Do School Different Part 1 With Jethro Jones

The Ruckus Report

Quick take: Visionary school leaders don’t follow dusty rulebooks. In this episode, Jethro Jones joins Danny Bauer to burn the old manual and co-create a new playbook for Ruckus Makers — one bold idea at a time.

Meet Your Fellow Ruckus Maker

Jethro Jones, 2017 NASSP Digital Principal of the Year, is a former principal from Fairbanks, Alaska, and the host of Transformative Principal, where he interviews leaders from around the world who are reimagining K-12 education. He’s the founder of the Transformative Leadership Summit and author of SchoolX: How principals can design a transformative school experience for students, teachers, parents – and themselves!

Breaking Down the Old Rules 🔨

In this episode, Jethro Jones challenges traditional education paradigms:

Key Insight #1: Learning Is Not Linear

• What’s broken: The assumption that learning progresses in a straight line, within four walls, at the same pace for all

• The shift: Honor that all learning is personal and non-linear; value what students learn outside of school, too

• Impact: Schools begin to partner with families and communities — not just invite them to partner with schools

Key Insight #2: Change Something in Year One

• What’s broken: “Don’t change anything your first year” — the most paralyzing advice for new leaders

• The shift: Make small, strategic changes that align with your vision from day one

• Impact: Greater momentum, better clarity, and staff trust because you’re not waiting to lead

Key Insight #3: First In, Last Out Is a Trap

• What’s broken: Hustle culture that measures effectiveness by time on campus

• The shift: Shift to value-based leadership — do the right work, not all the work

• Impact: Leaders reclaim time, model healthy boundaries, and lead more sustainably (without burning out)

Quotable Ruckus

“You can’t out-teach what’s happening in the home. We should be partnering with parents, not asking them to partner with us.” – Jethro Jones

Your Do School Different Challenge

Ready to implement these ideas? Start here:

• Tomorrow: Stop collecting a meaningless report or form you never read — free up your staff and your schedule

• This Month: Draw your “Do School Different Scorecard” — list the top 8 areas of campus life and define where each needs to go

• This Semester: Redesign how your school values time — for yourself, your staff, and your students

Connect & Continue

🎯 Get the full episode transcript: here
🔗 Follow Jethro Jones: LinkedIn | Twitter/X
💪 Join the Ruckus Maker Movement: ruckusmakers.club/join

Do you Subscribe to the Ruckus Maker Newsletter?

Do School Different 3x a Week.
✉️ Join for FREE: ruckusmakers.news/subscribe

Today’s RUCKUScast in Partnership with:

IXL
Meet your students where they are and take them where they need to go. Join over 1 million teachers who trust IXL to drive data-informed excellence in their classrooms. 🔍 Learn more: ixl.com/leaders

Expressability K12
Your inbox isn't a task manager. Your mind isn't for storing mundane processes. It's time to break free. With Expressability K12, Ruckus Makers can prioritize student success by offloading time-sucking tasks.
🔍 Learn more: expressability.com/ruckus

ODP Business Solutions
"Our STEAM program is too complicated" = Code for "We're doing it wrong." Stop letting fear kill innovation. Some leaders are transforming STEAM with a three-part framework that’s not what you think.
🔍 Get the playbook: here

Twelve Practices LLC © 2025 | If Education Ain’t a Bit Disruptive, Then What Are Your Students Learning?