AASA, The School Superintendents Association

The Importance of Community Building feat. Neil Gupta (NCE 2025)

The AASA Conference Daily Podcast aims to highlight key takeaways from AASA's National Conference on Education, hear from thought leaders and presenters and provide listeners with just a bit more learning and fun during the conference and beyond.
The 2025 AASA Conference Daily Podcast is brought to you by AASA in partnership with Joseph Jones and T.J. Vari.

Thoughtful Communication feat. Stanley Pearson II (NCE 2025)

The AASA Conference Daily Podcast aims to highlight key takeaways from AASA's National Conference on Education, hear from thought leaders and presenters and provide listeners with just a bit more learning and fun during the conference and beyond.
The 2025 AASA Conference Daily Podcast is brought to you by AASA in partnership with Joseph Jones and T.J. Vari.

From Operations to Opportunity

As part of central office transformation, district leaders aim to ensure that every district resource works in service of equitable teaching and learning. The emphasis on breaking down traditional distinctions between department/units within the central office means that Human Resources, Academics and Operations must align their work in service and support the needs of principals and their schools. Join Dr. Jackie Wilson, Dr. Meredith Honig and Dr. Matt Smith as they discuss how transformational enhancements result in efficiency and effectiveness of the day-to-day operational work and builds staff capacity to support teaching and learning. This also results in directors of operations, Teaching and Learning, and Human Resources rethinking traditional job descriptions and performance criteria and to ensure training for new staff. It also changes the role of the principal supervisor who often serves as a liaison between the district office and the principal.

From Principal Supervision to Support

Leaders in district central offices understand that traditional principal supervision does not always align with their focus on principal growth and development for equitable teaching and learning. Join Aurora Lora and Eric Nelson as they discuss how new premises emphasize principal supervisors’ central focus on principals’ growth and development, emphasizing principals as instructional  leaders.  This podcast discusses how to help principals lead their own learning, supplementing their leadership with one-on-one coaching skills and facilitation of principal learning communities from a teaching and learning stance, and receiving similar support from their own supervisor. When the Central Office realigns their focus and support to schools, a more synergistic effect occurs for principal supervisors and principals.

From Telling to Teaching and Learning on the Superintendent’s Cabinet

In the final episode of AASA's Principal Supervisor podcast series, supported by the Wallace Foundation, Dr. Jackie Wilson concludes with an insightful discussion on leadership transformation in district central offices. Joined by Dr. Christine Simich and Dr. Germaine Fleming, the episode explores how superintendents and their teams can transcend directive approaches to nurture impactful teaching and learning practices for equitable outcomes. Delve into strategies for aligning district functions with a unified vision for equity and learn how cabinet-level leadership can empower schools to reach these objectives. Don't miss this compelling conclusion to our 2024 podcast series on transforming educational leadership.

From Staffing to Strategy in Human Resources

Podcast From Staffing to Strategy in Human Resources highlights Dr. Meredith Honig and Dr. Peter LeBlanc, Director of Talent Support Des Moines Public Schools as they unpack how thoughtful human resource strategies can enhance transformation.

From Delivery to Development in Teaching and Learning Throughout

Podcast From Delivery to Development in Teaching and Learning highlights Dr. Jackie Wilson as she facilitates a discussion with Dr. Meredith Honig and Dr. Linda Chen, Senior Deputy of Academics of Boston Public Schools.

How School District Central Offices Drive Equitable Teaching and Learning

Meredith Honig, co-author of the book From Tinkering to Transformation: How School District Central Offices Drive Equitable Teaching and Learning with Dr. Lydia Rainey, provides guidance for reconceiving the central office to help educational leaders build equity-aligned, research-based approaches to district reform and the unique role that principal supervisors have as a bridge from the school to the district office.

Cybersecurity feat. Kelly May-Vollmar and Chad Goodfellow

Cybersecurity is the theme of the June episode of the "Future-Driven Leader with the AASA President" podcast. Your host, Gladys Cruz, superintendent of Questar III BOCES in Castleton, N.Y., speaks with two distinguished leaders on the critical challenges and strategies in educational cybersecurity. Her guests are: Kelly May-Vollmar, Superintendent of Desert Sands Unified School District in La Quinta, California; and Chad Goodfellow, Director of Technology at Questar III BOCES. They discuss the importance of developing robust cybersecurity plans, obtaining stakeholder buy-in, and the evolving role of AI in protecting school systems. Tune in to gain valuable insights on safeguarding educational environments from cyber threats.

Leadership for Impact: Building the Educator Pipeline

Building the Educator Pipeline is the theme of the April episode of the "Future-Driven Leader with the AASA President" podcast. Your host, Gladys Cruz, superintendent of Questar III BOCES in Castleton, N.Y., speaks with the leaders of three powerful education organizations on breaking down barriers in educational leadership, the power of collaboration and technology and more. Her guests are: Richard Culatta, the CEO of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE); and ASCD, the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development; Earl Franks, executive director of the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP); and Ronn Nozoe, executive director of the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).