107: What's the Instructional Impact? A Principal on Risk and Failure with Dr. David Wiedlich

<p>Dr. Dave Wiedlich, principal of Radnor Middle School, was named Pennsylvania's 2026 Principal of the Year and a National Finalist for Middle Level Principal of the Year by NASSP. In this conversation, he traces a servant-leadership path that began with his parents in Wilkes-Barre and runs through every role he has held since.</p><p>Dave shares his grandmother's advice about two ears and one mouth, and how listening shaped his first years as a principal. He explains why he treats curriculum like the Waze app: a set starting point and ending point, with room for teachers to find the route. We talk about the question a superintendent once asked that he couldn't answer, why the first slide he shows students and families every year says "fail," and how his school built new electives from student feedback. For listeners without deep resources, Dave offers a practical path: reach out to universities, anchor new courses in standards, keep them cost neutral, and pilot first.</p><p>This is a conversation about building a school where adults and students feel safe enough to take risks.</p><p>Connect with Dave via <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/drdavidwiedlich01/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">LInkedIn</a>.</p><p><br /></p>