In this episode of Build Momentum, we are joined by Dr. James Lane, Chief Executive Officer of PDK International, a nonprofit that supports those who work in public education, and its community-based movement Educators Rising. He has served at the federal, state, and local levels: in the U.S. Department of Education as Acting Assistant Secretary and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education; as Superintendent of Public Instruction in Virginia; and as Superintendent of three Virginia school divisions in Chesterfield County, Goochland County, and Middlesex County. Dr. Lane is also a former school principal and band director.

Some Questions We Ask:

• Tell us more about your career at all levels of K-12 education and now as a leader at PDK? (01:22)
• What is the most rewarding aspect of your career? (05:01)
• What insights from your time in the Department of Education surprised you—and were there any misconceptions about the superintendency that you experienced while working as a policymaker? (08:02)
• What are your thoughts about the 2023 RAND study, and do you have similar perspectives as other superintendents? (12:36)
• What are your strategies for bringing the community together to see your vision? (17:09)
• How have you been able to connect with the whole community to support you along the way in your career? (22:59)
• What is your opinion regarding humanizing the role of superintendents? (28:36)
• What advice would you give to supporters of K-12 education about advocating for district leaders? (33:13)

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• About Dr. James Lane (01:32)
• Rewarding aspect of his expansive career (05:20)
• Insights he gained and misconceptions he encountered (08:21)
• Thoughts about the 2023 RAND study (13:06)
• Strategies for bringing the community together (17:34)
• How he connected with the community (23:13)
• His thoughts on humanizing the role of superintendents (28:51)
• Advice on advocating for K-12 district leaders (33:47)

Quotes:

“For me, the rewarding part of education is working with kids and preparing them for an amazing life and career and job and everything else. And I tried to remember that in every role I've ever been in.”

“The very best school districts I've seen have stability in the board and the superintendent, and then that leads to stability in the principalship, of the teachers, and of expectations around what we do in schools.”

“What your families want for their kids is important. Be willing to change what you want to do in that community based on the feedback of families.”

“The best thing that we can do to improve schools is make sure there's a great teacher in every classroom who's engaging parents and students.”

Stay in touch with Dr. James Lane:

PDK International
Educators Rising
LinkedIn

Stay in touch with Sarah Williamson:
SWPR GROUP Website
LinkedIn

Stay in touch with Chad Bolser:
LinkedIn

About "The Secret to Transformational Leadership," which Sarah co-authored with Dr. Quintin Shepherd:
Transformational Leadership Secret website
Purchase the print or ebook

In this episode of Build Momentum, we are joined by Dr. Buddy Berry, the superintendent of Eminence Independent Schools in Kentucky. He founded the innovative model “School on FIRE” (Framework of Innovation for Reinventing Education). He was recognized by the Obama Administration as one of the top 100 School Superintendents in America for his district’s implementation of digital learning and invited to the ConnectED Superintendents Summit at the White House.

Some Questions We Ask:

• Please tell us about your career as a superintendent. (01:13)
• What is the most rewarding aspect of being a superintendent? (04:53)
• What can you say about the 2023 RAND study and how do you cope with the stress your career brings? (06:06)
• How has scrutiny of the superintendency changed over the years? (07:41)
• Do your experiences represent other school administrators' experiences across the nation? (09:21)
• How do you bring the community to see your vision? (11:02)
• What are the core values or core metrics that you focused on to change the community’s view of the education system? (16:52)
• What is your advice to other district leaders for building a community? (23:55)
• What is your take on humanizing the role of superintendents and how can the community benefit from it? (26:48)
• What advice can you give supporters of K-12 education about advocating for district leaders? (28:45)

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• About Dr. Buddy Berry (01:39)
• Rewarding aspects of being a superintendent (05:02)
• His take on the 2023 RAND Study and coping with stress (06:33)
• Scrutiny of the superintendency (07:46)
• Comparison of his personal experiences to other administrators’ (09:30)
• Building a community with one vision (11:17)
• Establishing core values across a district (17:24)
• Advice for district leaders (24:18)
• Humanizing the role of superintendents (26:56)
• Advice to those advocating for superintendents and district leaders (29:13)

Quotes:

“Enrollment has doubled in the last decade. Test scores have gone from the eighth percentile to hovering around the 80s. We started the first early college high school program in Kentucky that's on a college campus. … We've had 500 kids go through that program, and 498 have earned a degree or are college right now. Crazy results from a population that's, you know, 70% free and reduced lunch, 18% homeless, and the vast majority first-generation college.”

“I'm a big believer that your teachers live in the community. They're the people that are mostly talking to everybody at the grocery. And so if you can win your teachers over to your vision and your thinking and what you're doing, they'll sell it for you.”

“You can't win everybody over in one day. So it's about that consistency and that transparency and just being real to them—that I think eventually does win everybody over.”

Stay in touch with Dr. Buddy Berry:
School on F.I.R.E
School on Fire Innovating Instruction

Stay in touch with Sarah Williamson:
SWPR GROUP Website
LinkedIn

Stay in touch with Chad Bolser:
LinkedIn

About "The Secret to Transformational Leadership," which Sarah co-authored with Dr. Quintin Shepherd:
Transformational Leadership Secret website
Purchase the print or ebook

In this episode of Build Momentum, we are joined by Dr. Matthew Hicks, Superintendent of Northeastern Wayne Schools in Indiana. He is also currently a lecturer at Purdue University and a dissertation chair at Indiana Wesleyan University. Earlier in his career, he served as a language arts classroom teacher and as a principal at the high school and middle school levels. He has volunteered as a Den Leader for Crossroads for America Council, Boy Scouts of America for the past eight years.

Some Questions We Ask:

• Can you share more about yourself and your career as a superintendent? (01:46)
• What is the most rewarding aspect of your career? (03:58)
• Do you agree with the 2023 RAND study? And how do you cope with the stress your career brings? (06:56)
• Has scrutiny of the superintendency changed over the years? (09:27)
• In comparison with other administrators you interact with across the nation, do you believe your own personal experiences align with their experiences? (11:21)
• How do you bring the community to see and share your vision so you can build it together? (13:07)
• How do you communicate with the community and connect with educators and families through creative storytelling? (15:04)
• What is your advice for other district leaders who are struggling with building a community? (16:50)
• Why do you think it’s important to see superintendents as humans and not just robots? (19:16)
• How can the community support and advocate for superintendents? (21:52)

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• About Dr. Matthew Hicks (01:56)
• Rewarding aspects of being a superintendent (04:05)
• Thoughts about the RAND study and coping with stress (07:31)
• Scrutiny of the superintendency (09:34)
• About his personal experiences in district leadership vs others’ (11:32)
• Uniting a community around one vision (13:17)
• Effective communication strategies (15:17)
• Advice for district leaders (16:55)
• Humanizing the role of superintendents (19:25)
• How the community can advocate for superintendents (22:05)

Quotes:

“There are things in education that happen that are just very difficult to deal with. Losing a student is an absolute nightmare scenario for that family, for a school community—and it is one of those things that reverberates through time. You don't forget those moments because they hurt so bad. Those sorts of things will unfortunately be a part of the role.”

“And our [vision statement] is that we're a nurturing family where each Knight belongs, grows, and contributes. That's our whole vision. And so if I can't run something through the ‘belong, grow, or contribute’ filter, then we're not doing it. If it doesn't fit into that filter, that's not us. That's not what we're doing right now. And so it really has helped with the decision-making. It puts us in a position to give a quality ‘no’ for the things that don't fit in that vision and an enthusiastic ‘yes’ for the things that do fit within that vision.”

Stay in touch with Dr. Matthew Hicks:
Email: mhicks@nws.k12.in.us

Stay in touch with Sarah Williamson:
SWPR GROUP Website
LinkedIn

Stay in touch with Chad Bolser:
LinkedIn

About "The Secret to Transformational Leadership," which Sarah co-authored with Dr. Quintin Shepherd:
Transformational Leadership Secret website
Purchase the print or ebook