T.J. Vari

Passion is cyclical. ♻️

Passion leads to better outcomes.

Better outcomes lead to passion.

#PassionateLeadership #SchoolLeadership

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School leaders who care about building a culture that supports are retains teachers are studying how...they're reading Retention for a Change.

#RetentionForAChange #SchoolLeadership #TeacherRetention

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Thoughtful question. I think it's more of an imposition. If we're going to grade the work, a rubric might be helpful so that students can earn the grade that they want. In that case, rubrics provide clarity.

But, we should also have plenty of experiences for students where their work is ungraded.

How to Hold Intentional Conversations With Educators School leaders can focus on relationship building to ensure that sensitive or challenging conversations with teachers are productive.

School leaders can focus on relationship building to ensure that sensitive or challenging conversations with teachers are productive.

#SchoolLeadership #Feedback #Teaching #Learning @edutopia.org

www.edutopia.org/article/bene...

Finding the Goldilocks Pace When Implementing Technology Not too fast, not too slow: The speed at which we roll out tech in schools can make or break its use and sustainability in the long term.

Want your new tech tool to stick?

✅ Name the problem.
✅ Find the easiest entry point.
✅ Start with the smallest viable solution.
✅ Let it spread on its own.

www.edutopia.org/article/impl...

Rethinking Academic Pathways to Drive Real-World Readiness ft. Dr. TJ Vari | Lessons Learned | Ep 9 Podcast Episode · Lessons Learned · 31/07/2025 · 40m

Check out my latest guest appearance on the Lessons Learned Podcast.

As always, I'm focused on reimagining the K12 experience so that students are college and career ready.

#LessonsLearned #Education #SchoolLeadership #Pathways

podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/r...

Retention for a Change: Motivate, Inspire, and Energize Your School Culture Retention for a Change: Motivate, Inspire, and Energize Your School Culture [Jones, Joseph, Thomas-EL, Salome, Vari, T.J., Sackstein, Starr] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Retention for a Change: Motivate, Inspire, and Energize Your School Culture

Motive, inspire, and energize your school staff this year. It's easy when you know how. It's impossible if you don't. The hardest part of doing is knowing.

#SchoolLeadership

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The Balance & Benefits of Rigorous Coursework on Students’ Transcripts - Part II Partnerships between K-12 schools and institutions of higher education give students an advantage as they build a transcript during high school. Schools and districts with articulated agreements with IHEs help students to earn college credit while in high school.

🎓 Rigorous coursework on high‑school transcripts does more than impress colleges — it builds confidence, earns credits, and saves 💰 on tuition!

#EdChat #CollegeReady #SchoolLeadership #CollegeAccess #HigherEd

www.ncan.org/news/701224/...

Can't wait to be on the ground in Seattle. 🛩️

Find me on Saturday at 11:15 for a conversation about the power of work-based learning. #WBL

#PrincipalsUNITED 💪

YouTube video by Peter Hostrawser 370 Invest in Your Best: Crafting Viable Futures with Dr. T.J. Vari

Every student deserves a viable post-secondary plan.

Viable = a path to college, career, military, etc that leads them to a life of happiness and prosperity.

Plan = they have clear steps to take that require little or no support to do.

👇
youtu.be/ydSzuMviBfo

The Balance & Benefits of Rigorous Coursework on Students’ Transcripts - Part I Equipping students with the right information as they make high school course-taking decisions is critical. There’s a balance between taking too many difficult courses and not performing well and taking too few advanced courses and potentially signaling a lack of drive through the academic plan.

Just saying that we want our students to challenge themselves with rigorous coursework isn't enough.

We need to schedule, support, and balance it in each student's four-year academic plan.

#Rigor #CollegeReadiness #CareerReadiness #CTE #AP #NCAN

www.ncan.org/news/701223/...

6 Key Questions to Ask Before Buying New Tech School leaders can use these criteria to ensure that an edtech purchase will meet their school’s particular needs.

“New classroom technology integration can go really well when done right, but problems can arise if certain questions aren’t considered during the planning and adoption phases of implementation,” @tjvari.bsky.social writes.

Here are the questions to ask. 💭

#EdTech #SchoolLeaders #Principals

The Balance & Benefits of Rigorous Coursework on Students’ Transcripts - Part I Equipping students with the right information as they make high school course-taking decisions is critical. There’s a balance between taking too many difficult courses and not performing well and taking too few advanced courses and potentially signaling a lack of drive through the academic plan.

How much rigor is too much?

In Part I of this NCAN blog, we explore how strategic use of AP, IB, & dual enrollment supports—not overwhelms—students. 📘

✅ Quality over quantity
✅ Thoughtful planning
✅ Real readiness

#CollegeAccess #CollegeReadiness

www.ncan.org/news/701223/...

6 Key Questions to Ask Before Buying New Tech School leaders can use these criteria to ensure that an edtech purchase will meet their school’s particular needs.

Implementing a new tool throughout your school isn’t a quick process.

@tjvari.bsky.social‬ explains how to make sure support is available and customization is possible—so teachers *and* students can successfully use the technology. 💻⭐

#EdTech #SchoolLeaders #Principals

Internships: 6 Career-Shaping Benefits | MaiaLearning Useful education updates from MaiaLearning

Internships have great benefits for students, including the ways that work experiences can shape a student's postsecondary plans.

#CCR #CollegeReadiness #CareerReadiness #Teaching #Learning #Education

www.maialearning.com/blog/interns...

6 Ways to Ensure Productivity with Technology Time in the Classroom Tech tools alone don’t guarantee learning—effective systems do. Master 6 proven strategies to boost engagement, accountability, ROI & productivity with technology time in the classroom.

Anyone who has tried to adopt and use web-based tools knows that the tool is only as good as its implementation, but time on task can be squandered without the right foundation.

#Teaching #Learning #EdTech

www.edtechreview.in/trends-insig...

6 Ways to Ensure Productivity with Technology Time in the Classroom Tech tools alone don’t guarantee learning—effective systems do. Master 6 proven strategies to boost engagement, accountability, ROI & productivity with technology time in the classroom.

Technology tools in the classroom can be our best friend, but they can also be a complete waste of instructional time if we don't implement w/ these 6 practices in mind.

#EdTech #Teaching #Learning

www.edtechreview.in/trends-insig...

Great leaders do what's best for the organization & every single person working within it.

Average leaders do what's best for the organization & treat the people as expendable.

Poor leaders do what's best for themselves.

#Leadership

Changing your mind is a super-skill.

#Leadership

Great leaders build bridges by networking & finding "the others."

Average leaders view networking as a burden on their time.

Poor leaders burn bridges by dismissing & dismantling relationships.

#Leadership

7 Mindshifts for School Leaders teaches administrators how to turn crises into opportunities with fresh thinking & actionable tools.

🌟 Let’s lead change: amzn.to/3YWIOzB

#EdLeadership #SchoolImprovement

I'm not sure I would be as alarmed by the rhetoric if people w/out college degrees were telling students that they can get good jobs directly out of high school w/out college.

But, the people telling this story, & dismantling the supports, are all college educated.

#CollegeAttainment #College

6 Ways to Ensure Productivity with Technology Time in the Classroom Tech tools alone don’t guarantee learning—effective systems do. Master 6 proven strategies to boost engagement, accountability, ROI & productivity with technology time in the classroom.

6 Ways to Ensure Productivity with Technology Time in the Classroom

#Teaching #Learning #Education #EdTech

www.edtechreview.in/trends-insig...

The Power of Work-Based Learning with Kristy Volesky | MaiaLearning Useful education updates from MaiaLearning

Don't miss Kristy Volesky--a work-based learning expert & author--on College & Career Readiness Radio.

#WBL #Teaching #Learning

www.maialearning.com/blog/the-pow...

Executive Functioning Skills with Mitch Weathers Podcast Episode · College & Career Readiness Radio · 10/30/2024 · 47m

Don't miss @organizedbinder on College & Career Readiness Radio.

Every student can graduate with executive functioning skills. We just need to be intentional about it.

#Teaching #Learning #Education

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/e...

370 Invest in Your Best: Crafting Viable Futures with Dr. T.J. Vari Podcast Episode · Disrupt Education · 02/12/2025 · 50m

I had a blast during this conversation with the Disrupt Education team. 🎙️

📢 Every student deserves a viable post-secondary plan.

📢 We scale great work by investing in our best people.

Check it out. Thanks for listening.

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/3...

"I didn't know what I thought until I said it. I didn't know what I said until I wrote about it."

If it's worth teaching the subject matter, it's important to give the learners time to talk about it, write about it, and present new ideas.

#Teaching #Learning #Education

Disrupt Education

All students deserve a viable postsecondary plan.

www.peterhostrawser.com/podcast/370-...

Candid and Compassionate Feedback: Transforming Everyday Practice in Schools Candid and Compassionate Feedback: Transforming Everyday Practice in Schools [Jones, Joseph, Vari, T.J.] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Candid and Compassionate Feedback: Transforming Everyday Practice in Schools

A district level leader who I'm coaching told me this week that he addressed his team about his goal to be more candid.

"From now on, I'm going to work on being clear with my feedback and transparent with my thoughts."

The team was relieved and excited for the change.

#Candor

amzn.to/4cds3Wy

Finding the Goldilocks Pace When Implementing Technology Not too fast, not too slow: The speed at which we roll out tech in schools can make or break its use and sustainability in the long term.

Not too fast, not too slow—the speed at which we roll out tech in schools can make or break its use and sustainability in the long term.

@tjvari.bsky.social explains how to get it just right. 🐻

#EdTech #SchoolLeaders #EduSky