“Every day as schools there is a battle going on between the plan... and everything else.”
-Alex Quigley
For this episode of The Principal’s Office Podcast we sat down with Alex Quigley to talk about leadership at the school, state, and family level. Alex is currently the Executive Director of Healthy Start Academy in Durham, NC, as well as the Chair of North Carolina’s Charter School Advisory Board. During our conversation, Alex digs into how he gauges progress while turning around a school, how he approaches the long middle months of the school year, and how a ship at sea is his go-to metaphor for school leadership. Make sure you listen to Alex’s answer at 29:00 when he talks about what he wants everyone to know about the Charter School Advisory Board. As a call to action, I recommend you evaluate who is on your “Batphone,” and reach out to them today.
Please enjoy, and visit us at www.leaders-building-leaders.com for more about us!
2:35 How is Alex the dad different from Alex the school leader?
5:10 What draws you to work in schools that are surrounded by underperforming schools?
7:40 How are charter schools making an impact in Durham?
8:50 Does the School report card grade represent what a parent gets when they decide to go to a charter school?
13:11 What do you look for as indicators of progress in a failing school that is turning around?
16:55 How do you make sure teachers know that they are winning the day?
20:10 What is your message like to achieve consistency during the tough stretch between February and March?
24:10 What does it take for a teacher to have the gritty mindset in a teacher to keep moving forward?
29:00 As the chair of the NC Charter School Advisory Board, what do you wish that people knew about the CSAB?
36:56 What is your go-to book on leadership?
46:10 Is there anyone that you would call a mentor, and what did they teach you?
