On this episode of Working Well we speak with Dr. Ricki Gibbs. At the time of the recording, Dr. Gibbs was the principal at Warner Arts Magnet Elementary School, in Nashville, TN, but recently transitioned to be the head of all elementary schools for LEAD Public Schools, also in Nashville. In 2020, Dr. Gibbs was named Elementary Principal of the Year for Metro Nashville Public Schools. Under Dr. Gibbs’ leadership, Warner transformed from one of the lowest performing schools in Metro Nashville Public Schools to being the first and only Metro Nashville Public School to be recognized as a Blue Ribbon Beacon School in 2021. He talks with NCSSLE Training Specialist Melanie Goodman about the importance of self-care and setting boundaries, recognizing seen and unseen trauma, supporting families and the community, and how his staff uses mindfulness, movement, and breath work to help students develop emotional self-regulation strategies.

0:25 - Introduction

1:11 - Balancing the demands of the job and school leaders as decision makers

4:12 - Biggest challenges during and following the pandemic

6:22 - Post-pandemic innovations

10:41 - What other schools are doing post-pandemic

11:53 - Systematic approach to staff and workforce well-being

14:22 - Responsiveness to teacher autonomy within the system

16:41 - Success with teacher retention

17:30 - Supports for the workforce beyond teachers (i.e., paraeducators, support staff)

21:05 - Recommendations for supporting and stabilizing the workforce

24:16 - Closing

Working Well is brought to you by the National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments at the American Institutes for Research. This podcast is funded by the US Department of Education. If you'd like to learn more about NCSSLE, visit safesupportivelearning.ed.gov. For all questions or feedback, you can email us at NCSSLE@air.org.

Thanks for listening. Please note, the contents of this podcast do not necessarily represent the policy or views of the US Department of Education, nor does it imply endorsement by the US Department of Education.