ForwardEd Network

ForwardEd Network
ForwardEd Network
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Connecting educators. Serving students. Moving forward. Welcome to ForwardEd Network, a growing educational media network bringing together independent voices, original podcasts, and meaningful conversations about education. Like a television network with different programs, ForwardEd is home to a variety of shows, each with its own perspective, personality, and purpose. From school leadership and classroom practice to educational innovation, professional growth, and the challenges facing schools today, our network connects listeners with ideas and conversations worth sharing. Our foundation is built on three pillars: Innovation, Trust, and Teamwork. We believe some of the most valuable conversations in education happen when people are willing to explore new ideas, share authentic experiences, and learn from one another. One network. Many voices. Shared purpose. ForwardEd Network brings together podcasts and educational creators who are passionate about their work and committed to moving education forward. Whether you're a teacher, principal, district leader, education professional, or simply someone invested in the future of learning, you'll find a range of perspectives across our programming. We also believe that great ideas shouldn't be limited by access to technology or production resources. That's why ForwardEd provides affiliated creators with podcast hosting, distribution, and promotional support at no cost, allowing them to focus on the content and conversations that matter. Subscribe to the ForwardEd Network channel to discover episodes from across our growing collection of shows, all in one place. Different shows. Different perspectives. One ForwardEd Network. Connecting educators. Serving students. Moving forward.

  1. 4d ago

    Belonging Isn’t the Same as Being Comfortable - Your Morning Boost: A School Leadership Podcast

    We talk constantly about belonging in schools. But did we ever promise that belonging would always be comfortable? Dr. Shelley Jones-Holt returns to Your Morning Boost for a conversation about what belonging actually requires when people bring genuinely different identities, beliefs, experiences, and perspectives into the same organization. Adam and Shelley explore a critical distinction: “I don’t belong” isn’t necessarily the same as “I’m not getting my way.” Belonging means people should be able to speak honestly, disagree, and still know their dignity and place in the community are protected. They also discuss the shared responsibility of both the organization and the individual. Leaders must clearly state what belonging looks like, model those expectations, and back their words with consistent action. At the same time, individuals have to examine whether a feeling of exclusion comes from being genuinely marginalized or from encountering ideas, decisions, or perspectives they do not prefer. Because belonging isn’t something we simply say we value. It is something people should be able to see us doing. What You’ll Hear: Why belonging and comfort are not the same thingHow disagreement can coexist with a strong sense of belongingThe difference between exclusion and simply not getting your wayWhy leaders need explicit expectations around dignity, voice, and respectHow words about belonging must be reinforced through visible actionWhy cultural missteps can become opportunities for learning and repair Key Takeaways: Belonging does not require constant comfort or agreementLeaders must make expectations for dignity, voice, and inclusion explicitOrganizations build trust when their actions consistently match their stated valuesIndividuals share responsibility for examining the source of their own discomfortCultural mistakes should often be treated as learning opportunities rather than automatic evidence of exclusionBelonging is built through repeated actions, not posters or slogans Learn more about Dr. Shelley through Dr. Shelley Speaks or connect with her on LinkedIn. Contact: info@drshelleyspeaks.com

    Belonging Isn’t the Same as Being Comfortable - Your Morning Boost: A School Leadership Podcast

  2. Oct 21

    The Meeting Isn’t the Work - Your Morning Boost: A School Leadership Podcast

    The Meeting Isn’t the Work A meeting can feel incredibly productive without actually producing very much. We talked. We shared ideas. Everyone contributed. We may have even scheduled another meeting. But when people walk out of the room, what is actually different? This week, we look at one of the easiest traps in school leadership: confusing conversation with progress. Some meetings absolutely need to happen. The problem isn’t meetings themselves. It’s bringing people together without being clear about what the work is supposed to accomplish. We explore why repeated conversations carry a cultural cost, how poor follow-through slowly teaches people that their time and thinking may not matter, and why leaders should match the communication tool to the work. Sometimes the answer is a full meeting. Sometimes it’s an email. Sometimes three people simply need 15 minutes together. The real test is simple: what moved because we met? If a meeting ends without a decision, a clear next step, an assigned owner, or a problem that is meaningfully closer to being solved, leaders should ask whether the meeting was the right tool in the first place. What You’ll Hear: Why productive conversation isn’t always productive workThe cultural cost of repeatedly reopening the same issuesWhy unclear outcomes can lead to disengagement and multitaskingHow to decide between a meeting, an email, or a smaller conversationWhy every meeting should leave something different behindHow clear ownership and next steps turn discussion into momentum Key Takeaways: A meeting can feel productive while creating very little actual changeLeaders should decide before a meeting what should be different when people leaveReopening the same issues without clear records or follow-through erodes trustThe communication tool should match the workEvery meeting should end with a decision, a clarified next step, or an assigned ownerMeetings should create momentum, not simply consume time 🎧 Listen to Your Morning Boost: https://push.fm/fl/yourmorningboost

    The Meeting Isn’t the Work - Your Morning Boost: A School Leadership Podcast

  3. Oct 19 ·  Bonus

    Student Behavior: What Actually Changed? - Control+Shift+Lead: The Education Leadership Podcast

    Kids are different now. We hear it in schools all the time—but is it actually true? Adam Busch and Jim Wichman are joined by Jessica Cabeen and Meg Simon to wrestle with what's really changed about student behavior, attention, relationships, and the way schools respond to young people. Jessica offers a useful challenge: maybe the kids haven't changed as much as leaders need to change. From there, the conversation explores behavior as communication, the conditions adults create for students, changing expectations around compliance, and what today's students may be telling us about schools. The conversation also turns the question back on educators. If we're frustrated that students aren't responding the way they once did, are we adapting our practices—or expecting students to adapt to systems that haven't changed with them? What You'll Hear: Why behavior can be understood as a form of communicationHow adult-created conditions influence student behaviorWhat changing attention habits mean for schoolsThe difference between compliance and meaningful engagementWhy leaders may need to examine their own willingness to changeThe power of noticing students and making sure they know they matter Control Shift Lead is hosted by Adam Busch and Jim Wichman on the ForwardEd Network. Listen and follow Control Shift Lead: https://push.fm/fl/csl

    Student Behavior: What Actually Changed? - Control+Shift+Lead: The Education Leadership Podcast

  4. Oct 14

    Families Don’t Experience Departments. They Experience Your School. - Your Morning Boost: A School Leadership Podcast

    Families Don’t Experience Departments. They Experience Your School. Schools organize themselves into departments because it makes the work manageable. Families don’t experience us that way. When a parent reaches out with one problem, they aren’t thinking about student services, communications, counseling, administration, or which department owns the answer. They simply see their child’s school — and every handoff, delayed response, and communication gap becomes part of that experience. In this episode, we sit down with Ian Nenke to explore what school leaders can learn by looking at our systems through the eyes of families. We talk about parent communication, cultural differences, responsiveness, trust, and why sometimes the best thing a leader can do is take ownership of finding an answer rather than sending a family somewhere else. We also look at how easily internal structures can become external frustration. One example: a single parent email with several questions that ultimately touched four different offices. From the school’s perspective, that may make organizational sense. From the family’s perspective, it can feel fragmented, slow, and confusing. The question isn’t simply whether each department is doing its job well. It’s whether the entire experience makes sense from the other side. What You’ll Hear: Why families experience the school as one system, not separate departmentsHow handoffs and communication gaps can quickly become trust problemsWhy a quick, honest response matters even when you don’t yet have the answerWhy taking ownership often matters more than knowing exactly who “owns” the issueHow small, sincere interactions help families decide whether a school feels responsive, connected, and human Key Takeaways: Families experience the whole school, not the organizational chartA short, honest response is often more valuable than silenceLeaders build trust by taking ownership and helping families find answersSmall interactions across a school can strengthen the sense of communitySeeing the school through a parent’s eyes can reveal gaps that internal structures hide 🎧 Listen to Your Morning Boost: https://push.fm/fl/yourmorningboost

    Families Don’t Experience Departments. They Experience Your School. - Your Morning Boost: A School Leadership Podcast

  5. Oct 7

    You’re Going to Get Some of This Wrong - Your Morning Boost: A School Leadership Podcast

    𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗳 𝘁𝗿𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽𝘀 𝘂𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿? School leaders know that culture, identity, language, and lived experience matter. We know we shouldn't make assumptions. But sometimes knowing what we don't know can make us hesitant to engage at all. Adam is joined by Dr. Shelley Jones-Holt for a conversation about cultural fluency, curiosity, mistakes, and what it means to keep learning as a leader. They explore whether fear of saying the wrong thing can become its own leadership barrier—and why becoming more culturally fluent may require accepting that we won't always get it right. The goal isn't perfection. It's having the humility, curiosity, and courage to learn when we miss something. Dr. Jones-Holt has served education for more than 20 years as a teacher, principal, district administrator, superintendent, college faculty member, executive mentor, and equity leadership coach. Learn more about Dr. Shelley Jones-Holt at Dr. Shelley Speaks or connect with her on LinkedIn. 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘵: 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘰@𝘥𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘴.𝘤𝘰𝘮 Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/your-morning-boost-a-school-leadership-podcast--6630377/support. Thank You for Listening! This has been an episode from The FowardED Network—Where we are Advancing Voices and Shaping Education. We are dedicated to supporting everyone invested in K-12 success: teachers, leaders, parents, and community advocates. Want to keep the conversation going? Subscribe: Never miss an insight. Hit the subscribe or follow button on your podcast app to automatically receive our next episode.Share the Knowledge: If this episode provided value, please take a moment to rate and review us! Your five-star reviews help new teachers, parents, and leaders find our network.Explore the Network: This show is just one part of the ForwardEd Network family. Head over to our network page to explore our full roster of interconnected podcasts, including CTRL Shift Lead, Vice Principal UnOfficed, From Carpool to College, and Your Morning Boost.Connect with Us: Have a question or an idea for a future episode? Reach out to us at admin@forwardednetwork.com or find us on social media using the tag #theForwardEDnetwork. Ready for your next boost? Browse our catalog and discover your next great listen on The ForwardED Network. This episode includes AI-generated content.

    You’re Going to Get Some of This Wrong - Your Morning Boost: A School Leadership Podcast

  6. Oct 5 ·  Bonus

    Do Teachers Actually Want Autonomy? - Control+Shift+Lead: The Education Leadership Podcast

    Teachers say they want autonomy. Leaders say they want to give it to them. So why does autonomy get complicated so quickly when someone makes a decision a leader doesn't agree with? In this conversation, Adam Busch and Jim Wichman are joined by Jill Urich and Kara Mitchell to wrestle with what meaningful autonomy actually looks like in schools. The discussion moves from the idea of a teacher's “sandbox” to the guardrails that help people understand where they have freedom, where consistency matters, and how mission and vision can help define the difference. The conversation also gets personal. Jim shares what happened when an instructional coach challenged the way he was leading professional learning—and why his first response was to storm out of his own office. It's a funny moment that leads to a much bigger leadership question: when do our attempts to support people actually get in their way? What You'll Hear: • Why autonomy without clarity can create confusion • The difference between tight expectations and loose implementation • How mission and vision can function as leadership guardrails • Why strong systems matter more than depending on individual people • A question every leader should ask: “In what ways am I getting in your way?” Control Shift Lead is hosted by Adam Busch and Jim Wichman on the ForwardEd Network. Listen and follow Control Shift Lead: https://push.fm/fl/csl Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/control-shift-lead-the-education-leadership-podcast--7112587/support. Thank You for Listening! This has been an episode from The FowardED Network—Where we are Advancing Voices and Shaping Education. We are dedicated to supporting everyone invested in K-12 success: teachers, leaders, parents, and community advocates. Want to keep the conversation going? Subscribe: Never miss an insight. Hit the subscribe or follow button on your podcast app to automatically receive our next episode.Share the Knowledge: If this episode provided value, please take a moment to rate and review us! Your five-star reviews help new teachers, parents, and leaders find our network.Explore the Network: This show is just one part of the ForwardEd Network family. Head over to our network page to explore our full roster of interconnected podcasts, including CTRL Shift Lead, Vice Principal UnOfficed, From Carpool to College, and Your Morning Boost.Connect with Us: Have a question or an idea for a future episode? Reach out to us at admin@forwardednetwork.com or find us on social media using the tag #theForwardEDnetwork. Ready for your next boost? Browse our catalog and discover your next great listen on The ForwardED Network. This episode includes AI-generated content.

    Do Teachers Actually Want Autonomy? - Control+Shift+Lead: The Education Leadership Podcast

  7. Sep 30

    Not Everything Needs to Become an Initiative - Your Morning Boost: A School Leadership Podcast

    Schools are really good at launching things. New programs. New frameworks. New language. New training. But what if the work we are trying to improve is already happening somewhere in the organization? In this episode of Your Morning Boost, we reflect on the difference between introducing something new and strengthening what already exists. A story from years ago about a districtwide instructional initiative raises a simple leadership question: before we launch, how well do we understand the current reality? Sometimes people need new learning. Sometimes they need greater consistency. And sometimes the expertise we need is already right down the hallway. Before the next good idea becomes another initiative, take a look at what is already working. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/your-morning-boost-a-school-leadership-podcast--6630377/support. Thank You for Listening! This has been an episode from The FowardED Network—Where we are Advancing Voices and Shaping Education. We are dedicated to supporting everyone invested in K-12 success: teachers, leaders, parents, and community advocates. Want to keep the conversation going? Subscribe: Never miss an insight. Hit the subscribe or follow button on your podcast app to automatically receive our next episode.Share the Knowledge: If this episode provided value, please take a moment to rate and review us! Your five-star reviews help new teachers, parents, and leaders find our network.Explore the Network: This show is just one part of the ForwardEd Network family. Head over to our network page to explore our full roster of interconnected podcasts, including CTRL Shift Lead, Vice Principal UnOfficed, From Carpool to College, and Your Morning Boost.Connect with Us: Have a question or an idea for a future episode? Reach out to us at admin@forwardednetwork.com or find us on social media using the tag #theForwardEDnetwork. Ready for your next boost? Browse our catalog and discover your next great listen on The ForwardED Network.

    Not Everything Needs to Become an Initiative - Your Morning Boost: A School Leadership Podcast

  8. Sep 23 ·  Bonus

    The Conversation You’re Avoiding Is Getting More Expensive - Your Morning Boost: A School Leadership Podcast

    𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗮 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗱𝘀 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲? Years ago, Adam found himself frustrated with a successful coach whose decisions were affecting participation in other programs. Adam hinted at the problem, talked generally about supporting the whole school, and waited for the coach to recognize what seemed obvious. There was just one problem: he had never actually told him. When Adam finally shared the data and clearly explained the concern, the coach understood. He cared about the school and wanted the entire program to succeed. The conversation Adam had avoided for years turned out to be one the coach was perfectly capable of having. In this episode of Your Morning Boost, Adam explores the hidden cost of conflict avoidance, the stories leaders begin telling themselves when frustration goes unspoken, and why waiting isn't always neutral. 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘶𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵. 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺, 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘵. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/your-morning-boost-a-school-leadership-podcast--6630377/support. Thank You for Listening! This has been an episode from The FowardED Network—Where we are Advancing Voices and Shaping Education. We are dedicated to supporting everyone invested in K-12 success: teachers, leaders, parents, and community advocates. Want to keep the conversation going? Subscribe: Never miss an insight. Hit the subscribe or follow button on your podcast app to automatically receive our next episode.Share the Knowledge: If this episode provided value, please take a moment to rate and review us! Your five-star reviews help new teachers, parents, and leaders find our network.Explore the Network: This show is just one part of the ForwardEd Network family. Head over to our network page to explore our full roster of interconnected podcasts, including CTRL Shift Lead, Vice Principal UnOfficed, From Carpool to College, and Your Morning Boost.Connect with Us: Have a question or an idea for a future episode? Reach out to us at admin@forwardednetwork.com or find us on social media using the tag #theForwardEDnetwork. Ready for your next boost? Browse our catalog and discover your next great listen on The ForwardED Network. This episode includes AI-generated content.

    The Conversation You’re Avoiding Is Getting More Expensive - Your Morning Boost: A School Leadership Podcast
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About

Connecting educators. Serving students. Moving forward. Welcome to ForwardEd Network, a growing educational media network bringing together independent voices, original podcasts, and meaningful conversations about education. Like a television network with different programs, ForwardEd is home to a variety of shows, each with its own perspective, personality, and purpose. From school leadership and classroom practice to educational innovation, professional growth, and the challenges facing schools today, our network connects listeners with ideas and conversations worth sharing. Our foundation is built on three pillars: Innovation, Trust, and Teamwork. We believe some of the most valuable conversations in education happen when people are willing to explore new ideas, share authentic experiences, and learn from one another. One network. Many voices. Shared purpose. ForwardEd Network brings together podcasts and educational creators who are passionate about their work and committed to moving education forward. Whether you're a teacher, principal, district leader, education professional, or simply someone invested in the future of learning, you'll find a range of perspectives across our programming. We also believe that great ideas shouldn't be limited by access to technology or production resources. That's why ForwardEd provides affiliated creators with podcast hosting, distribution, and promotional support at no cost, allowing them to focus on the content and conversations that matter. Subscribe to the ForwardEd Network channel to discover episodes from across our growing collection of shows, all in one place. Different shows. Different perspectives. One ForwardEd Network. Connecting educators. Serving students. Moving forward.

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