Dr. Anthony Godfrey on Meaningful Connections: Prioritizing What Truly Matters in Education

Quick take: 

In a system built for efficiency rather than connection, Dr. Godfrey shows how one district is creating space for what truly matters—from targeted reading interventions to wellness days for staff—proving that even large districts can make the human element their highest priority.

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A MESSAGE FROM ODP BUSINESS SOLUTIONS®

Want to know why 67% of STEAM programs fail?

Hint: It's not the budget. After researching many schools, ODP Business Solutions® uncovered three make-or-break factors that determine STEAM success. The best part? You probably already have what you need.

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🏴‍☠️ BREAKING DOWN THE OLD RULES

In this episode, Dr. Godfrey challenges traditional education paradigms:

Key Insight #1: Fund Preparation Time, Not Just Professional Development

• What's broken: Traditional PD without paid time for teachers to implement what they've learned

• The shift: Securing board funding for teacher preparation time alongside professional development for their Walk to Read program

• Impact: Reading scores higher than ever before, despite launching during the pandemic

Key Insight #2: Prioritize Staff Wellness Through Structural Changes

• What's broken: Expecting staff to maintain wellness without creating systemic support

• The shift: Implementing dedicated "Health and Wellness Days" (three-day weekends) for all 9,000 district employees

• Impact: Creating a culture that values people over processes, demonstrating that employee wellbeing isn't just talk

Key Insight #3: Reimagine Leadership Communication

• What's broken: Relying on emails and memos to build connections and communicate vision

• The shift: "Email is for information, not conversation" philosophy and launching a superintendent podcast

• Impact: Deeper connections throughout the district as people hear their superintendent's voice and style, creating familiarity and trust

✌️ YOUR DO SCHOOL DIFFERENT CHALLENGE

Ready to implement these ideas? Start here:

1. Tomorrow: Audit your own communication habits—are you trying to have conversations via email that would be better in person?

2. This Month: Create a plan to pay teachers for their preparation time for your next major initiative, not just the training

3. This Semester: Explore what a wellness day would look like in your school or district—even starting with a half-day pilot could show commitment to staff wellbeing

✅ CONNECT AND CONTINUE

• 🎯 Listen to the Jordan Supercast

• 🔗 Follow Dr. Godfrey: X/Twitter | LinkedIn

• 💪 Join the Ruckus Maker Movement

🤝 TODAY’S RUCKUScast IN PARTNERSHIP WITH:

• IXL: Meet your students where they are and take them where they need to go. Join over 1 million teachers who trust IXL to drive data-informed excellence in their classrooms. 🔍 Learn more: IXL.com/leaders
  

• Expressability K12: Your inbox isn't a task manager. Your mind isn't for storing mundane processes. It’s time to break free. With Expressability K12 Ruckus Makers can prioritize student success by offloading time sucking tasks.
  Visit Expressability K12 to learn how. (expressability.com/ruckus)

• ODP Business Solutions: “Our STEAM program is too complicated” = Code for “We’re doing it wrong”. Stop letting fear kill innovation. While some schools struggle with integrating STEAM, other leaders are using a 3-part framework to transform their programs. The secret? It’s not what you think.
  Get the playbook here.

Podcast created by Danny. Audio engineered by Dragan. Show notes written by Christina. Email sent by Soniya