Education Evolution: Recent Episodes

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The guiding principle of Education Evolution has been to light passion among educational leaders and to spark them into action. Over the last few years, I believe we’ve done just that. And while the work isn’t over yet, the time has come to put a pause on the podcast.

As an advocate for lifelong learning, this week on the podcast I’m sharing what that looks like for me right now. I’ve been working hard to decode what I’ve learned in acts one and two of life and how I can take those learnings and make act three the best it can be.

Listen in as I share the journey that’s happened during many years in education, what I’ve learned, and what’s important moving forward. The journey most definitely isn’t over, but it’s okay for it to change along the way.

Jump in the Conversation: [1:18] - Aligning learner experience with passion and purpose

[1:40] - Lifelong passion and purpose as important guiding lights in every phase

[3:30] - Processing & reflecting

[5:02] - How to encourage lifelong learning in the third act

[5:28] - Takeaways from a deep dive

[5:48] - There are a lot of resources out there for third acts

[10:16 - Exploration going in different directions

[11:17] - Fitness has a role in third act well-being

[12:20] - Importance of community in longevity

[14:07] - Reengaging in spiritual community

[15:09] - The next phase for me

Links & Resources Third Act Environmental Boomer Community

Third Act Magazine: Aging with Confidence (with free online digital materials)

Life’s Third Act TEDx Talk

Annual Life Review Process

Psychology Today Life Review article

Successful People article

The Third Act: Reinventing Your Next Chapter book

Wiser Than Me podcast with Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Younger Next Year book

10% Happier podcast longevity series

The Art of Anti-Aging

Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s Eat to Live podcast

Blue Zones

Microschool grant project for Getting Smart’s Learning Innovation Fund

Email Maureen

Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

The Education Evolution

Facebook: Follow Education Evolution

Twitter: Follow Education Evolution

LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution

EdActive Collective

Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

The Micro-School Coalition

Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition

LEADPrep

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Reading is simple, right? Not for everyone, and it’s especially challenging for those who don’t have access to all the tools and resources they need to be successful.

This week we hear from Marnie Ginsburg, founder of Reading Simplified, who has dedicated her career to improving reading proficiency in students. She discusses the critical need to disseminate research-backed strategies to teachers, bridging the gap between what we know and what happens in the classroom.

During our conversation, we explore the scientific foundations of reading, the role of phonemes, decoding, and phonological awareness. Marnie provides valuable insights into supporting children with dyslexia and shares tips for fostering a love of reading.

From extrinsic motivation to the magic of public libraries, this episode explores the multifaceted world of literacy and emphasizes the importance of equipping our children with the tools they need to unlock the joy of reading, even before they step into a classroom.

About Marnie Ginsburg: Marnie Ginsberg, Founder of Reading Simplified, is a reading difficulties detective who streamlines the science and art of reading instruction so teachers can rapidly learn effective techniques that help students accelerate to grade level and beyond. She also helps translate the latest understandings from science into practical, easy-to-implement activities.

In the late 1990s, Marnie uncovered that her 6th-grade language arts students, on average, were reading 2 years below grade level. And despite her master’s degree and enthusiasm, she had no idea how to remediate their word-reading difficulties.

After eventually finding solutions for her struggling readers, she led the development of the Targeted Reading Intervention at the University of North Carolina. Across 15+ years, multiple research articles have demonstrated that struggling K-2 readers grow significantly in reading with the Targeted Reading Intervention (TRI), which is on the federal What Works Clearinghouse and is endorsed by many organizations such as Evidence for ESSA and RAND

Corporation’s Promising Practices Network. Given the repeated, strong results of the TRI across multiple clinical trials, Dr. Ginsberg expanded the resources and adapted the professional learning approach to provide Reading Simplified for a broader audience beginning in 2013.

Jump in the Conversation: [1:36] - Where Marnie’s story of learning transformation began

[3:42] - It’s not because reading the words are too hard - 67% of American 4th graders are not proficient in reading

[4:43] - What we need to prepare readers is known by researchers, but we need to disseminate that information to teachers

[5:21] - Two major events that have impacted Marnie’s work

[6:46] - What “targeted reading intervention” means

[9:17] - What pieces of reading are science and what pieces are art

[13:13] - Tips for kids with dyslexia

[18:13] - Who Reading Simplified is for

[19:06] - How to make reading more fun for kids

[23:24] - Turbo Time

[26:20] - Marnie’s Magic Wand

[27:20] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources Reading Simplified

Reading Meetings Interview

The Coddling of the American Mind

Email Maureen

Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

The Education Evolution

Facebook: Follow Education Evolution

Twitter: Follow Education Evolution

LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution

EdActive Collective

Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

The Micro-School Coalition

Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition

LEADPrep

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The further away administrators get from their roots as teachers, the more they forget what it’s like to be in the trenches. The result is often either a real or perceived lack of empathy for teachers.

Both teachers and administrators have vital roles in the school, and it’s important for both to have mutual respect for one another. To achieve this, administrators need to take a step back and really listen to teachers. How? By being more visible, asking questions, and seeking out teachers as the answers to the challenges in their buildings.

This week on the podcast, we’re welcoming back author and educator Miriam Plotinsky. She’s sharing about her latest book, Lead Like a Teacher, and talking about what school leaders can do to build more trust and a more collaborative school environment. Of course, there’s an element for teachers in there too, and how they can look at school, teacher, and student needs through a different lens.

About Miriam Plotinsky: Miriam Plotinsky is an author and instructional specialist who addresses challenges in both teaching and leading across schools with a wide range of differentiated needs. A strong advocate for student-centered learning, she provides coaching and professional development for teachers and administrators. She has written Teach More, Hover Less: How to Stop Micromanaging Your Secondary Classroom and Lead Like a Teacher: How to Elevate Expertise in Your School (W.W. Norton, 2022 & 2023). Miriam is widely published in education publications such as Education Week, Edutopia, ASCD Express, Middleweb, The Teaching Channel, EdSurge, K-12 Talk and Education World and is a frequent guest on education podcasts internationally. She is also a National Board-Certified Teacher with additional certification in administration and supervision. She can be found on her website or on Twitter: @MirPloMCPS.

Miriam’s third book, Writing Their Future Selves, releases in November.

Jump in the Conversation: [1:48] - Miriam's empathy framework

[3:27] - Miriam's unique background in education

[6:15] - There’s a complicated relationship between teachers and administrators

[8:19] - There’s a need for empathy on both sides

[9:12] - How Lead Like a Teacher addresses empathy

[13:15] - How to foster mutual understanding and respect between teachers and administrators

[15:45] - There’s a balance between toxic positivity and and miring yourself in the negativity that exists

[17:00] - Unpacking teacher observations and evaluations

[21:51] - Most school leaders feel attached to instruction but there’s so much happening that they can’t always participate

[23:41] - A teacher observation that goes wrong

[25:08] - Everything you see is data

[27:55] - Leadership positions are often lonely

[30:47] - Make what you do really transparent

[32:12] - Steps school leaders can do to start building trust and a collaborative environment

[33:56] - A sneak preview of Miriam’s third book

[36:55] - Turbo Time

[39:30] - What people need to know about closing the teacher-administrator empathy gap

[41:32] - Miriam’s Magic Wand

[42:31] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources Episode 132: The Heart of Learning is Intentional Teaching

Author of Teach More, Hover Less, Lead Like a Teacher & Writing Their Future Selves

Twitter: @MirPloMCPS

Visit Miriam’s website

Email Maureen

Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

The Education Evolution

Facebook: Follow Education Evolution

Twitter: Follow Education Evolution

LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution

EdActive Collective

Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

The Micro-School Coalition

Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition

LEADPrep

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We all want what’s best for our learners, but oftentimes biases get in the way of having productive conversations about what learning should look like in the classroom. Instead, we need to have evidence- and research-based conversations that support what truly works for our children.

This week on the podcast, I’m talking with Darleen Opfer of RAND, a nonprofit organization that’s committed to low income and minority students. Darleen started as a special education teacher but quickly saw a need for changes in schools and went on a mission to impact education policy for the better.

We talk about the loss of critical thinking skills as lawmakers remove topics from curriculum in some states, how demographics and culture impact both teaching and students success, and the impact of making decisions without sound and bipartisan research to back them up.

We can all be active in policy making, starting at our own schools level. Parent and teacher involvement is vital in ensuring that we focus on overall coherence in our schools.

Listen in!

About Darleen Opfer: Darleen began her career as a special education teacher in Florida and then Virginia. After earning her Ph.D. in education policy at the University of Virginia, she became a professor of education policy. She served in that role at Georgia State University, Ohio State University, and the University of Cambridge, U.K.. Throughout her career, her focus has been on using evidence to improve schools for low-income and minority students.

In 2011 she joined RAND as Director of RAND Education. In October 2018 she was promoted to Vice President and became Director of the RAND Education and Labor Research Division; she also holds RAND’s Distinguished Chair in Education Policy. Darleen has conducted policy research studies for several local, state and national governments on issues that affect teachers and schools, including recruitment and retention, professional development, and impact of policies on teacher practice. Recently, she’s been conducting research on teachers' use of curriculum and how coherent instructional systems impact low income and minority students' achievement.

In addition to her research, she frequently serves as an advisor to international agencies and countries on teaching and teacher education including in Croatia, India, Israel, Norway, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, and the OECD.

Jump in the Conversation: [1:35] - Where Darleen’s journey of school transformation began

[2:53] - Why policy doesn’t always work

[3:18] - What RAND Corporation does

[4:30] - What’s happening in politics with some of the key education conversations

[5:58] - Dropping curricula, which means they’re dropping things that are necessary for critical thinking

[7:24] - How RAND gets research out there to impact policy and education change

[9:18] - Impact of 4-day schools - the research

[11:44] - Solutions for low income and minority students

[13:32] - Districts and schools that focus on coherence are more effective

[16:50] - Demographic shifts and class culture

[20:27] - The idea of transferring paraprofessionals to teachers using stackable credentials

[22:51] - TALIS (Teaching and Learning International Survey) Video Study

[27:15] - Resources for infusing nonpartisan views in the classroom

[30:00] - How parents and educators can influence educational policy

[35:51] - Turbo Time

[36:50] - What people need to know about creating equity and access for all our learners

[38:25] - Darleen’s Magic Wand

[39:42] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources RAND Corporation

Follow Darleen on Twitter

Follow RAND on Facebook

Connect with Darleen on LinkedIn

RAND Corporation: Coherent Instructional Systems

Gates Foundation: Coherent Instructional Systems

Episode 137: Creating Equity to Improve Education

Seattle’s “Underground Railroad” library access

137:

Email Maureen

Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

The Education Evolution

Facebook: Follow Education Evolution

Twitter: Follow Education Evolution

LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution

EdActive Collective

Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

The Micro-School Coalition

Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition

LEADPrep

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Hopefully we all know the importance of nutrition early in life, but not enough schools offer nutrition education. And since children often do what their parents do, adults’ poor food choices get passed down generation after generation.

This week on the podcast, I’m talking with Cynthia Jackson of Educare about this critical aspect of early childhood development. Cynthia shares the profound impact of a good diet during the early years on long-term health and well-being. We explore how organizations like Educare are addressing food insecurity among families and empowering children to make healthier food choices.

The conversation highlights innovative initiatives like WISE (We Inspire Smart Eating), which encourages children to enjoy more fruits and vegetables, both at home and at school. We also explore the role of family engagement, community gardens, and experiential learning in fostering healthier habits from an early age.

Tune in to discover how education and practical programs are transforming lives by providing access to nutritious food and empowering young learners to develop lifelong healthy eating habits.

About Cynthia Jackson: Cynthia D. Jackson leads the Educare Learning Network of high-quality birth-to-five schools and is Senior Vice President at Start Early.Previously, she served as national director of training and technical assistance for Healthy Families America at Prevent Child Abuse America. Cynthia holds a master’s degree in counseling and health education from the University of North Texas.

Jump in the Conversation: [1:56] - Where Cynthia’s passion for education and nutrition began

[3:50] - When schools align with dietary guidelines for americans, health, well-being and academics all improve

[4:38] - Advancing quality early learning through partnerships and innovation so every child can thrive

[6:08] - Wise - We Inspire Smart Eating - fun with fruits and veggies - child led approach to nutrition

[9:10] - High quality programming and practice, alongside evaluation and research

[10:26] - 4 pillars: data utilization, high quality teaching and learning, embedded professional development, intensive family engagement

[11:48] - Exposing children to natural world through gardening programs

[13:54] - Turning nutrition into a science project

[16:10] - 28% of families report food insecurity

[18:31] - Other ways Educare is addressing nutrition and health needs

[19:49] - What parents can do to help change habits now

[22:50] - Turbo Time

[24:54] - What people need to know about the role of nutrition in the early years of life

[26:45] - Cynthia’s Magic Wand

[28:01] - Maureen’s takeaways

Links & Resources Healthy Eating Research

Dietary Guidelines for Americans

Educare

Email Maureen

Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

The Education Evolution

Facebook: Follow Education Evolution

Twitter: Follow Education Evolution

LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution

EdActive Collective

Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

The Micro-School Coalition

Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition

LEADPrep

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We know that students’ basic needs need to be met in order for them to learn and grow. Safety is at the core of this, especially as they discuss ideas in the classroom. And with this safety comes community, connection, meaning, and purpose, some of the most important elements of a school setting, according to this week’s podcast guest.

Michael Strong is founder of The Socratic Experience, a virtual school for students in third through twelfth grades, and he’s designed schools for students from Alaska to Chicago and beyond. In our conversation, Michael and I talk about why student choice is so important, why psychological safety matters more than test scores, and when parents should search for other options for their children.

Michael reinforces the message that I’ve been sharing since the start of this podcast: there’s no such thing as one size fits all when it comes to education. And it just takes one teacher, parent, or school administrator to start the conversation to create change.

Tune in today!

About Michael Strong: Michael Strong is founder of The Socratic Experience, a virtual school for grades 3-12. He is one of the most experienced designers of innovative school programs in the United States. His projects include a public school program in which minority female students gained four years’ worth of critical thinking gains in four months (on the Watson-Glaser). He later went into Montessori secondary school program design at The Judson Montessori School (San Antonio), The Emerson School, and Hacienda School. He created The Winston Academy, where middle school students passed AP exams, making it the most academically advanced school in the country at the time.

Another of Michael’s projects, Moreno Valley High School, a Paideia charter high school, was ranked the 36th-best U.S. public high school by Newsweek. More recently he co-founded KoSchool in Austin, Texas, which combined his high-performance approach to AP coursework and SAT score gains with a focus on entrepreneurial and creative projects. KoSchool, in turn, became the original model for The Academy of Thought and Industry, the high school model for the largest Montessori network in the United States.

Students from Michael’s schools have been admitted to Harvard, Stanford, Georgetown, Smith, Bard, Bennington, McGill, UT-Austin, University of Colorado, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Parsons School of Design, Quest, St. John’s and many dozens of other post-secondary institutions.

He is the author of The Habit of Thought: From Socratic Seminars to Socratic Practice and lead author of Be the Solution: How Entrepreneurs and Conscious Capitalists Can Solve All the World’s Problems.

Jump in the Conversation: [1:45] - Where Michael’s story of transformation began

[3:03] - What is Socratic dialogue and how it’s used in online schools

[4:50] - How co-schooling with Montessori works

[7:20] - Solving for inequity

[8:26] - SAT and AP are cognitively rich, but schools don’t always have a cognitively rich curriculum

[9:10] - Keys to adolescent well-being

[12:26] - Simple suggestions to build connection, community, meaning, and purpose

[13:50] - Creating metrics for community and purpose

[16:19] - Focus on things other than test scores

[17:24] - We need a broader conversation about mental health data

[19:56] - How parents can support an alternative program for their children

[22:23] - What’s next for the school

[24:10] - Turbo Time

[25:30] - What people need to know about Socratic dialogue

[27:20] - Michael’s Magic Wand

[28:43] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources Fear is a Mind Killer: How to Build a Training Culture that Fosters Strength and Resilience by Kaja Sadowski

The Socratic Experience

LiberatED Podcast

Liberation of Education

Connect with Michael on LinkedIn

Subscribe to Michael’s YouTube channel

Follow Michael on Twitter and Facebook

Email Maureen

Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

The Education Evolution

Facebook: Follow Education Evolution

Twitter: Follow Education Evolution

LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution

EdActive Collective

Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

The Micro-School Coalition

Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition

LEADPrep

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It’s time for schools and universities to serve all learners, especially in an equitable and accessible environment.

National Louis University, under the visionary leadership of Dr. Nivine Megahed, is reshaping education and lives to meet this ever-present need. Their commitment to equity, employability, and social transformation stands as a beacon in the evolving educational landscape.

NLU's focus extends beyond degrees, emphasizing continuous learning, skills, and economic stability. By addressing challenges faced by marginalized students, NLU exemplifies a commitment to inclusivity and success for all.

In an era where education is redefined, NLU's model reminds us of the power of personalized support and empowerment. As we celebrate NLU's recognition for social mobility, their journey exemplifies that education isn't just about degrees; it's about tangible impact and transformation.

Listen in to hear more of this very timely and necessary conversation.

About Dr. Nivine Megahed: Dr. Megahed has worked in higher education for over 35 years. As an educational entrepreneur, her passion is building innovative student centered organizations focused on student success and empowering our most marginalized populations to achieve social and economic mobility through education.

Jump in the Conversation: [1:40] - Nivine’s story of school transformation

[3:02] - National Louis University and the needs it addresses

[5:19] - Building programs with best practices and data

[7:33] - Helping students find jobs

[10:04] - Creating a career bridge for students and taking responsibility

[12:14] - From internship to post graduate jobs

[15:39] - Educational equity in a university

[20:37] - How NLU compares to prestigious, pricy universities

[23:20] - Meeting the mission of public good

[25:40] - Turbo Time

[33:25] - Nivine’s Magic Wand

[34:36] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources National Louis University

Follow Dr. Megahed on Twitter

Connect with Dr. Megahed on LinkedIn

Email Maureen

Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

The Education Evolution

Facebook: Follow Education Evolution

Twitter: Follow Education Evolution

LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution

EdActive Collective

Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

The Micro-School Coalition

Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition

LEADPrep

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Think about the tremendous growth and learning that happens during the first five years of a child's life. These years are a foundation for future success, yet there's often a gap in resources and support.

Thankfully, in a world where government funding for early childhood education often falls short, there are still many out there advocating for comprehensive educational support.

This week on the podcast, I’m talking with Danielle Jordan, a 20-year educational leader who supports youth in the Chicago area. We discuss the challenge of expanding universal pre-K programs to include essential services for children aged zero to three years old and why early childhood education goes beyond mere babysitting, playing a pivotal role in developmental learning.

Everyone should be proactive advocates for increased funding and equitable access to quality education and Danielle shares how to empower parents through engagement and committees and highlights parents’ role in supporting their child's educational journey.

About Danielle D. Jordan: Danielle D. Jordan, M.S., M.A. Ed., Director, oversees the implementation of our early childhood program at the Start Early’s Educare Chicago school in the Grand Boulevard community. With more than 20 years of experience, Danielle supported early childhood teachers and support staff with planning, coordinating, and implementing education programs. Ms. Jordan holds several credentials, certifications and licensures in the field of Early Childhood Education along with a master’s degree in Child and Family studies from Northern Illinois University and a master’s degree in Early Childhood Education with an endorsement in Early Childhood Special Education from University of Illinois at Chicago. Danielle has held various positions within the early childhood development field. She continues to be an advocate for quality early childhood education.

Jump in the Conversation: [1:17] - Where Danielle's journey began

[3:59] - How Danielle's personal experience ignited her passion for early childhood development

[5:45] - Understanding the importance of Head Start and its impact on families in need of assistance and support

[10:06] - Wraparound services offered by Headstart

[16:13] - “Grow your own" approach

[20:51] - Maintaining eligibility criteria and supporting families as they transition in and out of the program

[23:46] - Challenges of finding affordable quality child care

[26:15] - The role of universities in training future educators and advocates for early childhood education

[30:58] - Advocating for early childhood education

[34:12] - Turbo Time

[36:48] - A powerful message about understanding and respecting the rapid development of children aged zero to five

[43:41] - Danielle’s Magic Wand

[45:21] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources Email Maureen

Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

The Education Evolution

Facebook: Follow Education Evolution

Twitter: Follow Education Evolution

LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution

EdActive Collective

Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

The Micro-School Coalition

Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition

LEADPrep

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The possibilities are endless in education as technology offers new opportunities every year. But are we using that technology to support teachers, who can then support their students?

This week on the podcast, I’m talking with Jennie Magiera, global head of Education Impact at Google. She’s also a bestselling author and former teacher and school administrator. She found her way to education after a transformative school year as a young girl and that’s helped her throughout her career as she tries to create that same experience for other students.

Jennie and I talk about her vision for facilitating teacher support. She talks about the need to reimagine professional learning experiences, allowing teachers to start with their hopes in training sessions. And she shares about the recently published Future of Education report, which studied the future of education across 24 countries. In her analysis of these reports, she provides a glimpse into the changing landscape of education. She emphasizes the ongoing need to understand and respect future users of educational technology and elaborates on how these changes affect students, schools, and the broader education system.

If you’re looking for a sign that education CAN change, from the inside out, then this is the episode to listen to. With leaders like Jennie at the helm, anything is possible.

About Jennie Magiera: Jennie Magiera is the Global Head of Education Impact at Google, the Corwin bestselling author of Courageous Edventures and the founder and president of the non-profit organization, Our Voice Alliance, whose mission is to elevate marginalized voices and perspectives to improve equity & empathy in education. Previously, she was the Chief Program Officer at EdTechTeam, the Chief Innovation Officer for the Des Plaines Public School District 62, the Digital Learning Coordinator for the Academy for Urban School Leadership, and a Chicago Public Schools teacher. Jennie uses her classroom experiences to inform her work supporting educators to create new and better opportunities for their students. She believes that despite the many challenges facing schools today, every classroom can be a place for “edventures”: student-centered, passion-based experiential learning. Her work centers around acknowledging problems and finding innovative ways to navigate them so as to allow teachers and students to dive into these classroom “edventures”.

Jennie is also passionate about reimagining professional learning to facilitate more relevant teacher support. She has served on the Technical Working Group for the US Department of Education’s National Educational Technology Plan, helped develop the Dynamic Learning Project, and co-founded various conference concepts such as PLAYDATE and Teachers for Tomorrow. She has been recognized for her work as an Obama White House Champion for Change, Chicago Public Schools Innovator of the Year, TEDx Speaker, Golden Apple Teacher of Distinction, Apple Distinguished Educator, Google for Education Certified Innovator, and featured on various programs such as NBC’s Education Nation, C-SPAN’s Reimagining Education and NPR.

Jennie shares her experiences taking risks in the classroom and helping others to feel comfortable doing the same in her book, Courageous Edventures. You can follow her on Twitter at @MsMagiera and learn more about her work and her book at bit.ly/edventuresbook.

Jump in the Conversation: [1:52] - Where Jennie’s story of school transformation began

[3:49] - Teaching in NYC to south side of Chicago and seeing disparate opportunities

[6:30] - What are Edventures?

[8:40] - Beyond the classroom, facilitating teacher support

[10:56] - How can we allow teachers to start with their hopes in trainings

[12:55] - The role of Google for Education

[15:37] - Google’s Trends in Education Report

[16:10] - Future of Education Report

[18:11] - Looking into the future

[26:24] - What’s next for Google Education

[27:49] - What students, parents, educators can do to help be prepared for future

[29:01] - Coming into it with curiosity

[36:35] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources Exploring the Future of Education with Experts Around the World

Teaching for Tomorrow video series

Courageous Edventures: Navigating Obstacles to Discover Classroom Innovation by Jennie Magiera

Connect with Jennie Magiera on LinkedIn

Email Maureen

Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

The Education Evolution

Facebook: Follow Education Evolution

Twitter: Follow Education Evolution

LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution

EdActive Collective

Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

The Micro-School Coalition

Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition

LEADPrep

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Too many parents think they don’t have power and choice in their children’s education, but this week’s podcast guest proves otherwise. During COVID, Tyson Junkers saw his children thrive because they were learning at home in a project-based learning environment that Tyson himself developed. And as schools went back to in-person, his son was entering kindergarten. They visited a number of traditional schools and saw the discomfort in his children’s eyes.

After searching for a solution and a lot of discussion, Tyson and his family moved and opened an Acton Academy in West Palm Beach, Florida.

The result is a school that allows children to pursue their life passions while learning, making mistakes, and starting again. The school teaches character and values as part of the learning process, embedding it into everything they do. And it creates a system where teachers are empowered to do what’s best for their students instead of holding everyone back.

Listen in to this thoughtful and empowering conversation about how parents have the power to do what’s best for their own children, and the community at large.

About Tyson Junkers: Like you, we want to be confident in the school we send our children to. The problem is that conventional schools aren't always equipped to foster children's spirit, creativity, and passion for learning, which made us feel like we were losing our children to the public education system.

We wanted a school that focused on our children's future instead of its own. One that lets children experience real-world, hands-on projects. One that throws away pointless tests in favor of mastery and excellence in everything from leadership skills to community involvement to academics. One that doesn't have teachers but Guides who put every decision, big or small, into our children's hands. And one that celebrates failing as a way to push yourself forward. And we knew we weren't alone.

Like you, there's nothing more important to us than our kids. We, too, would do anything to see them thrive in life and on their educational journey. That's why we started an Acton Academy in Palm Beach Gardens, which has been called one of the most important education developments in the world.

So, instead of your child not getting the individualized education they deserve where they see learning as a choir, your child will discover their unique strengths through family values, Christian faith, and the freedom to explore, create, and grow.

Jump in the Conversation: [1:54] - Where Tyson’s path began

[7:10] - Why Tyson decided NOT to open a school (and then changed his mind)

[9:15] - Key concepts of Acton Academy

[10:46] - Making every child independent and resilient

[16:20] - Bring past careers and experience into the school

[17:31] - How the voucher system works in Florida

[19:56] - Competition is okay in schools

[22:20] - Growth mindset applies to educators too

[23:43] - What is the outcome we’re all after? That’s what matters

[25:32] - The system is holding back great teachers

[26:48] - Turbo Time

[28:27] - What parents need to know about their kids pursuing their life passions

[31:50] - Tyson’s Magic Wand

[33:03] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources Acton Academy West Palm Beach

Courage to Grow: How Acton Academy Turns Learning Upside Down

Jeff Sandefer TEDx Talk

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Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

The Education Evolution

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Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

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Explore the crucial role of school boards in driving student success and effective governance in our latest podcast episode with AJ Crabill. In this week’s episode, AJ offers valuable insights into the key struggles faced by school boards and the importance of shifting the focus away from adult inputs and toward student outcomes. He shares the behaviors and actions that set successful boards apart, including how they spend their time and prioritize the growth of children.

Creating a continuous improvement cycle within school boards is so important, and AJ emphasizes the need to clarify priorities, monitor progress, align resources, and communicate results to the community. And he tells us why a student outcomes focus is paramount and how it impacts decision-making and resource allocation.

Furthermore, AJ highlights the significant role of parent involvement in school boards, as they represent the vision and values of the community within the education system. Find out how parents can actively engage in the school board, regardless of their educational background, by focusing on implementing the community's vision and values.

Don't miss this enlightening conversation that empowers education leaders, teachers, principals, and decision-makers to prioritize student outcomes and foster effective governance within school boards. Tune in now to gain valuable insights and actionable strategies.

About AJ Crabill: Improving student outcomes is AJ Crabill’s focus. He serves as conservator at DeSoto, Texas ISD. During his guidance, DeSoto improved from F ratings in academics, finance, and governance to B ratings. He’s also faculty at Leadership Institute of Nevada and director of governance at the Council of the City Great Schools. He served as deputy commissioner at the Texas Education Agency and spearheaded reforms as board chair of Kansas City Schools that doubled the percentage of students who are literate and numerate. Crabill is a recipient of the Education Commission of the State’s James Bryant Conant Award.

Jump in the Conversation: [1:41] - Where AJ’s passion for school excellence came from

[3:01] - Key struggles that school boards face

[6:01] - What healthy board behaviors look like

[7:40] - What successful boards do differently

[9:02] - Great on Their Behalf: Why School Boards Fail

[10:56] - Five steps of a continuous improvement cycle

[12:18] - The only reason schools exist

[14:46] - Understanding what it means to have a student outcomes focus

[21:35] - Where to find support for school boards

[22:28] - The importance of parent involvement

[25:07] - How parents can go about getting involved in the school board

[29:32] - Turbo Time

[34:10] - AJ’s Magic Wand

[36:30] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources Get the first chapter of AJ’s book

EffectiveSchoolBoards.com

Great on Their Behalf

AJ’s Website

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Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

The Education Evolution

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You don’t have to be an educator to make an impact in education. Sometimes it’s a concerned parent, looking for what’s best for their own child who can make the biggest impact. And the more parents like this week’s guest, Tanya Sheckley, take action, the faster we’ll have educational systems and support for all our youth.

When Tanya’s daughter needed additional support at school, but the school could only offer a modified curriculum rather than a full inclusion model, Tanya knew that she needed to do something different.

That’s when UP Academy was born and Tanya began advocating for educational change.

On this week’s episode, Tanya and I talk about how to create more inclusion in schools, why modifications should be available for everyone (not just those with IEPs and 504 plans), what real-life experiences look like in practice, and what others can do to take us out of the status quo.

This is an inspirational interview that will have you thinking about what you can do in your own community. The answer is: a lot!

About Tanya Sheckley: Tanya Sheckley is founder and president of UP Academy, an elementary lab school which values innovation, empathy, and strength and incorporates a unique neuro-development program for children with physical disabilities. Tanya’s vision and mission show it’s possible to celebrate differences, challenge what’s broken in the American education system, and that all children can receive a rigorous, well-rounded education. She is an edupreneur, author of Rebel Educator: Create Classrooms of Imagination and Impact, and host of the Rebel Educator podcast. She speaks frequently on the future of education and entrepreneurship. She is a rebel educator who works with new and existing schools to question the status quo and develop innovative student experiences through inclusion and project-based learning.

Jump in the Conversation: [1:50] - Where Tanya’s story of school transformation began

[4:24] - Goal was to create a methodology and prove it was possible, then make it available to others

[5:44] - Creating universal accommodation

[10:42] - Project based learning at UP Academy

[15:15] - Creating Real experience in the world to create self confidence

[15:39] - How learners explore STEAM and innovation

[18:46] - Where impact and imagination meet

[21:27] - Make sure we’re pausing and asking the people who are involved what they want

[22:27] - Launching a middle school in fall 2023

[23:20] - Creating core framework and philosophy to support other school founders

[25:28] - What others can do to take us out of the status quo

[26:25] - How can you take things away to give more space for educators to be creative and collaborative

[27:32] - Turbo Time

[31:25] - Tanya’s Magic Wand

[33:52] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources Rebel Educator: Create Classrooms Where IMPACT and IMAGINATION Meet

Rebel Educator Podcast

Connect with Tanya on LinkedIn

Follow UP Academy on Instagram and Facebook

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Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

The Education Evolution

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Though the tide is slowly turning, not enough schools are offering financial literacy education to students, and I don’t know of any states that require it for graduation. Some states may not feel like there’s room or resources to teach this vital skill to students, but creative teachers and schools can find a way.

This week on the podcast, I’m talking with Brian Curcio, co-founder of the financial literacy tool Rapunzl. It was founded to provide education about investing through fun and free investment competitions with scholarships and cash prizes. And because of the way it was built, students can learn about financial literacy both in and out of the classroom, opening up the possibilities and creating more accessibility.

It’s time for life skills to take priority in the classroom and this is just the beginning of what I hope will be a tidal wave of tools to do just that.

About Brian Curcio: Brian fell in love with the world of investing in high school and quickly developed a passion for financial education after teaching his peers about the stock market. Over time, they realized that ordinary investors have paid a price to learn to invest; and that price typically was real money ending up in Wall Street’s pocket. Rapunzl was founded to provide an unparalleled investing education through fun (and free) investment competitions with scholarship and cash prizes.

Jump in the Conversation: [1:35] - Where Brian’s passion for his work started

[2:49] - What students are currently getting in terms of financial literacy

[4:28] - What students should learn about financial literacy

[6:06] - Making financial literacy more attainable for learners

[7:37] - What teachers need to know to support students through the platform

[9:36] - Teaching financial literacy without a dedicated block in the school day

[11:16] - Teachers don’t have to be the expert

[14:12] - Project based learning and growing soft skills

[15:34] - What parents can do to help kids get more established with financial literacy

[18:40] - Award-winning tool

[22:27] - Turbo Time

[25:04] - How others can be activists and transform schools

[26:38] - Brian’s Magic Wand

[29:07] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources Rapunzl Investments

Yass Prize

Follow Rapunzl on Twitter

Connect with Rapunzl on LinkedIn

Follow Rapubzl on Facebook

Follow Rabunzl on Instagram

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Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

The Education Evolution

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Parenting is challenging. We go from being caretakers to teachers to mentors to travel companions and there’s a learning curve at each step of the journey. The one that sticks out to so many is the transition into releasing young adults into the post-high school world. There’s an entirely new language for parents and students alike and it’s not easy to navigate.

This week on the podcast, I’m talking with Colin Pears, founder of Highpoint Education. Colin saw a communication and development need for new college students and created a resource to bridge this gap. So many high school graduates go into college not having the maturity and sense of self to make the most of it. They need support in the transition.

A circle of care is necessary for these young adults, and Colin and his organization have created a resource to make that happen. Tune in for our conversation around what post-secondary education preparation should look like; how parents and students can find the right tools for their needs; how we can reimagine the relationship between students, parents, and institutions; and more.

About Colin Pears: Dr. Pears is the founder and executive director of Highpoint Education, a company dedicated to providing students and families with the support they need to navigate the transition from high school to college and ensure that students are successful once they arrive on campus.

Dr. Pears was formerly the University Director of Academic Support and Advising and Co-Director of The Center for Academic and Career Success at The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. He is an expert on student success and retention and has teaching experience at the primary, secondary, and university levels of education.

As a higher education administrator, Dr. Pears developed support frameworks and retention initiatives for high-risk, under-represented, and underserved students, served as a professional consultant, and trained faculty, advisors, and academic coaches on important aspects of student engagement and pedagogy. He holds an MA in Political Science and an MA in Philosophy from Boston College, and a PhD in Philosophy from The Catholic University of America.

Jump in the Conversation: [1:45] - Colin’s story of school transformation

[4:39] - What happens in transition to college

[5:45] - We’re asking too much of college students

[6:35] - Creating circle of care with public health model

[7:40] - Students need to be prepared for questioning their beliefs and figuring out who they are

[9:38] - What post-secondary education preparation looks like

[15:01] - When parents and students should get started

[19:25] - Students can’t be effective without the right skills and tools

[20:55] - Parents/student relationships have changed

[24:21] - The greatest success for parent/child relationships

[26:33] - How to shift the thinking that college is the path for everyone

[31:07] - The reality of 4-year to 2-year colleges is vastly different

[32:37] - Educational access is important

[34:09] - Turbo Time

[44:20] - Colin’s Magic Wand

[46:12] - Maureen’s takeaways

Links & Resources Highpoint Education

Connect with Colin on LinkedIn

Follow Highpoint Education on Facebook

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Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

The Education Evolution

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Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

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Internships play a crucial role in shaping the careers of young professionals, providing them with valuable industry experience and insights. In this podcast episode, Rob Khoury shares his journey of discovering how to create the best environment possible for interns. Inspired by an incredible intern who taught him the importance of meeting interns' needs, Rob offers valuable insights for employers on optimizing the internship experience.

Creating exceptional internship experiences requires intention, ongoing communication, and a commitment to the growth and development of interns. By following the principles of exceptional internships, employers can provide valuable learning opportunities, foster meaningful connections, and make a lasting impact on the next generation of professionals.

Whether you’re an organization wanting to create the best internship experience, an intern wanting to benefit from an internship or an educator helping students find internships, this episode will provide invaluable insights.

About Rob Khoury: Robert J. Khoury is co-founder and CEO of Agile Rainmakers, a high-impact business development consulting and advisory firm based in Chicago’s Gold Coast. Previously, he had a 20+ year career in the financial industry that had him in many leadership roles.

Rob earned a BSE in Electrical Engineering at Princeton University and his MBA in Finance and International Business from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. He led personal and professional development seminars for Landmark Worldwide for several years.

Rob is co-author of How To Intern Successfully: Insights & Actions to Optimize Your Experience.

Jump in the Conversation: [1:38] - Where Rob’s story of transformation began

[3:09] - What is Agile Rainmakers

[4:35] - How employers can attract interns that are the best fit for

[6:25] - An investment in the intern is an investment in the intern

[7:49] - Have interns check in with their friends and bring their feedback back to you

[13:21] - Help potential interns get really clear so they know what they're looking for

[17:33] - Network to get to know people, not to find an opportunity

[18:16] - What kind of mentoring employers should provide

[21:39] - 9 principles of exceptional internships - THE BRIDGE

[29:53] - We need more organizations to mentor

[32:20] - Turbo Time

[33:49] - What people need to know about creating meaningful internships

[36:20] - Rob’s Magic Wand

[38:42] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources DeBruce Foundation

How to Intern Successfully: Insights & Actions to Optimize Your Experience by Rob Knoury

Connect with Rob on LinkedIn

Follow Rob on Twitter

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Agile Rainmakers

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Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

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Homeschooling often gets a bad rap because of myths that parents believe about it. Contrary to popular belief, homeschooled kids have numerous opportunities to socialize or participate in group activities. And what many families experienced while their kids attended remote school during the pandemic is not an indication of what homeschooling looks like.

This week on the podcast, Mandy Davis, a former school administrator, shares what homeschooling looks like in her home. She shares her insights and experiences in creating a nurturing and empowering learning environment for her children.

In our conversation, Mandy highlights the importance of open conversations about educational options, advocating for children, and the power of community and connection in parenting.

Listen in and gain valuable insights into authentic, student-driven learning and the power of homeschooling in nurturing well-rounded individuals. Let's continue to challenge the status quo and create educational environments that prioritize emotional well-being and individualized learning experiences.

About Mandy Davis: Mandy Davis is a former school principal with a background in both public and private education. With a passion to provide both a solid academic foundation alongside life-giving opportunities and freedom for her children, she watched her priorities and goals shift.

Bringing all of her focus back to the home, Mandy and her husband, Josh, found themselves moving their family on 10 acres in Central Oregon, and creating the life they had only dreamed could exist. Now a homeschooling, homesteading family of five, Mandy shares her stories and experience to help other mom’s find joy through giving their children a wild and free life!

Homesteading, homemaking, homeschool, student centered learning, COVID’s learning disruption, charters, distance learning, interest led learning, rise in problematic behavior in schools

Jump in the Conversation: [2:02] - Where Mandy’s educational activism came from

[3:50] - What Mandy created for her family

[5:08] - what’s working for Mandy and her kids

[7:26] - Struggles in homeschooling

[9:03] - Transformations that come from this model

[14:40] - Easing into homeschooling

[16:12] - The importance of connecting with other homeschool families

[18:08] - What goes into school choice

[22:38] - What’s next for Mandy and her mission

[23:25] - Turbo Time

[24:28] - What people need to know about authentic, student-driven learning

[25:15] - How to be an activist to transform learning

[26:08] - Mandy’s Magic Wand

[26:52] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources Homebuilt Education

Follow Mandy on Instagram

How to Get Started Homeschooling

8 Types of Homeschooling

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Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

The Education Evolution

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Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

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We know that every child deserves a quality education, but did you know where the roots started to form for universal design for learning (UDL)? This week on the podcast, I’m talking to a powerhouse in education about the power of teaching different students in different ways. Something just makes sense when you consider how very different we all are.

In this episode, Dr. Virginia (Ginny) Simmons, an advocate for UDL, shares her journey of transforming education to create inclusive classrooms that cater to the unique needs of every student. Reflecting on the limitations of traditional special education, Ginny emphasizes the importance of recognizing different "brain prints" and implementing innovative teaching methods.

UDL shifts the focus from textbooks to empowering teachers as they tailor goals and objectives to meet the individual needs of their students. By embracing multiple intelligences, incorporating personal interests, and integrating technology, educators can create engaging and inclusive learning environments that foster higher-order thinking skills. Ginny's insights inspire educators to harness the power of UDL, ensuring that every student has the opportunity to thrive and reach their full potential in the classroom.

About Dr. Virginia Simmons: Dr. Virginia Simmons makes over achievers look like lightweights. Not only is she serving learners and supporting educators fully well past when many may have retired, but she has more degrees than a room full of educators. Ginny has undergrad degrees in elementary ed, English, social studies, four master's degrees in mental disabilities, behavior disorders, learning disabilities, gifted and talented, and then a doctorate in special education and admin.

Jump in the Conversation: [2:24] - Her accomplishments started when a principal told her to go to college

[5:07] - Think in an open way; don’t close the door

[5:48] - Where Ginny started in special education

[8:50] - Educators looked at reasons for universal design and applied it to learning

[11:50] - We were creating isolated worlds

[14:12] - Research started to show the way to teaching special education

[15:38] - Universal Design for Learning is caring for every student in the classroom

[16:46] - The textbook is just a book; the teacher is who implements the goals and objectives

[18:30] - How many intelligences can you include in one lesson

[19:19] - Higher-order thinking skills and technology

[24:21] - Teaching prosody

[29:03] - How teachers can implement universal learning in their classrooms

[32:16] - Turbo Time

[43:30] - Ginny’s Magic Wand

[44:53] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources What is Universal Design for Learning?

Visible Learning and John Hattie

Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences

Critical Thinking and other Higher-Order Skills

What is prosody?

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Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

The Education Evolution

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Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

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Deregulating zoning and occupancy laws is crucial to support the growth of micro-schools, providing diverse educational options for students. But few know what steps to take or who to talk to.

This week on the podcast, Jon England of Libertas Institute shares how changing policies can help create new learning opportunities for students who don’t thrive in the traditional education system.

Jon highlights the limitations of the public education system and emphasizes empowering parents and teachers to explore innovative approaches in education. And we discuss the risks entrepreneurs face in challenging traditional norms and building alternative models to create a system that caters to individual student needs.

This thought-provoking conversation with Jon England calls for educational transformation through innovation, individualized learning, and policy change. Together, let's create an education system that empowers students, supports teachers, and nurtures the unique potential within each child.

About Jon England: Jon is the Education Policy Analyst at Libertas Institute. He is a fourteen-year veteran of public schools. He taught both fifth and sixth grades, receiving Weber District’s E+ Team Award. He proudly homeschools and micro schools his children with his wife.

Jon received his bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the University of Utah and a master’s degree in educational leadership from Western Governors University. He spent time in the Marine Corps and separated as a sergeant in 2006.

During his time in public schools, Jon increasingly understood the importance of parental empowerment in education. This increased understanding led him to join Libertas to provide educational freedom for families. Jon enjoys spending time with his wife and five children traveling, skiing, and playing games.

Jump in the Conversation: [1:48] - John shares his story of school transformation

[3:35] - Deregulating some of the zoning and occupancy laws to help support micro-school founders

[6:07] - The risks that entrepreneurs face in education

[7:00] - Why create more schools for children?

[9:44] - Breakout school for children with ADHD and autism

[13:05] - Every child has greatness and it’s our responsibility to draw that out

[16:46] - Where can we begin to be a part of policy change

[20:09] - Our common humanity is more important than politics

[22:45] - Turbo Time

[23:15] - What people need to know about educational policy

[25:47] - Jon’s Magic Wand

[27:03] - Maureen’s takeaways

Links & Resources Breakout School

A for Arizona

The Anatomy of Peace by The Arbinger Institute

Episode 128: Making Sure Our Kids are Okay with Jordan Posamentier

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Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

The Education Evolution

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Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

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After watching her son struggle with severe impulse control, to the point where it was negatively impacting her family on a daily basis, Dianne Kosto became a mom on a mission. She had tried it all: private school, home school, boarding school, and even a military academy. But her son was always sent back home because he didn’t follow the program.

Dianne, this week’s podcast guest, found another way. Neurofeedback technology.

Dianne got trained in using neurofeedback, then helped her son and others in his boarding school use it to fill in gaps in the “brain wiring” that helped the brain regulate more effectively. And what she learned in the process became a whole new mission for her.

This week, we’re talking about brain regulation and rewiring to support people with challenges that are all over the map. Dianne shares where it can be used and how it can support just about anyone, because the reality is that we all have dysregulated brains.

About Dianne Kosto: Dianne KostoDianne Kosto, Founder and CEO of SYMMETRY Neuro-Pathway Training is a Mom on a Mission to make Neurofeedback technology available to families and individuals. She wants to help other families avoid the trauma that her family experienced as a result of her son’s brain dysregulation. For years Dianne sought an environment that would help her son thrive as he was kicked out of schools and programs repeatedly. Dianne was given advice by physicians, psychologists, therapists, counselors, education professionals, and school administrators but no one told her about Neurofeedback. When people have dysregulated brains they struggle with physical and emotional pain, life is hard and relationships are damaged. Neurofeedback helps the brain learn to better regulate, when the brain is functioning better people thrive. Dianne knows that Neurofeedback saved her son’s life and restored hope for her family.

Jump in the Conversation: [1:27] - A mom on a mission

[1:53] - Dianne’s story of change

[3:17] - Asking, “what happened to you?”

[6:14] - Learned about a neurofeedback company

[7:28] - Spark came back to her son’s eyes

[8:57] - After 40 sessions, he had the pause that he never had before

[10:35] - What neurofeedback looks like

[13:01] - We all need this in our homes

[14:03] - When the brain isn’t well-regulated they respond to the same things

[15:05] - Became a trainer for the company, then started own company

[16:35] - Requirements for training

[18:57] - What’s needed after therapy

[21:28] - Outliers from babies to peak performers

[23:58] - Next steps for neurofeedback technology

[26:33] - Uncovering even more issues

[28:01] - Getting out of the status quo in thinking about emotional outbursts

[30:24] - Turbo Time

[31:53] - Dianne’s passion for what she does

[32:35] - How other parents can be activists

[32:37] - Dianne’s Magic Wand

[35:28] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources SYMMETRY Neuro-PT

Follow SYMMETRY Neuro-PT on Facebook

Subscribe to SYMMETRY Neuro-PT on YouTube

Follow SYMMETRY Neuro-PT on Instagram

Neuroscience basics

Use for drowsiness detection

EEG in meditation

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Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

The Education Evolution

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The whole college admissions process is frustrating from both sides. Students rely on the school mailers they’re inundated with beginning their second or third year of high school. And schools buy student lists and “spray and pray” them with mailers. There’s no real science behind it and, as a result, students end up transferring or leaving their college after a semester or two (if they opt to go at all) and colleges are constantly looking for new students to fill seats and meet revenue quotas.

Not only that but students of privilege tend to get better access to college planning resources, leaving a big gap in those who end up with a good fit college vs. those who don’t.

David Hurwitt is on a mission to change this. By leveraging research from the dating app eHarmony, he’s created a free tool where students can match with a good-fit college. This creates better student successes as well as better results for the colleges and universities that provide data and feedback to the system.

Not every student is meant to go to college, and that’s okay. But giving more students access to resources that allow them to forge their own paths is essential. This is a step in the right direction.

Listen in to hear more.

About David Hurwitt: Dave Hurwitt is an innovator. Over the course of his career, he’s led the development and launch of new products and services – from toothpicks to wind turbines – that have generated well over $1 billion in sales.

If you have a large, front loading washing machine in your house, that was Dave and his team at Whirlpool. They re-envisioned the traditional, small European washer for the US market and took front loaders from 1% of the market to over 50% today, saving billions of dollars in electricity and water consumption in the process.

Dave has lived and worked around the world, and is now based in Burlington Vermont with his wife and two Golden Retrievers. Their 3 “kids” have now graduated from college, but it was his experience with them on their college journeys that started his innovator’s brain cranking on what became Troove.

Having worked in admissions through grad school, he was amazed by how little technology and the internet had impacted the college search and admissions process. And even more, he was dismayed to discover how often students were transferring or dropping out altogether.

In early 2020, this led directly to his founding Troove, a 2-sided, AI powered platform to help students discover their passions, people, and place based on the real experiences of recent alumni and current higher education students.

An accomplished photographer, lover of history, and avid traveler, Dave has made it to every state but Alaska (so far!) and some 50 different countries, camera always in hand. The same curiosity about people that shows up in his photography also shows up in the new products he creates – always with a focus on human interaction and how we can better blend the old and the new.

Jump in the Conversation: [1:39] - where did story of school transformation begin for you

[4:49] - The story of Benjamin Woodbridge’s application to Harvard in 1637

[6:35] - What can solve this problem

[9:02] - Goal for admissions officers is enrollment, not retention

[12:00] - People don’t know exactly what they’re looking for, making it difficult to find the right school

[14:04] - Leveling the playing field in higher education against the bias toward those with more means

[17:56] - Why admissions offices need this resources

[20:34] - What the process looks like for students

[25:26] - When to start using a resource like Troove

[32:46] - Turbo Time

[39:04] - David’s Magic Wand

[40:53] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources Troove

Connect with David on LinkedIn

Follow Troove on LinkedIn

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Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

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Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

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Research shows that children who have had access to early childhood experiences show up to kindergarten more prepared to learn because they have improved cognitive development, motor skills, and behavior expectations. Those who don't have access aren't as prepared to learn and typically start out their formal education a bit behind. This can cause challenges for years to come.

What we need is tools and resources to help support young children, before they head to kindergarten, so they can be prepared to thrive.

That’s what Cynthia Jackson is doing at Educare.

In this episode of the podcast, I sit down with Cynthia, the Executive Director of Educare, a learning lab that advances quality learning with partnerships, policy, and research so every child can thrive.

We talk about how children are learning from birth, the responsibilities of early childhood professionals, how data can create a continuous quality improvement mindset, and how other educators can get involved.

About Cynthia Jackson: Cynthia D. Jackson leads the Educare Learning Network, a generative, coast-to-coast network of high-quality birth-to-five schools that function as innovative learning labs for the field of early childhood education. In her dual role as Senior Vice President at Start Early, she works alongside other senior leaders to advance the organization’s mission. In collaboration with the Buffett Early Childhood Fund, Educare Learning Network school leaders and other early childhood stakeholders, Cynthia advances practice, research and policy solutions to create greater system-wide impact. Prior to joining Start Early, she served as national director of training and technical assistance for Healthy Families America at Prevent Child Abuse America and director of the Midwest Learning Center for Family Support at Family Focus, Inc. Cynthia holds a master’s degree in counseling and health education from the University of North Texas.

Jump in the Conversation: [1:50] - Where advocacy for young learners began for Cynthia

[3:30] - Children learn from day one

[4:18] - What is Educare and how does it contribute to a critical development stage

[5:25] - How partnerships in Educare work

[8:19] - The difference between children who have had access to early childhood experiences vs. those who haven’t

[9:25] - How Educare addresses policy

[12:05] - How Educare manages the dynamic of cutting vs. adding

[13:02] - Innovative learning labs

[16:30] - Theory of change model

[17:35] - Parents are first and best teachers

[18:29] - Ways listeners can help shake up the resources for early childhood education

[20:42] - Turbo Time

[24:15] - Cynthia’s Magic Wand

[26:01] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources Educare Learning Network

Connect with Cynthia on LinkedIn

Subscribe to Educare on YouTube

Email Maureen

Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

The Education Evolution

Facebook: Follow Education Evolution

Twitter: Follow Education Evolution

LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution

EdActive Collective

Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

The Micro-School Coalition

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LEADPrep

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We focus a lot on the education of our youth, but people at the other end of their life need resources and education too. Many people lose their hearing as they age, making communication difficult and connection even more challenging. Seniors face isolation, which leads to anxiety, depression, and elevated symptoms of dementia.

What can help combat this is more family and community connections and learning something new. This week on the podcast, guest D’yann Crosby shares her solution to this challenge. And it’s ingenious.

As an educator, D'yann has immersed herself in the deaf community, learning and understanding their needs and finding solutions to fill a need for a community that is underserved and marginalized. She emphasizes the importance of providing exercises for everyone, from hitting the beginning of language learning to senior citizens, and looking at the next generation.

About D’yann Crosby: Dr. D’yann Elaine is a leading American Sign Language (ASL) educator, interpreter, consultant, author, producer, and the founder of Sign with Me, Inc. She is an expert in connecting the hearing and Deaf communities and blazing new trails in this field.

Dr. D’yann holds a Doctorate in Divinity, two Bachelor’s and two Master’s degrees from prestigious universities. With a passion for social equity and inclusion, Dr. D’yann’s goal is to help people expand their perspectives and focus on their abilities instead of their limitations.

With over two decades of experience, Dr. D’yann has dedicated her life to teaching others. She is the executive producer of the ASL Emergency Preparedness DVD Series and Unheard Voices Talk Show, as well as the author of the “Seniors Sign, Too!” book series. Her vision is to inspire a new generation of signers and make a positive impact by unifying communities through language. She has been featured in iDominate (April 2022 and February 2023) and Voyage LA (2022) and on various On-demand and podcast platforms including Power of Praise Network and Unshakeable Woman and Radio Theatre For Your Soul.

Jump in the Conversation: [1:40] - Learning is lifelong

[2:00] - Where the desire for impact started for D’yann

[4:05] - Equal communication access for those who are deaf and hard of hearing

[6:15] - 1 in 3 people over age 65 suffer hearing loss

[11:52] - Creating cross-generational and cross-cultural activities

[12:50] - ASL belongs to the deaf community

[13:57] - Family signing together and learning something new makes it more fun

[14:52] - Filling a need for a community that are underserved and marginalized

[18:01] - Serving those in the beginning stages of language learning on up to senior citizens

[19:19] - How to ease into learning ASL for parents and aging population

[23:19] - Goal is to raise awareness of ASL and continue to be lifelong learners, even as we age

[24:24] - Turbo Time

[31:57] - D’yann’s Magic Wand

33:10] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources Sign with Me Inc.

Connect with D’yann on LinkedIn

Follow D’yann on Facebook

Follow D’yann on Instagram

Connect with D’yann on Twitter

Watch D’yann on YouTube

Episode 68: Sign Language and Inclusion Literature with Kathleen Marcath

Email Maureen

Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

The Education Evolution

Facebook: Follow Education Evolution

Twitter: Follow Education Evolution

LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution

EdActive Collective

Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

The Micro-School Coalition

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It is not enough for all children to have access to the human right of equitable and inclusive education. Our schools need to have a clear sense of the outcomes we want each learner to demonstrate. I’ve talked in some previous episodes about an amazing organization in Guatemala, Camino Sequro.

This week on the podcast, I’m sharing more about what makes Camino Seguro special and spotlighting a few other schools and tying in past episodes where we talk about why clear outcomes, a mission that drives the organization, and wraparound support are so important to the success of our students.

Systemic support is necessary for our students, including basic human needs like safety, shelter, and food. Combine these with clear student outcomes and we will see a big and positive shift in the education of our youth.

Jump in the Conversation: [2:10] - Three aspects of healthy humans and forward-moving organizations

[2:30] - Recap of first two parts of this series

[2:58] - Looking at mission-driven organizations

[4:30] - What I’ve learned from podcast guests

[5:06] - The way we frame direction for students

[5:52] - About Philips High School and its mission, vision, and accomplishments

[9:46] - How can we get to outcome-based clarity

[14:00] - Student outcomes don’t change until adult behaviors change

[15:30] - What holistic support looks like at LEADPrep

[17:30] - My own transition

Links & Resources Human Rights: The Right to an Education

Human Rights: Giving Back

Volunteer/Get involved at Camino Seguro/Safe Passage

Safe Passage

United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

Episode 39: Creating Human-Centered Learning with Jenny O’Meara

Edgecombe County Graduate Profile

Great On Their Behalf: Why School Boards Fail, How Yours Can Be Effective

Great on Their Behalf - first chapter

EffectiveSchoolBoards.com

Great on Their Behalf

Email AJ Crabill

Email Maureen

Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

The Education Evolution

Facebook: Follow Education Evolution

Twitter: Follow Education Evolution

LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution

EdActive Collective

Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

The Micro-School Coalition

Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition

LEADPrep

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Human performance optimization is how elite athletes hone their crafts, but just about anyone can take these learnings and apply them to their own work.

This week on the podcast I’m talking to Ford Dyke, a human performance coach who is passionate about human performance on the field and court, in the boardroom, and in the classroom. Ford shares his journey from graduate school to becoming a subject matter expert in the field, emphasizing the importance of being open to lifelong learning.

Ford focuses on the human side of optimization, where it's essential to get to know oneself so you can support others. Ford believes that everyone is connected, and we all have a brain, set of lungs, and heart. Understanding how we’re all connected is one of the keys to growth and optimization. To maintain our energy, we need to stop and return to normalcy, whatever that means for each individual.

Especially in this post-pandemic world, it's crucial to find what works for us and makes us feel good and work those processes so we can continue to grow and evolve. In K-12 education, the focus should be on reenergizing and moving the education system forward by applying human performance optimization principles.

Join us in this episode to learn more about Ford Dyke's work and how you can optimize your own performance.

About Ford Dyke: Human performance optimization subject-matter expert Dr. Ford Dyke delivers his innovation through podcasts, consultations, workshops, webinars, and seminars.

Dr. Dyke collaborates globally with high-level performers such as corporate executives, elite athletes, physicians, academicians, first responders, and military personnel. His methodology integrates components of his Professorship, Team USA Athlete career, and experience as a Performance Coach for the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee.

Dr. Dyke's education, professional experience, and personal journey led to the creation of perfor[Hu]mance.® | A multidimensional space for The Human Experience.

​

As a native of the seaside community of Jupiter Beach, Florida, he remains mindful of an ocean breeze and waves breaking on the sand.

Jump in the Conversation: [2:08] - How Ford got involved in doing things differently

[3:28] - Life experiences that make him a human performance coach

[5:03] - How have you worked on optimizing your own performance

[7:49] - From psychology to exercise science to psychophysiology

[11:26] - Course for perfor[Hu]mance

[12:56] - The common theme for any performance is the human

[16:31] - Common themes within a wide range of performers

[19:34] - How this is applied to K-12 education

[22:35] - We all have a brain, set of lungs, and heart

[22:34] - What people can do to maintain their own energy

[28:43] - Turbo Time

[37:46] - Ford’s Magic Wand

[39:30] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources Connect with Ford on LinkedIn

Perfor[Hu]mance

Visit Ford’s website

Team USA Handball

Email Maureen

Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

The Education Evolution

Facebook: Follow Education Evolution

Twitter: Follow Education Evolution

LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution

EdActive Collective

Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

The Micro-School Coalition

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LEADPrep

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Our youth in low-income communities were already struggling with finding opportunities to become more upwardly mobile before the pandemic. And now they’re struggling even more to find resources and often turn to the workforce, delaying higher education. For the last 30 years, Spark the Journey has been creating such opportunities in D.C., providing mentorship and community support to help black and brown students continue their education or find careers they enjoy.

This week on the podcast, I’m talking with Khari Brown about his own journey from his ah-ha moment as a basketball coach, seeing the great divide between the opportunities of his white players versus those of color. That led him to Spark the Journey, which he has grown to supporting more than 1,000 participants and volunteers alike.

In this conversation, we talk about volunteerism, racial inequality, creating partnerships of nonprofits, and more. Tune in now!

About Khari Brown: Khari Brown is the Chief Executive Officer of Spark the Journey, a 30-year-old nonprofit organization that provides mentorship and a community of support to young adults from DC’s low-income communities. When Brown joined Spark the Journey, he was its only employee. He has since built Spark from a small-scale scholarship program to a renowned mentorship organization that has served 1,000+ program participants and engaged 1,000+ volunteer mentors.

Jump in the Conversation: [2:01] - Where this journey began for Khari

[3:57] - What Spark the Journey is

[4:53] - How kids and volunteers can get involved

[6:16] - What it looks like to be part of the program

[7:21] - It’s hard to focus on being a student or pursuing a career when your basic needs aren’t being met

[9:12] - What workforce development looks like for Spark the Journey

[13:01] - Town for Tomorrow Alliance

[13:41] - What it takes to engage and retain volunteers

[16:00] - Roadblocks that Spark the Journey is experiencing right now

[18:15] - Ways you can support youth with what they need to succeed in life

[19:24] - Turbo Time

[25:15] - Khari’s Magic Wand

[27:08] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources Connect with Khari on LinkedIn

Follow Khari on Twitter

Spark the Journey

YearUp

Workforce resources at the Debruce Foundation, episode 136

Email Maureen

Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

The Education Evolution

Facebook: Follow Education Evolution

Twitter: Follow Education Evolution

LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution

EdActive Collective

Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

The Micro-School Coalition

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Every child deserves an education, no matter their circumstances or geography. But not every child actually does get to go to school or have access to a quality education.

If you have access to podcasts, you likely have privileges that many of our youth and young adults across the globe don’t have. You have a roof over your head; you have food on your table; and you likely have a job that allows you resources and luxuries that some wouldn’t even dream about.

One of those luxuries is likely time. No matter how busy you are, you don’t have to scavenge for food or other basic necessities. And that means you have the means to give back to those who do.

This week on the podcast, I’m sharing part two of a three-part series on the basic human right to an education. In the episode, I share three ways you can make a positive difference in your own life that allows you to, at the same time, give back to others.

If you care about our youth on a global scale, listen in!

Jump in the Conversation: [1:15] - Part two of the three-part series

[1:40] - Clarifying beliefs about what every learner deserves

[2:43] - Our children are facing many issues

[4:12] - Three ways people can make a positive shift in their energy

[5:06] - Passion and purpose help us all dive into life

[6:51] - Implement a gratitude practice in your life

[8:03] - Explore voluntourism as schools and families

[8:55] - Get involved with Camino Seguro

[9:43] - Give your students and kids the gift of being empowered to make a difference

Links & Resources Episode 155: [Human Rights Series] The Right to an Education

Positive Psychology on Ikigai

Blue Zones–Live Better, Longer

School the World and their episode 79 podcast

New Dawn Guatemala

ME to WE trips

What is Voluntourism

Volunteer/Get involved at Camino Seguro/Safe Passage

Purple Community Foundation

Safe Passage

United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

More SDG Goal 4 information

Episode 39: Creating Human-Centered Learning

Great on Their Behalf first chapter

EffectiveSchoolBoards.com

Great on Their Behalf

Email Maureen

Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

The Education Evolution

Facebook: Follow Education Evolution

Twitter: Follow Education Evolution

LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution

EdActive Collective

Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

The Micro-School Coalition

Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition

LEADPrep

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In years past, summer school has been used as a way to punish kids who were falling behind, putting them into remedial classes where there was a lot of rote memorization and dry reading crammed into a short space. While those days aren’t fully over yet, many organizations and schools are working hard to create summer school programs that are engaging and allow students to succeed on their own terms.

Imagine Learning is one such organization. Through technology, teachers can personalize learning for students and try out new modalities in summer school. And students can grow leaps and bounds in smaller classes with teachers who are more focused on their needs.

This week on the podcast, Sari Factor of Imagine Learning is sharing more about the benefits of summer school, why we shouldn’t be afraid of technology, how we can use summer school as a way to address inequity in learning, and so much more.

If you’re an educator or parent who is wondering about the value of summer school, it’s time to listen in!

About Sari Factor: Sari is the Vice Chair and Chief Strategy Officer at Imaging Learning.

She began her career as a mathematics teacher but soon thought of much bigger ways to impact students. Recognizing that technology could greatly transform the way students learn, she made a career move into education technology and has been working to leverage technology to help students, teachers, schools, and districts ever since.

Sari joined Imagine Learning in 2011 and has held leadership positions at successful educational publishing and learning technology companies, including Kaplan, McGraw-Hill, Houghton Mifflin, and Everyday Learning Corporation. “I knew that I could fulfill my vision to combine technology with research on learning to make education truly student-centered.”

Jump in the Conversation: [1:39] Where transforming education began for Sari

[2:42] - A tech upside to the pandemic

[3:59] - First response to tech is to feel threatened

[4:57] - You can’t separate school work from work at large

[5:25] - How Imagine Learning is maximizing student learning

[6:35] - In summer school in particular, you can personalize learning in a way you can’t during the regular school year

[8:26] - Teachers can focus better in summer school

[9:45] - Personalized intervention comes into play for mastery learning

[12:54] - The gift of mastery based learning

[14:40] - Making a positive impact on test scores

[17:50] - How administrators can address burnout of year round schooling and support teachers and students

[21:21] - Summer classes can address inequity in learning

[24:48] - What learners and educators can feel less daunted about summer school

[27:36] - Turbo Time

[32:48] - Sari’s Magic Wand

[34:00] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources Imagine Learning Connect with Sari on LinkedIn

Email Maureen

Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

The Education Evolution

Facebook: Follow Education Evolution

Twitter: Follow Education Evolution

LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution

EdActive Collective

Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

The Micro-School Coalition

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LEADPrep

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We’ve all always known that not everyone has the same access to a quality education. We only need to look in our own communities to see the difference. But travel overseas and you’ll find children living in poverty that we can’t even imagine who don’t have access to some of our basic human rights, education being only one of them.

I recently had the opportunity to travel to Guatemala City to visit a school, Camino Seguro, that is trying to change this lack of access for children in its community. Known as Safe Passage in English, this school is just one example of what one teacher can do.

This episode is part one of a three-part series on our basic human rights. We’ll cover the right to an education and mental health services as well as how to start supporting initiatives to ensure every child has what they need to succeed.

In this first episode of the series, I talk about the Sustainable Development Goals that were adopted by the United Nations in 2015, the loss of services many underprivileged areas saw as a result of the pandemic, and how one school is helping students disrupt the poverty cycle for their families.

Jump in the Conversation: [1:46] - A reminder of my beliefs and mission

[2:47] - Safe Passage and the right to an education

[3:51] - Learning about Jane Walker and the quality of life in Tondo

[3:45] - Families have to choose between sending kids to school or to work

[6:06] - Fast forward to today and having a broader sense of what learners need

[6:07] - Looking at equity and learning opportunities with a global lens

[7:08] - UN Sustainable development goals, adopted in 2015 as a call to action

[8:36] - Local public schools in international schools are vastly different from private schools

[9:50] - Children in extreme poverty have no access to basic human needs, including education

[10:30] - The global educational impact of the pandemic

[11:33] - We see the learning gap and how it’s grown

[12:13] - Camino Segurio’s systemic and holistic support to the poorest families in Guatemala City

[15:13] - Hanley Denning’s story and how Safe Passage came to be

[17:02] - Safe Passage is a gateway out of poverty

[18:18] - Maureen’s Magic Wand

Links & Resources Volunteer/Get involved at Camino Seguro/Safe Passage

Purple Community Foundation

Safe Passage

United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

Email Maureen

Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

The Education Evolution

Facebook: Follow Education Evolution

Twitter: Follow Education Evolution

LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution

EdActive Collective

Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

The Micro-School Coalition

Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition

LEADPrep

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Traditional standardized assessments are easy to use because they expect every student to take the exact same test. It’s easy to grade and inexpensive to administer. But these kinds of tests don’t work. They expect mastery at a granular level and don’t account for students who are well above or below the bell curve.

Technology now allows us to administer adaptive assessments, where students are taken on a journey and the test is customized to find out where they excel and where they might need more help.

One person leading this charge with adaptive assessments is Nathan Thompson of Assessment Systems. In this week’s episode, Nathan shares more about the importance of adaptive technology, how we can do better as educators, and other use cases for this technology.

About Nathan Thompson: Nathan Thompson is CEO and Co-Founder of Assessment Systems, a company driven to improve assessment by making modern psychometrics accessible to more organizations, from adaptive testing to item response theory to automated essay scoring. Nate earned his PhD in Psychometrics from the University of Minnesota, with a focus on AI algorithms in adaptive testing.

Jump in the Conversation: [1:42] - Where Nathan’s story of impacting education began

[3:11] - What is computerized adaptive technology

[5:20] - Adaptive technology is beneficial for making assessment the right size for every learners

[6:14] - Where we are as a country in adaptive technology

[8:07] - Lots of room for improvement on state assessments

[9:09] - How to make adaptive tests more realistic for teachers

[10:18] - Difference between formative and summative assessments

[11:24] - How to do better as adults

[13:31] - How it works in the real world

[14:20] - How to get started in creating better assessments

[16:00] - Assessments can help people evaluate where they should go in their careers

Instead of expecting

[18:23] - Creating stackable credentials

[21:28] - What’s next for this mission

[22:42] - How educators can use smarter and more accurate assessment tools

[24:48] - What about for educators that struggle with statistics and numbers

[26:56] - Turbo Time

[28:06] - What people need to know about computerized adaptive testing

[29:40] - What Nathan brings to assessment work

[32:07] - Nathan’s Magic Wand

[33:32] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources Assessment Systems

Connect with Nathan on LinkedIn

Follow Nathan on Twitter

Agilities

Email Maureen

Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

The Education Evolution

Facebook: Follow Education Evolution

Twitter: Follow Education Evolution

LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution

EdActive Collective

Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

The Micro-School Coalition

Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition

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Every human on the planet has a right to an education. And, more importantly, a right to the education that they need and want. In Western culture, that often looks like traditional education…sitting in seats in classrooms and memorizing vocabulary and historical dates.

Not only is this not what our children need, the ability to memorize isn’t a sign of success. Nor is this even a good way to educate anyone.

This week on the podcast, I’m talking with William Tucker of Charity United, a US-based organization that provides humanitarian aid to those in need. William and I talk about what quality education actually is and why we need to ask what others need instead of simply assuming we know.

There’s so much nuance in the way people learn and we need to approach education from the perspective of helping others to understand and learn how to think rather than thinking the way society does.

This was a wonderful conversation around the English language, human rights, and why we need to approach teaching and learning from a different mindset.

About William Tucker: William Tucker and his wife have helped over 100,000 kids & civilians in the slums of India, improving their quality of life through literacy education, emergency aid, and other philanthropic initiatives. As a Co-Founder of Charity United, a U.S.-based charity that provides humanitarian aid to children and civilians in need, William helps ensure children receive food, clothing, shelter, and education.

William has worked as an educational specialist and corporate training officer in International Charitable organizations for several decades, training thousands of individuals for their jobs in order to improve the productivity of these organizations. After selling his house and living in the slums of India for a year, William discovered through on-the-ground experience the problems that kids most often face while living in the slums, mainly a lack of educational opportunities.

In collaboration with charities and volunteers in India, Africa, and Latin America, Charity United provides educational tools to children with the aim of giving all children an equal opportunity for a promising future.

Jump in the Conversation: [1:47] - How William joined the cause

[2:50] - The underlying cause of challenges - failure to communicate, uneducated

[3:51] - What counters undereducation

[5:15] - The ability to think is what sets us apart

[6:42] - Goals for working with students in India

[7:20] - Don’t be arrogant and assume you know better

[10:02] - In all the top English literature education materials, they didn’t teach the sequence of learning a language

[16:08] - Use illustrative examples and the kids will start learning

[16:57] - Removing frequency words for better understanding

[19:08] - The real point of education: understanding

[19:54] - We’re not telling them what to think; we’re telling them how to think

[20:25] - Illustrations for educational purposes is much different than illustrations for entertainment

[21:47] - Adults can extract logic out of an image but kids are a blank slate

[24:47] - Making the right of literacy a priority around the world

[26:24] - Turbo Time

[27:27] - What people need to know about learner-centered learning

[28:27] - Everyone has opportunity to human rights, no matter where they grew up

[29:36] - How to be an activist to support learning and literacy

[30:54] - William’s Magic Wand

[31:38] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources The Young Genius Series

Charity United

Follow Charity United on Facebook

Connect with Charity United on LinkedIn

Subscribe to Charity United on YouTube

Email Maureen

Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

The Education Evolution

Facebook: Follow Education Evolution

Twitter: Follow Education Evolution

LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution

EdActive Collective

Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

The Micro-School Coalition

Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition

LEADPrep

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One of the challenges with traditional education settings is that you’re bound to the same place for nine or more months every year. Slow travel, or really learning about a culture or community is difficult, if not impossible.

But the reality is that taking kids out of their comfort zones and letting them learn and live in other areas can teach them about kindness, purpose, building relationships, and so much more.

When this week’s guest, Rekha Magon, tried to take her then kindergarten-age son overseas for a month, his teacher balked and expressed fear that he’d miss so much school. So Rekha pulled her son out of school and started building a learning platform that better suited her family’s lifestyle.

Today that platform is Boundless Life, a turnkey solution for families to live, work, and learn while experiencing the world. They currently have three locations in Europe and are launching a fourth location in Bali this year. And families are embracing the idea so much that they’re launching their own locations across the globe.

About Rekha Magon: Rekha Magon is the co-founder and Head of Education of Boundless Life, a turnkey solution for families- to live, work and learn while experiencing the world. As an avid world traveler, ed-tech entrepreneur, & homeschool mama, Rekha is passionate about creating meaningful learning experiences that inspire children to question, create & innovate according to their own personal interests. Among other awards, she won first place in Canada's 9th Edtech Innovation Summit. With an accounting scholarship from McGill, she worked as a Senior Auditor at KPMG for many years before starting her own education technology company. Boundless Life aligns deeply with her own personal and professional values, and she is now leading the charge at Boundless Education.

Jump in the Conversation: [1:50] - Where Rekha’s story of school transformation started

[3:10] - Bringing mindfulness into school system

[5:32] - Living a Boundless Life

[7:17] - Locations - Portugal, Greece, Italy, Bali in July

[8:16] - Community service component

[9:30] - Making learning relevant and purposeful

[10:27] - The importance of passion and purpose projects

[11:33] - Interacting with local children

[13:07] - Parenting and kindness are universal

[13:58] - What is slow travel and the benefits of it

[17:17] - Being the pragmatist about living and learning abroad

[22:10] - Micro-schools are the future

[23:28] - How to get out of lockstep of traditional education

[26:49] - The choice on how children are educated should be on the parents

[29:29] - Turbo Time

[31:19] - What people need to know about student-driven learning

[32:33] - The passion Rekha brings to Boundless Life

[34:20] - How to be an activist to transform schools

[35:58] - Rekha’s Magic Wand

[37:16] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources Boundless Life

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Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

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A question we don’t ask enough is what we want from education. Of course we all want well-rounded young adults when they’re done with school, people who can become productive members of our society and who also have a healthy worldview.

But our schools are not preparing our youth in this way. Students are graduating from high school with a narrow mindset because they haven’t experienced anything other than what’s in their community and the four walls of their classrooms.

When the recession happened in 2008, Lainie Liberti knew it was an opportunity to make a change for the benefit of her then 9-year-old son. So they hit the road to learn in the real world. They’ve since visited countless countries, started a business around world schooling, and both have come out changed in all the best ways.

This week on the podcast, Lainie is sharing her experience with parenting and teaching in the real world and how she and her son are supporting other families to do the same.

About Lainie Liberti: Lainie is a best-selling author, international speaker, community leader, teen mentor, and alternative education advocate who helped to spearhead the thriving world schooling movement.

As a result of the 2008 California economy crash, Liberti closed her Los Angeles-based branding agency. Liberti and her then 9-year-old Miro decided to “be the change” instead of victims and chose a life of adventure. After, selling all of their possessions, Lainie and her son hit the road for what was to be a one-year adventure in 2009. After thirteen years and almost 50 countries, the pair calls Guanajuato, Mexico their home.

Lainie chose to educate her son Miro through the world, facilitating rich experiential learning, cultural immersion, volunteering and leadership as his school. We call this world schooling.

Lainie co-foundered Project World School with her son in 2012. Liberti designs and co-facilitates the Project World School teen retreats as month-long immersive learning communities to support self-directed teens from around the world. Over the last 8 years, Lainie has facilitated 20+ international retreats for almost 100 teens, learning through cultural immersion, examining personal values and exploring world views.

In addition, Lainie founded Project World School Family Summits, where she's produced 10 in-person international conferences for hundreds of families across Europe, Asia and Mexico since 2016.

Jump in the Conversation: [1:26] - Where Lainie’s passion for transforming our relationship with learning began

[3:34] - What do you want for education

[4:44] - What is world schooling

[6:06] - Learning was a radical part of what they were doing in their travels

[6:42] - We’re wired to be natural learners

[7:29] - The world provided a lot of opportunities

[7:50] - Helping others in world schooling

[9:44] - The adventures of Lainie and her son

[10:25] - Project World School is born

[14:22] - Understanding the plight of others is impossible unless you’re there

[15:16] - Tying in mental health to world learning

[18:00] - Taking teens out of their comfort zones

[19:55] - Getting outside comfort zone is part of who we are

[22:23] - How to participate in world school without the travel

[25:35] - What would it be if we took a moment to recognize situations from different perspectives

[26:40] - Turbo Time

[32:19] - Lainie’s Magic Wand

[33:32] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources Project World School

Seen, Heard & Understood: Parenting & Partnering with Teens for Greater Mental Health by Lainie Liberti

Transformative Mentoring for Teens

Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents by

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Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

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If you’ve ever traveled to another country, you know how exciting it is to learn about other cultures. But as adults, many of us don’t have the opportunity to spend an extended period of time overseas. What if we were able to do that traveling in high school, learning by being immersed in culture, rather than sitting in a classroom eight hours a day?

That’s what this week’s guest, Joann McPike, wanted for her son. So she built it for him and invited other students along, too!

THINK Global School was founded on the idea that students should learn the things that matter in the grand scheme of things, rather than what we’ve “always” learned. The structure is so interesting and immersive, and it’s one that I hope gains some traction in the future.

Listen in!

About Joann McPike: Joann McPike is the founder of THINK Global School and the chair of its board of directors. Her vision has created a global learning environment built on the foundation of empathy, diversity, resilience and self-reflection.

Joann McPike has dedicated her life to pursuing her passion for world travel. Joann grew up in New Zealand and developed a desire to explore the world at a young age. To date, she has traveled to over 73 countries. Over the course of her world travels, Joann has achieved a rare perspective on the multicultural aspects of our global society. As a photographer, she works to capture the diverse layers of meaning inherent in a given snapshot of life. In that regard, Joann considers her photography to demonstrate a documentary style of artistic expression. Her first book of photography, entitled THINK, was published in 2008.

Jump in the Conversation: [1:40] - Where Joann’s story of school transformation began

[3:55] - One of the best ways to learn is by doing and making it relevant

[4:25] - More about Think Global schools

[6:15] - Learning should be relevant to what the kids are interested in

[7:19] - Helping students recognize many different perspectives

[10:06] - The challenges of going to the school

[11:45] - Adaptability is one of the most underrated skills

[13:55] - Joann’s favorite travel and learning experiences

[15:51] - It’s not just intellectual, it’s emotional, physical, spiritual too

[17:04] - Where students live during their travels

[17:35] - What happens after this amazing high school experience

[19:03] - People and planet before profit

[20:58] - Giving students the right tools

[22:16] - What parents and educators can do to foster a more global learning experience for their children

[24:01] - How about we push to create relevance in the curriculum that will be interesting, engaging, and fun for students

[25:18] - Turbo Time

[30:15] - Joann’s Magic Wand

[31:42] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources THINK Global School

Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth

The Expectation Effect: How Your Mindset Can Change Your World by David Robson

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Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

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Imagine the two most difficult things that you could possibly go through happening simultaneously. Parenting a child, and the grief of losing a child. Now imagine parenting a surviving child after they lose their sibling.

Surviving children need unique care to work through their grief, in the midst of the parent sitting in their own grief. And while there are many grief support groups out there, parents need help in working through the day-to-day trials and tribulations that happen as the surviving child hits milestones that their sibling never had a chance to experience.

This week’s episode is for parents who have lost a child and caregivers of the surviving children. Because, like any aspect of child development, the more who can support the child the better.

Listen in to a sad but heartwarming story about why play matters to grieving children, why language and vocabulary is so important to grieving children, how to manage your own grief while parenting, and why grieving adults need to take care of themselves first.

About Michele Benyo: Michele Benyo is a Certified Grief Recovery Specialist®, early childhood parent coach, and the founder of Good Grief Parenting. After her 6-year-old son died of cancer, her 3-year-old daughter said, “Mommy, half of me is gone.” This heartbreaking statement focused Michele’s career as an early childhood parenting specialist on the impact of grief on young children, particularly after child loss. Michele equips parents and other caring adults to recognize young children’s grief and to provide the support children need to build resilience and cope well with any loss. The desire of Michele’s heart is to see families thrive after loss and live forward toward a future bright with possibilities and even joy.

Jump in the Conversation: * [1:27] - Michele’s catalyst for Good Grief Parenting * [3:01] - Michele’s case study about how deeply children are impacted by trauma and loss * [4:18] - Would not have recognized the impact if not for the experience * [5:50] - Founded Good Grief Parenting to help parents find hope and encouragement and goodness in grief * [6:15] - How Good Grief Parenting is unique, especially for formative years * [8:23] - As parents, we can grapple with loss of child, but the sibling left needs support * [9:11] - What adults need to know about how children grieve * [10:19] - Kids need a chance to tell us how they’re feeling, what they’re thinking * [10:46] - Encourage kids to talk about their grief and loss * [11:20] - Parents need to learn how to say that a child died * [12:47] - How parents can manage their own grief and support other children * [14:20] - Be the parent that’s grieving child at the same time as taking care of living child * [15:32] - We can find goodness and bring it into the family * [16:35] - Childhood is best time to learn grief coping skills * [18:10] - 3 ways to support grieving children * [19:55] - Turbo Time * [24:55] - Michele’s Magic Wand * [27:29] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources * Good Grief Parenting * Get the Good Grief Guide * LinkTree Link * Follow Good Grief Parenting on Instagram and Facebook * Atomic Habits by James Clear * Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

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Schools usually fail before someone steps up to try to diagnose what’s wrong and fix it. Meanwhile, hundreds and thousands of learners suffer through subpar educational practices that might meet the needs of a select few, but not the majority.

When it comes to health, we know that prevention is the best medicine. We take care of our bodies so we can remain healthy for many years. But in our antiquated school systems, we sadly don’t take the same approach. And it’s our children who feel the brunt of this.

That’s the focus of my conversation this week with Aimee Evan, PhD, author of the new book Student Centered School Improvement: Identifying Systemic Changes Essential for Success. There are so many factors in the success of a school, beyond the school ranking, what extracurricular activities are available, and what student grades look like. Aimee encourages parents and educational leaders to dig deeper to take care of all layers of the schools so students can truly be successful.

About Aimee Evan, PhD: Mom, researcher, school improvement specialist, author, and former accountability director, school turnaround lead, and middle and high school teacher.

Jump in the Conversation: * [1:49] - Catalyst for dedicating career to improving education * [4:33] - We’re more likely to try to make a change when we see what needs to be done first-hand * [5:34] - Unpacking how to meet the needs of students * [7:18] - We have two educational systems in the U.S. * [8:54] - What should we be doing to improve schools * [9:40] - We’re waiting for the Gordon Ramsay of education * [10:54] - The current school improvement policy is to wait for the school to fail * [12:40] - How being a mom has impacted her mission * [18:10] - How listeners can take steps to school improvement * [18:38] - We look for a good fit for our kids and conflate that with “good school” * [19:57] - Parents and teachers can see what’s happening inside school * [26:18] - A real harm is laying all change on shoulders of teachers and leaders * [27:20] - You might have new tires but you’re not going anywhere because you haven’t checked your engine * [29:20] - Engaging teachers in the change that needs to happen and utilizing all the support systems they have access to * [30:19] - Aimee’s Magic Wand * [31:28] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources * Connect with Aimee on LinkedIn * WestEd * Student Centered School Improvement: Identifying Systemic Changes Essential for Success by Aimee Evan, PhD * Episode 42: The With Heart Project * Episode 97: Creating Trauma-Informed Classrooms & Putting Kids First * Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

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Sometimes it takes time working and learning in a broken system to find the path to changing lives. After more than 25 years in education, John Camp (or Camp, as he prefers to be called) was on the lookout for something that was more student-centered and progressive at a school level than what he had experienced thus far.

As founding head of teaching and learning at New England Innovation Academy, Camp and his colleagues are on a mission to prepare a new generation of innovators and entrepreneurs to enter the workforce and make a big impact.

How do they do that? By focusing on student-centered learning based on what the lead stakeholders (students and teachers) know is best.The school integrates many subjects into one lesson and has let go of both a traditional semester system and old-school assessment and grading.

Listen in to hear more about how this innovative school is changing the way we teach and learn.

About John Camp: Camp had led and taught in independent schools for over 25 years. He is the founding Head of Teaching and Learning at New England Innovation Academy, which opened in the fall of 2021. He is an assessment guru, including being the architect of NEIA’s competency-based system. Camp also teaches Humanities and writing classes, such as “The TV Writers’ Room,” and interdisciplinary courses such as “The Art and Physics of Time Travel.” At St. Mark’s School, which bestowed him with The Trustees Chair and the Kidder Faculty Prize, Camp served as the Director of Experiential Learning and Associate Director of The Center of Innovation in Teaching and Learning.

Jump in the Conversation: * [1:38] - How Camp got started in transforming the system * [3:36] - What he’s created * [5:16] - Student and staff opportunities for innovation for students * [6:03] - Integration isn’t an exception to the rule; it IS the rule * [7:46] - How to assess in this model * [8:58] - What an assessment looks like * [10:06] - Letter grades are single data point * [11:50] - Feedback is key for any assessment system * [14:15] - What is human centered design * [16:10] - Be awesome and be able to defend why you’re teaching something * [16:50] - Unpacking some course titles * [20:56] - What innovation looks like in past jobs * [21:28] - Big perk of building a new school * [22:50] - Have the courage to try to fix something if you see it needs to be fixed * [23:39] - Stepping out of status quo school landscape * [25:37] - Turbo Time * [29:10] - What Camp would change about schools * [30:49] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources * New England Innovation Academy * Heidi Hayes Jacobs on rethinking schools * Sum of Us book * Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution

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• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

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As parents, we want the best for our kids. When it comes to their education, there are so many options out there, it can feel overwhelming and sometimes impossible to find the best setting for them. What really are the differences between public, private, online, and homeschooling? What is an NPA? How can families find the resources they need to make these important decisions for their children?

Today I’m joined by Carlos Melendez from Schola, and he lays it all out for us in a way that is easy to understand. Schola has been helping match students with their perfect education setting, and today Carlos is here to explain the different options available so you know where to get started. And not only does he help you better understand your options, but he shares what other resources are available to help both families and schools in this process.

Listen in, and discover what educational setting might best suit your child’s needs.

About Carlos Melendez: Carlos is the Chief Marketing Officer at Schola, a software company that helps families find their perfect school or educational setting. He is an expert at creating effective marketing campaigns for schools in any market, which has helped his school partners increase their revenue by more than $100m in his 5 years at Schola. Carlos’ expertise includes integrated marketing communications and social media advertising. In addition, he has a law degree from Universidad Rafael Urdaneta and a Master's in Business from Thunderbird/ASU.

Jump in the Conversation: * [1:14] - About Schola * [2:21] - Understanding your options and choosing what’s best for your kids * [3:35] - Public schooling options * [11:07] - NPA (Non-Public Agencies) * [14:20] - Private schooling options * [18:45] - Shift towards online schooling * [20:26] - Dual enrollment programs * [21:49] - Homeschooling options * [25:15] - College prep models * [28:04] - More resources for families and schools from Schola * [36:00] - Turbo Time * [45:28] - Carlos’s Magic Wand * [47:46] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources * Schola * National Association of Independent Schools * P-Tech * Episode 73 with Stanley Litow from P-Tech * Connect with Schola on Facebook and Instagram * Follow Schola on TikTok * The Membership Economy by Robbie Kellman Baxter

• Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

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Schools won’t change on their own, often needing a push from concerned educators, community members and, most importantly, parents. But too often parents don’t know how to get involved or how to speak out on behalf of their children.

Thankfully there are tools and resources out there to help parents understand their rights (and the rights of their children) and learn how to talk to policymakers and educational leaders about ensuring their children get the education they deserve. One of those organizations is African Caribbean American Parents of Children with Disabilities (AFCAMP), led by Executive Director Ann Smith. Ann joins me on the podcast this week.

We need more parents as educational advocates if we’re going to make real change happen. And the more they learn, the more comfortable they are with speaking up for their children and for the community as a whole. Ann shares what those resources are and why they’re so incredibly important.

About Ann Smith, JD, MBA: Ann R. Smith, JD, MBA is a “change-maker” who can speak to the importance of engaging families, youth, and community to address inequitable policies and practices that produce disparate outcomes across the intersecting education, juvenile justice, and health (physical / behavioral / mental) systems.

Ann is Executive Director of African Caribbean American Parents of Children with Disabilities, Inc. (AFCAMP) commonly known as AFCAMP Advocacy for Children, a parent-led nonprofit organization headquartered in Hartford, CT. For 20+ years AFCAMP has provided resources, training and advocacy to promote authentic family and youth voices to inform decision-making within child-serving systems including education, juvenile justice, child welfare and children’s behavioral health.

Pursuing equity fuels AFCAMP’s work to transform systems and reduce the adverse and disproportionate impacts experienced by youth of color and youth with disabilities. A multi-level approach is employed to reform systemic policies and practices that proliferate inequitable education, justice, health, and economic outcomes for children and families of color with a particular focus on those that are Black.

Ann currently serves as a Tri-Chair of the Connecticut Children’s Behavioral Health Plan Implementation Advisory Board. She also serves on other advisory bodies and nonprofit boards of directors. She held multiple roles over 16 years of service with the State of Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) and its predecessors. Ann is also an attorney licensed by the State of CT.

Jump in the Conversation: * [1:34] - Where school transformation began for Ann * [2:48] - Parents don’t always know their rights * [4:32] - Community Parent Resource Center * [5:50] - Find out about your own state’s resource center * [8:18] - Where to begin in gaining empowerment * [10:55] - How the system encourages and accepts parents and youth * [13:01] - When families are actively involved, the process of education with their kids, the outcomes are better * [21:14] - Turbo Time * [22:49] - What you need to know about parent engagement * [24:33] - Ann’s Magic Wand * [26:19] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources * African Caribbean American Parents of Children with Disabilities (AFCAMP) * US Department of Education Parent Resource Centers * Center for Parent Information and Resources * Connecticut Family Engagement Project * Connecticut Children’s Behavioral Health Plan Implementation Advisory Board * Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

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• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

• The Micro-School Coalition
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Online learning is no longer a novelty that’s all about checking boxes and “getting through the material.” Because of innovations in technology, there are so many possibilities to create truly engaging learning experiences and to foster a joy of learning for both students and teachers.

This week on the podcast, I’m talking with Shaunak Roy, CEO of Yellowdig where they’re helping K-12 schools, colleges and universities, and corporations create truly experiential learning experiences and active learning opportunities for all.

Born out of a desire to create educational transformation, Shaunak’s online learning tools are helping to build community within an asynchronous environment where students are rewarded for asking questions and taking risks, rather than regurgitating the “right” answers. Because human nature is to be creative, and online has the potential to grow students’ creativity without the limitations of time in a classroom.

Tune in to be inspired and see how half a million students at more than 130 schools and organizations are currently enjoying the growth that’s possible with the right online learning tool.

About Shaunak Roy: Shaunak is the founder and CEO of Yellowdig. Yellowdig is a community-driven active learning platform adopted by over 130 colleges and universities, K12 schools, and corporate training clients. Yellowdig's mission is to transform every classroom into an active, social, and experiential learning community. Shaunak graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering from IIT Bombay and completed his graduate studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Prior to founding Yellowdig, Shaunak spent a decade advising global companies on technology, strategy, and growth.

Jump in the Conversation: * [1:28] - Where school transformation began for Shanauk * [3:07] - Kids learn best when they’re active and engaged * [4:09] - The best way for students to learn is to use the digital tools they have intentionally * [5:15] - What we need to build engagement online * [6:50] - Constructivism is a model for discovery learning * [7:21] - How Yellowdig is creating an online experiential experience * [9:15] - Shifting the roles for teachers * [10:48] - Adding in a live component to asynchronous learning * [13:56] - Grading posts and comments defeats the purpose of engagement * [14:27] - Learning how to “do school” doesn’t translate into real life * [17:28] - Human nature is to be creative; we need to use that in the virtual classroom * [20:12] - Advice for parents and young adults exploring online education * [20:38] - A big advantage of online learning is that there’s no time restriction * [21:58] - Turbo Time * [23:25] - What people need to know about engagement in learning * [24:25] - Shaunak’s passion in Yellowdig * [25:53] - Shaunak’s Magic Wand * [27:10] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources * Yellowdig * Range: Why Generalists Trimpph in a Specialized World by David Epstein * Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverence - TED Talk with Angela Duckworth * Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

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• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

• The Micro-School Coalition
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• LEADPrep

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We’re not supporting our youth in developing into well-rounded individuals, and one of the culprits is our educational system, which isn’t set up to inspire greatness. This is a challenge we can remedy. So why aren’t we?

Especially when there are educational leaders, like Chris Menagé, who create systems and opportunities to do things differently.

This week on the podcast, Chris is sharing the importance of developing human and social capital in a way that works for our youth. That means making sure our students are inspired and seeking out learning for the sake of learning instead of sitting through old school lessons. And it means finding ways to prioritize thriving instead of simply surviving.

Chris stresses that encouraging children to find balance and use their intuition in the classroom is incredibly important so they can take ownership of their learning. Education is an investment in our children, but only when it empowers them.

About Chris Menagé: Chris is an educator who believes a world of change needs learning to change so he designs award winning learning experiences that are all about meaning, not things. Through e²: educational ecosystems’ framework, Chris advocates for education’s upstream role: to learn from, share with and contribute to, building capacity in social capital.

Jump in the Conversation: * [1:36] - School transformation interest through life experiences * [2:06] - Focus on relationships and holistic approach to education is a lifelong process * [3:00] - What is human and social capital and how to use it educational systems * [3:31] - Social capital is combination of our collective wherewithal - collective abilities, skills, dispositions, lived experiences * [5:25] - How to use this capital in educational systems * [6:26] - Move from restrictive mindset to more collaborative approach * [7:53] - Effective learning strategies build capacity to be eco-centered * [8:51] - Balance and intuition as two senses * [10:21] - Where can we start to create the whole experience * [11:26] - Be okay with the imperfect process * [12:57] - COVID provided an opportunity to pause and reassess our drivers * [15:30] - Education is a resource that’s intensive and costly; we don’t look at this work as an investment * [18:01] - When you invest in resources, kids start learning with passion and purpose * [18:50] - Turbo Time * [20:03] - What people need to know about activating human and social capital * [20:32] - Diagnosis vs. intervention is an approach to well-being * [21:26] - Despite all the advances we’ve made, if we were to look at trends we see at the moment, I don’t think we have much to lose to look at things differently * [25:56] - Chris’s Magic Wand * [27:17] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources * Educational Ecosystems * Follow Educational Ecosystems on LinkedIn * Follow Educational Ecosystems on YouTube * The Future of Smart: How Our Education System Needs to Change to Help All Young People Thrive by Ulcca Joshi Hansen PhD * Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

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• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

• The Micro-School Coalition
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Life is full of surprises, and not all of them are good. But sometimes the challenges we go through are the catalyst for changing our lives and inspiring others to do the same.

That’s the case for Jon Acton, this week’s podcast guest. After a nearly 30-year career in education, Jon became a school superintendent in March 2020…just days before COVID hit and schools had to make a big left turn. Then a stage 3 cancer diagnosis changed the trajectory of everything for Jon.

Jon and two fellow educators received the same diagnosis within just 10 months of one another, and after one lost his battle, Jon and his cancer warrior friend decided to take action. They founded Broken Shells, which seeks to remind us all that we’re all “perfektly imperfekt” and that we should embrace the “why nots” in our lives.

Jon has created something out of adversity and I can see how it will inspire others to do the same. Listen in to this incredible story.

About Jon Acton: Husband, dad, cancer fighter, author, creator of Broken Shells, former school superintendent, principal, teacher, coach.

Jump in the Conversation: * [1:40] - What has led Jon to be a beacon of inspiration * [3:50] - What is Broken Shells * [4:15] - Partners to Broken Shells * [5:50] - Perfectly imperfect life stories - the idea behind broken shells * [8:45] - We have invisible bubbles around us * [9:40] - Our whys and our why nots * [10:55] - When an opportunity arises, ask yourself why or why not * [11:57] - Don’t let the “why not” sphere of time pass you by * [13:25] - Table of influence * [15:32] - Would you be at someone’s table of influence the way you’re living your life * [16:14] - What’s next for Jon * [18:59] - Turbo Time * [19:59] - Your impact can influence others * [21:22] - Jon’s Magic Wand * [23:22] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources * Broken Shells * Follow Broken Shells and Jon on Twitter * Connect with Jon on LinkedIn * Follow Broken Shells on Facebook * Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

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• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective

• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

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There’s little worse than being told what you have to do, when you have to do it, and how. And especially when kids are involved, they’re pretty good at digging in their heels and refusing. Ask any parent or teacher!

But we’re still telling kids what they have to learn, how they have to learn it, and when. We’re doing a disservice to them and, frankly, to the teachers who have to follow the prescribed curriculum.

Thank goodness teachers like Tanya King exist. Teachers who are using data and proven strategies to break the mold and truly get students excited about learning. Tanya, an award-winning 6th grade teacher in Washington state, champions the idea of letting go of control and letting students lead their own learning.

And what she’s doing works! With kids regularly making two school years’ of progress while in her care, they’re no longer missing school or checking out mentally because they’re bored or uninspired. She takes inspiration to the next level.

Listen in to find out how Tanya is doing it differently!

About Tanya King: Tanya King, also known as Mrs. KB, is a 6th-grade teacher in the Edmonds School District. She is in her 22nd year of teaching, holds a BA in Elementary Ed, Special Education K-12, a Masters in Integrating Technology, and is National Board Certified. It is her mission to empower students to become lifelong learners and instill within them a belief they can reach any goal he/she sets for him/herself. By teaching students to believe in themselves and take ownership of their learning, her students know they can tackle any task. Students come to school because they have to; Mrs. KB has created a learner-driven class and kids come because they want to! Her mottos? Be the Captain of your Own Destiny! Live Limitless!

Jump in the Conversation: * [1:30] - Award winning teacher * [1:59] - Extraordinary is “extra ordinary” * [2:18] - How Tanya became a learner-centered teacher * [3:10] - Fitting in the box doesn’t work as a kid or a teacher * [3:20] - Lessons from rafting through the Grand Canyon * [4:22] - What it looks like in Tanya’s classroom and the joy of controlled chaos * [7:52] - Benefits of teachers letting go of control * [11:03] - Data points that show student growth * [15:42] - Kids aren’t sure how to approach this new environment * [16:46] - If we’re not willing to try to change things, no one will make the change for us * [17:45] - A few ways to shift away from rows to something more student-driven * [18:18] - If you don’t have a why behind what you’re doing, find a different way * [19:35] - Turbo Time * [22:26] - The passion Tanya brings to learner-centered classrooms * [23:05] - The best thing about working with tweens * [24:43] - Tanya’s Magic Wand * [26:28] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources * Lynnwood Times article about Tanya’s award * iReady® Assessment * Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution

• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective

• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

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The whole point of this podcast is to help education evolve into something that better serves our children. We know that today’s model doesn’t work; let’s inspire some change! I love talking to leaders about how they’re making changes and helping to grow the inspiration to beyond their own immediate circle.

This time of year, I like to take time to reflect, express gratitude, and look forward. And this week on the podcast, I’m sharing some of that with you.

As leaders, we need to grow and evolve too; change doesn’t happen if we stay where we are. That’s why I’m making a big change in 2023, and I’d love your support in continuing to move forward.

Listen in and consider your role in the evolution of education and how you can best use your gifts to continue the process.

Jump in the Conversation: * [1:08] - Reflecting on where you are through three lenses * [1:50] - Become tools for the changes you want to see * [2:09] - Maureen looking back * [2:12] - History of nudging at different possibilities * [3:55] - Waiting to be part of a solution * [5:51] - Preparing for new growth * [7:00] - My last year as Head of School * [8:30] - Breathing in the present moment * [9:32] - Dividing job into what makes more sense * [10:45] - What is our heart calling us to stop, start, do more or less of? * [12:45] - My three asks for you

Links & Resources * LEADPrep Head of School posting * “An exquisite devotional work with meditations on wonder, hope, love, mystery, and faith”: Seasons of Your Heart: Prayers and Reflections by Macrina Wiederkehr

• The Circle of Life: The Heart’s Journey through the Seasons by Joyce Rupp & Macrina Wiederkehr

• Tim Ferriss’ Past Year Review

• Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution

• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective

• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

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Helping youth who have dropped out of high school is important, but what if we could prevent the dropouts altogether? That’s the idea behind Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG), championed by this week’s podcast guest, Ken Smith.

As the president and CEO of this 40-year-old non-profit organization, Ken is working to ensure that America’s most vulnerable youth succeed after high school and secure good jobs. And they do that through mentorship and career-focused educational opportunities inside schools.

Attendance has been pointed to by state leaders as the most pressing issue in schools. But it’s not about getting students into seats, which is a symptom of a bigger issue. What’s missing is connection. And without programs like JAG, we risk losing a big part of our next generation.

JAG has served more than 1.7 million students to date in 39 states and Ken’s vision has that impact doubling over the next few years. I’m incredibly impressed with the resources and opportunities that JAG will add in the coming years and I have no doubt that Ken will reach his goal.

About Ken Smith: Mr. Kenneth M. Smith serves as President and CEO of Jobs for America’s Graduates, Inc. (JAG), the nation’s largest, most consistently applied model of high school retention and school-to-career transition for high-risk young people of great promise.

In 1979, Mr. Smith worked with Governor Pete du Pont of Delaware on the design of the first statewide test of the JAG Model and has served as President and CEO since its inception. JAG currently serves 75,000 young people annually, in more than 1,450 high schools, middle schools, and out-of-school programs in 39 states. Over 1.4 million youth have been connected to JAG throughout its 40-year history.

The non-profit JAG National Board of Directors is chaired by Governor John Bel Edwards of Louisiana. It includes among its 50 members—fourteen Governors and several executives of major corporations and business and community organizations.

In recognition of his knowledge of national employment and training issues, three Presidents have appointed Mr. Smith to national commissions. He was appointed in 1981 and again in 1983 by President Reagan as Chairman of the National Commission for Employment Policy. Designed to analyze the full range of government policy related to employment, the Commission continues with a $2 million annual appropriation and a 15-member professional staff. Mr. Smith also accepted an appointment by President Reagan to the National Advisory Council on Vocational Education, where he had previously served under appointment by President Ford. President Nixon appointed Mr. Smith as Vice Chairman of the National Advisory Council on the Education of Disadvantaged Children for the period 1973-76.

Mr. Smith is also Chairman and Chief Executive of Strategic Partnerships LLC.

Prior to founding JAG, Mr. Smith served as staff aide to President Nixon (1969-70); as Director of Special Projects for the Distributive Education Clubs of America; and founder and President of 70,0001 Ltd., a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping high school dropouts obtain employment. Thereafter, he served in a new post as Senior Advisor to the Governor of Delaware on all activities related to education at the secondary and postsecondary levels. During this period, he chaired the Commission of the Future of Education in Delaware and was nominated to serve as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Delaware Technical College.

Mr. Smith serves as a Trustee of the America’s Promise Alliance, founded in 1997 with General Colin Powell as Chairman and chaired today by Alma Powell, is a cross-sector partnership of more than 300 corporations, nonprofits, faith-based organizations and advocacy groups that are passionate about improving lives and changing outcomes for children

Jump in the Conversation: * [1:22] - Who is Ken Smith * [1:50] - Where Ken’s story of serving youth started * [4:35] - The depth and breadth of schools is daunting * [4:51] - Our present situation now is the most alarming we’ve ever seen * [6:48] - A disconnected population at scale * [7:23] - Attendance is the symptom, not the disease * [8:25] - Part time work increases motivation in school * [9:17] - What JAG is and why are so many students a part of it * [13:22] - Youth need a relationship with a mentor * [16:15] - How JAG has spread to so many states * [19:16] - Where JAG is heading * [23:09] - Turbo Time * [28:04] - Ken’s passion for JAG * [28:48] - Something good that’s come out of COVID * [30:38] - Ken’s Magic Wand * [33:12] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources * JAG * Rita Pierson TED Talk * Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution

• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective

• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

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What better way to support young kids to be happy and healthy students than to encourage them to play. Unfortunately, that’s not the way we operate in the U.S. Instead, we prioritize test scores and sitting quietly and academically-charged preschools.

It’s no wonder that our youth are depressed and unhappy. We’re so busy believing the myths about education and children that social media and the media feed us that we aren’t looking at the hard facts. That kids are not meant to sit quietly every day. We can’t do that as adults…why are we expecting three-year-olds to?

This week on the podcast, author and early childhood education consultant Rae Pica debunks four big myths about early childhood education. You can hear the passion in her voice when she shares examples from teachers she’s talked to and classrooms she’s visited.

This was such a refreshing conversation from someone who gets it. And I love the tips she shared to help us get active and speak out for the benefit of our kids.

About Rae Pica: Rae Pica has served as a consultant in early childhood education for more than four decades. The author of 22 books, including her latest, Spark a Revolution in Early Education: Speaking Up for Ourselves and the Children, Rae is also a keynote speaker and online course creator. In her role as a consultant, she has been trusted by such organizations as the Sesame Street Research Department, National Head Start Association, the Chicago Children's Museum, and Nickelodeon's Blue's Clues. Rae is most proud of her fierce defense of childhood.

Jump in the Conversation: * [1:36] - Rae’s mission for early childhood education * [2:22] - Children are unhappy and depressed * [4:26] - Common themes that keep coming up in working with many organizations * [6:12] - Teachers are required to put worksheets in front of kids rather than teach in a way that respects the kids * [10:23] - Myths of early childhood education * [22:06] - Turbo Time * [24:40] - What people need to know about experiential learning * [27:41] - Rae’s Magic Wand * [29:51] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources * Follow Rae on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram * Spark a Revolution in Early Education: Speaking Up for Ourselves and the Children by Rae Pica * Smart Moves: Why Learning is All in Your Head by Carla Hannaford * U.VA. Researchers Find that Kindergarten is the New First Grade * International Play Association * How Finland Keeps Kids Focused Through Free Play * Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution

• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective

• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

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Imagine being at a school where 80% of the students look like you…but you’re the only one like you who is in the honors and advanced classes. That’s where this week’s guest, Carlon Howard, found himself as he readied to graduate from high school. And that experience put him on the pathway that landed him as a leader and impact-maker in educational equity.

Carlon has a passion for supporting individuals who feel stuck in cultural narratives due to a lack of equity, inclusivity, and diversity in leadership. And his organization, Equity Institute, is taking what they’ve created and teaching organizations how to develop these initiatives in their own communities.

In this episode, Carlon and I talk about doing the work in the messy gray space, why teacher pathway programs are so valuable, why schools need support outside the traditional education space, and how he built Equity Institute organically from a place of connection and decompressing.

I love Carlon’s philosophy of teaching others to do the work, rather than assuming his organization knows the answers for every situation. We need more of this in leadership roles.

About Carlon Howard: Carlon is the Chief Impact Officer and Co-Founder of Equity Institute. In his role, he leads organization-wide strategic and operational planning, ensuring EI’s vision is realized through clear prioritization and high-impact operational execution. In addition to helping launch the Equity Institute, he also co-founded regeneration (formerly EduLeaders of Color R.I.). Now an initiative of the Equity Institute, regeneration hosts monthly meetups designed to support education leaders from underrepresented backgrounds.

Before entering his current role with Equity Institute, Carlon was executive director of Breakthrough Providence, served as a City Year AmeriCorps member and Impact Manager, was a classroom teacher, and was a policy fellow for a former Colorado Senator. He graduated from the University of Georgia with undergraduate degrees in criminal justice and political science and completed his graduate degree in education from Rhode Island College. He also earned a graduate certificate in nonprofit management and leadership from the Institute of Nonprofit Practice, in affiliation with Tufts University's Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life. Additionally, he completed formal training as a leadership and performance coach. Outside of his full-time work, Carlon is an adjunct instructor at College Unbound.

Jump in the Conversation: * [1:39] - How education transformation began for Carlon * [3:39] - In an 80% black school, Carlon was the only black male in the honors classes * [5:09] - A quarter life crisis * [7:03] - All the world’s problems exist in schools but schools don’t have the means to solve them * [7:59] - The origins of the Equity Institute in 2019 * [10:10] - Students weren’t being served in a way that made sense * [10:50] - Helping design and implement innovative solutions to build more diverse, equitable, inclusive, professional learning environments * [12:35] - What other profession goes home and does more work for free * [13:22] - TA to BA educator pathway program * [17:51] - Well-meaning initiatives are challenged by getting into new communities * [19:40] - Has insights to help others; can be inspiration and accountability * [20:30] - Things aren’t black or white; the real work happens in the gray area * [21:46] - First steps to take to create to support others in educator pathway * [25:39] - Turbo Time * [28:05] - Carlon’s passion in equity work * [31:42] - Carlon’s Magic Wand * [33:40] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources * Equity Institute * Connect with Carlon on LinkedIn * College Unbound * Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell * Deschooling Society by Ivan Illich * Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution

• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective

• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

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Our youth are amazing people, who are learning and growing every day. Part of that learning includes figuring out what they enjoy doing and what they’re good at. As educators, we get to help them see how their skills and interests can potentially turn into a career.

But not enough of us are doing that, and it can be challenging to find a connection when teenagers and young adults adopt new interests and skills regularly.

This week on the podcast, I’m talking with Dr. Leigh Anne Taylor Knight, executive director and chief operating officer of the DeBruce Foundation. Among other things, the foundation is committed to helping individuals unlock their potential and find career pathways.

The DeBruce Foundation has a free tool that can help individuals of any age identify their abilities and interests and match them with a set of agilities that will allow them to explore careers, identify what education is needed, and so much more.

On this episode, we talk about the foundation’s recent research, why employment empowerment needs to be on every educator’s radar, and why this is the missing piece in career development and growth.

About Dr. Leigh Anne Taylor Knight: Dr. Leigh Anne Taylor Knight is a resourceful, innovative leader who currently serves The DeBruce Foundation in Kansas City as Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer. The Foundation’s mission is to expand pathways to economic growth and opportunity. It seeks to help people discover what they want to do, and what they’re good at doing, to open more career possibilities.

Having served as a K-12 educator, Leigh Anne established a career dedicated to improving how individuals understand themselves and view opportunities to advance in the world of work. She is driven to lead the leveraging of resources across sectors for innovative learning, rigorous research, and community collaboration in order to improve economic development and the quality of life. A teacher at heart, Leigh Anne has also served as a K-12 assistant superintendent, advised learning institutions across the nation, and led a bi-state consortium providing powerful tools for data-driven educational research to inform practice and policy.

After graduating from University of Missouri-Columbia with a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Design and Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Secondary Education, Leigh Anne earned her Education Specialist’s degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and her doctorate from the University of Kansas in Education Policy and Leadership. Connect with her on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Jump in the Conversation: * [2:20] - There’s a disconnect between graduating from high school and then starting careers * [2:49] - How to find a career pathway * [5:46] - The missing piece in career development and growth * [6:45] - Learning about talking about experience that starts with a club * [9:17] - Research that supports the theory of change * [10:07] - What is employment empowerment * [12:40] - Individuals with employment empowerment are higher on some career literacy measures * [14:30] - There’s strength in your network network strength * [15:05] - Career literacy and network strength helps to accelerate employment empowerment * [16:20] - There are systemic issues that caused people to have barriers in accelerating their employment empowerment and working on them is a long game * [17:23] - Our schools could get really dialed in about what alumni, parents, and the business community could provide * [20:53] - 4 of 10 people rate themselves low in both career literacy and network strength * [21:49] - Career literacy isn’t the only thing that we should be working on * [22:20] - Rethink some of the structures you have in your organization * [24:58] - Where to get started: Your three bold steps * [28:35] - Turbo Time * [30:33] - Improving the quality of life for others * [31:37] - Leigh Anne’s Magic Wand * [33:19] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources * DeBruce Foundation * Agilities by the DeBruce Foundation * Agile Work Profiler * Career Explorer Tools * Follow the DeBruce Foundation on Facebook and Instagram * Connect with the DeBruce Foundation on LinkedIn and Twitter * Read the DeBruce Foundation’s research on employment empowerment * Draw Your Future with Agilities * Episode 2: Inviting Imagination and Our Agilities into Teen Goal Setting with Patti Dobrowolski * Undistracted: Capture Your Purpose, Rediscover Your Joy by Bob Goff * Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution

• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective

• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

View Details

Our youth are amazing people, who are learning and growing every day. Part of that learning includes figuring out what they enjoy doing and what they’re good at. As educators, we get to help them see how their skills and interests can potentially turn into a career.

But not enough of us are doing that, and it can be challenging to find a connection when teenagers and young adults adopt new interests and skills regularly.

This week on the podcast, I’m talking with Dr. Leigh Anne Taylor Knight, executive director and chief operating officer of the DeBruce Foundation. Among other things, the foundation is committed to helping individuals unlock their potential and find career pathways.

The DeBruce Foundation has a free tool that can help individuals of any age identify their abilities and interests and match them with a set of agilities that will allow them to explore careers, identify what education is needed, and so much more.

On this episode, we talk about the foundation’s recent research, why employment empowerment needs to be on every educator’s radar, and why this is the missing piece in career development and growth.

About Dr. Leigh Anne Taylor Knight: Dr. Leigh Anne Taylor Knight is a resourceful, innovative leader who currently serves The DeBruce Foundation in Kansas City as Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer. The Foundation’s mission is to expand pathways to economic growth and opportunity. It seeks to help people discover what they want to do, and what they’re good at doing, to open more career possibilities.

Having served as a K-12 educator, Leigh Anne established a career dedicated to improving how individuals understand themselves and view opportunities to advance in the world of work. She is driven to lead the leveraging of resources across sectors for innovative learning, rigorous research, and community collaboration in order to improve economic development and the quality of life. A teacher at heart, Leigh Anne has also served as a K-12 assistant superintendent, advised learning institutions across the nation, and led a bi-state consortium providing powerful tools for data-driven educational research to inform practice and policy.

After graduating from University of Missouri-Columbia with a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Design and Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Secondary Education, Leigh Anne earned her Education Specialist’s degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and her doctorate from the University of Kansas in Education Policy and Leadership. Connect with her on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Jump in the Conversation: * [2:20] - There’s a disconnect between graduating from high school and then starting careers * [2:49] - How to find a career pathway * [5:46] - The missing piece in career development and growth * [6:45] - Learning about talking about experience that starts with a club * [9:17] - Research that supports the theory of change * [10:07] - What is employment empowerment * [12:40] - Individuals with employment empowerment are higher on some career literacy measures * [14:30] - There’s strength in your network network strength * [15:05] - Career literacy and network strength helps to accelerate employment empowerment * [16:20] - There are systemic issues that caused people to have barriers in accelerating their employment empowerment and working on them is a long game * [17:23] - Our schools could get really dialed in about what alumni, parents, and the business community could provide * [20:53] - 4 of 10 people rate themselves low in both career literacy and network strength * [21:49] - Career literacy isn’t the only thing that we should be working on * [22:20] - Rethink some of the structures you have in your organization * [24:58] - Where to get started: Your three bold steps * [28:35] - Turbo Time * [30:33] - Improving the quality of life for others * [31:37] - Leigh Anne’s Magic Wand * [33:19] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources * DeBruce Foundation * Agilities by the DeBruce Foundation * Agile Work Profiler * Career Explorer Tools * Follow the DeBruce Foundation on Facebook and Instagram * Connect with the DeBruce Foundation on LinkedIn and Twitter * Read the DeBruce Foundation’s research on employment empowerment * Draw Your Future with Agilities * Episode 2: Inviting Imagination and Our Agilities into Teen Goal Setting with Patti Dobrowolski * Undistracted: Capture Your Purpose, Rediscover Your Joy by Bob Goff * Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution

• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective

• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

View Details

You have to make so many decisions every day as an educator or educational leader. It’s overwhelming and enough to drive you to burnout. Add to that the change that happens seemingly every minute in the classroom or the office.

We can’t train on how to manage our brains around the constant disruptions and distractions. But you can change how you plan for and react to them.

This week on the podcast, I’m talking with Melina Palmer, a behavioral economist who consults with businesses all over the globe. She’s the author of the new book, What Your Customer Wants and Can’t Tell you. We explore what your teachers (and students) need and want and why it’s so hard to put that into words. We also talk about why the Golden Rule is antiquated and why we need to focus on the Platinum Rule instead.

Melina is the real deal when it comes to behavioral change and there are so many takeaways from this conversation. But don’t make the mistake of trying to change everything at once. Instead, tune into some micro-shifts to make long-lasting changes.

About Melina Palmer: Melina Palmer is founder and CEO of The Brainy Business, which provides behavioral economics consulting to businesses of all sizes from around the world. Her podcast, The Brainy Business: Understanding the Psychology of Why People Buy, has downloads in over 160 countries and is used as a resource for teaching applied behavioral economics for many universities and businesses. Melina obtained her bachelor’s degree in business administration: marketing and worked in corporate marketing and brand strategy for over a decade before earning her master’s in behavioral economics. A proud member of the Global Association of Applied Behavioral Scientists, Melina has contributed research to the Association for Consumer Research, Filene Research Institute, and runs the Behavioral Economics & Business column for Inc Magazine. She teaches applied behavioral economics through the Texas A&M Human Behavior Lab and is the author of two books, What Your Customer Wants and Can’t Tell You and What Your Employees Need and Can’t Tell You.

Jump in the Conversation: * [2:15] - What teachers need but we’re not attending to * [2:40] - Psychology of decision-making * [3:03] - Change isn’t what we think it is * [4:30] - Every conversation is some sort of change * [8:02] - Golden Rule and Platinum Rule * [11:35] - How can we unpack what teachers need or want * [13:33] - Asking questions shows they’re interested and want to know more * [14:15] - Where can you help take repetitive items and take them off teachers’ plates * [15:52] - Teachers don’t go into the profession for the pay * [17:46] - Change is all about you and has nothing to do with you * [19:20] - There’s value in being empowered to change the way you respond to anything * [22:38] - What we need to tune into to implement change * [23:28] - It’s not possible to remove bias from your life * [25:36] - Micro-shift moments: Get a win and keep on going * [28:36] - Pandemic was spotlight on institution of education * [30:15] - The way change is presented makes all the difference * [34:48] - Turbo Time * [36:55] - What people need to know about interpersonal communication * [39:37] - Making something more bite sized can you look more knowledgeable * [40:58] - Melina’s Magic Wand * [42:41] - Maureen’s takeaways

Links & Resources * Episode 56: Getting to the Brainy Business of School Change * Melina’s Books * The Brainy Business Podcast * Solving Modern Problems with a Stone-Age Brain: Human Evolution and the Seven Fundamental Motives by Dr. Douglas T. Kenrick and David E. Lundberg * A More Beautiful Question: The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas by Warren Berger * Beautiful Questions in the Classroom: Transforming Classrooms into Cultures of Curiosity and Inquiry by Warren Berger * Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution

• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective

• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

View Details

You have to make so many decisions every day as an educator or educational leader. It’s overwhelming and enough to drive you to burnout. Add to that the change that happens seemingly every minute in the classroom or the office.

We can’t train on how to manage our brains around the constant disruptions and distractions. But you can change how you plan for and react to them.

This week on the podcast, I’m talking with Melina Palmer, a behavioral economist who consults with businesses all over the globe. She’s the author of the new book, What Your Customer Wants and Can’t Tell you. We explore what your teachers (and students) need and want and why it’s so hard to put that into words. We also talk about why the Golden Rule is antiquated and why we need to focus on the Platinum Rule instead.

Melina is the real deal when it comes to behavioral change and there are so many takeaways from this conversation. But don’t make the mistake of trying to change everything at once. Instead, tune into some micro-shifts to make long-lasting changes.

About Melina Palmer: Melina Palmer is founder and CEO of The Brainy Business, which provides behavioral economics consulting to businesses of all sizes from around the world. Her podcast, The Brainy Business: Understanding the Psychology of Why People Buy, has downloads in over 160 countries and is used as a resource for teaching applied behavioral economics for many universities and businesses. Melina obtained her bachelor’s degree in business administration: marketing and worked in corporate marketing and brand strategy for over a decade before earning her master’s in behavioral economics. A proud member of the Global Association of Applied Behavioral Scientists, Melina has contributed research to the Association for Consumer Research, Filene Research Institute, and runs the Behavioral Economics & Business column for Inc Magazine. She teaches applied behavioral economics through the Texas A&M Human Behavior Lab and is the author of two books, What Your Customer Wants and Can’t Tell You and What Your Employees Need and Can’t Tell You.

Jump in the Conversation: * [2:15] - What teachers need but we’re not attending to * [2:40] - Psychology of decision-making * [3:03] - Change isn’t what we think it is * [4:30] - Every conversation is some sort of change * [8:02] - Golden Rule and Platinum Rule * [11:35] - How can we unpack what teachers need or want * [13:33] - Asking questions shows they’re interested and want to know more * [14:15] - Where can you help take repetitive items and take them off teachers’ plates * [15:52] - Teachers don’t go into the profession for the pay * [17:46] - Change is all about you and has nothing to do with you * [19:20] - There’s value in being empowered to change the way you respond to anything * [22:38] - What we need to tune into to implement change * [23:28] - It’s not possible to remove bias from your life * [25:36] - Micro-shift moments: Get a win and keep on going * [28:36] - Pandemic was spotlight on institution of education * [30:15] - The way change is presented makes all the difference * [34:48] - Turbo Time * [36:55] - What people need to know about interpersonal communication * [39:37] - Making something more bite sized can you look more knowledgeable * [40:58] - Melina’s Magic Wand * [42:41] - Maureen’s takeaways

Links & Resources * Episode 56: Getting to the Brainy Business of School Change * Melina’s Books * The Brainy Business Podcast * Solving Modern Problems with a Stone-Age Brain: Human Evolution and the Seven Fundamental Motives by Dr. Douglas T. Kenrick and David E. Lundberg * A More Beautiful Question: The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas by Warren Berger * Beautiful Questions in the Classroom: Transforming Classrooms into Cultures of Curiosity and Inquiry by Warren Berger * Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution

• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective

• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

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Why do we need to wait for youth to get involved? They’re here now and are highly capable of being a part of the dialogue and decision-making. This week on the podcast, we’re exploring what that looks like in action from an organization that has been in the trenches for a decade.

Rachel Belin, managing partner and co-founder of Kentucky Student Voice Team works alongside youth to help create an intergenerational dynamic, where youth members are involved in raising their voices and helping others do the same. They’re involved in legislative spaces, advocacy, and more with adults as their partners.

Listen in this week to find out how legislators and the public have responded to KSVT in action, what ripple effect the organization has created, how it supports students who wouldn’t typically seek out something like KSVT, and so much more.

This conversation left me feeling inspired and hopeful.

About Rachel Belin: Rachel Burg Belin (she/her) is the Managing Partner and, with young people, a co-founder of the Kentucky Student Voice Team.

She has decades of experience by turns as a social studies teacher, media literacy leader, education policy aide, nonprofit development consultant, and commercial radio news director. In the course of this work, she has spearheaded nine different ventures to amplify and elevate the voices of students in civic discourse. With young people as collaborators, she has been the recipient of the Citizen's and Scholars Civic Spring Award, the Kentucky Nonprofit Network Excellence in Public Policy Award, the Pathway 2 Tomorrow Breakthrough in Education Innovation Award, and a George Foster Peabody Award. Rachel holds a BA from Harvard University and an MAT from the University of Rochester.

Jump in the Conversation: * [1:52] - Amplifying the voice of youth * [2:45] - The role of adults is not to get out of the way; it’s to build and circulate power * [4:40] - Unpacking the word democracy * [5:20] - Young people in public schools can and need to play an important role in shaping those institutions * [6:25] - Guerrilla social studies: It’s hypocrisy to teach democracy in an autocracy * [6:41] - What Kentucky youth have created * [10:21] - Response from legislators and public * [14:50] - Young people are part of the present and don’t need to wait until they’re of voting age to get involved * [17:02] - Policy at legislative level isn’t everything * [18:14] - Roadblocks that have come up in this process * [19:15] - You can’t wait for your ducks to be in a row * [19:34] - Reaching the hardest to reach students * [25:24] - Concrete steps to amplify the voices of students * [26:10] - Young people should be in the room where it happens * [27:10] - Turbo Time * [29:07] - What people need to know about youth engagement * [31:59] - Don’t wait for permission to get involved * [33:13] - Rachel’s Magic Wand * [34:30] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources * Follow Rachel on Twitter * Connect with Rachel on LinkedIn * The New Edu - Kentucky Student Voice Team * Educated by Tara Westover * Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution

• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective

• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

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Research and experiences allow us to consistently develop new best practices for teaching and learning. What worked last year may not work this year, for a multitude of reasons. And what we thought worked years ago clearly isn’t what’s best for our kids. So we get to shift what we’re doing to ensure we’re giving all our students what they need in order to flourish. (If only all educational decision-makers would get on board!)

Jon Bergmann, this week’s podcast guest, is fully on board and leading the charge. You heard him all the way back in episode 3 talking about flipped learning. And this week he’s back to talk about how to make the most of flipped learning. And that’s mastery learning.

Jon is back in the trenches, teaching in a high school classroom, which I think lends even more credibility to what he’s sharing. Because he’s trying things out with real students in a real learning environment.

In this episode, Jon defines some important educational terms so we can all be on the same page. And he discusses why “mastery” doesn’t need to mean the same thing for every student. He even shares exactly how teachers can plan out lessons to help students achieve the level of mastery they’re on board with. It’s such a refreshing idea that I know will help support students for years to come.

About Jon Bergmann: Jon Bergmann is one of the pioneers of the Flipped Classroom. He has helped schools, universities, organizations, and governments all over the world introduce active and flipped learning into their contexts. He is a frequent keynote speaker who challenges and inspires audiences with stories and real-life examples from his classroom.

He has taught at urban, suburban, rural, and private schools. He spent twenty-four years as a classroom teacher in Colorado before becoming a technology facilitator in the Chicago suburbs. When Flip Your Classroom became an international bestseller, he traveled the world for eight years, helping schools and universities move from passive to active learning. In 2019, he returned to the classroom to further develop Flipped and Mastery Learning. This has amplified Jon’s voice with teachers and professors. They now see him as a fellow teacher working through the complexities and challenges of teaching today because his presentations include struggles and successes as he works every day with students.

Jon believes the two most important things that make good teaching good are active learning and relationships. Too much education is received passively, and Jon knows from both research and experience that students learn best when they are active participants. Students don’t care what you know until they know that you care, and Jon tries every day to connect with his students.

Jon has written and co-authored ten books that have been translated into thirteen languages. In 2002, Jon received the Presidential Award for Excellence for Math and Science Teaching; and in 2010, he was a Semi-Finalist for Colorado Teacher of the Year. He serves on the advisory board for TED Education. He teaches full-time science and assists with staff development at Houston Christian High School in Houston, Texas. Find out more about Jon at JonBergmann.com and find book resources at TheMasteryLearningHandbook.com.

Jump in the Conversation: * [1:38] - Defining some educational terms * [9:37] - Why Jon is switching focus to mastery learning * [11:59] - Education can no longer be one size fits all * [13:12] - This is THE answer to what ails the education system * [14:50] - From international consultant back to the classroom * [17:02] - What teachers need to learn about mastery * [22:02] - 3 steps educators can take to create mastery learning in their classrooms * [24:10] - Rethink how you do planning * [28:08] - Turbo Time * [31:53] - Jon’s Magic Wand * [34:35] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources * Benjamin Bloom’s Double Sigma study * The Mastery Learning Handbook * Understanding by Design * Jon’s podcast * Episode 3: Flipped Learning Mastery to Reach Every Student (even remotely!) with Jon Bergmann * Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution

• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective

• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

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Teachers are taught to differentiate their instruction to meet the needs of all students. But what does that even mean? It’s not about lowering standards and expectations so one person’s mastery is different from another’s. Instead it’s about adding more supports for students who need it while keeping targets the same.

The only way to do this is to be more intentional about teaching, more learner-centered. We need to talk to our students more and truly listen to the feedback we receive from them. And then act on that feedback.

This week on the podcast I’m talking to author and instructional specialist Miriam Plotinsky about the challenges that exist in classrooms today and how we can navigate this new high-tech, post-Covid world our youth are coming of age in.

Listen in as we discuss the importance of leading schools from a teacher’s perspective, how to make student interactions more valuable, what’s going on with youth mental health, how to give students voice, and so much more.

About Miriam Plotinsky: Miriam Plotinsky is an author and instructional specialist who addresses challenges in both teaching and leading across schools with a wide range of differentiated needs. A strong advocate for student-centered learning, she provides coaching and professional development for teachers and administrators. She has written Teach More, Hover Less: How to Stop Micromanaging Your Secondary Classroom and Lead Like a Teacher: How to Elevate Expertise in Your School (W.W. Norton, 2022 & 2023). Miriam is widely published in education publications such as Education Week, Edutopia, ASCD Express, Middleweb, The Teaching Channel, EdSurge, K-12 Talk and Education World and is a frequent guest on education podcasts internationally. She is also a National Board-Certified Teacher with additional certification in administration and supervision. She can be found on her website or on Twitter: @MirPloMCPS.

Jump in the Conversation: * [1:40] - Evolving school transformation for Miriam * [3:04] - Where in the world can you start with differentiating learning and teaching * [4:49] - It’s not about lowering expectations; it’s about giving students the supports they need * [5:30] - How to let learning be more learner-centered * [7:15] - Where do we have structure to offer more choice * [8:46] - Why student voice is more than choice * [9:30] - Student voice is something we need to empower them to express by building a level of trust that goes beyond personal relationships * [11:20] - What to focus on to help kids develop a sense of identity * [14:55] - Youth mental health: what’s going on and what can we do about it in our schools * [18:35] - Student learning and voice are important tools in supporting well being of youth * [19:01] - Safe classroom space is even more important * [20:07] - Grades should be based on how they are in relation to a learning outcome * [22:40] - Lead schools from a teacher perspective * [24:08] - Turbo Time * [26:32] - What people need to know about how teens learn * [27:38] - Something positive that’s come out of Covid * [29:34] - Miriam’s Magic Wand * [31:01] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources * Miriam Plotinsky’s website * Connect with Miriam on LinkedIn * Follow Miriam on Facebook and Twitter * Teach More, Hover Less: How to Stop Micromanaging Your Secondary Classroom by Miriam Plotinsky * Lead Like a Teacher: How to Elevate Expertise in Your School by Miriam Plotinsky * The Power of Belief Mindset * Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution

• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective

• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

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We know the importance of literacy and music and the importance of getting children involved in learning through movement. What if we paired the two together, no matter the age of the students?

That’s what Susan Chodakiewitz is doing through Booksicals, creating musicals from picture books for some fully immersed learning. And what she’s discovered as a result is more confidence and more engagement from children of all levels.

Educational professionals have long tried to encourage children to build their literacy skills while getting the community involved in education. The idea that a picture book can be acted out helps children explore characters, plot, and backstory, and it allows both pre-readers and older students to work together on a common end goal. And who doesn’t love the idea of hiding some of the learning during a fun and interactive lesson?

Listen in to Susan talk about how to bring any picture book into an interactive classroom, why improvisation and acting is such a powerful way to learn, and how to bring literacy into the community. We also talk a bit about the benefits of being multilingual and how Susan got to where she is. I love the idea of Booksicles so much that I’ve invited Susan to work with us at my micro-school, LEADPrep.

About Susan Tresser Chodakiewitz: Susan Chodakiewitz is an author, composer, and producer. She is the founder of Booksicals children's books and Picture Book Musicals. Her passion for igniting a love of reading in children has led her to create the Booksicals Literacy Through the Arts program, an interactive performing arts curriculum where theater and the arts become a teaching tool for literacy and social-emotional learning.

Susan is the author of seven children’s picture books: The Alphabet Thief, Selah the Peach, Master Davey and the Magic Tea House, Wobegon and Mildred, Mr. Snoozle's Exquisite Eggs, Too Many Visitors for One Little House and soon-to-be-released Mother Nature ABC verses.

Susan partners with brands and businesses to promote literacy and a love of reading and has created books and literacy projects for brands such as the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Westin Hotels Kids Club, and the Gap Kids.

Susan Chodakiewitz is a frequent author presenter at schools, museums, book fairs, and libraries and has presented both in the U.S. and around the world. She is a graduate of the Academy for New Musical Theater and a member of the New Musical Inc, advisory board.

Susan holds a degree from the University of Miami in chemistry and French and a pharmacy degree from the University of Florida. She was born in Havana Cuba, raised in New York and has lived in Florida, North Carolina, Toronto, Israel, and southern California. She speaks fluent Spanish, Hebrew, and French. All her books are available in Spanish. Susan currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband and is blessed to have three sons, a daughter, and three amazing daughters-in-law.

Jump in the Conversation: * [1:29] - The power of picture books for children’s love of reading * [2:50] - Thinking about literacy alongside performance * [4:15] - Hiding the learning in play and creating * [4:38] - Books are a challenge these days * [7:04] - Why picture books work so well with theater * [8:50] - Creating a whole project gives everyone for a chance for critical thinking and collaboration * [11:22] - Learning personality traits vs. character traits * [12:41] - Bringing literacy into community through working with families * [15:46] - How to inspire youth to become readers * [17:44] - Becoming multilingual * [20:28] - Inspiring creativity in the classroom * [22:20] - Susan’s Magic Wand * [23:58] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources * Booksicals * Email Susan * Follow Booksicals on Instagram * Subscribe to Susan’s YouTube channel * Follow Booksicals on Facebook * Follow Susan on Twitter * Master Davey and the Magic Teahouse by Susan Chodakiewitz * Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution

• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective

• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

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Parents have dreams for their kids. Maybe it’s that the child earns that sports scholarship that the parent didn’t get. Or that the child gets into the big four-year college that the parent couldn’t afford. Or that the child excels on the stage that the parent was too afraid to get on.

There’s nothing wrong with dreaming of all our children can achieve, except if we’re pushing them into something that is our dream and not their dream or even wishes.

There’s a cost associated with pushing our kids, and usually that cost is our children’s self worth and self esteem. Too often it’s our own egos as parents that get in the way of our child’s success.

Success looks different for everyone, and we need to let go of our expectations for our children and do what’s best for them.

Listen in to this week’s podcast and hear more from our guest, Komal Shah, about what this looks like and what the cost is of pushing our kids to meet our own expectations.

About Komal Shah: Komal Shah is an educational consultant and thought leader on a mission to transform the world through conscious education.

After Komal spent five years in the Teach For America program as a middle school educator, she was left wanting more. She wanted more for her kids, all kids. To pursue this dream, she attended USC Marshall School of Business where she received her MBA.

Today she leverages her passion for education, business expertise, and her personal conscious living practices. Her plan is to shift outdated educational paradigms and transform the educational system for the betterment of all children.

Jump in the Conversation: * [1:30] - Why Komal is in educational transformation * [3:05] - Deconstructing what success is; is this good for all kids * [3:38] - What is success * [5:12] - Bringing consciousness to education - where to begin * [6:28] - Education is really personal for people * [7:15] - If your ego is connected to your child’s success * [10:30] - What’s the cost of putting your kids down a linear path? * [13:31] - Fear and scarcity mindsets * [14:11] - What does success actually mean * [15:15] - It’s not that the kid is doing well in the system; it’s that the system isn’t serving your kid * [21:15] - Komal’s Magic Wand * [22:14] - Maureen’s takeaways

Links & Resources * Raise Your Hand: A Call for Consciousness in Education by Komal Shah * Atomic Habits by James Clear * The Conscious Parent by Shefali Tsabry * Every Kid Needs a Champion: Rita Pierson TED Talk * Connect with Komal on LinkedIn * Follow Komal on Instagram * Follow Komal on Twitter * Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution

• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective

• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

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Teachers continue to leave the profession in droves and I don’t see an end in sight. That means larger classes and teachers who don’t always have the expertise they need to support our youth in the way they deserve.

This week on the podcast, I’m calling you to action! I’m sharing some of the current events and challenges around our present teacher shortage--how it’s impacting schools and children, why it’s happening, and what we can do to prevent it.

It’s time for teachers across the country (and globe!) to stand up for what they know is best: more autonomy in the classroom, fair pay, and the expectation of excellence…not excess and constantly going above and beyond.

Are you on board?

Jump in the Conversation: * [1:08] - Schools aren’t working for students OR teachers * [1:41] - We’re not acknowledging we have a shortage * [2:57] - Seattle school teacher strikes delayed the school year * [3:49] - Unpacking the crisis * [5:00] - No certified math teachers in Bullock County public middle schools * [5:30] - We can’t rely on willpower and pushing through * [6:06] - Teachers don’t get to intentionally design their environment * [6:32] - Work and play need to be optimized in separate spaces * [6:55] - Limit the things that make reaching goals more difficult * [7:48] - Teachers work too many hours * [8:40] - Teachers as heroes myth * [10:22] - Question why we go above and beyond * [11:09] - Where can we start

Links & Resources * Willpower Doesn’t Work by Benjamin Hardy * The Report: A newsletter from The Hechinger Report * CNN: Seattle teachers vote to officially end strike that had delayed start of the school year * CNN: Teachers are leaving and few want to join the field. Experts are sounding the alarm * Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution

• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective

• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

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Teachers continue to leave the profession in droves and I don’t see an end in sight. That means larger classes and teachers who don’t always have the expertise they need to support our youth in the way they deserve.

This week on the podcast, I’m calling you to action! I’m sharing some of the current events and challenges around our present teacher shortage--how it’s impacting schools and children, why it’s happening, and what we can do to prevent it.

It’s time for teachers across the country (and globe!) to stand up for what they know is best: more autonomy in the classroom, fair pay, and the expectation of excellence…not excess and constantly going above and beyond.

Are you on board?

Jump in the Conversation: * [1:08] - Schools aren’t working for students OR teachers * [1:41] - We’re not acknowledging we have a shortage * [2:57] - Seattle school teacher strikes delayed the school year * [3:49] - Unpacking the crisis * [5:00] - No certified math teachers in Bullock County public middle schools * [5:30] - We can’t rely on willpower and pushing through * [6:06] - Teachers don’t get to intentionally design their environment * [6:32] - Work and play need to be optimized in separate spaces * [6:55] - Limit the things that make reaching goals more difficult * [7:48] - Teachers work too many hours * [8:40] - Teachers as heroes myth * [10:22] - Question why we go above and beyond * [11:09] - Where can we start

Links & Resources * Willpower Doesn’t Work by Benjamin Hardy * The Report: A newsletter from The Hechinger Report * CNN: Seattle teachers vote to officially end strike that had delayed start of the school year * CNN: Teachers are leaving and few want to join the field. Experts are sounding the alarm * Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution

• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective

• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

View Details

Everyone should be working to ensure our kids are okay; it’s not the sole responsibility of parents or teachers or mental health professionals. If we want to make sure our kids are ready to be tomorrow’s leaders, making sure our kids are okay needs to be a collective responsibility and priority.

This week on the podcast, I’m talking to Jordan Posamentier of the Committee for Children, an organization that helps support youth mental health and wellbeing through policy and advocacy for change.

In this episode, we talk about the challenge of supporting children’s mental health, how parents and community members can help, and why the onus isn’t just on mental health providers.

I hope you’ll tune in and take the action that Jordan suggests toward the end of the episode. We’re all in this together!

About Jordan Posamentier, Esq.: Jordan Posamentier, Esq., is the Vice President of Policy & Advocacy at Committee for Children, an over-forty-year-old non-profit missioned to foster the safety and well-being of children through social-emotional learning and development. Previously, Jordan was Deputy Policy Director at the University of Washington’s Center on Reinventing Public Education, Director of Legislative Analysis at StudentsFirst, Legislative Counsel to the California Judges Association, and a teacher in New York City public schools. Jordan earned his JD from the University of Houston, MS in education from Queens College within the City University of New York, and BA in human ecology from College of the Atlantic in Maine. He lives in Shoreline, Washington. Connect with him on LinkedIn and follow him on Twitter.

Jump in the Conversation: * [1:40] - Jordan’s genesis story in advocacy for change * [3:15] - What does well-being look like? What are we aspiring to? * [4:53] - Focusing on youth mental well being * [6:29] - Misfire in mental health * [8:14] - How the pandemic changed Committee for Children’s work * [12:28] - Committee for Children national campaign * [13:43] - How to support the campaign * [14:40] - Connecting the right way with the right people * [16:18] - What the day in a life of a policymaker looks like * [17:42] - Roadblocks for policy * [19:07] - Other steps changemakers can take * [22:12] - Turbo Time * [23:56] - What people should know about children’s wellbeing * [25:56] - Jordan’s Magic Wand * [27:26] -Maureen’s takeaways

Links & Resources * Committee for Children * Follow Committee for Children on Twitter * Follow the #MoreThanJustOkay hashtag * Rita Pierson TED Talk: Every Kid Needs a Champion * Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution

• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective

• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

View Details

Everyone should be working to ensure our kids are okay; it’s not the sole responsibility of parents or teachers or mental health professionals. If we want to make sure our kids are ready to be tomorrow’s leaders, making sure our kids are okay needs to be a collective responsibility and priority.

This week on the podcast, I’m talking to Jordan Posamentier of the Committee for Children, an organization that helps support youth mental health and wellbeing through policy and advocacy for change.

In this episode, we talk about the challenge of supporting children’s mental health, how parents and community members can help, and why the onus isn’t just on mental health providers.

I hope you’ll tune in and take the action that Jordan suggests toward the end of the episode. We’re all in this together!

About Jordan Posamentier, Esq.: Jordan Posamentier, Esq., is the Vice President of Policy & Advocacy at Committee for Children, an over-forty-year-old non-profit missioned to foster the safety and well-being of children through social-emotional learning and development. Previously, Jordan was Deputy Policy Director at the University of Washington’s Center on Reinventing Public Education, Director of Legislative Analysis at StudentsFirst, Legislative Counsel to the California Judges Association, and a teacher in New York City public schools. Jordan earned his JD from the University of Houston, MS in education from Queens College within the City University of New York, and BA in human ecology from College of the Atlantic in Maine. He lives in Shoreline, Washington. Connect with him on LinkedIn and follow him on Twitter.

Jump in the Conversation: * [1:40] - Jordan’s genesis story in advocacy for change * [3:15] - What does well-being look like? What are we aspiring to? * [4:53] - Focusing on youth mental well being * [6:29] - Misfire in mental health * [8:14] - How the pandemic changed Committee for Children’s work * [12:28] - Committee for Children national campaign * [13:43] - How to support the campaign * [14:40] - Connecting the right way with the right people * [16:18] - What the day in a life of a policymaker looks like * [17:42] - Roadblocks for policy * [19:07] - Other steps changemakers can take * [22:12] - Turbo Time * [23:56] - What people should know about children’s wellbeing * [25:56] - Jordan’s Magic Wand * [27:26] -Maureen’s takeaways

Links & Resources * Committee for Children * Follow Committee for Children on Twitter * Follow the #MoreThanJustOkay hashtag * Rita Pierson TED Talk: Every Kid Needs a Champion * Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution

• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective

• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

View Details

We know that storytelling is a sure way to engage learners and hook them. Students need to want to learn if they’re going to retain the information. And immersing them in stories is a vital tool to humanize experiences, especially now as technology has changed and distanced many aspects of life and learning.

Building on technology and immersive learning is creating cutting edge opportunities for learning and engagement. This week on the podcast, we learn from an expert in storytelling and extended reality, the umbrella term that includes virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality.

Wesley Della Volla is sharing his expertise as a National Geographic storyteller and adjunct lecturer in encouraging learning, engaging with audiences, making VR more accessible, and creating an environment where it’s okay to make mistakes.

This episode is a refreshing conversation that supports the idea that technology is just one piece of the puzzle.

About Wesley Della Volla: The founder of Meridian Treehouse, Wes is a visionary, educator, and master dot connector. Whether transforming National Geographic’s Grosvenor Auditorium into the largest, permanent virtual reality theater in the world or winning Emmy, National Press Photographers Association, and Webby awards for his innovative storytelling, Wesley pushes the boundaries of what is possible. He also shares his expertise at the intersection of education and entertainment as an adjunct lecturer in Georgetown University’s Environmental Studies Department and Resident Immersive Experience Innovator at the Harvard University Innovation Lab.

Jump in the Conversation: * [2:15] - Who is Wes Della Volla * [3:36] - What brought Wes to use his expertise in education * [5:45] - When you see 450 people get excited, that’s when you know immersive learning is something special * [6:24] - Immersive learning 101 and how it ties into schools * [7:58] - Where is learning going with VR learning * [11:03] - So much potential to add to the richness of the world around you * [12:37] - Immersive learning shouldn’t exist in vacuum * [13:35] - What issues do we need to consider as XR learning becomes more available so it’s accessible and inclusive for everyone * [18:18] - Stop using $5 words when a $2 works just fine * [19:37] - There’s science misunderstanding because it’s been so closed off * [20:58] - Humans have been trying to share our stories for as long as we’ve been around and it’s evolved over time * [23:22] - It’s our responsibility as educators to remember we don’t need the most expensive technology * [26:43] - How to be part of the tide * [28:00] - It’s okay to not be the smartest person in the room * [29:25] - Students and teachers should learn from one another * [30:27] - Turbo Time * [36:29] - Learning happens when you’re comfortable making mistakes * [37:08] - Wes’s Magic Wand * [41:57] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources * Meridian Treehouse * Virtual Moonwalk * Expedition Palau * “Introduction to Learning in the Metaverse” * Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution

• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective

• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

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We know that storytelling is a sure way to engage learners and hook them. Students need to want to learn if they’re going to retain the information. And immersing them in stories is a vital tool to humanize experiences, especially now as technology has changed and distanced many aspects of life and learning.

Building on technology and immersive learning is creating cutting edge opportunities for learning and engagement. This week on the podcast, we learn from an expert in storytelling and extended reality, the umbrella term that includes virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality.

Wesley Della Volla is sharing his expertise as a National Geographic storyteller and adjunct lecturer in encouraging learning, engaging with audiences, making VR more accessible, and creating an environment where it’s okay to make mistakes.

This episode is a refreshing conversation that supports the idea that technology is just one piece of the puzzle.

About Wesley Della Volla: The founder of Meridian Treehouse, Wes is a visionary, educator, and master dot connector. Whether transforming National Geographic’s Grosvenor Auditorium into the largest, permanent virtual reality theater in the world or winning Emmy, National Press Photographers Association, and Webby awards for his innovative storytelling, Wesley pushes the boundaries of what is possible. He also shares his expertise at the intersection of education and entertainment as an adjunct lecturer in Georgetown University’s Environmental Studies Department and Resident Immersive Experience Innovator at the Harvard University Innovation Lab.

Jump in the Conversation: * [2:15] - Who is Wes Della Volla * [3:36] - What brought Wes to use his expertise in education * [5:45] - When you see 450 people get excited, that’s when you know immersive learning is something special * [6:24] - Immersive learning 101 and how it ties into schools * [7:58] - Where is learning going with VR learning * [11:03] - So much potential to add to the richness of the world around you * [12:37] - Immersive learning shouldn’t exist in vacuum * [13:35] - What issues do we need to consider as XR learning becomes more available so it’s accessible and inclusive for everyone * [18:18] - Stop using $5 words when a $2 works just fine * [19:37] - There’s science misunderstanding because it’s been so closed off * [20:58] - Humans have been trying to share our stories for as long as we’ve been around and it’s evolved over time * [23:22] - It’s our responsibility as educators to remember we don’t need the most expensive technology * [26:43] - How to be part of the tide * [28:00] - It’s okay to not be the smartest person in the room * [29:25] - Students and teachers should learn from one another * [30:27] - Turbo Time * [36:29] - Learning happens when you’re comfortable making mistakes * [37:08] - Wes’s Magic Wand * [41:57] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources * Meridian Treehouse * Virtual Moonwalk * Expedition Palau * “Introduction to Learning in the Metaverse” * Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution

• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective

• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

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We know the importance of bringing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics to children, but sometimes it’s difficult to find connections that make sense to our kids. And, let’s face it, that is easy for teachers to implement.

That’s why organizations like Bricks 4 Kidz are so important.

This week on the podcast, we’re getting a look behind the scenes to find out what this organization does for teaching and learning and how it can save time and money for teachers across the globe. It’s already working in 40 countries and has been exposed to more than a million children…and has resources for corporations too!

About Christopher Rego: Christopher Rego is an accomplished Corporate Strategist and Entrepreneur. He was the CEO of Creative Learning Corporation, a public company, for two years. He held various management and architect roles to contribute to the success of rapidly growing technology companies such as Oracle, Yahoo!, Tapjoy, and Intuit. He has extensive knowledge about the franchised business model in both the domestic and international marketplace. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Andhra Loyola College in Andhra Pradesh India and an MBA in Marketing and Finance from Acharya Nagarjuna University Andhra Pradesh, India. Connect with Christopher on LinkedIn.

Jump in the Conversation: * [1:42] - The importance of STEM training to make sure our kids are future ready * [3:02] - When to start with STEM learning * [3:55] - STEM, STEAM, STREAM–does it matter which label you use? * [6:36] - Bricks for kids - largest provider of STEM education * [14:47] - First steps in learning more about providing STEM to kids * [16:14] - Turbo Time * [20:45] - Chris’s Magic Wand * [22:28] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources * Bricks 4 Kidz® * Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution

• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective

• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

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We know the importance of bringing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics to children, but sometimes it’s difficult to find connections that make sense to our kids. And, let’s face it, that is easy for teachers to implement.

That’s why organizations like Bricks 4 Kidz are so important.

This week on the podcast, we’re getting a look behind the scenes to find out what this organization does for teaching and learning and how it can save time and money for teachers across the globe. It’s already working in 40 countries and has been exposed to more than a million children…and has resources for corporations too!

About Christopher Rego: Christopher Rego is an accomplished Corporate Strategist and Entrepreneur. He was the CEO of Creative Learning Corporation, a public company, for two years. He held various management and architect roles to contribute to the success of rapidly growing technology companies such as Oracle, Yahoo!, Tapjoy, and Intuit. He has extensive knowledge about the franchised business model in both the domestic and international marketplace. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Andhra Loyola College in Andhra Pradesh India and an MBA in Marketing and Finance from Acharya Nagarjuna University Andhra Pradesh, India. Connect with Christopher on LinkedIn.

Jump in the Conversation: * [1:42] - The importance of STEM training to make sure our kids are future ready * [3:02] - When to start with STEM learning * [3:55] - STEM, STEAM, STREAM–does it matter which label you use? * [6:36] - Bricks for kids - largest provider of STEM education * [14:47] - First steps in learning more about providing STEM to kids * [16:14] - Turbo Time * [20:45] - Chris’s Magic Wand * [22:28] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources * Bricks 4 Kidz® * Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution

• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective

• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

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Community schools are a big asset to communities whose schools struggle to meet the needs of all its youth. But it takes time and effort to start to see change. A lot of time and effort.

This week on the podcast, I’m talking with Emily Woods, the head of education for the Richard K. Lubin Family Foundation and long-time policy advocate. She shares what it really looks like to start and grow an effort to grow a community school and how to get policy makers involved.

As a former private school turned public school teacher, Emily saw the disparity that exists between the resources available. But she was able to take her private school knowledge into the public schools, then eventually into advocacy, to really make an impact.

In this episode, she shares how leaders need to shift their thinking about how they address student needs, why your community effort may not work, where the support needs to come from, and more. She even shares a breakdown of action steps to help communities mobilize. Have a notepad handy!

About Emily Woods: Emily Woods currently serves as Head of Education for the Richard K. Lubin Family Foundation. Previously, she taught as Adjunct Lecturer in Education at the University of Massachusetts Boston and was a Boston Public School teacher and Senior Co-Trainer in the BPS New Teacher Development Program. She has a PhD in education policy and leadership from the University of Massachusetts, Boston, an MEd in elementary education from Boston University, and a BA from Bowdoin College. Her research focuses on school districts that have addressed the adoption of community school policy, and her professional focus is on helping urban districts move beyond a site-by-site community school strategy to a citywide, community-owned initiative.

Jump in the Conversation: * [2:05] - Where the path began for Emily * [3:00] - Community school label - what it is and its importance * [4:13] - How community schools are like smartphones * [6:59] - Even before pandemic there was big disparity between school types * [7:50] - Schools can’t exist in a vacuum * [8:36] - Elements we need to make school reform sustainable on a big scale * [11:15] - There are different ways to get things moving * [12:05] - We need the right lens and a groundswell * [12:30] - How data comes into the picture * [14:35] - Groundswell can only happen if community members are in support of initiative * [15:01] - How to help communities to mobilize * [17:52] - Action steps to start with * [21:00] - Turbo Time * [23:58] - It takes a long time to start to see change * [24:35] - Emily’s magic wand * [26:17] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources

• Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
• Joy Dryfoos on Community Schools
• Linda Darling-Hammond
• Jeannie Oakes

• Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution

• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective

• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

View Details

Community schools are a big asset to communities whose schools struggle to meet the needs of all its youth. But it takes time and effort to start to see change. A lot of time and effort.

This week on the podcast, I’m talking with Emily Woods, the head of education for the Richard K. Lubin Family Foundation and long-time policy advocate. She shares what it really looks like to start and grow an effort to grow a community school and how to get policy makers involved.

As a former private school turned public school teacher, Emily saw the disparity that exists between the resources available. But she was able to take her private school knowledge into the public schools, then eventually into advocacy, to really make an impact.

In this episode, she shares how leaders need to shift their thinking about how they address student needs, why your community effort may not work, where the support needs to come from, and more. She even shares a breakdown of action steps to help communities mobilize. Have a notepad handy!

About Emily Woods: Emily Woods currently serves as Head of Education for the Richard K. Lubin Family Foundation. Previously, she taught as Adjunct Lecturer in Education at the University of Massachusetts Boston and was a Boston Public School teacher and Senior Co-Trainer in the BPS New Teacher Development Program. She has a PhD in education policy and leadership from the University of Massachusetts, Boston, an MEd in elementary education from Boston University, and a BA from Bowdoin College. Her research focuses on school districts that have addressed the adoption of community school policy, and her professional focus is on helping urban districts move beyond a site-by-site community school strategy to a citywide, community-owned initiative.

Jump in the Conversation: * [2:05] - Where the path began for Emily * [3:00] - Community school label - what it is and its importance * [4:13] - How community schools are like smartphones * [6:59] - Even before pandemic there was big disparity between school types * [7:50] - Schools can’t exist in a vacuum * [8:36] - Elements we need to make school reform sustainable on a big scale * [11:15] - There are different ways to get things moving * [12:05] - We need the right lens and a groundswell * [12:30] - How data comes into the picture * [14:35] - Groundswell can only happen if community members are in support of initiative * [15:01] - How to help communities to mobilize * [17:52] - Action steps to start with * [21:00] - Turbo Time * [23:58] - It takes a long time to start to see change * [24:35] - Emily’s magic wand * [26:17] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources

• Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
• Joy Dryfoos on Community Schools
• Linda Darling-Hammond
• Jeannie Oakes

• Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution

• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective

• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

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We ask so much of teachers, from customizing learning to being that trusted adult some children don’t have at home to advocating for individual children. And yet we also still ask them to start from square one at the beginning of every school year, gathering data about their students so they can serve them best.

The added challenge is that many of our teachers aren’t skilled in digging into data and using it effectively. Why aren’t school districts and states creating resources for our teachers so they can focus on the art of teaching? The technology is there, but we’re not using it wisely.

This week on the podcast, I’m talking with Dr. Matthew Courtney, an educator, researcher, and policy maker who helps to build more capacity in teachers and leaders through deep analyses of learning. Matthew is also an experienced advocate who shares with us how educators can put on their own advocate hats without getting burned out.

I feel so strongly about Matthew’s work that I’ve asked him to join us on our next EdActive Collective meeting in September so our members can further their own important advocacy work.

Be sure to tune in.

About Matthew Courtney, EdD: Dr. Matthew Courtney specializes in using data and research to support schools and teachers as they work to improve teaching and learning. As an educator, researcher, and policy maker, he focuses his efforts on building capacity in teachers and leaders to perform deep analyses of learning. When educators are faced with persistent problems of practice, he shows them how to tap into the existing research literature to solve their problem and to apply research methodologies to rigorously test their solutions. Dr. Courtney is dedicated to helping the education profession fully self actualize into an evidence-based profession that relies on deep thinking, collaboration, and a joint commitment towards advancing scientific knowledge of teaching and learning in the field.

Jump in the Conversation: * [1:21] - Data and policy to make learning better - unpacking them * [1:43] - what started matthew on school transformation journey * [3:38] - Why busy teachers need to educate themselves about data * [5:27] - Data driven decision an elementary school teacher might make * [6:22] - We use data indirectly more than we realize * [7:40] - Overcoming the learning curve * [10:01] - Exploratory data analysis - having a conversation with your data * [13:03] - Build a team of evidence informed practitioners * [13:20] - The importance of doing advocacy work * [15:08] - Policy change on mental health and wellbeing * [16:42] - Visit state board of education websites to find out what they’re working on * [17:55] - Once you’ve listened to a few meetings, advocate early and often * [18:28] - You need to learn how to advocate before you speak out about things that are level 10 issues for you * [19:47] - Policy starts in state legislature with regulations * [22:10] - Turbo Time * [26:14] - What people need to know about data driven school improvement * [28:58] - To be an activist, just start * [30:59] - Matthew’s Magic Wand * [32:20] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources * Follow Matthew on Twitter * Connect with Matthew on LinkedIn * Visit Matthew’s website * Exploratory Data Analysis in the Classroom by Matthew B. Courtney, EdD * The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together by Heather McGhee * Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution

• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective

• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

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Belonging is vital if our kids are to learn. They need to feel understood and safe, and that often starts with teachers. But teachers have a lot on their plates already, and new legislation has them fearful that they’ll do or say something that might jeopardize their jobs.

While this podcast episode doesn’t solve this challenge, it spotlights the need for more conversations around creating spaces for youth who don’t want to fit in a box that society created for them.

Patti Hearn is a school and educational leader in the Pacific Northwest who started a school for girls and gender non-conforming kids so they would have the opportunity to “become competent risk takers and courageous mistake makers.” In this episode, we talk about why parents and leaders might want to build their own school, why it’s so important that we listen to our youth, how to honor student rights, how the legal landscape is impacting our ability to serve all learners, and so much more.

Patti has been there and done that and she’s now using her knowledge to support other parents and educators in ensuring that more kids have access to the space and education they deserve.

About Patti Hearn: Patti Hearn is passionate about education and believes in working to help individuals, families, and schools forge authentic paths. Patti was the Founding Head of Lake Washington Girls Middle School in Seattle, where, for over two decades, she offered girls and gender non-conforming kids the opportunity to become competent risk takers and courageous mistake makers. She then brought her knowledge and passion for innovative middle school programs to lead Seattle School for Boys, and she launched Verge Consulting to provide consultation and coaching to educators, school leaders, and founders of new schools, as well as school placement support for families.

Patti shares her thinking and work in feminist, anti-racist, and LGBTQ+ inclusive education, social-emotional learning, startup culture in education, creative confidence, STEAM, executive functioning, and inclusive leadership. Her conference presentations include the National Association of Independent Schools, the International Coalition of Girls’ Schools, the Seattle Interactive Conference, the Teaching and Education Summit, and the Northwest Association of Independent Schools.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/patriciahearn/

https://twitter.com/patti_hearn

Jump in the Conversation: * [1:33] - Where Patti’s school transformation began * [2:55] - Helping students to become competent risk takers and courageous mistake makers * [5:25] - Why you might want to build a startup school * [7:17] - How to make a change * [8:19] - Youth speaking up about gender noncoforming; we need to address that * [9:40] - All kids have value; it’s about loving the individual not about the labels * [10:26] - how the legal landscape is impacting our ability to serve all learners fully * [11:56] - All kids benefit from inclusion * [12:45] - Teachers aren’t clear enough about they can and can’t say and they fear for their livelihoods * [14:32] - It’s life-saving to have a caring adult at school * [18:27] - How to honor student rights and be an advocate * [20:30] - Turbo Time * [22:39] - What people need to know about serving LGTBQ+ kids * [25:48] - Patti’s Magic Wand * [20:02] - Maureen’s takeaways

Links & Resources * Verge Consulting * Connect with Patti on LinkedIn * Episode 120: How Legal Decisions Impact Our Schools with Karen Kalzer * Unprotected: A Menoir by Billy Porter * Every Kid Needs a Champion - TED Talk by Rita Pierson * We Need to Talk About an Injustice - TED Talk by Bryan Stevenson * Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution

• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective

• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

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Teachers are burned out and continue to leave the profession in droves. One of the biggest challenges is that there’s so much out of our control as educators that we struggle to cope. Even before COVID wreaked havoc on our world, there was little we could do to control what happened in our day-to-day lives.

What if we just let go of what we can’t control and instead focus on what is within our power? That’s the mindset behind this week’s podcast episode with Ryan Racine, author of The Stoic Teacher.

Ryan and I talk about planning ahead for adversity, letting go of those frustrating moments, looking at situations from an outside perspective, and gifting our children with these tools that will serve them well throughout life.

We’ll never know a world where we can control everything. (And do we really want to?) It’s time we take a step back and live and teach from a different perspective.

About Ryan Racine: Ryan Racine is a high school teacher and college instructor from Canada. He earned his master's of English language and literature from Brock University and has published in magazines such as Modern Stoicism, PACE, The Ekphrastic Review, and University Affairs. His book, The Stoic Teacher: Ancient Mind Hacks to Help Educators Foster Resiliency, Optimism, and Inne Calm, focuses on how Stoic philosophy can help teachers deal with day-to-day stresses, manage classroom behavior better, and strive to become better teachers!

Jump in the Conversation: * [1:39] - What is Stoicism * [4:06] - How he got involved in Stoicism * [7:35] - Lessons teachers can learn from ancient mind hacks * [10:15] - Premeditating for adversity * [11:52] - Reframing adversity for yourself * [12:57] - Work through self-imposed obstacles * [15:45] - Taking a view from above * [18:30] - How to apply these concepts with students * [22:15] - Explicitly teach Stoicism vs. informal conversations * [24:29] - The importance of modeling with kids * [28:15] - Turbo Time * [29:32] - What Ryan brings to teaching * [30:10] - Fun fact about Stoics * [32:38] - Ryan’s Magic Wand * [34:23] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources * The Stoic Teacher: Ancient Mind Hacks to Help Educators Foster Resiliency, Optimism, and Inner Calm by Ryan Racine * Getting to Neutral * Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey * Zen and the Art of Dealing with Difficult People by Mark Westmoquette

• Troublesome Buddhas YouTube

• Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution

• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective

• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

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In the U.S., we say we’re growing global citizens, but are we really? Being a global citizen means that we’re willing to have uncomfortable conversations, we are willing to see others’ points of view, and we’re cooperative across borders about global events.

It’s interesting to look at how other countries’ educational systems operate and believe that we can all learn so much from one another.

This week on the podcast, I’m talking with Brantley Turner, the founding American principal at Shanghai Qibao Dwight High School and new director of East Asian Education for the Dwight Schools Network. As someone who grew up in the U.S. education system and has in-depth knowledge of the Chinese system, Brantley has a unique perspective of global citizenship and preparing children in a variety of cultures.

Brantley shares why local learning is so valuable, what people need to know about global education systems, why we need to truly let our kids fail (instead of just telling them they can), and why a cooperative model is important in China and beyond.

About Brantley Turner: For the past 10 years, Brantley Turner served as the Founding American Principal and a Governing Board Member at Shanghai Qibao Dwight High School where she passionately led all aspects of the school’s international administration. August 2022 she will take on a new role as Director of East Asian Education for the Dwight Schools Network.

While operating Qibao Dwight, Brantley took the school from a start up to an institution that is peer-recognized as showcasing excellence in teaching and learning, management and curriculum innovation. This success story of China’s only cooperatively-run, independent Sino-U.S. high school is thanks to her abilities as an innovator and solution-oriented creative thinker.

Brantley brings every ounce of her knowledge of multiple different industries to the challenges of international education. These broad reference points and an extremely open-minded approach to her close collaboration with the Principal, Wang Fang, set her apart in the industry. She has impeccable written and spoken Mandarin.

Her goal is to share the incredible successes of the Qibao Dwight faculty and students and the approaches that best supported them, so that others may enjoy also being swept up by the vital work of educating globally-minded students. Connect with Brantley on LinkedIn.

Jump in the Conversation: * [2:05] - Comparing and contrasting US and China education * [3:30] - Are we up for continued dialogue * [5:02] - Not all children can attend certain schools in China * [6:48] - Why cooperative model is important in China and beyond * [9:20] - Addressing the hate and negative stereotypes in media of the Chinese * [10:10] - We can’t solve global crises without cooperation * [11:27] - Changes in life and relationships from living abroad * [13:08] - Living abroad is an unshackling * [15:31] - Key takeaways for global citizenship * [19:00] - How kids in China respond to “What are you interested in?” * [19:55] - Don’t negate what’s important to the culture * [21:25] - 3 things that can better prepare our youth to be global citizens * [26:12] - Internationalization of education isn’t the westernization of education * [28:12] - Turbo Time * [30:10] - What people need to know about creating global systems * [31:40] - What Brantley brings to global education * [33:55] - How others can be activists * [36:18] - Brantley’s Magic Wand * [38:05] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources * Connect with Brantley on LinkedIn * Tim Ferris TED Talk: Why you should define your fears instead of your goals * Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution

• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective

• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

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It might seem like there’s no correlation between recent Supreme Court rulings and what happens in our public schools. But that’s not the case at all, especially if you look at potential translations of decisions down the road.

There’s a new ideology in the Supreme Court, one that has leaders on both sides of the political aisle perking up. On one side, decisions are being handed down that are changing the fabric of our society; on the other side, they’re scrambling to highlight implications and find new ways to protect everyone’s rights.

I admit it’s scary. And though Roe v. Wade seemed to not have any impact on my own micro-school, LEADPrep, or public schools, I know from experience that’s not the case. So I invited Karen Kalzer, an education and nonprofit attorney, onto the podcast to share what she sees happening as a result of these decisions.

We talk about several cases that are setting precedent right now, why we now need to determine whose rights should be recognized, what people need to know about student rights, what the Constitution actually protects, and more.

This was an eye-opening, albeit frustrating, conversation about what’s to come.

About Karen Kalzer: Karen is a practicing attorney with 25 years of experience representing schools and nonprofits. She is an adjunct professor in Education Law & Policy for Boston College and is passionate about helping schools achieve their vision and mission. Connect with Karen on LinkedIn.

Jump in the Conversation: * [2:07] - How the Supreme Court shifts will impact schools * [3:43] - What is a shadow docket * [5:47] - The message courts send when they don’t take a case * [7:39] - Roe v. wade ripple effects in schools * [10:08] - Decision questioned entire right of due process, implicit liberty, and implied rights under constitution * [13:07] - Connection between the Constitution and private schools * [17:09] - How does the court differentiate between whose rights take precedence * [20:05] - We want every child to thrive - what do we need to keep as school leaders and parents * [22:10] - Turbo Time * [25:00] - What people need to know about student rights * [27:24] - Karen’s Magic Wand * [30:17] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources * Helsell Fetterman * Connect with Karen on LinkedIn * Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution

• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective

• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

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We forget that in order for teachers to teach materials, they need to know how to use them. Most teachers today don’t have any experience with robotics or computer science, so how can we expect them to teach these skills to our students?

There’s a lot of talk about ensuring that curriculum is inclusive, but we forget about the teachers. Sure there are computer science teachers out there who can teach those higher-level classes where true expertise is necessary. But the curriculum is not inclusive for younger students because it’s not presented in a way that teachers can teach it. The teacher is the barrier, and unintentionally so.

This week on the podcast, I’m talking with Adam Dalton, who co-founded Imagine Robotify, when he was just 23 years old. Robotify is a STEM-based curriculum designed to ignite excitement in tomorrow’s leaders in a way that’s accessible to teachers and schools of all sizes and budgets.

In the episode, we talk about the importance of preparing our children for the future and why robotics and automation will create jobs, rather than replace humans.

I’m so excited about the possibilities after talking to Adam. What an inspiration!

About Adam Dalton: Adam Dalton is the CEO and co-founder of Imagine Robotify, a browser-based digital solution designed to teach coding using the world's best computer science simulator. With an idea that started in high school alongside his co-founder Evan Darcy, Adam used his background in and passion for inspiring others to create Imagine Robotify. Using Imagine Robotify, students have 24/7 access to the latest and greatest robots without having to ever purchase real hardware in a way that makes coding and robotics more affordable and more accessible for all students across the world.

Adam holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Studies from Dublin City University. Connect with him on LinkedIn and follow Imagine Learning on Facebook and Instagram.

Jump in the Conversation: * [1:36] - Imagine Robotify’s story * [2:33] - Why coding * [4:33] - Mission to make coding and robotics accessible in an engaging way * [5:30] - Virtual robots at a fraction of the cost can impact thousands of students * [6:46] - More accessibility to variety of learners * [12:16] - Building an immersive experience that performs on the devices that educators actual use * [13:10] - Educators are preparing youth for a future that we don’t know about yet * don’t know what will happen yet * [13:28] - What might be in the future * [15:48] - Teachers aren’t getting taught computer science * [17:15] - If you’re an educator who’s never done it before, you can still teach it * [18:29] - Another evolution of human race * [20:05] - Critical thinking, collaboration, communication, creativity * [22:07] - Steps to take to make sure youth are prepared for tomorrow’s workforce * [24:24] - Turbo Time * [26:55] - What people need to know about the future of the workplace * [30:07] - The best thing about coding * [31:55] - Adam’s Magic Wand * [35:18] - Maureen’s takeaways

Links & Resources * Imagine Robotify * Connect with Adam on LinkedIn * Follow Imagine Learning on Facebook * Follow Imagine Learning on Instagram * Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution

• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective

• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

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Language development isn’t worksheets and passive listening, especially when it comes to language delays and struggling students. After a traumatic brain injury, guest Emily Cadiz learned first-hand how difficult it is to get back language skills, much less learn them in the first place.

Our pre-kindergarten children spend up to 4.5 hours a day in front of a screen, impairing their ability to use their language skills. The result is kindergarteners and primary school students who are far behind where they should be academically.

So Emily took what she learned trying to get her own language skills back and turned it into a fun, interactive curriculum that both teachers and parents can use. And to make it engaging, she used one of the most universal tools around: music.

Tune in this week to find out what happens in pre-k brains, how a former music professional developed curriculum for our most underserved (and overlooked) kiddos and teachers, and what dragons have to do with it.

About Emily Cadiz: Emily Cadiz is founder and CEO of Finnegan the Dragon, which creates tone-based curriculum and gaming systems that support early childhood language and literacy development. Her first book, Finnegan the Singing Dragon, introduces audiences to the main character in this adventure-based learning system. Emily,and her team, use inclusive music and tone/singing as the interactive tool for classroom and online learning so that children develop the needed language skills for greater communication, literacy, and social and emotional growth. She created Finnegan the Dragon, leveraging her experiences as a professional musician and working with special needs children to develop a learning system that directly addresses passive screen time and the effects it has on language and overall brain development between the ages of 2-6. A graduate of Columbia University in the City of New York, Emily holds graduate degrees in Education, Special Education, and Inclusive Music. After 15 years of direct classroom experience, Emily shifted to the world of virtual education which makes her well-suited to understand virtual learning needs.

Jump in the Conversation: * [1:40] - Who is Finnegan the Dragon * [2:30] - Declining language and cognitive rates * [3:08] - Kinder readiness is tricky * [3:45] - Kids are spending too much time with screens * [5:20] - In-person curriculum that supports real time language development * [6:40] - Emily’s journey * [8:34] - Where Finnegan the Dragon came from * [10:15] - What happens in pre-k brains * [12:56] - Rewriting traditional songs so they work for language development * [16:09] - Get free accessl * [18:49] - Turbo Time * [20:56] - You never know the value of something until you lose it * [24:04] - What parents and educators need to do to support literacy * [25:40] - Emily’s Magic Wand * [27:26] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources * Finnegan The Dragon * Connect with Emily on LinkedIn * Follow Finnegan the Dragon on Instagram * Follow Finnegan the Dragon on Facebook * Ben’s Bells * Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution

• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective

• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

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As educators, you know that kids need independence. And yet, many our youth graduate from high school having never had to take responsibility for getting themselves up on time, fixing themselves a meal, or scheduling an appointment on their own.

Our kids are being raised in a bubble where parents (and sometimes educators) do it all for them, for fear kids might fail at something.

We’re doing our kids a disservice if we don’t back off and give them the power and independence they need to live a full life. That’s exactly what this week’s guest, Lenore Skenazy, did back in 2008--and received backlash for.

But that one action, allowing her 9-year-old to ride the subway alone, sparked the idea for a nonprofit and school initiatives that are helping kids across the globe grow into the independent individuals they should be.

Listen in to why she allowed her kids more independence than many and how educators can not only get involved but encourage parents to do the same.

About Lenore Skenazy: After her column "Why I Let My 9-Year-Old Ride the Subway Alone" created a media firestorm, Lenore Skenazy founded the book, blog, and movement, “Free-Range Kids.” She has appeared everywhere from The Today Show to The Daily Show, and hosted the reality show World’s Worst Mom. Now she is president of Let Grow, the nonprofit making it easy, normal and legal to give kids the independence they need to grow into capable, happy adults. Let Grow’s two main school initiatives are The Let Grow Project (kids get the homework assignment, “Go home and do something new, on your own!”) and The Let Grow Play Club (schools stay open for mixed-age free play. Adults don’t organize the games or solve the spats). All the implementation guides are free here. Lenore lives in New York City with her husband and beloved computer. Her kids have flown the coop.

Jump in the Conversation: * [2:40] - The uproar around letting a child ride the subway alone * [4:19] - The birth of free-range kids * [5:25] - Moving from trusting kids to a new generation we hover over * [6:08] - Teachable moments don’t always include a teacher present * [11:50] - If kids aren’t doing something just for fun, you have kids doing things for a coach and not themselves * [13:02] - We’re not just going to change minds; we need to change behavior * [14:47] - The culture is the hamster wheel * [15:51] - Free and easy ways to give kids back their freedom * [18:45] - The benefit of boredom and free play * [21:39] - No device rules * [27:15] - What classroom teachers can do to support play * [30:35] - Our kids are supposed to carry on when we’re not there * [32:50] - What happens when we let kids become independent too late * [34:30] - Turbo Time * [37:48] - Lenore’s Magic Wand * [38:48] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Link * Email Lenore * The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas are Setting up a Generation for Failure by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt * The Special Value of Children’s Age-Mixed Play by Peter Gray * Ido in Autismland by Ido Kedar * Let Grow * Let Grow Play Club * Let Grow Teacher Resources * Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution

• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective

• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

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We assume our children will organically learn how to organize their thoughts and belongings, be able to manage their time, and more. Not true. In fact, if you thought about it, you’d realize that you struggle with this too.

We must teach these executive functioning (EF) skills to our children. In doing so, we can transform their family and school experience.

This week on the podcast, I’m joined by Sean McCormick, who was inspired to teach and coach executive functioning to empower parents and teens to be more organized, thoughtful, and goal-oriented. He shares how receiving executive functioning support impacts learners and families, why students with EF skills are more successful, how to have a family meeting about goals, and what educators can do when a student has a language barrier.

Every human needs to have EF skills, and if we as parents and educators struggle with it ourselves (as we often do), bringing in a professional is key. Listen in!

About Sean McCormick: Sean McCormick is a parent, husband and international executive function coach. He founded Executive Function Specialists, a remote coaching business that empowers parents and teens to be more organized, thoughtful and goal-orientated.​

He also hosts the Earn More Tutoring Podcast, which helps educators world-wide build better practices to help more students and families with their educational needs.

You can learn more about Sean’s work by Googling Executive Function Specialists or Earn More Tutoring.

Jump in the Conversation: * [1:20] - How I learned about executive functioning * [3:13] - How executive function impacts learners * [3:33] - Sean’s story * [5:12] - The impact communication and organization skills have on school * [6:12] - How support impacts learners * [6:57] - Research behind what’s most impactful for students * [9:30] - Helping others become EF specialists * [10:39] - Scott’s big mission - Ensure every student has access to EF and teachers are trained in it * [11:08] - What everyone needs to know about EF * [11:53] - EF skills have higher predictor of school readiness and outcomes * [12:59] - What parents can do to ensure kids have EF skills * [16:33] - Family meetings: start with gratitude * [18:58] - Remember: there’s an unequal power dynamic in families * [20:01] - EF when kids have language barriers * [22:05] - Suggestions for parents/teachers to integrate EF into work * [23:10] - Reticular activation system * [25:20] - Turbo Time * [27:59] - Sean’s Magic Wand * [30:28] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources * Executive Function Specialists * Dr. Adele Diamond * Dominican University goals study * Dr. Stephen Krashen * Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seanelliotmccormick * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanemccormick/ * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/efspecialists/ * Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGGiMfT7eZVDn2LYkb1kmgQ * Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution

• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective

• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

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Neurodivergent students often get pulled out of classrooms and taught separately because they are “different.” Well, we’re all a little bit different. Does that mean we should all be taught in silos? Not a chance.

There’s an inclusive program in the Seattle area that’s supporting our colorful, mismatched students in a unique way that can help them on and off the stage. Youth are learning through theater and improvisation.

This week on the podcast, I’m talking with Lauren Marshall, director of Theater of Possibility, about the organization’s unique take on theater and learning. And joining Lauren is Jackie Moffit, one of the school’s former students and current teachers.

Together we explore the role the current education system has had on neurodivergent youth, why pull-out programs might work in some instances (but generally don’t), the problem with special education, and why acting is a valuable tool for students with autism.

About Lauren Marshall: Lauren Marshall is the founding director of Theater of Possibility, serving neurodiverse youth, since 2010. A produced and published playwright, she has an MFA in Music Theater writing from NYU, and BA and JD from Stanford.

About Jackie Moffit: Jackie Moffit is an actor, writer, and musician on the autism spectrum who goes by any pronouns. They first started participating in Theater of Possibility in 2012 as a student and became an assistant teacher for the kids’ class several years later. They are passionate about neurodiversity representation in education and the arts, and are excited for thier first session as lead teacher. In addition to his work with Theater of Possibility, Jackie also volunteers at Books to Prisoners and writes media reviews for the Northwest Film Forum and Redefine Magazine. Some of their interests include synthesizers, linguistics, and tabletop games.

Jump in the Conversation: * [1:55] - Creating community for neurodiverse youth to come together * [3:15] - The commitment to Theater of Possibility * [3:56] - “We can succeed in life not by repressing autistic attributes but by embracing them as much as possible” * [5:07] - Lauren’s journey with theater * [7:04] - Why acting is valuable for people with autism * [10:03] - The positive results that TOP is seeing * [11:50] - Theater of the Oppressed * [13:25] - It starts with community * [14:20] - The present classroom model moves neurodivergent youth into another room; it’s beneficial to bring youth together * [15:25] - Neurodivergent need space to be around people the same as them * [17:57] - Activities need to be rewarding in and of themselves * [20:01] - Turbo Time * [25:05] - Magic Wand * [29:16] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources * Theater of Possibility * Underestimated: An Autism Miracle by J.B. Handley and Jamison Handley * Theatre of the Oppressed * Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) * Uniquely Human: A Different Way of Seeing Autism by Barry M. Brizant, PhD * Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution

• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective

• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

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How do we know if our children are digesting what we’re teaching? We give them assessments! And if you’ve ever stepped into a traditional classroom in the U.S., this could mean many things. Often it means large, summative assessments at the end of a unit or school year to determine what the students have retained.

Sadly, this type of assessment is ineffective, for more reasons than I can begin to explain. But I sure try in this episode!

There are many ways to assess student learning, aside from the traditional test. And traditional summative assessments only test a student’s ability to memorize information for the short term. What happens when they need to remember information long-term and apply it in different scenarios?

I’m sharing my thoughts and more. Listen in!

Be sure to join me at the Beyond Multiple Choice virtual seminar. Find out more and sign up for free!

Jump in the Conversation: * [1:26] - Beyond Multiple Choice Conference * [1:41] - Where to begin with assessment * [2:18] - The open-ended essential question * [3:11] - Inquiry-based learning isn’t enough * [3:39] - The questions teachers need to ask * [4:13] - Model U.S. structure and how bills become laws * [5:20] - Getting students to own their learning and apply them in real life * [5:58] - Engaging and relevancy is non-negotiable * [6:52] - Determine what you’ll assess and how * [8:01] - The big problems with summative assessments * [8:51] - Summative assessments aren’t the only way to assess learning * [10:26] - Quality rubrics are created in partnership with students * [11:00] - The existential question: What is important? * [12:26] - Who takes responsibility to empower students to reach goals * [12:50] - Maureen’s magic wand * [14:25] - Students can see when teachers are invested in learning

Links & Resources * Episode 73: Breaking Barriers for Our Students and Our Future * Episode 39: Creating Human-Centered Learning * https://summit.edactivecollective.org/schedule * Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution

• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective

• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

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Many of us go into our fields because we’re inspired by someone who supported us as youth or we see something that we want to fix. For Vanessa Castañeda Gill, this week’s guest, it was something else. She wanted to fix herself.

After a neurodivergent diagnosis at 14, then hiding that diagnosis from everyone but her family for more than six years, Vanessa was looking for a way to be successful. She had heard so many stories about those with a similar diagnosis that she tried to fit that mold. Through studying neuroscience, Vanessa hoped to fix herself. What she discovered instead was that she wasn’t broken at all but rather could have used some additional resources and support as a teen so she wouldn’t feel so alone.

That’s where Social Cipher came from. And this week on the podcast, Vanessa is sharing more about how her platform supports neurodivergent youth and their parents and community.

The structure of Vanessa’s team is incredibly unique and it’s just what an organization that supports differently wired kids needs to be successful.

Listen in this week and learn more about how to step up and support those with neurodivergence.

About Vanessa Castañeda Gill: It's Vanessa Castañeda Gill's mission to unite her passions for art and stories in innovative ways that help people. Learning from her experiences growing up on the autism spectrum, she founded Social Cipher: a game-based social-emotional learning platform for neurodiverse youth and the professionals who work with them. Her 50% neurodivergent team recently released their game series, Ava: a space-pirate adventure that explores social challenges through the eyes of an autistic protagonist. Vanessa and her team have earned recognition as Forbes 30 Under 30s, AT&T Aspire Fellows, and Facebook Global Gaming Citizens.

Jump in the Conversation: * [1:50] - Why Vanessa is interested in neurodiverse youth * [5:26] - Social Cipher Platform * [7:15] - Parents can use the system too * [8:08] - Collaboration with big organizations * [9:22] - A neurodivergent team * [10:43] - Adding to the platform * [12:24] - How to support neurodivergent kids to the fullest * [15:12] - Turbo Time * [18:17] - What people need to know about neurodivergence * [21:13] - How to be an activist in supporting neurodivergence in schools * [23:23] - Vanessa’s Magic Wand * [24:37] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources * Social Cipher * Learn Play Thrive podcast episode * Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution

• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective

• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

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We recently hosted our second annual EdActive Collective summit to help support a learner-centered, equitable learning environment for all children. With the help of a fantastic list of trailblazing educational and industry leaders, attendees heard from experts on topics that helped to reimagine education models, apply neuroscience to learning, raise youth activists, support leaders through this challenging time, and so much more. This week on the podcast, I’m sharing some of my own biggest takeaways from the summit and giving you access to all the presentations, even if you didn’t sign up ahead of time.

If we want to change the face of education, we have to keep talking about it and we need to take what we’ve learned and take action. I hope this episode is the catalyst for such action on your part.

Jump in the Conversation: * [1:14] - Commitment to learner-centered models * [1:53] - EdActive Collective to pull together educational trailblazers * [3:44] - Shift in collective from activism to having inspirational speakers keep hopes and dreams alive * [4:21] - Highlights of our summit * [6:47] - Models that tap into resources in the community and business world * [8:21] -We don’t have an updated school system that can apply neuroscience to learning * [9:42] - We need more youth empowerment and youth activism * [11:02] - Relational learning models * [12:15] - Our school leaders need more support and less isolation * [14:16] - We need to look to others to help us unpack diversity * [16:06] - Access the summit presentations for everyone

Links & Resources * EdActive Collective * Access the summit presentations here * Access the past episodes of the podcast * Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution

• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective

• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

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We know that kids learn best when they’re interested in the curriculum. But our traditional model leaves a lot to be desired. Prescribed curriculum regurgitated in front of a classroom full of quietly sitting children is not the way to interest those children.

Instead, we need kids to be involved. We need them to forge their own paths and learn through inquiry. That’s exactly how School Lane Charter School in Bensalem, Pennsylvania operates. And the school is on the cutting edge of finding new ways for teaching and learning with inclusion in mind.

This week, I’m talking to Karen Schade, leader of that school for the last 20+ years. She shares my beliefs that not every child is destined for a four-year university, and yet we can still support them to academic excellence. That achievement looks different for every child and we must educate our communities that yesterday’s style isn’t what today should look like.

Listen in to how School Lane Charter School is making waves with its teaching model, grading system, and inclusion opportunities for all students, no matter their path.

Jump in the Conversation: * [1:46] - Creating a learner-centered school * [3:32] - Find a place where your values can come to fruition * [4:42] - Using a co-teaching model * [6:09] - It wasn’t just inclusion; it was about figuring out what they wanted to do in future * [7:18] - Pick the best when you start a school * [9:01] - Other key features to School Lane * [11:09] - Unique grading system * [13:40] - Unique school day and school year * [15:22] - Biggest struggles to creating a new model for community * [18:00] - Every student is an individual * [18:48] - Creating opportunities based on something different from others * [20:22] - Kids don’t have to go off to 4-year college * [22:19] - Limiting gatekeepers * [23:43] - Rigor isn’t a bar that everyone reaches; they all have their own bar * [25:31] - What leaders and parents can do to create a school like this * [28:07] - Turbo Time * [29:25] - What you need to know about student-driven learning * [32:09] - Karen’s Magic Wand * [34:02] - Maureen’s takeaways

Link * School Lane Charter School * International Baccalaureate * Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel Pink * Three Rules to Spark Learning - TED Talk with Ramsey Musallum * Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution

• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective

• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

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We’ve all learned so much from the pandemic, and school leaders and superintendents are no exception. In addition, things that we knew from being inside the schools have been spotlighted to the public, thanks to social media and the news media.

While that might be good for conversations around change, there’s still a lot to unpack and many hurdles and red tape to get around.

This week on the podcast, I’m talking with Doug Roberts, an educational consultant who works with education entrepreneurs and district superintendents. He’s recognized the importance of connecting leaders across state lines to help bridge the gaps that are all too evident now.

We’re talking about changes on the horizon thanks to 1:1 models that were realized during the pandemic, why leaders are hitting their limit of what they can give, and the hardest part of being an educational leader.

We need to continue having conversations like this as we strive to give leaders the tools and support they need to continue the impact they desire.

About Doug Roberts: Doug has worked with leading ed-tech entrepreneurs and district administrators for almost 20 years, developing partnerships that improve outcomes for students and help nascent organizations get their "sea legs."

As Founder and President of Educational Solutions Consulting, Doug found that there was a piece of the puzzle missing, a barrier between those who run school districts and those who start companies to help school districts. He partnered with some of the nation's most innovative educational leaders to form IEI to bridge that gap.

A Princeton graduate, Doug is a former public high school social studies teacher and ed-tech business development executive who earned his Ed.M. in Teaching and Curriculum from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education.

Jump in the Conversation: * [1:48] - What if there were a different way for district leaders to interact and grow as leaders * [4:07] - We have to have time together to percolate * [4:28] - Biggest roadblocks for district leaders * [6:07] - The hardest part of the job is the importance of it * [7:59] - Our most important capital for educators * [9:21] - Key lessons superintendents are learning * [12:01] - We don’t all have to have a traditional school schedule * [12:35] - Leaders are hitting the limit of their ability to give * [13:45] - Great resignation in schools * [14:50] - People aren’t leaving the profession; they’re leaving the traditional public system * [17:07] - Superintendents are thinking about educational competition * [19:06] - Finland’s educational model * [21:50] - We’re asking schools to take whole child approach but we haven’t added to the funding * [24:11] - Create learning that works for all * [27:30] - Doug’s Magic Wand * [30:16] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources * Institution for Education Innovation * Education Thought Leaders podcast * Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution

• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective

• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

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Being a parent is hard. Being a parent of a child who will one day graduate from high school and have to make decisions about what to do next is even more difficult. And they’re one and the same.

In the United States, we live in a tragedy of student loan debt. According to Investopedia, Americans hold about $1.75 trillion in student loan debt. And while the government debates on whether to forgive some of that debt or continue to defer it, our youth continue to apply for student loans.

It’s time for a real conversation about the support that’s available to students, what parents’ responsibility should be, and why the school a child attends (if any) is no reflection on the parent. And shouldn’t be.

This week on the podcast, Ken Ruggiero, chairman and CEO of Ascent Funding shares what might be some unpopular (but very realistic) thoughts on higher education. He gets real about why students exit college without a degree or with loans they can’t pay back. It’s an equation, and Ken is sharing his organization’s (free) tool to determine whether the school a teen is choosing is a good investment or if they should look elsewhere.

Be sure to tune in!

About Ken Ruggiero: Ken, Chairman and CEO of Ascent Funding, is a veteran and innovator in higher education finance with more than 25 years spent managing start-up through Fortune 1000 companies, helping them create meaningful change and improvement in their delivery of financial services. Throughout his career Ken has worked tirelessly to improve access to higher education and he continues to be a passionate advocate for expanded financial literacy and transparency in the space.

During his tenure at Goal Financial, from 2003-2007, the company originated more than $8 billion in student loans and became a top 10 student-loan provider. After the company’s exit from the lending space in 2008, Ken spearheaded the reinvention of Goal Financial into Goal Solutions, a leading provider of asset management in the education finance industry. Under his leadership, Goal Solutions has significantly grown their service and product offerings, eventually reentering the origination space in 2017 with the creation of Ascent Funding.

Jump in the Conversation: * [1:40] - The student loan debt tragedy * [3:50] - What support is out there for students * [4:47] - Education spending is an investment * [6:38] - Revolutionizing how students plan, pay for, and succeed in school * [9:08] - The difference between student loans and home loans * [12:30] - There’s almost too much data available to help you determine your future college * [16:15] - The system is designed to get you into debt and get you into school * [17:28] - Maureen’s personal scenario as a mom * [18:40] - Where to start with not relying on a parents’ money for law school * [24:38] - What to pay attention to with young children and kids close to college * [32:59] - Dual enrollment and changing financial trajectory * [35:30] - What parents need to do to be more financially savvy about paying for higher [42:18] - Encourage kids to bring you adult problems * [46:45] - Know your parameters, even if you don’t like them * [49:40] - Combine capital and learning and support for the best results * [51:00] - Ken’s Magic Wand - How Ken would recreate the higher ed funding landscape * 40% are first time learners * [58:04] - Maureen’s takeaways

Links & Resources * Ascent Funding * Bright Futures Tool * Ascent Connect Success Platform * Episode 39: Creating Human-Centered Learning * Edgecombe County Public Schools Graduate Aims * View the April 2022 EdActive summit presentations * Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution

• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective

• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

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Too many educational systems determine the success or failure of students based on just a few assessments. Assessments that don’t have a clear goal or purpose, aside from measuring what children can memorize and regurgitate back.

This week on the podcast, we’re talking about going beyond those assessments and looking at the purpose of assessments and creating a system that’s relevant, equitable, and student-driven.

Kristine Hadeed of Beyond Multiple Choice is sharing her personal perspective as well as that of her organization. And she digs into the value of not only assessing students in a different way but also looking at how we’re assessing teaching and teacher training.

This is an important conversation as we head into the final weeks of the school year, but it’s also one we should be having as we’re planning out next school year. I hope you’ll tune in!

About Kristine Hadeed: Kristine Hadeed is a Marketing and Communications Strategist for Perigean Technologies, a research and design company that helps organizations improve cognitive performance through engineering and learning.

At Perigean, Kristine helps organize Beyond Multiple Choice, a free virtual event series that explores one overarching question:

"How can we move beyond multiple-choice to better assess the effectiveness of learning, teaching, and training?"

A former classroom educator and Teach for America alumna, Kristine frequently engages in discussions and community organizing around education reform. She is passionate about helping to share ideas surrounding important social issues in ways that are digestible and actionable for the general public. Beyond Multiple Choice seeks to do just that by involving diverse education stakeholders in public discussions on how we can reimagine assessment to transform learning outcomes.

Jump in the Conversation: * [2:02] - Unpacking accessibility in conferences * [3:17] - Starting the movement * [6:50] - More cross-collaboration is needed * [8:17] - Teachers need the time and support to use the research and tech * [9:15] - People in ed space know what’s best but the problem is more systemic factors, change management, and creating buy-in * [11:10] - Everyone has a stake in education * [17:06] - Academics and classroom management is important but there’s so much more that goes into cultivating emotional needs of kids * [19:54] - How do we assess training of teachers * [27:12] - Upcoming conference * [30:03] - Turbo Time * [34:11] - What everyone needs to know about assessment of learning * [35:32] - How to be an activist * [37:19] - Kristine’s Magic Wand * [38:54] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources * Beyond Multiple Choice Summit - Advancing Public Discourse Around Assessment * Beyond Multiple Choice * Teach for America * We Speak for Ourselves by D. Watkins * Why I, as a Black Man, Attend KKK Rallies - Daryl Davis TEDx Talk * Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution

• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective

• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

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We spend so much time worrying about whether students will engage with the curriculum that we forget a really important part of the equation. Yes, students need to be interested. But what about the teachers? If the curriculum isn’t easy to navigate and fun to use, teachers aren’t likely to utilize all the tools and resources available. And that means the students will miss out too.

At the same time, sometimes the more open and flexible the curriculum is, the more challenging it is for students. Remember Whole Language Schools? Back in the day, we didn’t necessarily teach foundational skills the way that students needed to learn it. Instead, a focus on the science of literacy is necessary, just like we teach math–from a research-based perspective.

This week on the podcast, Lisa O’Masta of Learning A through Z is sharing how her organization is leading the way for this new way of thinking about literacy skills.

Tune in now!

About Lisa O’Masta: As a strategic change agent and leader serving the education market for over 20 years, Lisa brings her passion for education and commitment to effective student outcomes to every organization she serves. As President for Learning A-Z, Lisa is working to energize and evolve the market leading, digital-first organization in service of K-6 students.

Prior to joining Learning A-Z, Lisa drove the disruption of the core curriculum market and set the framework that has become the standard for creation and distribution of high quality open educational resources as CEO for Illustrative Mathematics. She established and nurtured an exceptional team and community while always keeping the voice of the customer as the priority. Additionally, Lisa served as an executive for successful educational organizations including the institutional division of K12, Inc (aka Stride) and the K-12 core, intervention, and supplemental products at McGraw-Hill Education. In these roles, Lisa brought leadership and impactful experiences for students and educators.

Lisa brings her creative approach combined with her analytic thinking to ensure success of students and the organization. From start-up organizations like eInstruction, SchoolNet, and Illustrative Mathematics to established changing organizations like Laureate Education, K12, Inc and McGraw-Hill Education, Lisa brings an intellectual curiosity and pragmatic delivery that has resulted in positive student outcomes in companies that she serves.

Lisa holds a Bachelor degree in Marketing from Towson University and an MBA from Johns Hopkins University. Connect with her on LinkedIn.

Jump in the Conversation: * [1:39] - How we used to teach literacy * [2:45] - Applying math instruction knowledge to literacy * [3:19] - When you talk about the science of instruction, the real focus is on human being * [5:04] - Crack the code with foundational skills * [5:41] - Reading A-Z and other resources * [6:35] - How Reading A-Z is different * [9:01] - The importance of formative assessments * [9:30] - Resources for older kids should be appropriate for the age * [11:13] - We’re usually stuck teaching to the middle * [11:42] - Times of pulling out students for intervention is no longer * [12:30] - Supporting through the summer slide * [13:34] - Applying skills to give back * [15:43] - Giving access outside the classroom * [18:09] - What to include in well-rounded literacy support * [21:05] - Turbo Time * [26:30] - Lisa’s Magic Wand * [28:15] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources * Learning A-Z * EdActive Summit * Unicef Kid Power * Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution

• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective

• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

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The ease with which we can travel and connect with others across the globe is mind-blowing, when you think about how people traveled and communicated just a generation or two ago. But yet, in some of the lower-income communities in the U.S., people often live and work within a 10-block radius. That means the children of these communities have their worlds limited to these confines too.

That’s what makes what Dr. Naomi Johnson-Booker even more extraordinary. This week on the podcast, Dr. Booker is sharing how the Global Leadership Academy is growing global citizens, starting in kindergarten.

Travel opens up minds and hearts, and it also opens up incredible opportunities for these students, who travel across their state of Pennsylvania, into Canada, and even as far as China, the Caribbean, and Kenya. As K-8 students!

I’m in awe of all that Dr. Booker has been able to accomplish since founding this school and I hope our conversation provides inspiration to you!

About Dr. Naomi Johnson-Booker: Dr. Booker is 76 years old and still works with the motivation and strength she had when she first entered education more than 50 years ago. Dr. Booker’s claim to fame is that after leaving the School District of Philadelphia where she went from a 3rd-grade teacher to an assistant superintendent, she created the first K-8 public charter school in the United States to send urban scholars on expeditions at every grade level to include international travel.

And this dedicated septuagenarian has more than one job—she is the Founder and CEO of the Global Leadership Academy Charter School West, Founder and Executive Director of Global Academies, and Founder and Administrator of Global Leadership Academy Charter School Southwest. Her scholars come from neighborhoods in which children tend not to travel beyond their 10-block radius. Dr. Booker breaks them out of that radius by taking them to culturally relevant historic sites in Center City such as Mother Bethel AME Church where Richard Allen is buried. With each grade level, the scholars travel further from home on GLA’s K-8 designed pathway that includes visiting rural PA in the Amish Country, the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC, following the Underground Railroad from the Belmont Mansion to Canada, embarking on a civil rights tour spanning Birmingham, Atlanta, and Memphis where Dr. Martin Luther King was murdered, and in 8th grade, they travel to an international destination based on the school year’s studies. These passport-holding young teens and tweens have been to Africa, China, Bahama, Haiti, Jamaica, and will continue to add more nations each year once travel can safely resume. Dr. Booker has received the School District of Philadelphia’s prestigious Lindback award, named as a “Woman of Distinction” by the Philadelphia Business Journal, and recognized by the Philadelphia City Council as a “Living Legend.” At the time of this writing, Dr. Booker is completing an application to add a high school.

Jump in the Conversation: * [1:54] From not wanting to teach to Johnson became transformational leader * [3:46] Principals can make or break a school & the future of so many youth * [4:25] Doing things differently, starting in the 90s * [7:54] Early teaching developed new curriculum to teach about the city * [10:36] Doing what’s right for kids: get them out of 10-block radius, let them see the world * [11:29] K-8 scholars travel the world * [16:38] Learning how to give back, community service * [17:07] Real world experiences stick * [18:03] Children are not a test score * [20:46] Pandemic was opportunity to change the way we do things * [21:31] 50 years in education and still trying to create more * [26:30] Turbo Time * [37:16] The great part of traveling with youth * [38:59] Magic Wand * [43:23] Maureen’s takeaways

Links & Resources * Global Academies * Learn more about Dr. Booker * Book: Making It: What Kids Need for Tomorrow’s World by Stephanie Malia Kraus * Cultivating Genius, Dr. Gholdy E. Muhammad * TED Talk: How to Fix a Broken School? Lead Fearlessly, Love Hard * GLA YouTube summary * GLA YouTube of alumni stories * Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution

• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective

• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

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We’re all fatigued. Even with schools and businesses opening back up, we’re still so stuck in our pandemic and pre-pandemic ways. Hopefully everyone has learned a thing or two about what it looks like to educate our youth, because it’s clear that things need to change.

That’s why a group of dedicated education activists joined me last year in forming the EdActive Collective. We’re determined to create a different landscape for our learners and knew that in order to maintain momentum, we needed to commit to action.

Part of that action is getting the word out about the change that needs to happen. And The EdActive Summit is our vehicle.

In this week’s episode of the podcast, I’m sharing where the summit began and who will join us in this year’s event, which is happening April 28 and 29. Of course, we hope you’ll register for your free ticket so you can be part of the change.

Jump in the Conversation: * [1:08] - Who Not How - achieving bigger goals with teamwork * [1:40] - Our impact is smaller in silos * [3:08] - EdActive Collective Summit 2.0 * [3:36] - “How” restricts us; ask “who” * [4:35] - Who’s in this year’s summit * [9:04] - Be transformed by relationships * [9:27] - Register now

Links & Resources * Register for the summit * Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution

• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective

• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

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“Think Tanks” became popular in the 1960s, and even more so in the 1980s as a way for experts to research and develop ideas for policy and change. But if we spend all our time thinking instead of taking action, what good are we doing? This week on the podcast, Don Soifer and Ashley Campbell of Nevada Action for School Options are sharing how their Action Tank is actually doing the work.

What if we focused on meeting each individual students’ needs, instead of trying to fit kids into a prescribed system? Building partnerships is the way to do this affordably and Nevada Action has figured out how to do just that.

Everyone is working so hard to support families and kids, and it shouldn’t have to cost families financially to give their kids what they need. Listen in to hear how one organization is doing it right and finding ways to impact even more families.

About Don Soifer: Don Soifer is President of Nevada Action for School Options, a nonpartisan “action tank” he founded in 2017 to support the growth of diverse choices of rich, high-quality and personalized educational opportunities for all students.

Prior to moving to Nevada, he served as Executive Vice President of the Lexington Institute, a nonpartisan think tank in Arlington, VA that he cofounded in 1998. Soifer directed the institute’s education and other domestic-policy research programs. He also created and ran the Lexington Education Leadership Award Fellowship, the nation’s first national fellowship for school district leaders supporting personalized learning with technical partners Education Elements.

Soifer has built a record as one of the nation’s most accomplished charter school authorizers. He served an unprecedented three mayor-appointed, Council-confirmed terms on the District of Columbia Public Charter School Board beginning in 2008. He was widely regarded as a driving force transforming one of the nation’s most successful charter authorizers as it instituted systems for prioritizing quality for the 120+ schools overseen, via a new national model accountability framework, equity, transparency and responsible authorizing. He subsequently served as a board member on the Nevada State Public Charter School Authority, appointed by the State Board of Education, from 2019-2021, during which time he played an instrumental role driving the agency’s focus on quality schools and equitable opportunity.

He has been a fellow with the Aspen-Pahara Institute Education Fellowship since 2018.

Soifer has also served as a strategy consultant for companies, including Fortune 100 companies, across multiple economic sectors.

Soifer’s research has been published and discussed in many of the nation’s most influential news publications and policy journals, and cited by policy decisionmakers at all levels of government, including the U.S. Supreme Court.

He has testified before the U.S. Congress on several occasions, in official hearings of various federal and state agencies and legislatures, and has appeared regularly on television and radio programs around the country.

About Ashley Campbell: Ashley Campbell is Chief of Staff at Nevada Action for School Options. Before coming to Nevada Action for School Options, Ashley was the Assistant Director for The Pinecrest Foundation and the Community Coordinator for Pinecrest Academy, Horizon Campus. Ashley oversaw many initiatives, including teacher initiatives geared towards teacher retention and addressing the teacher shortage. In addition, Ashley worked in project development, raising funds for underserved students and student scholarships. As Community Coordinator, Ashley was responsible for implementing many programs at Pinecrest Horizon, such as annual block parties and family nights. She was instrumental in increasing enrollment by 7% in 2019.

Before joining Pinecrest, Ashley worked in the independent film market as both an actress and producer. Producing films gave Ashley experience in leading multiple teams, as well as overseeing projects with a variety of budgets. Working as an actress provided Ashley the opportunity to learn from industry professionals, such as Matt Damon and Elijah Wood.

Ashley is committed to improving education in Nevada, and firmly believes that the best way to do that is to ensure that educational opportunities not only exist, but thrive.

Jump in the Conversation: * [1:36] - Being an action tank * [3:08] - Making partnership micro-schooling work * [6:26] - How it compares to public schools - how it looked different * [9:16] - Goal of building strong ecosystems of independent micro-schools * [11:10] - How funding works * [12:48] - The role of Nevada Action * [14:38] - Relationships between technical partner and host partner are important * [15:30] - Be creative about getting dollars into education * [17:57] - Employers can improve system - employer-sponsored partnership * [18:31] - Teachers crave family buy-in and involvement * [20:01] - Kids have given up on school - able to deal with sit? * [20:57] - Fundamental shift families were working so hard and struggling that they started rethinking relationships with institution * [22:36] - There are people who want to help you * [23:35] - Fundamental relationships really matter * [25:15] - Turbo Time * [28:29] - Biggest thing people need to know about student-driven learning * [32:58] - Ashley’s Magic Wand * [33:37] - Don’s Magic Wand * [33:14] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources * Nevada Action for Schools * Empower: What Happens When Students Own Their Learning by John Spencer and AJ Juliani * A Time to Build: From Family and Community to Congress and the Campus, How Recommitting to Our Institutions Can Revive the American Dream by Yuval Levin * EdActive Summit * Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution

• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective

• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

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Kids need to feel that their passions and ideas matter. Unfortunately, our system is set up to mold kids into who we want them to be. Schools are guilty of this and even well-meaning parents are guilty of it. We have our own versions of success in our minds and trying to steer children on our path is setting them up for failure and for feeling unseen. This week on the podcast, Luthern Williams is sharing how his school, New Roads School, is doing things differently. And he proves that small, private, and even budget-conscious (or budget-restricted) schools can offer a path for all learners and keep inclusivity and access at its core.

Luthern shares how New Roads has managed to offer 35 electives for middle school students and 65 electives for high schoolers and what this has done to boost the possibilities these students have. We also talk about how radical inclusion doesn’t just benefit the student, why children need to be invited to show up authentically, and why so many children are having mental health issues today.

This episode truly dissects a school and a leader who are living in their values.

About Luthern Williams: Luthern Williams, a visionary educational leader, is the Head of School at New Roads School in Santa Monica, California. He holds a BA from the University of Pennsylvania and an Ed.M. in School Leadership from Harvard University. Previously, Luthern was the Assistant Head of School for Program and Middle School Director at New Roads School. Luthern has over twenty-five years of experience as an administrator and English teacher in independent schools in New York City, Boston, and Los Angeles. He served as the Director of College Preparation and College Admissions at College Launch, an educational consulting company; the Director of Studies at the Oakwood School in North Hollywood, California; the Upper School Director at Beaver Country Day School in Boston, Massachusetts; and the Director of Diversity at the Winsor School in Boston, Massachusetts.

Throughout his career, he has drawn on his extensive knowledge of education to align schools’ programs with their missions and to build educational models where all children thrive; learn love, respect, empathy, and compassion; and develop the tools to create a world based on the inherent dignity and worth of each individual. To prepare teachers to educate for this “New World,” Luthern has contributed to the design, redesign, and development of one of the premier teacher induction and professional development programs for independent schools in the nation as well as created professional development processes in many independent schools. In addition, Luthern has trained teachers to devise strategies and assessments for students with various learning styles as well as culturally sensitive teaching methods and curricula.

He has done talks, interviews, presentations and workshops about education on the local, state, national, and international level, including speaking on a panel for the United States Department of Education, Office of Nonpublic Education. He has consulted nationally on education, and he has written articles in this field. In addition, he has served as Board Chair and Board member on nonprofit boards. Currently, he sits on the Board of Directors of California Association of Independent Schools, Private School Axis, Los Encinos School, and the Advisory Board of the National Diversity Coalition. Luthern is deeply committed to democratizing meaningful access to high quality education for socio-economically disadvantaged students and developing schools, built on wellbeing, that are catalysts for societal transformation.

Jump in the Conversation: * [2:26] - What New Road School is all about * [2:48] - It’s the role of school to develop the gifts of children * [3:18] - Kids are young people with feelings and thoughts; give them the tools to explore joy of learning * [4:50] - Robust electives * [6:11] - Structure and freedom allows the school to do more * [9:35] - You have to make sacrifices aligned with value * [12:04 - Creative links * [13:19] - Inviting children to be tested on multiple levels * [14:21] - Meeting the needs of all children * [16:37] - Radical inclusion * [18:58] - All children benefit from diversity if it’s leveraged * [24:09] - Sustaining the school over the years * [25:45] - Why Luthern chooses to do this work * [29:03] - Turbo time * [30:25] - What you need to know about academic rigor * [33:24] - How you can become an educational activist * [36:16] - Luthern’s Magic Wand * [37:31] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources * New Roads School * Culturally Responsive Teaching * Rita Pearson's Ted Talk: Every Kid Needs a Champion * Episode 97: Creating Trauma-Informed Classrooms & Putting Kids First * Find out more about the EdActive Summit! * Diversity Makes You Brighter * Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution

• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective

• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

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Schools try to help and support families with neurodiverse learners, but there’s not a lot of wiggle room for anyone who doesn’t fit into the “normal” box. What schools don’t acknowledge is that no two kids will ever be the same or learn in the same way.

It’s the parents’ responsibility to advocate for their children and to help (kindly) educate schools, teachers, and other parents about how their child navigates the world.

Our system is setting kids up for failure, and that’s the last thing our kids or we as educators and parents want.

This week on the podcast, I’m talking with Debbie Reber, author of Differently Wired, a parent of a “differently wired” child, and founder of TiLT Parenting. Debbie found herself doing research and creating tools to help her own child and wanted to be able to offer them to other parents.

We talk about how schools can honor learner differences, how our system is set up for failure, and how COVID has positively impacted the way we teach our kids. It’s a must-listen for anyone who teaches or parents differently wired kiddos.

About Debbie Reber: Debbie Reber, MA, is a parenting activist, New York Times bestselling author, podcast host, and speaker who moved her career in a more personal direction in 2016 when she founded TiLT Parenting, a resource for raising differently wired children. The TiLT Parenting Podcast has 4 million downloads and a slate of guests that includes high-profile thought leaders across the parenting and education space. A certified Positive Discipline trainer and a regular contributor to Psychology Today and ADDitude Magazine, Debbie’s newest book is Differently Wired: Parenting an Atypical Child with Confidence and Hope. In November 2018, she spoke at TEDxAmsterdam, delivering a talk entitled Why the Future Will Be Differently Wired. Follow TiLT Parenting on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Jump in the Conversation: * [3:00] - Going beyond parenting to creating resources for other parents * [5:04] - Tilt Parenting - resource and podcast * [7:15] - Most common frustrations in school communities * [9:21] - How schools can honor learner differences * [10:54] - Our system is set up for failure * [13:48] - How parents can advocate for their kids * [17:41] - Finding community online * [22:20] - We’re afraid of failing our kids * [24:24] - Turbo Time * [27:38] - What you need to know about TiLTing * [32:27] - Debbie’s Magic Wand * [34:30] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources * Episode 8: Creating Teams of Learning Support * The End of Average by Todd Rose * The Myth of Average TEDx Talk by Todd Rose * Dr. Ross Green and The Explosive Child book * The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris * Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution

• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective

• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

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We teach children that everyone is special and unique; everyone is different. So why is it that we don’t model for kids how to embrace those differences in school? Instead, we expect children to conform to the way “normal” children should learn and develop. Instead of labeling children with diagnoses, which generally only serve to fund resources, we should embrace the differences of everyone.

According to this week’s guest, Dr. Bibi Pirayesh, disability is the social justice issue of ableism. Like racism and sexism, ableism puts up walls that are difficult to tear down.

In this episode, Bibi and I discuss what is the biggest roadblock of all: the systems and structures that are in place to help kids, but really are ways to force kids to conform.

I love the work that Bibi is doing to help anyone who doesn’t fit into the “normal” box feel seen and heard and find community in this global world.

About Dr. Bibi Pirayesh: Dr. Pirayesh holds a Bachelor's degree in Neuroscience and Education from the University of Pittsburgh and a Master's degree in Developmental Psychology from Columbia University where her work focused primarily on children’s development of mathematical thinking and cognitive neuroscience. She has worked as a learning specialist and educational therapist in private practice for over a decade.

While the emphasis of her work is on remediating learning disabilities in a one-on-one setting, she is also a sought after speaker and community advocate for children and families around learning rights. She works with children grades 1-12 and covers a wide range of learning difficulties including dyslexia, ADHD, and spectrum disorders. In 2020, Dr. Pirayesh launched The Difference is Not Deficit Project in 2020 to help promote the importance of seeing learning disability as a social justice issue, which was also the cornerstone of her doctoral research. In addition to her work in her practice, Dr. Pirayesh is also adjunct faculty at Pepperdine University and is involved with a number of service organizations including The Association of Educational Therapists. Connect with her on LinkedIn or visit her website.

Jump in the Conversation: * [1:48] - We must transform the school and learning construct * [3:33] - Words matter - difference, deficit, disability * [5:43] - We need to have a conversation about how we diagnose and the issues * [6:35] - The pandemic, isolation, and power of stories * [10:40] - Disability is a social justice issue * [14:28] - The biggest roadblocks to doing better * [18:34] - Turbo Time * [21:05] - What people need to know about supporting kids with learning differences * [25:15] - How to be a better activist * [29:12] - Bibi’s Magic Wand * [30:57] - Maureen’s takeaways

Links & Resources * Episode 87: Empowering Learners & Educating Their Guides * Episode 97: Creating Trauma-Informed Classrooms & Putting Kids First with Dr. Kristen Miller * Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution

• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective

• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

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How hopeful do you feel about the future? Does it show in your interactions with youth? I think we can all use a healthy dose of hope these days, but we’re not talking about it enough. We look at the events of the world today and we stay quiet, feeling like we need to grin and bear it. That’s not true. If you’re struggling, others are struggling. And our youth need to hear stories of love, compassion, and hope. It’s our responsibility as educators to do just that.

This week on the podcast, I’m joined by Lindsay Recknell, a certified expert in hope. She’s sharing why this is so important and the brain science to back up the power of hope. This isn’t a bunch of woo woo talk; it’s real science and actionable steps we can all take to become more hopeful and improve the mental health of our educators, our students, and our communities at large.

About Lindsay Recknell: As an expert in hope and a Certified Psychological Health & Safety Advisor, Lindsay Recknell works with individuals and organizations to increase their levels of psychological health & safety in the workplace using Positive Psychology and the Science of Hope. She empowers individuals, strengthens teams and transforms organizations through her Self-Awareness Superhero, Dream Catalyst and Wellness Webinars programs. She is host of two podcasts, Hope Motivates Action and Mental Health in Minutes. Lindsay lives in Calgary with her husband and their Golden Retriever, Squeak. Connect with her on LinkedIn.

Jump in the Conversation: * [2:01] - Where the work from hope started * [3:25] - Hope has a PR problem * [4:05] - Hope as a catalyst for courage * [6:18] - Feeling like the only one (you’re not) * [6:54] - Hope encourages you to keep learning * [9:40] - If it matters to you, it matters * [11:50] - How to implement hope conversations with young adults * [15:40] - Activity for teachers to do with students * [20:09] - Growth and personal development after doing this exercise * [21:45] - You learn by doing this with students * [22:27] - The difference between hope and optimism * [27:15] - Turbo Time * [28:53] - What you need to know about the practice of hope * [29:26] - It’s all about mental health * [32:35] - Lindsay’s Magic Wand * [34:18] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources * Hope Motivates Action: Creating Change in Education * Making Hope Happen by Dr. Shane Lopez * The Book of Joy (on audible) * Episode 97: Creating Trauma-Informed Classrooms and Putting Kids First with Dr. Kristen Miller * Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution

• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective

• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

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One of the biggest disservices we do to our youth is to expect them to graduate from high school knowing what they’re going to do in their future without giving them any guidance or help in figuring that out.

Instead, we need to support their passions and interests while encouraging them to put together their own narrative of success. Because success looks different for everyone.

That story they tell can prepare them for what happens after high school and, even better, they’ll be ready for it.

This week on the podcast, I’m talking with Ekta Sahasi, founder of spikeview, a global pre-professional portfolio platform for students and young adults. We talk about the journey our youngest generation takes on the path through school and how important it is for them to build their own narrative reflecting the way they see themselves now and along the journey.

It’s our job as their teachers and parents to be their guide.

About Ekta Sahasi: Ekta Sahasi is the Founder of spikeview, a global pre-professional portfolio platform for students and young adults. She is reinventing how Gen-Z represents themselves online, build meaningful networks, and effectively lean in on their diverse experiences and interest vectors to forge a pathway to success.

Before spikeview, Ekta spent 20 years at large corporations and start-ups in Silicon Valley leading Corporate Innovation, Research, Digital Transformation, and start-up spinout efforts. Ekta is also a seasoned technology investor, a mentor, and an advisor, who is always excited to discuss ideas that will have a profound, positive impact on the global society. Among her peers, Ekta is known as a passionate entrepreneur who leads with confidence, candor, and courage.

Jump in the Conversation: * [1:25] - Schools prepare students for school, not real life * [2:36] - Empower students to tell their narrative as they learn * [4:04] - Who is Gen Z and how can we help them connect to real life * [6:54] - What happens when students engage in competitions * [9:25] - Why spikeview is important now * [14:14] - Self-realization matters * [18:18] - What’s preventing spikeview from getting visibility * [20:11] - How businesses can use spikeview * [22:41] - Alumni is a role models for others for connections and collaborations * [22:12] - Collaborating with others in the tech community * [24:36] - How biz can support education more * [28:57] - Turbo Time * [39:50] - Ekta’s Magic Wand * [42:33] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Link * Spikeview * Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance * Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution

• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective

• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

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Does a high school diploma make kids ready for the workforce? The answer is no. Sure, they have knowledge of history and geography. But high schools don’t teach the relevant, saleable skills that graduates can take to the workforce. Students either have to go to college or learn a skill.

What if our youth learned a skill in high school? A skill that got them ready for work and that they actually wanted to learn about? That’s the idea behind West-MEC, a career and technical education district in Arizona. This week on the podcast, I’m thrilled to bring you West-MEC’s superintendent, Gregory Donovan.

Greg’s passion for allowing kids to fit into their own boxes, instead of fitting everyone into the same box, really shines through. He supports relevance in education and making sure kids (and the public) know that there are so many different pathways one can take in any given industry.

Before you encourage your students to apply for college, listen in. College alone is not enough. Nor does everyone need to attend college, and not everyone wants to. Let’s make that okay, because it is!

About Greg Donovan: Gregory J. Donovan serves as the Superintendent of Western Maricopa Education Center (West-MEC) public school district #402, the Career and Technical Education District (CTED) currently serving twelve school districts primarily in Western Maricopa County. Donovan has served as Superintendent for fifteen years, the entire history of the CTED. Ten years prior to that position, he was with Northern Arizona University’s Institute for Future Workforce Development developing and implementing statewide Career and Technical Education (CTE) curriculum and facilitating teacher development. He also worked at the Arizona Department of Education in the CTE division and was a teacher and program director in local school districts. Overall, Donovan has thirty-eight years of educational experience, including eight years of service on the Peoria Unified School District Governing Board.

Jump in the Conversation: * [2:57] - What is West-MEC? * [4:03] - School transformation and evolution for Greg * [6:00] - The biggest needs for students in the US right now * [7:10] - Students are “mediocre” because they don’t see the point and purpose * [8:45] - How West-MEC is meeting kids with the right student, right program * [9:36] - Do your kids know what you do for a living? * [12:38] - We’re putting more stuff in the same sized sack * [14:15] - We need to start talking about career pathways, passion, from the youngest ages * [16:44] - We need to bring more relevance to education system * [18:18] - What traditional educators can do right now to help make classes more relevant * [21:43] - What they’re not telling you about scholarship distributions * [26:53] - The college dropout rate is huge * [27:08] - 20% of jobs in America require a bachelor’s degree * [29:48] - What a high school diploma qualifies you to do (nothing) * [36:31] - Recent cultural shifts in education * [37:04] - We don’t have to fit in the same box * [37:40] - Turbo Time * [48:09] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources

• Career Trees
• Janet Napolitano

• Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution

• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective

• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

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We don’t build houses without first laying a solid foundation. So why do we expect children to learn without first making sure they feel safe and secure?

COVID has been a complex trauma for us all, yet we’re pushing on rather than taking the time to process the information and being mindful of what students (and teachers!) are experiencing. Because if students aren’t regulated, they cannot process academic content.

On this episode, Dr. Kristen Miller of With Heart Project is sharing her research on the brain and why, when we take the time to make sure our students feel safe and that they belong, academic retention and scores increase dramatically.

In the episode, she shares her perspective on positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS), acute vs. complex trauma, how trauma changes people, how teachers can meet the demands of students, and so much more.

About Dr. Kristen Miller: Following a three-year engineering career, Kristen Miller spent 13 years in education teaching predominantly high school mathematics, AVID and Career Technical Education, and serving as a middle school Vice Principal in Northern California.

Seeing a huge need for high quality social and emotional interventions, systems and supports, Miller created a youth empowerment organization, With Heart Project (WHP), to work alongside schools and districts promoting Social-Emotional Wellness (SEL), Restorative Practices (RP), and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS).

In her inaugural year, she partnered with a high-poverty middle school in Northern California to create and implement practices, processes, and procedures to decrease student suspension rates and increase academic achievement. Her results were remarkable. Her efforts yielded a 79% growth in Common Core Mathematics achievement, as well as reduction in discipline and attendance infractions, increase in GPA, and increase in math and reading grade levels among at-risk students

Jump in the Conversation: * [3:13] - The impact of restorative practices * [6:14] - You have to pair amends with accountability * [7:17] - PBIS - positive behaviorial interventions and supports * [8:04] - Social emotional learning * [8:04] - PBIS is just good teaching, good education * [9:22] - Trauma informed teaching and learning * [12:28] - COVID causes disregulation * [13:22] - Kristen’s pre-pandemic research * [16:38] -What educators need to be focused on * [18:55] - We’re all experiencing acute trauma right now * [19:38] - How to help teachers meet these demands * [22:36] - Getting into policy side of things * [25:08] - Turbo Time * [29:22] - Kristen’s Magic Wand * [31:14] - Maureen’s takeaways

Link * What Happened to You by Dr. Bruce Perry and Oprah Winfrey * Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution

• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective

• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

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Teachers are (still!) not okay, and that’s coming straight from the mouth of a teacher. The pandemic continues, and teachers continue to struggle with making the impact they went into the profession to make.

The result is a lot of burnout and frustration, a lot of complaining (from teachers, students, administrators, parents), and a mass exodus of teachers leaving the profession. This week’s guest is not one of those teachers. In fact, he’s a teacher on a mission to help others get back to themselves and the impact they want to make.

This is Dan Tricarico’s second appearance on the podcast and it won’t be his last. As a school administrator, it was helpful to hear Dan’s perspective on what he’s seeing and hearing from other teachers. And he shares what teachers, leaders, and parents can do to help support the wellbeing of their educators.

It’s an enlightening conversation that will leave you with a different perspective of what teaching and learning look like right now.

About Dan Tricarico: After 30 years as a high school English teacher, Dan Tricarico found himself heading toward burnout and knew something had to change. Wanting to continue as a teacher, he cultivated strategies that helped him reclaim his control and stay in the classroom.

Today, Tricarico is a national speaker who shares his expertise and insight to show teachers how to reduce their stress and improve their self-care, so they can thrive both inside and outside the classroom.

He is author of The Zen Teacher: Focus Simplicity and Tranquility in the Classroom and Sanctuaries: Self-Care Secrets for Stressed Out Teachers. Creator of The Zen Teacher 5 Step Blueprint, he has also been featured in Fast Company Magazine, EduTopia, Teacher 2 Teacher, and The Truth for Teachers and Talks with Teachers Podcasts.

Jump in the Conversation: * [2:51] - Dan becomes international resource for teachers * [6:02] - Dan’s second book: Sanctuaries * [6:25] - You have more control than you think as an educator * [7:18] - You can control your response to the next shutdown * [7:47] - Teachers’ situation as pandemic drags on * [8:18] - Teachers master the pivot * [11:05] - Business as usual? * [11:46] - Underlying friction makes the whole thing harder * [13:28] - This is where we are; accept it * [14:07] - Key recommendations for educators * [16:21] - Give yourself the gift of stillness and silence * [18:28] - What can school leaders do right now to help teachers * [20:12] - Tired of talking about self care * [21:40] - Trying to walk my talk * [22:45] - What parents can do to help in the schools * [25:12] - Message to parents: Trust us * [26:23] - Turbo Time * [30:19] - Dan’s Magic Wand * [31:36] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Link * The Zen Teacher * Circle of Influence * Episode 50: Zen Teaching * Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning * The Zen Teacher: Focus Simplicity and Tranquility in the Classroom * Sanctuaries: Self-Care Secrets for Stressed Out Teachers * Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution

• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective

• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

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With schools struggling to stay open between COVID and teachers leaving the profession in droves we definitely need some wisdom and inspiration in the field of education right now. Who out there is moving learning forward? And what is giving us hope?

If we’re going to make it through this challenging time in history, actively searching for and reflecting on lessons and hope is going to be crucial. Otherwise, we’ll find ourselves right back where we were before the pandemic. And while we’re not in a good place now, we certainly weren’t in a good place pre-COVID.

This week on the podcast, I’m sharing some recent sources of wisdom and hope I’ve found in the connections and conversations I’m having. It’s the little nuggets that hit deeply and that can make a big impact over time.

Listen in to some of the ways you, too, can flip the script and step back from feeling discouraged at the state of the schools right now and sit into more hope. It’s needed!

Jump in the Conversation: * [1:11] - We need wisdom and inspiration in education * [1:34] - Our micro-school is a great place to learn * [2:25] - With reflection, you’ll find sources that are moving you forward * [4:40] - 10% Happier app - re-engage in meditation * [7:24] - What can you control? * [7:35] - Find your Circle of influence * [11:05] - Hope is a life raft when ocean of life is overwhelming * [11:20] - 3 things to make us happy * [12:10] Takeaways from the EdActive Collective gathering * [14:00] The hopeful push for access to kindergarten * [15:04] - Asking leaders to highlight things that give them hope

Links & Resources * Covey Circle of Influence - video clip * Episode 86: Breaking Down Barriers to Change Laws in Education with Emily Ann Gullickson * Policy innovators in education * Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution

• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective

• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

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Anyone can create change, so long as they have the heart and drive for it. This week’s guest is a model for this. Not liking what she saw in education, Monique Sayers looked inward and got to work. She gathered a community of other passionate change agents and co-authored a book of resources, stories, and insights that they hope will transform education to become the highest good of all. In our interview, we talk about bringing the “woo woo” into education--because love shouldn’t be brushed off. We also share what’s holding us back from real change, what leaders need to do to really impact our kids, and why energy is evolutionary and ever-changing.

This might be a new way of looking at educational change, and I love that she’s bringing a new perspective to it all. There’s room for us all, and while one size doesn’t fit all when it comes to learning, the same can be said for transforming education. Who’s in?

About Monique Sayers: Monique Sayers is the visionary for A New Paradigm of Education which is a culmination of her life’s work as a passionate educator, mother, and awakened meditation healer. She offers this vision to all of humanity to awaken and bring forth a new paradigm that will serve ALL students for their highest good.

She’s taught over 20,000 students from all over the world TEFL/English, primary school, and Online classes. She’s taught in classrooms across China, Bali, Uruguay, and her mother country, Australia. Monique also set up free global online English classes for all students to access as she truly wanted to create accessible learning for all. Her skills are diverse, ranging from being an Australian Life-Saver trainer at the beach, a training consultant in an office, and a meditation guide in the inner home. Her favorite classroom is the ocean and her greatest teacher is her daughter, Coral. As part of her service to the planet, she combines her background of teaching foundational skills combined with courses in meditation, visioning, and other new paradigm ways of learning. You can connect with her on LinkedIn or join her Facebook group of innovative changemakers.

Jump in the Conversation: * [2:50] - How Monique got built a collaborative group * [5:45] - Change is happening before our eyes; what are we going to do with that? * [7:24] - Kindred spirits finding one another * [10:11] - There’s a shift globally around stepping into love * [10:49] - Debunking the past of education and healing the wounds * [11:24] - If we do our own work, we can help students better * [12:11] - The ego and systems are holding us back * [13:58] - We’re stronger together * [14:54] - We’re not made to do things alone * [15:24] - What’s for the highest good of students? * [16:54] - What’s best for one student isn’t best for others * [17:55] - One size fits all never fits all * [20:05] - What’s next for shifting the paradigm * [22:59] - Turbo Time * [26:18] - What you need to know about collaborating for change * [28:13] - Monique’s Magic Wand * [28:48] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources * A New Paradigm of Education * A New Paradigm of Education: How to Support the Next Generations of Change-makers and Radically Inspire NEW Ways of Education * Episode 42: The With Heart Project * 10% Happier App * Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution

• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective

• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

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So much of what we do in education is based around “getting through the curriculum” and checking off skills that students have “mastered.” It’s safe to say that this isn’t working, and it frankly never has.

Every child is different and every child learns at a different rate. The notion that you can teach concepts in a string of ideas and that students will latch onto them in order is archaic.

There’s a different way to approach teaching and learning and this week’s guest, Catherine Saldutti of EduChange has found it. In this episode, we talk about how students and lifelong learners alike can deepen our understanding of concepts over time, the most important thing we need to do as a society if we want students to learn, the role trust plays in education, and what mastery really should look like.

This is such an important conversation stuffed full of resources and tools you can take back to your own school or initiative so we can truly start changing education for our future’s benefit.

About Catherine Saldutti: Catherine Saldutti has over 28 years of experience in secondary education and has served as a teacher, administrator, professional development provider, program evaluator, and learning systems designer. She founded EduChange in 2000 to fundamentally reimagine and redesign the systems and structures that deliver formal education.

Catherine’s team of senior designers, master educators, and researchers built relationships with over 350 schools in New York City, several school districts across the USA, and in Sao Paulo, Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo, Culiacan, and Tijuana. After a 12-year implementation period in eight global locations, alongside three rounds of academic & scientific peer review, The Integrated Science Program is now powered by Sustainable Open Educational Resources (SOER) that removes disciplinary silos, is competency-based, is grounded in the Sciences of Learning & Development (SoLD) and UDL, is digitally deployed internationally using four different models, and may be customized to local and national requirements.

Catherine also holds a patent for Concept Construxions, a pattern-recognition system that helps learners construct concepts and acquire academic or technical language in social, collaborative ways. Catherine earned degrees from Stanford University, where her independent study on International Technology Education contributed to J. Myron Atkin’s work on TIMSS development, and The Harvard Graduate School of Education, where she served as Chair of the Dean’s Advisory Committee.

Jump in the Conversation: * [2:15] - How Catherine is creating change * [4:19] - Some of the basics of supporting learning * [4:53] - What we’ve learned about learning * [7:43] - Why the one and done model doesn’t work * [8:43] - Students aren’t blank slates * [10:45] - The #1 thing we need to do if we want kids to learn * [12:09] - the heart of the work at Educhange * [14:28] - What needs to happen to start to make this change * [16:46 ] Humans have an emotional relationship with time and it’s one of our biggest problems * [19:40] - The role of “mastery” of standards and what it means * [24:38] - What about systems and structures we have in place need to be/can be dismantled * [26:30] - Turbo time * [31:04] - What people need to know about the concept of time * [34:09] - How others can become activists and transform schools * [37:18] - Catherine’s Magic Wand * [39:02] - Maureen’s takeaways

Links & Resources * 10 Design Shifts for Open Learning Architecture * Catherine’s Design Blog * Programs, Courses, Projects, Lessons: Reshaping High School Content for Equity * Research: Implications for the educational practice of the science of learning and development * Video: The Physics and Philosophy of Time with Carlo Rovelli * Book: Thinking in Systems by Donella Meadows * Book: The Rise: Creativity, the Gift of Failure, and the Search for Mastery by Sarah Lewis * Book: Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson * Book: Free Play: Improvisation in Life and Art by Stephen Nachmanovitch * Dame Stephanie Shirley’s TED Talk * Podcast: The Promise of a Brighter Kingdom with Kim Hudson, author of The Virgin’s Promise * Talk: Redefining Economic Value with Mariana Mazzucato * Episode 72: Bringing Psychological Safety to Our Teachers with Michael Vargas * Episode 89: Achieving Excellence Through Equity (not Equality) in Education with Steven Cleveland * Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution

• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective

• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

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With school back in session, things have changed. Again. Many schools have gone back to virtual or hybrid and that’s wreaking havoc on kids, teachers, parents, administrators, and the general public. So we’re leaning again (still?) on technology and innovation.

Though the increased rates of COVID is scary and unfortunate, this is an opportunity to embrace new ways of doing things. New ways that we should have been using well before the pandemic.

This week on the podcast, I’m talking again with Meg Ormiston, an educational consultant, about how schools can solve the challenges of remote learning without disrupting the classroom climate. We offer real solutions based on what we’re seeing schools do right and I sincerely hope that some of these ideas get traction on a wider scale.

We also discuss the EdActive Collective and the second annual EdActive summit, which is coming in April 2022.

About Meg Ormiston: Meg Ormiston, in her role as a consultant, partners with school systems that have committed to 21st century learning experiences for everyone. Meg creates a unique partnership in each district, reflecting the mission, vision, and direction that local leaders identify. Her districtwide projects include guiding teams through the visioning process, designing and delivering professional development, facilitating classroom modeling, developing student leaders in technology, and educating parents.

Meg is the lead author in the NOW Classrooms series of five books all published in 2018. The books, written by 27 practicing educators, are organized into grade bands of k-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12 and leadership guide. The NOW Classrooms: Lessons for Enhancing Teaching and Learning Through Technology books are practical and sequence technology skills k-12. The 3-5 NOW book was awarded a Teachers Choice Award by Learning Magazine. Also, Meg was named as “2018’s Most Influential People in EdTech” by Tech and Learning Magazine.

After twelve years teaching and coaching in the classroom, Meg volunteered on her local school board, facilitated grant projects, and continued researching and writing about best practices.

To learn more about Meg’s work, follow @megormi on Twitter.

Jump Through the Conversation:

• [1:59] - Survival mode in schools vs. evolution
• [4:44] - New year, new variant
• [6:25] - Keeping teachers on front line
• [8:35] - A new (positive!) trend Meg sees
• [10:36] - Giving students choices
• [12:15] - Step back and ask students what they want their post-pandemic portfolio to look like
• [13:18] - We’ve lost track of students
• [16:48] - There’s so many places to learn
• [19:08] - Educational professionals pulling together
• [22:24] - Turbo Time
• [35:36] - Meg’s magic wand - continue to collaborate together, hear different voices, ideas and approaches - together we’re smarter; let’s share our wisdom
• [36:29] Maureen’s takeaways

Links and Resources:

• Outschool mini-courses
• MOOCs, an extension of edx.org
• EdActive Collective 2021 summit presentations
• Calm app for sleep and meditation
• 10% Happier mindfulness app
• Roblox game
• Dr. Stacy Gonzalez, virtual empowerment coach
• The Metaverse

• Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution

• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective

• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

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Think about how different the lives of our children are, compared to how we grew up or how our parents and grandparents grew up. It’s like night and day when you consider the technology changes, social development, human connection, racial awakening, and more.

And yet. The status quo in education is for students to sit in a classroom and listen to a teacher talk.

We’ve learned so much over the years about the importance of student agency, getting the child involved, hands-on learning, and more. Yet we keep doing the same thing and expect different results from the young adults in the workforce.

This week on the podcast, I’m talking with Peter Hostrawser, the “unlearning coach,” about how we can stop checking off boxes in the classroom and start to let kids share their stories and design their own education.

It wouldn’t be difficult for any educational institution to get started; all it takes is an open mind and a desire to do things differently. With how different life is today, I’d say it’s a requirement.

About Peter Hostrawser: Known as the "Unlearning Coach", Peter Hostrawser has been a business educator for over 20 years. He is an entrepreneur and change agent for traditional educational systems as well as a business coach. Peter has helped hundreds of entrepreneurs and educators innovate their craft. Peter is the host of the Disrupt Education Podcast where creative and non-traditional learners share their stories and thoughts on how to change education. He currently teaches business at Amos Alonzo Stagg High School in Palos Hills, Illinois, USA, is an eLearning Curriculum Developer and EdTech consultant.

Jump in the Conversation: * [1:40] - Disrupting and evolving education for Peter * [3:54] - Times have changed and what we need to do * [5:18] - Unlearn the status quo * [6:17] - Most interesting question in education * [7:20] - Let students lead their own stories * [8:54] - Creating an audience and purpose for what kids create * [13:41] - Where to start helping kids to own their story * [17:26] - Kids are willing to teach us if we truly want to learn * [18:46] - What’s next for Peter and his mission * [20:02] - Turbo Time * [24:20] - What to know about finding your value * [26:18] - Peter’s Magic Wand - That school is the place where curiosity met experience and they can follow their curiosity (also in communities); where people not afraid to fail * [27:49] - Maureen’s takeaways

Links & Resources * EF Education as a Human Right Tour * Disrupt Education Podcast * Listen to my interview on the Disrupt Education Podcast * Spikeview portfolio platform * Agilities profile and career information * Episode 11: Aligning Kids’ Futures with Agilities Testing * The Giant Killer book and Amazon movie * Sir Ken Robinson’s TED talk: Do Schools Kill Creativity? * Email Maureen * Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools * The Education Evolution * Facebook: Follow Education Evolution * Twitter: Follow Education Evolution * LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution * EdActive Collective * Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids * Micro-school feature on Good Morning America * The Micro-School Coalition * Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition * LEADPrep

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So many of us said goodbye to 2020 with starry-eyed hope for 2021...only to feel a sucker-punch at all that this year has offered up to us. I’ve felt the same way in many aspects.

But while 2021 wasn’t the year we had hoped, I choose to look at the positives. I want to take learnings from this year and grow from them in the new year. Hit a reset button, if you will.

This week on the podcast, I’m reflecting on four big bright spots of 2021 that have impacted society on a global scale. And I’m sharing my own three big lessons from the year. Some of these lessons we’ve already put into action at my micro-school, LEADPrep, and I’m sharing what that looks like.

I hope you’ll listen to this positive message and take some of the bright spots and learnings to heart, too!

Jump in the Conversation: * [1:21] Hope for 2021 & a sucker-punch * [2:30] Finding the positive and hitting the reset button * [2:44] 4 bright spots * [4:05] Learnings from 2021 * [6:17] Difficulty seeing ripple effect of positives * [6:38] 3 big lessons from this year * [7:35] Being exhausted and low stamina doesn’t change hearts * [12:18] speaking of moving on, hit the reset button

Links & Resources * Email Maureen * Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools * The Education Evolution * Facebook: Follow Education Evolution * Twitter: Follow Education Evolution * LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution * EdActive Collective * Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids * Micro-school feature on Good Morning America * The Micro-School Coalition * Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition * LEADPrep

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We’ve all heard that equality and equity are not one and the same. What one child needs to be successful can (and likely is) wildly different from what another child needs to be successful. But yet, so many schools still teach prescribed curriculum to the masses.

On this episode, Professor Steven Cleveland is sharing his own take on equality and equity and offers a different way to look at it--one that will make the concepts crystal clear.

Steven’s understanding of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s old-school love message is sure to build bridges and develop solutions for everyone, while at the same time not wasting time and energy focusing on our differences of opinion. His perspective on loving those you disagree with and choosing to focus on commonalities and success is refreshing.

Tune in for a fun and really positive conversation around critical race theory, transformative parents, equality, and making sure students feel centered. You won’t want to miss this one!

About Professor Steven Cleveland: Steven was born into poverty in Birmingham, Alabama. His family eventually settled in the Bay Area, specifically Richmond, CA, which at the time had more murders per capita than anywhere else in the country. From these humble beginnings, Steven graduated from UCLA & USC in Los Angeles, the first of his family to go to college.

College transformed Steven’s worldview by opening him up to the many possibilities that are available but when he returned home to his “ghetto,” he noticed a different message of hopelessness. He wanted to change that message through the use of film and education.

After cutting his teeth in production on music videos for such artists as Dr. Dre, Tupac Shakur, and Mandy Moore, Steven was fortunate enough to executive produce commercials and music videos for the likes of the Old Lahaina Luau Company and Grammy Award Nominee Ledisi. He then began to develop a media-based service-learning curriculum aimed at producing high-quality media by pairing professionals with youth.

The marriage of cultural exploration via the arts served him well in both of his roles, i.e. filmmaker & educator. At Cal State University, East Bay, Steven is a Black Studies Professor in the Department of Ethnic Studies, a Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) Professor in the Department of History, and an African American (AFAM) Faculty Fellow at the Diversity and Inclusion Student Center (DISC). Currently, Steven resides in Los Angeles where he wakes up every day working to infuse Black Humanity into a variety of media projects.

Jump in the Conversation: * [2:03] How transforming learning began for Steven * [2:40] Power of parents as tools for transforming education * [4:08] What to consider in critical race theory construct * [6:15] Social justice isn’t one size fits all * [7:31] Black Excellence Project * [11:10] MLK’s old school love * [14:23] Applying radical love to education * [16:34] Collaboration: We can’t get there alone * [17:43] Commonalities are the heart of collaboration * [18:57] Turbo Time * [22:32] How to become a change agent in education * [24:04] Steven’s Magic Wand * [26:43] Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources * Episode 57: Hearing Untold Stories for Change * Black Excellence Project * Episode 61: Examining Polarity Thinking * Episode 44: Learning about Trauma-Informed Education * The Dream Begins: How Hawai'i shaped Barack Obama by Stu Glauberman and Jerry Burris * Email Maureen * Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools * The Education Evolution * Facebook: Follow Education Evolution * Twitter: Follow Education Evolution * LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution * EdActive Collective * Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids * Micro-school feature on Good Morning America * The Micro-School Coalition * Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition * LEADPrep

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We have so many amazing educational leaders in the field and I appreciate that we’re able to grow and learn together. But if we rely solely on leaders, our kids don’t have the agency they deserve.

This week on the podcast, I’m talking with Rachel Kittle of Leadership Launch about how her organization is giving kids the real-world experience they need to build confidence and become leaders.

The result? She’s watched incredibly shy youth come out of their shells to talk to community and business leaders. Kids have collaborated with adults, challenged themselves, and become servant leaders as a result of participating in the programs Leadership Launch offers.

As we come out of all the COVID lockdowns and isolation, we need to inspire our youth to get out there, combat their social anxiety, and create safe spaces for them to grow and learn. Creating opportunities for kids to work with mentors opens so many doors, fills needs for the whole community, and allows kids a safe person to support them through trauma and growth.

Tune in now!

About Leadership Launch: Leadership Launch is a nonprofit organization with a mission to empower, equip, and engage student leaders from a place of equity. They work with students in the 9th grade through the first year of college who want to impact the community, grow as leaders, and pursue their dreams.

​Leadership Launch is dedicated to personal development, servant leadership, mentorship, and community engagement. They primarily work with first-generation college-bound students and students facing hardship.

Jump in the Conversation: * [1:54] How educational activism started for Rachel * [2:56] Looking at what impacts you and leveraging that to help others * [3:28] Training kids to look for needs and find ways to fill them * [5:33] The Leadership Launch program * [7:40] Messiness of creating events * [8:45] Success story/transformation story * [10:54] Teaching emotional intelligence through storytelling * [14:13] The growth of social anxiety * [14:50] Biggest roadblocks in creating a program like Leadership Launch * [16:27] Importance of love, community, relationships, and mentorship, even if it’s not measurable * [17:21] Authenticity, Belief, Consistency - the ABCs of excellent mentors * [18:07] Change starts at home * [19:08] What can you do to influence ONE child’s life? * [19:27] What’s next for Rachel and Leadership Launch * [20:32] Turbo Time * [25:30] Rachel’s Magic Wand: That each child has at least one stable, loving adult in their life outside their family * [26:48] Maureen’s Take-Aways

Links & Resources * Leadership Launch * Hinds Feet on High Places * Dr. Stacy Flowers’ TEDx: The 5 People You Need to Be Happy (or for accountability!) * Kauai Trauma-Informed longitudinal study * NIH: ACES information * Episode 44: Trauma-Informed Education * Email Maureen * Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools * The Education Evolution * Facebook: Follow Education Evolution * Twitter: Follow Education Evolution * LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution * EdActive Collective * Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids * Micro-school feature on Good Morning America * The Micro-School Coalition * Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition * LEADPrep

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We know that learning is challenging for many kids, especially when schools rely on a prescribed curriculum that’s voted on from the top--not with individual kids’ needs in mind. Seeing all the gaps in the education system has led many to taking action to support our colorful, mismatched learners. I’m one of those, and so are this week’s guests.

This week we’re talking to three amazing powerhouses in educational change, Kathleen McClaskey, CEO and chief learning officer of Empower the Learner; Julie Hartman, chief mindfulness officer; and Dr. Hillary Goldthwait-Fowles, Chief Accessibility and Technology consultant rounds out the team..

In this episode, we talk about the roadblocks to assistive technology, teaching kids mindfulness and how to empower them, being more compassionate parents and teachers, preconceived notions about learning, and so much more.

This is such an eye-opening and thought-provoking conversation. Be sure to tune in!

About Kathleen McClaskey

Kathleen McClaskey, M.Ed. is CEO and Chief Learning Officer of Empower the Learner, LLC, founder of Make Learning Personal, and co-author of bestsellers Make Learning Personal and How to Personalize Learning, and contributing author to 100 No-Nonsense Things that ALL Teachers Should STOP Doing. She is an innovative thought leader, international speaker, professional developer, and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) consultant with over 35 years of experience in creating learner-centered environments as a teacher, K-12 technology administrator, and consultant. Kathleen is passionate about empowering ALL learners to thrive with tools, skills, and practices so they become self-directed learners, learners with agency, who are future-ready for college, career, and life.

About Julie Hartman

Julie Hartman, Chief Mindfulness Officer for Empower the Learner, is the founder of The Mindful Learner Program, and is also a Life and Mindfulness Coach with over 20 years of experience coaching, mentoring, and teaching. Julie is an eternal optimist dedicated to helping others realize their own inherent worth and empowerment. She designs, leads, and teaches individual and group coaching programs, classes and workshops, meditation groups, and coaching intensives. She is committed to bringing the best of what she is living and learning to her work and continually strives to be a positive leader in the fields of personal growth, mindfulness, and transformation.

About Dr. Hillary Goldthwait-Fowles, ATP

Hillary Goldthwait-Fowles is an accessibility accomplice specializing in assistive and inclusive technology, universal design for learning, and accessible educational materials. She has been in the field of education for 26 years, as a special education teacher and as an assistive technology specialist. She is also an adjunct faculty member, course designer, and subject matter expert at the University of New England and the University of Maine at Farmington. She is a firm believer that educators have been prepared backward to teach in education, which excludes children who do not "fit the mold," and recognizes the intentionality of this harmful design. She serves as the Chief Accessibility and Technology Consultant for ETL. Home is where her heart is in Saco, Maine with her husband, son, and stepson (who have both left the nest) and cats.

Jump in the Conversation:

• [2:28] - What is Empower the Learner (ETL)
• [3:04] - How ETL was formed
• [4:29] - ETL process for getting kids to understand who they are and how they learn
• [6:53] - It’s wrong to teach one way
• [7:32] - If we come at it from a place of love, we can help kids be seen and heard
• [8:49] - Most commonly recommended tools
• [10:33] - We need to presume confidence for all kids
• [11:39] - Mindfulness in personal development
• [15:15] - Using mindfulness for self-regulation
• [16:35] - Examples of how to apply this learning
• [20:22] - Preconceived notions in learning and labels
• [21:27] - Goal is the same; means to get to that goal is flexible
• [24:52] - We’re creating more kids with mental health challenges than we ever have before
• [26:30] If we’re not empowering teachers, how can they empower kids
• [27:29] Turbo Time
• [30:25] What people need to know about UDL
• [32:51] Magic Wand Moment

Links & Resources

• Empower the Learner
• Register for the Book Creator webinar
• Book Creator Empower the Learner template and book
• Follow Kathleen on LinkedIn
• Follow Hillary on LinkedIn
• Follow Julie on LinkedIn
• Mia Mingus’s Disability Justice
• Alice Wong on Identity, Disability Justice, and Her New Anthology
• Joy Zabala and Tools to Task
• Limitless by Jim Kwik
• Judy Heumann: Washington Post article on the “badass mother of disability rights”
• Crip Camp 2020 film on Netflix
• Being Human book by Judy Heumman
• Haben Girma, first deaf/blind graduate of Harvard Law School
• Email Maureen
• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools
• The Education Evolution
• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective
• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids
• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America
• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

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Arizona is a national leader in education reform, having recently passed one of the most robust education reform bills in the nation. The goal? To showcase that seat time does not equate quality learning. Instead, thanks to HB 2862, the state recognizes that instructional time can look vastly different depending on the students’ needs. Imagine that!

This and so much more was possible thanks to the work of Emily Anne Gullickson, CEO of A for Arizona, a nonprofit with a vision to build an education system that prepares every student to succeed in the global economy and contribute to local communities.

In this episode, we talk about the inequities in education today, how schools are taking the learnings from the pandemic and creating new ways to teach and learn, barriers to education because of student access, and so much more.

This is a refreshing conversation about an organization that’s making a big difference in lives and laws. It’s a must-listen for anyone who wants to create viable solutions to the challenge that is education today.

About Emily Anne Gullickson: Emily Anne brings to A for Arizona a unique background of executive, advocacy, legal, and teaching experience as a Teach For America – Phoenix alumna. She is the founder and CEO of A For Arizona and also leads sister organization Great Leaders Strong Schools. Emily Anne was recognized by the Arizona Capitol Times and state Capitol community as Leader of the Year in Education and Best Activist in the State of Arizona, and was recently recognized in Arizona as Best Political Rising Star, Women Achievers of Arizona – Nonprofit Leader, and Breakdown Breakout for being one of the sharpest political minds in Arizona under 40. Nationally, Emily Anne serves on the PIE Network Leadership Council and was recently recognized amongst her peers as a finalist for Breakout Advocate of the Year and Gamechanger Policy of the Year.

Jump in the Conversation: * [4:03] Introducing Emily Anne * [5:08] Where school transformation began for Emily Anne * [6:12] Policy with good intentions - the impact on schools * [7:35] What would happen if we built policy around high performing, innovative schools in high poverty communities * [9:51] Expanding access for next-generation leaders * [10:27] Engaging businesses to improve access * [12:17] Bringing geometry to life * [13:25] HB 2862 - seat time flexibility and innovation * [17:09] Innovation zones * [18:53] Some schools are running with change * [20:56] Barriers to dismantle * [25:23] Benefits of micro-schools: the relationship aspect * [26:56] It doesn’t have to be either-or * [28:09] Barriers of transportation to student access - beyond the bus driver shortage * [33:53] how others can begin to engage the government and change laws * [36:46] What’s your biggest hurdle to serve families and how can you get past it * [40:30] Turbo Time * [45:05] What you need to know about educational policy making * [46:36] Emily Anne’s Magic Wand * [49:53] Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources

• A for Arizona
• Carnegie units
• VELA Education Fund
• A Fine Line: How Most American Kids are Kept Out of the Best Public Schools by Tim DeRoch
• TED talk: Brene Brown’s The Power of Vulnerability
• Email Maureen
• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools
• The Education Evolution
• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective
• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids
• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America
• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

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Our youth and young adults have so many more options than we did as kids. We were taught that you go into college or a trade; those were your two choices. Today, kids are creating their own model of what life will look like in adulthood.

But to ensure their success, we need to help them develop their voice and agency. They need to know how to speak up and speak out and allow their voices to be heard--literally and figuratively.

In the literal sense, podcasting is a great option. And in this episode of our podcast, I’m talking with James Healy, a certified StoryBrand Guide and editor of this podcast.

We talk about his experience teaching podcasting to a group of high school students, why audio is so important, how kids’ tech skills transferred into podcasting, and the use of the StoryBrand framework.

We love that we can give our youth so many opportunities in today’s tech savvy world, and that next steps after high school can be so varied now in support of our rainbow of learners.

About James Healy: Many professionals struggle to position themselves as an authority and get their message heard. All too often, great ideas and content never gets created. Insights and wisdom that could impact people and change lives are lost. James Healy specializes in helping these experts connect and engage with their ideal clientele as thought leaders in their field. He's an author, a podcast host and producer, and a book publisher. James is also a Certified StoryBrand Guide and implements the proven StoryBrand framework into powerful authority positioning strategies like brand messaging, book authorship, podcast hosting, and more.

Jump in the Conversation: * [1:40] Agency for millennials * [3:10] The art of podcasting to empower youth * [3:45] How James began in podcasting * [6:48] Youth in wilderness - how two worlds collide * [10:37] Design thinking as a teacher * [11:27] Voice and choice for our youth * [13:10] Learning isn’t one size fits all * [13:54] James’s learnings from podcasting * [16:27] Tech savvy youth - how their tech skills translated into learning podcasting * [17:38] Transferring podcast learning to other formats * [21:40] What is StoryBrand framework * [27:02] Giving students tools to look at things from a different perspective * [27:23] Applying the framework to college essays * [29:16] Turbo Time * [34:53] What people need to know about student voice * [36:46] Passion in podcasting: voice matters * [38:26] James’s Magic Wand * [40:12] Maureen’s takeaways

Links & Resources

• Episode 30: Creating Student-Centered Learning Spaces
• Episode 64: One Stone
• High Mountain High Institute
• Voice-Only Communication Enhances Empathic Accuracy
• The StoryBrand Framework
• Barack Obama’s and Bruce Springstein’s Renegades podcast
• Scott Simon’s Up First podcast
• TED Radio Hour episode: A Better You
• Headspace app
• Matt Cutts: Try Something New for 30 Days
• Teenwise Seattle podcast
• Email Maureen
• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools
• The Education Evolution
• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective
• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids
• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America
• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

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There’s so much overwhelm out there today, and our teachers are feeling the brunt of it. They’re tasked with so much right now, from their regular teaching duties to “catching kids up” to navigating the trauma of kids, families, and themselves. It’s no wonder that my own micro-school is seeing higher than normal teacher absenteeism. Maybe your schools are having a similar challenge. It’s time for solutions that don’t overwhelm even more. With good teachers leaving the classroom at an alarming rate and fewer college graduates going into teaching, we’re in a crisis.

This week on the podcast, I’m sharing more of the challenges that we’re all facing (a reality check, if you will) and some of the solutions we’re incorporating at my micro-school. And I welcome input on other solutions you’ve tried!

Tune in now.

Jump in the Conversation: * [1:08] 2021 is harder than 2020 * [1:30] Time for reality check * [2:14] We don’t need more assessments * [4:40] Time to take things off teachers’ plates * [5:58] Simply say no * [6:20] We can’t return to business as usual * [6:41] Rethink your resources * [8:01] Two ways to address the overwhelm * [8:34] Now is not the time to do more of the same

Link * Ed Week article: Teachers are Not Okay, Even Though We Need Them to Be * Ed Week article: Enrollment in Teacher Preparation Programs is Declining Fast. Here’s What the Data Show. * Cult of Pedagogy: Teachers are Barely Hanging On * Bob Newhart clip * Email Maureen * Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools * The Education Evolution * Facebook: Follow Education Evolution * Twitter: Follow Education Evolution * LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution * EdActive Collective * Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids * Micro-school feature on Good Morning America * The Micro-School Coalition * Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition * LEADPrep

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It’s impossible to get around media these days. We’re constantly inundated with images and content on social media, in our search browsers, on television, and even walking or driving down the street.

As adults, we know that looking critically at the media is important, as is asking questions about what we see. Our children are often the target of that media, though they don’t have that same insight. It’s time we teach them--starting from a very young age.

This week on the podcast, guest Amy Jussel shares how to use counter-marketing to help kids be more media savvy. We talk about the importance of asking questions about what’s being marketed to us and to our children so they can develop into critical thinkers.

Our kids are consuming media from the moment they’re aware of it, and the sooner we make them aware of it the better. Thankfully, we have incredible resources like Amy and her initiative to help us.

Listen in!

About Amy Jussel: Amy Jussel is the founder of ShapingYouth.org, tapping the same persuasive tools & techniques of industry insiders to flip media and marketing messages in a healthier direction by educating with a "behind the scenes" lens to deconstruct data from all walks of life. As a former ad agency writer/producer and journalist, Amy has over 30 years of experience in applied science in this realm. Using entertainment as a conduit for media literacy and health sciences, she's created hands-on games, learning tools and children's books for critical thinking in the digital space that have been a hit with adults and children alike to "m-power" learning.

Jump in the Conversation: * [1:44] How Amy got on this path * [3:28] Using counter-marketing to help kids with digital savvy * [5:44] How to develop critical thinking in learners * [7:47] Shaping children’s future * [13:23] Making the learning relevant * [15:55] Biggest challenges to online literacy * [19:15] Changing the school landscape * [20:15] “Anonymous” doesn’t really mean anonymous * [22:58] Turbo Time * [29:27] How to create savvy consumers * [32:01] Amy’s Magic Wand * [33:58] Maureen’s Takeaways

Links * Shaping Youth * The Secret of the Vanishing Bones: Tracking the Data Trail by Amy Jussel * Digital Dogs Book * Remember: The Science of Memory and the Art of Forgetting * Catch and Kill by investigative reporter Ronan Farrow * Amy’s LinkedIn Profile * Dylan Mahalingam * Erik N. Martin * What adults can learn from kids by Adora Svitak * A Promising Test for Pancreatic Cancer… From a Teenager by Jack Andraka * Deterring Vaping blog * NAMLE * Why CyberSecurity in Schools Matters * Email Maureen * Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools * The Education Evolution * Facebook: Follow Education Evolution * Twitter: Follow Education Evolution * LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution * EdActive Collective * Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids * Micro-school feature on Good Morning America * The Micro-School Coalition * Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition * LEADPrep

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If you’re an educator, you’ve heard about PLCs, professional learning communities. Some see these as a way for groups of educators to gather and talk about students, outcomes, and future plans. Others see these as an excuse for another meeting.

The problem with PLCs is that there’s no focus on the educator; it’s all focused on someone else’s ideas of what outcomes should look like. That’s why I was so excited to welcome Danny Bauer back to the podcast to talk about his new book and how we can truly support educational leaders outside of the classroom so they can really make the impact our students need.

We talk about the value of masterminds, why it’s so vital that school leaders have mentors, scarcity mindset vs. abundance thinking, and how Ruckus Makers can help transform schools.

If you haven’t listened to Danny’s first episode on this podcast, be sure you tune into that too!

About Danny Bauer: Daniel Bauer is an unorthodox Ruckus Maker who has mentored thousands of school leaders through his Better Leaders Better Schools blog, books, podcasts, and powerful coaching experiences.

Mastermind: Unlocking Talent Within Every School Leader is a book that reimagines what professional development for school administrators looks like in order to meet the needs of all school leaders who currently feel isolated and overwhelmed.

Jump in the Conversation: * [1:34] Danny’s new book * [1:43] Better leaders, better schools * [3:25] Surprise requests for help * [4:11] Scratch your own itch, do this stuff in public, connect with others * [4:34] The enemy of school leadership is isolation * [6:06] Big name sponsorship for Danny’s podcast * [9:10] Learning abundance vs scarcity mindset * [12:28] There’s plenty to go around * [14:45] Mastermind: Unlocking Talent Within Every School Leader * [18:52] ABCs Framework * [22:38] What is a mastermind * [27:30] Ruckus Makers - leaders want to make change * [28:24] Turbo Time * [32:43] How other Ruckus Makers can help to transform schools * [33:12] Danny’s Magic Wand * [35:15] Maureen’s Takeaways

Link * Mastermind: Unlocking Talent Within Every School Leader * Buy Danny’s book here with signed copy and bonuses * Radical Candor with the suggestion of procrastinating on purpose * The Clues to a Great Story TED talk by Andrew Stanton * Episode 28: Encouraging Leadership Development * Email Maureen * Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools * The Education Evolution * Facebook: Follow Education Evolution * Twitter: Follow Education Evolution * LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution * EdActive Collective * Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids * Micro-school feature on Good Morning America * The Micro-School Coalition * Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition * LEADPrep

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We know that every child is created differently; that means they learn and communicate differently too. Sometimes that can be frustrating—for both the child and the caregiver or parent.

Imagine trying to communicate in your own way and having others think you’re acting out or “misbehaving” on purpose. Often our neurodiverse kiddos are just trying to be heard but they don’t know how to communicate their needs and wants.

On this episode, we’re talking with Holly Blanc Moses, a psychologist and behavior expert who helps support neurodiverse children and their families to help improve communication and reduce frustration for everyone involved.

You’ll hear her offer communication alternatives that take children’s differences into account and give ideas of how we can all be detectives to truly get to the root of the child’s needs—which is exactly what we all need to do if we want inclusive, supportive environments for our kids.

Listen in now!

About Holly Blanc Moses: Holly Blanc Moses is a psychologist and behavior expert with 21 years of experience supporting children with autism, ADHD, and anxiety. She helps parents, teachers, and therapists guide children more effectively, and reduce challenging behavior.

Jump in the Conversation: * [1:48] Why Holly supports neurodiverse students and families * [4:08] What holly has created to help kids and families * [5:55] Behavior is communication * [8:30] Reasons why people behave the way they do * [14:45] Strategies to support a child in the moment and curb these moments in the future * [18:09] It’s not that the kids don’t care; they don’t have what they need * [18:40] What parents can do at home to support their kids * [23:55] What’s coming up for Holly * [25:18] Turbo Time * [35:08] Holly’s magic wand * [37:10] Maureen’s takeaways

Links: * The Autism ADHD Podcast * Holly Blanc Moses’s Website * Differently Wired Facebook Group * Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) with Dr. Mark Dixon * Dr. Temple Grandin and her TED Talk: The World Needs All Kinds of Minds * Book: Everything is Figureoutable by Marie Forleo * Book: Uniquely Human by Barry Prizant * Email Maureen * Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools * The Education Evolution * Facebook: Follow Education Evolution * Twitter: Follow Education Evolution * LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution * EdActive Collective * Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids * Micro-school feature on Good Morning America * The Micro-School Coalition * Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition * LEADPrep

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With our current top-down education model, where the bottom line at the administrative level seems to be more important than whether our kids learn, creativity has been thrown out the window. We’re teaching to the test, rather than fostering the four C’s (creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, communication), tools that are necessary in our workforce. What if our curriculum focused on creative problem solving that’s realistic and engaging, that our kids are excited about learning?

This week on the podcast, we’re talking to author Chad Stewart, who has created a media empire that brings the world of Britfield to kids across the globe. His realistic adventure series and workshops model how to engage students in the classroom and out. In the conversation, we talk about bringing more fun into classrooms, how to make writing easier for authors, and how to open opportunities for learners.

Listen in now!

About Chad Stewart: Welcome to the World of Britfield: a media empire that is impacting and improving education, literacy, and media while bringing encouragement to children and families worldwide. One of the most awarded books in fiction, Britfield & the Lost Crown is taking the World by Storm. This timeless adventure series is transforming literature while fostering creativity and critical thinking. Seven extraordinary movies (2023) will follow the 7-book series.

Born in Newport Beach, California, Chad Robert Stewart is an award-winning and bestselling author, international strategist, prominent speaker, and creativity educator. He founded the prestigious Britfield Institute, a non-profit dedicated to creativity and literacy; and Devonfield, a media empire committed to the highest quality in education, publishing, and film production. He received a Bachelor of Arts in British Literature and European History from Brown University; earned an M.B.A. from Boston College; and is pursuing a Master of Science in Advanced Management and a PhD in Creativity and Innovation at Claremont Graduate University. Now based in San Diego, he is a strong supporter of education and the Arts; professor at Fermanian School of Business, Point Loma Nazarene University; and Past President (Board of Directors) of the San Diego Ballet.

Jump in the Conversation: * [3:52] Striving for excellence in a profession * [5:49] More than a book; it’s a movement * [8:55] Children are no different based on their geography * [10:06] Good ideas take time * [13:15] Focusing on engagement in writing * [14:12] Write about what you know and love * [17:20] What we can do to be equally engaging in education * [18:48] Bring creativity back in classroom * [20:02] The four C’s - creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, communication * [23:04] Provide as many opportunities as possible for creativity * [26:58] What’s next in Chad’s mission * [33:19] Turnkey play turns equity opportunity * [42:16] Turbo Time * [49:01] Chad’s Magic Wand * [54:02] Maureen’s takeaways * [54:20] Google’s 20% rule

Link * Britfield Website * Roald Dahl (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory author) * Runaway Ralph one of many timeless books by Beverly Cleary * Sir Ken Robinson’s Do Schools Kill Creativity TED Talk * Book: Coloring Outside the Lines * The 4 C’s in Wake County, NC * TR: The Last Romantic (Teddy Roosevelt’s biography) * Article: Google’s Famous 20% Policy * Email Maureen * Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools * The Education Evolution * Facebook: Follow Education Evolution * Twitter: Follow Education Evolution * LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution * EdActive Collective * Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids * Micro-school feature on Good Morning America * The Micro-School Coalition * Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition * LEADPrep

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There’s a lot of talk about inequity in the U.S. these days and from the educational perspective, the inequity is real. Our colorful, mismatched kids who don’t fit into the traditional educational setting typically have to look elsewhere for support. But educational inequity on a global scale is equally troubling. There are schools and communities without technology, books, or even electricity, which makes teaching and learning an even bigger challenge.

Today’s guest decided to do something about that. After a series of life-altering events, she took a hiatus from her job as an attorney and traveled to South America to heal. What she discovered was a deep desire to help underserved communities and children. And School the World was born.

Listen in to hear how Kate is ensuring that equity is a conversation we’re having both in the U.S. and across the globe.

About Kate Curran: Kate Curran left her career as an attorney in 2007 to travel the world. Her personal call to action followed the sudden death of her brother, father and mother in under two years. Her mother’s last words, “I’ve had a great life,” and her father’s lifelong commitment to public service inspired her to begin a journey to define “a great life” that took her across four continents.

For Kate, her year-long journey was a course in gratitude: gratitude for the majesty of the world evident in Patagonia’s Glaciers National Park, gratitude for the sacrifices of others so evident in Normandy, and gratitude for the sacrifices her parents made for her own education. But it was the 12 children sharing one pencil in a Tanzanian classroom, the young children working under the hot Andes sun, and the children crossing through crocodile-infested waters to get to school in a Zambian village who moved her to action. Inspired by that gratitude and the lengths to which the world’s children will go for an education, Kate founded School the World to fight extreme poverty at its roots by bringing quality education to the world’s poorest and marginalized children.

It was a vision founded in gratitude that led Kate to School the World. It is through dedicated supporters and partners that this vision became reality.

In 11 years, School the World has built 106 schools and 56 playgrounds, stocked 547 classroom libraries, empowered 7,119 parents to be their child's "first educators," extensively trained 3,980 teachers and educated 12,070 children.

Additionally, its newest program for middle schoolers has given scholarships to 506 young adolescents so that they can continue their education past elementary school and learn the digital and life skills necessary to build brighter futures for not only themselves, but their families.

Jump in the Conversation: * [1:50] where creating equity in education started for Kate * [5:20] What kids in underdeveloped countries actually need * [7:00] 2021 Project Equity * [12:54] Understanding the culture of Latin America to meet people where they are * [16:33] How we can be involved in North America--students, businesses * [21:13] The benefits of bonding over something meaningful * [26:20] Outcomes of students doing service work * [28:25] Turbo Time * [35:15] Kate’s Magic Wand

Links: * School the World * Email Maureen * Maureen’s TEDx Talk * The Education Evolution * Facebook: Follow Education Evolution * Twitter: Follow Education Evolution * LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution * EdActive Collective * Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids * Micro-school feature on Good Morning America * The Micro-School Coalition * Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition * LEADPrep

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Students are not data points, but that’s exactly what they look like in the traditional public school setting. Because it’s not the teachers making decisions about what happens in the classroom; it’s legislators and curriculum companies and lobbyists.

On this episode of the podcast, I’m talking with Jeannine Jannot about “disintegrating students,” those kids who feel lost and unmotivated because school just isn’t fun anymore. And though some kids might be high-achieving, they’re simply not learning at all.

Our children are looking at cheating as a viable option to getting by, and our teachers are handcuffed by state testing. Rather than looking at childhood development and what’s best for our children, we’re rooted in achievement culture and checking off boxes.

It’s got to stop, and we’re hoping that conversations like this are a step in the right direction.

About Jeannine Jannot: Dr. Jeannine Jannot is an academic coach and the author of The Disintegrating Student: Struggling But Smart, Falling Apart, and How To Turn It Around. She has over 25 years of experience working with children, teens, and young adults in both public and private school settings.

Jeannine has a master's degree in school psychology from Ohio State University and a doctorate in child and developmental psychology from the University of Connecticut. She began teaching college psychology courses in 2010, and in 2014 she founded The Balanced Student.

Originally from Ohio, Jeannine lives in Milton, Georgia with her husband, Tom. They have three children, Ryan, Maddie, and Kat. You can learn more about her at JeannineJannot.com.

Jump in the Conversation: * [2:01] Jeannine’s story of school transformation * [4:28] What are “disintegrating students” - usually high achieving, never studied, still got good grades * [5:33] What is the cost of teaching kids to do well in school * [6:20] Takeaways from Disintegrating Students book * [8:22] Big concerns in achievement culture * [10:33] How people (kids too!) are responding to achievement culture * [13:28] Cheating as a strategy * [16:14] Colleges are disappointed but getting exactly what they asked for * [16:28] Top-down education and why it doesn’t work * [20:12] Normalize a new type of learning--and failing * [23:59] How to talk to your child * [30:28] Turbo Time * [33:37] Three things we need for motivation * [34:46] Jeannine’s Magic Wand * [37:11] Maureen’s takeaways

Links & Resources: * Washington Post article: Students in high-achieving schools are now named an ‘at-risk’ group, study says * CBS News: Helping Students Cope with the Pressure to Succeed * Most Likely to Succeed documentary * Oprah Winfrey’s and Bruce Perry’s What Happened to You: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing * Brene Brown’s Daring Greatly * Joyful historian Doris Kearns Goodwin * Email Maureen * Maureen’s TEDx Talk: Changing My Mind to Change our Schools * The Education Evolution * Facebook: Follow Education Evolution * Twitter: Follow Education Evolution * LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution * EdActive Collective * Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids * Micro-school feature on Good Morning America * The Micro-School Coalition * Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition * LEADPrep

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The pandemic has impacted us all. Financially, emotionally, physically, and in ways that we probably haven’t realized yet. We’ve also watched our kiddos struggle, both at home and at school.

It’s time to think of our kids’ brains as more than a vessel to store the information we’re throwing at them. They’re more prone to depression and anxiety than we may realize.

On this episode, we’re exploring how our kids are handling the pandemic and its aftermath (not well) and what we, as educators, “safe adults,” and parents can do to support them. I give you three suggestions on how we can lessen the pressure that our youth are feeling and spotlight the amazing progress that one Colorado school has made.

Jump in the Conversation: * [2:17] Pandemic statistics on mental health * [4:00] How children’s brains and mental health have changed during the pandemic * [5:43] Three suggestions for how we can lessen the toll of the pandemic * [6:01] Psychological Safety * [9:03] Creating Stability * [10:43] Safe Adult or Champion

Links * Episode 73: Breaking Barriers for Our Students and Our Future with Stanley Litow * Episode 72: Bringing Psychological Safety to Our Teachers * EdActive Collective * Back to Class, How Schools Can Rebound series * CDC mental health statistics * National Institute of Mental Health pandemic statistics * Furfaro’s Education Lab articles * Seattle Times article: Scientists are racing to uncover the pandemic’s toll on kids’ brains * LEADPrep five-point scale template * The Hechinger Report: When kids pick their ‘trusted adult,’ it pays off * Rita Pierson’s TED: Every Kid Needs a Champion * Email Maureen * Maureen’s TEDx talk: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools * The Education Evolution * Facebook: Follow Education Evolution * Twitter: Follow Education Evolution * LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution * Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids * Micro-school feature on Good Morning America * The Micro-School Coalition * Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition * LEADPrep

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The internet allows us to live in a more connected, global community. However it’s one thing to read about other cultures and something else entirely to experience it personally...no matter what your age.

This week on the podcast I’m chatting with Scott Marshall of Semester at Sea about the life-changing experience of not just studying abroad but also learning about the culture and history of multiple countries and destinations. (And Semester at Sea isn’t just for youth; there’s a lifelong learner program, too!)

Learning about other cultures helps to bridge the gap across oceans and countrysides and helps us to become more empathic. Scott has found that the way his program is structured changes the brain chemistry as it allows participants to test biases and reflect on themselves--before, during, and after travel.

This is such an interesting conversation and I’ll bet that you’ll be looking up the next Semester at Sea program before you’re done listening!

About Scott Marshall: In Scott's role as the President and CEO, he is responsible for the overall strategic direction and financial well-being of the Institute for Shipboard Education and the Semester at Sea program. He works to advance the mission of Semester at Sea and ensure sustainable revenue in partnership with the Senior Leadership Team (Advancement, Academics, Finance & Accounting, Human Resources, Marketing & Communications and Operations & Risk Management), the over 70,000 Semester at Sea alumni and the ISE Board of Trustees. Scott collaborates closely with Colorado State University, the Academic Partner to Semester at Sea, and stewards strong support for the philanthropic community.

Prior to the position of President and CEO, Scott served as Vice President of Academic Affairs at ISE/Semester at Sea and various leadership roles at Portland State University, including Vice Provost for Academic and Fiscal Planning and Interim Dean and Associate Dean of Graduate Programs in the School of Business. Scott earned his Ph.D. in International Business from the University of Oregon, a Master of International Affairs from George Washington University and a Bachelor of Science in Business Economics from Willamette University.

Jump in the Conversation: * [2:08] Importance of study abroad * [5:42] Get lost to understand yourself * [8:16] Origins of Semester at Sea (SES) and what a semester at sea looks like * [10:00] What brought Scott to this program * [10:22] This is the optimal design of study abroad * [12:47] Success of reluctant participants * [14:15] SES learning experiences * [17:23] Outcomes of Semester at Sea * [20:03] What’s next for Semester at Sea * [24:19] How Semester at Sea can help different generations * [29:23] Turbo Time * [36:43] Scott’s magic wand * [40:36] Maureen’s takeaways

Links * Semester at Sea * Global Perspective Inventory * Humanitarian trilogy documentary filmed on SES * NY Times article on The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make Us Human by Jonathan Gottschall * Abby Ingleman 3D Sea * 2009 Sylvia Earl TED Talk * Email Maureen * Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools * The Education Evolution * Facebook: Follow Education Evolution * Twitter: Follow Education Evolution * LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution * EdActive Collective * Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids * Micro-school feature on Good Morning America * The Micro-School Coalition * Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition * LEADPrep

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Kids (teenagers!) are so hard to understand, right? That’s because they are part of their own culture; it’s called Youth Culture. And unfortunately, most schools don’t teach with their culture in mind. Instead, schools are focused on traditional (adult-perspective) teaching methods. Methods that don’t work.

Imagine schools that not only teach in ways that engages students but that also helps our youth learn true real-world skills that they can take with them into their post-secondary lives. Sound like fiction?

It’s not. This week’s guest, Jamel Mims, is spearheading a movement to implement culturally responsive programming in high schools. This means he’s helping schools and students leverage the teens’ innate ability to teach themselves with the tools available to them (um...the internet) and creating classrooms that allow them to thrive.

This is the direction education needs to go, and you can do it in your schools, too!

About Jamel Mims: Jamel Mims is a bilingual rapper, interactive media artist, and edtech cofounder with over a decade of experience implementing culturally responsive programming in high schools across New York City. A Fulbright Scholar who studied hip hop culture in China, his work is firmly rooted in centering youth culture in academic spaces, and ranges from developing curriculum that uses original hip hop music to teach test prep, creating virtual reality and mixed reality experiences, public demonstrations and social justice campaigns.

An emerging leader in the field of culturally responsive pedagogy, he has presented at New York Tech Meetup, Google for Education, SXSW Edu and SXSW Interactive. His work in music, technology, education and activism has been featured in the New York Times, The Nation, VICE, Complex, the Economist and more. Holla at Jamel on Twitter and Instagram at @jamnopeanut.

Jump in the Conversation: * [1:48] How Jamel got started in E to E * [4:46] Schools That Can * [7:12] Difference between classroom and real world learning * [9:32] Apprehension toward bringing youth culture into the classroom * [11:45] What Schools That Can looks like inside * [15:01] Differing levels of preparation needed * [15:29] Identifying and exploring in-demand jobs * [17:26] Beyond career success to voice, vision, and power in social change * [19:54] CTE doesn’t happen in a vacuum * [20:30] Making school a place for social conversations * [22:13] How the current state is changing the role of education * [25:28] What’s new for Schools That Can * [27:04] How others can get involved * [33:12] How to become an activist to transform schools * [35:56] Jamel’s magic wand

Links and Resources * My Next Move * Schools That Can * Computer Science For All * How I’m Fighting Bias in Algorithms by Joy Buolamwini * 10 Keys to Reality by Frank Wilczek * Email Maureen * The Education Evolution * Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools * Facebook: Follow Education Evolution * Twitter: Follow Education Evolution * LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution * EdActive Collective * Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids * Micro-school feature on Good Morning America * The Micro-School Coalition * Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition * LEADPrep

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Do you remember what it was like to sit in a history classroom? If you’re like most Americans (88%, according to the Nation’s Report Card), you didn’t pay much attention. Facts and statistics have played such a big role in educating our youth, and that has turned so many off from even learning history.

According to this week’s guest, veteran and author Paul Hemphill, “If you don’t know what your country stands for, how will you stand up to our enemies, both foreign and domestic; you cannot defend what you cannot define.”

Thankfully, he has a solution. Creating a change in the way we teach history--through story and encouraging an emotional connection with the content.

Listen in to this episode, where Paul talks about interrupting patterns in teaching, showcases his storytelling abilities, and shares about his free solution to today’s history education problem.

Tune in now!

About Paul Hemphill Paul Lloyd Hemphill is the author of 5 books, the producer of over 200 videos, and is the narrator of 3 of his own books. His latest book, INSPiRATION FOR TEENS, has been a best seller for the past 12 months and shot up to the #1 position in its category when the issue of critical race theory became prominent in the news.

Jump in the Conversation: [1:31] Paul’s catalyst for learner-centered schools

[3:12] Interrupting patterns

[5:30] How his program interrupts the current pattern

[7:07] Paul shares a story example

[9:43] How Paul’s free video series works

[13:47] How a school has used this program

[17:34] Formula for success

[19:13] Khan Academy changing education

[19:53] Teachers: Don’t teach history

[21:39] Turbo Time

[31:11] Paul’s Magic Wand

[33:27] Maureen’s Takeaways

Links: * Paul’s website * Paul’s Awesome book * Paul’s video series * Student response to the Gettysburg Lessons video clip * Hollowed Out by Jeremy Adams * TED talk: How to Fix a Broken School: Lead fearlessly, love hard * Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz * Simon Sinek’s TED talk * Episode 3: Flipped Learning Mastery to Reach Every Student (even remotely!) with Jon Bergmann * Email Maureen * The Education Evolution * Facebook: Follow Education Evolution * Twitter: Follow Education Evolution * LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution * EdActive Collective * Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids * Micro-school feature on Good Morning America * The Micro-School Coalition * Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition * LEADPrep

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It’s all too common that our high school graduates go on to college unprepared for the rigor of the college classroom. Or that they go into the workforce without the tools and knowledge they need to succeed. It’s costing everyone dearly--from the cost to our industries to train new graduates to even those graduates’ future incomes.

Stanley Litow, today’s guest, has a solution. And it’s one that’s been growing since its inception as a single school in Brooklyn, NY in 2011. Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) has since grown to 240 schools in 12 states and 28 countries and has helped to close the achievement gap among some of the most undereducated youth.

On this episode, Stanley explains the philosophy behind P-TECH, how it supports schools, students and industry, why it saves us all money, and what we as educational leaders can do to help support models like this.

About Stanley Litow: Stanley S. Litow is a Professor at both Columbia and Duke University. At Duke University, he also serves as Innovator in Residence. Stan is the author of The Challenge for Business and Society: From Risk to Reward and co-author of Breaking Barriers: How P-Tech Schools Create a Pathway from High School to College to Career.

He previously served as President of the IBM International Foundation and as Deputy Chancellor of Schools for the City of New York. Before his service at IBM and the NYC public schools, he served as President and Founder of Interface and as Executive Director of the NYC Urban Corps, operated out of the Mayor’s Office.

He has served on multiple Presidential and Gubernatorial Commissions and in addition to his service on the SUNY Board of Trustees; he also serves on the board of Roosevelt House and the Citizens Budget Commission.

Stan helped devise the innovative school to college to career program called P-TECH, as well as the IBM Corporate Service Corps, often referenced as the corporate version of the Peace Corps.

He has received multiple awards for his community service, from organizations such as the Anne Frank Commission, the Martin Luther King Commission, and the Center for an Urban Future as well as the Corning Award from the New York State Business Council.

Jump in the Conversation: [2:00] Stanley’s journey of contributing to society

[6:15] Challenges in education today

• [7:21] How P-TECH is working to change that
• [12:12] How P-TECH is set up
• [19:01] The cost of remedial courses for high school graduates
• [20:13] The financial benefits of completing college
• [26:16] What’s the next step
• [28:17] How P-TECH influences high school curriculum
• [33:49] Getting buy-in from key stakeholders
• [37:48] How to get businesses to say yes to teenage interns
• [50:42] Stanley’s magic wand
• [52:28] Maureen’s takeaways

Link * Stanley’s book: Breaking Barriers: How P-Tech Schools Create a Pathway from High School to College to Career * P-Tech website * Barack Obama Book: The Barack Obama Biography * Email Maureen * Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools * The Education Evolution * Facebook: Follow Education Evolution * Twitter: Follow Education Evolution * LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution * EdActive Collective * Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids * Micro-school feature on Good Morning America * The Micro-School Coalition * Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition * LEADPrep

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As educators, we know the importance of making sure our students feel safe. Their learning depends on it.

But we often forget that the success of our students depends on our teachers and school staff members feeling safe and heard, too. It’s only with the safety of our teachers that they can show up fully for the students they’re charged with supporting.

This week on the podcast, Michael Vargas of Lead By Impact and I talk about how the psychological safety of our teachers transfers over the safety and success of our students. Because with that safety, teachers are likelier to share ideas and strategies, and are more open-minded and understanding.

I hope you’ll tune in and think about how you can facilitate more open conversations in your own schools and create a structure around collaboration and sharing.

About Michael Vargas: Michael is an international facilitator with nearly 10 years of experience. Utilizing his Master in Clinical Psychology, improv, and design thinking background Michael facilitates workshops and speaks to organizations on developing collaborative and productive team cultures. Lead By Impact supports teams to develop psychological safety, building trust, and effective communication. They have worked with organizations like Dropbox, Salesforce, Kaiser Permanente, ACLU, Evergreen Middle School, the County of San Diego, and many more.

Jump in the Conversation: * [1:56] What is psychological safety * [3:34] Schools evolving for all learners * [3:56] What prevents teachers from speaking up * [8:59] Ways schools can start these conversations with teachers and create safety * [14:23] Transferring this idea to students and to life in general * [15:55] Clarity in structure and process * [21:33] Us vs. Them is an opportunity for clarity * [23:26] Tools to help teachers move beyond the traditional landscape * [26:06] Setting the soil to help this idea grow * [30:49] How to reframe if no one has questions * [32:29] The deep wisdom of nurturing people’s intuition * [35:06] Turbo Time Questions * [46:18] Michael’s magic wand * [49:45] Maureen’s takeaways

Link * Building a Psychologically Safe Workplace--Amy Edmondson’s TEDx talk * Thinking Fast and Slow by Nobel Peace prize winner Daniel Kahneman * Link to Psychological Safety Infographic from Lead by Impact * Episode 61: Examining Polarity Thinking with Lindsay Y. Burr * Maureen’s TEDx talk: Changing My Mind to Change our Schools * Email Maureen * Maureen’s Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools TEDx talk * The Education Evolution * Facebook: Follow Education Evolution * Twitter: Follow Education Evolution * LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution * EdActive Collective * Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids * Micro-school feature on Good Morning America * The Micro-School Coalition * Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition * LEADPrep

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We’re all guilty of spending a little too much time on screens these days. Thank you to the chaos of the last 18 months for this.

And not all of this screen time is due to distance learning. SO much of it is time on social media. It’s completely changed the way we interact with others and the agency we have over our time and even our thoughts. It’s true!

I recently watched The Social Dilemma, a documentary on Netflix. It explores the dangerous impact that social media has on all of us and how it’s specifically designed to manipulate our thoughts and our actions. The experts behind these platforms call themselves out!

The scariest part? We don’t even see it happening because it’s happening so slowly.

Tune in to this episode as I explore the damage that’s being done thanks to social media and offer some ideas to open the conversation in schools and families to combat the issue. Social media isn’t bad but we do need to look at it with a more discerning view so we don’t use it as the crutch it’s become.

Jump in the Conversation: * [1:59] Screen time and teens * [3:33] Impact of social networking * [4:33] The experts of social media * [5:28] The most urgent problem of our time * [7:00] Profit at all costs driving tech companies * [7:23] If you’re not paying for the product, you ARE the product * [8:05] Comparing illegal drugs and the software industry * [9:33] How social media is harming the psyche of our youth * [10:26] Social media as a source of loneliness * [11:39] Schools and families can combat these challenges * [13:47] Engagement and a reality check * [14:50] Pointers and takeaways from the documentary--right from the experts * [15:58] Get educated with Stanford Internet Observatory * [18:09] Business models with accountability and humane design

Links: * The Social Dilemma Trailer * The Social Dilemma Quotes * Tristan Harris’ 2017 TED Talk: How a handful of tech companies control billions of minds every day * #mysocialtruth * Center for Humane Technology tips for educators and parents * Center for Humane Technology: How to take back control * Stanford Internet Observatory * Email Maureen * The Education Evolution * Facebook: Follow Education Evolution * Twitter: Follow Education Evolution * LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution * EdActive Collective * Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids * Micro-school feature on Good Morning America * The Micro-School Coalition * Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition * LEADPrep

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With schools going back into session and, at the same time, COVID numbers starting to climb again, it’s difficult to know what this “new normal” will look like.

The entire educational landscape has shifted, and it’s impossible to know what it will look like in the coming months and years. In this conversation with Meg Ormiston, we talk about how things won’t--and shouldn’t--go back to “normal,” whatever normal might have been pre-COVID.

This is a great time for teachers and educational leaders alike to take a look at what worked before schools closed, how they shifted to engage students remotely during COVID (and what didn’t work), and make changes to what day-to-day school will look like moving forward. It’s time to pivot to put the responsibility of learning where it should be...on the students. But to do this effectively, students need choices and empowerment.

Listen in to find out what Meg has done to help teachers navigate online learning and support them through learning how to teach with technology--even if they’ve never used a Google product before. It’s a mindset shift that no one expected but that we all need to navigate.

About Meg Ormiston: Meg Ormiston, in her role as a consultant, partners with school systems that have committed to 21st-century learning experiences for everyone. Meg creates a unique partnership in each district, reflecting the mission, vision, and direction that local leaders identify. Her districtwide projects include guiding teams through the visioning process, designing and delivering professional development, facilitating classroom modeling, developing student leaders in technology, and educating parents.

Meg is the lead author in the NOW Classrooms series of five books published in 2018. The books, written by 27 practicing educators, are organized into grade bands of K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12 and a leadership guide. The NOW Classrooms: Lessons for Enhancing Teaching and Learning Through Technology books are practical and sequence technology skills K-12. The 3-5 NOW book was awarded a Teachers Choice Award by Learning Magazine. Also, Meg was named in “2018’s Most Influential People in EdTech” by Tech and Learning Magazine.

After twelve years of teaching and coaching in the classroom, Meg volunteered on her local school board, facilitated grant projects, and continued researching and writing about best practices.

To learn more about Meg’s work, follow @megormi on Twitter.

Jump in the Conversation: * [1:45] Meg as a tech inspiration before and during COVID * [2:30] Empowering students to own their learning * [4:40] Change in student energy * [5:26] Retraining teaching force * [9:06] The changing landscape of professional development * [12:20] One size does not fit all * [14:45] The importance of technology * [17:00] Why replicating the school day didn’t work in COVID * [20:40] Now is the time to not go back to what was * [21:45] Taking the paper out of teaching * [24:26] We need to give up control for the sake of learning * [28:38] Rapid fire round * [35:16] Meg’s magic wand: Let students work in groups, be empowered, and explore and make mistakes.

Links and Resources: * Meg’s email * Solution Tree: NOW Classrooms educational technology series * Mighty Networks app and online PD * Tech Teachers website: * "The Arrow" * End of Average (Unlocking Our Potential by Embracing What Makes Us Different book and TEDx Talk by Todd Rose * Essentialism--The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown * Carol Dweck’s TED talk: The Power of Believing You Can Improve * Episode 12: Micro-Teams Enhancing Student Agency and Learning * End of Average: Unlocking Our Potential by Embracing What Makes Us Different book and TEDx Talk by Todd Rose * Email Maureen * The Education Evolution * Facebook: Follow Education Evolution * Twitter: Follow Education Evolution * LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution * EdActive Collective * Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids * Micro-school feature on Good Morning America * The Micro-School Coalition * Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition * LEADPrep

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TED talks are so valuable because of the ideas they share across the world. When Patti Dobrolowski drew me standing on a TEDx platform, it sparked a goal in me: to stand on a TED stage.

Fast forward a bit to the big idea that became my TED talk.

I’ve done a lot to amplify my voice around changing our schools. That’s why this podcast exists in the first place! And after more than a year of working on my big idea, Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools is officially recorded and on its way to TED.

We all have big ideas, and we can all speak them to the world. Some through TED, others through podcasts, and still others through a community of people who want to hear our message.

Listen in to today’s episode to hear where my own TED talk came from and who was pivotal in it getting recorded.

Jump in the Conversation: [1:40] What is a TED Talk?

[3:28] Why I did a TED Talk

[4:20] Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

[5:33] Flashbacks of memorization

[6:22] TED is a labor of love

[7:28] Learning through the Education Evolution podcast guests

[9:16] My big TED idea

[11:45] Acknowledgments

Links and Resources: * Edmonds School District Youth TEDx * Episode 59: Pulling Together to Change Schools--but Keep What’s Working * Episode 56: Getting to the Brainy Business of School Change with Melina Palmer * Episode 61: Examining Polarity Thinking with Lindsay Y. Burr * TEDx Everett * Episode 2: Inviting Imagination and Our Agilities into Teen Goal Setting with Patti Dobrowolski * Cherry Street Films * Email Maureen * The Education Evolution * Facebook: Follow Education Evolution * Twitter: Follow Education Evolution * LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution * EdActive Collective * Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America
• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

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As we strive to create environments where all students feel seen, heard, valued, and are thriving, it’s important to ensure that students feel supported and connected with not only educators, but also each other. This may seem difficult to accomplish when you consider that kids come from all different backgrounds and have different needs and methods of learning, but we as educators can gently encourage better social inclusion in education.

Today’s guest, Kathleen Marcath, joins the podcast to discuss the importance of inclusion literature in our classrooms, especially as it pertains to deaf and hard-of-hearing students. Inclusion literature not only helps normalize and celebrate the differences we have, but it keeps kids engaged and fosters better communication and connection between them socially.

Listen in as Kathleen shares about her experience with writing inclusive children’s literature & her mission to extend the conversation of inclusion.

About Kathleen Marcath: Kathleen Marcath has a B.A. degree in Deaf Community Studies. Years of experience as a special education sign language supporter have kindled her passion for helping children reach their educational potential. Kathleen is delighted to help fill the need for picture books illustrated in American Sign Language and is the author of My Monster Truck Goes Everywhere With Me, an educational and fun story that teaches 32 signs in American Sign Language. She is a wife, mother, and grandmother, and resides in Michigan.

To learn more, you can visit her website or find her on Facebook and Instagram.

Jump in the Conversation: * [1:48] Following our passions in life and making a difference * [8:48] Inclusion as a lens for selecting an illustrator * [9:58] Benefits of ASL for children and everyone * [28:07] Kathleen’s Magic Wand: Sign Language instruction and practice available in schools for children of all ages * [30:03] Maureen’s Take-Aways

Links and Resources: * My Monster Truck Goes Everywhere With Me * Isaac Liang, illustrator * Whole Brain Living book and TED talk by Jill Bolte Taylor * Christine Sun Kim’s TED talk on the enchanting music of sign language * Seattle’s public bilingual ASL Rosen Family Preschool * Jim Kwik * Email Maureen * The Education Evolution * Facebook: Follow Education Evolution * Twitter: Follow Education Evolution * LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution * EdActive Collective * Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids * Micro-school feature on Good Morning America * The Micro-School Coalition * Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition * LEADPrep

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Did you have that teacher that just got it? The one that helped you learn to creatively, problem solve, and believe that you could do it—even when you were SURE you couldn’t?

Today in this very special episode, we will take a look at a teacher who has made a lasting impact. I'm chatting with Terry Risdon, unofficial co-founder of our LEADPrep micro-school, an amazing hands-on science teacher, and my educational partner-in-crime since 2014.

Terry has helped grow LEADPrep into a learner-centered sanctuary serving a multitude of students over the past seven years. All good things must come to an end, and Terry is retiring, but her legacy of educational excellence and accessibility will live on in our students, teachers, and our community.

About Terry Risdon: Terry Risdon is the recently-retired Director of Learning at LEADPrep. Her education is in Zoology, Ecology, and Secondary Education. After teaching briefly in public schools, Terry found her heart’s calling while homeschooling her son through high school, in addition to teaching many other homeschooled students and students with special needs. She can be found gardening with native plants, swimming, and watching birds at her backyard feeders in her spare time.

For more information, visit LEADPrep’s website or follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

Jump in the Conversation: * [3:11] Inquiry-based learning starts with the student exploring * [5:06] Scaffolding to get past student resistance * [14:43] Science and service-learning combined * [16:58] Obstacles to learner-center, hands-on learning * [21:23] Turbo Time with Terry * [29:09] Terry’s Magic Wand: Letting students design and implement their own learning experiences * [30:52] Maureen’s Take-Aways

Links and Resources: * Inquiry-based learning * Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of History is a 1989 book on the evolution of Cambrian fauna by Harvard paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould * The Disarming Case to Act Right Now on Climate Change, Greta Thunberg’s TED talk * LEADPrep’s video tribute to Terry * LEADPrep’s Tribute to My Partner-in-Crime blog * Email Maureen * The Education Evolution * Facebook: Follow Education Evolution * Twitter: Follow Education Evolution * LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution * EdActive Collective * Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids * Micro-school feature on Good Morning America * The Micro-School Coalition * Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition * LEADPrep

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Our antiquated educational system needs transformation. But how do we go about creating a system that reaches the needs of students in an equitable, inclusive, and learner-centered way?

Today I’m talking with Alin Bennett, Vice President of Practice and Field Advancement at Education Reimagined. His career has been dedicated to creating learner-centered, equitable education in a variety of school leadership roles.

Education Reimagined supports school transformation at the national level and creates an equitable education system, offering a powerful vision for America’s future.

About Alin Bennett: Alin Bennett is Education Reimagined's Vice President of Practice and Field Advancement. He is a staunch advocate for national school transformation and creating an equitable education system. His previous work has included supporting curriculum development, leading advisories, and leading schools in ways that continuously advanced learner-centered, equity-based practices. Alin is based in Providence, RI, where he lives with his wife and two young children.

Learn more about Education Reimagined on their website or by following them on Facebook or Twitter.

Jump in the Conversation: * [2:18] Education Reimagined Five Core Elements * [3:33] The vital role of community in learning * [9:03] Beginning the journey of Education Reimagined * [17:11] Learning about the Learning Lab * [25:58] Agency is more than just a choice! * [32:01] Alin’s Magic Wand: That all learners experience a sense of love and belonging with adults incorporating these practices into the learning environment * [34:37] Maureen’s Take-Aways

Links and Resources: * Education Reimagined Vision and Five Core Elements * Education Reimagined’s Learning Lab * Fred Rogers’: The Last Interview * Lera Boroditsky’s How Language Shapes the Way We Think TED talk * The Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire * Episode 61: Lindsay Burr on Polarity Thinking * Episode 39: Jenny O’Meara and Donnell Cannon on community voice in designing schools * Episode 4: Tom Vanderark in agile schools in place-based learning * Education Reimagined resources * Email Maureen * The Education Evolution * Facebook: Follow Education Evolution * Twitter: Follow Education Evolution * LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution * EdActive Collective * Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids * Micro-school feature on Good Morning America * The Micro-School Coalition * Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition * LEADPrep

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What happens when we inspire youth? When giving them the tools, experiences, and room to show us how deeply capable and creative they are? And when we take project-based, experiential learning far outside the classroom and into nature?

By allowing students to explore the outdoors as the classroom, instead of offering the traditional lockstep recipe for “success,” we create critical thinkers, lifelong learners, and whole people excited to create positive change.

Today’s guest, Dawn Robinette, is bringing the classroom to nature in her micro-school. Dawn is the founder and director of Camino De Santiago Nature School. Her school weaves core academics in with the study of nature-based subject matter and creates deep connections between students, parents, and Mother Nature.

About Dawn Robinette: Dawn Robinette is the founder and director of Camino De Santiago Nature School, founded in January 2013. It serves as an alternative and unique educational resource for children 5 to 12 years old that provides them with academic experiences while immersed in nature. She graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a Bachelor of Architecture in 1993, where the school’s philosophy of Learning By Doing resonated with her. At the University of Washington, Dawn’s master’s thesis was based on design-build. She spent nine months as a teacher’s assistant, working on a design-build project in which her class built a multigenerational home for the indigenous community of Yakima, WA. Dawn also taught young adults at Virginia Commonwealth University and the Art Institute of Orange County.

For more information, please visit her website or follow her on Facebook and Instagram.

Jump in the Conversation: * [2:06] The beginnings of learning in nature * [7:17] Making learning relevant through design-build projects * [11:53] Summative assessment versus formative assessments * [18:26] Roadblocks and obstacles for alternative education * [37:33] Dawn’s Magic Wand: develop more programs to offer outdoor learning to students—even those in traditional educational environments * [41:19] Maureen’s Take-Aways

Links and Resources: * Leo, Dog of the Sea chronicles * Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer: instructive poetry on Chief Seattle’s web of life * Tom Brown, Jr, naturalist, school founder, and author * Schools are Killing Creativity, Sir Ken Robinson’s TED talk * Cradle to Cradle Design, William McDonough’s TED talk * Harvard article on the importance of play * Benefits of Nature for Kids * U of Minnesota’s How Does Nature Impact Our Wellbeing? * The Camino de Santiago * Email Maureen * The Education Evolution * Facebook: Follow Education Evolution * Twitter: Follow Education Evolution * LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution * EdActive Collective * Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids * Micro-school feature on Good Morning America * The Micro-School Coalition * Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition * LEADPrep

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Chad Carlson has been in the field of independent education for more than seventeen years, working with both middle and high school students in humanities, language arts, and Spanish. He recently returned to Boise after several years at an International Baccalaureate School in Bogotá, Colombia, and at an independent school in Sun Valley, Idaho. Chad received his B.A. in humanities from the University of Oregon and his M.A. in Latin American studies from UCSD and recently earned his Masters in Educational Leadership at Boise State University.

Learn more about One Stone by following them on Facebook and Twitter.

Jump in the Conversation: * [2:21] The origin story of One Stone, a student-founded high school * [5:03] Benefits of student-driven learning * [9:14] A student journey of discovery and redefinition * [16:03] Living in Beta * [22:22] Roadblocks to student-led and real-world, relevant learning * [46:15] Chad’s Magic Wand: Getting rid of standardized tests and curriculum * [47:26] Maureen’s Take-Aways

Links and Resources: * Living in Beta Wayfinding * Episode 47: Wayfinding Academy College * Careers in a lifetime * Episode 56: Learning About the Subconscious’ Impact on Our School Decisions * Think Again by Adam Grant * 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez * All it Takes is Ten Minutes, TEDx by Andy Puddicombe, founder of Headspace * Email Maureen * The Education Evolution * Facebook: Follow Education Evolution * Twitter: Follow Education Evolution * LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution * EdActive Collective * Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids * Micro-school feature on Good Morning America * The Micro-School Coalition * Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition * LEADPrep

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Traditional high schools aren’t set up to prioritize teen mental health. And how could they? Seemingly bigger concerns—bigger class size, bigger operations, bigger emphasis on textbooks and homework—means that student well-being takes a backseat. Educators aren’t allowed the bandwidth to engage with each student on a deeply relational level.

Today on the podcast, we’re learning why it’s so important that they do—directly from students themselves. My guests are Bella Christian and Journey Morrison, two recent graduates of my micro-school, LEADPrep. We’ll hear their firsthand perspective on how caring, collaborative relationships with teachers and peers positively impacted their mental health, personal growth, and academic success.

Bella and Journey share how they’ve gone on to thrive in college as a direct result of the interpersonal skills and confidence they gained in the close-knit, project-based learning environment of a micro-school.

About Bella Christian and Journey Morrison:

Bella attended LEADPrep for two years and graduated in 2019. She recently completed her associate degree and is planning to continue with college after first taking a year off to travel and work. She’s passionate about psychology and videography and hopes to pursue one or both of those subjects in the future. A fun fact about Bella is that she enjoys writing music. Journey also graduated in the Class of 2019, having attended LEADPrep for two years. He’s completed two years of college and this is his third summer teaching at digital media and filmmaking camp for middle school and high school students. He recently changed his major to history from communications but is hoping to meld both of those areas of interest by pursuing documentary film. Journey is crazy about Mango, his adopted leopard gecko. Jump in the Conversation: * [1:45] Bella’s mental health struggles at public school until she got to LEADPrep * [2:43] Journey felt lost in the crowd in a traditional high school setting * [6:33] Bella: Positive relationships with teachers lead to positive academic outcomes * [7:53] Stephen Covey’s concept of “emotional bank accounts” applies to teacher-student relationships * [11:53] Addressing students’ and parents’ subconscious resistance to micro-schooling * [14:45] Journey: Personal growth happens when you approach the unfamiliar * [20:28] The best piece of advice for college students * [23:55] What students want us to know about teen mental health * [29:01] Journey’s Magic Wand: An environment free of judgment, where every student who’s struggling is able to articulate their need for help and receive it * [29:35] Bella’s Magic Wand: For more understanding, caring, and communication amongst student peers and adults * [30:34] Maureen’s Take-Aways

Links and Resources: * Episode 61: Examining Polarity Thinking with Lindsay Y. Burr * Episode 56: Getting to the Brainy Business of School Change with Melina Palmer * The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey * Email Maureen * The Education Evolution * Facebook: Follow Education Evolution * Twitter: Follow Education Evolution * LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution * EdActive Collective * Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids * Micro-school feature on Good Morning America * The Micro-School Coalition * Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition * LEADPrep

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When you look back on schools closing in March 2020, how have your perspectives, needs, and aspirations changed in such a challenging year?

The pandemic has taught us all so much. As I reflect on the last year (plus), three major themes occur. On today’s podcast, I’m exploring the effect of the pandemic on equity, mental health, and the ever-changing educational system.

With so much transition happening in schools, the time is right to evaluate what is working, what we can adapt, and what we can leave behind. Join our EdActive Collective to listen to and become one of the voices making an impact on systemic change in our schools.

Jump in the Conversation: * [1:58] Examining equity in education * [5:48] Bringing mental health to the forefront * [7:43] EdActive Collective and June 21-24 Summit * [10:13] Adjusting educational content and context * [14:02] Utilizing the tool of polarity thinking * [15:51] Maureen’s Magic Wand: Taking painful lessons and choosing to learn and grow from them.

Links and Resources: * Dr. Bettina Love’s video clip on ally vs. co-conspirator * We Want to Do More Than Survive by Dr. Bettina Love * EdActive Collective * EdActive June 21-24 free summit: registration * Gibson Ek High School * Methow Valley ILC and episode 49 interview * Iowa BIG and episode 51 interview * One Stone * nXu * Lindsay Burr (episode 61) on Polarity Thinking as a tool * Email Maureen * The Education Evolution * Facebook: Follow Education Evolution * Twitter: Follow Education Evolution * LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution * Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids * Micro-school feature on Good Morning America * The Micro-School Coalition * Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition * LEADPrep

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As passionate leaders in the education evolution, is our either-or perspective on education reform holding us back? Or even worse, is our commitment to our own vision creating a divisive reality instead of the inclusive and equitable future we hope for?

Today on the podcast, we are exploring how to shift from either-or thinking to a both-and perspective to find a greater purpose and educational future for everyone involved.

My guest is Lindsay Burr, CEO of Yarbrough Group and expert on polarity thinking, multi-generational workplaces, and creating inclusive environments through conflict resolution. She is applying her expertise to education reform and showing us a new, inclusive, way to create the change we’re looking for.

Listen in!

About Lindsay Y. Burr: Lindsay Burr is the CEO of Yarbrough Group and presents truth while creating a safe space to assist clients in discerning action steps that fit their needs, budgets, and mission. Her focus has been on helping organizations and people set and achieve goals that are tied to meaningful work. Her specialty is on the millennial perspectives on the multi-generational workplace, leadership, polarities, DEIB (diversity, education, inclusion, belonging), and high functioning teams. Lindsay has also developed and implemented pieces of training in corporate, non-profit, union, medical and military settings.

Based in Washington, DC, much of Lindsay’s background is politically focused. Lindsay worked with the National Democratic Institute (NDI) in governance where she created learning and best practice sharing opportunities for members of parliament from over 20 countries so their institutions could accomplish the goals of the government in innovative ways. Lindsay’s Masters of Science at George Mason University’s School of Conflict Analysis and Resolution focused on post-violent conflict reconstruction.

Learn more about the Yarbrough Group on their website or by following them on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter.

Jump in the Conversation: * [6:26] Getting to the heart of polarity thinking * [10:25] Questions that get past the continuity vs. evolution conflict in schools * [14:49] Questions that help parents discern their real goals for their children * [18:22] Nobel Peace Prize polarity thinking with diverse perspectives (Tunisia) * [22:03] Creating inclusive conversations around education reform * [45:02] Lindsay’s Magic Wand: for her child (and our youth) to fully be herself and find acceptance and worthiness from that space * [47:43] Maureen’s Take-Aways

Links and Resources: * And: Making a Difference by Leveraging Polarity, Paradox or Dilemma Vol. 2 by Barry Johnson * Expecting Better: Why the Conventional Pregnancy Wisdom Is Wrong--and What You Really Need to Know by Emily Oster * I've lived as a man & a woman -- here's what I learned TEDx talk by Paula Stone Williams * Episode 59: Pulling Together to Change Schools—But Keep What is Working * EdActive Collective * Email Maureen * The Education Evolution * Facebook: Follow Education Evolution * Twitter: Follow Education Evolution * LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution * Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids * Micro-school feature on Good Morning America * The Micro-School Coalition * Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition * LEADPrep

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What if we taught our students not only what to learn but how to learn? By addressing the whole child and teaching them the necessary tools to access their own full potential, we create lifelong learners and leaders.

But with nearly 50 percent of new teachers leaving the profession within their first five years, how are we taking care of the educators responsible for molding our children?

On today’s podcast, I’m speaking with Dr. Jenny Severson. Jenny is an educational consultant who embraces a love of education and teaching through Quantum Learning and research-based learning principles. Her evidence-based approach teaches students how to be empowered in their own learning while also supporting educational leaders to explore avenues of self-care and compassion.

Tune in!

About Dr. Jenny Severson: Dr. Jenny Severson is a speaker, educator, coach, and author. She provides principals and teachers with a framework of strategies, a shared vocabulary, and practices that equip educators to achieve dramatic results. Her coaching, tools, and speaking on overwhelm, over-functioning, and battling chronic stress resonate with school leaders. She encourages, teaches, and advocates evidence-based habits that allow you to thrive. Throughout the world, Jenny’s resources are used by schools and at Target Corp., Lego, Loréal, and LifeTouch, Inc.

To learn more about Jenny’s work, visit her website or connect on LinkedIn.

Jump in the Conversation: * [1:40] The origin story of Quantum Learning Education * [7:16] Going deeper with Quantum Learning and Super Camps * [13:23] Exploring research-based support of school leaders * [21:21] Jenny’s Magic Wand: Allowing students to understand their power through mindset and literacy * [22:01] Maureen’s Take-Aways

Links and Resources: * Dr. Jenny Severson consulting services * Thrive by Dr. Jenny Severson * The Educator’s 180-Day Gratitude Turnaround by Dr. Jenny Severson * Video of students engaged in quantum learning * Quantum Teaching books * 17 Things Resilient Teachers Do by Bryan Harris * Mel Robbins’ TEDx on How to Stop Screwing Yourself Over on turning off the brain’s auto-pilot * EdActive Collective * Email Maureen * Facebook: Follow Education Evolution * Twitter: Follow Education Evolution * LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution * Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids * Micro-school feature on Good Morning America * The Micro-School Coalition * Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition * LEADPrep

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Did you know that for every forty conscious bits of information we process per second, we process 11,000 subconsciously? Think of the ripple effect that has on the human brain’s ability to process change.

Or have you ever stopped to consider how your own biases directly interfere with your ability to affect change?

I’m grateful to be a life-long learner because this spring, I have been getting schooled. Today on the podcast, I share the lessons some great minds have recently shared with me.

I'm also very excited to announce the EdActive Collective! Our collective is filled with educational innovators focused on transforming education to a more human-centered, student-driven, real-world learning environment designed with learners at the center of every decision.

The collective will be meeting quarterly, taking regular activism steps, and hosting an annual summit as part of an ongoing effort. Our first summit will take place June 21 through 24. Please go to EdActive Collective to sign up. Registration is live now!

Jump in the Conversation:

• [1:10] Looking back to move education forward
• [2:29] The psychology of change and behavioral economics
• [3:40] Polarity theory and the dangers of us vs. them thinking
• [9:07] EdActive: Becoming a voice for change in learning
• [12:37] Maureen’s Magic Wand: That we consistently come together to change schools into places of equity and relevant, empowering learning

Links and Resources: * Episode 56 with Melina Palmer * Lindsay Y. Barr and the Yarbrough Group * Yarbrough Group on polarities * Barry Johnson (polarity expert) webinar * Barr Foundation Student Survey * EdActive Collective * Email Maureen * Facebook: Follow Education Evolution * Twitter: Follow Education Evolution * LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution * Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids * Micro-school feature on Good Morning America * The Micro-School Coalition * Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition * LEADPrep

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We all understand the importance of equity in today’s society. As social revolutionaries, we often focus on creating economic equity, racial equity, and gender equity, but what about the disproportionate power dynamic between students and those “in charge” of their education?

In the adult-dominated world of academia, how do we engage youth as partners, contributors, and primary stakeholders in the important conversations and decisions within their schools? And how do we hold space and create the change they are so hungry for?

Today on the podcast, I'm speaking with UP for Learning’s Executive Director Lindsey Halman and Youth Advisory Council member Evelyn Monje. UP empowers students by creating a youth-adult partnership for change, fostering a student-centered learning environment, and fostering the power of autonomy to our students, creating a socially just climate and culture for all.

Listen in!

About Lindsey Halman and Evelyn Monje: Lindsey Halman joined the UP team in 2018 after 15 years as a middle-level educator, leader, and advocate. Prior to joining UP, she co-founded The Edge Academy at Essex Middle School. Edge Academy created a strong focus on youth voice and partnership, student-centered learning, project-based learning, and restorative practices. Lindsey holds her National Board Certification as a middle-level generalist and is a strong advocate for reimagining and transforming education.

Evelyn Monje is a new employee of UP for Learning as of 2021. She is a current senior at Winooski High School and is enrolled in the Early College program through the Community College of Vermont. Evelyn is an active advocate for antiracism and equity in her community. She is passionate about collaborating with youth and adults to understand and address both antiracism and equity through restorative practices.

Follow UP for Learning by visiting their Twitter, Facebook, or YouTube, or website.

Jump in the Conversation: * [1:59] Becoming a passionate changemaker for youth-adult partnership * [5:15] Creating student-centered partnerships between youth and adults through facilitated learning * [9:47] Empowering the voices of our youth through initiatives * [11:52] Exploring the “facade of action” in today’s school systems * [19:45] UP for Learning youth-adult partnership programs * [24:17] Roadblocks and obstacles to support youth-centered learning * [38:28] Lindsey’s Magic Wand: Every educator as an anti-racist educator * [40:47] Evelyn’s Magic Wand: Bringing equity to everyone in all of our systems, but especially into the systems of education * [43:10] Maureen’s Take-Aways

Links and Resources: * Youth and Adults Transforming Schools Together * Getting to Y initiative * Restorative Practices initiative * Cultivating Pathways program to work with UN Global Sustainability Goals * Emergent Strategy by Adrienne Maree Brown * The Mask You Live In documentary on toxic masculinity * Bryan Stevenson in True Justice documentary * Fania Davis’s The Little Book of Race and Restorative Justice * Michael Jr. YouTube Know Your Why * Education Evolution episode 56: Familiarity Bias/Herd Instinct * EdActive Collective * Email Maureen * LinkedIn: Maureen O’Shaughnessy * Facebook: Follow Education Evolution * Twitter: Follow Education Evolution * LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution * Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids * Micro-school feature on Good Morning America * The Micro-School Coalition * Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition * LEADPrep

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When was the last time you turned on the television and heard more stories about Black male success than you heard about the low expectations, racial bias, and economic stigma that affect Black boys and men in our country?

With the prevalence of misinformation, racial inequity, and economic bias permeating our society, how will we ensure our boys are not lost to cultural stigma before they have a chance at success?

Today on the podcast, I’m speaking with Neil Phillips, co-founder and former CEO of Visible Men Academy. VMA provides boys from low-income families with outstanding academic, character, and social education in a nurturing school environment. Neil’s work confronts systemic bias and inequity with a deep belief in goodness, love, and the promise of youth as agents of change for our educational systems and our world.

Listen in!

About Neil Phillips: Neil Phillips believes that love is the answer to just about everything. If that makes you uncomfortable, that's okay. Discomfort signals an opportunity for growth. Neil has spent his entire career managing his own discomfort and diving deeply into the realm of breaking the bonds of systemic racism and having the uncomfortable yet productive conversations that can radically change organizations and individual lives. Neil also knows what it takes to truly transform and elevate the lives of young people and has discovered that it is love.

On a practical level, it looks a lot like leadership, encouragement, boundaries, expectations, and accountability. But ask any one of the children he has had the privilege of knowing over his decades of work as an educator, coach, and youth advocate, and they will tell you that Neil Phillips loves them and was never afraid to say it or show it. Love has made all the difference.

Neil is a Harvard University graduate, and his life is dedicated to the elevation of Black male achievement, fulfillment, and societal contribution. Through an emphasis on what is working for Black boys and men in America, Neil shines a spotlight on what success looks like and shifts the narrative away from the misleading and harmful stereotypes that have plagued and repressed Black male achievement for far too long. He educates audiences around what is working for Black boys and men in America rather than what is failing.

Neil is the co-founder, founding principal, and former CEO of Visible Men Academy, an "A" rated public charter school for K-5th grade located in Bradenton, Florida. It provides boys from low-income families with outstanding academic, character, and social education in a nurturing school environment. Neil is the founder and director of Visible Men Network, a dynamic digital platform that collects and shares stories from accomplished Black men, shapes these stories into success curriculum, and delivers this curriculum to boys across America through schools and community agencies.

Neil is an Aspen Institute Education Entrepreneurship Fellow, a member of the inaugural Echoing Green/Open Society Foundation Black Male Achievement Fellowship. He is a multiple-time winner of The Nantucket Project Audience Award for his provocative talk on race in America called “Race to Truth,” for his compelling on-stage conversation with famed television producer Norman Lear and, most recently, for his on-stage conversation with former President George W. Bush. Currently, Neil is the subject of a documentary film project titled Visible Man, highlighting his efforts to elevate Black boys and men in America.

Learn more at Visible Men Network, or follow Neil on Facebook or Instagram.

Jump in the Conversation: * [2:12] Transcending the systemic racism and brokenness in schools * [5:07] Serving marginalized youth through the Visible Men Academy * [12:30] Examining the role of love in serving our youth and transforming our schools * [16:20] Getting past negative mental models to address systemic racism * [19:23] Struggles and roadblocks to elevating the system beyond bias * [26:52] Visible Men documentary elevating Black boys and men in America * [42:08] Neil’s Magic Wand: Create an unwavering belief in our students’ strength, capacity, and ability to give so that they would know the value of their contribution—to themselves, our families, and our world * [45:18] Maureen’s Take-Aways

Links and Resources: * Visible Men Film Project * The Shibumi Strategy * The Invisible Man * The Feminine Mystique * Shannon Rohrer-Phillips’ TEDx Talk * EdActive Summit for parents, youth, and educators (June 21-24) * The Moth podcast * Email Maureen * Facebook: Follow Education Evolution * Twitter: Follow Education Evolution * LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution * Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids * Micro-school feature on Good Morning America * The Micro-School Coalition * Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition * LEADPrep

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Behavioral economics is the psychology of why people buy. It examines how people make decisions, understand what those decisions mean about your thought process, and ultimately tells us why someone makes a purchase. It is the true crossroads between economics, neuroscience, and psychology.

But what happens when we are “selling” a new idea—a new paradigm for our educational system and the future of our youth? How do we get people to buy in?

On today’s podcast, I’m speaking with Melina Palmer, the founder and CEO of The Brainy Business, which provides behavioral economics consulting to businesses of all sizes from around the world. We are examining why going against the grain goes against our biology, why it’s hard to incite change in others, and what we can do about it.

I’m also thrilled to announce that this is the one-year anniversary of the Education Evolution podcast! Thank you for taking this journey with me to shake up the status quo in today's educational system.

About Melina Palmer: Melina Palmer is the founder and CEO of The Brainy Business, which provides behavioral economics consulting to businesses of all sizes worldwide. Her podcast, The Brainy Business: Understanding the Psychology of Why People Buy, has downloads in over 160 countries and is used as a resource for teaching applied behavioral economics for many universities and businesses.

Melina obtained her bachelor’s degree in business administration / marketing and worked in corporate marketing and brand strategy for over a decade before earning her master’s in behavioral economics.

A proud member of the Global Association of Applied Behavioral Scientists, Melina has contributed research to the Association for Consumer Research, Filene Research Institute, and runs the Behavioral Economics & Business column for Inc. Magazine. She teaches applied behavioral economics through the Texas A&M Human Behavior Lab and her first book, What Your Customer Wants and Can’t Tell You, comes out next week.

Follow Melina on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Jump in the Conversation: * [4:05] Our brain’s familiarity bias and herding instincts slow school change * [11:15] The HUGE role of the subconscious brain * [17:48] Identifying hang-ups and hold-ups to sell an idea * [21:05] Using metaphor to unpack subconscious fears * [23:09] Understanding and addressing motivations * [43:10] Melina’s Magic Wand: Schools nurturing curiosity (vs teaching kids out of it) * [45:37] Maureen’s Take-Aways

Links and Resources: * The Brainy Business book and free workboo * Jon Levy’s book: You’re Invited * TEDx: How to start a movement by Derek Siver * Melina’s Episode 75: The Litterary * Warren Burger’s book: A More Beautiful Question * RQI: Question-storming with the Right Question Institute * EdActive Summit for parents, youth, and educators (June 21-24 * Email Maureen * Facebook: Follow Education Evolution * Twitter: Follow Education Evolution * LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution * Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids * Micro-school feature on Good Morning America * The Micro-School Coalition * Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition * LEADPrep

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The world needs change. With an antiquated educational system, temperatures rising globally, and polluted oceans, the burden of change lies with all of us. Without our collective drive towards reformation, our youth are left to inherit the environmental mess from decades past.

On today’s podcast, I’m chatting with two high school students who are leaders of the non-profit organization, Heirs to Our Oceans. They educate their peers, take political action to save our oceans, and offer up their own solutions for educational reform.

Cambria Bartlett and Abirami Subramanian educate youth about the world they are inheriting and are empowering them to create a healthier, safer world for themselves and future generations.

About Cambria Bartlett and Abirami Subramanian: As founding members of Heirs to Our Oceans (H2OO), Cambria Bartlett and Abirami Subramanian believe learning about real-world problems at an early age enables youth to start processing solutions and making positive environmental change while still in school.

Cambria has given over 100 presentations about education, plastic pollution, and H2OO’s mission. She is a member of the United Nations Ocean Decade U.S. Youth Advisory Council and a leader in creating both H2OO’s Operation Global Sweep and Policy Advocacy Skill-Building Retreat.

Abi’s advocacy has included presenting to schools (US, India, and Curacao) and lobbying to representatives in Congress, but her passion is spreading awareness through the medium of film. Currently, Abi is a member of the Bainbridge Island chapter of Citizens Climate Lobby (CCL), where she co-leads the social media team with her brother. She also volunteers at the Kitsap Immigrant Assistance Center (KIAC), using her filmmaking and social media skills for outbound marketing.

To learn more about Heirs to Our Oceans, visit their website and follow them on Instagram or Twitter.

Jump in the Conversation: * [1:45] Creating a movement to save our oceans and empower youth * [5:40] Addressing the lack of environmental education in schools * [8:50] Exploring the disconnect between students voices and the current educational model * [10:33] Inspiring reform through connection and purpose * [27:07] Cambria’s Magic Wand: Allowing youth to be empowered by the education system and develop skills to change the world. * [28:01] Abi’s Magic Wand: Striking the balance between traditional subject matter and project-based, real-world learning. * [30:06] Maureen’s Take-Aways

Links and Resources: * H2OO Policy Advocacy Skill-Building Retreat * Award-winning Youth Misinformed documentary * H2OO SEAL: Summit for Empowerment Action and Leadership * Youth Advisory Council for the United Nations Oceans Decade * Kitsap Immigrant Assistance Center * EdActive Summit 2021 * Email Maureen * Facebook: Follow Education Evolution * Twitter: Follow Education Evolution * LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution * Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids * Micro-school feature on Good Morning America * The Micro-School Coalition * Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition * LEADPrep

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Human-centered design is a philosophy that empowers teams and individuals designing products, systems, and services to address the needs of those who experience a problem. What happens when we teach our youth how to understand and anticipate the needs of others?

Utilizing the design thinking model, we can use empathy as a foundational launching pad for developing equity and creating creative, independent thinkers.

Today on the podcast, I’m talking with Amanda Kopischke, the Co-Founder and CEO of Incubate to Innovate, LLC, about using human-centered design and design thinking as a platform for teaching students teachers the importance of empathy and the lifelong effects of creating a culture of compassion.

Listen in!

About Amanda Kopischke: Amanda Kopischke is the Co-Founder and CEO of Incubate to Innovate, LLC. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Bethel University and a Master of Arts degree in Education from Saint Mary’s University. Amanda is also an author, speaker, developer, and bridge builder, empowering others to reimagine education.

To learn more about Amanda, follow her on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.

Jump in the Conversation: * [3:00] The foundation of human-centered design * [4:04] Experiential and exploratory learning through connection * [5:50] K-12 design thinking with empathy as the foundation * [8:31] We are all designers! * [10:03] Potential roadblocks to human-centered design * [15:06] Meeting others where they are * [28:08] Amanda’s Magic Wand: creating tools like empathy, the ability to synthesize, imagine, plan and create to prepare students for life * [31:57] Maureen’s Take-Aways

Links and Resources: * Change Makers for Impact * Dream Big: Know What You Want, Why You Want It, and What You’re Going to Do About It by Bob Goff * The Power of Vulnerability: A TedTalk by Brene Brown * EdActive Summit * Email Maureen * Facebook: Follow Education Evolution * Twitter: Follow Education Evolution * LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution * Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids * Micro-school feature on Good Morning America * The Micro-School Coalition * Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition * LEADPrep

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The conversation around educational reform is not new, but why does progress to the system seem so fleeting? How do we begin to bring concrete and lasting change?

Today on the podcast, I’m talking with Jessica Spencer-Keyse, Valentina Raman, and Zineb Mouhyi the co-founders of YouthxYouth. These three inspiring young women are leading a movement to radically reimagine the future of education to ignite a passion in young people to transform their education and revolutionize the status quo.

It’s time to revolutionize education and imagine a new student-driven future. These three are leading the charge!

Listen in!

About YouthxYouth: Jessica Spencer-Keyse, Valentina Raman, and Zineb Mouhyi are the co-founders of "Youth by Youth.” YxY is a movement to radically reimagine the future of education to ignite a passion in young people to transform their education and revolutionize the status quo. They are also collaborators at the Weaving Lab, a global organization with the mission of advancing the field of weaving—the practice of interconnecting ideas, people, projects, organizations, places, and ecologies to enhance system change. To learn more about the YouthxYouth movement, follow them on Instagram or visit their website.

Jump in the Conversation: * [2:00] Jessica’s “why” of discerning what’s important in education * [5:47] Valentina’s unique “bridge-building” upbringing * [11:40] Zineb shaped by her Moroccan experience of colonized education * [15:20] The magic of their meeting and power of “weaving” * [26:20] The educational system--exploitive and reductive * [32:32] The Imagination Age is here * [35:20] Valentina’s Magic Wand: Thriving seen as every school's most essential mission * [36:14] Zineb’s Magic Wand: Changing the goal of education to reaching our human potential with joy, discovery, and lifelong intergenerational co-learning * [37:40] Jessica’s Magic Wand: Making learning a practice of liberation connecting back to selves, community, and nature * [39:08] Maureen’s Take-Aways

Links and Resources: * YouthxYouth Summit * Jessica’s research report in Forbes: Every Child to Flourish * Ashoka Changemakers * Brookings global innovations spotters * The Weaving Lab * EdActive Summit * Email Maureen * Facebook: Follow Education Evolution * Twitter: Follow Education Evolution * LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution * Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids * Micro-school feature on Good Morning America * The Micro-School Coalition * Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition * LEADPrep

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We know our educational system is deeply broken. With an increasing number of students falling behind, the time to help education evolve and support our youth’s holistic well-being is here! But why are people attached to the obsolete school model, and what does the future of education look like? Through my conversations with educational innovators, I’ve noticed similarities in our experiences. Listen in as I unpack educational reform barriers and offer some big ideas and future solutions for our schools.

I’m also thrilled to announce our EdActive Collective Summit. Our collective is filled with educational innovators focused on transforming education to a more human-centered, student-driven, real-world learning environment designed with learners at the center of every decision. Join us!

Jump in the Conversation: * [2:34] Observations of the beginning of a movement * [4:37] Barriers to learning * [9:10] Big ideas and future solutions for our schools * [11:12] Increased focus on student-driven learning * [14:32] Maureen’s Magic Wand: Breaking the paradigm of massive memorization and production of work that goes no further than the teachers’ desk as the gold standard * [14:55] EdActive: A collective shifting the learning paradigm

Links and Resources: * Episode 52: Going Big–Iowa BIG–with Trace Pickering * Big Picture Learning * High Tech High * EdActive Collective * Email Maureen * Facebook: Follow Education Evolution * Twitter: Follow Education Evolution * LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution * Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids * Micro-school feature on Good Morning America * The Micro-School Coalition * Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition * LEADPrep

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The traditional educational paradigm is filled with obsolete concepts. How can we expect our young learners to thrive by gathering information, but not knowledge? How can we shift teachers to a learner-centered paradigm that offers context to the content?

On today’s podcast, I’m talking with Trace Pickering, co-founder and Executive Director of Iowa BIG. His program offers students an opportunity to explore their passions and interests through project-based learning.

Listen in as Trace reminds us that sometimes the greatest opportunities for growth come from the greatest challenges, creating knowledge is not the same as gathering information, and student engagement increases when content has context.

About Trace Pickering: Dr. Trace Pickering is the co-founder and executive director of Iowa BIG, a learner-centered educational program in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Trace is a life-long advocate for transforming education, as opposed to simply reforming what we have now. Trace lives with his wife, Kim, and dog, Stella, and has two grown daughters.

To learn more about Trace follow him on Twitter and LinkedIn or visit his website.

Jump in the Conversation: * [1:43] Mentors and extracurriculars are what kids connect to in school * [4:33] Projects as a vehicle for learning * [14:55] Contextualizing learning to make it sticky * [19:06] Shifting teachers to a learner-centered paradigm and the failure of fake work * [35:40] Trace’s Magic Wand: To move from standardized, standards-based teaching to student-centered exploration and learning * [37:33] Maureen’s Take-Aways

Links and Resources: * The Second Mountain by David Brooks * Russell Ackoff, The Systems Thinker * Sir Ken Robinson, Changing Education Paradigms * Email Maureen * Facebook: Follow Education Evolution * Twitter: Follow Education Evolution * LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution * Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids * Micro-school feature on Good Morning America * The Micro-School Coalition * Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition * LEADPrep

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As academic trailblazers, we take the current educational system on our shoulders and attempt to create lasting change for today’s young learners. Do you want to know a genuinely radical and revolutionary act that will deepen your impact and allow you to succeed beyond your current potential?

Self-care.

Today we are joined by educator, author, and Zen teacher Dan Tricarico, who reminds us that self-care is a necessity, not a luxury. Dan reminds us of the importance of creating an attitude of gratitude, trusting the moment, and combating burnout.

Listen in as we talk about using Zen teaching to break through educational bureaucracy. If we can’t change the system, we have to change how we operate within the system and ourselves.

About Dan Tricarico: After 30 years as a high school English teacher, Dan Tricarico found himself heading toward burnout and knew something had to change. Wanting to continue as a teacher, he cultivated strategies that helped him reclaim his control and stay in the classroom.

Today, Dan is a national speaker who shares his expertise and insight to show teachers how to reduce their stress and improve their self-care so that they can thrive both inside and outside the classroom. Learn more about Dan and his teaching on his website or by subscribing to his podcast. You can also follow him on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Jump in the Conversation: * [2:01] Dan’s final straw * [5:11] Exploring the irony of self-care * [7:42] Reducing stress with the Five S’s * [10:04] Creating an attitude of gratitude and detachment * [18:04] Universal Design for Learning (UDL) vs. state testing * [30:06] Dan’s Magic Wand to change the system of education so that all teachers can flourish and break loose from top-down mandates * [32:45] Maureen’s take-aways

Links and Resources: * The Zen Teacher: Focus Simplicity and Tranquility in the Classroom * Sanctuaries: Self-Care Secrets for Stressed-Out Teachers * The Zen Teacher 5 Step Blueprint * Covey’s Circle of Influence * Universal Design for Learning (UDL) * Episode 10 with Andy Smallman * Email Maureen * Facebook: Follow Education Evolution * Twitter: Follow Education Evolution * LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution * Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids * Micro-school feature on Good Morning America * The Micro-School Coalition * Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition * LEADPrep

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Today, many schools still focus on deficit learning, measuring students by a perceived lack instead acknowledging their inherent strengths.

The problem is not the students. The problem is an outdated educational system. With a renewed focus on finding personal purpose, supportive relationships, and a broader perspective of the world, we change the world we live in by changing the way we approach teaching our students.

Today’s guest, Sara Mounsey of Big Picture Learning, talks about her school’s transition from content-driven to student-driven, how a human-centered approach to education creates lifelong learners, and how Leaving-to-Learn programs empower students in the “real world.”

About Sara Mounsey: As one of two Big Picture Learning high school leaders in the Methow Valley School District, Sara Mounsey helped transform a content-driven learning model into a student-driven one, where students are actively engaged in internships and passion projects.

Jump in the Conversation: * [1:48] Defining Big Picture Learning * [6:05] Practicing accountability * [9:12] “Leaving to Learn” activities * [14:14] Two internship transformation stories * [21:41] Evolution towards engaged, high school learning * [29:16] Sara’s Magic Wand: Districts creating high schools where every student has a caring mentor, equitable opportunities, potential realized, and leadership experiences. * [30:33] Maureen’s hope that we can redefine academic success and transform high schools.

Links and Resources: * Email Sara Mounsey * Independent Learning Center * The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates * Brene Brown on Empathy * Episode 44: Learning About Trauma-Informed Education with Heather Batchelor * Email Maureen * Facebook: Follow Education Evolution * Twitter: Follow Education Evolution * LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution * Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America
• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

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How do we create a sense of self-agency and personal direction in tomorrow’s youth? By teaching students how to master themselves first, we cultivate a powerful generation of leaders ready to change the world.

Today on the podcast, I am joined by a former professional baseball player, Andy Schindling, who now focuses on empowering low-income middle school students to become leaders and change-makers.

Andy shares the growth and evolution of TCE Academy, student leadership development through community projects, and why we shouldn’t be afraid of the word “love.”

Let’s listen in and learn more about Andy and his incredible mission!

About Andy Schindling: Andy Schindling is a former professional athlete committed to serving the younger generation by using his life experiences to educate, mentor and lead young people.

In 2015, Andy started The Complete Player Charity, a 501(c)3 nonprofit to provide baseball opportunities for youth in his community. After successfully awarding over $22,000 in scholarships to 33 youth baseball players in two short years, Andy shifted his focus to serving athletes and non-athletes through after-school programming by creating TCP Youth Empowerment.

Through a strong focus on business and leadership, Andy’s program, aimed to mentor low-income middle school students, quickly evolved into TCP Academy. This thriving micro-school utilizes a project-based learning model around business and entrepreneurship with s strict emphasis on the social, emotional, cognitive, and spiritual development students.

Stay up to date with TCP Academy by following them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Jump in the Conversation: * [3:45] Dead fish metaphor for life * [5:50] Being The Complete Player (TCP) in the game of life * [7:01] Business and leadership skills in middle school through student-designed projects * [14:15] Measuring impact by lives changed * [18:25] Love -- more than a “four-letter word” * [28:24] Andy’s Magic Wand for middle school learners: put them in the real world with travel, exploration, building, and creating to go beyond societal limitations * [31:30] Unpacking SEL, love, and servant leadership

Links and Resources: * TCP Academy * Rules of Engagement: Preparing for Your Role in the Spiritual Battle by Derrick Prince * Servant Leadership: A Journey Into the Nature of Legitimate Power and Greatness by Robert Greenleaf * TEDx: The Power of Vulnerability by Brene Brown * Episode 8: Creating Teams of Learning Support with Julie Burgess-Dennis * Episode 42: The With Heart Project with Kristen Miller * Episode 30: Creating Student-Centered Learning Spaces with Loren Demeroutis of Big Picture Learning * Email Maureen * Facebook: Follow Education Evolution * Twitter: Follow Education Evolution * LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution * Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids * Micro-school feature on Good Morning America * The Micro-School Coalition * Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition * LEADPrep

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The need for human-centered learning does not stop after high school. For many students, post-secondary learning revolves around a traditional four-year college program. But what about the students who don’t want or fit in the traditional paradigm? Where do they find the program and support needed to develop their own potential?

This week’s guest is revolutionizing higher education with her creation of a two-year, nonprofit community college that seeks to support students in living a life of purpose, through a focus on practical life skills, mentorship programs, and paid internships. Listen in as we explore what’s not working in the higher education system and how to evolve education beyond a traditional four-year college.

About Michelle Jones: Dr. Michelle D. Jones, founder and Chief Academic Officer of Wayfinding Academy, is on a mission to revolutionize higher education. After years of volunteering with groups and nonprofits to organize for social impact (SuperThank, TEDxMtHood, World Domination Summit) Michelle took a huge leap and founded Wayfinding Academy in June 2014 with a group of like-minded friends and colleagues. With continual progress being made, Michelle and her team are starting to see some ripple effects of change throughout higher education and their community.

When not ruffling the feathers of traditional higher education, Michelle can be found walking the Camino de Santiago with fellow Wayfinders (this summer will be her seventh time!) or relaxing at her tiny home in Portland, Oregon. To learn more about Michelle or the higher education revolution, visit her website or follow her on LinkedIn.

Jump in the Conversation: * [5:16] Defining the Wayfinding Academy experience * [6:16] The Self and Society Degree: Resilience and identity-based coursework * [8:12] Self-knowledge and accountability through mentorship * [10:42] Personalizing the post-graduate journey * [16:12] Education through life skills and community focus * [17:15] Wayfinding’s commitment to anti-racist action * [21:39] Free college tuition initiative * [27:54] Get to know Michelle: rapid-fire questions * [31:36] Michelle’s Magic Wand: creating the space for students to make informed, intentional choices about life’s next step * [33:01] My reflections on anti-racism, mentoring, and the value of a “pause”

Links and Resources: * Wayfinding Academy * Wayfinding Academy's Free Tuition Initiative Program * How to Be An Antiracist by Ibrham X. Kendi * Sir Ken Robinson: Do schools kill creativity? * Gregory McKelvey: Why We Protest * Follow Michelle on Medium * Email Maureen * Facebook: Follow Education Evolution * Twitter: Follow Education Evolution * LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution * Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America
• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

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Academic support can often feel out of reach for many students and families. With the educational landscape shifting online, many students are left without the resources they need to maximize their potential.

Today’s guest, Paarvv Goel is changing that narrative by creating Benchmark Learning, a high-quality, financially accessible online tutoring for students of all ages. Paarvv is growing his vision to include online coding training, scholarships, and group pricing for students who need additional financial support, all while considering the perspective of parents and students in his offerings.

Paarvv is a great reminder that Education Evolution can be joined by change agents of all ages! He is creating educational equality, while also reminding us of the importance of fostering an environment of creative problem solving and an entrepreneurial spirit.

About Paarvv Goel:

Paarvv Goel is the founder & CEO of Benchmark Learning, an online tutoring company seeking to provide high-quality tutoring services for K through 12 and college students at an affordable price. Paarvv is a very recent college graduate who started making a difference while still in college. Seeing a need for high-quality online school support, he pioneered financially accessible online tutoring services opening the market up to countless potential students during the rapidly changing world of education.

To learn more, follow Benchmark Learning on Facebook and LinkedIn.

Jump in the Conversation:

• [2:29] Create accessible tutoring services without compromising quality
• [3:45] Multiperspective building--structuring a business from all vantage points
• [6:03] Pillars of Benchmark Learning
• [8:05] Addressing the need for foundational learning in entrepreneurial coursework
• [11:56] Quality, affordable education for in-demand coding careers
• [14:51] Paarvv’s Magic Wand: Helping students to learn the art of problem-solving
• [17:44] Scholarships supporting learners having success
• [18:08] Student-driven learning and growing creative problem-solving skills
• [19:03] Entrepreneurial step-by-step development in the classroom

Links and Resources:

• Benchmark Learning
• Email Maureen
• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution

• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

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Micro-schools can be scary, both from the perspective of the one building it and of the parents who are looking for an alternative to traditional education. There are so many questions that want to get in the way!

Where do I get the money to do this? Is it sustainable long term Is this really learning? Are my kids going to truly be prepared for their future?”

It can be scary, stepping into the unknown, but we have to have the courage to do it. Mara Linaberger from Microschool Builders joins the podcast today to discuss some of the unknowns that come with building your own micro-school. She also offers advice for parents who are curious and cautious about how well micro-schools can serve their children.

Tune in to learn more about the benefits of building a micro-school, advice for getting started, and building a legacy along with it.

About Mara Linaberger: Mara Linaberger is a passionate life-long learner, artist, technologist, and adventurer. Having taught in K-5 settings for 17 years, trained teachers, served as a district administrator, and most recently having taught in a one-room schoolhouse on an island 23 miles out to sea, she’s seen a lot in the field of education.

Now consulting full-time, writing coursework for online universities, and collaborating with communities to consider new options for technology-infused learning, Mara has found an authentic learning path as an educational entrepreneur. With the release of her first book, she’s recently expanded her work to coach families looking to find the best educational setting for their unique child!

To learn more, you can find Mara on Facebook andLinkedIn.

Jump Through the Conversation: * [2:04] Mediated art experiences to build trust in appreciating different views * [9:09] Use your sphere of influence to get micro-school seed money * [10:44] Legacy mentality--planning for your school’s long-term sustainability * [14:40] Parents need courage to try a different school and shift expectations * [18:10] Mara’s Magic Wand: To create an entrepreneurial micro-school in the Harmony (PA) business incubator * [22:23] Mediated art to mediated tech to engage the “other” * [22:54] Grants are NOT the micro-school start-up solution * [23:31] Legacy--my Mastermind for support in being sustainable * [24:16] Parents guiding as stewards and accepting what is best for their child’s success (Ep 7 Parenting expert/podcast host Kira Dorrian--is an exception. She got that small empowered school experience and it set her up well for her future.) * [25:20] Entrepreneurial (Ep 30 Loren Demeroutis) shifting from “doing learning to”...to “for”...to “with our learners” and schools building “wonder and awe”

Links and Resources: * Microschool Builders * The Micro-School Builder’s Handbook by Mara Linaberger * MSC’s mastermind * Episode 7: Future-Focus Your Kids and Let Them Use Their Voice * Episode 30: Creating Student-Centered Learning Spaces * Email Maureen * Facebook: Follow Education Evolution * Twitter: Follow Education Evolution * LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution * Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids * Micro-school feature on Good Morning America * Micro-School Coalition * Facebook: Micro-School Coalition * LEADPrep

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By rethinking school programming as a means to challenge socially constructed barriers and a springboard toward greater understanding, we can reform our societies--one classroom at a time.

Podcast guest Dr. Heather Batchelor has used her passion for reframing teaching to create a Masters in Teaching program that prepares teachers to address these social constructs. These teachers-in-training focus their studies on trauma-informed education, resilience, and restorative justice. She’s also creating an undergraduate minor to build empathy through students learning about unjust systems and serving as literacy tutors in the prison system.

Wouldn't it be great if all of our schools modeled healthy relationships and provided the opportunity for kids to practice healthy relationship skills and empathy to lower the amount of trauma in our society?

About Heather Batchelor: Dr. Heather Batchelor is an experienced educator who has taught in both middle and high school settings. She now trains graduate students at Westminster College. She specializes in creating trauma-responsive classroom environments, resilience-building, and restorative justice in schools, and culturally sensitive classrooms. She also designed and was the lead teacher of a dropout prevention program at a rural high school founded in trauma-responsive practices, building leadership capacity, and promoting strong communities.

Jump Through the Conversation [3:30] Understanding what it means to be ‘trauma-informed’
[5:25] Exploring the true nature of resilience
[6:25] Restorative Justice Tier 1: an investment in community in our schools
[10:00] Creating a college minor degree tied to justice and literacy via prison tutoring
[14:18] Creating alternatives to peer court via partnerships/relationships that instill hope
[18:16] Obstacles to providing a meaningful educational environment
[22:18] Turbo Time Questions with Heather
[28:14] Heather’s Magic Wand: That every community is dedicated to ending cycles of trauma by investigating root causes, providing social support, and taking ownership for ways each community has created the context that allows trauma

Links and Resources: * Until We Reckon: Violence, Mass Incarceration, and a Road to Repair by Danielle Sered * Email Maureen * Facebook: Follow Education Evolution * Twitter: Follow Education Evolution * LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution * Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids * Micro-school feature on Good Morning America * The Micro-School Coalition * Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition * LEADPrep * More Episodes: EducationEvolution.org

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How much can you get done in an hour, versus an entire day? When we try to push too much information through a small window, educators are often limited in their lesson plans and students sometimes can’t see the bigger picture.

Switching from a traditional one-hour class model to a full day of interdisciplinary instruction can spark student engagement and ignite their expression.

Today’s guests, Casey Ikeda and Jacob Janin, talk about the power of personalizing classes and collaborating to create interdisciplinary learning experiences. And they share examples of projects that connect students to passion and purpose.

By taking an interdisciplinary approach and helping students overcome obstacles through student-teacher and community connections, and fostering agency, we can grow student engagement and set them up for success.

About Casey Ikeda and Jacob Janin

Casey Ikeda and Jacob Janin are teachers at Leadership Preparatory Academy in Seattle and members of the school’s leadership team. Casey teaches social studies and serves as community relations officer, and Jacob teaches English and is the chief learning officer. In their roles on the leadership team, they attend to the relationships of students and teachers beyond academic progression. They recently created a holistic report card system that includes student goal-setting and reflection, habits of success, and academic progress.

Casey and Jacob have a long history together, from their time as Ultimate Frisbee rivals in high school to their success as a teaching team at Leadership Preparatory Academy. They know relationships and trust are key to student engagement, and they encourage students to draw on their experiences and extend them with new learning.

Jump Through the Conversation:

• [2:00] How having good mentors inspired Casey to teach
• [4:05] Why and how Jacob relates to students who may be reluctant to write
• [5:52] Casey shares some of his students’ impactful, community-focused projects
• [8:53] Casey and Jacob discuss their history together and why they make a great team
• [14:06] Casey and Jacob on the struggles and rewards of using an interdisciplinary model
• [27:33] Casey’s Magic Wand: Remove barriers between teachers and students and connect on a personal level
• [28:27] Jacob’s Magic Wand: Every student and teacher has an hour of exercise and an hour of therapy before class every day
• [29:30] Maureen’s Corresponding Magic Wand: We all need to move more and attend to our personal wellbeing–whatever it takes to be centered, regulated, and ready to engage

Links and Resources:

• LEADPrep
• ASCD Whole Child Initiative to Learning
• Episode 3: Flipped Learning Mastery to Reach Every Student (even remotely) with Jon Bergmann
• Episode 42: The With Heart Project with Kristen Miller
• Email Maureen
• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• Maureen’s book, Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids
• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America
• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• More episodes: EducationEvolution.org

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Success in school is too often only measured in metrics and test scores with little regard given to students’ emotional needs. There is, however, a direct correlation between wellbeing and overall performance.

Through evidence-based programs like Restorative Practices (RP), Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (PBIS), Trauma-Informed Practices, and Social-Emotional Learning (SEL), we can emotionally nurture students and create safe spaces for them to thrive.

Today’s guest, Kristen Miller, is doing just that! She is empowering students, families, and schools to take a holistic look at education. Her work teaches communities how to invest in the student, not just their performance.

We believe in all students feeling safe and loved! Listen in to find out how.

About Kristen Miller:

Following a three-year engineering career, Kristen Miller spent 13 years in education teaching predominantly high school mathematics, AVID, and Career Technical Education, and serving as a middle school vice principal in northern California. Seeing a huge need for high quality social and emotional interventions, systems, and supports, Miller created a youth empowerment organization, With Heart Project (WHP), to work alongside schools and districts promoting Social-Emotional Wellness (SEL), Restorative Practices (RP), and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS).

In her inaugural year, she partnered with a high poverty middle school in northern California to create and implement practices, processes, and procedures to decrease student suspension rates and increase academic achievement. Her results were remarkable. Her efforts yielded a 79% growth in Common Core Mathematics achievement, as well as a reduction in discipline and attendance infractions, an increase in GPA, and an increase in math and reading grade levels among at-risk students.

Kristen currently resides in Sacramento, CA where she spends her time teaching youth positivity, confidence, perseverance, and coping skills through Empowerment Coaching. You can follow her and the With Heart Project on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Jump Through the Conversation:

• [2:08] Witnessing the positive results of social-emotional wellness (SEL)
• [3:20] The correlation between academic achievement and student wellness
• [6:38] Restorative Practices: Bringing Communities Together
• [10:20] Creating equity with positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) and multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS)
• [14:04] Addressing students needs through adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) screening and trauma-informed practices
• [18:37] Kristen’s Magic Wand: Increase school funding and district training to create environments where students feel safe and supported
• [23:22] Maureen’s reflection on the communal impact of restorative justice
• [25:01] Revisiting PBIS Tier 1: “All students feeling loved and safe”

Links and Resources:

• Student Talk: A Different Kind of Math Class
• Social-Emotional Wellness (SEL), Restorative Practices (RP), and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) Evidence and Studies
• International Institute for Restorative Practices
• Multi-Tiered Systems of Support
• B.D. Perry, M.D., Ph.D.: The Neurosequential Model Network
• Dr. Nadine Burke Harris: How Childhood Trauma Affects Health Across a Lifetime
• Email Maureen
• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution

• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America

• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep
• More episodes: EducationEvolution.org

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We know there is a need for systemic innovation within our schools, and the pandemic has made this more apparent than ever. But, is it a bad thing that our eyes are now open to the challenges of our post-COVID school system? What silver lining can there be among all of this?

The surge in “pandemic pods,” micro-schools, and schools-within-a-school (SWAS) give us a glimpse into what we can expect for the future of schools in a post-pandemic world. We can look at this moment in history as a time of disruptive innovation for schools, changing the educational landscape in a big way. It’s not necessarily a good or a bad thing, but simply a time of change to fit the changing needs of our students.

Listen in to learn more about disruptive innovation, what leaders in change we can look to, and how to begin creating that change together.

Jump Through the Conversation: * [2:47] A look at this moment in history * [5:05] My hope that we regroup * [8:01] Looking at the structure within the school differently * [8:42] Create change together * [9:15] Start with a mission * [10:42] Unpacking Edgecombe County Schools’ graduate aims * [14:10] A silver lining?

Links and Resources: * Learning Pods Show Their Cracks * Is This the Moment in History When K-12 Schools Get Disrupted? * Episode 30 with Loren Demeroutis * Episode 39 with Jenny and Donnell * Big Picture Learning * MSC Mastermind * Email Maureen * Facebook: Follow Education Evolution * Twitter: Follow Education Evolution * LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution * Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America
• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep
• More episodes: EducationEvolution.org

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We all want to create change in our schools, but sometimes it can seem overwhelming. There’s so much that needs to be changed, but we have limited time, resources, and support.

This doesn’t mean we should settle for systems that check off boxes. We still have the power to create meaningful, enriching learning experiences for our students.

Today’s guest, Kyle Wagner, shares with us that sometimes, simple innovation is the most powerful thing we can do for our schools. Teachers: Don’t overthink it. Focus on what you can do for your students and what changes you do have the ability to make.

And parents? Trust that your children’s teachers have the skill and ability to make these changes, and support them along the way. These simple innovations will have long-lasting ripple effects in both your students’ lives and in your community.

About Kyle Wagner: Kyle Wagner is the founder and lead consultant for Transform Educational Consulting, an organization that empowers forward thinking schools to grow and develop socially, globally, and emotionally aware citizens. His work with project-based learning and leading the design of innovative learning experiences spans 12 years, three continents and over 15 schools. He has worked with educational leaders across some of the most successful public, charter and international schools in Asia. He is also the former Coordinator of Futures Academy at the International School of Beijing, a program that uses interdisciplinary project-based learning to connect students to their passions and the world outside of school. His book “The Power of SIMPLE” documents this experience and helps provide simple, research-based strategies for school transformation.

Kyle is also a former educator and project leader at High Tech High, where he witnessed first-hand the transformative power of student-centered, real-world learning. Students wrote and published professional books, co-designed small businesses, conducted field studies, and acted in the same way as real professionals in the field.

He currently resides in Hong Kong where he spends time developing schools of the future while helping other school leaders build theirs. You can follow him and his work with transforming education on Facebook and Twitter.

Jump Through the Conversation: * [1:33] Wanting more from teaching began the adventure of innovating * [4:01] Starting simple with real-world connections * [10:54] Attacking an authentic problem to get at the standards in a meaningful way * [13:19] The Power of Simple book and masterclass * [15:14] Montessori natural learning with curiosity, imagination, wonder and stories * [20:19] Kyle’s Magic Wand: Parents to trust the educators as skilled professionals and have a better understanding of what teachers do * [24:06] Maureen’s Corresponding Magic Wand: For parents to start looking at what a child can become and how to support it vs. focusing on short-term homework or grades

Links and Resources: * Kyle’s book: The Power of Simple * High Tech High * Documentary: Most Likely to Succeed * Montessori Mafia Harvard Business Review article * Montessori Mafia * Email Maureen * Facebook: Follow Education Evolution * Twitter: Follow Education Evolution * LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution * Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America
• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep
• More episodes: EducationEvolution.org

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On this podcast, we have often discussed student-centered learning. But what about human-centered learning? They work hand in hand. Human-centered learning appreciates what makes each student their own person. It is about recognizing what makes up your kids’ identities and giving them the representation they need, empowering them to understand themselves and how they can address social injustices on their own.

Listen in as this week’s guests discuss how they’ve been able to implement human-centered learning in their rural community and the positive impact it has had on their students.

About Jenny O’Meara and Donnell Cannon: Jenny O’Meara is a rural middle school principal in North Carolina and a co-leader at the Phillips Middle School of Innovation. Donnell Cannon is the high school principal for these same students. They have both graduated from North Carolina State’s NELA program and currently they serve just under 400 kids. With the help of Transcend Education, they have worked together to transform their students’ experience into one of identity, purpose, and passion.

Jump Through the Conversation * [2:55] Interrupting the system * [9:57] Give students space to explore identity * [12:24] Roses in Concrete curriculum: understanding and changing systems of oppression * [16:30] Students as change agents, addressing injustices in the world * [19:25] What do we have to lose? * [24:56] Donnell’s Magic Wand: Create spaces for students to be heard and strategically abandon the traditional school system * [26:56] Jenny’s Magic Wand: Kid-centered schools and communities * [28:50] My reflections on Jenny and Donnell’s work and ideas

Links and Resources: * NC State’s NELA (innovative school administrator) training * Overview of Phillips Middle School and list of the graduate aims * Human-centered, Equity X design * Ideal middle school day * Roses in Concrete: East Oakland school * Transcend: Building Beyond the Limits of School Design * Transcend’s Designing for Learning Primer * Email Maureen * Facebook: Follow Education Evolution * Twitter: Follow Education Evolution * LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution * Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America
• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep
• More episodes: EducationEvolution.org

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Does your curriculum encourage students to be DEI and SEL proficient? Recognizing how diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and Social Emotional Learning (SEL) work together, and being more intentional about them in your curriculum, will help teachers navigate these tough subjects in their classrooms.

E-chieh Lin and Emily Schorr Lesnick worked together to develop the DEISEL curriculum and framework at University Prep in Seattle. Listen in to learn about how this curriculum is preparing their students to thrive and be more engaged in social progression.

About E-chieh Lin and Emily Schorr Lesnick: E-chieh is the Director of Diversity and Community and the Director of Hiring at University Prep (UPrep). She previously worked as an instructor at Cornell University Office of Academic Diversity Initiatives.

Emily is currently the Director of Social Emotional Learning at UPrep. Previously, she worked as the Upper School Director of Service Learning and Associate Director of Community Engagement at Riverdale Country School in the Bronx.

They co-created the DEISEL framework and curriculum, which intentionally linked diversity, equity, and inclusion with social emotional learning. Learn more about DEISEL learning here.

You can keep up with UPrep and the work they do on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Jump Through the Conversation: * [4:57] Becoming “body aligned” to embody concepts with head, heart, and body * [8:14] Remembering that institutions are made of people and we need to start with each person * [22:32] Applied theater to embody and understand change * [28:18] How graduates with DEISEL skills could impact the world * [31:53] Emily’s Magic Wand: For students to see and know they are magic! * [32:24] E-chieh’s Magic Wand: Every adult understanding and fighting for justice * [34:06] Following their examples of humble lifelong learning to fight for justice

Links and Resources: * Prioritizing Racial Literacy by Dr. Howard: an interview on managing racial conflict through racial literacy and his book * Dr. Bettina Love: We Want to Do More Than Survive: Abolitionist Teaching and the Pursuit of Educational Freedom * Five Ways Educators Can Use Theater to Support Kindness in Action * Emily’s Equity in Education booklist (from an independent book dealer) * The Institute for White Anti-Racist Accountability * Emily’s remote SEL websites and resources * Email Maureen * Facebook: Follow Education Evolution * Twitter: Follow Education Evolution * LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution * Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America
• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep
• More episodes at EducationEvolution.org

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You know the old saying, “When life hands you lemons...”? Well, 2020 has certainly handed us lemons. In fact, you could say it sent us a landslide of lemons. I don’t think any of us even expected half of it but all of us are ready to say good-bye to it.

So, how do we even begin to process this year? What lessons are there to mine? What power do we have to make 2021 great? If we strive for greatness, what could January 2021 look like?

Let’s unpack these four questions and also apply them to our big 2021 dreams of education evolution. Listen in.

Jump Through the Conversation * [1:47] How do we begin to process this year? * [6:25] What lessons are there to mine? * [9:02] What can I do? * [10:47] How can I begin? * [12:36] My Magic Wand: Intentional joy and growth

Links and Resources: * Tim Ferriss’ Past Year Review * Scotland Nash’s podcast * Leigh Anne Taylor Knight’s podcast * 10 Agilities: Discover what you are good with the Agile Work Profiler * James Clear’s article on Habit Stacking * Email Maureen * Facebook: Follow Education Evolution * Twitter: Follow Education Evolution * LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution * Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America
• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

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As educators, we all want to see our students feeling valued, heard, and thriving in their education. When it comes to larger schools, this becomes a bigger challenge as more students face being force-fed a curriculum that doesn’t necessarily work for them. Our kids are diverse, with individual needs and abilities.

What can we do to create the community in larger schools that these students need?

This week’s guest joins me to talk about the solution they’ve been implementing, and it’s one I’m very familiar with: Creating a school-within-a-school (SWAS). Listen in as Mike Haykin tells us about the success of his SWAS, the Options Program at Seattle Academy, and the benefits it’s had for the students who have opted in to the program.

About Mike Haykin: Mike is the assistant head and former director of learning services at Seattle Academy, a prominent local independent school. I was excited to learn that he has led the creation of their new Options program, a school-within-a-school for high school students.

You can follow Seattle Academy (SAAS) and learn more about them on Facebook,Twitter, and Instagram.

Jump Through the Conversation * [1:32] The Options Program * [6:32] Finding Inclusive Support * [8:11] Personalization and Flexibility in the Program * [14:22] Mike’s Magic Wand: Appreciating Students’ Differences and Individual Strengths * [16:24] My Reflections on the Options Program and Mike’s Magic Wand

Links and Resources: * Seattle Academy * Guide for starting a school-within-a-school (SWAS) * “Academies” as a SWAS * Email Maureen * Facebook: Follow Education Evolution * Twitter: Follow Education Evolution * LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution * Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America
• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep
• More episodes: EducationEvolution.org

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Even pre-pandemic, being a leader in education could feel lonely and isolating. So in these turbulent times, it’s more important than ever to build communities that will encourage and support our educational leaders.

There are so many benefits to building and being part of communities in education, and the positive effects on our leaders will only continue to ripple throughout the rest of our learning spaces and schools.

Listen in to learn about these benefits and how you can get involved.

Jump Through the Conversation * [1:52] What is a Leader and Why do we Need Them? * [3:48] Communities Help us be our Best * [5:33] Communities Provide Synergy * [6:52] Communities Help us Learn * [8:00] Communities Provide Support * [8;57] Benefits of a Mastermind * [13:38] My Magic Wand: You Getting to be Your Best

Links and Resources: * Micro-School Leader Mastermind Group * Better Leaders Better Schools Mastermind * Transformative Leaders Mastermind * The Bullock Garden Project * THEIR PLACE Discovery and Learning Center * Episode 23 with Sonya Harris * Episode 28 with Danny Bauer * Episode 29 with Jethro Jones * Email Maureen * Facebook: Follow Education Evolution * Twitter: Follow Education Evolution * LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution * Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America
• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep
• EducationEvolution.org

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Anti-bias education works to fight against the biases we all have and to build empathy and compassion within our schools. We can’t assume our students are learning and fostering anti-bias skills outside of the classroom, and we can’t properly serve each student individually if we aren’t identifying and addressing our own biases.

Dr. Scotland Nash, Director of Education for the Anti-Defamation League PNW region, joined me on the podcast to discuss how we can support anti-bias education in our schools. Scottie gives us ideas and information about opening conversation and shifting our curriculum and policies to show allyship and support towards the disenfranchised in our communities. We must become intentional about catching and interrupting the biases in our own lives in order to bring systemic change to education.

We believe in loving each other. Now is the time to do it.

About Scotland Nash: Scotland Nash has worked in education and education support services for 20 years. She has had the role of high school social studies teacher, education director, instructional leader, adjunct professor, and consultant in both the Chicago area and Seattle. Scotland earned her doctorate in Educational Leadership from Seattle University.

As a teacher, she was nominated for Disney Teacher of the Year award and Golden Apple, and she earned multiple superintendent and principal accolades and awards for her instruction and collaboration. She was named an ASCD Emerging Leader in 2014. As a consultant, she supports schools and districts in effectively utilizing new teacher evaluation systems, implementing common core and literacy support for students across the disciplines, and implementing systemic high functioning professional learning communities.

Currently, as the Director of Education for the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) PNW region, she works with schools, districts and their community to learn about identity and diversity, to practice anti-bias strategies for communication, and act as allies for social justice. If you’re interested in Scotland’s work, you can follow her on LinkedIn.

Jump Through the Conversation * [2:00] What Anti-Bias Education Looks Like * [4:30] Interrupting Bias * [9:47] Fostering Anti-Bias Skills * [13:35] Systems Change * [15:38] Understand Your Own Identity * [19:47] Questions for Leaders * [24:04] Love and Belonging * [25:30] Scottie’s Magic Wand: Put Every Kid at the Center of their Education

Links and Resources: * ADL PNW region * Brené Brown * My thoughts on Love and Belonging * Email Maureen * Facebook: Follow Education Evolution * Twitter: Follow Education Evolution * LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution * Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America
• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep
• More episodes: EducationEvolution.org

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Thanksgiving is here and, unfortunately, it looks very different from years past. 2020 has been a year of uncertainty, filled with political unrest, mass unemployment, and a global pandemic. At times, it feels impossible to find the bright side to all of this darkness.

But as a Jesuit priest said, “It is not joy that makes us grateful, but gratitude that makes us joyful.” We can foster gratitude and joy in our daily lives even during such uncertain times. In this episode, I’ve outlined four ways to do this, so that we can all be forces of positive change within our spheres of influence.

Jump Through the Conversation * [3:18] Practice Gratitude * [4:38] Take Responsibility * [6:18] Share More * [6:52] Listen Fully and Seek to Understand * [8:27] My Magic Wand: Strive to be Forces for Good and Positive Change

Links and Resources: * Brene Brown on Joy and Gratitude * Acknowledging Native Land is a Step Against Indigenous Erasure * How NOT to Teach Thanksgiving * The Neuroscience of Gratitude and How It Affects Anxiety and Grief * Unlocking Gratitude & Maximizing Creativity | Steven Kotler on Peak Performance During COVID-19 * Brene Brown’s Unlocking Us podcast * The Michelle Obama Podcast * Jan Phillips’ books, art, classes, and podcast * CNN’s The Good Stuff Saturday good news * Email Maureen * Facebook: Follow Education Evolution * Twitter: Follow Education Evolution * LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution * Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America
• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep
• More episodes at EducationEvolution.org

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Learning in the 21st century is so much different than what it used to be, for students, educators, and even families. As an educator, you may find it more difficult than ever before to connect with your students. We know that different kids learn differently, so what can be done to support this?

One good thing going on in the world right now is that there are lots of creative options available in education so that we can make learning work for all kids.

Lori Moore from Kids Connected joins me on the podcast to discuss how we can make this happen and how we can encourage online engagement from students during virtual schooling. Lori provides tips and tools that both educators and parents can use to help support both the student and family during these times. She knows that the education children receive must focus on the whole student in order for them to thrive.

About Lori Moore: Lori Moore has 17 years experience in public education and is shifting to become the education director of Kids Connected. Lori has experience in public schools, virtual learning, and homeschooling, and is excited to create an educational experience that supports the whole family. She is developing a program with Kids Connected that focuses on the whole student and gives them lifelong success.

You can learn more about Lori and Kids Connected by visiting their website, reading their blog, and following them on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

Jump Through the Conversation: * [2:35] Kids Connected field trips and homeschool classes * [6:42] Lori’s “why:” I saw what I wanted to change in education * [7:52] Parent tips for student engagement * [12:55] Teacher tips for student engagement * [17:52] Lori’s Magic Wand x 3: * + That all students experience learning in a setting that allows them to thrive + That all students are able to connect with their teachers + That all teachers continue to seek ongoing professional development to connect with students * [20:02] Maureen’s reflection on the three parts of Lori’s magic wand wish

Links and Resources: * Kids Connected * Read the Kids Connected blog * Connecting with Students Online by Jennifer Serravallo * Common Sense * Kathleen Morris’ Primary Tech * Jethro’s Mastermind * Danny’s Mastermind * Micro-School Leaders Mastermind * Email Maureen * Facebook: Follow Education Evolution * Twitter: Follow Education Evolution * LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution * Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America
• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep
• More episodes of the Education Evolution Podcast

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With so much hate and division in our world, thoughts of how schools can provide love and belonging have been weighing down on me these past several months. Feelings of safety, love, and belonging are essential needs every human needs in order to live their best, most fulfilled lives. When it comes to these three needs, schools can have such an amazing impact in improving the lives of our students.

But how are children’s needs of love and belonging being met in our schools? And what can we do to make our schools a safe place where students feel loved, valued, and welcome?

This week I go over a few simple steps we as educators can take to confront our own biases and ensure our schools are places of love and inclusion. Schools are the biggest influence on our children outside of the home, so we must be willing to make the necessary changes to make them safe places where students feel seen, heard, and valued.

Jump Through the Conversation: * [1:07] Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs * [3:27] How do schools meet foundational needs of students * [5:32] My challenge to schools * [6:35] Be a voice of love and inclusion * [9:57] A need we can address * [11:47] My challenge to educators

Links and Resources * Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs * No Place for Hate * Loren’s Episode * Email Maureen * Facebook: Follow Education Evolution * Twitter: Follow Education Evolution * LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution * Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids * Micro-school feature on Good Morning America * The Micro-School Coalition * Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition * LEADPrep

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When evaluating the success of our students, what we’re really evaluating is the failures of our approach. Students who don’t feel valued and engaged won’t succeed and as educational leaders we are responsible for creating an environment our students can thrive in.

It’s not about changing who we are serving, it’s about changing how we are serving them.

Loren Demeroutis, of Big Picture Learning, joins us on Education Evolution today to discuss how we can take a more student-centered learning approach in order to drive higher interest and engagement within our educational environments. By creating a student-centered learning environment, we close the achievement gap and create spaces where students feel safe, heard, valued, and engaged.

About Loren Demeroutis: Loren Demeroutis is an experienced administrator, educator, and the director of Big Picture Learning, a system of schools that work hard to engage students and make learning authentic. He has a passion for interest-based learning that he uses in his mission to sustainably undo systems of oppression. To learn more about the work of Loren and BPL, visit their website and be sure to follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. You can also find Loren on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Jump Through the Conversation * [2:00] Big Picture Learning Vision * [3:18] BPL is leading on shifting from doing learning to...to for...to with our learners * [9:44 ] BPL students are seen and valued. Sound familiar? * [15:17] Schools building “wonder and awe” * [16:19] Activism by school working together for change as a “meshwork” * [19:56 ] Relationships are really love in action * [23:13] Loren’s Magic Wand: Give the wand to a young person and trust! * [25:45] Love is the opposite of of hate

Links and Resources: * Micro-School Coalition * Big Picture Learning * Confronting unconscious biases or stereotypes * Love = boldly challenging racism * Email Maureen * Schedule free 15-minute consultation with Maureen * Facebook: Follow Education Evolution * Twitter: Follow Education Evolution * LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution * Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids * Maureen on Good Morning America * For this episode and more, EducationEvolution.org

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When you think about your own school, who is it designed for? What priorities are clear to your team and your families? It is so easy to get caught up in the test scores and assignments that we forget the true focus of our educational spheres: the students.

Our focus has to be ensuring they thrive and feel supported.

Jethro Jones joins us today to discuss how principals are integral in setting the culture of their schools and creating student-driven learning environments. He reminds us that we have the power to transform our schools to ensure we are serving the students. We also discuss communication vs. compliance, and how that can be the difference in making a student feel valued.

Listen in to feel empowered and inspired to take ownership of your schools and transform them into the thriving student-driven learning environments they can be.

About Jethro Jones
Jethro Jones is a leader, speaker, and problem solver that helps school leaders find success for their students and teachers. He hosts the Transformative Principal podcast and is also the author of SchoolX, a book that goes into detail on how to create a transformative school experience. He believes that we need more empathy in our learning spaces and works with ACSD to encourage student-driven learning environments. To learn more about Jethro, visit his website or follow him on Facebook and Instagram.

Jump Through the Conversation
[2:01] Question: Who IS school designed for?
[3:18] What are the measures of success for schools?
[5:28] Taking ownership of your school
[7:13] Strategies to use
[14:55] Having more empathy and understanding to avoid conflicts
[28:05] Jethro’s Magic Wand: Everyone should be able to understand the intentions of others.

Links and Resources:
Micro-School Coalition
Transformative Mastermind
SchoolX by Jethro Jones
Email Maureen
Schedule free 15-minute consultation with Maureen
Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids
Maureen on Good Morning America
For show notes, links and more: https://educationevolution.com/29

Education Evolution
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Many educational leaders have amazing goals for their learning spaces, but don’t know how to reach them effectively. How can we truly maximize our impact as leaders?

Today we are joined by Danny Bauer, who teaches us that as leaders, we can always level up. By creating a growth mindset-centered community, our leadership can flourish, and we can bring our vision to life in the educational space. He inspires us to push ourselves and become better, step by step.

Listen in as we talk about how we can become better, experience true leadership development, and use our influence as powerful forces of good in our learning communities. As Danny explains, “Everybody wins when a leader gets better.”

About Danny Bauer:
Danny Bauer is an educational leader who coaches other leaders to their best via classes, the Better Leaders Better Schools podcast, consulting, informational blogs, and more. His mission is to help school leaders take ownership of their leadership development, gain clarity, and find solutions to their biggest challenges.

Danny pushes the envelope on excellence in school leadership as an experienced school leader and an insatiable lifelong learner himself. You can learn more about Danny and his coaching on his website or follow him on Twitter and Instagram.

Jump Through the Conversation
[2:06] Danny’s candid “Mirror Moment”
[5:59] Using vision to be inspired and create a filter
[9:38] Social media is NOT our community for deep growth
[11:15] Danny’s Mastermind Group
[24:43] How to be a part of dismantling systemic racism
[29:25] Danny’s Magic Wand: Get rid of schools! Dream big–get expansive and creative!

Links and Resources:

Micro-School Coalition
Personal Best by Atul Gawande
The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande
Dr. Sheldon Eakins
Dr. Tracey A Benson
How to be Antiracist by Ibram X Kendi
Stillness is the Key by Ryan Holiday
Overcoming Bias by Tiffany Jana and Matthew Freeman
Caste by Isabel Wilkerson
Email Maureen
Schedule free 15-minute consultation with Maureen
Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids
Maureen on Good Morning America
Latest episodes: https://educationevolution.org

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Opening a micro-school is no easy task; it’s a business with all the cogs and parts involved in any business. There’s funding to think about, location, support staff and teachers. But there’s a shortcut available, especially for those with a relationship to an existing school or business.

This is actually how I opened my first micro-school, a school-within-a-school, in a large Washington State high school. The facility, money, teachers, students, and other resources were already there. I just needed to reconfigure the learning model to fit my group of learners.

This episode of the Education Evolution podcast includes examples of how you might take a shortcut when opening your own micro-school, why you might want to open a micro-school, and what you should do first (or next).

And to get started on your own, grab a copy of my book or book a call with me. I have firsthand knowledge and experience in starting and running successful micro-schools across the globe.

Jump Through the Conversation
[4:05] Why have a school-within-a-school?
[7:01] Why it is important to get smaller and more personalized
[10:11] Five steps to take
[12:29] My Magic Wand: Be the Change

Links and Resources:
Episode 22: Mission-Driven Pivot to a Micro-School
Episode 23: A Place for Colorful Mismatched Learners to Thrive
Sign up for the self-paced course, Build Your Micro-School
Visit the Micro-School Coalition
Schedule a free 15-minute consultation with Maureen
Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids
Email Maureen
Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
Maureen on Good Morning America

Show notes, links and more episodes – https://educationevolution.org

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In the shadow of COVID, the current face of education has brought a new set of challenges into the (virtual) classroom. It can be difficult to know how to overcome these barriers and create the best environment for both educators and students.

Today, Andrew Marotta joins us on the Education Evolution podcast to give insight into how he’s able to hold this balance in his own life. Despite being a husband, father, principal, author, professional speaker, and more, Andrew maintains a positive energy and focus that has led to his success in the educational system. He reminds us of the grace we must extend to each other during this difficult time and gives us a call to do our best and believe in ourselves.

Listen in now to hear his advice on creating a positive impact for students, keeping up morale, and creating relationships to help students thrive no matter the situation.

About Andrew Marotta
Andrew Marotta is an energetic and enthusiastic leader who has put his positive imprint on his beloved Port Jervis High School, in Port Jervis, NY. He has led the transformation of PJHS, helping to raise the graduation rate from a low 60% to mid and upper 80%.

With the release of his first book, “The Principal: Surviving and Thriving,” Andrew is expanding his impact on the education leadership community. Husband, father, principal, former Division One College Basketball Official, professional speaker and developer, and now author, Andrew balances his busy lifestyle and shares with you the tips, tricks, procedures, and methods he uses to make it work.

Learn more through his blog and listen in on his podcast. You can also follow him on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.

Jump Through the Conversation:
[2:09] Treat your school like a restaurant
[6:53] Now is the time to release routines and try new things
[8:22] Do your best, be kind, and have empathy
[10:58] Be fully present and focus on the “big rocks” first
[16:16] Dr. Rob Gilbert’s success hotline
[18:38] Andrew’s Magic Wand: We MUST believe in ourselves and that we can have an impact
[22:49] Rita Pierson’s Ted Talk: Every Kid Needs a Champion on “Kids can’t learn from teachers they don’t like.”
[24:20] Maureen unpacking Andrew’s gems

Being human
Shining our light and making an impact

Links and Resources:
Andrew Marotta’s The Principal: Surviving and Thriving
Education Leadership and Beyond Blog
Education Leadership and Beyond Podcast
Stephen Covey’s Big Rocks First video
Dr. Rob Gilbert’s Success Hotline: can subscribe or call 973-743-4690. (Success Hotline, started in 1992, is the world’s longest running inspirational telephone hotline. Daily 3-minute inspirations.)
Rita Pierson’s Ted Talk: Every Kid Needs a Champion
Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Marianne Williamson’s Our Deepest Fear poem
Email Maureen
Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids
Micro-school feature on Good Morning America
The Micro-School Coalition
Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
LEADPrep

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As educators, we know that children don’t learn in silos. Right now, parents are learning this, too. They’re seeing their kids struggle, not only with accessing the information but with processing it as well. It’s spotlighting the fact that we need to educate the whole child and that academics is just a portion of who the child is.

That’s why today’s conversation with Kr. Karen Wilson is so important. As a clinical neuropsychologist, Karen evaluates children and informs parents about neurodevelopmental and social-emotional issues and helps connect them with professionals who can help children succeed.

In our conversation, we discuss why parents put off having their children evaluated, how the pandemic has exacerbated some of the difficulties children are having and what parents should do once they have a diagnosis.

Karen also talks about her mission to support parents and children even further through her ChildNEXUS online platform. And if you want more from this conversation and Karen, she has a podcast of her own launching soon!

About Karen Wilson
Dr. Karen Wilson is a Clinical Neuropsychologist, Director of West LA Neuropsychology, and an Assistant Clinical Professor (Voluntary) in the Medical Psychology Assessment Center at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Behavior at UCLA. She is also the Founder of ChildNEXUS.com, a web platform that provides information to parents who have children or adolescents struggling with neurodevelopmental or social-emotional issues, and connects them with professionals who provide services.

Dr. Karen Wilson has shared her expertise in a broad range of media outlets: television, radio, podcasts, print, and online. She is a sought after speaker and has been invited to address a multitude of audiences including parenting groups, educators, and professionals attending national conferences. Connect with her on LinkedIn.

Jump Through the Conversation

[6:28] Why parents delay getting neuropsych evaluation
[8:30] How parents (and kids) feel and react after an evaluation
[9:36] Impact of chronic stress in kids
[12:30] Impact of loneliness and social media with this generation
[14:23] Karen talks about her ChildNEXUS online platform
[18:30] Karen’s Magic Wand: We’re evaluating kids the moment we see them struggle and find a variety of ways to support them–all kids
[19:53] Unpacking the conversation
Links and Resources:
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Parents, are you looking for a different model for your child? Educators, are you ready to try something new, that’s outside the traditional educational system? It might be time to start your own school or micro-school.

COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on education and parents and educational leaders alike are scrambling to support our colorful, mismatched kids who aren’t being served in a strictly online or hybrid environment.

This week on the podcast, I’m sharing what your first steps should be when starting your own micro-school. And I’m also sharing success stories of some of my students in the Build Your Micro-School program. I’m thrilled to see how they’ve embraced this moment to make their dreams happen.

Jump Through the Episode:

[1:07] Anyone is capable of starting a micro-school
[1:47] The key starting point
[2:22] What’s the opportunity or need?
[2:38] How Build Your Micro-School students are making change happen
[4:22] Getting clear on your priorities
[5:24] The questions to help you focus your vision
[12:40] Bullock Garden Project & Their Place
[14:25] Untethered Minds Institute
[15:45] What comes next
Links and Resources: https://educationevolution.org/24

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As school closures continued in May of 2020, Sonya Harris saw children struggle. A former special education teacher, Sonya was heartbroken and wanted to do something about it.

Already director of the nonprofit Bullock Garden Project in Glassboro New Jersey, Sonya knew what it was like to start a passion project. And so, she decided to pivot what she was already doing to start a nature-based micro-school to address special needs children who needed in-person education to thrive.

The doors to this new school open as this podcast episode goes live, complete with trailblazers (not “teachers”), outdoor space, safety health checks and a mission to embrace the differences of all the children enrolled.

Tune in to the episode this week and just hear how Sonya’s heart is fully immersed in this venture.

About Sonya Harris
Sonya is a multiple award-winning, former special educator and founder of The Bullock Garden Project, Inc. She founded the nonprofit in 2017 because she passionately believes in the importance of empowering children, teachers and families to grow their own healthy food and hopes to inspire youth to pursue careers in the green industry. After retiring from education, she founded Their Place to ensure that all children had a place to learn, grow and thrive. Sonya travels and presents to/trains educators on embedding garden-based learning into school curriculum as well as members of the green industry on the importance of partnering with organizations who serve children. Her ultimate goal is to see garden-based education help eliminate food insecurity for all children.

Jump Through the Conversation

[1:38] Sonya’s long-time desire to open a new kind of school for kids
[4:30] Virtual learning doesn’t work for everyone
[8:34] As a Black educator has had transformative conversations with her elementary students on race and differences making us special
[10:23] Talking about race with second grade students
[12:12] Accepting, appreciating and understanding those who are different from us
[14:25] The importance of teaching love and acceptance
[15:52] The challenge of pivoting and finding a location for the school
[23:15] The universe reacts to (and with) a stolen car
[28:20] Sonya’s Magic Wand: Smash the production-line educational model and embrace differences
Links and Resources: https://educationevolution.org/23

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With almost 20 years of experience in education, Nana Campana knew she wanted to see a change. She wanted a place for children to come where they learned–but not by rote memorization and reading books. Nana wanted a space where they could thrive through support and guidance, experiential learning and enrichment, therapy and…yes…the academics.

As this podcast episode goes live, Nana is opening the doors to Untethered Minds, a micro-school in Miami, Florida. There she plans to educate the full child through therapy, play and individualized support.

I’m honored to have played a part in this school opening and thrilled to watch children in the Miami area have a new place to call their school home. Listen in to hear about where the idea for her school came from and how she put all the pieces together through my Build Your Micro-School program. Maybe you’ll find the motivation and drive to start your own!

About Nana Campana
Nana Campana is an accomplished creative and certified educational therapist and therapeutic art facilitator with a proven track record of empowering struggling learners to become competent and independent without limitations. She is currently committed to accomplishing her mission of reforming education one student at a time through cognitive programs offered at The Paper Tree House.

Since the brain is a muscle and everyone is able to learn to thrive and master the skills needed to leave their mark on this world, it is Nana’s utmost desire to break the belief that learning disabilities are permanent and that children (and adults) have to forever struggle with their limitations. Visit her website or follow her on Facebook and Instagram. You can also connect with Nana on LinkedIn.

Jump Through the Conversation

[1:35]Description of Untethered Minds micro-school
[5:24] Summer intensives as a smaller stepping stone
[6:30] Not every brain learns the same
[8:43] Mindset is the biggest challenge to starting a micro-school
[12:15] Puppies and painting prep
[14:09] Creating a tribe
[20:53] Nana’s Magic Wand: Inject creative curiosity back into education

Links and Resources: https://educationevolution.org/22

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Parents and educators alike are starting micro-schools this fall in an effort to change the educational path for their children–and others in their community. But often we forget the hard work that goes into any new venture. There’s so much more involved than a passionate drive to change, though that’s a good start!

This week on the Education Evolution podcast, I’m sharing some of the myths involved in starting a micro-school and what realistic expectations you should have. I’m drawing from my many years in education–and from starting multiple micro-schools myself.

And I’m also sharing some of the lessons I’ve learned building my own progressive, state-accredited micro-school in the Seattle area. Listen in!

Jump Through the Conversation

[1:20] Three myths
[5:22] How long does it take to open a micro-school?
[8:00] External factors impacting a micro-school
[8:57] Enrollment
[9:25] Curriculum
[9:55] The longer view
[12:13] Progressive education as the goal of all schools
[13:14] Maureen’s Magic Wand: Use this moment in history to create more relevant and holistic schools
Links and Resources:

https://educationevolution.org/21

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Parents are a huge part of the success of a micro-school. They’re there to advocate for their children and help both the school and its community achieve common goals. But often parents shy away from participating fully because they’ve been taught by traditional institutions that their help isn’t always welcome.

Without the support of families in a smaller school community, those schools wouldn’t be as successful as they could be. In this week’s episode of the Education Evolution podcast, I’m sharing how parents can and should get involved and how school leaders can support parent empowerment.

Whether you’re a start-up micro-school or a school leader looking for new ways to bring parents into the fold of your school community, you’ll find tips and resources that can help you encourage parents to step up and get involved.

Jump Through the Conversation

[1:20] Village approach to raising a child
[3:10] Big Picture Learning
[4:46] Synergy with common goals to maximize learning and development
[6:08] Three steps every school leader can take to support parent empowerment in the classroom/micro-school
[8:56] Four quadrants of time management
[11:46] Maureen’s magic wand
Links and Resources:

https://educationevolution.org/20

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How great would the world be if everyone had a heart for giving back? This is something that we don’t teach our kids about enough.

My conversation with Larry J. Snyder, a philanthropist and author, on this episode of the Education Evolution podcast looks at his own philanthropy, what he’s doing to teach his own teen daughter about giving back and what parents can do to instill a giver’s mindset in their own children.

According to Larry, we set the stage by helping youth identify the influential people in their lives and then guiding them to contributing in honor of those people. Knowing that sometimes teens need help with this, we also talk about what giving back looks like and how teens can hear from their peers about giving back.

About Larry J. Snyder
Larry J. Snyder is a seasoned philanthropist, consulting fundraiser and friend to dozens of non profit organizations, both domestic and international. His servant leadership was informed by the entrepreneurship of his grandfather Chuck and his mother Jean’s community building acumen. Of particular interest to Larry are small education communities that honor the ambitions of every student.

Jump Through the Conversation

[1:45] “Honor and service” the two words that guide Larry’s philanthropy
[3:34] An example from Larry’s Which One am I? showing how one person is using her talent in service of homeless people
[10:47] Set the stage with youth by helping them identify people who are influential in their lives and get them to be authors of how they can contribute (Honor and serve)
[11:50] Samples of easy ways for our youth to serve others
[15:32] Larry’s Magic Wand: Think of who has played a significant role and honor them
[16:43] YOU MATTER…TO ME: words to say and show through our service
[17:54] Maureen’s breakdown of the interview

For complete show notes and more, go to https://educationevolution.org/19

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As our country addresses both a global pandemic and the discomfort of acknowledging systemic inequity, we are in crazy unprecedented times as schools. With intention and determination, we can design our school solutions with equity in mind. But it will take a commitment of time and resources and a healthy dose of passion to get it done.

On this episode of the Education Evolution podcast, I’m sharing some of the big ah-ha’s that I’ve seen in this moment that micro-schools are having. From small instructional pods in homes and garages to parents looking for a private alternative school, now is the time to make a change. But not one that’s simply a Band Aid for this fall. A change that will ensure our students have equitable access to quality education in the long-term.

Jump Through the Conversation

[3:10] Principle of equity and access in parent pod discussions
[5:46] WGNTV’s Kristina Miller emphasizing relational teaching is always needed
[6:26] HLN anchor, Lynn Smith addressing adolescent mental health and decreasing learned hate
[7:21] Creating norms based on kindness
[10:40] Micro-School Magic Wand: rethinking the institution of education

For complete show notes and more, go to https://educationevolution.org/18

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Many educators are fed up with the traditional education system and many parents are weary of remote learning. So much so that they’re taking matters into their own hands and creating schools that make more sense for the wildly different children in their lives. Some students thrive in a traditional setting but so many don’t, making micro-schools a long-term solution that makes sense.

“Fed up” was where today’s guest was several years ago. Rachel Cole and her husband saw the dysfunction in traditional schools and wanted to make a change to help tweens and teens that were falling through the cracks. That’s where her school, Bauhaus Montessori, came from.

On this episode of the Education Evolution podcast, Rachel talks about the importance of getting to know the families of the students you serve, why every class needs to serve a purpose and how to ensure that teachers get the support they need so they can serve their students well.

About Rachel Cole
Rachel is a co-founder and the lead teacher at Bauhaus Montessori, a micro-school designed specifically for adolescents. She is an alumna of Tulane University, credentialed by the American Montessori Society, has a Master of Education in Montessori Integrative Learning, and has years of experience teaching middle and high school in both Montessori and traditional environments. Rachel is passionate about curriculum design and creating an inclusive community where adolescents flourish.

Jump Through the Conversation

[3:00] Educators are energized when work is meaningful
[4:30] The relationships that are missing in traditional education
[5:34] Where Bauhaus admissions process starts
[7:46] What Montessori looks like for middle school
[8:36] Middle school learners need developmentally appropriate tasks to straddle childhood and adulthood
[11:08] Mutual respect and feeling liked and respected…norms at Bauhaus Montessori
[14:45] Teacher’s ongoing job to have “innerwork sorted out” with a sense of purpose
[19:57] Model “Daily Personal Reflection”
[20:58] Rachel’s Magic Wand: Offer middle school education that is small and focused on meeting their community needs and respond in an appropriate way. I want to see more micro-schools led by teacher-leaders who know students and forge great relationships with them.
For complete show notes and more, go to https://educationevolution.org/17

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This spring when schools shut down, parents and educators alike scrambled to find solutions for teaching kids. Parents were responsible for making sure their children were doing the prescribed homework the schools sent home. And teachers created lesson plans that would (hopefully) make sense to parents and students. It was more than a little chaotic in education and social circles.

I’m proud to head up LEADPrep Academy in Seattle, a micro-school that was able to take the changes in stride, thanks to its small size and dedicated teachers and students. In fact, a number of students stepped up to offer spring break and now summer programs to keep our students engaged and involved. This experiment of small group and multi-age learning has been a hit with everyone.

Listen in to our students and parents talk about this innovative and very community-minded programming that helped everyone feel welcome.

Jump Through the Conversation

[1:10] Addressing the needs of our students
[1:39] “Summer slide”
[3:20] Eli’s experience teaching and tutoring math
[4:04] Not just going through the motions–personalizing learning
[6:10] A middle school parent’s Magic Wand wish of self-directed learning
[9:28] Benefits of multiage classrooms
[14:00] A high school parent’s Magic Wand for fostering philanthropy
[23:58] Three questions to challenge each school in continuous improvement

For complete show notes and more, go to https://educationevolution.org/16

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Parents across the country are looking for short-term (or permanent) solutions for school for their kids this fall. They’re worried about sending their children back to a public school for fear that there aren’t enough safety precautions in place. Or they still haven’t heard about schools opening in their area so they’re preparing for online learning.

A lot of parents are taking matters into their own hands and working with their friends and neighbors to develop their own micro-school–something that will give them a voice in how to educate their children while giving them more freedom than homeschooling allows.

No matter where you stand on masks, school openings, or safety, many decisions are out of your hands. But when it comes to micro-schools, you can be in the driver’s seat.

First, there’s a lot to do to get ready. Have you thought about logistics, safety, transportation, routines, curriculum…and so much more? In this episode of the Education Evolution podcast, I’m sharing three steps you need to take when starting your own micro-school and five questions you need to ask yourself. Listen in!

Jump Through the Conversation

[1:30] What is a micro-school?
[2:48] Three questions to define a mission
[4:42] Getting the word out
[6:06] How to differentiate your school
[6:53] Five questions to hone your model
[11:26] Your Magic Wand vision for schools of the future that serve all learners

For complete show notes and more, go to https://educationevolution.org/15

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Social justice is a big topic of conversation across the globe. But how do we teach our children about social justice? It’s not something that we should teach once like so many schools do with programs like Character Counts. Social engagement is something that schools need to live and breathe every day, immersing students in activism that makes a difference. And it should also carry over into the home.

That’s why the conversation I had with Traci Baxley of Social Justice Parenting is so timely and so important. Traci has a diverse background, with more than 30 years of experience in pre-K through college and our conversation focused around why social justice is so important–and how to integrate it into our schools and homes.

So much of what we talked about focused on kindness and conversation, which I believe we can all aspire to do better at.

About Traci Baxley
Traci is driven by compassion, social justice, and radical love–for all children. She wears many hats in the social justice field, including as a university professor, life coach, speaker, and educator. Traci has worked with families, organizations, and corporations in developing inclusive practices that lead to meaningful relationships, a sense of belonging, and high productivity. She has co-authored two books on areas of belonging and cultural identity, authored numerous publications, and presented research at conferences nationwide. She is also mother to five biracial children and is dedicated to ensuring they know, love, and embrace their blackness.

Jump Through the Conversation

[1:38] What is Social Justice Parenting?
[3:55] Using the R-O-C-K-S Model in homes, schools…everywhere!
[9:15] What social engagement can look like in schools more holistically
[11:20] What activism looks like for teachers
[11:59] Traci’s thoughts on equality and changing policies
[13:56] Traci’s Magic Wand: We need to see one another and accept everyone’s lived experiences at truth for them.
[14:33] What radical love looks like

For complete show notes and more, go to https://educationevolution.org/14

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We know children learn better when they’re involved in both the learning process and in making decisions about what and how to learn. That’s one of the things that makes place-based learning so powerful: that students can immerse themselves in the local economy, the culture and the outdoors to learn anytime and anywhere.

Today’s conversation with Teton Science Schools’ Nate McClennen explores the importance of place-based learning and how to keep students involved and engaged as they discover they can truly make a difference in the world.

We also talk about equity, something that is on a lot of educators’ minds right now–and needs to remain there. Tune in to this important and valuable conversation about real learning and assessment, using learning standards in competency-based learning and how to keep our teenagers engaged in their own education.

About Nate McClennen
Nate McClennen is the Head of Innovation at Teton Science Schools (TSS) in Jackson, Wyoming. His work focuses on how to scale the impact of place-based education through technology, innovation, design learning, rural education, and school networks. He was part of the founding faculty at Journeys School from 2001-2006 and was Head of Journeys School from 2006 – 2015. Since 1993, he has taught science, technology, robotics, and math at the secondary and university level. He serves as an adjunct faculty of the Teacher Learning Center at Teton Science Schools, implementing teacher-workshops nationally and internationally. As the director of the Place Network initiative, Nate is supporting the launch of a national network of rural place-based K-12 schools.

Jump Through the Conversation

[1:16] What is place-based education
[2:16] More about Teton
[3:08] Learning is “anytime/anywhere” sinkhole example
[6:39] Agency, community, and equity drive Place-Based Learning
[9:56] Community: Every learner belongs and feels a part of the community
[10:33] Equity: Every student deserves to experience incredible learning in their K-12 experience
[12:45] Authentic assessment beyond the written and talked curriculum to what is truly learned
[16:35] How to measure competencies, outside of your typical stand-alone assessment
[ 22:50] Why don’t we give credit for mastering competencies–even if it is on the soccer field?
[24:07] Nate’s Magic Wand: Eliminate artificial constraints we’ve created in the traditional education model. Shifting engagement of students leaving high school from 20-30% to 70-100% so our students graduate feeling like their learning was relevant, they had a voice, and they can make a difference
[26:15] The positive impact COVID has had on our schools
[29:00] Maureen’s takeaways
[29:47] Sticky learning (teachable moments)

For complete show notes and more, go to https://educationevolution.org/13

Education Evolution
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When schools moved from in-person to virtual at the drop of a hat in the spring of 2020, many schools and educators panicked. Too many lacked the tech-savvy or, frankly, the creativity to find ways to keep rambunctious students engaged through Zoom.

The problem? Teachers were trying to teach as they always did–and even those practices made it challenging to keep kids engaged.

Somewhere along the way, we’ve forgotten that students want to have a say in what they’re learning and how. Classrooms across the globe are teacher-led, rather than being student-centered. And because of this, students shut down amid COVID-19 and distance learning.

Today on the Education Evolution podcast, I’m talking with Meg Ormiston about what a more student-driven classroom looks like and how any type of school or classroom can use micro-teams to keep engagement up and students learning. Even when nothing else in their lives looks the same right now.

About Meg
Meg Ormiston, in her role as a consultant, partners with school systems that have committed to 21st-century learning experiences for everyone. Meg creates a unique partnership in each district, reflecting the mission, vision, and direction that local leaders identify. Her district-wide projects include guiding teams through the visioning process, designing and delivering professional development, facilitating classroom modeling, developing student leaders in technology, and educating parents.

Meg is the lead author in the NOW Classrooms series of five books all published in 2018. The books, written by 27 practicing educators, are organized into grade bands of k-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12, and leadership guide. The NOW Classrooms: Lessons for Enhancing Teaching and Learning Through Technology books are practical and sequence technology skills k-12. The 3-5 NOW book was awarded a Teachers Choice Award by Learning Magazine. Also, Meg was named as one of “2018’s Most Influential People in EdTech” by Tech and Learning Magazine.

After twelve years of teaching and coaching in the classroom, Meg volunteers on her local school board, facilitates grant projects, and continues researching and writing about best practices.

To learn more about Meg’s work, follow @megormi on Twitter.

Jump Through the Conversation

[1:45] What is a NOW classroom?
[2:30] Elements of the NOW classroom
[3:52] How micro-teams work
[5:45] The power of having students lead micro-teams
[10:03] How students become leaders with micro-teams
[12:45] How a fifth-grade classroom became a service organization and supported a school of 900
[15:54] It IS possible to shift a school for the benefit of students
[20:23] Meg’s magic wand: I wish everyone had kept up and known all the great educational technology tools before [COVID] happened. You chose to not come to the different sessions and…a lot of teachers were not prepared. So students were not engaged.
[23:22] “The Arrow” continuum from teacher-driven to student-directed learning
[24:48] Top 10 Toolkit of educational technology for teacher
For complete show notes and more, go to https://educationevolution.org/12

Education Evolution
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In education, we spend a lot of time educating our youth but maybe not as much time as we should be getting them ready for the workforce. Today on the Education Evolution podcast, I’m talking with Dr. Leigh Anne Taylor Knight, the executive director of the DeBruce Foundation. Her organization helps teens and young adults take what they’re good at and what they love to do and discover ways to translate this knowledge into goals and plans for future employment.

It’s fascinating to think about how increased awareness can grow more informed career decision-makers and I love the idea of giving youth this knowledge early on. You’ll also hear us talk about how the DeBruce Foundation is responding to COVID and enabling interns to continue learning and growing–remotely.

About Leigh Anne Taylor Knight
Dr. Leigh Anne Taylor Knight is a resourceful, innovative leader who currently serves The DeBruce Foundation in Kansas City as Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer. The Foundation’s mission is to expand pathways to economic growth and opportunity. It seeks to help people discover what they want to do, and what they’re good at doing, to open more career possibilities.

Having served as a K-12 educator, Leigh Anne established a career dedicated to improving how individuals understand themselves and view opportunities to advance in the world of work. She is driven to lead the leveraging of resources across sectors for innovative learning, rigorous research, and community collaboration in order to improve economic development and the quality of life. A teacher at heart, Leigh Anne has also served as a K-12 assistant superintendent, advised learning institutions across the nation, and led a bi-state consortium providing powerful tools for data-driven educational research to inform practice and policy.

After graduating from University of Missouri-Columbia with a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Design and Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Secondary Education, Leigh Anne earned her Education Specialist’s degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and her doctorate from the University of Kansas in Education Policy and Leadership.

Jump Through the Conversation
[1:30] DeBruce Foundation’s mission: expanding pathways to economic growth and opportunity
[1:49] Agilities: Discovering them and finding how those are used in careers
[4:08] What agilities success looks like
[6:09] DeBruce foundation’s connection to the community
[6:36] DeBruce virtual internships–condition of covid to innovate
[9:25] Workforce readiness
[12:44] Be more informed career decision-makers with the agility advantage approach
[16:44] Leigh Anne’s Magic Wand:
Knowing their agilities and having the opportunities to grow
Organizations invite youth and embed them into the processes of the company

For show notes and more, go to https://educationevolution.org/11

Education Evolution
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It’s so much easier to motivate kids when you, the educator, have choices and the flexibility to teach to the students rather than the test. And when you can craft learning experiences around student passions. But in a traditional school setting, this is a much more difficult endeavor.

Though this week’s guest on the Education Evolution podcast was the founder and director of the micro-school Puget Sound Community School for 24 years. Andy Smallman is passionate about ensuring that all children have the opportunity to learn. There he was able to empower teachers and students alike and allow his students to grow to love learning.

Find out more about how Andy was able to facilitate learner-centered learning, where his efforts to promote kindness came from, and how teachers can truly engage students with one simple action every day.

About Andy Smallman
Andy Smallman is the visionary and founding director of the Puget Sound Community School, an independent school in Seattle for students in grades 6-12 that helps them build on their strengths and nurtures their intrinsic motivation. Along with the mentoring work he’s done over the years with adolescents, Andy is known for his efforts to promote kindness, has been the officiant at numerous weddings, has facilitated evening & weekend workshops for adults, and is regularly sought out for counsel. In everything he does, Andy helps people see the awe both inside and around them.

Jump Through the Conversation
[2:18] Example of engaged, interdisciplinary learning (radio/art/writing)
[4:52] How to motivate kids when you’re in a more traditional school setting
[7:07] Steps a traditional classroom teacher can take to create this agency
[8:04] How to share your experience as a teacher
[9:27] Learning to “sense and respond”
[10:43] Learning as a life process vs a checklist
[11:50] Teaching kindness
[15:22] How parents can help motivate kids
[16:48] Andy’s Magic Wand: Within themselves, students are okay. Educators need to create and maintain learning environments that don’t damage a child’s psyche! How do we help people know they are whole now?

What motivates kids? How can we help them have voices to tell us and choices to make their learning personally relevant and motivating? (That’s agency.)

Sense and respond–listening to what resonates and responding from that place instead of a pre-planned lesson

Can we honestly say our schools help kids know they are whole and don’t damage their psyches?

For show notes and more, go to https://educationevolution.org/10

Education Evolution
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Education Evolution
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I got my first taste of interdisciplinary learning when I was in the seventh grade. The fact that I can remember the lessons, the outcomes, and the experience itself more than 40 years later is a testament to the power of interdisciplinary and experiential learning. When I was in my student teaching immersion in college, I worked with an amazing mentor teacher who allowed me to see the joy of this learning model from the other side. The questions students asked and the amount of engagement we saw solidified what I already knew: Educators must get children involved in the learning process. This week on the Education Evolution podcast, I’m sharing some of the research out there around interdisciplinary education and what it looks like in real-time. Every child in schools today will grow up to be part of the larger world. Don’t we owe it to them to allow them to use the skills they’re learning right away, rather than relying on rote memorization? Highlights from the Episode [1:12] How Maureen experienced experiential learning in 7th grade [3:11] What, why and how of experiential learning [3:38] Why teachers should go through the work of creating interdisciplinary lessons [7:53] How LEADPrep prepared to “go interdisciplinary” [10:20] What our version of interdisciplinary will look like for the fall [13:25] Tapping into educators with more experience [14:32] Maureen’s Magic Wand: The isolated silos of each subject becomes real-world blended and relevant for our learners For show notes and more, go to https://educationevolution.org/9 Education Evolution https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/education-evolution/ Source: https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/9-making-learning-stick-with-interdisciplinary-learning

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In many schools, students are pulled out of classrooms to receive additional support in speech and occupational therapy, special education, remediation in math or language arts, and other services. Sadly, this doesn’t serve students or their classroom teachers. In this episode of the Education Evolution podcast, we’re talking to Julie Burgess-Dennis, a speech and language pathologist (SLP) who works as part of the team of consulting specialists at LEADPrep Academy in the Seattle area. She shares why a push-in model helps to build relationships between these “dream team” consultants and classroom teachers and why it helps children master their goals that much faster. The whole-student perspective we get from this transdisciplinary model is vital in our students’ success and it’s something we rarely see in a traditional school model. Listen in to our conversation and think about how this smaller school setting, a micro-school, with embedded tiers of support can benefit the children in your community. About Julie Burgess-Dennis Julie provides speech, language, communication, and social cognition services in the context of social interaction, play, and structured learning activities. Her professional training has focused on sensory-motor processing, motor speech disorders, language processing, and social cognition. She is PROMPT© Level II trained, completed intensive training at the DIR© Institute, and has attended many workshops focusing on Social Thinking© presented by Michelle Garcia Winner. Julie has also focused a great deal of professional development on sensory-motor processing relating to sensory regulation, communication, and language development. Julie’s approach is family- and team-based, providing service in the home, school, and Under the Umbrella: A Therapy and Learning Collective. She values the collaborative process and enjoys working with all individuals participating in her clients’ social and academic learning. She offers evaluation, treatment, and consultation services; all individualized to meet the unique needs of every client, family, and school. For show notes and more, go to https://educationevolution.org/8 Education Evolution https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/education-evolution/ Source: https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/8-creating-teams-of-learning-support-with-julie-burgess-dennis

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When you think about how we’re educating our children today, think about how many choices they have in what they’re learning and why. Children in a traditional public education setting don’t have much choice and there’s no room for future-focus. They have to earn a prescribed number of credit hours in English, math, civics, and science–never mind what their actual goals and dreams are. But when we teach children in a future-focused mindset, we’re able to raise thriving adults who have strong values and a leg up on their futures. This is just part of the conversation on today’s episode of Education Evolution with Kira Dorrian. Kira is a parenting expert in the Pacific Northwest and co-host of the podcast Raising Adults: Future Focused Parenting. We approach our conversation from the perspective of the parent and the perspective of the education leader and look at how future-focused learning is about the long game of raising children. Tune in now to find out how to help families move from surviving to thriving, how to parent and teach with the end in mind, and why it’s so important to lean into children’s voices. About Kira Dorrian Kira Dorrian is the co-creator of Future Focused Parenting and co-host of the popular podcast Raising Adults. She has been working with expectant and new parents as a childbirth educator and parent coach for over a decade and specializes in preparing couples for their transition into parenthood, navigating the transition itself, and helping them raise emotionally intelligent children. Kira has been a mental health professional with a private practice for the past ten years and is passionate about the mental health and wellness of the whole family as a key to a positive parenting experience. Visit https://futurefocusedparenting.com for more info. For show notes and more, go to https://educationevolution.org/7 Education Evolution https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/education-evolution/ Source: https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/7-future-focus-your-kids-and-let-them-use-their-voice-with-kira-dorrian

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Too many youth today get lost in the traditional public school system. It’s not the teachers’ fault; they have more students to keep track of than ever. And it’s not the fault of the students who are just being their normal teenage selves. It’s because we don’t have enough micro-schools leading the way in education today. I firmly believe that we need to teach children how to develop and nurture relationships with their teachers, a skill that will serve them well in college and beyond. Because this doesn’t typically happen in public education, we must turn to different models to get it done. Today’s guests on the Education Evolution podcast are students at LEADPrep Academy, a flagship micro-school in the Seattle area. In fact, this is the school I founded and lead. Too often we forget to let today’s students have a voice in society, and today we give Frankie and Max, a sophomore and junior respectively, that voice. Tune in as we hear about the best part of attending a micro-school, how teacher relationships make a difference (even in distance learning), and why traditional online school doesn’t always work. The boys also share some insight into how their own friendship circles are doing with the changes caused by COVID-19. About Frank Rosner Frank is a 10th grader at Leadership Preparatory Academy and also works with toddlers with special needs at the Kindering Center. He has a unique perspective on these youngsters as a special needs student himself. He is diagnosed with a variety of learning challenges, including autism. Frank is a homebody who loves to cook, clean, garden, and knit! He also has three pet tarantulas. About Max Pierce Max is a junior at LEADPrep and also takes classes at the local college. He particularly loves his college communication class. Max has always had a hard time focusing in school and started taking medication for his ADHD in fourth grade. When middle school got rocky, his parents suspected he wasn’t getting the attention he needed and started to search for alternatives that eventually led him to LEADPrep. There, he immediately felt like he was among friends and people he could trust. Max works at his local coffee shop and loves traveling, snowboarding, being with his friends, and…sleeping! Show Notes, Links and Resources: https://educationevolution.org/6 Education Evolution https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/education-evolution/ Source: https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/6-micro-schools-lead-the-way-for-community-support

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Sometimes our call into education is as simple as a voice that says, “Be a teacher.” That was the case with Susan Thompson, academic dean at University High School in Tolleson, Arizona. Though she’s retiring at the end of the 2019-2020 school year, she’s still in the trenches and working with kids daily. The way she works so hard to buck the status quo of the traditional education model is inspiring! In this episode, Susan offers an overview of how University High went from a school to get students who were falling behind ready for college to a highly sought after, rigorous option for diverse and motivated students. In fact, the school regularly ranks on the US News and World Report’s list of top high schools nationally while primarily enrolling students from the immediate community (rather than cherry-picking only high achievers). After the interview, I provide a synthesis of Susan’s magic wand wish, and how it can help refill the cups of our teachers and students alike. I also offer a little challenge at the end that I’d love to discuss with each and every one of you…How can we each start with fascination? About Susan Thompson Susan Thompson has had a 30-year career in education, teaching theater, AP History, gifted programs, and serving as a librarian and now a principal/academic dean. She has worked for the AZ Commission of the Arts instructing arts-based learning workshops all over the state of AZ. She has also taught at a variety of universities. She coached cross country and was the AZ State Thespian Director for 10 years. She resides in a small historic home in downtown Phoenix, where she serves her community as president of the Midtown Neighborhood Association and lives with her 1-year-old chiweenie, Frida. Show Notes, Links and Resources: https://educationevolution.org/5 Education Evolution https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/education-evolution/ Source: https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/5-a-school-within-a-school-harnessing-the-power-of-dreams-with-susan-thompson

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One of the solutions to evolving our education system is place-based learning, where students learn through inquiry-based lessons in a physical location that’s suited to that lesson. As an advisory board member of Teton Science Schools, the global leader in place-based education, this week’s guest knows this concept well. After beginning a career in energy, retail, and business, Tom Vander Ark realized in his early 30s that he needed to make a difference for kids. That’s when his long career in education began and he’s since worked as a school superintendent and as a leader at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, among other notable roles. What I love about the conversation I had with Tom is his ability to see a big future for micro-schools, especially in the aftermath of Coronavirus. Tom shares ideas for how we can apply this present learning from the pandemic as we look to the fall and returning to classrooms. We talk about making classrooms more agile, meeting kids where they’re at and continuing the relationships that kids have with school and home. He also discusses design thinking principles and the five key features of a place-based model. About Tom Vander Ark Tom Vander Ark is an advocate for innovations in learning. As CEO of Getting Smart, he advises schools, districts, networks, foundations, and learning organizations on the path forward. A prolific writer and speaker, Tom is author of Getting Smart, Smart Cities That Work for Everyone, Smart Parents, Better Together, and The Power of Place and has published thousands of articles and co-authored more than 50 books and white papers. He writes regularly on GettingSmart.com, LinkedIn, and contributes to Forbes. Previously he served as the first Executive Director of Education for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Tom served as a public school superintendent in Washington State and has extensive private sector experience. Tom is a board member for Education Board Partners, Director for 4.0 Schools, Digital Learning Institute, Latinx Education Collaborative, and eduInnovation and an Advisor for One Stone, Teton Science Schools, and Whittle School & Studios. Show Notes, Links and Resources: https://educationevolution.org/4 Education Evolution https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/education-evolution/ Source: https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/4-dynamic-place-based-learning-in-agile-schools-with-tom-vander-ark

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“Education is so much more about that human element, that reaching every student piece, than it is about [what I’m teaching this week].” – Jon Bergmann This statement is the epitome of Jon Bergman and the way he educates his students. It’s his life’s mission to ensure every student’s needs are met–both in his classroom and in every classroom. His drive to pioneer Flipped Learning classes with expected mastery is why his voice and ideas are so vital in the world of teaching and learning. During our interview with Jon, we talk about how education has changed over the years–and why it’s still not where our kids need it. We discuss the tragedy with which the industrial revolution impacted modern education and why we’re still doing the wrong things at the wrong times for our students. Jon discusses what a flipped classroom really looks like (it’s not what you think) and how to really connect with students, even when you’re not face-to-face with them. After the interview, I give some insight into why students don’t really care about what we’re teaching them until they know that we care about them and I talk about my hope for the impact COVID-19 might have on how education evolves in the future. About Jon Bergmann Jon Bergmann is one of the pioneers of the Flipped Class Movement. Jon is leading the worldwide adoption of flipped learning by working with governments, schools, corporations, and education non-profits. Jon is coordinating or guiding flipped learning initiatives around the globe and is the author of seven books including the bestselling book: Flip Your Classroom which has been translated into 10 languages. He is the founder of the global FlipCon conferences which are dynamic engaging events that inspire educators to transform their practice through flipped learning. Jon spent 24 years as a middle and high school science teacher before becoming the lead technology facilitator for a school district in the Chicago suburbs. He is now back in the classroom, in Houston. Jon is a master storyteller, captivating audiences around the globe. He has a knack for taking complex things and simplifying them through story and humor. Jon hosts a radio show, The Flip Side which is currently getting about 30,000 downloads a month. He also has a popular YouTube Channel with over three million views. Show Notes, Links and Resources: https://educationevolution.org/3 Education Evolution https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/education-evolution/ Source: https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/3-flipped-learning-mastery-to-reach-every-student-even-remotely-with-jon-bergmann

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As a disruptive force in the education space, Patti Dobrowolski performs magic with both kids and adults. Patti works with the power of inner and outer visuals to help individuals, teams, and organizations around the world focus to achieve their dreams. She talks about her process, based on neuroscience and imagination, to help students (and all of us!) reach our desired reality. This empowering approach to life is important for our teens’ overall wellbeing and mental health. In this episode, we’re talking about why it’s helpful to allow children the opportunity to truly think creatively and openly about their futures and how to unlock new possibilities for themselves. Patti weaves in each student’s personal strengths or “agilities,” as discerned in a simple and free assessment. She shares how pictures and illustrations can improve anxiety for any age and why imagination is so important to our future. After the interview, I make some important connections between Patti’s thought leadership and the evolution in education. We look at a few resources for creativity and social communication and I share with you some really actionable tips you can use immediately at home or in your classroom. About Patti Dobrowolski Patti Dobrowolski, author of 9 TIPS to UP YOUR CREATIVE GENIUS and DRAWING SOLUTIONS: How Visual Goal Setting Will Change Your Life, is the founder of Up Your Creative Genius, a consulting firm that uses visuals and creative processes to help companies and individuals around the world accelerate growth and change. A critically acclaimed comic performer, internationally recognized keynote speaker, writer, and business consultant, she has brought innovative visual practices to Fortune 500 companies, NGOs, and small businesses. Her consulting career spans 25 years working to design, develop, and facilitate workshops with all levels of organizations across multiple industries to help them more effectively manage changes they are facing. Patti holds an MA in Psychology: Drama Therapy from the California Institute of Integral Studies. A multiple award winner, she is a three-time TEDx speaker at “Draw Your Future,” “Imagination Changes Everything,” and Creative Genius: You. Recent clients include: Microsoft Inc, Amazon, Starbucks Coffee Company, Pepsico, Samsung Innovation, FedEx, Turner Broadcasting, Frito-Lay North America, Hoffman LaRoche Inc., Lufthansa, Genentech, Intel, HP, Gilead Sciences, Providence Health Services, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, USDA, Vistage, Guild Mortgage, Seattle Space Needle. Show Notes, Links and Resources: https://educationevolution.org/2 Education Evolution https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/education-evolution/ Source: https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/2-inviting-imagination-and-our-agilities-into-teen-goal-setting-with-patti-dobrowlowski

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The Education Evolution podcast exists because education, as we know it today, is broken. Our children’s needs aren’t being met–academically, socially, or emotionally, even though the resources and strategies to meet those needs do exist. The problem is that change takes time and money, making it easier to stick with the status quo than to gather the leaders and support needed to reimagine and change today’s learning landscape. Too many children are in pain and not reaching their potential because the education system has failed them. On this podcast, you’re going to hear from educational leaders, parents, and teachers who want to be catalysts for change. We’ll talk about today’s education, what’s broken, who’s fixing it, and how. Tune into this first episode, then new episodes each Tuesday as we highlight present concerns and share innovative solutions to spark the reimagining of learning and needed change. About Maureen O’Shaughnessy Maureen O’Shaughnessy, EdD, is a career school innovator with over 30 years of transforming learning in schools to better serve all students. She is the founding director of Leadership Preparatory Academy, a nonprofit progressive micro-school in Washington State. With a master’s degree in educational administration and a doctorate degree in educational leadership, she has an extensive understanding of the components needed to transform the education system. Show Notes, Links and Resources: https://educationevolution.org/1 Education Evolution https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/education-evolution/ Source: https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/1-lets-get-this-education-evolution-started-with-dr-maureen-oshaughnessy