De Facto Leaders

Many clinicians, educators, and school leaders know they should be working collaboratively, but don’t know how to find time to do it. If you have a friend or colleague who seems to have magical productivity powers, I promise there’s a method to the madness. Most likely, they’ve just gotten really good at a concept I call “asset stacking”. It starts with asking yourself the question, “What can I create now that can save me time or effort later?”   In this third episode in the 3-part clinical leadership, I share how the concept of “asset stacking” can be used by both current and aspiring clinical and educational leaders to make an impact on the systems they’re working in.  Key Points: ✅ Creating a long-term strategic vision for your professional growth ✅ The concept of asset stacking and how to use it to impact systems ✅ Multiple service delivery models that position you as a leader ✅ Developing a master plan that aligns your expertise with system needs Takeaways: ✅ Asset stacking compounds your influence over time ✅ Your unique combination of skills creates distinctive value ✅ Service delivery innovation positions you as a thought leader Action Step: Begin your leadership master plan by identifying your unique "stack" of professional assets and one system-level challenge they could address. In this episode, I mentioned “The School Leader’s Guide to Executive Functioning Support”, a 7-day course to help school leaders launch their executive functioning implementation plan. You can learn more about the course here [https://drkarenspeech.lpages.co/school-leaders-guide-to-executive-functioning-support/]: https://drkarenspeech.lpages.co/school-leaders-guide-to-executive-functioning-support/  We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL.  IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more: * Simplify and streamline technology * Save teachers’ time * Reliably meet Tier 1 standards * Improve student performance on state assessments 🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE [http://ixl.com/BE] today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

In this second episode in the 3-part clinical leadership series, I explore the 'lesson planning trap'—a common situation where clinicians focus so much on perfecting individual sessions and miss broader opportunities for impact. I experienced this myself, spending years creating detailed therapy plans while seeing little change at the systems level. Then I realized the importance of distinguishing between planning for individual therapy and planning for effective service delivery. This insight transformed my practice and leadership approach. Today, I’ll share how you can take your intervention skills and scale them for lasting change in your school or organization.  Key Points: ✅ Applying effective intervention principles to enhance service delivery. ✅ Understanding the difference between therapy planning and service delivery planning. ✅ Introducing scalable protocols that maximize your impact. ✅ Evaluating your current strategies for scalability. ✅ Utilizing intervention principles in team leadership situations. In this episode, I mentioned “The School Leader’s Guide to Executive Functioning Support”, a 7-day course to help school leaders launch their executive functioning implementation plan. You can learn more about the course here [https://drkarenspeech.lpages.co/school-leaders-guide-to-executive-functioning-support/]: https://drkarenspeech.lpages.co/school-leaders-guide-to-executive-functioning-support/ We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL.  IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more: * Simplify and streamline technology * Save teachers’ time * Reliably meet Tier 1 standards * Improve student performance on state assessments 🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE [http://ixl.com/BE] today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

In this episode, we address the common experience of being overlooked in crucial conversations about the students we serve. Whether you're a clinician or educator who feels unheard while trying to contribute, aspiring to be in a leadership role, or currently in leadership and experiencing impostor syndrome, this discussion challenges you to embrace your role as a leader—regardless of your job title. We'll start this 3-part clinical leadership series by clarifying some misconceptions about leadership and explore how to change your approach. Key Points: ✅ Why are important team members excluded from key team decisions about services and programs in schools and other organizations? ✅ How to stay relevant and visible to colleagues so they see you as an asset. ✅ Overcoming three core limiting beliefs:        👉"Leadership is someone else's responsibility."        👉"Decision-making is a privilege."        👉"Only those in power can lead." ✅ How these beliefs hinder successful collaboration. ✅ Steps to view yourself as a leader in your current position. Takeaways: ✅ Leadership is a mindset, not just a formal role. ✅ Your expertise is invaluable and needed by your team. ✅ Simple actions can significantly boost your visibility and impact. ✅ Every member of an organization can drive change. In this episode, I mentioned “The School Leader’s Guide to Executive Functioning Support”, a 7-day course to help school leaders launch their executive functioning implementation plan. You can learn more about the course here: https://drkarenspeech.lpages.co/school-leaders-guide-to-executive-functioning-support/ We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL.  IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more: * Simplify and streamline technology * Save teachers’ time * Reliably meet Tier 1 standards * Improve student performance on state assessments 🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE [http://ixl.com/BE] today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

In this episode, we dive deep with educational consultant and innovator Dr. Kate Anderson Foley, who challenges conventional wisdom about student support systems and offers a fresh perspective on educational leadership. Dr. Anderson Foley's  shares revolutionary ideas about restructuring intervention frameworks and explains why some traditional approaches may be limiting student potential. Episode Highlights: ✅ The Double Helix Model - Dr. Anderson Foley introduces her groundbreaking concept comparing educational support systems to DNA's double helix structure, demonstrating how interwoven approaches create stronger outcomes than linear interventions, and why we shouldn’t label students according to tiers.  ✅ Restructuring RtI Tiers - We explore Dr. Anderson Foley's compelling case for removing the traditional tiered structure of Response to Intervention, discussing how these artificial divisions can create barriers to providing students with appropriate support at critical moments. ✅ Cross-Pollination of Services - Dr. Anderson Foley flips conventional thinking by arguing that what's often labeled as "duplication of services" actually represents valuable cross-pollination of educational approaches, creating richer learning environments and multiple pathways for student growth. ✅ High-Quality vs. Traditional Tutoring - We distinguish between standard tutoring and "high-quality tutoring," examining the specific elements that transform supplemental instruction into transformative educational experiences. ✅ Agile vs. Waterfall Leadership - Dr. Anderson Foley contrasts traditional "waterfall" leadership models with agile approaches, explaining how educational leaders can create more responsive, adaptive systems by implementing initiatives in shorter releases and using data to make adjustments sooner, rather than later.  Our conversation challenges listeners to reconsider fundamental assumptions about educational interventions and offers practical strategies for transforming support systems to better serve all students. Dr. Anderson Foley's innovative perspectives provide valuable insights for educators, administrators, and policy makers seeking to create more effective and equitable educational environments. Dr. Anderson Foley is Founder & CEO of the Education Policy & Practice Group, an international keynote speaker, and Harvard Medical School Institute of Coaching Fellow. A transformational leader, she has guided school districts and states toward equitable services for all learners, with a focus on breaking barriers for marginalized children. Beginning as a special education teacher pioneering inclusive practices, Dr. Kate advanced to administration where she advocated for reform at local, state, and federal levels. As a senior educational leader for Illinois, she helped create preventative systems addressing opportunity gaps for all learners regardless of background or circumstance, and contributed to equity-based school funding reform. Dr. Kate partners with organizations worldwide, providing expertise in improvement processes, professional learning communities, and asset-based education policies. She teaches Special Education Law to aspiring educational leaders and authors books including "Ida Finds Her Voice," "Fearless Coaching," and "Radically Excellent School Improvement," which offers a blueprint for comprehensive school improvement that ensures every student thrives. 👉Learn more about Dr. Kate’s books, professional development, and services on her website here: https://www.edpolicyconsulting.com/ ✅Learn more about her book, “Radically Excellent School Improvement” here: https://www.edpolicyconsulting.com/resources 📥Connect with her by email at: kate@edpolicyconsulting.com 📞Connect with her by phone at: (440) 55401789  🧠In this episode, I mentioned “The School Leader’s Guide to Executive Functioning Support”, a 7-day course to help school leaders launch their executive functioning implementation plan. You can learn more about the course here: https://drkarenspeech.lpages.co/school-leaders-guide-to-executive-functioning-support/ We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL.  IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more: * Simplify and streamline technology * Save teachers’ time * Reliably meet Tier 1 standards * Improve student performance on state assessments 🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE [http://ixl.com/BE] today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

In this episode, I’m excited to announce the release of my new compression course, “The School Leader’s Guide to Executive Functioning Support.”  You can learn more about the course here: https://drkarenspeech.lpages.co/school-leaders-guide-to-executive-functioning-support/ In this session, I’ll be sharing why I created this program, what parents and professionals have shared with me when I talk about executive functioning, and how I approach educating professionals about this important and relevant topic. *Plus I share things school communities and staff WISH their administration knew 🙂 Imagine a school where: ✅ Students are better equipped to handle challenges and setbacks ✅ Teachers spend less time managing behavior and more time on meaningful instruction ✅ Academic performance improves across the board ✅ Your team feels empowered and supported, rather than overwhelmed by another initiative Introducing: The School Leader's Guide to Executive Functioning Support After years of developing frameworks to support these essential cognitive skills and helping professionals implement them in their own schools, I've created a comprehensive guide specifically for school leaders like you. This 7-day course will walk you through: 1. Understanding the critical role of executive functioning in student success 2. Identifying areas where executive functioning support can have the biggest impact in your school 3. Pinpointing challenges with common strategies such as social skills groups, behavior charts, and organizing tools.  4. Practical tools and techniques that can be immediately implemented in classrooms 5. Methods for measuring and demonstrating the impact of executive functioning support 6. Long-term planning for sustainable implementation and continued growth By the end of the 7 days, you'll be ready to design a plan for launching executive functioning support in your school, setting the stage for transformative change. Are you ready to transform your school and set your students up for long-term success? Don't let another day go by without giving your team and students the support they need to thrive.  The future of your school starts with the decisions you make today. The School Leader’s Guide to Executive Functioning Support is a 7-day course to help school leaders launch their executive functioning implementation plan.  You can learn more about the course here: https://drkarenspeech.lpages.co/school-leaders-guide-to-executive-functioning-support/ We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL.  IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more: * Simplify and streamline technology * Save teachers’ time * Reliably meet Tier 1 standards * Improve student performance on state assessments 🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE [http://ixl.com/BE] today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.