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Artwork for The Better Leaders Better Schools Podcast

The Better Leaders Better Schools Podcast | The #1 Downloaded School Leadership Show

Daniel Bauer Loves School Leadership
Educational Leadership
Education
School Leadership
Student Engagement
Leadership
Professional Development
Education Leadership
Sustainable School Leadership Summit
Ruckus Makers
Community Engagement
Resilience
AI In Education
School Culture
Education Reform
Project-Based Learning
Artificial Intelligence
Ruckus Maker Mastermind
STEM Education
Leadership Development
Equity In Education

BETTER LEADERS BETTER SCHOOLS is the most downloaded podcast for K-12 school leaders — sitting in the TOP 0.5% of over 2 million podcasts worldwide. Launched in 2015, BLBS exists for one kind of leader: the Ruckus Maker — the principal who refuses to default to the status quo and is creating a campus experience worth showing up for. Every week, host Danny Bauer sits down with the sharpest minds in... more

PublishesTwice weeklyEpisodes395Founded11 years ago
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Artwork for The Better Leaders Better Schools Podcast

Latest Episodes

Delegating feels impossible when you run a school alone — until you turn what's stuck in your head into a playbook someone else can run. Delegation is the hardest skill for a principal running a school without an assistant principal — every checklist... more

Currently in his eleventh year of school administration and his twenty-fifth in education, Bill Renner has run the full course through the Ruckus Maker system — the Mastermind, one-on-one coaching, and now Digital Danny.

A middle school principal t... more

Student behavior changed when the adults did: 25 discipline calls a day dropped to about one. Here's the adult-first work behind it.

School discipline problems don't start with the kids. Sarah spent years answering 20 to 25 walkie calls a day for e... more

YouTube

Leading the Alliance for Decision Education's work to make decision science part of core curriculum are David Samuelson, the organization's Executive Director, and Mary Call Blanusa, its Director of Public Policy. Samuelson spent his career leading d... more

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Recent Guests

Bill Renner
Current middle school principal, transitioning to elementary leadership; participant in Mastermind and Digital Danny programs
Better Leaders Better Schools (via Mastermind and Digital Danny)
Episode: Why Getting Answers From AI Is Hurting Your Leadership with Bill Renner
Jill Molli
Educator and Conscious Discipline practitioner
Conscious Discipline
Episode: Why Student Behavior Won't Change Until the Adults Do
David Samuelson
Co-founder/Executive with Alliance for Decision Education
Alliance for Decision Education
Episode: How to Make Better Decisions Without More Information with David Samuelson and Mary Call Blanusa
Mary Call Blanusa
Educator and collaborator on decision education initiatives
Alliance for Decision Education
Episode: How to Make Better Decisions Without More Information with David Samuelson and Mary Call Blanusa
Fred Holmes
Velvet Hammer, original member of the mastermind and longtime Ruckus Maker
Better Leaders Better Schools mastermind community
Episode: Fred Holmes on Why He's Never Missed a Wednesday Mastermind
Naphtali Hoff
Author and leadership expert focused on delegation in schools
Becoming the Delegating School Boss (book)
Episode: Why Principals Won't Delegate (And What It's Costing Them) with Naphtali Hoff
Dr. Abby Emerson
Assistant Professor of Childhood Education at Hunter College, CUNY
Hunter College, CUNY
Episode: Why Your Anti-Racist PD Isn't Actually Changing Anything with Dr Abby C. Emerson
Corey Kossack
Founder of Orchard.careers
Orchard.careers
Episode: Why the "Conveyor Belt" Career Model Is Failing Kids with Corey Kossack
Phil Brown
Experiential and adventure education trainer at High 5 Adventure Learning Center
High 5 Adventure Learning Center
Episode: Experiential Education: Why Your Lesson Plan Is Failing Students

Hosts

Danny Bauer
Host and founder of the show, focused on leadership, school transformation, and practical PD for principals.
Dan Watt
Principal and coach with leadership insight; appears as a recurring guest sharing practical leadership tactics.
Adam Wolfsdorf
Guest, author focused on classroom management and constructive subversions in education.
Vanessa Castañeda Gill
Founder of Social Cipher; neurodivergent education advocate and speaker on inclusion.

Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars from 361 ratings
  • Very informative and engaging

    I only just stumbled across this podcast, and I can confidently say that I am happy I did. I do believe there is a lot to explore within the world of education and this podcast does amazing job of finding ways to tackle different problems with many schools. The guests also do make it more interesting with their different life experiences.

    Great work

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    whisperballs
    United Kingdom3 years ago
  • Inspirational Leadership

    Danny brings in some of the greatest minds in education who are making a Ruckus in todays schools.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Whitebread_13
    United States3 years ago
  • Great Lessons in Leadersip

    A very interesting and informative show. Great host with some interesting guests! A great listen every time.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Emma Podcast Connection
    South Africa5 years ago
  • Great show!

    This show's contents are truly fantastic. It has a wealth of valuable information. I wholeheartedly suggest this show!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    MargieTiempo
    Philippines5 years ago
  • A Must Listen!

    I just wanted to take a moment and say thank you for creating such an impactful podcast! I believe that we all have a voice that deserves to be heard. Thank you for putting this into the world! BE UNBROKEN! @MichaelUnbroken

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Michael Unbroken
    Philippines5 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Audiences enjoy high-quality guests who bring real-world classroom and campus experience.
Many reviewers value the show's focus on humane leadership and student-centered outcomes.
The host's energy and interview style are consistently highlighted as engaging and motivating.
Listeners praise practical leadership takeaways and actionable frameworks.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Why Principals Won't Delegate (And What It's Costing Them) with Naphtali Hoff
Q: Is there anything Naphtali that you'd recommend a leader would never delegate away?
Yes. Leaders should personally handle PR-facing matters and media engagement where their voice and stance are essential, and they should retain authority over personnel decisions even while empowering others to hire and manage staff under clear guidance.
Why the "Conveyor Belt" Career Model Is Failing Kids with Corey Kossack
Q: What should educators take away as the core message for transforming schools?
Leadership should connect academics to the outside world, move away from treating college as the destination, and spend more time applying concepts than testing, thereby embedding career readiness into the fabric of education and everyday classroom practice.
Why the "Conveyor Belt" Career Model Is Failing Kids with Corey Kossack
Q: How does Orchard address the gap between students and real career options?
Orchard combines an AI career counselor with authentic content and deep stories about occupations, enabling students to explore, save careers, compare paths, and build personalized action plans. It makes career exploration accessible, up-to-date, and integrated into the learning process rather than a separate activity.
Why the "Conveyor Belt" Career Model Is Failing Kids with Corey Kossack
Q: What is Conveyor Belt mode and why is it a problem for students today?
Conveyor Belt mode is the traditional education approach that aims to push students through a fixed sequence toward predetermined outcomes, but it fails because the world of work is uncertain and rapidly evolving due to AI and other tech changes. Students need exploration, skills, and flexible paths rather than a one-size-fits-all trajectory.
Experiential Education: Why Your Lesson Plan Is Failing Students
Q: What practical steps can teachers take to implement experiential methods in a typical classroom day?
Start with 'connection before content' to build trust, create stretch moments that are just enough to challenge without panicking students, and use reflective practices to connect learning to broader contexts. You don't need special equipment—moments can be designed around everyday situations that provoke curiosity and discussion.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

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Frequently Asked Questions About This Podcast

What is This Podcast about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A leadership-focused show that centers on transforming K-12 schools through bold leadership, experiential learning, and purposeful culture. Episodes regularly explore school turnaround, equity, innovative teaching models, and hands-on approaches to administration, often featuring superintendents, principals, founders, and education pioneers who push for “school different.” The host pairings balance practical leadership tactics with storytelling, highlighting frameworks like cognitive equity, wraparound supports, and real-time coaching, while weaving in actionable takeaways for school leaders, teachers, and district teams. A standout aspect is the consistent emphasis on humane, student-centered outcomes, scalable processes, and community par... more

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this podcast launched 11 years ago and published 395 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on this podcast?

Recent guests on this podcast include:

1. Bill Renner
2. Jill Molli
3. David Samuelson
4. Mary Call Blanusa
5. Fred Holmes
6. Naphtali Hoff
7. Dr. Abby Emerson
8. Corey Kossack

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