Kaaren Andrews: If We Get Ninth Grade Right, Everything Changes
An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast
Release Date: 01/20/2026
Lead Collectively with Peter Dewitt and Michael Nelson: Moving From Intent to Lasting Impact
An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast
Are you leading in isolation? Education leadership can often feel like a lonely journey, navigating everything from systemic challenges to the day-to-day realities of school life. In this episode of An Imperfect Leader, we sit down with veteran educators and co-authors Peter DeWitt and Michael Nelson to discuss their transformative framework for collective leadership. In our conversation as well as in their work with the , they challenge the traditional top-down approach, moving beyond mere good intentions to create lasting impact through collective efficacy. Drawing on their latest...
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Be Bold or Go Home: Mike Miles on Rapid Systemic Transformation and the Houston Promise
An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast
In the latest episode of An Imperfect Leader, we sit down with Mike Miles, Superintendent of Houston ISD, to discuss his career in driving high-performance cultures and rethinking how schools prepare students for the future. This conversation provides a deep look into what he describes as the largest and fastest transformation of a large urban district in the history of Texas. Here are three important themes from the conversation, featuring word-for-word quotes from Superintendent Miles: 1. Rapid Transformation Through Organizational Coherence: Mike believes that significant school improvement...
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Reclaiming the Human Connection: Douglas Reeves on AI, Ethics, and Leadership
An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast
How can artificial intelligence actually make us more human? In the latest episode of An Imperfect Leader, we sit down with Dr. Douglas Reeves to discuss his timely new book, Here are three essential themes from our conversation: 1. Reclaiming Time for the Human Side of Leadership: Dr. Reeves argues that AI’s greatest gift to administrators is the gift of time. By leveraging AI to handle administrative burdens leader can get out from behind their desks. 2. Moving from Cheating to Critical Editing: Rather than viewing AI solely as a cheating machine, the discussion shifts toward...
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In the Mess Together: Milena Garganigo on Systems Thinking and Supporting Teachers
An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast
How can we move from traditional schooling to truly empowered learning? In this episode of An Imperfect Leader, we sit down with , Assistant Superintendent for the Clayton School District, to discuss breaking traditional leadership models and centering student agency. Here are three key themes from their conversation: 1. The Five Pillars of Empowered Learning: Dr. Garganigo unpacks a framework designed to personalize education through five key components: Path, Place, Pace, Voice, and Choice. A standout insight is her definition of Path. It isn’t just about the activities a student...
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Craig Randall: Maximizing Teaching and Learning Growth Through Trust-Based Observations
An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast
Are we observing for compliance or for growth? In this episode of An Imperfect Leader, , author of Trust-Based Observations, describes how we can transform school culture by reimagining the way we support our teachers. Here are three big takeaways from our conversation: 🛡️ Lowering Vulnerability to Encourage Risk-Taking: Traditional, high-stakes observations often lead to trauma, stress, and anxiety, causing teachers to play it safe. Craig reminds us that "the way you get people to take risks is lower vulnerability. The way you lower vulnerability is by building trust." ...
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Closing the Trust Gap with Dr. Cory Scheer
An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast
This week, we're chatting about organizational trust with founder of TrustCentric Consulting and author of Closing the Trust Gap. If you think your team trusts you, you might want to check the data. Research shows that leaders typically have a "31% on average, higher perception of how trust is doing versus frontline employees." Here are three big themes from our conversation that every leader needs to hear: The "Three-Legged Stool" of Trust: Trust isn't a vague soft skill. It’s a measurable structure. Cory breaks it down into three essential building blocks: competency, problem...
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Ahead of the Curve: Heather Naro on Personalizing Learning and Human-Centered Leading
An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast
I am thrilled to share my latest conversation with Dr. Heather Naro, Head of School at Schutz American School in Alexandria, Egypt. Heather brings over three decades of experience in international education to a discussion centered on inclusion, culture, and the pursuit of better. Here are three key themes from our conversation: The Radical Shift Toward Inclusion: Since 1992, the number of international schools has grown from fewer than 1,000 to nearly 15,000. More importantly, the philosophy has shifted from "exclusive" environments to more inclusive systems. Human-Centric...
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The Pursuit of Better: Measuring Process Over Outcomes with Dan James
An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast
This week on An Imperfect Leader, I had the chance to sit down with , founder of and a former U.S. Paralympic coach, for a thoughtful conversation about leadership and what he calls the “pursuit of better.” Here are a few ideas from our conversation that stayed with me: From Subject Matter Expert to Leader of Scale: Many of us move into leadership because we were strong practitioners. But leading at scale requires a very different skill set. As Dan put it, the craft of being a great teacher is very different from the work of leading an entire school system. . Clarifying...
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When Kids Ran the Nation: Jennifer Light Offers Lessons in Democracy from Junior Republics
An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast
I am thrilled to share a very special crossover episode between our podcast, An Imperfect Leader, and from the ! Together, we sat down with , a professor at MIT, to explore the the history of Junior Republics and the cutting-edge work of Embodied Education. Here are two key takeaways from our conversation: 🏙️ The Legacy of Junior Republics: Imagine a miniature city or nation run entirely by kids. Starting in 1895, Junior Republics gave children the power to act as senators, run businesses, and even debate major issues like women's suffrage (often reaching progressive...
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Haley Spira-Bauer Is Clear: Adaptability Is Not Optional
An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast
This week on An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast I’m joined by , COO and Chief Academic Officer at Fullmind and host of the . In a world where the education landscape is constantly shifting, Hayley makes a compelling case that adaptability isn’t optional, it’s essential. We explore how strong leaders connect the dots of data through storytelling - transforming numbers into a shared purpose and collective action. In a powerful “After Action Review,” Hayley shares a hiring mistake from early in her tenure and the lesson that reshaped her approach: skills can...
info_outline🎙️ New Episode Alert: If We Get Ninth Grade Right, Everything Changes
In this episode of An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast I get to talk with Kaaren Andrews, National Director of the Center for High School Success. This conversation zeroes in on why getting 9th grade right can dramatically improve graduation rates and disrupt long-standing inequities in our system.
Here are three big ideas we dig into:
1️⃣ Ninth Grade: The Strongest Predictor of Graduation: Kaaren shares a powerful (and sobering) insight: students who are “on track” in ninth grade are three to four times more likely to graduate 🎓.
2️⃣ Going Upstream: From Remediation to Prevention: Using Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s river metaphor, Kaaren challenges us to stop pulling students out downstream and ask why they’re falling in upstream 🌊. Instead of relying on credit recovery after failure, her work centers on proactive ninth-grade success teams where students are truly seen and known.
3️⃣ Human-Centered Leadership: Progress Over Perfection: Kaaren leads with humility and heart. Her mantra is “progress over perfection” - a reminder to leaders to be honest, reflective, and willing to say, I got this wrong 🤝.
🎧 Tune in to hear how Kaaren Andrews and the Center for High School Success are partnering with 200+ schools to change the trajectory for students who need us most.
#EducationLeadership #HighSchoolSuccess #NinthGradeMatters #EducationalEquity #AnImperfectLeader #StudentSuccess #K12Education
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Follow Host Peter Stiepleman on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-stiepleman-76004819a/
Website: https://imperfectleader.com/
YouTube (video of conversation):
https://www.youtube.com/@animperfectleaderleadershi5144/featured
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/animperfectleader/
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@animperfectleader
Follow Co-host Jamie Almanzán on:
Connect with APC Leadership Collaborative for support in navigating complex leadership situations: https://www.apccollab.com
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An Imperfect Leader is sponsored by IXL. Boost learning with a platform proven to deliver results. IXL gives educators a complete K–12 curriculum and personalized learning plans that adapt to every student.
Trusted by over 1 million teachers and 96 of the top 100 school districts, IXL helps schools outperform on state tests, and helps teachers focus on what matters most.
IXL: Powerful data. Personalized learning. Real progress.
Discover what IXL can do for your school at IXL.com/imperfect
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An Imperfect Leader is sponsored by Yondr.
Schools around the world are seeing the damaging effects of phones on student engagement, social development, and mental health.
Yondr has developed a unique product and program to allow schools to become phone-free, from arrival to dismissal.
Learn why 1 Million Students use Yondr every day.
MINIMIZE DISTRACTIONS. MAXIMIZE LEARNING POTENTIAL.
Go to overyondr.com to learn more.
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The Mosaic Project, one of our favorite organizations, has over 25 years of experience empowering students to celebrate differences, communicate assertively, and resolve conflicts peacefully at their outdoor school. Their innovative SEL curriculum is now available to An Imperfect Leader listeners at a 10% discount through their new documentary film-based Mosaic Classroom Project!
The Project’s ready-to-use lesson plans include film, original music, “gametivities”, and real conversations. We’re proud to partner with The Mosaic Project in helping educators build inclusive, peaceful learning communities! Just mention An Imperfect Leader during the onboarding process to receive the 10% discount.
Learn more about The Mosaic Classroom Project.
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Think differently. Think in systems. Reach out to The Waters Center for Systems Thinking to learn more about how systems thinking capacity building can strengthen your team and organization.
Homepage: www.waterscenterst.org
Thinking Tools Studio: https://thinkingtoolsstudio.waterscenterst.org
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An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at imperfectleader.com.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.