About this episode
In this episode of Leader Chat, Jeff sits down with acclaimed urban educator and transformational school leader Baruti Kafele. They delve into key topics on protecting your leadership mindset, fervor, and authenticity. Baruti shares his profound journey from a struggling student to an impactful principal and now a sought-after speaker and consultant. They discuss the importance of teachers and leaders understanding their ‘why’ and staying true to their core values. Tune in for a deep, insightful conversation on enduring and thriving in educational leadership.
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A highly-regarded urban educator in New Jersey for over twenty years, Principal Baruti Kafele distinguished himself as a master teacher and a transformational school leader. As an elementary school teacher in East Orange, NJ, he was selected as the East Orange School District and Essex County Public Schools Teacher of the Year and New Jersey Teacher of the Year finalist.
As a middle and high school principal, Principal Kafele emerged as a turnaround school leader which included the turnaround of “The Mighty” Newark Tech, that went from a low-performing school in need of improvement to national recognition, including U.S. News and World Report Magazine recognizing it three times as one of America’s best high schools and Principal Kafele being awarded the coveted Milken Educator Award.
One of the most sought-after school leadership and classroom equity presenters in America, Principal Kafele is impacting America’s schools! For over 35 years, he has delivered over 3000 conference and program keynotes, professional development workshops, parenting seminars and student assemblies. An expert in the area of “attitude transformation,” Principal Kafele is the leading authority for providing effective classroom and school leadership strategies toward closing what he coined, the “Attitude Gap.”