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Best Podcasts For School Administrators
There’s no shortage of responsibilities on a school administrator’s plate. From managing staff morale to rolling out curriculum changes and staying ahead of policy updates, the job demands sharp instincts and sharper tools.
And leadership doesn’t stop when the school day ends, and neither does learning. Thankfully, some of the best minds in educational leadership are sharing their insights through podcasts designed for busy leaders like you.
These podcasts for school administrators cover everything from tech innovation and staff development to resilience and school culture. Even a quick listen during your morning coffee or drive to school can give you the fresh perspective you need to lead with confidence.
Let’s explore leadership one episode at a time.
Best for Practical Strategy: School Leadership Show
- Snippet: A monthly update packed with real-world tools for culture, policy, staffing, and work-life balance.
- Host: Dr. Mike Doughty & Jenn David‑Lang
- Where to Listen: Podcast Home & Apple Podcasts
If you’re juggling school-wide initiatives, compliance hurdles, or a need to sharpen your team-culture game, tune in. Dr. Doughty and Jenn sit down with seasoned leaders to unpack how they’ve handled the messy parts of implementation, like bridging the gap between research and reality. Expect candid advice and actionable takeaways that feel like a peer coaching session over coffee.
Best for Bold, Disruptive Leadership: Better Leaders Better Schools
- Snippet: Weekly interviews with innovative leaders who challenge the status quo in education.
- Host: Daniel Bauer
- Where to Listen: Official Archive & Apple Podcasts
Feel like you’re stuck in the same old grind? Bauer’s show is for the ruckus-making principals who want to flip the script and provoke meaningful change. He picks brains on everything from emotional intelligence to reinventing discipline systems. It’s bold, inspiring, and full of nuts-and-bolts ideas to bring back to your leadership team.
Best for Positive School Culture: Education Leadership & Beyond
- Snippet: Weekly upbeat conversations with K-12 leaders on relationship building and resilience.
- Host: Andrew Marotta
Where to Listen: Website, & Apple Podcasts
Struggling to keep morale high during hectic months? Andrew has you covered with energetic and relatable interviews on topics like staff compassion, transparent communication, and refueling your passion for leadership. Think of it as an encouraging check-in with a trusted colleague who’s walked in your shoes.
Best for Big-Picture Systems: ThoughtStretchers Education Podcast
- Snippet: Thoughtful explorations of systemic challenges, policies, equity, and recovery.
- Host: Drew Perkins with rotating guests like NASSP’s Ronn Nozoe
Where to Listen: TeachThought Archive
Need a lens beyond your school walls? Drew’s guests bring expert perspectives on topics like federal policy shifts, reopening strategies post-COVID, and culturally responsive leadership. You’ll come away with informed talking points when you meet with district leaders or board members.
Best for Ed‑Tech Leaders: EduTechGuys
- Snippet: A high-energy, humorous and tech-savvy ride through real school technology trends.
- Host: David Henderson & Jeff Madlock
Where to Listen: Website, Apple Podcasts & Pocket Casts
If you’re wrestling with digital integration, LMS rollouts, or digital equity, this show offers fresh ideas from tech leads across districts. David and Jeff keep it real by sharing wins, near-misses, and sometimes hilarious mishaps. Expect lively chats covering everything from conference interviews to practical ed-tech tools that could fit directly into your next staff PD session.
Best for Evidence‑Based Learning: The Learning Scientists Podcast
- Snippet: Cognitive science unpacked in teacher- and leader-friendly language.
- Hosts: Drs. Yana Weinstein & Megan Sumeracki
- Where to Listen: Website
This one is ideal for administrators crafting PD or curriculum changes. You’ll learn why strategies like spaced practice and retrieval practice matter outside the classroom. Yana and Megan explain how to apply these techniques to adult learning too, so you can guide teachers toward smarter instructional design. Expect real-world examples and simple framing to help you lead with clarity and confidence.
Best for School‑Level Leadership: The Empowered Principal Podcast
- Snippet: Coaching-style conversations about principal wellness, time management, and leadership presence.
- Host: Angela Kelly Robeck
Where to Listen: Website
Every admin faces that burnout bubble. Angela, a former principal turned coach, digs into how to set boundaries, reclaim focus, and lead from a place of calm. She talks about real tension points like board pressures, parent complaints, and self-doubt, and gives tools you can try between meetings or before a big speech. It’s like a personal coaching session served in your earbuds.
Best for Cross‑Sector Leadership: The Learning Leader Show
- Snippet: High-caliber interviews with CEOs, athletes, and military generals with leadership lessons you can adapt for schools.
- Host: Ryan Hawk
Where to Listen: Website
When you want to stretch out of education and learn universal leadership principles, this is your show. Ryan’s guests talk about building cultures, creating vision, and responding to crises. These are all the themes that matter in schools too. You’ll hear stories of failure, resilience, and team-building that resonate whether you’re leading a district task force or managing a difficult staff meeting.
Best for Transformational Mindset: Transformative Principal
- Snippet: Candid conversations with principals who have reshaped their schools from the inside out.
- Host: Jethro Jones
Where to listen: Website, Apple Podcast, YouTube
Jones, a former National Distinguished Principal, treats each episode like a master‑class on change management. Topics range from early mental‑health intervention to AI‑ready PD, and guests share step‑by‑step tactics you can try this semester. Episodes run about thirty minutes, which makes them perfect for a commute or a lunchtime walk. Expect clear action items that advance your administrator professional development without adding another meeting to the calendar.
Best for Equity Leadership: Leading Equity Podcast
- Snippet: Weekly interviews that translate big ideas about equity into practical campus‑wide moves.
- Host: Dr. Sheldon L. Eakins
- Where to listen: Website, Apple Podcasts
If you lead equity committees, oversee discipline data, or simply want a more inclusive culture, this show delivers concrete tools. Dr. Eakins unpacks everything from culturally responsive grading to AI’s role in accessibility. Episodes often include ready‑to‑use reflection questions for staff meetings, turning complex theory into school leadership resources you can apply immediately. You will leave each episode with language, research, and examples that help you advocate for all students.
Best for Deep‑Dive Author Interviews: Principal Center Radio
- Snippet: Book‑focused interviews that mine education research for real‑world leadership practice.
- Host: Dr. Justin Baeder
Where to listen: Website, Apple Podcasts, Spotify
Baeder sits down with authors like John Hattie and Charlotte Danielson, then zeroes in on how their ideas look in day‑to‑day leadership. Each chat runs forty minutes, long enough to unpack nuance but focused on takeaways you can test during classroom walk‑throughs. The show has aired since 2014 and now features more than four hundred episodes, so whatever challenge is on your desk, a relevant conversation probably exists. It is an on‑demand library for administrator professional development.
Best for Real Talk on the Principalship: The Modern Principal Podcast
- Snippet: Two practicing principals swap stories and strategies for leading in the current K‑12 landscape.
- Hosts: Karen Hile and Christy Lamb
Where to listen:Apple Podcasts & Spotify
Hile and Lamb keep things conversational and relatable, sharing wins and wounds from their own elementary campuses. Episodes explore vision‑setting, meeting fatigue, and family engagement, always concluding with a “here’s what we actually did” segment. The tone feels like an after‑school debrief with trusted colleagues who also happen to be savvy about research. It is a refreshing way to stay current on educational leadership podcasts while getting reassurance that you are not alone in the work.
Your Next Steps as a School Leader
Podcasts for school administrators are a low‑lift way for busy leaders to keep learning and stay inspired. The playlist above means you can collect expert ideas on scheduling, equity, ed‑tech, or staff morale without adding another meeting to your calendar. While you are filling your earbuds with bold new thinking, remember that streamlining the back office with TUIO frees time for that thinking to happen.
TUIO is an all‑in‑one tuition, enrollment, and school management platform that automates payment collection, reporting, and student data so you regain up to forty hours a month. Administrators use it to cut costs, improve cash flow, and centralize tasks that otherwise live in separate spreadsheets. Less paperwork means more room for the creative leadership moves you hear about in your favorite shows.
Book a free consultation to see how streamlined operations can open up more time for that newfound knowledge.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are podcasts useful for administrators?
They package expert insights into short episodes you can finish during a commute or campus walk, turning dead time into administrator professional development.
What is a good time to listen to a podcast?
Commutes, lunch breaks, or morning prep periods are ideal because you can listen hands‑free while completing routine tasks.
Can I use podcast content in staff PD?
Yes. Share a clip or summary during meetings, then pair it with reflection questions to spark discussion and extend the learning.
What if I don’t agree with everything a host says?
That’s the beauty of it. Podcasts give you exposure to diverse perspectives. Even when you disagree, you gain clarity on your own leadership values and how you’d handle similar situations.