In part one of this two-part episode, leadership expert Ted Neitzke sits down with us to talk about the Baldrige Excellence Framework, the human need for structure and status, and how to draw upon "legacy experts" in the developing a strategic plan.

Give Ted's Smart Thinking podcast a listen, if you haven't already; subscribe to our newsletter to stay on top of the resources we have to share; and take a look at our leadership surveys to help you in your own planning processes.

The School District of Rhinelander's Eric Burke and Lexi Allen join us to talk about how they're expanding postsecondary pathways.

Learn more at their Academic and Career Planning website, and find additional information about their Partners in Education program here, too.

To stay on top of what we at School Perceptions are discovering through our survey work, sign up for our newsletter!

Under Kim Smessaert's guidance, Slinger's school store, the Rookery, has become so much more than an extension of DECA. Hear how Slinger is opening doors for its students, equipping them with the skills and experiences they'll need in their early jobs--and building community cohesion all the while!

For our next live recording, join us here at this link TOMORROW, May 21st, 11:00am central time, to hear Eric Burke and Lexi Allen talk about building career academies and establishing community partnerships in Rhinelander!

Gail Gilman of the Minnesota School Boards Association and Chris Thompson of the Unified School District of De Pere sit down with us to talk about how and why to do strategic planning right.

Subscribe to the ⁠School Perceptions blog⁠ for information on upcoming live recordings. And ⁠visit our website⁠ to see what our community planning surveys can do for you!

Lake Mills Area schools received five times the expected number of applications for an open teaching position. What is going on there that makes the district one that staff want to join and stay in?

Subscribe to the School Perceptions blog for information on upcoming live recordings. And visit our website to see what our staff surveys can do for you.

LINKS to cited sources in early going:

Tuan Nguyen, et al. (2019), "Factors of Teacher Attrition and Retention"

Wisconsin Policy Forum (2023), "Revolving Classroom Doors."

Tuan Nguyen (2022), "Burned Out and Dissatisfied?"

Michael Hartney (2022), How Policies Make Interest Groups

Matt Kraft, et al. (2020), "Teacher Accountability Reforms and the Supply and Quality of New Teachers."

Jon Shelton (2017), Teacher Strike! Public Education and the Making of a New American Political Order

Barbara Biasi and Wayne Sandholtz (2025), "The Political Consequences of Controversial Education Reforms: Lessons from Wisconsin's Act 10"

Our own Scott Girard and Rob DeMeuse help us think through the Wisconsin school referendum results from April 1st. It's a wide-ranging conversation

1.) How did April 1st fit into historical trends in the state, and what is driving those trends?

2.) How does community conversation -- the information school districts share with their constituents and the way districts listen to voters -- affect the final vote?

3.) What can schools and communities do to make sure that they're asking voters for the right things in the right amount?

For more, see Scott and Rob's blog post analyzing these trends; and to contact us, use our website!

School Perceptions is in the business of helping schools do their jobs well. Every school wants to help kids plan for and access opportunities after graduation. Our founder, Bill Foster, joins us today to talk about our new "Opening Doors" project, which shares concrete examples of schools and communities doing innovative and successful things in this space.

Visit our Opening Doors page for more information!

Dr. Rachel White, founder of the Superintendent Lab, joins Derek and Dr. Rob Meuse to talk about what's driving superintendent transitions, who's filling those openings, and whether it's even a good idea for a new superintendent to try to "hit the ground running."

Rob mentions our "pulse-check" tool for superintendents and boards, as well as our staff surveys, so I'm linking to them here, as well. And for more of our internal analyses, using data from the thousands and thousands of surveys we've done, see our Resource Center.