The Rural Scoop: Recent Episodes
Dr. Melissa Sadorf
The Rural Scoop will bring new ideas, innovative curriculum, and current rural school issues to the table and will highlight what is working in rural communities with guests that are teachers, administrators and educational professionals. Come get the Scoop!
The Rural Scoop has the opportunity to speak to two staunch supporters of rural education about their organizations and the work they are doing, including their upcoming participation at the Rural College Access and Success Summit!
Sara White is the Director of Programs for Partners for Education. She has worked the last 25 years in the field of public education as a teacher, counselor and federal grant administrator. Currently she leads four GEAR UP grants and a staff of over 250-strong toward the goal of ensuring all Appalachian students succeed! Through PfE, she works nationally to raise awareness and discuss best practices for rural students’ success. Her current role as a Director of Programs is to ensure college and career success for students in 41 southeastern-Kentucky counties.
Dr Richard Daniel is executive vice president and chief operating officer of Education Forward Arizona.
His responsibilities include identifying partnership and fundraising opportunities for organization growth and impact; developing and executing strategic operational planning and program work planning; and ensuring that programmatic and operational/administrative budgets align with organizational priorities. He is the former executive vice president and chief operating officer at College Success Arizona, where he worked to bring the transformative opportunities of higher education to students from underserved and underrepresented communities in Arizona. Born in the rural mining community of Superior, Dr. Daniel experienced firsthand the transformative power of higher education, earning his Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, as well as his master’s degree in Higher Education Administration, and his bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science from Arizona State University.
Join us as we talk about an asset-based lens to use when viewing rural communities and schools, the current needs they are seeing in their work around how the pandemic has impacted college going students, their hopes and goals for the future of rural education, and the upcoming Rural College Access and Success Summit happening April 24-27, 2022 in Arizona. Come get the Scoop!
The Cultivating Rural Education series of the Rural Scoop features the authors of the book by the same name! Join me and my guest co-host Julie Duffield of the Region 15 Comprehensive Center for West Ed in this special collaboration as we talk to author Dr. Sheneka Williams about Strong Rural Students. We dive into the importance of community partnerships in rural schools, look at how land grant universities can support rural education, and explore how tapping into community assets can create strong foundations for rural students.
Sheneka Williams is professor and chair of the Department of Educational Administration at Michigan State University. Her research broadly examines educational opportunity for African American students across rural and urban contexts, and she has been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals. She also co-edited a book, Educational Opportunity in Rural Contexts: The Politics of Place. Dr. Williams sits on numerous boards, including Books For Keeps and Give.Build.Share. Don't miss out on getting the
Scoop on Cultivating Rural Education - A People-Centered Approach for States!
The Cultivating Rural Education series of the Rural Scoop features the authors of the book by the same name! Join me and my guest co-host Julie Duffield of the Region 15 Comprehensive Center for West Ed in this special collaboration as we talk to author Dr. Karen Eppley. We take a look at challenges that rural communities face in recruiting and retaining rural teachers, the importance of ensuring rural educators understand rurality in order to be successful, and the role that higher education can play in protecting the pipeline. We also investigate how state departments of education can support the creation of strong rural educators in the rural schools within their states! Karen Eppley is an associate professor of education at Penn State University and a former 5th Grade teacher. Her research interest is at the intersection of literacy education and rural education. She writes about rurality as a contested social space within economic globalization, rural literacies textual representations of rurality, rural education as a matter of social justice and policy analysis. At Penn State, she prepares K-12 reading specialists for certification and leads multi-model arts-based reading camps each summer for readers in grades two through six. Look for future episodes where we dive into the different parts of the book with the various authors. Don't miss out on getting the Scoop on Cultivating Rural Education - A People-Centered Approach for States!
The Cultivating Rural Education series of the Rural Scoop features the authors of the book by the same name! Join me and my guest co-host Julie Duffield of the Region 15 Comprehensive Center for West Ed in this special collaboration as we talk to author Dr. Jennifer Seelig. We take a look at what rurality means, as well as how asset mapping can be a powerful tool for rural leaders and initiatives. We also talk with Dr. Seelig about teacher recruitment and retention strategies as well as how state departments of education can connect with the rural schools within their states! Jennifer Seelig (PhD, University of Wisconsin-Madison) is a K-12 research scientist in Education and Child Development at NORC at the University of Chicago. She applies critical theory and qualitative methods to study the political economy of rural America, including the rural teacher pipeline, the role of schools in community development, and civic capacity in rural communities. Prior to graduate school, Jennifer was a high school Spanish teacher for six years in rural and urban schools. She is replenished by hikes in the forest, baking breads and cakes, and escaping to friends’ homesteads in the country. Look for future episodes where we dive into the different parts of the book with the various authors. Don't miss out on getting the Scoop on Cultivating Rural Education - A People-Centered Approach for States!
The Cultivating Rural Education series of the Rural Scoop features the authors of the book by the same name! Join me and my guest co-host Julie Duffield of the Region 15 Comprehensive Center for West Ed in this special collaboration as we talk to author Erin McHenry-Sorber. We dive into the importance of community partnerships in rural schools, look at the way rural leaders can tap into community assets, and explore at how states and entities can come together in a meaningful way to support rural education.
Erin McHenry-Sorber is an associate professor of higher education at West Virginia University and co-editor of The Rural Educator. Her research focuses on rural schools, communities, and leaders, with attention to the inequitable structures that influence place experiences and spaces of marginalization within rural places. Look for future episodes where we dive into the different parts of the book with the various authors. Don't miss out on getting the Scoop on Cultivating Rural Education - A People-Centered Approach for States!
The Cultivating Rural Education series of the Rural Scoop features the editors and authors of the book by the same name! Join me and my guest co-host Julie Duffield of the Region 15 Comprehensive Center for West Ed in this special collaboration as we talk to editors Sam Redding and Caitlin Howley. We dive into how the book came to be, look at what rural is and isn't, and explore at how states and entities can come together in a meaningful way to support rural education. Look for future episodes where we dive into the different parts of the book with the various authors. Don't miss out on getting the Scoop on Cultivating Rural Education - A People-Centered Approach for States!
We continue to investigate the STEM opportunities that are out there for rural students with my guest, Manny Leon, the Assistant Director of the Office of Early Academic Outreach at the University of Arizona! Join is as we talk about the MESA (Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement) program, and how the programming can engage your rural students and staff. Now with the opportunity to take the components of MESA virtual, rural students can get involved with the design challenges from anywhere! Don’t miss out on getting the information on the opportunity to get more STEM curriculum to your rural students! Come get the Scoop!
Got STEM? In this edition of the Scoop, we explore all things STEM for rural schools with Cori Araza of Grand Canyon University! She walks me and my first co-host, Jaime Festa-Daigle, through what STEM is, what opportunities exist for our rural teachers and students, and discusses ways for rural leaders to support STEM in their classrooms. As promised in the interview, the show notes can be found at: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jnMaGkTg4toANxlvKyrbkt-ohzXkl9N055ixqBBAxKY/edit?usp=sharing Be sure to get the Scoop on what's on tap to get STEM integrated into your rural school curriculum!
Join the Scoop as we listen to a few "Stories From the Rural Schoolhouse" - another episode in our special series this season! Our guest is Amy Barker, Assistant Superintendent of the Mountain Valley Education Consortium located in Shasta County, California! Amy talks about different distance learning models used by her districts in the last year, how parent engagement changed, and ways the school community at large came together to support each other. Don't miss out on getting the Scoop from a Rural Schoolhouse!
Join the Scoop as we listen to a few "Stories From the Rural Schoolhouse" - another episode in our special series this season! Our guest is Dr. Helio Brasil, Superintendent of the Keyes Union School District located in Keyes, California! Helio talks about the unique challenges his district faced in the last year with social emotional learning, teacher resiliency, new ways of doing things that they will take into next school year, and some leadership celebrations. Don't miss out on getting the Scoop from a Rural Schoolhouse!
Join the Scoop as we listen to a few "Stories From the Rural Schoolhouse" - another episode in our special series this season! Our guest is Superintendent Tom O’Malley from the Modoc Joint Unified School District located in Alturas, California! Tom, who was also named the 2021 Binderup Superintendent of the Year for his state, talks about the unique challenges his district faces with distance learning, teacher recruitment, new ways of doing things that they will take into next school year, and some leadership lessons he has learned – including taking on some classroom responsibilities himself! Don't miss out on getting the Scoop from a Rural Schoolhouse!
Join me as I talk with Dr. Andy Smith of Prescott College! Andy has worked in education over 25 years as a teacher, administrator, superintendent, and adjunct professor. He recently took a full time position with Prescott College as the Coordinator for Teacher Education. He shares both his experience in the last year guiding novice teachers through their student teaching experiences, and those of the student teachers creating a new paradigm in pre-service towards the attainment of their certification. We discuss what online student teaching looked like, what might be on the horizon for teacher prep program curriculum, and how both he and the students he worked with grew over the last year and a half. Come get the Scoop on what’s happening for rural pre-service student teachers and maybe get a glimpse of the future of educational preparation!
Join the Scoop as we listen to a few "Stories From the Rural Schoolhouse" - another episode in our special series this season! Our guest is Superintendent Bill Stiteler from the Mountain Institute CTED District in western Yavapai County, Arizona! Bill talks about reimagining student engagement in a hands-on curriculum that went virtual, what the CTED looks like for next year and some leadership lessons he has learned. Don't miss out on getting the Scoop from a Rural Schoolhouse!
Join the Scoop as we listen to a few "Stories From the Rural Schoolhouse" - another episode in our special series this season! Our guest is Principal Kim Schaefer from Whitehorse High School in the San Juan School District located in Montezuma Creek, Utah! Kim talks about how they used school-wide curriculum units to connect and engage with students and families, lessons they will take into next school year, and some leadership lessons she has learned. Don't miss out on getting the Scoop from a Rural Schoolhouse!
Join me as I talk with Marie Caldwell of SiskiyouWorks! Marie has worked in education over 25 years as a teacher, principal, and superintendent. During her tenure as an educator she has worked to align public and private partnerships to ensure student success. Through extensive grant writing, she has helped to secure over $8 million for Siskiyou County schools to further career technical education and school to work partnerships. As a founding member of SiskiyouWorks project, she has worked to establish a collaborative partnership of industry, education, non-profit, and government to develop and implement a RoadMap for Workforce development in the County of Siskiyou. Over the last year as Director of the SiskiyouWorks program, she has secured an additional $535,000 in grant funds to implement the Siskiyou County Workforce Development plan. The project has further worked to align the Adult Education Pathways, College of the Siskiyous, and K-12 systems to ensure training and certification for the workforce needs in Siskiyou County and the North/ Far North Region. Come get the Scoop on what's happening for rural students that you might be able to replicate!
Join the Scoop as we listen to a few "Stories From the Rural Schoolhouse" - another episode in our special series this season! Our guest is Superintendent Kevin Imes from the Southwest Technical Education District in Yuma, Arizona! Kevin talks about reimagining student engagement in a hands-on curriculum that went virtual, what CTE looks like for next year and some leadership lessons he has learned. Don't miss out on getting the Scoop from a Rural Schoolhouse!
Come get the Scoop with Mary O’Malley! Mary is the Director of AZ Collaborative Partnerships for ASU Prep Digital, working closely with rural schools, tribal area schools, and opportunity/foster youth. She started her teaching career in Nogales USD and Glendale Union High School District in 1993. Prior to ASU Prep Digital, she worked with multiple education companies, supporting K-12 schools across the U.S. with online and blended learning programs, at-risk learners, ELL teaching strategies, and integrating technology into staff development. An ASU alum, Mary teaches in the Learning Design and Technologies program at Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College. We will discuss the support ASU Prep Digital lent to rural schools and leaders in the last year, the AZ Virtual Teachers Academy, and opportunities that are available moving into a brand new year. Don’t miss getting the Scoop!
Join the Scoop as we listen to a few "Stories From the Rural Schoolhouse" - another episode in our new series this season! Our guest is Stuart Packard from the Buttonwillow Unified School District in Buttonwillow, California! Stuart talks about the team effort his district made during the last year, some creative ways they are using new fiscal resources, and some leadership lessons he has learned. Don't miss out on getting the Scoop from a Rural Schoolhouse!
Join the Scoop as we listen to a few "Stories From the Rural Schoolhouse" - part of a new series this season! Our guest is Dr. Robert Koerperich from the Holbrook Unified School District in Holbrook, Arizona! Robbie talks about the last year for his schools and community, some lessons learned, and how HUSD is coming back better this fall. Don't miss out on getting the Scoop from a Rural Schoolhouse!
Join us as we welcome Christie Olsen to talk about some work her rural school district is doing around teacher efficacy. Christie shares the structures and protocols they have put in place to develop collective teacher efficacy. It has had some powerful effects on teacher retention in the Lake Havasu Unified School District in Arizona. Christie has worked in the Lake Havasu Unified School District for 29 years, teaching grades 4-6. She is currently a K-6 Academic/Instructional Coach and serves beginning teachers and their mentors in six elementary schools as an Arizona Master Teacher. Christie is a Middle Childhood Generalist National Board Certified Teacher and a graduate of the Learning Forward Academy of 2019. She and her husband, a high school math teacher, have two daughters who are graduates of Lake Havasu High School. Their older daughter graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 2019 and is currently a second lieutenant, serving in the United States Marine Corp, and their younger daughter is a senior at the Colorado School of Mines, studying environmental chemistry. Come get the Scoop!
Join me as I get the Scoop with Julie Bacon, Leadership Development Specialist for the Arizona School Boards Association. In her role, Julie works with individual board members to build their leadership capacities and is also responsible for conference planning, customized full board trainings, and presenting to community groups on the role of school boards. She has trained boards in all stages of board development, from a board with new members or superintendent who are looking to establish best practices to boards with veteran members who want to engage in continuous improvement. Julie has worked with boards all over the state, from large urban to small rural and all sizes in between. Julie is also serving her third term on the Paradise Valley Unified School District governing board and has been board president twice. Well-versed in public education policy and advocacy, she started her career in public education as a parent leader and public schools advocate before being elected to the board.
Growing up in rural Pennsylvania, both her parents were teachers and she has a daughter who is currently teaching sixth grade in Arizona. Julie holds both bachelor and master’s degrees in social work and has worked in hospitals and schools as a social worker. Get the Scoop on rural Governing Board onboarding and some of the unique challenges rural Boards face!
Join me as I get the Scoop from Dr. Rick Dalton, the CEO and President of CFES Brilliant Pathways. We discuss how his organization is partnering with rural schools in over 40 states and is helping to get students on a path to either college or career. The CFES model, where educators collaborate around essential Core Practices, has led to thousands of students from rural communities reaching their fullest potential. We also talk about the book he has authored on rural school communities around College and Career opportunities. His work, to be published in Spring 2021, will highlight the ways the rural community as a whole benefits when students are set on a pathway to success. Come get the Scoop and find out why the future for rural students can be Brilliant!
Come get the Scoop as I talk with Superintendent Kim Alexander of Roscoe ISD in Roscoe, Texas. He talks about the reasons for the development of a cutting edge offering for the students of Roscoe who can graduate with an Associates or Bachelors degree while attending school with EDU Nation! Listen as he discusses the variety of apprenticeships, work force partnerships, challenges and successes of the model, and how EDU Nation is scaling up across Texas and nationally! You won't want to miss this superintendent talk about how taking a risk in Roscoe has paid off, not only in his rural community, but in many others! As he says, "Schools are not just schools in rural communities, they are also a driver of economic development!" Come get the Scoop!
Garnett Burns is currently the Project Director of Enforcement Actions for the Arizona State Board of Education. She has have over 20 years of law enforcement experience working in victim advocacy, narcotics, gang intelligence and internal affairs. She served as the first K9 officer for her agency prior to becoming an Internal Affairs Investigator. She took her law enforcement experience with her to the Arizona Department of Education and restructured the Investigative Unit as the Chief Investigator prior to joining the State Board of Education, where she currently serves. In this episode, Director Burns discusses the work she does with educator discipline, shares some statistics the she has seen with cases that are coming before the Arizona State Board or Education and it’s Professional Practices Advisory Committee, and talks about the future of Enforcement Actions. Come get the Scoop with Director Garnett Burns!
Join me as John White and Dreama Gentry discuss the importance of providing opportunities for post-secondary access to rural students. Using the work that is being done by the Partners for Education out of Berea College in Kentucky as a guidepost, we talk about what can be done to highlight the ways these paths to college can improve students' lives, rural economics, and rural community outcomes.
Mr. White is a national communications consultant working primarily in education, helping clients address their most urgent needs and generating media coverage of innovation and progress. He has worked with local, state and national journalists for more than 20 years, increasing the public’s understanding of key policies and programs while promoting and protecting the reputations of both public and private organizations.
John served as a Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Office of Communications at the U.S. Department of Education in the Obama Administration (2009-2013). He led
communications for the Office of Vocational and Adult Education, represented U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan on the White House Rural Council and was the
Secretary’s designee to the Interagency Coordinating Council for the Appalachian Regional Development Initiative. He traveled to more than 40 states visiting schools and colleges, communicating federal policies and seeking feedback to improve programs. John also served as Chief of Staff to Maryland State Superintendent Lillian Lowery at the
Maryland State Department of Education (2013-2015). He guided the agency’s
messaging during a time of tremendous change and progress, including implementation of new college and career-ready standards based on the Common Core, new Partnership
for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) assessments, and new teacher and principal evaluation systems in all local school systems.
As executive director of Partners for Education, Dreama Gentry leads Berea College’s educational outreach into Appalachian Kentucky. Partners for Education supports the educational aspirations of 50,000 students across eastern Kentucky using an annual budget of $40 million. An Annie E. Casey Children and Family Fellow, Gentry also serves on the board of directors for the Fahe, a community development non-profit, and the Pine Mountain Settlement School. She is a member of the equity coalition convened by the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence, which seeks to ensure Kentucky’s school accountability system provides educational excellence to all students. Recently, she organized the annual Rural College Access and Success Summit, an event that brings together approximately 400 participants from across the country to improve the educational opportunities available to students from rural communities. Gentry holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Berea College and a Juris Doctor from the University of Kentucky.
Come get the Scoop on what is happening in rural education!
Come get the Scoop on Dr. Bruce Johnson, the Dean of the College of Education, Professor of Environmental Learning and Science Education, and Paul L. Lindsey and Kathy J. Alexander Chair at the University of Arizona. Dr. Johnson has a PhD in Education Psychology with a minor in Science Education, an MS in Environmental Education, and a BS in Elementary Education. He was previously a middle school teacher in Phoenix and Page, Arizona; elementary teacher in Albuquerque, New Mexico; and director of outdoor schools in New Mexico and Australia. Dr. Johnson’s research includes the teaching and learning of ecological concepts, development of environmental values/attitudes and actions, and teacher preparation and development. Dr. Johnson teaches in graduate programs in environmental learning and science education and also teaches courses in research design and elementary science methods. He also serves as Director of the Earth Education Research and Evaluation (EERE) Team, which conducts research on children’s ecological understandings, environmental values/attitudes, and environmental actions and has provided evaluation services to centers and schools throughout the United States and in Australia, Bolivia, China, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Nepal, and Spain. Currently, the EERE Team is also conducting an evaluation of a dietary treatment for Type II diabetes.
Dr. Johnson and I have a great discussion in this episode on the different programming that is being offered for rural teachers and potential rural teachers through the University of Arizona! Learn about these opportunities and how they can be leveraged in your rural area! You don’t want to miss The Scoop!
Learn about the work that Arizona State Superintendent of Schools Kathy Hoffman has done over the last year since being elected to office, and hear about what is planned for the year ahead! Superintendent Hoffman talks about the innovative positions created at the AZ Department of Education, potential solutions to rural challenges, the successes she has had during the past year, and how she has re-imagined her role as Superintendent. We also discuss the 2019 Why Rural Matters Report put out by the Rural School and Community Trust and how Arizona ranks in some key areas. Don't miss the opportunity to reconnect with Superintendent Hoffman as we kick off Season Three here on the Rural Scoop!
Join us for a special series of interviews as we get to know our Arizona County School Superintendents! In this episode we get to talk to the Pima County Superintendent of Schools, Dustin J. Williams. Superintendent Williams is a native Tucsonan who graduated from Amphitheater High School in 1992. Williams has worked with youth in our community for more than 20 years. Always interested in education, he earned both his Bachelor of Education Degree from the University of Arizona and a Master of Educational Leadership Degree from Northern Arizona University. Williams began his work in youth coaching, was an elementary school teacher for seven years, followed by pursuing school leadership where he served as the assistant principal of a local preparatory high school. Dustin’s passion for education and his desire to improve Arizona’s K-12 education system led him to run for public office. He was elected as the Pima County School Superintendent in November 2016. Superintendent Williams continues to be passionate about championing quality education in our community. He is excited to announce his 2020 candidacy for superintendent as he looks forward to continuing his service to our community. Come get the Scoop on Pima County’s Superintendent of Schools!
Join us for a special series of interviews as we get to know our Arizona County School Superintendents! Jill Broussard was elected the Pinal County Superintendent of Schools in November, 2011. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Arizona State University and a Masters in Educational Leadership from Northern Arizona University, graduating cum laude from both programs. Since taking office Superintendent Broussard has initiated a transitional education program for the H.O.P.E. School and Esperanza School correctional facilities, championed Civic engagement alongside Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, and spearheaded the new Pinal County Business and Education Partnership between business leaders, educators, and government officials, among many others. Here true passion for children is what drives her to work with the districts in Pinal County to provide safe, enriching and engaging opportunities to help prepare today’s youth and tomorrow’s future leaders.
In addition to her duties of County Superintendent, Jill served as a council member for the First Things First Pinal Regional Council, as a member of the Certification Advisory Committee to the Arizona State Board of Education, is the current President on the Executive Council for the Association of Educational Service Agencies, the President of the Arizona Association of County School Superintendents, and represents Pinal County school as a Governor appointed member of the Arizona State Board of Education. Jill is the mother of two teenage boys and has welcomed 9 exchange students into her home. Until recently her husband served in the Arizona National Guard. On the weekends she has been busy as a youth sports coach and Sunday School Teacher. As a wife, mother, coach and teacher she is committed to providing the best service and support to the children of Pinal County and believes that the future of our country lies in the success of our educational system. Come get the Scoop on Pinal County’s Superintendent of Schools!
The Rural Scoop is joined by Dr. David R. Schuler in a conversation around a number of topics including Redefining Ready! and the power of community service. Dr. Schuler is the 2018 Illinois and National Superintendent of the Year. Known for his ability to inspire and build leaders, he spearheaded Redefining Ready!, the national movement to redefine what it means for students to be college, career and life ready while serving as the 2015-2016 President of AASA, The School Superintendents Association. Dr. Schuler leads the national Redefining Ready! Cohort and facilitates the Aspiring Superintendents Academy through AASA, where he shares his perspective on leadership and helps develop the next generation of school leaders. Dr. Schuler is in his 20th year as a superintendent and has served in rural, urban and suburban settings. Currently in his fifteenth year leading High School District 214, Illinois’ largest high school district, he developed an innovative instructional philosophy around personalized learning experiences focused on career pathways, early college credit, and industry credentials that enables students to discover their futures while still in high school. In addition, District 214 now teaches computer science to all 12,000 students, and its six schools were among only seven in the nation to pilot an iOS app development curriculum, initiatives which were recognized by the White House. By partnering with over 1,000 businesses and organizations, students in his district gain valuable experiences and insight to potential careers ranging from healthcare and manufacturing to entrepreneurship. For example, the first winner of the District 214’s Startup Showcase, the capstone pitch night for students taking their entrepreneurship courses, went on to ink a deal with three of the sharks from ABC’s hit show Shark Tank. Leading by example, Dr. Schuler is also an entrepreneur having founded Transeo, a startup focused on innovative solutions in the education technology space. His work on Redefining Ready! has been published in several publications, and he has testified about college and career readiness before the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions and the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. In Illinois, his district is active in advocating for the interests of his students, staff and public education. Under his leadership, District 214 helped write, champion and pass legislation requiring every public Illinois college and university to accept Advanced Placement scores of 3 or higher. You can get in touch with Dr. Schuler at david.schuler@gotranseo.com. Come get the Scoop on some innovative ideas for promoting positive student outcomes!
Want to ensure that each student and staff member on your campus is operating within a positive climate and culture? Listen as we have a conversation about how the Camp Verde Unified School District has used Capturing Kids Hearts as a way to launch positive change within their district! I am joined in this episode by Danny Howe and Chris Layton. Danny Howe is the Superintendent of the Camp Verde Unified School District located in Arizona. In true rural fashion, he is also the middle school principal! You can reach him at dhowe@cvusd.k12.az.us or 928-567-8017. Chris Layton is an Educational Leadership Adviser with the Flippen Group. His goal and passion is student and school success by helping to establish processes that create relationships and productive cultures that lead to achieving desired outcomes. Got Leadership questions? Chris has the answers! Contact him at Chris.Layton@Flippengroup.com or 602-524-3384. Don’t miss the Scoop on a way to change a school for the better!
Join us for a special series of interviews as we get to know our Arizona County School Superintendents! Tim Carter was raised in southern Arizona. He attended Glendale Community College prior to receiving a Bachelor of Science Degree from Grand Canyon College and a Master of Arts in Secondary Educational Leadership from Northern Arizona University. He completed the requirement for an Arizona Superintendent Certificate at the University of Phoenix. Tim started teaching and coaching in 1973 at Alchesay High School in the White Mountains, and has also worked at Antelope High School and in Prescott. He then became Assistant Principal for Student Services prior to being promoted to Principal, the position he held until his retirement in 2003. Following appointment by Governor
Doug Ducey and confirmation from the Arizona Senate, Tim served as a member of the Arizona State Board of Education, where he served as Vice President and President. He was honored and humbled in 2017
when inducted into the Grand Canyon University Hall of Fame. Tim was unanimously appointed as the Yavapai County School Superintendent by the Board of Supervisors effective July
1, 2005. He ran successfully for the position in 2006, 2008, 2012 and 2016. Tim clearly enjoys providing educational services, through the Yavapai County Education Service Agency, to the 26 school districts, 24 charters schools and 102
campuses throughout the county. He strongly believes in local control, meeting high academic standards, and fiscal accountability. Learn about what is happening in Yavapai County, AZ – come get the Scoop!
Join me for a conversation with Glen Lineberry, Principal and CTE Director in the Miami Unified School District in Arizona. We discuss an Innovative on-line learning platform called the Arizona Student Opportunity Collaborative. The program, targeted towards rural schools in Arizona that are having difficulty recruiting teachers in hard to fill subjects at the high school level, is in its pilot year. Learn about the why and how of the start of ASOC, and what the goals for the collaborative are in the year ahead. Come get the Scoop!
Join us for a special series of interviews as we get to know our Arizona County School Superintendents! Jalyn Gerlich was appointed as the Navajo County Superintendent of Schools on December, 2015 to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Linda Morrow and subsequently elected in 2016. Education has been a long time passion of Mrs. Gerlich- she has taught and supervised preschool through post-secondary in her 31 years in Navajo County. She has lived in Show Low and now, after building their home, Pinetop, AZ. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education with a minor in Special Education from the University of Wyoming and a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership from Northern Arizona University. For 15 years she was an adjunct professor for Northern Arizona University statewide program working with undergraduate students, who were seeking a degree as an Education major. Many of her former students have teaching positions in Navajo County. Learn about what's happening in Navajo County, AZ - come get the Scoop!
Join us for a special series of interviews with our Arizona County School Superintendents, starting with Tom Tyree of Yuma County! We get a chance to explore what his office does, some of the challenges and opportunities for students in Yuma County, and celebrate the successes he has had in his four terms. You won’t want to miss this educator of almost 50 years - come get the Scoop!
Don’t miss out on the opportunity to hear Dr. Lee Jenkins speak about his latest publication and how it can impact schools! Dr. Jenkins is an author, speaker and recognized authority in improving educational outcomes. He proves that implementing a growth mindset and celebrating progress are the keys to helping students learn more and retain their enthusiasm for school. He blends the teaching of W. Edwards Deming, Carol Dweck and John Hattie in very practical ways. Dr. Lee has over 50 years in education and brings his wealth of knowledge to the company he founded- LtoJ Consulting Services. He has worked as a teacher, principal and school superintendent in the California School System and as a University professor. He has authored three books, including Permission to Forget: And Nine Other Root Causes of American’s Frustration with Education, Optimize Your School: It’s all about the Strategy, and From Systems Thinking to Systemic Action which offer powerful, practical suggestions for every aspect of education. Lee’s speaking career has taken him to across the U.S., Latin America, Europe and Asia. In addition, he teaches online courses to educators from more than 25 countries. Come get the Scoop!
Meet the Executive Director of the Arizona Rural Schools Association, Mr. Wes Brownfield. Join us as we discuss the founding of ARSA, and the organization's goals and advocacy work efforts. We also delve into the Teacher of the Year program and the Annual Fall Conference held in Flagstaff, Arizona. You don't want to miss a chance to get to know Wes and ARSA!
Donna Davis is the Senior Community Engagement Manager for Expect More Arizona, a statewide nonpartisan organization dedicated to ensuring every Arizona child has access to an excellent education. Listen as we discuss how she got her start in advocacy efforts and what she and Expect More Arizona have been doing to support education across the state. Get some great insights on how rural communities can get involved with what is happening at the Capital as well as how rural communities might address the teacher shortage present in many of our rural districts. Don't miss this dynamite advocate for students!
Join us as we get the scoop on equity in education with Dr. Kristi Sandvik, Superintendent of the Buckeye Elementary School District in Arizona. Dr. Sandvik walks us through the decade-long journey that she and her school community have been on in ensuring that "the someone doesn't get left out of the something." You collect the data - now what do you do with it to inform your problems of practice? You won't want to miss this educational leader!
Listen as Principal Chris Lineberry talks about the unique character education program he has implemented at his elementary school in Stanfield, Arizona. Based on the book by James Owens called "Cowboy Ethics - the Code of the West", the school has used the ten tenants as the foundation for not only their character programming, but has also created an alternative learning environment based on the Codes. Join us for an interesting conversation with this Whole Child advocate.
Enjoy a special edition of the Rural Scoop with a member of the Arizona Rural Schools Association, Dr. Howard Carlson, the Superintendent of the Wickenberg Unified School District and author of "Accelerated Wisdom, 50 Practical Insights for Today's Superintendent". Dr. Carlson shares some of the highlights from the book and delves into how these ideas can impact the rural administrator. You won't want to miss the insights shared by this educational leader!
Join us as we talk to Dr. John Skretta, Superintendent of the Norris School District in rural Nebraska. He has been widely recognized for incorporating physical activity and integrating a coordinated school health approach, from an award-winning Grab & Go Breakfast program to hosting health fairs and coordinating standardized fitness testing for students. Listen as he shares the various programs his staff and students benefit from and how his District put the Whole Child programming in place!
Join us as we learn about the series of children's books that Dr. Glassman and his wife Sasha have created and then distributed to thousands of kindergarten students across Arizona. We also take a look at his advocacy efforts, both past and present, and get some advice on how to kick up our own advocacy work! You won't want to miss this inspiring voice for our students!
The teacher who's class won the Samsung "Solve for Tomorrow" grant competition 2019 for the state of Arizona talks about the project, the grant, and life at a rural school on the Gila River Indian Reservation. Alberto Alaniz, integrated math-science educator, may have come to the teaching profession later in life, but he is a professional to watch!
Looking for a unique way to engage your students? Listen to St. John's High School science teacher Regina Hitchcock explain how she utilizes an Escape Room set up in her classroom to challenge her students in their learning! This fun, low-cost approach has motivated her students. Learn how to use this idea in your own setting!
Listen as Superintendent Brian Stroman of Bloomburg ISD in Texas shares how his district has revitalized their teacher recruitment practices and has virtually eliminated teacher turnover. He discusses what other districts, especially those in rural areas, can do to revamp their own way of addressing the issues surrounding hiring and retaining certified staff.
Learn about the iChoose Academy in the Humboldt Unified School District in Arizona. Lead Teacher Jarred Maddox walks the listeners through the process of establishing this personalized learning model from need to concept to implementation.