The Better Leaders Better Schools Podcast with Daniel Bauer cover art

The Better Leaders Better Schools Podcast with Daniel Bauer

The Better Leaders Better Schools Podcast with Daniel Bauer

By: Daniel Bauer
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 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 Education
Episodes
  • How This Principal United Two Enemy High Schools

    How This Principal United Two Enemy High Schools
    Oct 1 2025
    🎯 The Ruckus Report Quick take: What happens when two rival schools — with decades of “us vs. them” history — are forced to become one? Derek Cantrell didn’t just merge Alleghany and Covington into a single high school. He built a “Better Together” culture while weaving in AI tools that are reshaping instruction and leadership. This episode is a blueprint for rethinking school culture in the age of disruption. 🤝 Meet Your Fellow Ruckus Maker Derek Cantrell is the principal of Alleghany High School, where he led the merger of two rival schools into one unified community through a “Better Together” culture. Alongside culture-building, he integrates AI-driven tools like custom chatbots and Julius AI to streamline leadership tasks and improve instruction. Derek is redefining school leadership by honoring tradition while embracing innovation. 🔨 Breaking Down the Old Rules In this episode, Derek Cantrell challenges traditional education paradigms: 🧠 Key Insight #1: Culture eats consolidation for breakfast. What’s broken: Forced mergers often leave communities divided, with morale and identity lost.The shift: Derek built a roadmap of intentional relationship-building — open houses, student forums, teacher mingles, and community events like cornhole nights and bonfires.Impact: Instead of resentment, Alleghany High became a place where rival traditions fused into a proud new identity. 🧠 Key Insight #2: Data disaggregation doesn’t have to take weeks. What’s broken: Teachers drowning in endless spreadsheets and meetings just to analyze test scores.The shift: Julius AI and custom chatbots cut through the noise, turning state test data into actionable two-page reports per strand.Impact: Teachers save time, get clarity, and can focus on engaging instruction — not manual number-crunching. 🧠 Key Insight #3: AI can make learning more relevant — and fun. What’s broken: Lesson plans that feel stuck in the past, disconnected from students’ real-world experiences.The shift: Teachers plug lessons into Derek’s bots to generate hooks, engagement strategies, and real-world applications.Impact: Students see math, science, and core subjects through a lens that matters to them, boosting both interest and outcomes. Quotable Ruckus "Culture doesn’t happen by accident. Lead it, shape it, and live it every day." – Derek Cantrell 📌 Your Do School Different Challenge Ready to implement these ideas? Start here: Tomorrow: Ask students and staff one simple question: What excites you, and what concerns you? Use the answers to guide your next decision.This Month: Build a small win — repaint lockers, host a community night, or launch a mini-podcast — and celebrate it loudly.This Semester: Experiment with AI tools (like Julius or a custom GPT) to cut down on data drudgery and make lessons more engaging. Connect & Continue 🎯 Get the full episode transcript here 🔗 Follow Derek Cantrell: Website: https://www.ahps.k12.va.us/Twitter/ X: X/TwitterLinkedIn: LinkedInEmail: Email 📣 Ruckus Makers Don’t Just Listen — They Act If education ain’t a bit disruptive, then what are your students really learning? This show isn’t about doing school better. It’s about Doing School Different — and joining a growing movement of bold, creative school leaders who reject legacy models and reimagine what’s possible. 🧠 Here are four ways we can help you on your Do School Different journey: 📬 Subscribe to the Free Newsletter Tools, mindset shifts, and strategies that actually work — delivered 3x/week. → ruckusmakers.news 🗞 Read Ruckus Makers on Substack Premium leadership insights, AI prompts & GPTs, early access to new books. → ruckusmakers.media 💥 Join the Ruckus Maker Club Private network + workshops, AI Prompt Library, and more. → ruckusmakers.club 🧨 Apply to the Mastermind Weekly coaching + peer mentorship using the Ruckus Maker Flywheel. → betterleadersbetterschools.com/mastermind-application 🎙 Today’s RUCKUS cast in Partnership With: ODP Business Solutions® Looking to create the kind of campus experience students never forget? ODP Business Solutions® transforms ordinary spaces into extraordinary learning environments. Visit odpbusiness.com/education and let's Do School Different. IXL Over 1 million teachers rely on IXL because it is empowering, it helps them make better decisions with reliable data, and it adapts instruction based on student performance. Get started today at ixl.com/leaders PLAY PIPER Kids love gaming and computers, but are disengaged from Math and Science at school. Play Piper changes that with hands-on STEM kits and a coding curriculum. Learn more at playpiper.com Twelve Practices LLC © 2025 | If Education Ain’t a Bit Disruptive, Then What Are Your Students Learning?
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    33 mins
  • Student Turns Classroom Idea Into $40,000 Business (Principal Reveals How) with Jeremy Quals

    Student Turns Classroom Idea Into $40,000 Business (Principal Reveals How) with Jeremy Quals
    Sep 24 2025
    Quick take: What happens when a leader ditches ego, prioritizes relationships, and treats students like real-world innovators? Jeremy Quals proves you can turn around struggling schools and create one of the most exciting entrepreneurial programs in the country. 🤝 Meet Your Fellow Ruckus Maker Dr. Jeremy Qualls is the Executive Director of the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center (EIC) and College, Career, and Technical Education (CCTE) with Williamson County Schools. A former coach, principal, and district athletic director, he now leads some of the most innovative programs in Tennessee, blending entrepreneurship, career readiness, and creative learning opportunities that make school worth showing up for. 🔨 Breaking Down the Old Rules In this episode, Jeremy challenges traditional education paradigms: 🧠 Key Insight #1: Leadership isn’t about ego — it’s about relationships. What’s broken: Leaders who default to punishment and blame.The shift: Building trust first, simplifying discipline to “Be responsible, be respectful, be ready.”Impact: Transformed a school with 1,000+ discipline referrals into one with just 52 — and skyrocketed student growth. 🧠 Key Insight #2: Students need relevance, not busywork. What’s broken: 42 definitions on a worksheet and other meaningless tasks.The shift: Replace rote work with entrepreneurial problem-solving, empathy-driven projects, and micro-internships.Impact: Students who once checked out now show up excited, engaged, and prepared for life beyond school. 🧠 Key Insight #3: Create spaces worth showing up for. What’s broken: Schools that look the same as the 1950s— rows, lectures, and compliance.The shift: Entrepreneurial labs with open design, mentorship networks, and student-led startups.Impact: The Entrepreneurship & Innovation Center grew from 70 students to 280 with a 500+ waitlist — and is producing teen founders winning national competitions. Quotable Ruckus “Fail forward and fail often.” – Jeremy Quals 📌 Your Do School Different Challenge Ready to implement these ideas? Start here: Tomorrow: Swap one rote assignment for a real-world problem or entrepreneurial- style task.This Month: Map student relationships — find the “safety valves” so every kid has a trusted adult.This Semester: Audit your schoolwork and culture. Cut the irrelevant busywork, build in creative challenges, and create spaces students want to be in. 🔗 Connect & Continue 🎯 Get the full episode transcript: [Link] 🔗 Follow Dr. Jeremy Qualls: https://wcssportsconference.com/ Email: jq14@hotmail.comLinkedIn: LinkedInTwitter: @wcsCCTE on XX: @wcsEIC on X 📣 Ruckus Makers Don’t Just Listen — They Act If education ain’t a bit disruptive, then what are your students really learning? This show isn’t about “doing school better.” It’s about Doing School Different — and joining a growing movement of bold, creative school leaders who reject legacy models and reimagine what’s possible. 🧠 Here are four ways we can help you on your Do School Different journey: 📬 Subscribe to the Free Newsletter Tools, mindset shifts, and strategies that actually work — delivered 3x/week. → ruckusmakers.news 🗞 Read Ruckus Makers on Substack Premium leadership insights, AI prompts & GPTs, early access to new books. → ruckusmakers.media 💥 Join the Ruckus Maker Club Private network + workshops, AI Prompt Library, and more. → ruckusmakers.club 🧨 Apply to the Mastermind Weekly coaching + peer mentorship using the Ruckus Maker Flywheel. → betterleadersbetterschools.com/mastermind-application 🎙 Today’s RUCKUS cast in Partnership With: IXL Over 1 million teachers rely on IXL because it is empowering, it helps them make better decisions with reliable data, and it adapts instruction based on student performance. 🔍 Get started today at ixl.com/leaders. ODP For over 30 years, ODP Business Solutions® has helped schools transform from whiteboards to smartboards. Why? Because when you get the right tools, everyone wins. 🔍 Visit odpbusiness.com/education to revolutionize your school's learning spaces
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    53 mins
  • From NYC's Toughest Schools to California's Top Charter: A Principal's Journey

    From NYC's Toughest Schools to California's Top Charter: A Principal's Journey
    Sep 17 2025

    The Ruckus Report.

    Quick take:

    What if the secret to becoming a more effective school leader was … leaving school? Joe Clausi, known as the Traveling Principal, shares how stepping out of the building helped him step into his purpose.

    Meet Your Fellow Ruckus Maker

    Joe Clausi, aka The Traveling Principal, is reimagining what it means to lead schools by exploring the world — and himself — one passport stamp at a time.

    Breaking Down the Old Rules 🔨

    Key Insight #1: Curiosity makes you a better principal

    • What's broken: The traditional career path says school leaders should settle down and play it safe.
    • The shift: Joe’s curiosity drove him to explore 39 countries — and that curiosity now shapes how he leads schools.
    • Impact: He’s more reflective, empathetic, and able to connect with people across backgrounds.

    Key Insight #2: Leadership doesn’t happen in isolation

    • What's broken: Most principals grind through the work without personal growth.
    • The shift: Joe intentionally seeks people, places, and moments that challenge his worldview.
    • Impact: Each trip adds to his toolkit as a leader — and inspires his team to grow too.

    Key Insight #3: Adventure is a mindset, not a plane ticket

    • What's broken: PD is treated like a checklist, not a life-changing experience.
    • The shift: Joe shows how you can bring the spirit of exploration to your daily leadership.
    • Impact: His story proves that reimagining school starts with reimagining yourself.
    Quotable Ruckus

    “I needed to lose who I thought I was … to find who I really am.” – Joe Clausi

    Your Do School Different Challenge

    Ready to implement these ideas? Start here:

    1. Tomorrow: Walk your campus with a traveler’s eyes — what would surprise or inspire a visitor?
    2. This Month: Schedule time outside the school walls to connect with something that sparks wonder.
    3. This Semester: Share one leadership lesson from your own journey with your staff — and invite theirs.
    Connect & Continue
    • 🎯 Get the full episode transcript: https://ruckusmakers.notion.site/Joe-the-Traveling-Principal-Joins-Danny-and-Mitch-211229bf615380ecbf96c2c10f48c1f9?source=copy_link
    • 🔗 Follow Joe Clausi: https://travelprincipal.com
    • 💪 Apply to the mastermind: https://www.betterleadersbetterschools.com/mastermind-application/
    Do you Subscribe to the Ruckus Maker Newsletter?

    Do School Different 3x a Week. Join for FREE here → ruckusmakers.news/subscribe

    Today’s RUCKUScast in Partnership with:

    For over 30 years, ODP Business Solutions® has helped schools transform from whiteboards to smartboards. Why? Because when you get the right tools, everyone wins. Visit odpbusiness.com/education to revolutionize your school's learning spaces.

    Over 1 million teachers rely on IXL because it is empowering, it helps them make better decisions with reliable data, and it adapts instruction based on student performance.

    Get started today at ixl.com/leaders
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 3 mins
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