Have a Good Life

Nancy Conrad is the founder of the Conrad Challenge, a global competition to help kids learn without limitations.

• Global competition for teams of students 13–18.
• Students are invited to combine innovation, education, and entrepreneurship to create something new.
• Students form teams and ind a coach.
• Summit hosted at Kennedy Space Center.
• As students are looking for unique opportunities for competition - kids can work across all possible barriers.
• We’ve been doing online education for 15 years.
• How to work on a team?
• Pushing education vs pulling education
• We believe in “pull” education
• Obstatunity
• They get engaged in their learning.
• Each of them has achieved extraordinary things.
• We gave kids the passion for learning.
• four years to get to the finals and they finally won.
• Always wanted it to be a community.
• It becomes family.
• Kids get talked at quite enough.
• Cosmic chat.
• Battelle - story about networking.
• It’s not snooty and it’s not about money.
• We facilitate collaboration.
• Any company is a conglomeration of really great people doing really great work.
• Hire amazing people and let them do their thing.
• Nobox toolbox.

Today’s Sponsors

TeachFX

Innovative school leaders across the country have started tracking online student participation using TeachFX because it’s one of the most powerful ways to improve student outcomes during COVID — especially for English Learners and students of color. Learn more about TeachFX and get a special offer at TeachFX.com

John Catt

Today’s Transformative Principal sponsor, John Catt Educational, amplifies world-class voices on timeless topics, with a list of authors recognized globally for their fresh perspectives and proven strategies to drive success in modern schools and classrooms.

John Catt’s mission is to support high-quality teaching and learning by ensuring every educator has access to professional development materials that are research-based, practical, and focused on the key topics proven essential in today’s and tomorrow’s schools.

Learn more about professional development publications that are easy to implement for your entire faculty, and are both quickly digestible and rigorous, by visiting https://us.johncattbookshop.com/.
Learn more about some of the newest titles:

• Michaela: The Power of Culture by Katharine Birbalsingh
• Teaching WalkThrus: Visual Step-by-Step Guides to Essential Teaching Techniques by Tom Sherrington and Oliver Caviglioli
• Putting Staff First: A blueprint for revitalising our schools by John Tomsett and Jonny Uttley
• The Teaching Delusion: Why Teaching In Our Schools Isn’t Good Enough (And How We Can Make It Better) by Bruce Robertson
• Stop Talking About Wellbeing: A pragmatic approach to teacher workload by Kat Howard

John Catt is also proud publisher of the new book from Transformative Principal host Jethro Jones: SchoolX: How principals can design a transformative school experience for students, teachers, parents – and themselves
Visit this page to learn more about bulk orders and how to bring John Catt’s research-based materials to your school: https://us.johncattbookshop.com/pages/agents-and-distributors

New Episode of @TrnFrmPrincipal

Amy Valentine, Leader at Future of School has been called a social rabble rouser, a turnaround strategist and a fighter of the status quo in K–12 education. She has served as a teacher, school leader and executive director. 

• Gives scholarships to students and grants to teachers.
• National Non-profit to support the changing of schools.
• Why parents seek alternative methods of education.
• Why wasn’t emergency learning effective in spring 2020?
• We haven’t reached a tipping point.
• COVID 19 taught us that school is verb.
• How to demonstrate learning differently?
• It doesn’t take a lot of money.
• Fixed mindsets can be damaging.
• Education is a personal thing for everyone.
• Whatever it takes, all hands on deck.
• Seeing education from a different perspective.
• Role of teacher was elevated during pandemic.
• buzzword - student-centered learning.
• Crisis schooling - is not remote learning.
• You need to listen to that voice inside you.
• You’ve got all this education figured out.
• How to be a transformative principal? Bring your community together through 1 or 2 different mediums. Stay connected even if you don’t know your plan.
• Some data:
• American public perception of the K–12 education system has been remained steadily low over the last 20 years
• According to the most recent Gallup Poll, 47% of Americans expressed dissatisfaction with the K–12 education system (2019)
• According to the 2018 Gallup Poll, 71% of parents expressed satisfaction with the K–12 education system (2018)
• Americans’ Satisfaction With U.S. Education at 15-Year High
• [Gallup Satisfaction Surveys on Education]
(https://news.gallup.com/poll/1612/education.aspx)
• Seven in 10 Parents Satisfied With Their Child’s Education
• Why the discrepancy?  
• Not all “Americans” are parents; some are older and do not resonate with that title, others do not have children but own businesses; everyone pays taxes that go to schools;
• Not all “Americans” are parents; some are older and do not resonate with that title, others do not have children but own businesses; everyone pays taxes that go to fund and support schools
• Education is a third-rail political issue– nobody wants to touch it– highly charged
* Why have things stayed the same in our K–12 schools? the rate and pace of change in public schools not mirroring that of all other social institutions, policy constraints (which differ by state), limited school choice options (which differ by state), budget cuts (federal, state and local), a changing workforce, and nearly no alignment between the needs of businesses and what is being taught as part of required content/curriculum, lack of empowerment at the local level, fear of technology catalyzing the much needed change
• Not all “Americans” are parents; some are older and do not resonate with the role, others do not have children, others are business owners; BUT everyone pays taxes that go to fund schools
• A four-year degree is not the golden ticket that majestically ensures skills development to enter into the workforce
• Why is this? If Americans are generally dissatisfied, why have schools remained the same, in large part? Reasons for parental dissatisfaction with district/school/the K–12 education system? Parent has a child who struggles in the school (academically, socially, personally, emotionally, other…), life-changing event (family moves, job change, terminal illness, medical condition, etc…) or another personal crisis (denoted as a small “c” or big/small “t” in their life)
• Of the 3.3 million families who chose to homeschool their child(ren) in 2016, the top reason (34%) indicated by families “concern about the school environment” such as bullying, drugs, negative peer pressure; second on the list of reasons dissatisfaction with academic instruction, with only 16% of families indicating the reason was for religious reasons.
• According to NCES, In 1999, 38% of families indicated religious reasons as the primary driver in choosing homeschooling 
* Since 1999, the number of homeschool families in America has nearly doubled (1999- 1.7 million; 2016- 3.3 million; NC)
• A Fresh Look at Homeschooling in the U.S.
• Parents’ Reasons for Homeschooling

Today’s Sponsors

Innovative school leaders across the country have started tracking online student participation using TeachFX because it’s one of the most powerful ways to improve student outcomes during COVID — especially for English Learners and students of color. Learn more about TeachFX and get a special offer at TeachFX.com

Today’s Transformative Principal sponsor, John Catt Educational, amplifies world-class voices on timeless topics, with a list of authors recognized globally for their fresh perspectives and proven strategies to drive success in modern schools and classrooms.

John Catt’s mission is to support high-quality teaching and learning by ensuring every educator has access to professional development materials that are research-based, practical, and focused on the key topics proven essential in today’s and tomorrow’s schools.

Learn more about professional development publications that are easy to implement for your entire faculty, and are both quickly digestible and rigorous, by visiting https://us.johncattbookshop.com/.
Learn more about some of the newest titles:

• Michaela: The Power of Culture by Katharine Birbalsingh
• Teaching WalkThrus: Visual Step-by-Step Guides to Essential Teaching Techniques by Tom Sherrington and Oliver Caviglioli
• Putting Staff First: A blueprint for revitalising our schools by John Tomsett and Jonny Uttley
• The Teaching Delusion: Why Teaching In Our Schools Isn’t Good Enough (And How We Can Make It Better) by Bruce Robertson
• Stop Talking About Wellbeing: A pragmatic approach to teacher workload by Kat Howard

John Catt is also proud publisher of the new book from Transformative Principal host Jethro Jones: SchoolX: How principals can design a transformative school experience for students, teachers, parents – and themselves
Visit this page to learn more about bulk orders and how to bring John Catt’s research-based materials to your school: https://us.johncattbookshop.com/pages/agents-and-distributors

New Episode of @TrnFrmPrincipal

JC Pohl is the co-founder and CEO of TeenTruth.net

• Resilience is about taking the hits and moving forward.
• Hear about bad things with kids.
• Bouncing back.
• It was really in the hard times in our life that we grew.
• 5 keys to mental health.
• Why is it harder for teenagers?
• This is developmentally appropriate.
• To them it really does feel like it is the end of the world.
• Charismatic Adults - A developmental structure to support them.
• They need a touchpoint when they need it.
• All adults around out children have the ability to speak into their lives.
• Dr. Robert Brooks - charismatic adult is the single most important influence.
• Anybody can do this.
• Some people aren’t invited.
• Connect with students where they are.
• Kids form common bonds.
• Get free chapters: teentruth.net/resilientstudents Discount code relationships to get a discount on the book.
• How to be a transformative principal? Be vulnerable about a challenge you’re dealing with.

Today’s Sponsors

Innovative school leaders across the country have started tracking online student participation using TeachFX because it’s one of the most powerful ways to improve student outcomes during COVID — especially for English Learners and students of color. Learn more about TeachFX and get a special offer at TeachFX.com

Today’s Transformative Principal sponsor, John Catt Educational, amplifies world-class voices on timeless topics, with a list of authors recognized globally for their fresh perspectives and proven strategies to drive success in modern schools and classrooms.

John Catt’s mission is to support high-quality teaching and learning by ensuring every educator has access to professional development materials that are research-based, practical, and focused on the key topics proven essential in today’s and tomorrow’s schools.

Learn more about professional development publications that are easy to implement for your entire faculty, and are both quickly digestible and rigorous, by visiting https://us.johncattbookshop.com/.
Learn more about some of the newest titles:

• Michaela: The Power of Culture by Katharine Birbalsingh
• Teaching WalkThrus: Visual Step-by-Step Guides to Essential Teaching Techniques by Tom Sherrington and Oliver Caviglioli
• Putting Staff First: A blueprint for revitalising our schools by John Tomsett and Jonny Uttley
• The Teaching Delusion: Why Teaching In Our Schools Isn’t Good Enough (And How We Can Make It Better) by Bruce Robertson
• Stop Talking About Wellbeing: A pragmatic approach to teacher workload by Kat Howard

John Catt is also proud publisher of the new book from Transformative Principal host Jethro Jones: SchoolX: How principals can design a transformative school experience for students, teachers, parents – and themselves
Visit this page to learn more about bulk orders and how to bring John Catt’s research-based materials to your school: https://us.johncattbookshop.com/pages/agents-and-distributors

New Episode of @TrnFrmPrincipal

Mariana Aguilar did some field research to determine what causes students to be engaged in online and hybrid learning environments.

• How to define student engagement in online and hybrid environments.
• Hard to define engagement, but we all say we can feel it!
• You can feel it.
• Emotionally connected
• Manifests differently in hybrid environment
• Hard to read people’s language.
• How to turn on engagement for students, especially in an online space?
• You can use similar tactics that you. May do in in person learning as you do in virtual learning.
• Relationships!
• Teacher and principal relationships with families!
• Having a successful relationship requires connection between students, teachers and families.
• Instructional practices: smaller groups.
• Checks for understanding.
• Technology doesn’t have to be complex.
• Giving kids opportunities to engage in community based learning. Lead and health outcomes
• Students want to feel like they are having an impact on the world.
• How to be a transformative principal?
  Look for opportunities everywhere.

Today’s Sponsors

Innovative school leaders across the country have started tracking online student participation using TeachFX because it’s one of the most powerful ways to improve student outcomes during COVID — especially for English Learners and students of color. Learn more about TeachFX and get a special offer at TeachFX.com

Today’s Transformative Principal sponsor, John Catt Educational, amplifies world-class voices on timeless topics, with a list of authors recognized globally for their fresh perspectives and proven strategies to drive success in modern schools and classrooms.

John Catt’s mission is to support high-quality teaching and learning by ensuring every educator has access to professional development materials that are research-based, practical, and focused on the key topics proven essential in today’s and tomorrow’s schools.

Learn more about professional development publications that are easy to implement for your entire faculty, and are both quickly digestible and rigorous, by visiting https://us.johncattbookshop.com/.
Learn more about some of the newest titles:

• Michaela: The Power of Culture by Katharine Birbalsingh
• Teaching WalkThrus: Visual Step-by-Step Guides to Essential Teaching Techniques by Tom Sherrington and Oliver Caviglioli
• Putting Staff First: A blueprint for revitalising our schools by John Tomsett and Jonny Uttley
• The Teaching Delusion: Why Teaching In Our Schools Isn’t Good Enough (And How We Can Make It Better) by Bruce Robertson
• Stop Talking About Wellbeing: A pragmatic approach to teacher workload by Kat Howard

John Catt is also proud publisher of the new book from Transformative Principal host Jethro Jones: SchoolX: How principals can design a transformative school experience for students, teachers, parents – and themselves
Visit this page to learn more about bulk orders and how to bring John Catt’s research-based materials to your school: https://us.johncattbookshop.com/pages/agents-and-distributors

New Episode of @TrnFrmPrincipal

Danielle Nuhfer is a teacher and you can find more information about her at TeachingWell.Life

• Bringing Awareness to the present moment without judgment.
• Taking a step back and trying to think about how to proceed.
• The benefits of mindfulness in self-care and resilient person in our students’ lives.
• How to be mindful in talking about the coronavirus situation.
• Take a breath, think, and respond.
• Mindfulness allows us to see that everyone has their own story.
• Would you rather be right or happy?
• Take time for yourself to just breathe!
• Create moments where you do those checkins.
• It’s not about more, it is about changing how you do what you’re already doing.
• How to prepare for each day.
• Some kind of morning routine - quiet time.
• It can be more than five minutes, or it can be much shorter.
• How to be a transformative principal? Try to do something in regard to mindfulness.

Today’s Sponsors

Innovative school leaders across the country have started tracking online student participation using TeachFX because it’s one of the most powerful ways to improve student outcomes during COVID — especially for English Learners and students of color. Learn more about TeachFX and get a special offer at TeachFX.com

Today’s Transformative Principal sponsor, John Catt Educational, amplifies world-class voices on timeless topics, with a list of authors recognized globally for their fresh perspectives and proven strategies to drive success in modern schools and classrooms.

John Catt’s mission is to support high-quality teaching and learning by ensuring every educator has access to professional development materials that are research-based, practical, and focused on the key topics proven essential in today’s and tomorrow’s schools.

Learn more about professional development publications that are easy to implement for your entire faculty, and are both quickly digestible and rigorous, by visiting https://us.johncattbookshop.com/.
Learn more about some of the newest titles:

• Michaela: The Power of Culture by Katharine Birbalsingh
• Teaching WalkThrus: Visual Step-by-Step Guides to Essential Teaching Techniques by Tom Sherrington and Oliver Caviglioli
• Putting Staff First: A blueprint for revitalising our schools by John Tomsett and Jonny Uttley
• The Teaching Delusion: Why Teaching In Our Schools Isn’t Good Enough (And How We Can Make It Better) by Bruce Robertson
• Stop Talking About Wellbeing: A pragmatic approach to teacher workload by Kat Howard

John Catt is also proud publisher of the new book from Transformative Principal host Jethro Jones: SchoolX: How principals can design a transformative school experience for students, teachers, parents – and themselves
Visit this page to learn more about bulk orders and how to bring John Catt’s research-based materials to your school: https://us.johncattbookshop.com/pages/agents-and-distributors

New Episode of @TrnFrmPrincipal

Crystal Xu and Purvi Patel recently wrote a paper on how to Redesign School Level Systems For Equity.

• How systems work together.
• Started with redesign systems work.
• We actually have a lot more autonomy than we think.
• Expand our self-confidence around the structures we can control.
• How we define engagement in school.
• How do we deal with criticism that we face when we try to implement equitable practices.
• It comes with the self work.
• Power Struggle within a classroom.
• You’re good about making a decision when you know it is true to who you are.
• Privilege is not about good or bad.
• Fellowship learning experiences.
• How do we create more opportunities for Fellowship learning experiences.
• Making sure people have opportunities that didn’t usually have it before.
• Ceding power vs. Distributed leadership - Giving more ownership to others.
• All of those decisions can come with biases and other barriers.
• How to support people who may have an idea of what they want, but they don’t really have ideas of what they need.
• How do we really change school so we are serving our families, not so they are serving us?
• A sense of false choice.
• Take off the choices that are not possible for most marginalized families.
• How to be a transformative principal? Listen deeply and “Ring the bells that still can ring” quote. Identify a crack and see it as a light.

Today’s Sponsors

Innovative school leaders across the country have started tracking online student participation using TeachFX because it’s one of the most powerful ways to improve student outcomes during COVID — especially for English Learners and students of color. Learn more about TeachFX and get a special offer at TeachFX.com

Today’s Transformative Principal sponsor, John Catt Educational, amplifies world-class voices on timeless topics, with a list of authors recognized globally for their fresh perspectives and proven strategies to drive success in modern schools and classrooms.

John Catt’s mission is to support high-quality teaching and learning by ensuring every educator has access to professional development materials that are research-based, practical, and focused on the key topics proven essential in today’s and tomorrow’s schools.

Learn more about professional development publications that are easy to implement for your entire faculty, and are both quickly digestible and rigorous, by visiting https://us.johncattbookshop.com/.
Learn more about some of the newest titles:

• Michaela: The Power of Culture by Katharine Birbalsingh
• Teaching WalkThrus: Visual Step-by-Step Guides to Essential Teaching Techniques by Tom Sherrington and Oliver Caviglioli
• Putting Staff First: A blueprint for revitalising our schools by John Tomsett and Jonny Uttley
• The Teaching Delusion: Why Teaching In Our Schools Isn’t Good Enough (And How We Can Make It Better) by Bruce Robertson
• Stop Talking About Wellbeing: A pragmatic approach to teacher workload by Kat Howard

John Catt is also proud publisher of the new book from Transformative Principal host Jethro Jones: SchoolX: How principals can design a transformative school experience for students, teachers, parents – and themselves
Visit this page to learn more about bulk orders and how to bring John Catt’s research-based materials to your school: https://us.johncattbookshop.com/pages/agents-and-distributors

New Episode of @TrnFrmPrincipal

Matthew is a principal in Nashville, He was recently selected by FranklinCovey Education as a Leader in Me Community Champion in recognition of his outstanding work Trauma Informed Educators Network Facebook group

“I’m an activator,” he says. “In education, everyone is waiting for someone else to do something different, but if something is inequitable, I’m not going to wait―I’m going to disrupt.”

• Impact of social justice and trauma informed practices
• Trauma as a whole, but not as an event.
• Intergenerational transmission of trauma.
• Impact of racial trauma over time and day to day.
• ACES and Trauma.
• Understanding implicit bias
• If we’re not cognizant of it, it can wreak havoc on our impact as an educator.
• How do we navigate our roles as educator’s knowing that we possess bias?
• Why do we have clip charts in elementary schools?
• Unapologetic disruptor
• Our schools are designed to reflect the majority of our culture
• Behavior is a lagging skill instead of a personal choice.
• Change the school to meet the needs of our kids.
• When we put norms on kids.
• Look at kids as though they are doing the best they can!
• Many people have experienced trauma.
• Focused on the strengths of what kids come with.
• We’ve learned that clip charts in the classroom
• When public shaming becomes a norm in the school it can have major damage.
• Every kid is a genius.
• You’re being sent home because…
• How to have the conversation with adults.
• Teachers just like kids are doing the best they could.
• De-escalating kids.
• An escalated adult cannot deescalate an escalated child.
• Tap in and tap out strategy.
• Happy teacher revolution.
• You’re done.
• I can’t handle that weight. It’s too much.
• how to be a transformative principal? Activator - don’t wait for someone else to do it or try it. If it doesn’t work, it’s ok.

Today’s Sponsors

Innovative school leaders across the country have started tracking online student participation using TeachFX because it’s one of the most powerful ways to improve student outcomes during COVID — especially for English Learners and students of color. Learn more about TeachFX and get a special offer at TeachFX.com

Today’s Transformative Principal sponsor, John Catt Educational, amplifies world-class voices on timeless topics, with a list of authors recognized globally for their fresh perspectives and proven strategies to drive success in modern schools and classrooms.

John Catt’s mission is to support high-quality teaching and learning by ensuring every educator has access to professional development materials that are research-based, practical, and focused on the key topics proven essential in today’s and tomorrow’s schools.

Learn more about professional development publications that are easy to implement for your entire faculty, and are both quickly digestible and rigorous, by visiting https://us.johncattbookshop.com/.
Learn more about some of the newest titles:

• Michaela: The Power of Culture by Katharine Birbalsingh
• Teaching WalkThrus: Visual Step-by-Step Guides to Essential Teaching Techniques by Tom Sherrington and Oliver Caviglioli
• Putting Staff First: A blueprint for revitalising our schools by John Tomsett and Jonny Uttley
• The Teaching Delusion: Why Teaching In Our Schools Isn’t Good Enough (And How We Can Make It Better) by Bruce Robertson
• Stop Talking About Wellbeing: A pragmatic approach to teacher workload by Kat Howard

John Catt is also proud publisher of the new book from Transformative Principal host Jethro Jones: SchoolX: How principals can design a transformative school experience for students, teachers, parents – and themselves
Visit this page to learn more about bulk orders and how to bring John Catt’s research-based materials to your school: https://us.johncattbookshop.com/pages/agents-and-distributors

New Episode of @TrnFrmPrincipal

James Anderson is a educator, author, and speaker and a master of mindset work. Today we are talking about Learner Agency.

• Anders Ericson - purposeful practice.
• Agile Learner - capable of growth, but also knows how to go about achieving the growth.
• What it means to achieve the growth in life.
• Growth mindset is how much you see yourself as a learner.
• How do I get really good at achieving that growth.
• What it looks like to be a good learner.
• Five areas: challenge, habits of mind, mistakes, feedback, time and energy.
• We don’t talk a lot about being a skillful learner.
• Seeks to find out what students can do rather than defining their abilities.
• Performance learners avoid going to their best level. Stay in performance zone, but don’t go beyond their best.
• Challenges will come and go, but behaviors stay with them.
• Agile learner is proactive.
• What does it mean to be fragile.
• Anti-Fragile means drop me, it helps.
• VUCA World
• Post traumatic growth
• Black Swan Events - you cannot predict the future, but you can prepare for it.
• Look to the shite space in between.
• How to be a transformative principal? Ask yourself what are you currently doing that is deliberately focused on helping students become better learners. We don’t get

Innovative school leaders across the country have started tracking online student participation using TeachFX because it’s one of the most powerful ways to improve student outcomes during COVID — especially for English Learners and students of color. Learn more about TeachFX and get a special offer at TeachFX.com

Today’s Transformative Principal sponsor, John Catt Educational, amplifies world-class voices on timeless topics, with a list of authors recognized globally for their fresh perspectives and proven strategies to drive success in modern schools and classrooms.

John Catt’s mission is to support high-quality teaching and learning by ensuring every educator has access to professional development materials that are research-based, practical, and focused on the key topics proven essential in today’s and tomorrow’s schools.

Learn more about professional development publications that are easy to implement for your entire faculty, and are both quickly digestible and rigorous, by visiting https://us.johncattbookshop.com/.
Learn more about some of the newest titles:

• Michaela: The Power of Culture by Katharine Birbalsingh
• Teaching WalkThrus: Visual Step-by-Step Guides to Essential Teaching Techniques by Tom Sherrington and Oliver Caviglioli
• Putting Staff First: A blueprint for revitalising our schools by John Tomsett and Jonny Uttley
• The Teaching Delusion: Why Teaching In Our Schools Isn’t Good Enough (And How We Can Make It Better) by Bruce Robertson
• Stop Talking About Wellbeing: A pragmatic approach to teacher workload by Kat Howard

John Catt is also proud publisher of the new book from Transformative Principal host Jethro Jones: SchoolX: How principals can design a transformative school experience for students, teachers, parents – and themselves
Visit this page to learn more about bulk orders and how to bring John Catt’s research-based materials to your school: https://us.johncattbookshop.com/pages/agents-and-distributors

New Episode of @TrnFrmPrincipal