The Best of Us KickUp

In this episode of The Best of Us, we discuss transformational coaching as a key lever for momentum with all-star coach Elena Aguilar. Elena coaches us through exploring beliefs and strategies, connecting with the purpose of the work, and considering perspectives of those across your school district or organization.

She also provides practical guidance on applying curiosity and listening skills to education teams, enhancing leaders’ ability to understand motivations and gather their feedback.

Looking for more resources on transformational coaching strategies for systemic change? Check out Elena's book "Arise: The Art of Transformational Coaching,” out in July.

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In this episode of The Best of Us, principals Jennifer Martin and Jamie Jordan share how they’ve supported teacher professional learning through their roles as building leaders. They discuss practical strategies for empowering teachers through alignment and autonomy, the importance of differentiating professional learning for teacher needs, and providing voice and choice throughout the PL process.

Jen and Jamie also talk through the nitty-gritty of strategically aligning professional learning with school improvement plans, creating space for brainstorming, and the four standard questions for any PLC.

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We discuss "An Effective Workforce is a Diverse Workforce" with co-authors Sharif El-Mekki and Lisa Lachlan. These two scholars’ work centers on the critical need for diversity in K-12 and practical ways for education leaders to tackle the systemic issues impacting it. 

The conversation covers the historical context of DEI, the impact of educator shortages on students of color, and the proven benefits of a racially diverse teaching staff. Sharif and Lisa strategize on integrated approaches to recruitment, retention, and professional development, highlighting successful ways to attract teachers of color by respecting their lived experiences and reducing barriers to entry. 

We also cover multi-level systemic change, DEI-focused professional learning, and everyday ways to create a more equitable school environment through diverse leadership.

In this episode of The Best of Us, building principals Christy Whatley and Paul Offill discuss school leadership strategy for professional learning and teacher support. They give us the nitty-gritty on implementing a CHAMPS program district-wide, plus tips for consistent follow-through and using data to demonstrate the program's effectiveness.

Christy and Paul also address the challenges of teacher evaluation from a building leader’s perspective, supporting educators from non-traditional backgrounds, setting a campus tone, and much more.

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In this episode of The Best of Us, we talk with Dr. Magdalena Ganias of Worcester Public Schools about concrete strategies to set up PD efforts for success.



As Worcester’s Manager of Curriculum & Professional Learning, Magdalena is no stranger to the challenge of balancing multiple support structures like PLCs, coaching, and workshops without overwhelming teachers. She takes us through Worcester’s system for building specific short-term PLC goals, creating and analyzing common assessments to assess student progress, and reflecting on instructional practices.



The conversation also covers different roles within PLCs beyond the facilitator, how teachers can use journey mapping to reflect on their own practice, and much more.

In this episode of The Best of Us, we’re joined by Dr. Dan Goldhaber, director of University of Washington’s Center for Education Data & Research and AIR’s Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research.

Dan takes us through the hard data on predicting teacher and school success, patterns of educator improvement, and the difference that pre-service and in-service experience can make for novice teachers.

We also cover the impact of national board certification, mid-career skill plateaus, and compensation incentives across the country.