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.
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!
In this episode, Jethro Jones challenges traditional education paradigms:
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
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
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)
“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
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
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