Who Are Ruckus Makers?
Ruckus Makers are school leaders who reject the play-it-safe path.
They don’t settle for “better test scores” or “tight operations.”
They want meaning.
They want momentum.
They want to Do School Different.
Ruckus Makers believe the system is outdated. They know that if education ain’t a bit disruptive, then what are the students really learning?
They’re not just administrators. They’re architects of a better future.
If that’s you — you’ve found your people.
Why Subscribe?
This newsletter is the digital HQ for bold school leadership.
Each week we publish frameworks, tools, and contrarian insights for principals, assistant principals, and aspiring Ruckus Makers who are reimagining education (even within traditional systems).
You’ll get:
The Reframe – Leadership mindshifts in 90 seconds or less
Dot AI – Smart, simple ways to leverage AI (no tech degree required)
MEH – The Most Educational Headline you’ll read this week (because too much of ed content is, well… meh)
Do School Different – Tactical ways to build a meaningful campus experience that staff, students, and parents love
We call this “Signal Content” … ideas you can’t unsee, delivered in a format you’ll actually use.
Not Another Thought Leadership Snoozefest 🥱
We’re not here to regurgitate district policies or quote Hattie in every paragraph.
We’re here to make a ruckus.
No buzzwords.
No binders.
No BS.
Just bold, practical, and slightly rebellious ideas that help you lead in a way that feels right — and gets real results.
What Makes This Different?
While most “education newsletters” focus on news, trends, or what Harvard says this week… we go deeper.
This is leadership content built on:
10+ years coaching hundreds of innovative school leaders
Best-selling books that disrupt the traditional principal playbook
A podcast ranked in the top 0.5% of 4 million global shows (subscribe on Apple or Spotify)
Real-world experiments run on real campuses by real Ruckus Makers
We don’t guess. We test.
We don’t follow. We build.
And we don’t wait for permission.
Who's Behind This?
I’m Danny Bauer — Chief Ruckus Maker, International Speaker, 3x Best-Selling Author, Host the world’s most downloaded education leadership podcasts.
Since 2015:
I’ve spoken to groups as small as 10 in Wyoming and 1000 in Mombasa, Kenya
Written 5 books
Published at least one podcast a week since September 2, 2015
Coached 1000s of principals and teams
Cloned myself and created a “Digital Danny” trained on 4 million words of content and all my frameworks/tools from ten years of coaching leaders (you get access to this tool when you become a premium subscriber of Do School Different).
My passion is help Ruckus Makers reimagine education, even within a traditional system, so they create a campus experience worth showing up for.
What You Get When You Subscribe
🔑 First in Line.
Exclusive access to bold new content before the bookshelf. If you identify as a Ruckus Maker who Does School Different, you’ll be able to read every new book here, first.
⚡ DotAI
AI use cases that actually matter to school leaders. We’re not automating busywork — we’re reimagining how leadership happens.
🧠 The Reframe
You don’t need more strategies. You need better beliefs. This mindset makeover will flip how you see leadership — and what you think is possible on your campus.
🥱 MEH
A satirical take on what’s broken in the system. Funny because it’s true. Smart because it’s needed. We shine a light on the absurd so you can choose something better.
⚙️ The Automatic School
A system that moves you FROM bottleneck TO breakthrough.
Stop spending your day solving problems someone else could’ve prevented. These tools are designed to automate what’s draining you — so you can finally lead like the visionary you are.
🔮 Digital Danny
Digital Danny is your on-demand AI leadership coach. He's trained on 4 million words and ten years of coaching and mastermind experience.
The Ruckus Maker Substack reveals the playbook for building legendary schools.
Want to See What It’s Like?
Free subscribers get previews of each edition.
Paid subscribers unlock the full experience.
If you're ready to stop leading like an administrator and start showing up like a Ruckus Maker and Do School Different — subscribe today👇
