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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
School Culture
Education Reform
AI In Education
Project-Based Learning
Ruckus Maker Mastermind
Artificial Intelligence
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

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Artwork for The Better Leaders Better Schools Podcast

Latest Episodes

Zaretta Hammond has spent her career pushing school leaders past feel-good equity language and into the instructional core, where the real gaps live. Her latest book, Rebuilding Students' Learning Power: Teaching for Instructional Equity and Cognitiv... more

Running an elementary school in rural British Columbia hasn't stopped this Ruckus Maker from building an indoor worm farm, growing hydroponic lettuce, and taking a self-funded year off to reset — proof that a principal's personality is not a distract... more

Confidence as a principal isn't something you're born with — it's something you build. I've been asking new Mastermind members and Digital Danny users why they're signing up, and I keep hearing the same thing: they're working on their confidence. Mos... more

Leading a 25-school network to a 96% graduation rate and 91% staff retention — with zero tenure protection — takes more than good policy. It takes a leader who has lived the exact inequity his schools now solve for. Pablo Villavicencio grew up in Eas... more

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Recent Guests

Zaretta Hammond
Education author and speaker focused on cognitive equity in learning
Author, Rebuilding Students' Learning Power
Episode: Why Your Equity Work Isn't Closing the Gap with Zaretta Hammond
Pablo Villavicencio
CEO of Alliance College-Ready Public Schools
Alliance College-Ready Public Schools
Episode: The CEO Who Gets 91% Teacher Retention Without Tenure with Pablo Villavicencio
Aly Murray
Founder of Upchieve
Upchieve
Episode: Why Your Tutoring Program Is Quietly Failing Students With Aly Murray
Dr. Adam Wolfsdorf
Guest, author of Teaching in the Riptide
Education/Author
Episode: Why Reacting to Student Outbursts Destroys Your Classroom with Adam Wolfsdorf
Vanessa Casta%C3%B1eda Gill
Founder of Social Cipher, autistic advocate
Social Cipher
Episode: Why Your Neurodivergent Students Are Disappearing with Vanessa Castañeda Gill
Jeff Meade
Chief Innovation Officer at Paul Quinn College
Paul Quinn College
Episode: Why Every Student at This College Must Launch a Business- With Jeff Meade
Chad Weiden
Turnaround principal who led a previously underperforming elementary school in South Carolina to a good rating
Meeting Street Burns (Charleston, SC)
Episode: How to Turn Around a Failing School: Real-Time Coaching That Works
Michelle Sloan
Author of The Purpose Driven Principle
Episode: Why Your Open Door Policy Is Destroying Your Leadership with Michelle Sloan
Nancy Frey
Educator and author specializing in professional learning communities
Episode: Why Your PLCs Aren't Solving Problems (And What Does)

Host

Daniel Bauer
Host of the show and a long-running education leadership advocate, known for driving the show's focus on leadership, culture, and practical school improvement.

Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars from 362 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 Africa4 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 value takeaways that translate into concrete plans for leadership and culture on campuses.
Listeners consistently praise the host for energetic, practical interviews with top education leaders.
Guests are described as high-quality and relevant to real-world school leadership.

Chart Rankings

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

Apple Podcasts
#86
United States/Education/How To
Apple Podcasts
#49
Canada/Education/How To
Apple Podcasts
#188
United Kingdom/Education/How To
Apple Podcasts
#160
Australia/Education/How To
Apple Podcasts
#34
Norway/Education/How To
Apple Podcasts
#90
Poland/Education/How To

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Why Your Tutoring Program Is Quietly Failing Students With Aly Murray
Q: So how are you able to provide 24-7 tutoring from humans in minutes—would you describe the logistics of that system?
The system works because Upchieve relies on a large, diverse pool of volunteers who are recruited, screened, trained, and certified. In the early days, Aly herself would tutor at 3am to demonstrate feasibility, and now they have tens of thousands of tutors, with an average two-minute wait time and 24-7 availability.
Why Your Neurodivergent Students Are Disappearing with Vanessa Castañeda Gill
Q: How can teachers leverage student interests to help neurodivergent learners?
By incorporating students' encyclopedic interests into curriculum, giving them opportunities to lead segments or case studies, and using those passions as entry points for learning, which boosts confidence and reduces social stigma around neurodivergent traits.
Why Your Neurodivergent Students Are Disappearing with Vanessa Castañeda Gill
Q: What should a school do first to support neurodivergent students?
Start with pilots, gather teacher and admin feedback, map the product modules to real classroom needs (like coping with change or executive functioning), and then scale based on data showing improved regulation and engagement.
Why Your Neurodivergent Students Are Disappearing with Vanessa Castañeda Gill
Q: What does it look like for schools to partner with Social Cipher?
Social Cipher emphasizes pilots, ongoing communication, and targeting the specific SEL pain points of a school, such as multiple IEPs and data collection needs, with modular game-based modules that align to the school's problems, ensuring implementation that sticks and measurable outcomes.
The CEO Who Gets 91% Teacher Retention Without Tenure with Pablo Villavicencio
Q: How did you get from those early experiences to Alliance?
I moved through turnarounds in the Bronx, then Los Angeles, building a wraparound-centered model and eventually opening a high school for English learners, which evolved into a charter network focused on local context, culture, and continuous improvement.

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?

This show centers on K-12 school leadership, culture, and implementation—featuring guests who push for practical, scalable improvements in classrooms and districts. Episodes frequently explore topics like distributed leadership, actionable PLCs, strategic planning with collaborative methods, and the role of technology, space design, and student engagement in transforming school experiences. A notable angle across many episodes is the emphasis on hands-on, systems-level change led by school leaders, rather than top-down mandates, with a practitioner-friendly lens, real-world stories, and sponsor-backed resources that promise tangible outcomes for campuses and teachers alike.

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How many episodes of this podcast are there?

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. Zaretta Hammond
2. Pablo Villavicencio
3. Aly Murray
4. Dr. Adam Wolfsdorf
5. Vanessa Casta%C3%B1eda Gill
6. Jeff Meade
7. Chad Weiden
8. Michelle Sloan

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