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Jenn David-Lang has spent over 20 years supporting school leaders, first through @themainideaeducation, her monthly education and leadership book summary service, and now through the peer-led Mastermind groups she facilitates for principals and aspiring leaders.
In part one of this S6E1 Schoolutions conversation, Jenn and I break down what school leadership actually looks like when instructional leadership comes from the people already in the building instead of an outside consultant.
Jenn explains why school improvement rarely comes from a single professional learning session and why school culture change depends on habitual, weekly learning: PLCs, instructional coaching, mentor teachers, and leaders who ask the same reflective questions after every walkthrough.
She walks through her Mastermind model step by step: a live read, a structured discussion protocol. This is teacher coaching and school leadership support built as peer coaching, not top-down mandates.
The conversation addresses two issues that come up constantly in schools: How to get staff to commit to things they're reluctant to do and managing interpersonal issues with grace. Jenn's answer starts with a question every instructional coach should ask before jumping to solutions: Is this a skill problem or a will problem? That distinction reshapes how principal strategies, teacher support, and difficult conversations get handled, and it applies just as directly to classroom behavior and student engagement, since the same skill-versus-will question shows up when a student seems to have low engagement or has checked out of active learning.
Part two of this conversation with Jenn David-Lang (releasing on Friday) covers her think tank model in more depth and what it takes for leaders to practice instructional leadership in real time.
Check out these resources from Jenn:
⭐To learn more about Jenn's Masterminds: https://www.themainidea.net/school-leadership-mastermind/
⭐To learn about Jenn's subscription with book summaries: https://www.themainidea.net/
⭐To listen to Jenn's podcast: https://www.themainidea.net/podcasts/
⭐To develop the habit of professional reading, see Jenn's latest published article: https://www.ascd.org/blogs/yes-principals-can-make-time-to-read
Chapters:
0:00 — Cold open: the smartest person in the building
1:00 — Meet Jenn David-Lang and the Schoolutions intro
2:00 — Jenn's path from teaching to leadership
3:00 — Why Jenn launched The Main Idea in 2007
5:00 — Why expertise has to come from within a school
7:00 — John Hattie, coaching, and being a "second set of eyes"
8:00 — What a mastermind group actually is
9:00 — Inside the hour: live reads, protocols, and think tank time
12:00 — Two problems that come up in every school
13:00 — How Jenn stays sharp as a facilitator
14:00 — Skill or will: solving the real problem, not the symptom
16:00 — The leadership skill Jenn is still working on
17:00 — The feedback move that builds trust fast
19:00 — Closing thoughts and where to find Jenn's work
20:00 — Olivia's takeaway and what's coming in Part 2
Schoolutions is the podcast for educators and caregivers who are ready to grow alongside their children. Each episode delivers research-backed strategies rooted in the five practices of expert teachers from my upcoming book: Forever Getting Better: 5 Essential Practices for Reclaiming Teacher Expertise, so every student finds their spark and receives the support they need to thrive. I hope to have the book in your hands by June of 2027.
If this conversation has you thinking about how to build a peer-driven culture in your own school or district, let's get in touch. You can find me on my website. Click on the Coaching & Consulting tab to begin our thought partnership.
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When teachers, coaches, administrators, and families grow together, schools change. Students get engaged, get support, and get the chance to thrive.
