Principal Matters: The School Leader's Podcast with William D. Parker

A Quick Note to Listeners: Before each week’s interview, Jen Schwanke and I spend some time answering a listener question. This week’s question is: How do you coach and support teachers at different levels in their experience? For instance, new teachers, mid-level, and veterans? Listen in to hear our response! Meet Justin Wax: Justin Wax is the Louisiana Principal of the Year and is in his fifth year as principal of Denham Springs Junior High in Livingston Parish. Under his leadership, the school is a 2024 and 2025 Top Gains Honoree, was named one of U.S. News and World Report’s Best Middle Schools for 2024 – 2026, and has been named a 2026 Model School. A graduate of LSU with a bachelor’s in business administration and a master’s in educational leadership from Southeastern Louisiana University, Wax came to education through alternative certification. He runs an aquaponics lab to conserve endangered Louisiana plant and animal species, partners with community leaders to eliminate student fees, and supports a rapidly growing English learner population. Wax is committed to helping others become a capacity catalyst. He serves as Vice President of the Livingston Parish Principals Association and board member of Louisiana Association of Principals. Wax is a married father of three young children and serves as a deacon at his church. Build for Forever: In this episode of Principal Matters, host Dr. Jen Schwanke sits down with Justin Wax, Louisiana Principal of the Year and principal of Denham Springs Junior High, to discuss how leaders can shift from gatekeepers to empowerers. Justin shares actionable insights on how to step out of the way, build collective efficacy, and cultivate a vibrant school culture where everyone leads.  Here are a few key takeaways from the conversation with Justin: Shift from Leader to “Capacity Catalyst”: To stop being the bottleneck, you have to adopt a new mindset. Justin introduces the concept of the Capacity Catalyst—a leader who intentionally creates opportunities for others to step up, contribute, and shine. Time and resources are finite. Instead of trying to do it all, a capacity catalyst focuses on leveraging individual team strengths, fostering deep community relationships, and maximizing the tools already at hand.  We need to stop equating long hours with productivity and align schedules with actual priorities, ensuring time is spent on what truly moves the needle for your school community. Empower Others Through Trust (The 80% Rule): We often say “delegation” when we really mean “giving tasks away.” Justin prefers the word empowerment, which grants team members the actual authority and freedom to make decisions. Leaders often hoard work because they fear mistakes or believe they can do it better themselves. Justin uses a brilliant rule of thumb: aim for 80% completion from your team members, and then work together to cross the finish line. This builds immense trust, collaborative spirit, and a deep sense of staff ownership. Cultivate Teacher Leaders and Build Pipelines: Justin is clear that the accolades at Denham Springs Junior High aren’t a solo achievement; they are the result of collective effort. Justin shares how he intentionally builds sustainable leadership pipelines by giving teachers the space and independence to sponsor clubs, pioneer initiatives, and involve students in high-level decision-making. He encourages principals not to wait for a flawless plan. Embrace a “test and learn” environment. Cultivating a pilot mentality reduces the fear of failure and supercharges innovation. Protect the “Three Years of Awesome”: A thriving school culture relies entirely on strong relationships. Justin’s school’s mantra—“three years of awesome”—captures his fierce commitment to making the junior high experience unforgettable and positive for students and staff alike. He also suggests watching to see if students are actively taking ownership and leading the programming, because that is a clear sign that leadership isn’t just coming from the front office. This episode provides many takeaways for principals, and will help principals know how to do something Justin values— building not just for today, but for forever. Staying Connected: If you would like to connect with Justin Wax, you can reach him on Facebook. You can also visit his school’s Facebook to learn more about Denham Springs Jr. High. The post Build for Forever with Justin Wax – PMP526 appeared first on Principal Matters.

The Power of Negative Thinking: Turning Worry into Productive Planning by William D. Parker When I was a new assistant principal, I was excited and nervous about teacher observation and evaluation. The idea of sitting in other classrooms for extended amounts of time was something I had not done since student teaching. Now, it would be my responsibility to provide feedback to dozens of teachers. My intention was to give each one the kind of attention and support I had wanted as a teacher. Sadly, once the school year began, student discipline, parent concerns, and master schedule challenges quickly crowded into my calendar. Before long, I was months into the school year when I realized I wouldn’t finish my observations on time. What did I do? I crammed them all into a few days and gave feedback that was lacking and insufficient. What happens when we fail to anticipate the reality of what we’re going to experience, even when we have the best intentions? “The Power of Negative Thinking” I’ve been reading a book by Col. Chris Hadfield called An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth. He’s a Canadian astronaut who has flown missions with NASA, lived on the International Space Station, and became a YouTube sensation when singing songs with his guitar in space. The book is a deep dive into the preparation, skills, and mindset necessary for leadership in space, but it is also a great book for leadership in general. In particular, I have been pushed in my thinking as Hadfield espouses an idea he calls “the power of negative thinking.” Imagine the worst-case scenario, and then plan in advance how to respond if or when that happens. Better yet, plan in advance for how you may keep it from happening. What You Can’t Control Many situations are never within your control. You cannot control natural disasters, predict when a crisis will happen, or force people to behave perfectly. Life and humans are messy, and any leader who thinks he or she controls these outcomes is fooling themselves. Hadfield talks about scenarios where NASA team members pull together in advance of a mission and role-play his death (58–59). Sound morbid? It is, but it also reveals a lot of unanswered questions: Who will inform family members? How quickly can a press release be written? What happens if his wife cannot be reached by phone? These same scenarios apply to schools. Whether it is an intruder drill, a bad weather situation, or a car accident resulting in the death of a staff member or student, how do you role-play these scenarios in advance so that you are responding, not reacting, in these situations? What You Can Control On the other hand, some situations you can anticipate in advance. The end of a grading period is on the calendar. Spring semester will bring changes to your master schedule or course catalogs. Teacher observations and evaluations will be due by certain dates. How do you anticipate the best outcomes and plan accordingly? Or, as Hadfield would ask, how do you imagine a nightmare outcome? Then plan accordingly to keep that from happening. So, here’s a question his work prompted that I’ve never asked leaders before: Imagine the worst end-of-year outcomes you can think of. What would that feel like, look like, sound like, and be like for your school? Maybe it’s meeting none of the learning goals you’ve set. Maybe it is your school culture crumbling around you and turning toxic. Maybe the budget implodes and cuts are deeper than you’ve ever imagined. These scenarios are hard to imagine and feel so counterintuitive to how most school leaders operate—with the highest expectations in mind. Hadfield would say, however, that imagining the worst and then planning strategically for it not to happen is the opposite of worry—it’s a practice in productivity. How might this look in reality for your own leadership? It may mean pulling together trusted team members and talking about worst-case scenarios in advance, and then planning simulations or practices in case those situations occur. It may mean reexamining your procedures, plans, and norms around meetings, professional development, or teacher development—and asking if what you are doing is actually producing the kind of outcomes you were targeting. It may mean taking an honest look at your calendar and asking if what you said was most important for your outcomes is actually reflected in what you have scheduled and are doing. These are just a few ways that the “power of negative thinking,” as Hadfield puts it, can help you avoid worrying and turn those concerns into productive planning, strategy, and execution. Let’s Wrap This Up After my first year as an administrator, I learned that good intentions were not a plan. If I was going to observe and evaluate teachers with meaningful feedback, it meant I had to create a calendar for the school year in advance of the school year. I had to block out time each week for the names and rooms of teachers whom I would visit. I shared this schedule with them. It didn’t mean I followed it exactly or was able to write the script for each of my days. I still had to manage things out of my control, but because I had anticipated many things still in my control, I was able to achieve far more of what I intended than I had before. Now It’s Your Turn How would the “power of negative thinking” help you as you think ahead? What worst-case scenarios can you imagine that planning now might prepare you for? Thank you for your commitment to leading with intentionality, and thank you for doing what matters! Works Cited Hadfield, Chris. An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth: What Going to Space Taught Me About Ingenuity, Determination, and Being Prepared for Anything. Random House Canada, 2013. The post MONDAY MATTERS with Jen Schwanke and Will Parker – The Power of Negative Thinking appeared first on Principal Matters.

A Quick Note to Listeners: Before this week’s episode, Jen Schwanke and I take some time to answer a listener question. This week’s question is: What do I do if I have a colleague who views collaboration as an opportunity to hand me work that is actually their own responsibility area? Listen in to hear our response! Meet Don Smith & Jenni Donohoo: Don Smith is the Director of Professional Services at FIRST Educational Resources, where he supports school leaders and systems across the country in grading reform, instructional clarity, and leadership development. A former principal and longtime advocate for effective implementation, Don brings a practitioner’s lens to the challenges of leading meaningful change in schools. Jenni Donohoo is an internationally recognized author, speaker, and researcher whose work focuses on collective teacher efficacy, school improvement, and leadership. Her work has been widely cited by educational researchers, including John Hattie, and she has helped shape the global conversation around efficacy in schools. In collaboration with Don Smith, her newest book, The Confidence to Lead: Building Principal and Collective Efficacy in Schools, provides research-based guidance for building stronger leaders and stronger teams. What makes school improvement stick? That’s the question I explore this week with two outstanding voices in education leadership, Don Smith and Jenni Donohoo, as we unpack their new book, The Confidence to Lead. Together, we dive into one of the most important (and often overlooked) drivers of school success: principal efficacy. We talk a lot in education about collective teacher efficacy, but Don and Jenni challenge us to think one step earlier. What if the confidence of the leader is the catalyst that shapes everything else? What if the principal’s belief in their ability to guide instruction, navigate challenges, and support teachers is the missing link in school improvement? In this conversation, Don shares powerful stories from his own leadership journey, including a vulnerable moment early in his principal-ship when he realized his lack of confidence in literacy leadership was holding his staff back. Jenni expands on the research behind efficacy, reminding us that efficacy isn’t just positive thinking. It’s a shared belief, grounded in evidence, that we can overcome barriers together and make a difference for students. One of the biggest takeaways for me was this: leaders do not have to be masters of every content area, but they do need to master the process of leading learning. That means creating the conditions where teachers collaborate with purpose, focus on instructional improvement, and see evidence that their work is making an impact. We also discuss: Why some schools make meaningful change while others stall The critical connection between principal efficacy and collective teacher efficacy How leaders build confidence through action, not before action Why small wins and mastery experiences matter How efficacy works at every level (from principals to teachers to students) Jenni reminds us that confidence isn’t a prerequisite for hard work; it’s the product of doing hard work well, together. And Don offers one of the most practical reflection tools in the episode: list every initiative happening in your building and honestly ask yourself, How confident am I leading this? That reflection may reveal why some things are thriving while others are stuck. This conversation is full of practical wisdom, honest reflection, and encouragement for leaders who may feel overwhelmed by the weight of the work. If you’re leading a school, supporting leaders, or trying to strengthen your team’s belief in what’s possible, this episode will challenge and encourage you. Key takeaway: The goal isn’t perfection. The goal is growth. And the belief we build around that growth shapes everything. Connect with Don and Jenni through First Educational Resources and check out their new book, The Confidence to Lead: Building Principal and Collective Efficacy in Schools. Contact information: You can email Don Smith at [email protected] and Jenni Donohoo at [email protected]. The post Building Principal and Collective Efficacy with Don Smith & Jenni Donohoo – PMP525 appeared first on Principal Matters.

This week, Jen Schwanke and I talk about a recent post she made, “The Loudest Room in the Building.” I especially loved this quote: But it’s also the heartbeat of the school day—messy, loud, and entirely human… Jen explains how the one place many leaders dread being is also a place where a lot of connections can happen. Listen in as we discuss ideas like: Being visible Being mobile Building bridges Low-stakes moments Contexts for classrooms Thank you for listening in and learning together. We’d love to hear ways you utilize important moments of the day with your students and staff. Thank you for doing what matters! The post MONDAY MATTERS with Jen Schwanke and Will Parker – The Loudest Room in the Building appeared first on Principal Matters.

A Quick Note to Listeners: Before each week’s interview, Jen Schwanke and I take some time to answer a listener question. This week’s question is: How do I know if corrective feedback to my AP’s is more helpful than discouraging? Listen in to hear our response! Meet Casey Watts: Casey Watts has spent 20 years in education, as a teacher, coach, and consultant, watching talented educators become stuck in silos, overwhelmed by initiatives, and frustrated by collaboration that felt more like chaos than progress. She knows the real problem isn’t a lack of effort or expertise. It’s a lack of clarity. Through her Clarity Cycle Framework, Casey helps instructional leaders cut through the noise, align their teams, and turn collaboration into something that actually works. Because without clarity, even the best teams stay stuck. Now, as the founder of Casey Watts Coaching & Consulting, and host of The Catching Up with Casey Podcast, she’s on a mission to help school leaders stop spinning their wheels and start leading with purpose. Whether speaking, coaching, or leading workshops, Casey equips leaders with the tools to create the kind of teams that don’t just function but thrive. Why Clarity Matters In this episode, I had the opportunity to talk to Casey about one of the most important and often overlooked leadership skills in schools: clarity. Casey’s journey from classroom teacher to district instructional specialist to full-time consultant has been shaped by one central question: Why do so many well-intentioned teams struggle to collaborate effectively? Her answer, over time, has become clear: most teams aren’t lacking effort or expertise; they’re lacking clarity. Casey shared the story that led to the development of her Clarity Cycle Framework. While facilitating a day of curriculum work with teachers, she discovered that what administrators believed had been communicated clearly and what teachers believed they were there to do were completely different. That moment revealed a painful but common reality in schools: leaders often assume clarity has been established simply because something has been said. But as Casey reminded us, communication and clarity are not the same thing. Who Needs to Be at This Table? One of the biggest takeaways from our conversation was Casey’s reminder that school leaders cannot do this work alone. When the pressure mounts, the temptation is to carry everything yourself. But Casey encouraged leaders to stop asking “How do I do all this?” and start asking “Who needs to be at this table?”. Building an instructional leadership team that includes not only administrators but also instructional coaches, counselors, and teacher leaders creates the shared ownership necessary for sustainable improvement. Narrowing the Focus We also talked about the power of narrowing the focus. In a school environment filled with competing priorities, Casey challenged leaders to identify the one thing that matters most right now: the area of focus that, if improved, would have a ripple effect on everything else. Clarity begins with prioritization. And once that focus is identified, leaders must slow down enough to analyze it, unpack the language around it, and ensure everyone shares the same understanding of what success looks like. Listening Tours One of my favorite parts of our conversation was Casey’s explanation of how leaders can bridge the gap between expectations and ownership through listening tours. Instead of assuming teachers understand the vision, leaders need to create space to ask questions, listen carefully, and gather insight. Those conversations not only reveal where the confusion lies, but they also help leaders adjust their plans and bring people into the process. That’s where ownership begins. Painting the Picture I shared a story from my own classroom days about teaching research papers and realizing that my students needed a visible roadmap of the entire process before they could successfully complete it. That lesson reinforced what Casey teaches so well: clarity isn’t just about saying the right thing; it’s about painting the picture, mapping the journey, and helping people see where they are and where they’re headed. That’s true for students, and it’s just as true for adults. Let’s Wrap This Up: As we wrapped up, Casey offered a timely reminder for leaders entering the busy stretch of the school year: slow down. Protect time. Close the door. Gather your team. Clarify what matters most. In a season when everything can feel urgent, clarity gives us permission to focus on what is essential. If you’re a school leader feeling overwhelmed, stretched thin, or uncertain about how to bring alignment to your team, this conversation will encourage you and give you practical next steps. I know it did for me. You can connect with Casey through her website, Catching Up with Casey, or find her book The Craft of Clarity on Amazon. And as always, thanks for listening, and thank you for doing what matters! The post The Craft of Clarity with Casey Watts – PMP524 appeared first on Principal Matters.