The EdLeadership Pair: Real Conversations for Today’s School Leaders

The Edleadership Pair
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  • Self-Improvement
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A Marzano Resources and Solution Tree podcast.  As two long-time school leaders, we discuss contemporary issues that today's school leaders face. We offer insights and advice for leaders and share some of our favorite leadership experiences. You will also catch a few married couple jokes sprinkled throughout : )

  1. 4d ago ·  Video

    Beyond Volunteering: Building Real Family Engagement In Schools | A National Parent Panel - Ep 03

    Send us Fan Mail Trust doesn’t break in one big moment. It breaks in the small ones: the email that never gets answered, the policy link that’s broken, the “you should know where to find that” response that leaves a family feeling alone. As the school year ramps up, we sit down with a panel of parents from across the United States to talk candidly about what schools are doing well, where families are struggling, and what real family engagement looks like beyond volunteer hours and fundraising. We dig into the difference between parental involvement and authentic parent-school partnerships, with practical stories about relationship-based teaching, predictable routines, and why belonging matters as much as curriculum. Then we tackle the pressure points parents feel right now: confusing communication pathways, information overload, and technology decisions that spill into home life. Cell phone bans, 1:1 devices, online assessments, screen time, social media, and AI all raise the same question for caregivers: what’s the plan, and how do we support it at home? We also zoom out to the systems level where transparency matters most. Parents want leaders who explain priorities plainly, show how funds are used, share clear goals and progress, and invite families into problem-solving before issues turn into conflict. If you’re a principal, superintendent, teacher leader, or school board member, you’ll leave with concrete ideas for clearer communication, stronger stewardship, and trust-building habits that actually scale. Subscribe for more leadership conversations, share this with a colleague, and leave a review if it helps. What’s one change your school could make this year to treat families more like true partners? Marzano ResourcesMarzano Resources is a leading educational support provider.Solution TreeSolution Tree helps teachers and administrators confront essential challenges.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.🔗 Connect With Us 🌐 Bios: https://www.theedleadershippair.com/about-us   📸 Instagram: @edleadership_pair ▶️ YouTube: The EdLeadership Pair 🎥 TikTok: @theedleadershippair 🌐 Website & Newsletter: www.theedleadershippair.com Join our growing community of school leaders navigating today’s challenges together.

  2. Aug 16 ·  Video

    Back To School Leader Checklist - Ep 02

    Send us Fan Mail Your school year is going to follow a system whether you design it or not. We sit down with our own opening-of-school planning documents and talk through the tactical moves that keep a campus calm, clear, and focused once students arrive and the pace accelerates. If you are a principal, assistant principal, or district leader building a back-to-school plan, this is a practical checklist you can pause, replay, and turn directly into action. We start with school safety: getting drills on the calendar, tightening procedures, and taking modern emergency preparedness seriously, including how you communicate with staff, students, and families. We also expand “safety” beyond physical security into educator wellness and student wellness, using the physical, social, emotional, and mental frames so your support systems are ready before you need them. From there we build the operating calendar that protects what matters. We talk scheduling the year’s big dates, meeting cadences, stakeholder listening points, and after-action reviews so new initiatives actually improve. We also dig into staff development that sticks: using whole-staff time for vision casting, differentiating professional learning, and letting teachers lead teachers on timely topics like AI. We close with communication cycles, creating a single source of truth for families, early school logistics that shape belonging, and systems of celebration because what you celebrate becomes your culture. Subscribe, share this with your leadership team, and leave a review so more school leaders can find the tools to start strong. What part of your back-to-school plan needs the most protection right now? Marzano ResourcesMarzano Resources is a leading educational support provider.Solution TreeSolution Tree helps teachers and administrators confront essential challenges.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.🔗 Connect With Us 🌐 Bios: https://www.theedleadershippair.com/about-us   📸 Instagram: @edleadership_pair ▶️ YouTube: The EdLeadership Pair 🎥 TikTok: @theedleadershippair 🌐 Website & Newsletter: www.theedleadershippair.com Join our growing community of school leaders navigating today’s challenges together.

  3. Aug 10 ·  Video

    Before the First Bell | What Leaders Should Consider before the New Year - Ep 01

    Send us Fan Mail The first days of the school year feel like logistics season, but we think the real work starts earlier: the culture and climate you set before students ever arrive. If we get those wrong, the best calendars, schedules, and initiatives won’t survive contact with real classrooms. So we slow down and talk about how school leaders can intentionally build a campus experience that supports adults and students from day one. We draw a clean line between school climate and school culture. Climate is the immediate, day-to-day experience people feel, while culture is the shared staff beliefs plus the norms and behaviors those beliefs produce. Then we share five reflective points we use for back-to-school planning: decide what your school will protect, shape the climate people experience, make your values visible through systems, build for the students arriving now, and stretch your culture without discarding its strengths. Along the way, we give you a practical framework for climate anchored in four core feelings: safe, supported, valued, and fulfilled. We talk recognition beyond top performance, protected collaboration time, intervention systems that match what you say you believe, and why “teach, don’t tell” matters more than ever in a world of fast-paced tech and AI. If you’re a principal, AP, instructional coach, or district leader trying to make school improvement actually stick, this is a playbook for the first weeks that set the tone for the whole year. Subscribe for more season two conversations, share this with a leader who is planning staff return, and leave a review so more educators can find the show. Marzano ResourcesMarzano Resources is a leading educational support provider.Solution TreeSolution Tree helps teachers and administrators confront essential challenges.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.🔗 Connect With Us 🌐 Bios: https://www.theedleadershippair.com/about-us   📸 Instagram: @edleadership_pair ▶️ YouTube: The EdLeadership Pair 🎥 TikTok: @theedleadershippair 🌐 Website & Newsletter: www.theedleadershippair.com Join our growing community of school leaders navigating today’s challenges together.

  4. Aug 2 ·  Video

    What Great Leaders Do Differently | A Conversation with Dr. Todd Whitaker – Ep. 30

    Send us Fan Mail Guest: Todd Whitaker www.toddwhitaker.com Every great leader has been shaped by someone who challenged the way they think. For Mario and Courtney, that leader is Dr. Todd Whitaker. In this special conversation, one of education's most influential authors shares timeless leadership principles that are more relevant today than ever. Rather than focusing on what's broken in schools, Dr. Whitaker challenges leaders to identify what is already working and intentionally replicate excellence throughout the organization. The fastest way to improve a school is hiding in plain sight, and it is already working in at least one classroom down the hall. We talk with Dr. Todd Whitaker, bestselling author of What Great Teachers Do Differently and What Great Principals Do Differently, about a leadership approach that cuts through the noise: stop feeding the loudest problems, start replicating your best practice, and teach behaviors so the beliefs follow.  We get concrete about what “teach, don’t tell” looks like with adults. Todd explains why short-term fixes create long-term headaches, how principals can use walkthroughs and timely, specific notes to move practice without triggering defensiveness, and why culture is less about slogans and more about repeated expectations that never fade. He also shares a clear warning for school leaders: when mentors are assigned by convenience, we quietly train new teachers to become average. Pair excellence with excellence, build mutual classroom visits that feel safe and non-evaluative, and let early wins create the adult peer pressure that makes improvement spread.  We also tackle the hard part: what to do when support is offered and someone still refuses. Todd breaks down the difference between ignorance (not yet knowing how) and insubordination (choosing not to), plus how to play the long game by focusing on prevention over revenge. If you’re leading through tech distractions, burnout, and rising behavior concerns, this conversation brings clarity and a workable plan built for real schools. Subscribe, share this with a fellow leader, and leave a review with the one idea you’re going to try next week. Marzano ResourcesMarzano Resources is a leading educational support provider.Solution TreeSolution Tree helps teachers and administrators confront essential challenges.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.🔗 Connect With Us 🌐 Bios: https://www.theedleadershippair.com/about-us   📸 Instagram: @edleadership_pair ▶️ YouTube: The EdLeadership Pair 🎥 TikTok: @theedleadershippair 🌐 Website & Newsletter: www.theedleadershippair.com Join our growing community of school leaders navigating today’s challenges together.

  5. Jul 26

    Best of Season 1: Rebuilding What Schools Lost | The Expectations Students Need Again - Ep 29

    Send us Fan Mail 🎧 Episode Overview Instead of introducing a brand-new topic, this special Best of Season 1 episode revisits one of the conversations that resonated most with school leaders across the country. Throughout Season 1, principals repeatedly told us they were trying to rebuild something that quietly disappeared during years of survival mode—not because educators stopped caring, but because schools had to rapidly adapt. In this episode, Mario and Courtney revisit the leadership ideas that matter most:  rebuilding student expectations  restoring meaningful relationships  balancing technology with authentic connection  strengthening school culture  reconnecting with families  creating schools where students and adults thrive This isn't about returning to 2019. It's about intentionally rebuilding the parts of school that students still need today. 💡 Big Ideas From This Episode • Schools became increasingly focused on outputs instead of human development. • Connection must come before correction. • Technology should strengthen—not replace—relationships. • Expectations should be intentionally taught. • School culture is built through everyday experiences. • Family engagement must move beyond communication. • Small leadership decisions shape long-term culture. • Great schools intentionally cultivate belonging. 🧠 Leadership Takeaways 1. Schools develop people—not simply academic outcomes. Academic success grows from environments where students feel connected, valued, and supported. 2. Connection always comes before correction. Relationships remain the strongest intervention for improving behavior and engagement. 3. Teach expectations directly. Don't assume students already know. Teach. Model. Practice. Reinforce. 4. Balance technology with humanity. Technology is an incredible tool. It should never replace conversation, collaboration, or belonging. 5. Rebuild family partnerships. Strong schools intentionally seek family voice—not simply family participation. 🔥 Powerful Quotes "Schools aren't trying to go backward. They're trying to rebuild what quietly disappeared." "Connection always comes before correction." "Schools are about cultivating humans." "Technology is a powerful tool—but it should never replace relationships." "Adult behavior always precedes student outcomes." 🛠 Practical Framework Rebuilding What Schools Lost Step 1 Identify students becoming disconnected. Step 2 Assign every struggling student to a connected adult. Step 3 Explicitly teach behavioral expectations. Step 4 Reconnect relationships before correcting behavior. Step 5 Maintain expectations consistently through daily practice. 🎯 Final Thought The best schools don't move backward. They move forward by intentionally restoring the relationships, expectations, and sense of belonging that help students—and adults—do their very best work. Sometimes the most important leadership work isn't creating something new. It's rebuilding what mattered most. 🎙 The EdLeadership Pair Podcast Now brought to you by Marzano Resources & Solution Tree 🌐 www.marzanoresources.com www.solutiontree.com 🔗 Connect With Us 🌐 Bios: https://www.theedleadershippair.com/about-us   📸 Instagram: @edleadership_pair ▶️ YouTube: The EdLeadership Pair 🎥 TikTok: @theedleadershippair 🌐 Website & Newsletter: www.theedleadershippair.com Join our growing community of school leaders navigating today’s challenges together.

  6. Jul 19

    Stop Answering the Same Questions Every Day | Summer Shorts Series – Ep. 28

    Send us Fan Mail 🎧 Episode Overview Policies tell people what they can do. Playbooks show people how to do it. In this Summer Shorts episode, Mario and Courtney explore one of the most overlooked leadership systems in schools: the operational playbook. Too often, principals become the answer to every question because expectations only exist inside the leader's head. Every email, interruption, hallway conversation, and office visit becomes another decision that could have been prevented with a clear operating system. This episode walks leaders through why every school should build a practical playbook that creates consistency, improves efficiency, and makes leadership more sustainable. 💡 Big Ideas From This Episode • Policies establish expectations, but playbooks define execution. • Operational playbooks reduce confusion and inconsistency. • Every repeated question is an opportunity to build a system. • Great leaders document decisions instead of relying on memory. • Summer provides the best opportunity to build operational systems. • AI can identify inconsistencies across your documents. • Clear playbooks strengthen coaching and accountability. • Operational consistency creates equitable leadership decisions. 🧠 Leadership Takeaways 1. Policies are not enough. District policy explains the rule. Your campus playbook explains exactly how the rule is implemented. 2. Build systems for recurring decisions. If your staff keeps asking the same question... Document the answer. Create a process. Eliminate unnecessary interruptions. 3. Every decision becomes part of your operating system. Mario shares how the "All Things Form" allowed every request—from field trips to funding—to flow through one consistent system. Consistency becomes easier when decisions are documented. 4. Use AI to strengthen your systems. Courtney explains how AI tools like Claude can compare playbooks, handbooks, and operational documents to identify inconsistencies and gaps. 5. Start small and improve every year. Your playbook doesn't have to be perfect. Begin documenting your most common procedures today. Refine them every year. Small improvements compound over time. 🔥 Powerful Quotes "Policies tell people what to do. Playbooks show them how." "If it's only in your head, it's not a system." "Every repeated question is an opportunity to build a better process." "The more consistent your systems, the more equitable your leadership becomes." "Start building it now. Your future self will thank you." 🛠 Practical Framework Building an Operational Playbook Step 1: Identify recurring questions. Step 2: Document the process step-by-step. Step 3: Store procedures in one searchable location. Step 4: Review decisions for consistency. Step 5: Update the playbook throughout the year. 🎯 Final Thought Great schools don't rely on memory. They rely on systems. Every process you document today creates greater clarity, consistency, and confidence for your staff tomorrow. 🎙 The EdLeadership Pair PodcastNow brought to you by Marzano Resources & Solution Tree 🌐 www.marzanoresources.com www.solutiontree.com 🔗 Connect With Us 🌐 Bios: https://www.theedleadershippair.com/about-us   📸 Instagram: @edleadership_pair ▶️ YouTube: The EdLeadership Pair 🎥 TikTok: @theedleadershippair 🌐 Website & Newsletter: www.theedleadershippair.com Join our growing community of school leaders navigating today’s challenges together.

  7. Jul 12

    Who’s At Your Table? | Summer Shorts Series – Ep 27

    Send us Fan Mail 🎧 Episode Overview Most school leaders feel buried in meetings. Too many committees. Too many conversations. Not enough movement. But the problem usually isn’t the number of meetings. It’s the lack of clarity and purpose. In this Summer Shorts episode, Mario and Courtney break down one of the most overlooked leadership levers in schools: intentional teams designing for shared leadership. Who should be in the room? What should they own? What should they influence? And how do you structure leadership so you’re not carrying the entire campus on your own? This conversation is about moving beyond random meetings into purpose-driven distributed leadership, where every table has a clear role, the right people, and the right work.  💡 Big Ideas From This Episode • Not all meetings should serve the same purpose. • Every leadership team needs a clearly defined lane. • Shared leadership builds stronger decisions. • Small schools can still use the same structures with a tighter cadence. • Advisory teams provide input; leadership teams help make decisions. • Climate and culture require intentional structures. • The wrong people on the right committee can derail progress. • Great committees create future leaders. • Shared decision-making is one of the strongest indicators of a healthy school culture. 🧠 Leadership Takeaways 1. Audit your meetings. Not every meeting is necessary. But every necessary meeting should have: ✔ A clear purpose ✔ Defined outcomes ✔ The right people If not, it’s just calendar clutter. 2. Separate your leadership lanes. Mario outlines four major leadership lanes: Operations → How the school runs Curriculum & Instruction → How students learn Culture/Vision → Where the school is going Climate → How people feel Each lane matters. Each deserves intentional attention. 3. Advisory teams are different from leadership teams. This distinction matters: Leadership teams help make decisions. Advisory teams help surface information. Both are essential. But they serve different purposes. 4. Every team needs a purpose statement. Purpose creates alignment. Examples: Climate Team: How do we help people feel safe, supported, valued, and fulfilled? Culture Team: What do we believe, and how do we align behavior to those beliefs? Operations Team: How do we ensure safe, supportive, orderly systems? Without purpose, teams drift. 5. Build committees based on values + performance. Mario introduces a powerful filter: Ask: Who aligns to the values of this committee? And… Who performs well in this space? Don’t just fill seats. Build intentionally. 6. Protect your teams from “shadows.” Constructive skeptics are valuable. Chronic complainers are dangerous. The difference? A constructive skeptic asks: “Is this better for kids?” A shadow asks: “Is this easier for me?” That distinction changes everything. 7. Great committees build future leaders. Leadership teams are not just for solving today’s problems. They are your pipeline. Today’s committee member can become tomorrow’s AP, principal, or district leader. Leadership grows where leadership is practiced. 🔥 Powerful Quotes “Never have a meeting without a clear purpose.” “Shared leadership is the hallmark of an effective culture.” “Climate is not about happy. Climate is about how people feel.” “The wrong people at the table can slow everything down.” “Leadership teams are force multipliers.” 🛠 Practical Framework: The Leadership Team Audit Step 1: Identify your lanes What work must happen in your school? Examples: ✔ Operations ✔ Instruction ✔ Climate ✔ Culture ✔ Advisory Step 2: Define purpose Why does this team exist? What problem does it solve? Step 3: Define authority What decisions can they make? What is outside their lane? Step 4: Build intentionally Choose people based on: • value alignment • skill • perspective • credibility Step 5: Protect the cadence Even if you’re a smaller school: Don’t eliminate the work. Condense it. Rotate it. Protect it. 🎯 Final Thought The strength of your school is often determined by the strength of the tables you build. If every decision runs through one person, the system eventually bottlenecks. But when the right people sit at the right tables with the right purpose— clarity increases, trust deepens, and leadership expands. Don’t just build meetings. Build leadership structures. And let those structures carry the work. 🔗 Connect With Us 🌐 Bios: https://www.theedleadershippair.com/about-us   📸 Instagram: @edleadership_pair ▶️ YouTube: The EdLeadership Pair 🎥 TikTok: @theedleadershippair 🌐 Website & Newsletter: www.theedleadershippair.com Join our growing community of school leaders navigating today’s challenges together.

  8. Jul 3

    What Principals are Really Facing Today | National Principal Panel - Ep 26

    Send us Fan Mail 🎧 Episode Overview In this special event episode, Mario and Courtney bring together a panel of principals from across the country for a raw, honest conversation about what school leadership feels like right now. From Iowa to Texas to North Dakota to Nevada to New Mexico, these leaders unpack the real weight of the principalship: crisis management public perception staff accountability marketing schools parent pressures social media challenges staffing uncertainty and the emotional load of leading people well What emerges is a powerful reminder: Leadership today is heavier than ever. But great principals are still finding ways to stay grounded, build trust, support teachers, and keep kids at the center. This episode is a window into the realities of school leadership—and a reminder that no leader carries it alone. 💡 Big Ideas From This Episode • The principalship has become far more complex than instructional leadership alone  • School leaders now function as marketers, crisis managers, and community builders  • Social media has changed how schools build trust—and how conflict spreads  • Staff need presence more than perfection from their leaders  • Trust and autonomy are critical for teacher growth  • Accountability must exist inside healthy culture  • Difficult conversations require clarity, courage, and consistency  • Visibility matters more than leaders often realize  • The emotional weight of leadership is real—but shared 🧠 Leadership Takeaways 1. The principalship has changed Today’s principals are managing: ✔ crisis  ✔ politics  ✔ social media  ✔ enrollment  ✔ staffing  ✔ parent demands  ✔ public trust It’s no longer just about instruction. 2. Schools are now competing Families have options. That means principals must market: culture trust belonging opportunity Enrollment is survival. 3. Visibility matters Teachers do not always need another meeting. Sometimes they need: your presence Walking halls. Sitting in common spaces. Being accessible. Presence builds trust. 4. Trust multiplies teachers Great leaders don’t micromanage. They: trust professionals support risk-taking create autonomy provide resources That’s how staff grow. 5. Accountability is still love The panel made this clear: Holding someone accountable is not cruelty. It’s clarity. It’s care. And it’s necessary. 6. Difficult conversations cannot be avoided Avoidance creates bigger problems. Strong leaders: ✔ prepare  ✔ stay grounded  ✔ stay clear  ✔ stay kind  ✔ stay direct 7. Community keeps leaders afloat One of the strongest themes: You cannot do this alone. Every principal needs: mentors peers thought partners safe spaces Leadership is too heavy to carry alone. 🔥 Powerful Quotes “Everything is figureoutable.” “Clear is kind. Unclear is unkind.” “They don’t need a manager. They need a mentor.” “People want to be seen, heard, and known.” 🛠 Practical Framework: Supporting Staff Well STEP 1: Be Visible Presence before pressure. STEP 2: Build Trust Give autonomy. Support innovation. STEP 3: Clarify Expectations Core values.  Vision.  Non-negotiables. STEP 4: Coach Before Correcting Ask:  What’s happening?  What support do you need? STEP 5: Hold the Line If expectations are clear: Accountability follows. 🎯 Quick Reflection Questions Am I leading instruction—or just managing crisis? Do my teachers feel seen? Where am I over-functioning? What am I tolerating that needs accountability? Who is helping me carry this work? 🎙 Final Thought Leadership can feel isolating. Heavy. Messy. And at times, impossible. But this conversation reminds us: There are great principals everywhere carrying the same weight. Fighting the same battles. Loving kids the same way. And doing the work anyway. If you’re in it right now— keep going. You are not alone. 🎙 The EdLeadership Pair Podcast Now brought to you by Marzano Resources & Solution Tree 🌐 www.marzanoresources.com | www.solutiontree.com 🔗 Connect With Us 🌐 Bios: https://www.theedleadershippair.com/about-us   📸 Instagram: @edleadership_pair ▶️ YouTube: The EdLeadership Pair 🎥 TikTok: @theedleadershippair 🌐 Website & Newsletter: www.theedleadershippair.com Join our growing community of school leaders navigating today’s challenges together.

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About

A Marzano Resources and Solution Tree podcast.  As two long-time school leaders, we discuss contemporary issues that today's school leaders face. We offer insights and advice for leaders and share some of our favorite leadership experiences. You will also catch a few married couple jokes sprinkled throughout : )

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