Maura C

Principal 🐻 , Golden mom 🐕, and a lover of saltwater 🏝️

[MattWight @mattwight]

Fantastic learning walk trip to Bolivia Elementary today to see the work of APA principal Maura Cleary. @NCPrincipals

[Jonathan Alsheimer @mr_Alsheimer]

THIS … ALL DAY ❤️

[Maura C @mclearyeducator]

Excellence doesn’t allow people to opt out👈
Wonderful day with @NCPrincipals, @casas_jimmy and fellow @brunscoschools principals.
Happy birthday @twils22 !

[Dr. Latreicia Allen @LatreiciaAllen]

This is a message. #AverageWontDo #JGMSPirates

[Brad Weinstein @WeinsteinEdu]

We must truly listen. 🙌

[Maura C @mclearyeducator]

@twils22 @PrincipalKafele @NCPrincipals @mattwight there was plenty of Diet Coke! I’m going to get Tony hooked!

[Tony Wilson @twils22]

We are enjoying our learning with @PrincipalKafele #brunswickBuilt @NCPrincipals

[NCPAPA @NCPrincipals]

Kicking off the second cohort of the Early Career Principals Academy with the legendary @PrincipalKafele! #NCPAPAPD #ECPA

[Stephen Harris @StephenHarrisJr]

Great day yesterday at the ECPA through @NCPrincipal!
Honored to learn from the legendary @PrincipalKafele — his message about a principal’s instructional value to teachers was powerful.
Left inspired to keep showing up, serving, and leading with purpose. #PrincipalLeadership

[Bill Harrison @wch33]

I have no issues with parents choosing private schools. However, if those schools will not accept ALL children and there is no accountability system in place, I have a REAL problem with those schools receiving public funds.

[Emily Paschall @EmilyAPaschall]

Education will always evolve - through new standards, new strategies, and new tools.
But one thing will never change:
Relationships will always matter most.

Lead with compassion.
Extend grace generously.
Offer each student a fresh start.
Every single day.

Because at the heart of great teaching is something profoundly simple:
Connection.

[Danny Steele @SteeleThoughts]

I recommend dealing with difficult people the same way you deal with your favorites: with kindness, patience, respect, and understanding.

[Justin McMillan @justinwmcmillan]

Collective Teacher Efficacy is not a slogan. It’s a system.

John Hattie ranks Collective Teacher Efficacy as the #1 influence on student achievement—with an effect size of 1.57. But too often, it’s used as a buzzword without understanding what it really takes to create it.

So what does it look like in action?

1. Common Goals + Shared Clarity

“When educators believe that together they can impact learning, it becomes a powerful driver of success.” – Jenni Donohoo
Schools with CTE don’t just have “mission statements”—they have laser-focused, measurable goals that everyone knows and works toward. That means:
•Clearly defined learning outcomes
•Aligned PLC goals
•Instructional practices that are anchored in student data

2. Embedded Collaboration
True collaboration isn’t just meeting together—it’s working together toward student outcomes. According to Donohoo, teams must:
•Analyze student work regularly
•Engage in joint problem-solving
•Use protocols that focus on impact, not just planning

This means moving beyond “what are we teaching?” to “what worked, for whom, and why?”

3. Leaders Who Create the Conditions
Hattie and Fullan emphasize that leadership matters most when it builds teacher belief and action. That looks like:
•Protecting time for high-quality collaboration
•Modeling vulnerability and data-informed decisions
•Celebrating progress based on evidence, not just effort

4. Evidence of Impact
You can’t build efficacy without results. Teachers need to see:
•Growth in student learning
•Patterns of success from specific practices
•Reflection tools that track progress over time

Regularly asking: What is our evidence that students are learning better because of what we did?

5. Psychological Safety and Trust
Without trust, CTE can’t exist. That means creating a culture where:
•It’s safe to share failure
•Staff value learning over looking good
•Feedback is normalized, not weaponized.

You don’t declare collective efficacy—you build it through systems, leadership, and focused work.

When educators believe they can—and actually see they are—making a difference, the entire school moves forward.

#CollectiveEfficacy #InstructionalLeadership #JohnHattie #Donohoo #PLCThatWorks #LeadingLearning #StudentImpact #SchoolCulture #TeacherGrowth
@VisibleLearning @MichaelFullan1 @Jenni_Donohoo

[Maura C @mclearyeducator]

My sweet second graders are graduating high school today. What an amazing feeling.

[Emily Paschall @EmilyAPaschall]

Say it louder. 🗣️

[Maura C @mclearyeducator]

Reminding myself this as the school year ends.

[Emily Paschall @EmilyAPaschall]

Don’t forget to water the grass. ☺️⬇️

[Maura C @mclearyeducator]

@StephenHarrisJr @LyndseyDunn1 I so wish I could have gone!!

[Katie Caggia @KatieCaggia]

A quote inspired by Steven Covey—Effective Teaching is communicating a child's worth and potential so clearly that they are inspired to see it in themselves.
This. Is. Everything. 💯