Is the era of the public school monopoly officially dead? According to my guest, Brian Stephens, the answer is a resounding yes. And if school leaders don’t adapt, they risk becoming “dinosaurs.”
Brian is a combat veteran, attorney, and the leader of CAISSA K-12, a firm that has helped return over 30,000 students to traditional public schools. In our conversation, we tackled the hard truth about declining enrollment and how districts can reclaim their narrative in a competitive market.
Here are themes from our talk that every educator and superintendent should hear:
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Accepting the End of the Monopoly: Brian argues that leaders must stop acting like they are the only game in town. He notes, “The monopoly’s over with.” To thrive, schools must treat families like customers and understand that competition from charters, private schools, and unschooling is the new reality.
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Leading with Emotion to Change the Narrative: While educators love data, Brian points out that data alone doesn’t move people. To recruit families back, you have to win their hearts first. He explains, “We’re not led with facts and data. We’re led with emotion, and we use facts to support those decisions.” Successful districts find their stories and use them to build an emotional connection with the community.
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The Difference Between Being “Nice” and Being “Kind”: In a powerful leadership lesson, Brian deconstructs a mistake he made early in his career: going along to get along. He realized that true support means telling the truth, even when it’s uncomfortable. He advocates for clear-is-kind leadership: giving authentic feedback that actually helps a district improve rather than just making people feel good.
Public schools are doing incredible work, but as Brian reminds us, “they didn’t understand how great they were.” It’s time to stop being the best-kept secret and start advocating for the programs we offer every day.
#PublicEducation #SchoolLeadership #EnrollmentMarketing #AnImperfectLeader #EducationReform #SuptChat #EdChat #ReclaimTheNarrative #Podcasserole
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Follow Host Peter Stiepleman on: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-stiepleman-76004819a/ Website: https://imperfectleader.com/
YouTube (video of conversation): https://youtu.be/VkKiXpczSEAhttps://www.youtube.com/@animperfectleaderleadershi5144/featured
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/animperfectleader/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@animperfectleader
Follow Co-host Jamie Almanzán on:
Connect with APC Leadership Collaborative for support in navigating complex leadership situations: https://www.apccollab.com
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An Imperfect Leader is sponsored by IXL. Boost learning with a platform proven to deliver results. IXL gives educators a complete K–12 curriculum and personalized learning plans that adapt to every student.
Trusted by over 1 million teachers and 96 of the top 100 school districts, IXL helps schools outperform on state tests, and helps teachers focus on what matters most.
IXL: Powerful data. Personalized learning. Real progress.
Discover what IXL can do for your school at IXL.com/imperfect
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An Imperfect Leader is sponsored by Yondr.
Schools around the world are seeing the damaging effects of phones on student engagement, social development, and mental health.
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Go to overyondr.com to learn more.
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The Mosaic Project, one of our favorite organizations, has over 25 years of experience empowering students to celebrate differences, communicate assertively, and resolve conflicts peacefully at their outdoor school. Their innovative SEL curriculum is now available to An Imperfect Leader listeners at a 10% discount through their new documentary film-based Mosaic Classroom Project!
The Project’s ready-to-use lesson plans include film, original music, “gametivities”, and real conversations. We’re proud to partner with The Mosaic Project in helping educators build inclusive, peaceful learning communities! Just mention An Imperfect Leader during the onboarding process to receive the 10% discount.
Learn more about The Mosaic Classroom Project.
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Think differently. Think in systems. Reach out to The Waters Center for Systems Thinking to learn more about how systems thinking capacity building can strengthen your team and organization.
Homepage: http://www.waterscenterst.org
Thinking Tools Studio: https://thinkingtoolsstudio.waterscenterst.org
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An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at imperfectleader.com.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.