The Ruckus Maker Club is the first online community built exclusively for Ruckus Makers in education.
Unlike other online communities —with endless advertisements, spammy consultants, colleagues sharing poor advice, and other principals content with the status quo — The Ruckus Maker Club is a dedicated online space connecting visionaries, innovators, and rebels in education who want to Do School Different™.
In order to Do School Different™ we make shifts FROM old, traditional, and often broken ways of educating TO new, different, and creative ways. No shift is too big or too small. These shifts matter because they elevate the learning experience for students on campus.
The Ruckus Maker Club is not a traditional online community—it’s a transformative learning experience.
🧪 Identify and run “Do School Different” Experiments that elevate the student experience.
✏️ Redesign your interview process: learn how to attract and retain Top Talent to your campus.
✨ Learn the magic of 90-day planning and implement 4x a year for more focus and results.
🧠 Level up your mindset and learn how to remain calm even in chaotic situations.
🛸 Get ahead of the trend: follow the Ruckus Maker AI playbook.
Here are a few resources you'll have exclusive access to in The Ruckus Maker Club:
The most valuable aspect is the community itself. We’re all better together. See what it’s like to participate in the most generous space on the internet — freely share resources and tools, engage in thoughtful conversations, and make a friend or two.
The Automatic School™ is made up of three parts:
The Lead Domino Stage: Mastering Self-Leadership
The Ripple Effect Stage: Building a World-Class Culture
The Big Picture Stage: Applying Systems Level Thinking, Mental Models, and Strategy
Implementing these stages creates a highly functioning campus — one that basically runs itself. Get access to these tools to upgrade each stage on your campus.
Monthly, the Ruckus Maker team will facilitate a coach call based on The Automatic School™ tools. This is your space to practice implementing the tool, see how other Ruckus Makers use the tool, and getting coaching and feedback from expert Ruckus Makers.
The quickest path to building trust on campus is simply doing what you say you’ll do. In the Accountability space you are on the hook. No one can do your work for you. Show us on Monday what your One Big Thing is and tell us Friday if you did it or not. This space will help you stay focused on what’s most important and follow through on your word.
This is a new experiment we are running at Ruckus Maker HQ. In the past we’ve run challenges, workshops, and courses. When you join The Ruckus Maker Club, you’ll get access to quarterly innovation labs. Think of these as quarterly virtual events.
Read along with mastermind members and join the conversation on books that are helping us Do School Different™. We’ll read a book every two months and have asynchronous chats inside the club.
Each month we write mini-books on the Ruckus Makers Substack. Think of it as our online publishing house, where we can then turn our best ideas into proper books. You can get access to our latest in-depth thinking here.
Listen to the world’s most downloaded show in educational leadership — the Better Leaders Better Schools Podcast —without any sponsor advertisements. Bonus content formerly shared on the The School Leadership Series feed, is now shared on this private feed as well.
In addition to The Automatic School™ monthly coach call, we will run occasional and different leadership workshops based on Ruckus Maker super powers. For example, Chris “Doc” Jones has a super power where he turns his chief critics into cheerleaders. Learn from “Doc” and other Ruckus Makers to take your leadership to the next level.
The Ruckus Maker Mastermind™ will always be our flagship support structure. In order to really over deliver to our Club members, we’ll run a monthly “jam” session where you can get a taste of what the mastermind is all about. During the jam session, our coach and members will run through as many “hot seats” as possible. Come and get your #1 challenge solved and learn how other elite Ruckus Makers think and approach school leadership.
Over the years, we’ve created a number of helpful courses and challenges. Here are a few that you will have access to with your Ruckus Maker Club membership:
The Delegation Masterclass. Learn what to delegate, the 6-levels of delegation, and a tried-and-true process for guaranteeing results in advance.
Decision Making Masterclass. Jonathan Haidt says, “The emotional tail wags the rational dog.” Learn an objective multi-step process for navigating your most crucial decisions.
The Remarkable Vision Formula Virtual Workshop. A 2-day virtual experience Ruckus Makers went through to establish their 3-year remarkable vision for campus.
The Ideal Week. Learn how to optimize your schedule and balance your family and work life once and for all.
Maximize Your Margin. Implement a variety of tools that will create more space in your day so you can focus on what’s most important.
And more ...
What is school for?
Being a Ruckus Maker isn't for everyone. But once you "get" it, you’ll forever have a different lens on education and life. That's because it's not just a leadership strategy—it’s a way to design the future of education.
Get ready to push the boundaries of conventional thinking and create the campus experience of your dreams.
This is the BEST PD I’ve ever experienced because of the relationships I’ve made and working through all kinds of challenges.” -Rebecca
“This is a great opportunity to meet regularly with other leaders who are doing great things across the country. I especially appreciate sharing challenging situations with my team who are always able to provide very useful feedback on how to move forward.” -Maria
“The value I get from the jam session is just amazing. I love the 'Hot Seat' where I'm surrounded by expert leaders who can help me think through a challenge that I have. I appreciate the sage advice I receive.” -Martin
“Every week I walk away with a new idea, a boost of confidence, or I've been pushed in a new way. I'm grateful to be connected to a group of like minded leaders that truly want to see me be successful in my role. I'm so grateful for this group!” -Cynthia
"This is the most supportive group I have ever been a part of. This has been my hardest year as an administrator. I couldn't have asked for a better time to be a part of this group. The support we get from other administrators from all over the world is priceless, nothing any district could offer.” -Allison
“This is great PD. A community of learners that want to push the envelope and do things better! We inspire and motivate one another to be the best school leaders we can be and the best version of ourselves.” -Bill
Most professional learning designed for principals has a manual. They teach you how to be an administrator and focus on incremental change. There you’ll turn to page 394 in the manual and learn to color inside the lines. This produces Play-It-Safe-Principals.
There is no manual for creating the future of education.
But we will share some helpful frameworks, tools, and experiences. Most importantly you’ll learn within a community, which nearly guarantees your success.
Here are some themes we plan to touch on this year:
Create your 90-day entry plan. Write and begin executing a solid plan for the start of school. Built on the template found in the bestseller: Build Leadership Momentum. The best part is you can do this 4x a year.
Do School Different Design Experiment. Identify a shift you can make on campus FROM old, traditional, and often broken ways of educating TO new, different, and creative ways. No shift is too big or too small. Shifts matter because they elevate the learning experience for students on campus.
Strategy Therapy. Set a simple course forward to stand out as a campus and create transformational outcomes for your stakeholders.
Redesign your interview process. You won’t stand out as a campus if you interview the same way as everyone else. Apply the principles of Do School Different Design, and create a stand out experience that transforms your campus from a Talent Treadmill to a Talent Incubator.
The Ruckus Maker AI Playbook. The worst thing you can do is create a policy that bans AI. Sticking your head in the sand, won’t make this technology go away. Just like during the pandemic where Ruckus Makers were leading how education could be, we’re now at the forefront of utilizing AI. Play and get comfortable with this technology during this innovation lab.
(It will open again Summer 2025)
When you join The Ruckus Maker Club, you commit to and make the space generous, thoughtful, and inspirational by freely sharing your ideas and resources. By doing so, you'll experience transformative changes in your career and life.
Starting now means you'll be fully prepared to seize opportunities in the coming year. So, we’re limiting the opportunity to join from now until the end of August.
Why?
The Ruckus Maker Club is a new online space and we want to shift our focus from opening the space, to nurturing its development. In other words, we’re ready to get to work for you.
The Club is best for current and aspiring Ruckus Makers who have created (or want to create) shifts on their campus that lead to elevating the student experience.
Maybe you’ve made a curriculum or grading shift. Maybe you’ve made a shift in your mindset. Maybe you’ve made a shift in your leadership and created results no one else can achieve.
If you’re excited about the kind of shifts you can make on campus in the coming year and would like a solid community of Ruckus Makers in your corner, then now is the time to join.
There are 5 main challenges people run into when making the switch from traditional school leadership to being a Ruckus Maker.
Traditional educational systems are often entrenched in long-standing practices and mindsets that resist innovation. The Ruckus Maker Club will help you build a strong case for change and demonstrating the tangible benefits of innovative practices can help overcome this resistance.
Many school leaders feel isolated and lack a support network of like-minded peers who can offer guidance and encouragement. Joining communities like The Ruckus Maker Club provides a supportive environment where leaders can connect, share experiences, and collaborate on solutions.
Stepping away from the status quo involves risk, and the fear of failure can be a significant barrier. Embracing a growth mindset and viewing failures as learning opportunities can help leaders take bold steps toward innovation.
Innovating within a system that demands accountability can be difficult, as leaders must balance new approaches with meeting established standards and expectations. Developing a clear vision and strategic plan that aligns innovative practices with accountability measures can ensure that progress is both measurable and impactful.
Innovating often requires additional resources, whether in terms of funding, time, or professional development, which can be scarce. Leveraging The Ruckus Maker Club to grow your network and freely swap resources within the community can help secure the support needed to drive change.
Have you always wanted to create a remarkable experience on your campus?
Do you know how to develop super-star staff members?
Are you utilizing your day effectively?
But does creating meaningful change seem overwhelming?
Are you worried about your staff and how to inspire them to bring their best each and every day?
Are you frustrated with finding the balance between significant and urgent work (while at work) and home and life (when at home)?
If any of these sound familiar, then The Ruckus Maker Club was built for you.
Surround yourself with other visionaries, innovators, and rebels in educational leadership. Our hope is that if you have felt “different” all your life, you’ll feel right at home here.
Members invest either $100/month or $1000/year in The Ruckus Maker Club.
Engage when you want. Most of the content is asynchronous besides occasional workshops at set times. Some Ruckus Makers may invest as little as 1 hour a month in The Club and get what they need, while others will invest more time. The value of your membership increases the more you engage.
Being a Ruckus Maker is not for everyone. Doing School Different is not for everyone. Both require years of discipline to understand and apply the ideas—and decades to master.
If you’re not committed to a lifelong pursuit, The Ruckus Maker Club won’t work for you.
But we can assure you, over the past 9 years, we have taught thousands of people the fundamentals of being a Ruckus Maker through podcasts, newsletters, challenges, events, and mastermind. Many have experienced radical changes in their lives and careers as a result. We’ve used the frameworks and tactics we teach for our own schools. We know what it takes to become not only a great Ruckus Maker, but a different Ruckus Maker who no one else can compete with.
If your goal is to create a LEGENDARY campus experience that drives exponential outcomes for your stakeholders, The Ruckus Maker Club will help you reach that goal faster than you can alone.
So, join us—and let us share everything we know about Making a Ruckus with you.
We DON’T have:
Pixels that track you across the internet
Cat videos that keep you glued to your device
Your uncle’s “hot takes” on politics and news
Never-ending advertisements for stuff you don’t want to buy
Spammy consultants who only want your money (and share the same post across all groups)
Poor quality advice from colleagues okay with the status quo
Teachers and board members watching your every move
Anonymous and toxic posts
FREE membership (and therefore anyone with a pulse can get in). Running a paid membership community guarantees higher quality content and discourse because losers will not join.
We DO have:
A generous, thoughtful, and creative space dedicated for Ruckus Makers to explore how to Do School Different™
It’s possible. And we encourage you to try that first (you probably already have). If it works for you, great!
Between the hours it would take you to aggregate all of the free content, the people you’d have to chase down to try and unlock decades of secrets, and the pains you would have trying to figure out the pitfalls and challenges on your own...
We think the $1,000 is well worth it. The main value of joining The Ruckus Maker Club is figuring out school leadership with other Ruckus Makers.
Rest assured, you're in excellent company.
Within our crew, we have members of diverse ages, backgrounds, and levels of expertise—from tech-savvy Native Digitals to Native Analogs who are getting used to the latest software.
During our onboarding process, we’ll make sure you’re comfortable and confident navigating the technology, attending events, and accessing the materials.
We will have a space for recorded workshops although they are best experienced live if possible.
If you consider yourself “growth minded” and have a LOVE for learning, The Ruckus Maker Club is for you.
Now might be a great time in your career to think differently about education and reinvent your approach. Best of all, to do it with colleagues!
As long as your membership is active, you will have access to The Ruckus Maker Club and its growing vault of resources.
Aug 31st will be the last opportunity for new members to join The Ruckus Maker Club. After that we'll shift our energy to serving our members.
The Ruckus Maker Club will then open again next summer for new members.
Maybe you've been enjoying Ruckus Maker content for some time and learning about how to Do School Different™.
Yes, you could piece together fragments of content online and attempt to master Making a Ruckus on your own. Maybe you've even taken that path before, only to find the results falling short of your expectations. Chances are, you've witnessed countless others start their own school leadership career and succeed, building a legendary campus experience along the way.
Yet, here you are, with "Make a Ruckus" etched on your long-standing goals list.
Imagine looking back in 12 months, pointing to this very moment, this pivotal decision, as the catalyst for an extraordinary, life-altering year.
Picture your new campus taking shape, a flourishing career unfolding, deep and meaningful connections, and an entirely new personal trajectory carving its way into existence. All this and more is within your grasp—all you have to do is take control and create the future you want.
Right here, right now, is the path to transforming your professional and personal landscape.
So, Ruckus Maker, we have a question for you:
Will you seize this opportunity to join The Ruckus Maker Club, unlocking the boundless possibilities that lie ahead?
The winds of radical change are blowing, and The Ruckus Maker Club is here to help you chart a new and different course. So, join our group of radical thinkers and experience the transformative power of Making a Ruckus. The choice is yours. But rest assured, we’ll embark on this journey together.
Legendary, limitless horizons await.