Schools are constantly being asked to improve, innovate, and respond to new challenges. But what happens when the people closest to those challenges don't feel safe admitting that something isn't working? David Cicero talks with Jal Mehta of the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Max Yurkofsky of Radford University, authors of A Chance to Solve Their Own Problems, about what actually happens when schools try to solve problems from within. They explore why trust and psychological safety are essential to meaningful improvement, what leaders can do to protect space for experimentation, and why the technical tools of continuous improvement only work when the human conditions are there too.

History teacher Jon Kendrick has led twelve international trips with high school students, from Rome to New Zealand. He joins the show to talk about how he built a safe, affordable travel program and why walking where history happened changes kids for good. Show notes Jon Kendrick still remembers standing in St. Peter's Square as a teenager, watching Pope John Paul II carry the cross on Good Friday. That moment planted a bug in him that never went away, and fifteen years later, as a history and government teacher, he's passed it on to hundreds of his own students. In this episode, Jon talks about the travel program he's built from scratch, twelve trips and counting to places like Italy, China, Dubai, Australia, and soon Scotland and Ireland. We cover the questions every school leader has before saying yes to something like this: keeping kids safe far from home, what it costs and how families make it work, and a couple of stories that stuck with us, including watching the pope up close and a passport that went missing in one country and turned up before dinner. If you've ever wondered whether a program like this could work at your school, this one's worth the listen. Topics covered What sparked Jon's own love of travel. Building the program and where the group has been. Safety and how EF Tours keeps large groups protected. The lost passport story. Making trips affordable on a monthly plan. Culture shock moments abroad. Running trips through the school versus independently. Chaperone ratios and packing advice. Guest bio Jon Kendrick teaches AP US History, AP Government and Politics, and Government Politics Honors at Cornerstone Classical in Jacksonville, Florida. For fifteen years he's led international travel programs for high schoolers, from Italy and China to Australia and New Zealand. Reach him at Jkendrick@cornerstoneclassical.org. Footer Subscribe to the Catholic School Leaders Podcast wherever you listen, and share this one with a colleague if it gave you something to think about. Got a topic for the show? Reach out at john@elementaryadvancement.com.

Host Eric Makelky sits down with Katie Kelly and Sarah Merkt, of Cresconova Global, an online (and in-person, via Cresconova Labs) enrichment program serving students across five continents. Katie and Sarah unpack their concept of "inspired learning" — designing classes around curiosity-sparking questions rather than rigid skill-based standards — and share real examples, from a class on designing alien life to a lesson born from a power outage. They discuss how they train teachers to follow student curiosity, how classes are structured for different age bands, and how they support parents navigating homeschool and supplemental education choices, including free consultations and their monthly "Student Sparks" webinar series.

Dreaming Bigger - Expanding Possibilities for Our Schools When was the last time you gave yourself permission to dream about what your school could become? In this episode, Thomas and Becky explore why schools need to make space for big ideas instead of simply putting out fires and keeping things running.  They discuss how leaders can invite teachers, families, students, and the wider community into the dreaming process, turn ambitious ideas into achievable first steps, anticipate obstacles, and build the support needed to make those ideas happen.  Dreaming bigger doesn’t have to mean launching an expensive new program or building a state-of-the-art facility—it can start with asking a simple question: “What could we do?” The goal is to create a school culture where people are encouraged to share ideas, experiment, and work together toward possibilities that make the school more authentically its own. If you need help with working on a dream, please schedule a time to talk with us today. https://bit.ly/Build-IT-Better-Together To receive a copy of the Catholic School Excellence Toolkit - A Reflective Workbook for Visionary Catholic School Leaders,  click here. It is the companion to the podcast: In Search of Catholic School Excellence. Becky Wong has been a teacher, admin, tech coordinator and innovator in Catholic Schools for over 25 years.  She not only assists schools as part of the Tech Team but has been instrumental in guiding the Archdiocese of San Francisco as it navigates the edtech decisions and ever-changing landscape of classroom technology.  The In Search of Catholic School Excellence Podcast is brought to you by I Love My Tech Team.  When technology doesn’t work, Catholic school leaders lose time, trust, and momentum. We partner with schools to restore reliable systems, empower teachers, and create the foundation for innovative learning centered on students. Lead Your School Into What’s Possible with I Love My Tech Team. Restoring What’s Broken. Advancing What’s Possible. Find out more at https://ilovemytechteam.com dailyjoltofjoy.com

Summary In this episode of Better Teaching, Gene Tavernetti challenges the belief that effective coaching must be spontaneous and unscripted. He explains why a well-designed coaching script does not make a feedback conversation rigid or inauthentic—it gives the coach a reliable structure for specific, courageous, and useful feedback. Gene connects coaching scripts to classroom-management routines, surgical checklists, crisis-response training, and his own experiences as a counselor, principal, and coach. The practical takeaway is simple: prepare the sequence, transitions, and language of a feedback conversation so you can be fully present when the conversation begins. Chapters 0:00 — Welcome to Better Teaching 0:45 — The coaching trap: unplanned and unscripted feedback 2:57 — Why educators distrust scripts 3:57 — Scripts, checklists, and professional responsiveness 4:49 — How preparation helps coaches face fear 6:25 — Using scripts in high-stakes conversations 8:01 — What happens when a coach goes off script 8:47 — A practical standard for scripting feedback conversations 9:37 — Resources and closing Show Notes **Host:** Gene Tavernetti **Featured idea:** Script coaching conversations with the same intentionality teachers bring to well-planned lessons. **Gene’s books:** *Teach Fast, Focus Adaptable Structure Teaching* and *Maximizing the Impact of Coaching Cycles* **Website:** TESS Consulting Group **BlueSky:** @gtavarnetti **X/Twitter:** @gtavarnetti **BE Podcast Network:** bepodcastnetwork.com About Better Teaching Better Teaching is hosted by Gene Tavernetti and focuses on practical ideas for teachers, instructional coaches, administrators, and everyone who supports better work in classrooms—no clichés, no buzzwords, only stuff that works. Added/created/modified by Codex on 2026.09.14 17:27 PT on ombee