As Close to the Margin as Possible: Courageous Leadership, and Creating the Conditions for Students to Thrive

What does it mean to lead close to the margin? Dr. Sohn A. Butts sits down with veteran educational leader and The Middle School Master author Dr. Mark E. King for a powerful conversation about middle school education, student engagement, innovation, leadership, and creating conditions where students can thrive. Dr. King traces his journey back to age 12, when encountering Black male teachers and an all-Black male administrative team changed what he could imagine for his own future. That experience would eventually shape a career dedicated to creating opportunities for young people and developing the educators who serve them. Together, Dr. Butts and Dr. King explore what adults misunderstand about adolescent development, the difference between engagement and compliance, the power of arts integration, teacher voice and professional learning, Black male representation, vocational pathways, family relationships, and why context matters when interpreting student behavior and achievement. Dr. King also challenges educational leaders to move beyond rigid compliance and have the courage to innovate for the students in front of them. As he puts it: “If you want to do what nobody else has ever done, you have to be willing to do what nobody else has ever done.” This is a conversation about seeing possibility, questioning systems, developing people, and having the courage to get as close to the margin as possible for students. This is Beyond The Margins.