#143: It’s Not Transformation If You're Just Getting Compliance Artwork

Coaching the Whole Educator

Coaching the Whole Educator is a podcast for instructional coaches, teacher leaders, and school leaders who want to strengthen their educators’ effectiveness and resilience, especially the ones who need it most. Each week, you’ll hear quick tips, proven strategies, and coaching mindsets designed to keep you on top of your coaching game.

This show is rooted in a human-centered approach, where we get things done through people’s humanity, not around it. Whether you’re new to instructional coaching or a seasoned instructional coach or leader looking for fresh perspective, you’ll learn how to focus on the mindsets and motivations driving unproductive behaviors. By getting to the root of resistance, you’ll discover how to build stronger relationships, lead with clarity, and create lasting impact in your school.

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Coaching the Whole Educator

#143: It’s Not Transformation If You're Just Getting Compliance

June 29, 2025 • Becca Silver • Season 3 • Episode 143

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We toss around the term school transformation but often it’s just accountability with better branding. In this episode, I sit down with Matt Hickson from Modern Classrooms Project to talk about what real school transformation looks like—and why it has to be responsive, reflective, and rooted in collective efficacy, not top-down plans.

Matt breaks down the School Transformation Inventory—a tool built by leaders, for leaders—and shows how it helps schools move from scattered strategies to a shared instructional vision that actually works. We also talk about hiring practices, instructional clarity, and how to create systems that match the needs of your staff and students—not just the goals of your strategic plan.

Link to the inventory: https://www.modernclassrooms.org/toolkit/school-transformation
Join the Leadership Collaborative: https://www.modernclassrooms.org/leadership-collaborative

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