#PrincipalPLN

About #PrincipalPLN

PrincipalPLN was started by Jessica Johnson, Spike Cook, and Theresa Stager in 2014. It features amazing guests talking about all things connected school leadership.

Publisher

BE Podcast Network

Category

education · technology

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

15 Aug 2014

Latest episode

14 May 2026

Latest episodes

1 of 193 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   14 May 2026

   De Facto Leaders: Using Recess to Build Social Skills and Help Students Discover their Leadership Potential with Elizabeth Cushing of Playworks

   Recess is often thought of as an “extra” activity in the school day. Sometimes it’s even taken away from students as a punishment. In this episode recorded for De Facto Leaders (https://defactoleaders.com/), host Dr. Karen Dudek-Brannan talks to Elizabeth Cushing, CEO of Playworks, to understand why recess is actually an integral part of the school day. In fact, it can help students feel connected and reduce chronic absenteeism. The conversation covers: Simple ways educators can set expectations and rules to create structure and a sense of safety around recess How to use play as a reset and a preventative measure, instead of something that’s taken away from kids as a punishment How training kids as peer coaches can help decrease disruptive behaviors and help kids discover their own leadership potential Learn more about Playworks on their website at: https://www.playworks.org/ Resources mentioned in this interview include: Comprehensive Game Guide that Outlines Games Across Grade Levels: https://www.playworks.org/indiana/game-guide/ The sister website for Playworks with tools for assessing the health of your school’s recess: https://www.recesslab.org/

2. 

   24 Mar 2026

   The Learning Experience: What Utah is Building with AI & Why it Matters

   This week, we're sharing a special episode from The Learning Experience powered by CAST (https://www.cast.org/connect/learning-experience-podcast), part of the Be Podcast Network. You'll hear from Matt Winters, a leader from the Utah State Board of Education, discussing how artificial intelligence is shaping the future of teaching and learning. The conversation explores Utah’s statewide approach to AI, what it means for educators and students, and how schools can balance innovation with responsibility. The episode offers practical insights and big-picture thinking for anyone curious about the role of AI in education. This episode is brought to you by ReadSpeaker (https://www.readspeaker.com/). Learn more about how ReadSpeaker aligns with UDL. (https://www.readspeaker.com/request-more-readspeaker-info-1/) Transcript (https://castudl.sharepoint.com/:w:/s/aemnextgen/IQBMNOWHtK7IR7J28w99Cnb8AaSKC2-cqEw2SXzvOSdPNyc?e=IAafzA) Resources: USBE Artificial Intelligence (https://schools.utah.gov/informationtechnology/artificialintelligence/index) ReadSpeaker and UDL (https://www.readspeaker.com/request-more-readspeaker-info-1/) Listen and subscribe to The Learning Experience powered by CAST: https://www.cast.org/connect/learning-experience-podcast

3. 

   10 Mar 2026

   The Learning Bridge: Insights on Supporting Gen Z and Gen A in Complex Times with Chloe Combi and Richard Gerver

   In this episode from the Be Podcast Network original series, The Learning Bridge with Richard Gerver, bestselling author, global speaker, futurist, researcher, and consultant Chloe Combi shares her expertise on Generation Z and Generation A. Combi has interviewed over 20,000 young people globally and utilizes that expertise to help schools, brands, companies, governments, and institutions understand and prepare for the present and future. Her expertise, research and data has her in huge demand with global companies, brands and governments and whether they want insight pieces, future-proofing, coaching, high level and entertaining talks, TV or radio work or transformational creative input. In light of the recent Netflix series, Adolescence, this is a timely conversation about supporting young people in incredibly complex times. Subscribe to The Learning Bridge wherever you get your podcasts: https://thelearningbridge.bepodcast.network/subscribe (https://thelearningbridge.bepodcast.network/subscribe) About the host Richard Gerver is a sought-after speaker, world-renowned thinker, and bestselling author of books including Change and Simple Thinking. His career began in education, first as a teacher and then as a school principal, when he turned the fortunes of a failing school and its pupils around in just two years. Now regarded as one of the world's leading thinkers on human leadership and organizational transformation, Richard has worked with an extraordinary range of people, from elite athletes to former US President Barack Obama. Named UK Business Speaker of the Year three times, Richard has been invited to speak on the world’s most recognized stages, including TED, the RSA and the BBC. Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks and IXL: We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play. If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation (https://www.playworks.org/how-can-schools-reduce-chronic-absenteeism-with-recess/?tfa_3398&tfa_3387&tfa_3397&tfa_3396&tfa_3262=Advertising&tfa_3395=Podcast). We’re also 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 (http://ixl.com/BE) today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Inside a recent episode

Sideline Sessions: Dr. Jen Welter - Trailblazing NFL Coach, World Champion Football Player, and U.S. State Department Sports Envoy on "Shattering the Glass Sideline"

Published 10 Dec 2023 · Transcript excerpt

[…] And my goal is to, even if everything doesn't work as a player, to be a good person in the process. Yeah. As you've now had been involved in coaching for several years, have you developed your own thoughts on what you believe coaching is or coaching's purpose, right? Just kind of that foundational definition of this is what it means to be a coach. Well, I have a philosophy on how Great coaches are people that have great relationships. And I think to be a great coach is really about empathy and developing coaching relationships where the foundation is trust and love. And I tell people that and I'm like, listen, people talk about perfection. […]

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.7 / 5

21 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 71 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

89

Social presence

94

YouTube

0

Engagement

85

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Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.