GAEL UnscriptED

Georgia Association of Educational Leaders

GAEL UnscriptED, the podcast that goes beyond the headlines and handbooks to bring you unfiltered insights from Georgia’s top educational leaders, innovators, and changemakers. Hosted by Ben Wiggins, Executive Director of GAEL, this show dives deep into the challenges, opportunities, and unexpected twists that shape education today. From leadership strategies to policy discussions—and everything in between—GAEL UnscriptED is your go-to source for candid conversations that make an impact. No scripts. No fluff. Just real talk from those leading the way in Georgia’s schools.

  1. 3H AGO

    GAEL UnscriptED S2:E17 | Teacher Retention Starts With Leaders

    Teacher retention is often treated like a staffing puzzle, but we keep coming back to a tougher truth: educators stay or leave based on the daily experience of working in a school. That experience is shaped, minute by minute, by leadership. We sit down with Jennie Welch and Leslie Hazel Bussey from GLISI to unpack Retain (Restoring Teacher Aspiration and Innovation), a leadership development program designed to improve educator retention by changing working conditions at the source.  Jeffrey O’Neal, an assistant principal at Marietta City High School, brings the real-world view from the building. He shares how his leadership mindset shifted from pure performance mode to human centered leadership that still gets results. We dig into teacher voice as a practical strategy for belonging, trust, and instructional risk-taking, plus what it looks like to listen well without carrying everyone’s stress home. Jeffrey also names something many school leaders feel but rarely have language for: secondary traumatic stress, and how simply naming it can be a turning point.  We also get concrete about the tools: somatic awareness, short breathing practices, five minutes of silence, being present where your feet are, and setting boundaries so the job does not swallow your entire life. Retain treats these as elite leadership skills tied to clarity, decision making, and resilience. You’ll also hear why “quick fixes” like jeans days miss the point, and how sustained investment in people connects to measurable retention results over time.  Subscribe for more conversations with education leaders, share this with a principal or AP who needs it, and leave a review so more educators can find the show. What is one leadership habit you think would most improve teacher retention where you work?

    31 min

  2. 4D AGO

    2026 Georgia Education Legislative Recap

    The laws that hit Georgia classrooms rarely start as clean, simple ideas. They start as priorities, get reshaped by amendments and late-night negotiations, and land in districts with real staffing, scheduling, and budget consequences. We sit down with GSSA leaders Josh Hooper, Rob Brown, and Mike McGowan for a detailed Georgia education legislative recap that connects what happened at the Capitol to what superintendents, principals, and district teams will actually have to do next. We talk through the collaboration behind the scenes with Peach State Education Partners and why relationships and in-person advocacy still matter. Then we dig into the biggest K-12 public education bills: the literacy legislation (House Bill 1193), what the timelines look like, and why the move toward QBE-supported literacy coaches matters for long-term stability. We also cover the cell phone restrictions moving toward high school, the Math Matters Act time requirements and advanced math placement rules, completion schools cleanup, educator preparation program performance measures, and the return-to-work extension for retired TRS educators through 2030. The financial storyline gets just as real. We unpack the property tax fight, the shift from proposals that could have capped district revenue to what ultimately passed, and the state income tax reduction plan. We also explain new district fiscal monitoring and accountability laws and why strong financial practices protect local control. If you lead in Georgia schools and want a clear, practical map of what changed and what’s coming next, this conversation is for you. Subscribe for more Georgia education policy updates, share this with a colleague who handles budgets or scheduling, and leave us a review. What bill will impact your district the most this year?

    1h 22m

  3. MAY 4

    GAEL UnscriptED S2:E16 | How GLISI Builds Trust Based Leadership

    The fastest way to stall school improvement is to treat leadership like a set of tips you can download. Real change asks something harder: adults have to be willing to learn, unlearn, and look in the mirror. We sit down with Leslie Hazel Bussey (CEO and Executive Director of GLISI), Jennie Welch (Chief Strategy and Growth Officer), and Dr. Brian Keefer (Fulton County Schools) to talk about what leadership development looks like when it’s built for transformation and not compliance. We unpack how GLISI designs professional learning that actually sticks by creating psychological safety, building trust through community, and pushing teams to identify the true root of a problem of practice. Leslie and Jennie explain why defining a clear district leadership profile matters for culture, shared expectations, and retention. Brian shares what he saw as a principal and now as a central office leader, including why middle school leadership teams often get overlooked and how intentional team learning creates accountability that follows you back into the school year. We also zoom out to the outcomes everyone cares about: teacher retention, leader retention, and student success. Brian challenges the “high-achieving school” label by asking a sharper question: are kids doing great, not just scoring great? The conversation highlights practical ways districts can measure student experience through engagement, attendance, and culture while strengthening working conditions for educators. If you want smarter school leadership, stronger professional learning, and a repeatable process for change, hit play, then subscribe, share with a colleague, and leave a review so more Georgia education leaders can find the show.

    36 min

  4. APR 27

    GAEL UnscriptED S2:E15 | Level Up Fulton: with Lisa Steele & Brian Keefer

    Turnover doesn’t just drain a district’s budget, it drains trust, momentum, and student support. We talk with Lisa Steele and Dr. Brian Keefer from Fulton County Schools about a different way to approach the problem: build a clear, incentive-based professional learning pathway that helps people see a future inside the organization. We walk through Level Up Fulton, a three-tier professional development model designed for every employee, from school leaders to classified staff. Level One anchors people in district values and shared language through tools like CliftonStrengths. Level Two gets role-specific with meaningful problems of practice and portfolio-based evidence so learning shows up in daily work. Level Three offers distinct paths that expand leadership capacity at scale, including executive coaching training, high-quality professional learning design, and leadership academy programs for aspiring principals, assistant principals, instructional coaches, and non-instructional leaders. The results are the headline, but the design choices are the real lesson. We dig into how Fulton uses employee feedback to refine the program, why marketing matters for participation, and how “building the bench” reduces the need to recruit leaders from outside. We also share practical ideas smaller districts can use immediately by tapping internal experts and creating simple, structured growth paths. If you care about teacher retention, principal retention, leadership development, and professional learning that actually changes outcomes, this conversation offers a blueprint worth stealing. Subscribe, share with a colleague, and leave a review with the one retention challenge you want solved next.

    35 min

  5. APR 20

    GAEL UnscriptED S2:E 14 | Lose The Title And Go Walk The Halls

    The first year as a superintendent can feel like drinking from a firehose, and the pressure to prove yourself fast is real. We sit down with Dr. Robbie Hooker (Retired from Clarke County Schools) and Dr. Philip Brown (Jackson County Schools) to talk honestly about what makes that first year work: humility, visibility, and the kind of trust you can only earn over time. We unpack the transition from the principal seat to district leadership and the habits that help you learn a new community quickly. You’ll hear why a 90-day plan matters, how listening tours and town halls shape a credible vision, and why transparency with stakeholders builds resilience when decisions get hard. We also dig into practical “walk the halls” leadership, treating district office work as service, and how mentoring students keeps leaders connected to the mission. The conversation goes deeper into the biggest challenges facing public education leaders right now: emotional composure, political and cultural noise, enrollment shifts, and competition from homeschooling, private schools, and charter options. We talk about focusing on what improves student outcomes, using simple but powerful data points like literacy rates, buses on time, and lost instructional minutes, and treating the strategic plan as a living document that can change when the data demands it. If you’re a new superintendent, aspiring district leader, or a principal considering the jump, this one is built for you. Subscribe for more leadership conversations, share this with a colleague who needs it, and leave a review with the best first-year advice you’ve ever gotten.

    31 min

  6. APR 6

    GAEL UnscriptED S2:E13 | GLISI Part #1

    You can feel it in every school building right now: the pace is relentless, the stakes are high, and even great people can slide into survival mode. We bring in Leslie Hazle Bussey and Jennie Welch from GLISI, the Georgia Leadership Institute for School Improvement, to talk about a different path, one built on leadership development that changes culture, not just calendars. We dig into how GLISI partners with districts across Georgia, including strategic planning with the Georgia School Boards Association, and why their work is designed to be deeply place-based. We also get specific about professional learning: when an intact leadership team steps away from the daily fire drill for experiences like Base Camp and Leadership Summit, trust can form faster, thinking gets clearer, and leaders can start acting with intention. That off-site design is not fluff; it is a practical way to restore capacity and build shared language across a community ecosystem. Then we get to impact. GLISI shares outcomes tied to school improvement and student success, including partner graduation rates that average higher than the state, stronger intent-to-stay signals connected to teacher retention, and meaningful boosts in educator satisfaction. We also explore “Portrait Of A Graduate” work that uses creative student input and empathy interviews to reshape what learning can look like, making it more engaging, relevant, and workforce-aligned. If you care about education leadership, principal coaching, teacher retention, and sustainable school improvement, this one is for you. Subscribe, share with a colleague, and leave a review, then tell us: what is one leadership move that kept you in the work?

    32 min

  7. MAR 30

    GAEL UnscriptED S2:E12 | Why GAEL Matters

    Leadership in public education can feel lonely until you find the right people in your corner. We’re joined by former GAEL executive director, Dr. Jimmy Stokes and GAEL COO, Dusty Smith for a fast-moving conversation on how Georgia’s education leaders build community, preserve the best traditions, and show up as advocates when public schools need a stronger voice.  We trace GAEL’s roots back to 1974, the legacy of H. M. Fulbright, and why the summer conference at Jekyll Island still matters for new superintendents, principals, and district administrators. Then we spotlight the partners who quietly strengthen the work, including Bowen Grad and the University of West Georgia, and what it looks like to invest in leadership development that lasts beyond one job or one year.  We also break down the awards and scholarships that carry GAEL’s values forward: the H. M. Fulbright Distinguished Service Award, the Eileen McGill Award, the Skip Yow Award, and the recognition that happens across affiliates. You’ll hear how the Gold Dome Group tracks Georgia education legislation during the session, why coordinated advocacy matters, and how new leaders can plug in quickly. If you care about public school advocacy, education policy, and becoming a more effective school leader, this one gives you both history and next steps.  Subscribe for more GAEL conversations, share this with a colleague who’s new to leadership, and leave a review so more Georgia educators can find the show.

    39 min

  8. MAR 23

    GAEL UnscriptED S2:E11 | Schools Can Use AI Without Letting Cheating Win with Trek Ai

    Students are already using AI for school, whether we approve it or not and that reality is forcing district leaders to make choices fast. We sit down with Erin Burchik of Trek AI and Brent Coleman of GET to get honest about what’s happening in classrooms, what’s going wrong with unapproved tools, and what “safe AI for schools” should actually mean when academic integrity is on the line.  We dig into the accuracy problem that rarely makes it into the marketing. If an AI model can hallucinate, a confident answer can still be the wrong answer, and that is a deal breaker for learning. Erin and Brent explain how Trek AI is built around K-12 content and a Socratic tutoring approach that guides students step by step rather than becoming an answer machine, plus visibility features that let educators coach students early by reviewing logged chats.  We also get practical about the upside for teachers and students: standards aligned support for Georgia classrooms, world language conversation practice, help for English language learners, math walkthroughs from a simple photo upload, and teacher tools that can reduce planning and grading time. The bigger takeaway is a framework for AI policy that feels like a learner permit: guardrails first, skills and judgment next, then broader independence.  If you’re a superintendent, principal, instructional tech leader, or classroom teacher trying to balance innovation with trust, press play and take notes. Subscribe for more conversations like this, share the episode with your leadership team, and leave a review so more educators can find it.

    34 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

GAEL UnscriptED, the podcast that goes beyond the headlines and handbooks to bring you unfiltered insights from Georgia’s top educational leaders, innovators, and changemakers. Hosted by Ben Wiggins, Executive Director of GAEL, this show dives deep into the challenges, opportunities, and unexpected twists that shape education today. From leadership strategies to policy discussions—and everything in between—GAEL UnscriptED is your go-to source for candid conversations that make an impact. No scripts. No fluff. Just real talk from those leading the way in Georgia’s schools.

Information

  • Creator
    Georgia Association of Educational Leaders
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    38
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 GAEL UnscriptED
  • Show Website
    GAEL UnscriptED