Kim Marshall was a sixth-grade teacher in a Boston middle school for nine years and thought he would do it forever. But then in 1978, he read a report on the “effective schools” research by Ron Edmonds and was inspired by the difference a principal who is an instructional leader could make. After a year in graduate school to get certified and a six-year detour in the Boston central office, Kim finally got to be a principal in 1987 of Mather Elementary School, the oldest elementary school in the nation (founded in 1639). Being an instructional leader turned out to be quite a bit more complicated than he’d imagined, but Kim eventually got the hang of it. Kim now works with a non-profit called New Leaders, holds workshops and courses across the nation, and puts together a popular weekly newsletter called The Marshall Memo, to which tens of thousands of educators subscribe.

 

Kim shares a little about his background, family, and interests (2:16)

Kim describes his career path from college through today, including almost being drafted for Viet Nam, nearly getting fired his first year of teaching, and teaching in a school where a third of the students were Vietnamese, creating the Marshall Memo, and now speaking to over 100 audiences a year all across America (4:24)

All about the Marshall Memo, which Kim created and writes (13:35)

Why and when Kim decided to move from teaching into administration (19:45)

Some of the biggest obstacles Kim had to overcome in the early days of administration (21:35)

How Kim came to the realization that the way he was trained to be a school leader years ago was all wrong, and how this realization turned his entire approach to school leadership upside down (23:39)

A couple of Kim’s greatest experiences took place after he completely changed his approach to school administration (29:06)

Several  important school leadership principles from Kim  (33:43)

Kim’s greatest strength was also his biggest weakness (35:51)

Several books Kim highly recommends for school leaders (36:25)

Kim’s advice for school administrators on working with students (one idea involves lunch; another is about hiring) (37:22)

His advice for school administrators on working with the teachers in your building (38:45)

If Kim had a time machine, here’s the advice he would go back and give his younger self when he was just starting out in school administration (40:44)

 

Books mentioned in this episode

The Teaching Gap: Best Ideas from the World’s Teachers for Improving Education in the Classroom

The Understanding by Design Guide to Creating High-Quality Units

The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right

Rethinking Teacher Supervision and Evaluation: How to Work Smart, Build Collaboration, and Close the Achievement Gap

 

Connect with Kim Marshall

The Marshall Memo

 

 

About EducatorsLead:

Educators Lead is a podcast created to help launch educators into the next level of leadership. This show is for you if you are interested in educational leadership as an assistant principal, principal, superintendent, teacher or someone who hopes to be a school leader one day. Educators Lead offers inspiration and practical advice to help you lead more effectively. Jay Willis interviews school leaders three days a week to discuss why and when these educators made the decision to move into school leadership, challenges along the journey, and stories that made it all worthwhile. Educators Lead is a great resource for any educator looking to make a greater impact.

Educate. Inspire. Lead.

www.educatorslead.com