when it was tried & failed. How can a leader begin the change process relevant to their current life? What’s in it for me?
Observation of how the initiatives work in nearby schools- can be huge in terms of seeing how it works in other buildings. The school needs to somewhat resemble your school. Motivation- self efficacy x your value. It’s a strategy for staff to see how it’s been implemented. Perhaps a school 1+ yr ahead. We need to understand why it didn’t work the first time. Ask t’s why it didn’t work the first time. 2nd time around, it has to be different. Check in regularly about how it’s going early on. What we’ve learned NOT to do come from observation.
How do your 2 books differ? Crisis book falls out of his yrs of evaluating systems. Categorized by failing to get smart to be-implementation. He thinks it’s a good starting point. “Programitis”, ppl can find out how to prioritize. De-implementation comes from pediatric medicine. As educators, we have a bigger impact and should apply the same thinking to programs. Are the programs returning on investment? Heed advice in Crisis book to avoid crisis. Right from the Start; nuts & bolts. 2-3x’s as long.
Consulting clients: works w/ school districts, he measures the impact of initiatives the district has in place or does needs assessments. Does work w/ intl. schools. Is working w/ Fisher, Frey, to reform the school system of the Republic of Georgia. 70% of work is preK-12. Also works w/ org’s that support schools. Lately many districts have contacted him for needs assessment. Evaluation should happen at the beginning not the end. Looks at Public Broadcasting. Eval. for museums, aquariums. sdsu
Will be speaking at Learning Forward: focus on implementation of programs. Doug, Nancy & him have a new book about Rigor Unveiled, book will be out in January. It’s about designing & implementing rigorous instruction-Jan.5. They suggest Rigor is the combined impact of relationships. They’re doing online workshops when it comes out through Corwin (insert link- he’ll send me link)). Will think about other places he will speak @ in Feb. & March.
What’s one thing? Take the time to listen to the ppl involved. Even more if you’re at the point of crisis. Retrace your steps, talk to the ppl involved. Help t’s see the how & the why.
Where can ppl find you online? mostly LinkedIn & website: www.jamesmmarshall.com jamesmarshall on the SDSU website
View this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/hY-EqFY7XG0