• The Better Leaders Better Schools Podcast with Daniel Bauer

  • By: Daniel Bauer
  • Podcast

The Better Leaders Better Schools Podcast with Daniel Bauer

By: Daniel Bauer
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  • Summary

  • The BETTER LEADERS BETTER SCHOOLS podcast is in the TOP 0.5% most downloaded shows of over 2 million podcasts across the world. The BLBS show was created for RUCKUS MAKERS in education -- those out-of-the-box school leaders making change happen. Launched in 2015, this category-defining podcast in educational leadership has helped over 1 MILLION leaders LEVEL UP. Each week host DANIEL BAUER has a conversation with a leadership expert and invites you to listen in. Turn your commute, chores, or workout into professional development and then GO MAKE A RUCKUS! BLBS is the #1 downloaded podcast for school leaders.
    © 2015 Better Leaders Better Schools
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Education
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Episodes
  • Amy Galloway on Strategic Rule-Breaking for School Transformation

    Amy Galloway on Strategic Rule-Breaking for School Transformation
    Apr 2 2025
    The Ruckus Report Quick take: When transforming struggling schools, following the traditional playbook isn't enough. Learn how effective turnaround leaders strategically break rules, build relationships, and create rapid improvement while working within traditional systems. Meet Your Fellow Ruckus Maker Amy Galloway serves as Executive Director of PIVOT School Improvement Leaders, providing intensive coaching and development for principals leading significant school improvement efforts in Tennessee and Mississippi. With experience as a successful turnaround principal herself, Amy now helps school leaders master the delicate art of driving rapid change while building sustainable systems. Breaking Down the Old Rules 🔨 In this episode, Amy challenges traditional education paradigms: Key Insight #1: The Power of Listening First What's broken: Traditional top-down leadership where principals arrive with pre-made plans The shift: Starting with door-to-door listening campaigns to understand community needs and dreams Impact: Building deep trust and authentic buy-in from families and staff Key Insight #2: Strategic Rule-Breaking What's broken: Rigid adherence to system norms that maintain status quo results The shift: Identifying which rules to break, preparing for consequences, and focusing on student impact Impact: Creating rapid improvement by removing bureaucratic barriers while maintaining accountability Key Insight #3: High-Performance Planning What's broken: Reactive leadership consumed by daily fires The shift: Protected time for quarterly/monthly/weekly planning aligned to priorities Impact: Leaders who can drive strategic improvement even amid frequent crises Quotable Ruckus "If you're going to center your kids' experience and you're going to center student learning, that often means you have to make a choice that doesn't necessarily fit within the expectations or the system. And that is more than okay. In fact, it should be expected." - Amy Galloway Your Do School Different Challenge Ready to implement these ideas? Start here: Tomorrow: Block off 30 minutes for weekly planning - make it your most important meeting This Month: Schedule listening sessions with 5 key stakeholders about their hopes for your school This Semester: Identify one system norm that needs to change and create an implementation plan Connect & Continue 🎯 Get the full episode transcript: LInk 🔗 Follow Amy : Link - Website 💪 Join the Ruckus Maker Movement: https://ruckusmakers.club/join Do you Subscribe to the Ruckus Maker Newsletter? Do School Different 3x a Week. Join for FREE here. 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: IXL.com/leaders 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. (expressability.com/ruckus) ODP Business Solutions® STEAM programs failing before they start? Most schools botch STEAM implementation because they're missing 3 critical elements. Here's the wild part: it's not about fancy tech or massive budgets. ODP Business Solutions® has researched many successful programs to identify what actually works (and what's just burning cash).Learn the blueprint here. Twelve Practices LLC © 2025 | If Education Ain't a Bit Disruptive, Then What Are Your Students Learning?
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    37 mins
  • Playing The Game By Your Own Rules

    Playing The Game By Your Own Rules
    Mar 26 2025
    The Ruckus Report Quick take: In this special episode, Danny shares his journey from rule-following student to educational disruptor, then delivers key updates on everything happening at Ruckus Maker HQ in 2025 that can help you transform your leadership. Meet Your Fellow Ruckus Maker Danny Bauer is the founder of Better Leaders Better Schools and host of the most downloaded podcast for school leaders. As a former principal turned educational leadership coach, Danny has dedicated his career to helping visionary school leaders "do school different" through his coaching programs, live events, and the Ruckus Maker movement. Breaking Down the Old Rules 🔨 In this episode, Danny shares his origin story and provides exciting updates about the Ruckus Maker movement: Key Insight #1: Breaking Rules Intentionally Creates New Possibilities What's broken: Following rules without questioning often leads to playing games you can't win The shift: Consciously deciding to play different games on your own terms, even when it breaks convention Impact: Discovering what you truly value and finding authentic pathways to success that align with your strengths Key Insight #2: Leadership Support Requires Multiple Formats What's broken: One-size-fits-all professional development that doesn't meet the diverse needs of innovative leaders The shift: Creating an ecosystem of support through newsletters, accelerator programs, live events, and masterminds Impact: School leaders can find the right level of support for their specific needs, challenges, and leadership journey Key Insight #3: Creating a Campus Experience Worth Showing Up For What's broken: Schools operating with uninspiring environments that fail to engage students and staff The shift: Reimagining schools as vibrant, exciting, innovative places that rival Disney for creating meaningful experiences Impact: When leaders set this tone, both students and teachers become more engaged, creating a virtuous cycle of positive energy Quotable Ruckus "There's two kinds of principals. Those play-it-safe principals who maintain the status quo. If they get better, it's incrementally better. They don't rock the boat at all. Nothing really changes. And then there's Ruckus Makers that I like to think are visitors from the future, showing us one day how education can be." – Danny Bauer Your Do School Different Challenge Ready to implement these ideas? Start here: Tomorrow: Subscribe to Ruckus Maker News and use the Weekend Resource to plan your innovative approach for the week This Month: Choose one rule or conventional practice at your school that needs questioning, and start exploring alternative approaches This Semester: Identify where you need the most support in your leadership journey and commit to joining a community like the Mastermind or attending the Impact Intensive Connect & Continue 🎯 Subscribe to Ruckus Maker News: https://ruckusmakers.news/subscribe 🔗 Learn about the Summer Impact Intensive: https://betterleadersbetterschools.com/live-event-2025/ 💪 Join the Ruckus Maker Movement: https://www.betterleadersbetterschools.com/mastermind-application/ Do you Subscribe to the Ruckus Maker Newsletter? Do School Different 3x a Week. Join for FREE here. Today's RUCKUScast in Partnership with: Class Composer: Want to know why Ruckus Makers love Class Composer? Because it turns the dreaded end-of-year class placement meetings into a streamlined, data-driven process. Your teachers will save hours of time while ensuring that nothing is overlooked, including student separations. 🔍 Learn More Here. Quest Food Management Services: Creating joyful learning environments starts in the cafeteria. Quest brings 40 years of expertise in crafting scratch-made meals that nurture both body and community spirit through innovative student engagement programs. 🔍 Learn more here. ODP Business Solutions: Most schools botch STEAM implementation because they're missing 3 critical elements. Here's the wild part: it's not about fancy tech or massive budgets. ODP Business Solutions® has researched many successful programs to identify what actually works (and what's just burning cash). 🔍 Learn the blueprint: here. Twelve Practices LLC © 2025 | If Education Ain't a Bit Disruptive, Then What Are Your Students Learning?
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    41 mins
  • Dr. David Buck on Real-World Learning: Transforming Education Beyond the Factory Model

    Dr. David Buck on Real-World Learning: Transforming Education Beyond the Factory Model
    Mar 19 2025
    The Ruckus Report Quick take: Missouri Superintendent Dr. David Buck shows how real-world learning experiences are transforming education from standardized "assembly lines" into dynamic pathways that prepare students for a future even educators can't predict. Meet Your Fellow Ruckus Maker Dr. David Buck has been an educator for 28 years, serving as a teacher of everything from at-risk to gifted classes and middle school science. He's been involved with the Missouri Leadership Academy since 2006, helping emerging leaders become principals through a year-long development process. As a father of three daughters (one in college, one in high school, and one in middle school), he brings both professional expertise and personal investment to his transformative work in education. Breaking Down the Old Rules 🔨 In this episode, Dr. Buck challenges traditional education paradigms: Key Insight #1: Transform Spaces into Real-World Learning Environments What's broken: Traditional school facilities that limit hands-on, applied learning The shift: Purchasing and repurposing a 15-acre former amusement park into a multi-level learning center for PreK-12, including environmental education, hospitality programs, and hands-on science experiments Impact: Every grade K-5 now has culminating real-world science experiences, high schoolers gain practical career skills, and the community has rallied behind this bold reimagining of educational spaces Key Insight #2: Make Learning Contextual Through Real-World Application What's broken: Teaching academic content in isolation from its real-world applications The shift: Creating contextual learning programs like "AMPed-up Algebra" where students learn algebra while running a screen-printing shop, and hands-on geometry through construction projects Impact: Students in the applied algebra program scored higher than those in traditional classes, demonstrating that contextualized learning leads to better retention and understanding Key Insight #3: Build Direct Bridges Between Education and Employment What's broken: The disconnect between school learning and workforce needs The shift: Implementing "Diploma Plus" programs that ensure every graduate has college credit, an industry-recognized certificate, an internship, or client-connected projects Impact: Increased from 48% to 79% of graduates with market-value assets, with numerous success stories of students solving real business problems that adult employees couldn't crack Quotable Ruckus "What do kids need individually? And it's not going to be the same from kid to kid... I think historically one of the knocks you could put on education is they're quick to solution instead of wrestling and fully understanding the problem." – Dr. David Buck Your Do School Different Challenge Ready to implement these ideas? Start here: Tomorrow: Identify one traditional lesson that could be taught through hands-on, real-world application instead. How might algebra look in a business setting or science in an environmental context? This Month: Map your community's business assets and reach out to 3-5 potential partners who might provide internships or client-connected projects for students This Semester: Establish a "Career Navigator" position or repurpose an existing role to focus specifically on connecting students with real-world learning opportunities Connect & Continue 🎯 Get the full episode transcript: Link 🔗 Follow Dr. David Buck: Link 💪 Join the Ruckus Maker Movement: https://ruckusmakers.club/join Do you Subscribe to the Ruckus Maker Newsletter? Do School Different 3x a Week. Join for FREE here.. Today's RUCKUScast in Partnership with: Class Composer: Want to know why Ruckus Makers love Class Composer? Because it turns the dreaded end-of-year class placement meetings into a streamlined, data-driven process. Your teachers will save hours of time while ensuring that nothing is overlooked, including student separations. 🔍 Learn More Here. 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: IXL.com/leaders ODP Business Solutions: Most schools botch STEAM implementation because they're missing 3 critical elements. Here's the wild part: it's not about fancy tech or massive budgets. ODP Business Solutions® has researched many successful programs to identify what actually works (and what's just burning cash). 🔍 Learn the blueprint: here. Twelve Practices LLC © 2025 | If Education Ain't a Bit Disruptive, Then What Are Your Students Learning?
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    33 mins

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