The Ruckus Report
Quick take: A game-changing framework for school leaders who want to escape the firefighting trap and create intentional, high-impact leadership from day one.
Meet Your Fellow Ruckus Maker
Danny Bauer, host of the Better Leaders Better Schools Podcast and founder of the Ruckus Maker movement, shares his journey from experiencing “the worst start to school ever” to developing a comprehensive system that helps school leaders launch their years with clarity, purpose, and momentum.

Breaking Down the Old Rules
Key Insight #1: Self-Leadership Before School Leadership
- What’s broken: Starting with operations and putting yourself last
- The shift: Prioritizing your energy management and growth first
- Impact: Leaders who are focused, empowered, and modeling the change they want to see
- What’s broken: Unclear expectations and complex messaging
- The shift: “Simplicity is velocity, complexity is the devil”
- Impact: Teams aligned and motivated, all “rowing in the same direction at once”
- What’s broken:Chasing 10-20+ initiatives simultaneously
- The shift: Zeroing in on 3-5 high-leverage priorities that create domino effects
- Impact: Meaningful progress on what truly matters instead of watered-down results
Quotable Ruckus
Your Do School Different Challenge
Ready to implement these ideas? Start here:
- Tomorrow: Complete the School Leadership Scorecard to identify your highest-leverage growth opportunities
- This Month: Draft an intentional 90-day plan focused on the five core areas: self-leadership, communication, academic focus, culture building, and operations
- This Semester: Join the 90-Day Accelerator to transform your leadership approach with proven frameworks and systems
Connect & Continue
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Today’s RUCKUScast in Partnership with:
Class Composer: Want to know why Ruckus Makers love Class Composer? Because it turns the dreaded end-of-year class placement meetings into a streamlined, data-driven process. Your teachers will save hours of time while ensuring that nothing is overlooked, including student separations.
🔍 Learn more here
Quest Food Management Services: Creating joyful learning environments starts in the cafeteria. Quest brings 40 years of expertise in crafting scratch-made meals that nurture both body and community spirit through innovative student engagement programs.
🔍 Learn more here
ODP Business Solutions®: Most schools botch STEAM implementation because they’re missing 3 critical elements. Here’s the wild part: it’s not about fancy tech or massive budgets. ODP Business Solutions® has researched many successful programs to identify what actually works (and what’s just burning cash).
🔍 Learn the blueprint.
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