Speaker Spotlight [EDU]: Andy Jacks – Keynote Speaker on School Culture, Student Engagement, and Teacher Leadership

20 Oct Speaker Spotlight [EDU]: Andy Jacks – Keynote Speaker on School Culture, Student Engagement, and Teacher Leadership

Andy Jacks is a keynote speaker for school and district planners who want a program on school culture and student engagement from a principal who has done the work. A Virginia Principal of the Year and Nationally Distinguished Principal, he is the author of Discipline Win. This spotlight from Collaborative Agency Group covers what an Andy Jacks keynote speaker program delivers, who books him, and what audiences take away.

What an Andy Jacks Keynote Speaker Program Covers

Dr. Jacks served as an elementary school principal where he raised student achievement and led a cultural transformation recognized locally and nationally, including a school tour by the United States Secretary of Education. He has since become principal of a K-8 combined elementary and middle school. As a senior fellow for the National Association of Elementary School Principals’ Centers for Advancing Leadership, he supports school leaders through centers focused on diversity, innovation, the middle level, and women in leadership.

Visitors to his school often say that it just feels different there, and that feeling is what his keynotes are about. He has been featured in the Washington Post, Principal Magazine, and Education Week. His programs include Play to Win! and Discipline Win, and they cover building school cultures where every child feels valued, proactive discipline strategies that work for students and staff, and maximizing time and impact through intentional school leadership. He is one of our education speakers.

Who Books Andy Jacks

Planners book Jacks for education conferences, teacher professional development events, and school leadership audiences focused on culture and student motivation. He fits winter PD days, principals’ meetings, and state association conferences. Our guide to speakers for teacher professional development days and our guide to state education conference speakers cover those categories.

If you are lining up a 2027 program, our how to book a speaker page explains the process.

What Audiences Take Away

Audiences leave with practical ways to build a school where every child feels valued: how to use discipline as a proactive tool, how to make every minute count, and how to follow through so good ideas stick. The message works because it comes from a working principal, not a consultant, and it speaks to teachers and school leaders in the same room. His central point is that culture is something a school builds on purpose, one interaction at a time.

Jacks’ background gives planners flexibility. A district can use him for the opening-day keynote and a breakout for principals, and an association can use him as a closing speaker whose practical advice sends attendees home with something to try on Monday. His book, Discipline Win, works as a follow-up resource for staff book studies after the event. Ask about customizing the program to your audience when you inquire.

The Bottom Line

Andy Jacks combines state and national recognition as a principal with a clear, usable message about school culture. He is a strong booking for 2027 programs on student engagement, discipline, and school leadership, and his book gives staff a way to keep the conversation going. Check his 2027 availability and current fees on his profile.