In this episode of The Wired Educator Podcast, I interview Pat Adkins, a veteran superintendent whose leadership, culture work, and views on education are sought out by educational leaders across the nation. Pat and I talk about leading a school district in a time of crisis, such as this pandemic, the importance of building a maintaining a dynamic culture and coaching others to become better leaders. This is a fun and worthy episode I know you will enjoy and benefit from.
Pat Adkins is the Superintendent of the Port Clinton City Schools in Port Clinton, Ohio. Port Clinton Schools have been recognized as a National Forum School to Watch and selected as a Model School by the International Center for Leadership. Pat’s thirty years in education include roles as a high school teacher, director of technology, coach, building principal, and Superintendent. He has not only survived but has thrived as Superintendent in Port Clinton for 15 years. He is an adjunct professor for Ashland University where he teaches administrative leadership courses. Pat has spoken at schools and conferences across the country about building dynamic school culture and was a featured speaker at the What Great Educators Do Differently conference in Houston, Texas this past October.
Pat serves as a mentor and coach to new Superintendents and school leaders and has been recognized for his work in creating an elite culture that invests in people over programs. Pat also provides coaching and consulting to school districts, and individuals, seeking disciplined strategies to help them achieve an elite culture and get results. Pat has been recognized as Port Clinton’s Citizen of the Year and OMEA’s Outstanding Administrator of the Year.
Great Educators Build Dynamic Cultures by Investing in People First!
~Pat Adkins
Learn how to build an elite culture by investing in people every day. Every school budgets for textbooks, online programs, and technology initiatives. Every calendar schedules time for professional development and data meetings. However, the crucial interpersonal connections and bond-building are an afterthought for many. It is relationship building and intentional focus on the culture that drives the success of any district. You win with people when you put people first. Don’t let your culture be built by chance, learn how to build it day by day with intention.
Mentioned in this episode:
Check out Pat’s blog, where he shares insight and culture, leadership and education: www.patadkins.com
Follow Pat on Twitter at @PCsupt
Focus 3: www.focus3.com
One of the most influential reads Pat shares is the book The Servant by James Hunter, and he is currently reading Live Your Excellence: Bring Your Best Self to School Every Day by Jimmy Casas.
Check out Kelly being interviewed on The Leader of Learning Podcast, episode 73: Authentic Innovation and Leadership, hosted by Dan Kreiness, that was just published.
Listen to Kelly being interviewed this past week on the Ashland University Professional Learning Podcast, Pandemic Response for Education Series
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Christy Whittlesey, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) has been an educator in settings ranging from PreK-higher education for the past 17 years, and is currently a PreK-12 Fine and Performing Arts Administrator and a Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Arts Ambassador in Massachusetts. In addition to her work in the arts, Dr. Whittlesey regularly collaborates with school districts and organizations to update policy and lead professional development to create gender-friendly schools where all students can thrive, regardless of gender.
Stephanie Castle is a good friend of mine and a fellow Apple Distinguished Educator. I’ve had the good pleasure to travel with her to different parts of the world through the Apple Distinguished Educator Program. She’s a wonderful human and an incredible teacher. She is the first person from whom I ever heard
In my introduction, I salute our first responders and essential workers during this time of crisis, and I offer some insight and direction on how you can apply the practice of mindfulness to your life.
I am so proud of educators around the world helping their students, community, and colleagues. Like you, I have been working extra hours with teachers in and outside my district with remote learning and instruction. Like you, I have been helping my family and community in this time of uncertainty and hardship. Like you, I am concerned about our students and what is coming next. This episode is more than just a check-in. It’s more than just an episode on remote learning. This episode attempts to connect all of us together and make some sense of what is going on and offer a little insight on how to prepare.
Dr. Moats has been a teacher, psychologist, researcher, graduate school faculty member, and author of many influential scientific journal articles, books, and policy papers on the topics of reading, spelling, language, and teacher preparation. After a first job as a neuropsychology technician, she became a teacher of students with learning and reading difficulties, earning her Master’s degree at Peabody College of Vanderbilt. Later, after realizing how little she understood about teaching reading, she earned a doctorate in Reading and Human Development from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Dr. Moats spent the next fifteen years in private practice as a licensed psychologist in Vermont, specializing in evaluation and consultation with individuals of all ages and walks of life who experienced reading, writing, and language difficulties. At that time, she trained psychology interns in the Dartmouth Medical School Department of Psychiatry. Dr. Moats spent one year as the resident expert for the California Reading Initiative; four years as site director of the NICHD Early Interventions Project in Washington, DC; and ten years as research advisor and consultant with Sopris Learning, obtaining two Small Business Innovation Research grants from the NICHD.
Weston Kieschnick is a lifelong educator with more than fourteen years of experience designing, developing, and delivering leadership training and professional development to teachers and school leaders around the globe. He is the author of the best selling book, Bold School: Old School Wisdom + New School Innovation = Blended Learning that Works, co-author of The Learning Transformation: A Guide to Blended Learning for Administrators and the creator and host of 
Dr. Matthew X. Joseph has collected incredible insights on how best to support teaching and learning, and his work has led to nationally published articles and opportunities to speak at multiple state and national events. He has been a school and district leader in many capacities in public education over his twenty-five years in the field, with experiences such as being the director of digital learning and innovation, an elementary school principal, a classroom teacher, and a district professional development specialist. Matt currently serves as the director of curriculum, instruction, and assessment in Leicester Public Schools. He earned a master’s degree in special education and administration and has his Ed.D. in educational leadership from Boston College. Matt holds licenses in teaching, school administration, and MA superintendent.
