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Transformative Principal

Transformative Principal

By: Jethro Jones
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 Jethro Jones interviews instructional leaders from around the nation to learn and teach what it takes to become a transformative principal. Episodes address topics like Response to Intervention (RTI), Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS), Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS), the latest advances in educational research, standards-based grading, and interviews with industry leaders like Bill Daggett, Rick Wormeli, Todd Whitaker and even people outside the education like Seth Godin, JeVon McCormick, Liz Wiseman, and more.2024 Jethro Jones Personal Development Personal Success
Episodes
  • Using Technology to Build Relationships And Help Kids Love Reading with Brandon Cardet-Hernandez

    Using Technology to Build Relationships And Help Kids Love Reading with Brandon Cardet-Hernandez
    Oct 19 2025

    In this episode of Transformative Principal, Brandon Cardet-Hernandez shares his journey from being a principal to advising the NYC Mayor, and now serving as President of Mrs. Wordsmith, a company dedicated to improving children's literacy through innovative tools like books and video games. Brandon dives into the urgent need for solutions in education, particularly addressing the missed "dosage" in phonemic awareness, phonics, and vocabulary instruction that many students experience. He explores the role of video games in education, emphasizing that while games can't replace teachers, they can enhance the learning process through engaging, spaced-repetition techniques, like the popular game Word Tag.

    Brandon discusses how joy and mastery of language can transform a student's understanding and emotional connection to words. He also highlights the challenges many students face in developing strong reading skills, especially in middle and high school, and how increasing practice time is essential.

    • Leaving the principalship to do advising to NYC Mayor.
    • Solutions that I was hungry for.
    • President of Mrs. Wordsmith
    • Efficacy of video games
    • Sub-literate
    • Games don’t replace teachers and instruction
    • Missed dosage that kids need: phonemic awareness and phonics & vocabulary
    • How much time they get practicing.
    • How do we give teachers the right data?
    • Word tag - spaced repetition.
    • Joy of words, master of phrasing.
    • How many kids don’t have the command of the language?
    • Happiness makes more sense when you have word associations with it.
    • Increase dosage of reading skills.
    • How challenging it is to learn reading in middle and high school.
    • How to be a transformative principal? Be ok that their experience looks different than ours: take a beat, pause, and play a video game.


    About Brandon Cardet-Hernandez

    Brandon Cardet-Hernandez is the President of Mrs Wordsmith, an innovative children's education media company that creates award-winning books, card games, and video games to help radically improve literacy outcomes for kids. A recognized leader and changemaker, Brandon has spent his career working to reimagine the systems, structures, and tools that accelerate opportunity and close achievement gaps. Brandon previously served as the Senior Education Advisor to former New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio and as the Director of Strategic Initiatives for the NYC Department of Education. A former special education teacher, Brandon has sat at the helm of two high schools, leading both institutions through transformational change. Brandon was appointed to the Boston School Board in 2022 by Mayor Michelle Wu and the Massachusetts Council for Latino Empowerment in 2023 by Governor Maura Healy. He serves on the board of EdVestors. His work has garnered national recognition, featured in publications like The Atlantic, People en Espanol, Essence Magazine, EdWeek, Commonwealth Magazine, and the Netflix documentary, “Teach Us All.”


    LinkedLeaders: You need support. Get just-in-time mentoring at LinkedLeaders.com

    We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL.


    IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

    • Simplify and streamline technology
    • Save teachers’ time
    • Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
    • Improve student performance on state assessments

    🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.
    Show More Show Less
    36 mins
  • Peacefully Productive Kids with Hilda Guerrero

    Peacefully Productive Kids with Hilda Guerrero
    Oct 13 2025
    Host Jethro D. Jones talks with teacher Hilda Guerrero about her "Peacefully Productive Kids" program, which helps students develop emotional regulation, empathy, and conflict resolution skills. Hilda shares practical strategies and resources she created after working with a challenging student, and discusses her mission to make social-emotional learning easy and accessible for teachers everywhere.Peacefully Productive Kids - SEL and personal development for kids. Started 3 years ago when she had a highly challenging student, elopement, emotional outbursts. Started to read books and did action research with that particular student. Creating and collecting resources. Videos and resources already available and creating as she went along. Stephen Guise Elastic HabitsCreated a chart and tracked behavior. Ridiculously simple goals. The more he succeeded the better he got at succeeding. What causes the elopement?Let him know he’s safe, consistent soft, gentle messagesWhen a child is in distress, they need to learn how to release the emotions in a different way.If they have the language skills to express how they feel they will do better. Addressing 3 tiers with students - 1:1, friendship class, and whole group3 main components: mind, heart, body. Preparation for the lesson - needs to be teacher friendly. Within 5 clicks have what they need. Videos, journals, lesson plans, role plays, poetry, music, dance, etc. State an issue, and find resources to support kids. Language as the pathway to social and emotional well being“My son used to be feisty and snappy, and he even talks differently.” Words of empathy - friendship class - kids all complaining about what is going wrong. I can give you the words to de-escalate the fight! Friendship helpers. 6 steps on how to be an active listener. This project is bigger than me! Teachers are undertrained and outnumbered. Want to help out? Reach out at PeacefullyProductiveKids.comAbout Hilda GuerreroHilda Guerrero is a dedicated educator with 28 years of experience teaching elementary-aged students. Throughout her career, she has specialized in bilingual education, equipping students with the linguistic skills necessary to thrive in diverse learning environments. She holds a Master’s Degree in Teaching English as a Second Language, which has deepened her understanding of language acquisition and cross-cultural communication.Now, she is channeling her expertise into developing a digital product (Peacefully Productive Kids) designed to help teachers cultivate Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) and personal development skills in their students. Drawing on the four modes of language learning, listening, speaking, reading, and writing, she is developing specialized language practices that foster children's social, emotional, and mental growth. Her passion for teaching language has expanded to include the vital language of emotions and self-awareness, empowering young learners to understand themselves and others with empathy and confidence.She believes in the transformative power of language and SEL to nurture holistic development, shaping not only students’ academic skills but also their emotional resilience and interpersonal growth.When she’s not teaching or creating, she enjoys spending time with her family, hiking, swimming, and taking long nature walks with friends, always inspired by the belief that education is the foundation for growth, in language, character, and life. LinkedLeaders: You need support. Get just-in-time mentoring at LinkedLeaders.comWe’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.
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    39 mins
  • Leading Change that Lasts with Dr. Kelly Hastings

    Leading Change that Lasts with Dr. Kelly Hastings
    Oct 5 2025

    Nearly a year ago, Dr. Kelly Hastings interviewed Jethro on this show to talk about Saboteurs. It’s high time we get her on the show to talk about her work.

    • SCALE Framework:
    • Set the vision and team with clarity and purpose
    • Create the script that drives aligned, actionable change
    • Act and communicate effectively with your entire community
    • Learn, listen, and linger to build momentum and avoid burnout
    • Empower and elevate your team so the work lasts beyond one leader or school year
    • You can’t always make a vision happen in a single year.
    • Principals must set the vision, but they can’t do it alone.
    • Smallest possible action, aligned with what we are already doing
    • Communicate with everyone about how they can support the initiative.
    • The power of “Shadow a Student”
    • Teaching teachers how to be leaders - so powerful.
    • Power of Permission -
    • How to change mindsets - Vertical Development
    • How to be a transformative principal? Listen to what your good teachers are saying.


    Dr. Kelly Hastings brings over 28 years of dedicated service to public education, most recently as a middle school principal. Since retiring from her role in public schools, she has continued to impact the field by coaching and supporting school leaders in implementation and leadership development. Dr. Hastings is married and the proud mother of four children and grandmother to four grandchildren, ranging in age from 8 to 16. Living nearby, she delights in cheering them on in their many activities—from baseball and dance to taekwondo and more. Join her facebook group.


    Get her book: Leading Change that Lasts


    LinkedLeaders: You need support. Get just-in-time mentoring at LinkedLeaders.com

    We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL.


    IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

    • Simplify and streamline technology
    • Save teachers’ time
    • Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
    • Improve student performance on state assessments

    🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.
    Show More Show Less
    31 mins
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