Moves Leaders Make - Season 1, Episode 7: Designing a School Around Values, Ritual, and Student Agency

In this episode of Moves Leaders Make, hosts Penny Kittle and Elaine Millen talk with Katy Inman, a school leader at the Center for Teaching and Learning in Boothbay Harbor, Maine. Founded by Nancie Atwell, the school is known for its deep commitment to reading, writing, and student-centered learning.

Katy shares how intentional rituals, shared faculty values, extended work time, and student-led portfolio conferences shape a culture where children feel seen, capable, and motivated. From daily morning meetings to goal-setting conferences beginning in kindergarten, this conversation explores how small structural moves create a school environment grounded in purpose, agency, and joy.

GUEST
Katy Inman — School leader at the Center for Teaching and Learning in Boothbay Harbor, Maine.

KEY TAKEAWAYS
• How daily morning meetings create belonging and shared purpose.
• Why faculty-selected annual values anchor school culture.
• The importance of long, uninterrupted work blocks for meaningful learning.
• How student goal-setting and portfolio conferences build ownership from kindergarten on.
• Moving away from grades toward narrative feedback and growth reflection.
• Designing a school intentionally small to function as a learning laboratory.
• Creating systems that welcome visiting educators to learn from practice.

BOOKS & REFERENCE
• Stoner by John Williams
• Night of the Living Rez by Morgan Talty

Moves Leaders Make — A Book Love Foundation Podcast; Hosted by Penny Kittle and Elaine Millen; Produced by Testwood Creative Studio; Music by ryanancona, licensed from Pond5; Learn more at booklovefoundation.org

Click here to view the episode transcript.

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