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by ForwardEd Network
Connecting educators. Serving students. Moving forward.Welcome to ForwardEd Network, a growing educational media network bringing together independent voices, original podcasts, and meaningful conversations about education.Like a television network with different programs, ForwardEd is home to a variety of shows, each with its own perspective, personality, and purpose. From school leadership and classroom practice to educational innovation, professional growth, and the challenges facing schools today, our network connects listeners with ideas and conversations worth sharing.Our foundation is built on three pillars: Innovation, Trust, and Teamwork. We believe some of the most valuable conversations in education happen when people are willing to explore new ideas, share authentic experiences, and learn from one another.One network. Many voices. Shared purpose.ForwardEd Network brings together podcasts and educational creators who are passionate about their work and committed to movi
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- 3 days ago18 min
Where Are We Making School Harder Than It Needs to Be - Your Morning Boost: A School Leadership Podcast
Some of the most frustrating things about schools are probably things those of us inside the system don’t even notice anymore.The form that only makes sense if you already know the process. The website answer buried under the right department tab. The acronym everyone in the building understands. The family that has to explain the same situation three different times to three different people.Ian Nenke returns to Your Morning Boost to help us examine where schools may be creating unnecessary friction for parents and families. We talk about communication, transitions between departments, welcoming new families, first impressions, and why small improvements can make a surprisingly large difference in how families experience a school.We also look at some of the key moments that shape trust: admissions, orientation, department handoffs, event communication, and what happens when a family arrives in the middle of the year. Those moments may feel routine from inside the organization, but they can feel confusing or overwhelming from the outside.Sometimes better leadership doesn’t require another program, platform, or initiative. Sometimes the work is simply noticing what has become unnecessarily complicated — and making it easier.What You’ll Hear:How small communication gaps can create large frustration for familiesWhy handoffs between school departments should feel seamless to parentsHow admissions and orientation shape first impressionsWhy midyear arrivals deserve the same thoughtful welcome as families who start in AugustHow proactive communication can reduce anxiety before problems ever surfaceWhy simplifying systems can sometimes matter more than adding something newKey Takeaways:Small points of friction can have an outsized effect on how families experience a schoolFamilies should not have to repeat the same information across multiple departmentsClear, timely communication builds trust and reduces unnecessary uncertaintyFirst impressions matter, but schools can create new “first impressions” throughout the yearSimpler systems are often better systemsSmall, consistent human gestures can create goodwill that matters when challenges arise🎧 Listen to Your Morning Boost:https://push.fm/fl/yourmorningboost
- 5 days ago18 min
Stop Trying to Fix Teacher Morale - Control+Shift+Lead: The Education Leadership Podcast
When teacher morale is low, everyone looks at the principal.But is morale really something a school leader can fix?Adam Busch and Jim Wichman are joined by Jill Urich and Kara Halsey-Mitchell to unpack what leaders are actually responsible for when the mood in a building starts heading in the wrong direction.The conversation moves beyond treat carts, potlucks, jeans days, and other quick morale boosters to a harder question: what's actually underneath the problem? Jill discusses using approaches like the “5 Whys” to get beyond vague complaints about morale and identify root causes. Kara adds another challenge—are we simply measuring the temperature of the organization, or helping change it?The group also explores something leaders don't talk about nearly as often: what should we do when morale is good? Adam asks why morale tends to become a leadership conversation only when something is wrong, rather than something leaders intentionally notice, reinforce, and celebrate when it's working.And ultimately, the conversation returns to the central question: leaders have responsibility for the conditions that influence morale, but that doesn't mean they can—or should—carry the entire emotional weight of the organization themselves.Control Shift Lead is hosted by Adam Busch and Jim Wichman on the ForwardEd Network.Listen and follow Control Shift Lead: https://push.fm/fl/csl
- 1 weeks ago22 min
Belonging Isn’t the Same as Being Comfortable - Your Morning Boost: A School Leadership Podcast
We talk constantly about belonging in schools. But did we ever promise that belonging would always be comfortable?Dr. Shelley Jones-Holt returns to Your Morning Boost for a conversation about what belonging actually requires when people bring genuinely different identities, beliefs, experiences, and perspectives into the same organization.Adam and Shelley explore a critical distinction: “I don’t belong” isn’t necessarily the same as “I’m not getting my way.” Belonging means people should be able to speak honestly, disagree, and still know their dignity and place in the community are protected.They also discuss the shared responsibility of both the organization and the individual. Leaders must clearly state what belonging looks like, model those expectations, and back their words with consistent action. At the same time, individuals have to examine whether a feeling of exclusion comes from being genuinely marginalized or from encountering ideas, decisions, or perspectives they do not prefer.Because belonging isn’t something we simply say we value. It is something people should be able to see us doing.What You’ll Hear:Why belonging and comfort are not the same thingHow disagreement can coexist with a strong sense of belongingThe difference between exclusion and simply not getting your wayWhy leaders need explicit expectations around dignity, voice, and respectHow words about belonging must be reinforced through visible actionWhy cultural missteps can become opportunities for learning and repairKey Takeaways:Belonging does not require constant comfort or agreementLeaders must make expectations for dignity, voice, and inclusion explicitOrganizations build trust when their actions consistently match their stated valuesIndividuals share responsibility for examining the source of their own discomfortCultural mistakes should often be treated as learning opportunities rather than automatic evidence of exclusionBelonging is built through repeated actions, not posters or slogansLearn more about Dr. Shelley through Dr. Shelley Speaks or connect with her on LinkedIn.Contact: info@drshelleyspeaks.com
- 2 weeks ago15 min
The Meeting Isn’t the Work - Your Morning Boost: A School Leadership Podcast
The Meeting Isn’t the WorkA meeting can feel incredibly productive without actually producing very much.We talked. We shared ideas. Everyone contributed. We may have even scheduled another meeting. But when people walk out of the room, what is actually different?This week, we look at one of the easiest traps in school leadership: confusing conversation with progress. Some meetings absolutely need to happen. The problem isn’t meetings themselves. It’s bringing people together without being clear about what the work is supposed to accomplish.We explore why repeated conversations carry a cultural cost, how poor follow-through slowly teaches people that their time and thinking may not matter, and why leaders should match the communication tool to the work. Sometimes the answer is a full meeting. Sometimes it’s an email. Sometimes three people simply need 15 minutes together.The real test is simple: what moved because we met?If a meeting ends without a decision, a clear next step, an assigned owner, or a problem that is meaningfully closer to being solved, leaders should ask whether the meeting was the right tool in the first place.What You’ll Hear:Why productive conversation isn’t always productive workThe cultural cost of repeatedly reopening the same issuesWhy unclear outcomes can lead to disengagement and multitaskingHow to decide between a meeting, an email, or a smaller conversationWhy every meeting should leave something different behindHow clear ownership and next steps turn discussion into momentumKey Takeaways:A meeting can feel productive while creating very little actual changeLeaders should decide before a meeting what should be different when people leaveReopening the same issues without clear records or follow-through erodes trustThe communication tool should match the workEvery meeting should end with a decision, a clarified next step, or an assigned ownerMeetings should create momentum, not simply consume time🎧 Listen to Your Morning Boost:https://push.fm/fl/yourmorningboost
- 2 weeks ago20 min
Student Behavior: What Actually Changed? - Control+Shift+Lead: The Education Leadership Podcast
Kids are different now.We hear it in schools all the time—but is it actually true?Adam Busch and Jim Wichman are joined by Jessica Cabeen and Meg Simon to wrestle with what's really changed about student behavior, attention, relationships, and the way schools respond to young people.Jessica offers a useful challenge: maybe the kids haven't changed as much as leaders need to change. From there, the conversation explores behavior as communication, the conditions adults create for students, changing expectations around compliance, and what today's students may be telling us about schools.The conversation also turns the question back on educators. If we're frustrated that students aren't responding the way they once did, are we adapting our practices—or expecting students to adapt to systems that haven't changed with them?What You'll Hear:Why behavior can be understood as a form of communicationHow adult-created conditions influence student behaviorWhat changing attention habits mean for schoolsThe difference between compliance and meaningful engagementWhy leaders may need to examine their own willingness to changeThe power of noticing students and making sure they know they matterControl Shift Lead is hosted by Adam Busch and Jim Wichman on the ForwardEd Network.Listen and follow Control Shift Lead: https://push.fm/fl/csl
- 3 weeks ago16 min
Families Don’t Experience Departments. They Experience Your School. - Your Morning Boost: A School Leadership Podcast
Families Don’t Experience Departments. They Experience Your School.Schools organize themselves into departments because it makes the work manageable.Families don’t experience us that way.When a parent reaches out with one problem, they aren’t thinking about student services, communications, counseling, administration, or which department owns the answer. They simply see their child’s school — and every handoff, delayed response, and communication gap becomes part of that experience.In this episode, we sit down with Ian Nenke to explore what school leaders can learn by looking at our systems through the eyes of families. We talk about parent communication, cultural differences, responsiveness, trust, and why sometimes the best thing a leader can do is take ownership of finding an answer rather than sending a family somewhere else.We also look at how easily internal structures can become external frustration. One example: a single parent email with several questions that ultimately touched four different offices. From the school’s perspective, that may make organizational sense. From the family’s perspective, it can feel fragmented, slow, and confusing.The question isn’t simply whether each department is doing its job well. It’s whether the entire experience makes sense from the other side.What You’ll Hear:Why families experience the school as one system, not separate departmentsHow handoffs and communication gaps can quickly become trust problemsWhy a quick, honest response matters even when you don’t yet have the answerWhy taking ownership often matters more than knowing exactly who “owns” the issueHow small, sincere interactions help families decide whether a school feels responsive, connected, and humanKey Takeaways:Families experience the whole school, not the organizational chartA short, honest response is often more valuable than silenceLeaders build trust by taking ownership and helping families find answersSmall interactions across a school can strengthen the sense of communitySeeing the school through a parent’s eyes can reveal gaps that internal structures hide🎧 Listen to Your Morning Boost:https://push.fm/fl/yourmorningboost
- Oct 7, 202626 min
You’re Going to Get Some of This Wrong - Your Morning Boost: A School Leadership Podcast
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗳 𝘁𝗿𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽𝘀 𝘂𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿?School leaders know that culture, identity, language, and lived experience matter. We know we shouldn't make assumptions. But sometimes knowing what we don't know can make us hesitant to engage at all.Adam is joined by Dr. Shelley Jones-Holt for a conversation about cultural fluency, curiosity, mistakes, and what it means to keep learning as a leader. They explore whether fear of saying the wrong thing can become its own leadership barrier—and why becoming more culturally fluent may require accepting that we won't always get it right.The goal isn't perfection. It's having the humility, curiosity, and courage to learn when we miss something.Dr. Jones-Holt has served education for more than 20 years as a teacher, principal, district administrator, superintendent, college faculty member, executive mentor, and equity leadership coach.Learn more about Dr. Shelley Jones-Holt at Dr. Shelley Speaks or connect with her on LinkedIn.𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘵: 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘰@𝘥𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘴.𝘤𝘰𝘮Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/your-morning-boost-a-school-leadership-podcast--6630377/support.Thank You for Listening! This has been an episode from The FowardED Network—Where we are Advancing Voices and Shaping Education. We are dedicated to supporting everyone invested in K-12 success: teachers, leaders, parents, and community advocates.Want to keep the conversation going?Subscribe: Never miss an insight. Hit the subscribe or follow button on your podcast app to automatically receive our next episode.Share the Knowledge: If this episode provided value, please take a moment to rate and review us! Your five-star reviews help new teachers, parents, and leaders find our network.Explore the Network: This show is just one part of the ForwardEd Network family. Head over to our network page to explore our full roster of interconnected podcasts, including CTRL Shift Lead, Vice Principal UnOfficed, From Carpool to College, and Your Morning Boost.Connect with Us: Have a question or an idea for a future episode? Reach out to us at admin@forwardednetwork.com or find us on social media using the tag #theForwardEDnetwork.Ready for your next boost? Browse our catalog and discover your next great listen on The ForwardED Network.This episode includes AI-generated content.
- Oct 5, 202621 min
Do Teachers Actually Want Autonomy? - Control+Shift+Lead: The Education Leadership Podcast
Teachers say they want autonomy. Leaders say they want to give it to them. So why does autonomy get complicated so quickly when someone makes a decision a leader doesn't agree with?In this conversation, Adam Busch and Jim Wichman are joined by Jill Urich and Kara Mitchell to wrestle with what meaningful autonomy actually looks like in schools. The discussion moves from the idea of a teacher's “sandbox” to the guardrails that help people understand where they have freedom, where consistency matters, and how mission and vision can help define the difference.The conversation also gets personal. Jim shares what happened when an instructional coach challenged the way he was leading professional learning—and why his first response was to storm out of his own office. It's a funny moment that leads to a much bigger leadership question: when do our attempts to support people actually get in their way?What You'll Hear: • Why autonomy without clarity can create confusion • The difference between tight expectations and loose implementation • How mission and vision can function as leadership guardrails • Why strong systems matter more than depending on individual people • A question every leader should ask: “In what ways am I getting in your way?”Control Shift Lead is hosted by Adam Busch and Jim Wichman on the ForwardEd Network.Listen and follow Control Shift Lead: https://push.fm/fl/cslBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/control-shift-lead-the-education-leadership-podcast--7112587/support.Thank You for Listening! This has been an episode from The FowardED Network—Where we are Advancing Voices and Shaping Education. We are dedicated to supporting everyone invested in K-12 success: teachers, leaders, parents, and community advocates.Want to keep the conversation going?Subscribe: Never miss an insight. Hit the subscribe or follow button on your podcast app to automatically receive our next episode.Share the Knowledge: If this episode provided value, please take a moment to rate and review us! Your five-star reviews help new teachers, parents, and leaders find our network.Explore the Network: This show is just one part of the ForwardEd Network family. Head over to our network page to explore our full roster of interconnected podcasts, including CTRL Shift Lead, Vice Principal UnOfficed, From Carpool to College, and Your Morning Boost.Connect with Us: Have a question or an idea for a future episode? Reach out to us at admin@forwardednetwork.com or find us on social media using the tag #theForwardEDnetwork.Ready for your next boost? Browse our catalog and discover your next great listen on The ForwardED Network.This episode includes AI-generated content.
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About ForwardEd Network
Connecting educators. Serving students. Moving forward.Welcome to ForwardEd Network, a growing educational media network bringing together independent voices, original podcasts, and meaningful conversations about education.Like a television network with different programs, ForwardEd is home to a variety of shows, each with its own perspective, personality, and purpose. From school leadership and classroom practice to educational innovation, professional growth, and the challenges facing schools today, our network connects listeners with ideas and conversations worth sharing.Our foundation is built on three pillars: Innovation, Trust, and Teamwork. We believe some of the most valuable conversations in education happen when people are willing to explore new ideas, share authentic experiences, and learn from one another.One network. Many voices. Shared purpose.ForwardEd Network brings together podcasts and educational creators who are passionate about their work and committed to movi
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