Reimagining School with WIN Time: Stephanie McConnell on Transforming Student Success
The Better Leaders Better Schools Podcast with Daniel Bauer
Release Date: 04/23/2025
Reject the Premise Part 3
The Better Leaders Better Schools Podcast with Daniel Bauer
Jethro Jones on Breaking the Robot Principal Playbook The Ruckus Report Quick take: Most school leaders are trained to lead like emotionless robots. But students aren't spreadsheets and staff don't need a boss with a checklist — they need a human being. Time to reject the premise that logic alone should run our schools. 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...
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Sam Feeney on Closing the Compliance Gap
The Better Leaders Better Schools Podcast with Daniel Bauer
The Ruckus Report Quick take: The biggest legal risk most districts face isn't a headline-grabbing lawsuit — it's the hidden gap between the accommodations they promise and the ones students actually receive. Sam Feeney built a tool that collapses this compliance gap to 10 seconds and a single click. Meet Your Fellow Ruckus Maker Sam Feeney has been an educator for twenty-five years as an English teacher, counselor, administrator, and consultant. He created Accommodate in response to his professional observations and his personal experience as a father. Sam and the team at Accommodate...
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Rethinking School Leadership: From Problem-Solver to Capacity-Builder
The Better Leaders Better Schools Podcast with Daniel Bauer
Mitch Weathers on Breaking the Bottleneck Leadership Trap The Ruckus Report Quick take: Most principals think they're the chief problem solver—but that mindset is actually what's breaking their schools. When you're the go-to for every fire, you're not leading, you're enabling dependence. Meet Your Fellow Ruckus Maker Mitch became a gifted teacher because he was a mediocre student. Mitch rarely felt comfortable in the classroom. In fact, it took him 7 years to graduate from college. Choosing to become a teacher, Mitch was fortunate enough to experience school as if it was happening all...
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Veronica Holyoke on Breaking the Myth of Solitary Leadership
The Better Leaders Better Schools Podcast with Daniel Bauer
The Ruckus Report Quick take: The "lone wolf" leader is a toxic myth that's burning out school administrators and failing students. Veronica Holyoke proves that transformational leadership happens in community, not isolation — and one hour a week can change everything. Meet Your Fellow Ruckus Maker Veronica Holyoke is a 25-year education veteran and Utah's 2024 Assistant Principal of the Year. A former 5th grade teacher with master's degrees in Curriculum and Instruction and Educational Leadership, she's spent her fourth year as an elementary Assistant Principal in Jordan School...
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Punching the Shark: Why Teacher Retention Beats Recruitment Every Time
The Better Leaders Better Schools Podcast with Daniel Bauer
The Ruckus Report Quick take: Most districts are dumping water into leaky buckets while wondering why they can't fill them. Nate Eklund shows us why we've been solving the wrong problem — and how "punching the shark" creates the workplace conditions that make educators want to stay. Meet Your Fellow Ruckus Maker Nate Eklund is the founder and CEO of Vital Network, a national organization focused on improving educator retention and well-being through workplace improvements. A former classroom teacher and author of How Was Your Day at School? Improving Dialogue about Teacher Job...
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Building Culture That Goes Beyond the Wall
The Better Leaders Better Schools Podcast with Daniel Bauer
The Ruckus Report Quick take: If your school has beautiful values painted on the walls but nobody's living them, you're running a theater, not a school. Jimmy Casas exposes the brutal difference between what we say and what we do. Meet Your Fellow Ruckus Maker Jimmy Casas has been an educator for over 30 years, serving twenty-two years as a school leader. Under his leadership, his school was named one of the Best High Schools in the country three times by Newsweek and US News & World Report. Jimmy was named the 2012 Iowa Secondary Principal of the Year and was selected as runner-up...
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Transforming Schools Through Teacher-Centered Leadership
The Better Leaders Better Schools Podcast with Daniel Bauer
The Ruckus Report Quick take: Most principals manage buildings instead of transforming lives. Dr. Chris Jones flips the script by putting teachers at the center of every decision, creating scheduling magic that serves everyone — and proves that embracing resistance makes you stronger. Meet Your Fellow Ruckus Maker Chris Jones has been an educator in Massachusetts for 24 years. He is finishing his 16th year as a building administrator. He is a teacher centered Principal and passionate about continuous improvement and the idea that success is not a destination, but a process. Chris is...
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Dr. Nick Polyak on Unlearning Your Way to Educational Innovation
The Better Leaders Better Schools Podcast with Daniel Bauer
The Ruckus Report Quick take: Award-winning Superintendent Dr. Nick Polyak reveals why the most innovative school leaders aren't just adding new programs—they're actively tearing down outdated practices to make room for transformational student experiences. Meet Your Fellow Ruckus Maker Dr. Nick Polyak is the proud superintendent of the award-winning Leyden Community High School District 212. He earned his undergraduate degree from Augustana College in Rock Island, IL, his Masters from Governors State University, and his Ed.D. from Loyola University Chicago. Nick has been a classroom...
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Do School Different Part 1
The Better Leaders Better Schools Podcast with Daniel Bauer
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...
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Demetrius Ball on Leading with Purpose as Principal of the Year
The Better Leaders Better Schools Podcast with Daniel Bauer
The Ruckus Report Quick take: Award-winning Principal Demetrius Ball reveals how intentional leadership, strategic decision-making, and being consistently present creates a school culture where students feel more connected than ever before. Meet Your Fellow Ruckus Maker Demetrius Ball was born and raised in Ohio. He is a graduate of the United States Military Academy (West Point, NY) and served 5 years on active duty in the US Army as a Field Artillery Officer. His education career began in 2008 as a social studies teacher, spanning roles in California and Maryland before moving into...
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The Ruckus Report
Quick take: The factory model of education is dead. This school leader transformed a failing campus into a Blue Ribbon award winner by reimagining intervention through WIN Time - and now she's showing thousands of leaders worldwide how to do the same.
Meet Your Fellow Ruckus Maker
Stephanie is a veteran school leader, author, and owner of Principal Principles. With 18 years as a principal and now serving as an assistant superintendent of schools she's passionate about leadership, student success, and innovative school solutions. She's also the creator of WIN Time, helping schools implement data-driven interventions. Connect with her at PrincipalPrinciples.net!
Breaking Down the Old Rules 🔨
In this episode, Stephanie McConnell challenges traditional education paradigms:
Key Insight #1: Intervention Without Interruption
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What's broken: The old pull-out model where students leave class for intervention and miss core instruction
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The shift: WIN Time - built into the master schedule where every student gets intervention AND enrichment without missing anything
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Impact: Transformed McConnell's school from an F-rated campus to a National Blue Ribbon Award winner in just two years
Key Insight #2: Flexible Grouping Based on Real-Time Data
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What's broken: Static intervention groups that trap students in remediation all year
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The shift: Data-driven regrouping every 2-4 weeks based on student progress
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Impact: Students can receive double-blocked reading intervention AND math enrichment based on individual needs
Key Insight #3: Culture of Ownership > Compliance
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What's broken: Teachers following prescribed programs without investment in outcomes
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The shift: Challenging the "why" behind every practice and building true teacher ownership
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Impact: Teachers shift from "I taught it" to "students learned it" mindset, driving real results
Quotable Ruckus
"Since the things that matter the most should never be at the mercy of the things that matter the least." – Stephanie McConnell
Your Do School Different Challenge
Ready to implement these ideas? Start here:
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Tomorrow: Ask yourself "why" about one existing intervention practice in your school
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This Month: Audit your master schedule to find where WIN Time could fit
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This Semester: Visit a school using WIN Time or bring Stephanie's framework to your team
Connect & Continue
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🎯 Get the full episode transcript: [Link]
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💪 Join the Ruckus Maker Movement: Link
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📚 Join Stephanie's Leadership Group: Link
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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 here
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. Visit Expressability K12 to learn how here
ODP Business Solutions: "Our STEAM program is too complicated" = Code for "We're doing it wrong." Stop letting fear kill innovation. While some schools struggle with integrating STEAM, other leaders are using a 3-part framework to transform their programs. The secret? It's not what you think. Get the playbook here
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