Episode 368

full
Published on:

20th Feb 2025

Every Student, Every Minute, Every Day

CT discusses educational innovation with Dr. Jason Hewitt, Superintendent of Shepherd Independent School District in Texas. Discover how a rural district is overcoming challenges by embracing technology and collaborative teaching through the APEX program. Learn about efforts to attract top talent, enhance student performance, and foster teacher teamwork. Hewitt highlights the importance of adaptability and communication in leadership, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. This conversation offers valuable insights into using crisis-driven opportunities to create lasting educational impact, ideal for those interested in leadership and transformation in rural schools.

Key Takeaways:

APEX Program: A collaborative teaching model offering students access to master teachers and integrating technology to enhance learning.

Teacher Collaboration: Teachers work together across classrooms to improve student outcomes.

Attracting Talent: Shepherd ISD offers financial incentives to attract top educators.

Student Performance Impact: APEX led to significant improvement in student grades.

Leadership in Crisis: Dr. Hewitt emphasizes adaptability, transparent communication, and tech use during COVID-19.

Tech Integration: The district's one-to-one tech initiative bridges the digital divide for students.

Leadership Values: Dr. Hewitt stresses self-awareness, consistency, and passion for education.

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

00:48 Shepherd, Texas

03:33 APEX Program

09:42 Program Benefits

15:42 Innovation Process

21:24 Leadership Journey

36:04 Leadership Advice

Connect with Dr. Jim: linkedin.com/in/drjimk

Connect with CT: linkedin.com/in/cheetung

Connect with Dr. Jason Hewitt: linkedin.com/in/jason-hewitt

Music Credit: Shake it Up - Fesliyanstudios.com - David Renda



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About the Podcast

Principal Office Hours
Real principals. Real talk. No hall passes required.
Finally—a podcast that proves school principals have personalities (and killer insights, too). Every week, join us for candid conversations with K-12 principals who are navigating the beautiful chaos of educational leadership without losing their minds or sense of humor.

Each 40-minute episode features real principals sharing what actually works in school leadership—from handling helicopter parents and budget nightmares to building school culture that doesn't make everyone roll their eyes. Consider this your professional development that doesn't feel like professional development.

Our guests aren't afraid to share their epic fails alongside their victories. They'll tell you about the initiative that spectacularly bombed during assembly, right before revealing how they turned their school's reading scores around. It's educational leadership with the BS filter turned off.

Whether you're currently wearing the principal badge, aspiring to the big chair, or teaching while secretly taking notes on what you'd do differently, Principal Office Hours delivers actionable strategies you can implement faster than a student being sent to detention.

Subscribe now and join the faculty lounge conversation that's too real for the school board meeting. New episodes drop every week. Warning: May cause spontaneous leadership growth and occasional inappropriate laughter during staff meetings.

About your hosts

CheeTung Leong

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Jim Kanichirayil

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Your friendly neighborhood talent strategy nerd is the producer and co-host for The HR Impact Show. He's spent his career in sales and has been typically in startup b2b HRTech and TA-Tech organizations.

He's built high-performance sales teams throughout his career and is passionate about all things employee life cycle and especially employee retention and turnover.