In this vault episode from the Transformative Leadership Summit, host Jethro Jones interviews Will Parker, a high school principal from northeastern Oklahoma, about implementing KRAs (Key Responsibility Areas) in schools. Will shares how he adapted Dave Ramsey's organizational management concept to create clarity and accountability for all staff members—from secretaries and counselors to administrators. The conversation explores how defining specific responsibility areas upfront prevents confusion, enables cross-training, improves hiring processes, and creates a supportive environment where everyone understands their role. Will emphasizes that KRAs are living documents revisited annually, helping schools manage organizational structure effectively, especially during transitions like budget cuts or staff changes.

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In this episode of Transformative Principal, host Jethro Jones interviews Benny, a 16-year-old sophomore at Alpha School in Austin. Benny discusses his Alpha X project—a YouTube channel explaining how video games are educational.

The conversation explores Alpha School's innovative model, which combines AI-based academics in the morning with passion-driven project work in the afternoon. Benny shares insights on how video games teach critical life skills like problem-solving, resilience, teamwork, and communication through active learning environments.

Jethro challenges Benny to stop perfecting his first video and start publishing immediately, emphasizing that consistent practice beats endless research. They discuss the importance of learning through doing, the value of failure in video games versus traditional education, and how Alpha School's approach helps students develop real-world skills.

• Alpha School academics and workshops.
• Benny’s youtube channel
• Uploading many videos as opposed to researching to make one video.
• Active worlds do 1.5x better than kids in traditional learning situations.
• Video games teaching organic skills.
• Portal 1 and 2 are great for teaching logic
• Professor Layton Franchise - puzzle games.
• What makes you give up?
• Motivational models - motivating a student for doing a certain task or achievement
• How minecraft raised us better than our schools.
• Brainlift Google Doc

About Benny

Benny is a 16-year-old sophomore who attends Alpha High School. He enjoys playing video games, playing instruments, and debating a variety of topics. He has lived in Austin, Texas his whole life and has been attending Alpha for three years. At Alpha, students complete an AlphaX project, an individual project based on their passions. When he was in middle school and during his first year at Alpha High School, Benny’s project was based on music therapy. However, as he progressed through high school, he began to change his project to a YouTube channel that explains how video games are educational. This change was inspired by the first thing he does when he gets home from school, which is playing video games.

In this episode of Transformative Principal, host Jethro Jones speaks with Stan Koterba, an Ohio principal working on his doctorate in educational leadership. Stan shares his powerful personal journey of battling leukemia during his doctoral program and how that experience shaped his dissertation focus on principal self-efficacy—the belief that positive thinking and visualization directly impact leadership effectiveness.

• Dissertation Accountability group
• Started his dissertation in 2014, Leukemia slowed him down, but he persevered and is back on track!
• What self-efficacy means: Visualizing success and optimism that it’s going to work out.
• Personal experience first, and thinking about it.
• Tackle the toughest thing first.
• Start with the smallest win, and then keep going.
• Email is a procrastination tool.
• Schedule send is your friend!
• School email off my cell phone.
• Schedule times on your calendar.
• You are worthy of that yourself
• Don’t get too busy with the busywork to do the real work!
• Text blast for phones to communicate with parents
• How to be a Transformative Principal? Get in the classrooms!

About Stan Koterba

Stan Koterba is a School Administrator, and is a former Band Director and is currently a Doctoral Candidate in Educational Leadership at Youngstown State University, as well as a Google Certified Educator. His doctorate is in principal self-efficacy.

In this episode of Reject the Premise, Jethro and Danny challenge three common misconceptions in educational leadership. They argue that leadership development isn't a luxury but a necessity, emphasizing that top performers in every field invest in coaching and that having a coach demonstrates maturity rather than inadequacy. They reject the notion that leadership must be lonely, encouraging leaders to build supportive communities and connections rather than remaining isolated. Finally, they reframe innovation as a mindset focused on problem definition rather than an expensive, technology-dependent endeavor. Throughout the conversation, they stress that leaders must take ownership of their own development rather than waiting for districts to provide it, and they share practical examples of how constraints can actually fuel creativity and meaningful change in schools.

Key Takeaways:

1. Leadership development is not a luxury - it's essential. When you get better as a leader, everybody wins. Top performers across all fields have coaches, and school leaders deserve the same investment.
2. Having a coach is a sign of humility and maturity, not weakness. The best leaders actively seek coaching and development opportunities because they know they haven't reached their full potential yet.
3. Leadership doesn't have to be lonely - loneliness is a choice. Connect with other leaders through masterminds, coaching communities, online groups, or professional networks. Isolation is the number one enemy of excellence.
4. Innovation is a mindset, not a budget item. It starts with clearly defining the problem you're trying to solve, not jumping to solutions. Real innovation often costs nothing but requires creativity, relationship building, and rethinking constraints.
5. Don't wait for your district to develop you. Take ownership of your growth through external conferences, coaching, and learning from industries outside education. The best insights often come from beyond the education bubble.

In this episode, Jethro Jones interviews Mike Goldstein, co-founder of Reset Teen Coaching and author of "I'll Do It Later." They discuss the challenges teens face with executive function, especially those with ADHD, and the trial-and-error nature of finding strategies that work. The conversation covers the limitations of one-size-fits-all approaches in education, the importance of supporting students and families, and the need for school leaders to rethink homework and support systems. Mike shares practical advice for principals, emphasizing the value of providing help during the times students struggle most, such as evenings, and encourages educators to partner with families and adapt to each student’s unique journey.

• Jethro’s current struggles with exercise
• Case studies focused on the teens who are struggling with ADHD
• Strategies that could work with a certain situation
• Humility that you’re going to try different things for different kids.
• Kids don’t just have to struggle through school.
• College can cut both ways.
• ADHD only applies to things that feel like chores.
• Have we Been Thinking about ADHD All Wrong? Paul Tufts article in New York Times Magazine April 2025
• We will meet you more than halfway, grit and perseverance are important
• How to be a transformative principal? Your support staff may be trying to help kids at the wrong time. Try Zoom help in the evening with a support staff person.

About Mike Goldstein

Mike Goldstein is co-founder of Reset Teen Coaching. Previously he was founder and executive director of Match Charter High School in Boston. Mike’s new book is I’ll Do It Later: Surviving School (and Renewing The Love) with your Teenage Son.

In this special "reverse interview" episode of Transformative Principal, host Jethro Jones is interviewed by Mike Caldwell. Jethro reflects on his journey as a podcaster, the evolution of his career, and his philosophy on education, innovation, and personal growth. The conversation covers the origins of the podcast, lessons learned from hundreds of interviews, the role of AI in education, and Jethro's next chapter with Life Lab.

In this episode, Jethro Jones sits down with Rich Czyz, principal of Yardville Elementary and author of "Autopilot: Practical Productivity for School Leaders." They dive into actionable strategies for school leaders to reclaim their time—starting with time audits, the art of elimination, and the power of delegation. Rich shares how empowering students with real leadership roles, like running morning announcements, not only automates tasks but also builds community. The conversation explores the evolving role of AI in education, the importance of maintaining energy and boundaries as a principal, and why sometimes closing your door is the key to effective leadership. Whether you’re looking to do more with less or simply do less, this episode is packed with practical advice for every school leader.

• Find a way to run the school before the school runs you
• Finding a way to do more with less
• School leaders struggle with elimination
• We’ve always been doing this
• Do a time inventory
• Ideal week
• Automation can happen by delegation (automating through other people)
• 5th grade morning announcements
• Students writing resumes, volunteering for roles, and more
• What AI can actually do for us
• Taking care of the minutiae
• Human in the loop has gone from human fixing AI mistakes to human leading AI work
• Energy and burnout
• Open Door Policy often leads to people dumping problems on you
• Get his Book: Autopilot: Practical Productivity for School Leaders
• How to be a transformative principal? See what you can eliminate this week!

About Rich Czyz

Rich Czyz is the Principal at Yardville Elementary School and author of four books, his latest is Autopilot: Practical Productivity for School Leaders. He also runs the web site Four O’Clock Faculty.

In this episode, Jethro Jones and Danny Bauer continue their "Reject the Premise" series, challenging common assumptions in education. They discuss the importance of schools partnering with parents, emphasizing that parents are the primary educators and schools should serve as supportive partners. The conversation also rejects the idea that test scores are the sole measure of success, advocating instead for focusing on meaningful inputs and student well-being. Finally, they encourage school leaders to break free from the status quo, embrace innovation, and model positive change, highlighting the value of creativity and adaptability in education.

Links:
Transformative Principal Episode 490 with Susie Wise
Multiple Choice is more than a film- it's a movement