Courage as a Pre-Requisite: Empowerment & Collaboration in Middle Schools with Katie Powell - Ep 78

In this episode of Building a Culture of Collaboration, host Curtis Hewson welcomes Katie Powell, Director of Middle Level Programs for the Association of Middle Level Education (AMLE), to explore the critical link between courage and collaboration in middle schools. Powell argues that true collaboration requires vulnerability, trust, and the courage to relinquish control—qualities essential for empowering both staff and students. Drawing on her extensive work with schools through AMLE’s Schools of Distinction program, she emphasizes that successful middle schools are defined not by grade configuration but by a developmental mindset rooted in early adolescent needs. She shares how high-performing schools foster empowerment through low standard deviations in staff perceptions, co-created team norms, and intentional leadership that models trust and psychological safety. The conversation highlights how adult behaviors—such as arriving on time, showing up with purpose, and co-creating classroom norms—directly shape student agency and well-being. Powell also addresses how burnout is exacerbated by isolation and lack of collaboration, advocating for structures that build belonging, consistency, and shared ownership of goals. Key takeaways include the importance of assuming good intent, co-creating team norms, and narrowing focus to one or two high-leverage priorities. The episode underscores that language matters—using 'our' instead of 'my' fosters collective identity—and that leadership must balance clear direction with autonomy. Real-world examples, such as a team’s compassionate response to tardiness and a teacher’s self-reflection on classroom values, illustrate how small, courageous acts can transform culture. Ultimately, the episode positions collaboration not as a soft skill but as a courageous, systemic practice that begins with trust at the top and ripples through every level of the school community.