Speaking of Education Podcast: Recent Episodes
Dr. Marilyn J. Llewellyn, Dr. Patricia L. McMahon, Dr. Maria Piantanida
Welcome to Speaking of Education…where we delve into the stories of those who are making a positive difference in the lives of students and their communities as we all navigate the rapidly changing landscape of education. Do you want a deeper understanding of how the critical issues of today may be impacting the future of education? Join educators Marilyn Llewellyn, PhD; Patricia McMahon, PhD; and Maria Piantanida, PhD, as we host conversations about the complexities of education. As friends and colleagues with extensive experience in teaching and practice-based inquiry, they examine, discuss, explore, and share stories from those whose lives are touched by education.
In this episode we experiment with a different format. Co-host Dr. Maria Piantanida offers a review of The Tyranny of Metrics by Jerry Muller a professor of history at the Catholic University of America. Dr. Piantanida highlights key ideas in the book and recommends it as useful reading for anyone concerned about the inappropriate and oppressive use of narrow performance measures. It can serve as a starting point for conversations among educators, the public, and policy makers as they strive to create realistic and meaningful systems to evaluate the quality of educational endeavors.
This episode features our conversation with Josie Barnes who is beginning her junior year in high school. The school Josie attends structures its calendar so that students are able to take a multi-week intensive course a couple of times a year. We talk about Josie’s experience during January 2023 when she chose a course on global health. She focused her writing project on health issues of Native Americans and efforts by some individuals in the Seattle area who are working to reclaim their knowledge of healing plants. We talk with Josie about her interest in the topic, what she learned, and her talents as a writer.
From an early age, Duncan Barnes has had a passionate interest in animals. Emerging from this passion has been a desire to pursue a career in veterinarian medicine. During this episode, we talk with Duncan about his interest and what he has been doing to prepare himself to study veterinarian medicine. Now entering his senior year in high school, Duncan shares how he has begun to pursue this career path, including his work at a clinic and his participation in a special summer program at Amherst University.
This episode features Tyler Samstag who jointly is the director of Remake Learning and also leads transformED, an initiative at the Allegheny Intermediate Unit that supports schools in starting, scaling, and sustaining transformational change. During our podcast Tyler discusses the mission of Remake Learning and also provides information about the Moonshot Grants and the Tugboat Grant and much more. Their work encourages educators to think radically, dream big, and inspire a better future.
Tyler started his career as a special education teacher in New York City, implementing research-based literacy interventions in both traditional and alternative academic settings. Later, while living in Boston, Tyler completed an internship with the Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST), a nonprofit education R&D organization that works to expand learning opportunities for all individuals through Universal Design for Learning and was a member of the IDEO Bits + Blocks LAB at the Harvard Innovation Lab, a program to develop new ventures around the technologies inspired by Bitcoin and blockchain. Interested in applications of human-centered design in education and nonprofit sectors, Tyler has facilitated an array of interactive workshops on design thinking and rapid prototyping at Harvard Kennedy School of Government, Harvard Graduate School of Education, and MIT.
Tyler is a Pittsburgh Public School graduate, an AmeriCorps alum, holds a master’s degree from Teachers College, Columbia University in English Education, and graduated from the Mind, Brain, and Education program at Harvard University, where he was an Urban Scholars Fellow.
For additional information about Remake Learning as well as the Tugboats and Lighthouses report visit https://www.remakelearning.org.
This episode features the work of the PEAL Center, a statewide organization that provides support for parents of children with disabilities. Through a wide array of resources, training, a helpline, and advocacy, PEAL Center staff and volunteers work to educate parents of children with disabilities and special health care needs as well as professionals who work in these fields.
During our conversation, Mary Hartley, the Executive Director, and Cindy Duch, the Director of Individual Assistance, discuss issues facing families, the educational rights of children with special needs, transition services, and the value of educational inclusion, not just for children with disabilities but for all children.
For additional information about the services and resources available through the PEAL Center, visit https://www.pealcenter.org
This episode features Paige Joki, a staff attorney at the Pennsylvania Education Law Center. After graduating from Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington, Joki was selected as an NAACP LDF Earl Warren Fellow and a Temple University Beasley School of Law Rubin-Presser Social Justice Fellow. In recognition for her notable contributions to public service at Temple University and for pursuing a legal career in social justice, Joki received the Beth Cross Award.
Since joining the Education Law Center in 2017, Joki has focused on eliminating individual and systemic barriers to quality education for students experiencing homelessness in the Philadelphia region as well as providing “Know Your Rights” training for students, parents, providers and organizations serving students experiencing homelessness. Most recently, she has led the Law Center’s Black Girls Education Justice Initiative. In collaboration with a number of groups advocating for more just social conditions for Black girls, the Law Centered conducted five focus groups with students attending school in the Philadelphia area. Emerging from these group discussions were eight principles for ameliorating the individual and systemic racism faced by Black girls. A copy of the report generated through this initiative can be accessed from the Education Law Center’s website: https://www.elc-pa.org/black-girls-education-justice-initiative
This episode features Dr. Susan Moore Johnson, author of the book, Where Teachers Thrive: Organizing Schools for Success. During the conversation we explore features that contribute to successful schools, even in socio-economically distressed communities where many think improvements are not possible. Dr. Moore Johnson is the Jerome T. Murphy Research Professor in Education at the Harvard graduate School of Education. A former high school teacher and administrator, Dr. Moore Johnson studies, teaches, and consults about teacher policy, organizational change, and leadership practice. She served as academic dean of the Education School 1993-1999. From 2007 to 2015, Dr. Moore Johnson was co-chair of the Public Education Leadership Project (PELP), a collaboration between Harvard’s Education and Business Schools. Since 1998, she has directed the Project on the Next Generation of Teachers, where she and her colleagues have examined how best to recruit, develop, and retain a strong teaching force.
This episode features Deborah Gordon Klehr, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Education Law Center (ELC). During the conversation we explore the founding and purpose of the ELC, who can access resources and assistance from the Center, and ways in which individuals can support the Center’s work. Klehr is a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law school. In addition to her work at the ELC, Klehr currently serves as a member of The American Law Institute and co-chairs the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Legislative Liaison Committee and the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Education Law Committee. She is a member of the Forum of Executive Women and in 2022, was named to Pennsylvania’s Law Power 100 and Metro Philadelphia’s Education Power Players List.
Additional information about the Education Law Center and its resources can be found at https://www.elc-pa.org.
Currently an Associate Adjunct Professor in the School of Education of the University of Pittsburgh with a particular focus on social and political dynamics of education, Dr. Van Shura has coordinated presidential, U.S. Senate, state legislative, and municipal campaign activities. She served as the Teller for the 2020 Electoral College for President-elect Joseph Biden and as an Elector for President-elect Bill Clinton in 1992. Dr. Van Shura served as the Director of the State Office for United States Senator Harris Wofford (D-PA), as the Assistant Director of the Department of Parks and Recreation for the City of Pittsburgh, and as a Director for a non-profit serving individuals with disabilities. Other professional experiences include serving as the Director of Community Affairs in the Office of the Allegheny County Executive, interfacing on issues of education, human services, ethnic constituencies, and international visitors. Dr. Van Shura currently serves on the Remake Learning Council; the Board of Directors of Chatham Village Homes, a national landmark; and the Board of Directors of Bender Leadership Academy, which empowers students with disabilities. Recently, Dr. Van Shura presented at the Superintendents Forum of Western Pennsylvania, South Hills Area School Districts Association (SHASDA), and Pennsylvania Association of Rural and Small Schools and other educational groups.
This episode features returning guests, Ryan and Camden Banks. In April 2022, these students shared their experience of learning when school closed due to the COVID pandemic. From the end of their third grade and all during their fourth grade they learned remotely from home. During their first podcast they offered many important insights about what it was like to live through and learn during COVID. They join us again to talk about what it was like to return to in-person school. They also discuss their experiences of being in middle school.
This is the third of a continuing conversation about team teaching at Corbett Prep, a non-profit, private preK3 -8 school. During the last episode we heard from a number of teachers about the rewards and challenges of teaching with colleagues in the classroom. One teacher, Samantha Borosh, was not able to participate in that conversation, so she joins Dr. Maria Piantanida and Dr. Helen Hazi to share her perspective. Borosh began her teaching career at Corbett as a novice member of a teaching team. Now, 20 years later, she is the senior member of her teaching team. With the benefit of two decades of experience, Borosh describes the benefits of team teaching in terms of instructional synergy, personal growth and development, and benefits to students in her multi-age classroom.
In this episode we continue our conversation about teacher teaming within the context of Corbett Prep, a non-profit, private preK3-8 school. In the previous episode we heard the story of how team teaching came to define Corbett’s structure and heard an administrative perspective on the value of teaming. In this episode, we hear directly from teachers what it is like to work in close collaboration with colleagues in the classroom. Participating in the discussion are teachers Ashley Davis, Michael LeBlanc, Marla LeBlanc, John Palmer and administrator Jennifer Jagdmann.
In this episode we explore the concept of teaming within the context of Corbett Prep, a non-profit, private preK3-8 school. Dr. Karolyn Snyder offers a brief history of teaming as developed in collaboration with Dr. Robert Anderson. Dr. Kristen Snyder describes how the school’s culture of collaborative teaming allowed for a rapid and effective response to the COVID pandemic. She also explains how Corbett is now providing a context within which to understand behaviors and work processes that are important in launching and sustaining a culture of teaming. Mike Johnson offers an administrative perspective on the synergy generated through teaming and its contribution to the dual goals of wellness for all school members and academic achievement for students. Dr. Helen Hazi offers an outsider’s perspective as she has been studying the nature of instructional evaluation within a relatively non-hierarchical structure.
This episode features our conversation with Sister Roberta Campbell, Sister Evelyn Dettling, and Sister Susan Merrie English three Benedictine sisters of Pittsburgh who are the Founding Directors of Benedictine Coaching of Pittsburgh which includes the “Leadership and Life Coach-Training for Women in Faith-Based Ministries” program. This program is accredited by the International Coaching Federation. Their mission is to provide interfaith, international professional coaching programs that promote personal, spiritual, and professional growth.
Sister Roberta is a seasoned educator and administrator with over 50 years of experience which includes teaching at the elementary, secondary and university levels. She has held several leadership positions including being Prioress of her Benedictine Community. Her zeal in coaching is to encourage women to use their values of refection and communication for promoting a more peaceful world-community.
Sister Evelyn has focused on ministry to others in education, social justice work, and various forms of administration within her religious community and in senior centers. She earned an MA in Sacred Studies from St. John’s University in Collegeville, MN and is a life-long learner. Evelyn is excited about helping women flourish in their coaching formation.
Sister Susan Merrie is a Master Certified Coach through International Coaching Federation (ICF) Global, co-founder of two coaching training programs and co-editor of the book Professional Coaching: Principles and Practice. She holds a doctorate in education and considers herself a “womb to tomb” educator who has worked in public, private and prison settings. Her special interests are community building, mentoring and supervision for coaches.
To learn more about the Leadership and Life Coach Training for Women in Faith-Based Ministries visit their web site at https://benedictinecoaching.org
This episode features Maura McInerney, Legal Director at the Education Law Center of Pennsylvania. Attorney McInerney provides a detailed overview of a landmark lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Commonwealth’s approach to the funding of education. She paints a compelling description of the inequities between high wealth and low wealth school districts. The latter districts face inadequate facilities, materials, and staff needed to provide children with a quality education. As Attorney McInerny points out, education of children is a basic human right that contributes not only to the well-being of individual children but to the overall Commonwealth. For more information about the work and resources of the Education Law Center visit https://www.elc-pa.org
This episode features our returning guest, curriculum scholar Dr. William Schubert, Emeritus Professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago. In addition to his teaching responsibilities at UIC, Dr. Schubert has served as Chair of the Department of Curriculum & Instruction, Director of Graduate Studies, Coordinator of the Ph.D. Program in Curriculum Studies, and Coordinator of the M.Ed. in Educational Studies. His extensive body of scholarship is housed in the Special Collections Department of the Zach S. Henderson Library at Georgia Southern University.
Among Dr. Schubert’s honors is his designation in 2005 as a University Scholar at UIC. In 2004, he received The Lifetime Achievement Award in Curriculum Studies from the American Educational Research Association, in 2007, he received The Mary Anne Raywid Award for Distinguished Scholarship to the Field of Education, and 2023 the Society of Professors of Education established the William H. Schubert Award for Curricular Speculation in his honor.
During this conversation, we explore the ideas that Dr. Schubert has laid out in his 2023 monograph, Curriculum Matters: What Teachers Should Know and Do (#35 of the Education Practice Series published by the International Academy of Education.)
Drawing from his personal experiences and his knowledge of the history of curriculum and teacher research, Dr. Schubert elaborates on his view that teachers’ experiences are crucial in understanding the complexities of curriculum.
This episode features Dr. Robin Grubs, Associate Professor of Human Genetics in the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public Health. During our conversation, we discuss the nature of genetic counseling and how the field is expanding. We also explore the decision by the genetic counseling profession not to institute a doctorate as the entry-level credential. This decision is quite unlike that made by many health related professions, so we explore how and why they came to this decision.
This episode features Dr. Aisha White, Director of P.R.I.D.E., a program within the Office of Child Development, which is part of the University of Pittsburgh School of Education. This organization promotes positive racial identity development in early education. The program helps parents, caregivers, educators, and community leaders learn about the many ways race impacts young children, as well as helping them understand the importance of discussing race with young children. They provide them with various learning opportunities, including trainings for educators and artists, Parent Village sessions for Black children, and art festivals created to immerse young Black children in a space designed to celebrate them. To learn more about P.R.I.D.E visit the website: https://www.racepride.pitt.edu/about-pride.
This episode features Deborah Peterson, Emerita Professor at Portland State University. Dr. Peterson received the 2022 David G. Imig Distinguished Service Award from CPED. CPED is a consortium of universities that has been working to establish the EdD as the highest quality professional practice doctorate in education. Improvement science is one of the key, founding principles of CPED and Dr. Peterson has written extensively about this concept. During this conversation, we explore Dr. Peterson’s perspective on the ways practitioners can contribute to the knowledge base of the profession and improve the quality of education. Among her publications are
Improvement Science as a Tool for School Enhancement: Solutions for Better Educational Outcomes, co-edited with Susan Carlile.
Improvement Science as a Tool for School Enhancement: Better Educational Solutions and Improvement Science: Promoting Equity in Schools.
This episode features our conversation with long-time friend and colleague, Dr. Helen Hazi, Professor Emerita at West Virginia University. Through extensive reviews of literature on the role of feedback in teacher evaluation, Dr. Hazi challenges the persistent assumption that feedback, when properly given, will lead to the improvement of teaching, and in turn, to improved student outcomes. She contends this is far too simplistic a way of thinking about education with all of its complexity and uncertainty. Through our conversation, we catch glimpses of the scholarly thinking that earned Dr. Hazi the 2019 Distinguished Research Award from the Supervision and Instructional Leadership Special Interest Group of the American Education Research Association. Although she has officially retired from life at the university, she commented, “I now have time to really study the research literature. This is something I enjoy and want to find ways to share the wisdom I’ve accumulated through a professional lifetime.” For us, this exemplifies what we consider to be stewardship of the profession.
This episode features Jacqueline Hesse and Christine McCartney, co-founders of Global to Local, an international service-learning program for high school students. Jackie is the founding English language arts teacher at a Pathways in Technology school in Newburgh, New York. In addition, she serves as a teacher consultant with the Hudson Valley Writing Project. Christine began her teaching career as a volunteer writing tutor at an all-male, maximum-security prison in New York. She has been teaching high school English for over a decade, has served as codirector of the Hudson Valley Writing Project, and is a Fulbright alumna. Inspired by their love of travel, Jackie and Christine began to imagine taking students to the Galapagos Islands where they might engage in a service project related to environmental issues they were studying at home. This vision became a reality as they and students raised the money needed for the trip. Before COVID put the program on hiatus, they had taken students to Ecuador, Thailand and Cambodia where students gain not only a sense of satisfaction from their volunteer efforts, but also a deeper understanding of different cultures. During the conversation, Christine mentioned Fund for Teachers where she was able to obtain funds for professional travel. For additional information about this program visit
https://www.fundforteachers.org/about-us.php
This episode features Dr. Tom Meyer and Maya Projansky and their work with the Institute for Leadership in the Teaching of Writing, a program offered under the auspices of the Hudson Valley Writing Project. Dr. Meyer is a full professor at the State University of New York at New Paltz and co-founder of the Hudson Valley Writing Project. Maya Projansky taught 5th grade for 20 years at the Earth School in New York City. After completing the Leadership program as a participant, she joined Dr. Meyer as a co-facilitator of the year-long program. Together they have worked with cohorts of teachers who engage in writing about their professional beliefs, values, and concerns. Structured in three segments, the Institute program invites teachers to reflect on themselves as writers, as learners, and as leaders.
For additional information about the Hudson Valley Writing Project and the programs offered under its auspices, visit https://www.newpaltz.edu/hvwp.
The Hudson Valley Writing Project is part of the National Writing Project which as centers throughout the Unites States. To learn more about NWP and locate a program near you, visit https://www.nwp.org/ https://www.nwp.org.
This episode features Dr. Cara Furman, Associate Professor of Literacy at the University of Maine at Farmington and member of the Graduate Faculty at University of Maine. Dr. Furman’s scholarship focuses on integrating qualitative data and philosophy at the intersection of teacher development, descriptive inquiry, asset-based inclusive teaching, and progressive literacy practices. At the heart of her work is a form of in-depth, descriptive writing that fosters philosophically-informed teacher inquiry. Such descriptive inquiry allows teachers and educational leaders to care for their ethical selves and to develop practical wisdom.
In the book, Descriptive Inquiry in Teacher Practice: Cultivating Practical Wisdom to Create Democratic Schools, Dr. Furman and her co-author Cecelia Traugh offer an in-depth portrait of Descriptive Inquiry as it was integrated into four urban, public schools. Readers gain insight into the power of this process to foster a more collaborative school culture, address the needs of students more substantively, and engage teachers in practice-embedded learning. Particularly noteworthy is the confidence with which teachers and school leaders were able to resist mandates that would be detrimental to students and to work with outside agencies to adapt mandates to the schools’ mission.
In addition to publishing in an impressive range of journals, Dr. Furman co-hosts Thinking in the Midst, a podcast that brings philosophical thinking to bear on contemporary issues. She is currently working with Tomas Rocha, on her second book, Teachers and Philosophy: Essays From a Contact Zone. This edited collection will explore what it means to think and write from the contact zone that is philosophy and practice.
Our guest today is Joseph Stewart. We invited Stewart to join us on Speaking of Education to hear his perspective as an educator with many years of experience within different contexts and age levels. He taught high school History and Social Studies for close to 15 years in Florida and Ohio. Stewart served as an assistant principal for six years where his responsibilities included Director of Curriculum and Instruction, supervisor of all IEP/504 plans, twelfth grade principal, and summer school principal. Currently he is a High School Principal in a school district in Ohio where he oversees the many complex aspects of schools today.
Our guest today is Sister Janice Vanderneck, the Founding Director of Casa San José. She is a Catholic religious sister with the Sisters of St. Joseph of Baden, Pennsylvania. Sister Janice has worked in Latin America, educating and organizing community members to think critically about power structures, oppression, and political engagement. In the United States, she worked for decades as a religion teacher and principal at Catholic elementary and high schools in the Dioceses of Pittsburgh and Altoona-Johnstown in Pennsylvania and the Archdiocese of Miami, Florida. Sister Janice is currently the Director of Civic Engagement at Casa San José
Sister Janice has received numerous awards for her extraordinary service. They include: the Michael McGrady Award for Service at the Art Rooney Awards Dinner in 2017, the OHTLI Award for 2017 given by the Secretariat of the Mexican Government for service to the Mexican community in the United States. OHTLI is a word in the native Aztec language that means “path”. The intention is that the recipient of the OHTLI award opens a path for others. Sr. Janice also received the 2016 El Sol Award from the Hispanic Attorneys Committee of the Allegheny Bar Association and the 2021 Volunteer Preceptor of the Year (IPPE) awarded by the School of Pharmacy of the University of Pittsburgh. In November of 2022, she was recognized as one of the recipients of the National Catholic Association of Diocesan Directors of Hispanic Ministry 30th Anniversary Regional Recognition Awards.
This episode features curriculum scholar Dr. William Schubert, Emeritus Professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago. In addition to his teaching responsibilities at UIC, Dr. Schubert served as Chair of the Department of Curriculum & Instruction, Director of Graduate Studies, Coordinator of the Ph.D. Program in Curriculum Studies, and Coordinator of the M.Ed. in Educational Studies. Among his many scholarly accomplishments is the publication of 17 books and 200 articles and book chapters. He has given over 250 presentations at scholarly and professional organizations. Dr. Schubert’s impressive body of scholarship is housed in the Special Collections Department of the Zach S. Henderson Library at Georgia Southern University. As a Lifetime Fellow of the International Academy of Education, Dr. Schubert continues to pursue his passionate interests in curriculum history, theory, inquiry, and development in both school and non-school contexts.
This episode offers an important window into the history of curriculum thinking by one of the great scholars in the field. During our conversation, Dr. Schubert reflects on his decision to study education; his personal experience with the reconceptualist movement in the field of curriculum; and emerging resistance to past and present forces of conquest and colonialism in the United States and around the world. He elaborates on his concept of “the theory within” which relates to his work on teacher lore and to biographical and autobiographical work of professors of education. Pushing beyond the question of “what is worth knowing,” Dr. Schubert raises questions of what is worth needing, doing, experiencing and wondering.
Among Dr. Schubert’s honors is his designation in 2005 as a University Scholar at UIC. In 2004, he received The Lifetime Achievement Award in Curriculum Studies from the American Educational Research Association, and in 2007, he received The Mary Anne Raywid Award for Distinguished Scholarship to the Field of Education.
In this episode we continue our conversation with Evan J. Branson. As we mentioned in our previous episode, Evan graduated from high school in the spring of 2022. Due to the large number of advanced courses Evan took, he was accepted as a junior at the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor majoring in Robotics Engineering. His extensive background in competitive robotics, his knowledge of computer-aided design, manufacturing, and mechanical design provides a unique and refreshing approach that Evan draws upon in a variety of areas such as the automotive, marine, and biomedical industries. For the past three summers, Evan worked as an engineering intern in the Abbott Laboratories Neuromodulation Division and the Diagnostic Division. In addition to being a remarkable scholar and an accomplished musician, Evan is a curious, compassionate, and wonderful person. In this episode Evan discusses his work as an Engineering Intern with Abbott Laboratories in the Neuromodulation Division and the Diagnostic Division.
This episode features Evan J. Branson. Evan graduated from high school in the spring of 2022. Due to the large number of advanced courses Evan took, he was accepted as a junior at the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor majoring in Robotics Engineering. His extensive background in competitive robotics, his knowledge of computer-aided design, manufacturing, and mechanical design provides a unique and refreshing approach that Evan draws upon in a variety of areas such as the automotive, marine, and biomedical industries. For the past three summers, Evan worked as an engineering intern in the Abbott Laboratories Neuromodulation Division and the Diagnostic Division. In addition to being a remarkable scholar and an accomplished musician, Evan is a curious, compassionate, and wonderful person. In this episode Evan shares some highlights of his educational journey particularly his current experiences of Project Based Learning at Michigan University.
This episode features our conversation with Dr. Barbara Mink and Dr. Miranda Haskie about a partnership between Fielding Graduate University and the Navajo nation. We explore how this partnership came about, its purpose, and how our two guests have been involved in it. In addition, we discuss the Navajo Nation's department of education and its efforts, not simply to preserve Navajo culture, but to keep it alive and flourishing. Together with Kathy Tiner, they have written and edited the book, The Future of Navajo Education.
Dr. Mink is the Dean of School Leadership Studies at the Fielding Graduate University. She is a professor of sociology at the Navajo nation’s Dineﹼ College. As a faculty member of the Social and Behavioral Sciences Department at Diné College, Dr. Haskie, strives to enhance student understanding of the sociology discipline through a Navajo sociological lens. In addition, Dr. Haskie leads the Diné College Navajo Oral History project in collaboration with Winona State University.
This episode features Dr. Doris Santoro, a professor at Bowdoin College and Chair of the Education Department. As a teacher educator for both pre-service and experienced practitioners, Dr. Santoro examines how norms and values are communicated in professional communities. In addition to her responsibilities at Bowdoin College, Dr. Santoro is a Senior Associate Editor for the American Journal of Education. As a philosopher of education, Dr. Santoro conducts research about the moral and ethical sources of teacher dissatisfaction and resistance. During the conversation we discuss demoralization and the ways in which teachers can resist policies and practices that are antithetical to the best interest of students.
Dr. Santoro is the author of Demoralized: Why Teachers Leave the Profession They Love and How They Can Stay (Harvard Education Press, 2018) and co-edited a follow up book with Lizabeth Cain, Principled Resistance: How Teachers Resolve Ethical Dilemmas (Harvard Education Press, 2018)
This episode features Dr. Ryan Carpenter, Superintendent of the Estacada School District in Oregon. Our conversation focuses on Dr. Carpenter’s use of an improvement science process as an evidence-based leadership framework to develop and initiative the district’s long term plan. We discuss the superintendents’ role in involving a wide range of community stakeholders in the planning process and how data can hold everyone accountable for carrying out the district’s vision, mission, and values. Information about the work Dr. Carpenter has been doing along with articles he has published can be accessed through the Estacada website https://www.estacadaschools.org and via YouTube Estacada School District.
This episode features our conversation with Dr. Cynthia A. Tananis. Dr. Tananis has been an educator for more than 40 years, serving as a public school teacher and in a variety of administrative positions. Prior to her retirement in 2020, she served as an Associate Professor in Education Leadership at the University of Pittsburgh for 25 years.
At the University of Pittsburgh, she founded and served as the executive director of the Collaborative for Evaluation and Assessment Capacity (CEAC), a School of Education initiative that provides program evaluation services for schools and educational programs. Now in its 22nd year, CEAC continues to offer those services. Dr. Tananis has served in leadership positions in the American Evaluation Association and the Eastern Evaluation Research Society. Throughout her career, she has practiced, studied, and taught educational evaluation. In this conversation, we explore evolving conceptions of evaluation from its early roots in educational research with its emphasis on measurement toward a discursive form of evaluation that provides in-depth information to support decision-making and program improvement.
This episode features Sarah Zeffiro, a Pittsburgh artist, educator, and community builder. An innovative educator and curriculum designer with 20 years’ teaching experience in museums, schools, and community organizations, Zeffiro’s many projects include designing educational, creative, and therapeutic spaces for all ages. Zeffiro is currently a studio art instructor and art gallery curator at Carlow University. During the conversation we explore the centrality of art as a way of knowing and the importance of integrating the arts throughout curricula at all levels of education. Zeffiro talks with passion about the use of color, space, and scale to create welcoming spaces where learning, healing, and love can flourish.
Today’s episode features Dolores Colarosa, the head of youth services at the Baldwin Borough Public Library. In this position, she is responsible for overseeing all aspects of collection development, programming, and community engagement for children ages birth through high school. Colarosa has completed certifications in both early literacy and STEM education. She has been named one of the top five early childhood educators in Pittsburgh. In addition, she earned a Best Practices Award from the Pennsylvania Library Association for her unique work in bringing a summer musical theater program for teens to the library. During this conversation, we explore the role of public libraries in promoting childhood and adolescent literacy.
n this episode we continue our conversation with Jaime Martinez, Jr., a student at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland. Martinez exemplifies, not only an engaged learner, but also an individual who wants to use his considerable talents to make a positive difference in the world. During our conversation we touch on a number of issues including lessons he learned when the COVID pandemic closed his high school shortly before his graduation and delayed his in-person arrival at Hopkins. With sensitivity and insight, he reflects on social inequities that affect schools, changes in schooling that he would like to see, and the ways in which social media can foster or undermine democracy.
In this episode, we resume our conversation with Dr. Sean Freeland, who joined the faculty at Carlow University in 2022. As part of his teaching responsibilities, Dr. Freeland taught one section of Creative Inquiry, the capstone course in the Masters of Education program. The three of us who host Speaking of Education have developed and taught this course for a number of years. We thought it would be interesting to hear Dr. Freeland’s impressions of the course and its role in helping teachers to become scholar-practitioners.
In this episode we talk with Dr. Julie Fallon, a board certified pediatrician who has worked with tweens and teens for over 20 years. She is also a certified parenting and teen life coach. Her program, SkillsIRL, (Skills in Real Life), is a six-unit course for girls between the ages of 10 and 18. Dr. Fallon teaches wellness skills that foster confidence, calm, self-care, and self-acceptance. Through instructor-led, engaging activities and practical tools, girls enrolled in the course gain the insight they can use now and for the rest of their lives. These are the skills they aren’t taught at school. Dr. Fallon lives in California with her husband and three children.
For more information about Julie Fallon’s and Mishelle Laws SkillIRL program visit their website https://www.skillsirl.com/
Additional Resources
The Jai Institute for Parenting
The Clarity Catalyst, Jennifer Grace (celebrity coach and author)
Insight for Life for kids
The Joyful Parent
In this episode, we talk with Randy Shine, a Philadelphia native, who has been presenting “real magic for real people,” for over a decade. Performing under the stage name Ran’D Shine, this amazing illusionist has been wowing audiences in hundreds of American cities and in over 25 countries. He was featured at the South African African Arts Festival, performed at a Presidential Inauguration in Washington, DC, and entertained troops at the Guantanamo Military Base. He has appeared on CW Network’s Penn and Teller: Fool Us and B.E.T. Network’s Man on the Street. Shine has been voted the College Magician of the Year three times. In addition to his passion for live performance, Shine has also served as producer for The Heart and Soul of Magic, a show featuring an entirely African American cast. He is the co-founder and past president of the International Association of Black Magical Artists, an organization dedicated to the history, cultural legacy, and sense of community among magicians of color. During our conversation we explore Shine’s personal journey to become an illusionist, the philosophy that informs his work, and the reasons behind his advocacy of magic as a fine art. To learn more about this thoughtful and accomplished performer, visit his website https://www.randyshine.com.
In this episode we are joined by two distinguished faculty from Hanze University of Applied Sciences in The Netherlands: Loes Damhof, Senior Lecturer of 21st Century Skills, and Elles Kazemier, Senior Lecturer of Professional Development. Our subject today is Futures Literacy…using our images of the future—our anticipation of the future—to inform our present.
Loes Damhof has always had a strong passion for designing and teaching innovative educational practices. She traveled the world, teaching 21st Century Skills for Communication, Media, and Design, and in 2016, she was elected Lecturer of the Year of all higher education in The Netherlands for her teaching. For this she was given the first Comenius Award. She used this award to establish the UNESCO Chair Futures Literacy in Higher Education at Hanze University of Applied Sciences (HUAS) together with her team. In addition to her research and teaching practices on Futures Literacy, she is responsible for implementing this methodology as a key-component in all professional Master programs at Hanze. Loose consults and trains staff of international organizations; she hosts Futures Literacy Labs around the globe that challenge and raise fundamental questions on gender equality, decolonization, migration, climate change, and technology.
Elles Kazemier is an expert in innovative curriculum design and faculty development. Specifically, she’s an expert on professional, hybrid, learning environments, on projects that aim to enhance co-creative learning and interdisciplinary problem-solving, and on professional development. In addition to her work on Futures Literacy, she is a coach in one of Hanze’s research and knowledge centers.
This episode features Joe Wos whose passion for drawing mazes and cartoons began at an early age and has shaped his unique career. Over the years, Wos’ art has evolved into a whimsical blend of mazes and cartoons that he calls Mazetoons. Regarded as a master maze maker, Wos created the world’s largest hand-drawn maze in 2012. Measuring 140 square feet, it features more than 100 illustrations. One of Wos’ mural-sized mazes is on permanent display at StarKist’s international headquarters, and Wos is the cartoonist who draws the iconic Charlie the Tuna character for the company. For the past 20 years, Wos has been the visiting resident cartoonist of the Charles M. Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa, California. In Pittsburgh, Wos founded the ToonSeum, one of three museums dedicated to cartoon arts in the United States. In addition to creating his own art, Wos teaches cartooning at Central Catholic High School as well as by hosting “Cartoon Academy,” a PBS television program that teaches the art of cartooning. Now in its third season, the show recently won two Mid-Atlantic Emmys—Host/Moderator; Educational Content Short Form. During our conversation we explore the challenges and rewards Wos has experienced as he navigated such an unconventional career.
Additional information about Joe Wos is available at www.mazetoons.com. His books are available on Amazon. If you would like to own one of Joe Wos’ unique Mazetoons, visit the scholarpractitionernexus.com where you can find several different maze designs depicting the often messy, swampy nature of educational practice.
This episode features Dr. Bridget Keown. Dr. Keown earned a PhD in history at Northeastern University, where her research focused on the experience and treatment of war-related trauma among British and Irish women during the First World War and Irish War of Independence. Her focus on , and the construction of history through trauma. She has written blogs on this research for the American Historical Association and Lady Science, and is a contributing writer for Nursing Clio. She is also researching the history of kinship among gay and lesbian groups during the AIDS outbreak in the United States and Ireland. Her other interests include the history of emotions, history of medicine, gender and the horror genre, and postcolonial queer theory and performance. Bridget is a co-chair of the Gender and Memory Working Group of the Memory Studies Association and serves on the Executive Council of the American Conference for Irish Studies. During the conversation we explore educational issues at the intersection of gender, race, art, and science.
This episode features Ann Bisignani. She has a Master's in Public Management with an Educational Leadership Concentration. Bisignani's career as an educator comprises an incredible range of roles and experiences. She began her career as a high school business teacher and technology specialist. She then moved into administration and became a high school principal and, later, assistant to the superintendent. Her career also includes the visionary work she was part over a decade ago as a project manager--designing, developing, and implementing a new blended learning model for a cyber school.
At Carlow University, she’s helped develop master’s programs, she’s designed courses in those programs, she works with secondary student teachers, she is the graduate coordinator, and, in her spare time, she teaches graduate courses in the Ed Leadership program. During our conversation we explore the preparation of principals as this role continues to evolve during these unsettled times.
This episode features Jessica Mann, Ph.D., the Assistant Vice President for Community Engagement at Duquesne University. During the conversation, we consider the differences between volunteerism, community service and community engagement. Through a two-tiered model of community-engaged learning, the University partners with organizations to nurture students’ civic development. The program also provides research opportunities for both student and faculty that address community concerns and emphasize social and environmental justice. Mann oversees the Center for Community-Engaged Teaching and Research, which encompasses extra-curricular, co-curricular, and academic community engagement. Dr. Mann’s research explores community-university partnerships, community engagement, and educational interventions related to cultural competency, inclusive practice, and effective cross-cultural communication. Her scholarship has been published in a number of research reports, academic books and journals, as well as encyclopedias including The Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice; Journal of Curriculum Theorizing; Education, Citizenship, and Social Justice; and Christian Higher Education. In addition, she serves as the Editor in Chief of the Tropman Report, a publication sponsored by The Forbes Funds, and is Senior Co-Editor of the International Journal of Service-Learning and Community Engagement.
In this episode we continue our conversation with Jaime Martinez, Jr., a student at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland. Martinez exemplifies, not only an engaged learner, but also an individual who wants to use his considerable talents to make a positive difference in the world. During our conversation we touch on a number of issues including lessons he learned when the COVID pandemic closed his high school shortly before his graduation and delayed his in-person arrival at Hopkins. With sensitivity and insight, he reflects on social inequities that affect schools, changes in schooling that he would like to see, and the ways in which social media can foster or undermine democracy.
Today’s episode features Jaime Martinez, Jr., a student at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland. After completing his sophomore year, Martinez decided to undertake a 1000 mile trek on the Camino de Santiago. Beginning in France, he completed his 10-week walk at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia Spain where, it is believed, the remains of St. James, the apostle, are buried. During this deeply spiritual journey, Martinez contemplated the nature of faith, prayer, community, grace, humility and poverty. His stories of the trek are at times amusing and at times testimonials to the power of finding God in all things.
This episode features Gregg Behr and Ryan Rydzewski, co-authors of When You Wonder, You’re Learning: Mister Rogers’ Enduring Lessons for Raising Creative, Curious, Caring Kids. Behr is Director of the Grable Foundation and founder and co-chair of Remake Learning, an internationally renowned network of educators, scientists, artists, and makers who are igniting engaging, relevant, and equitable learning practices in support of young people navigating rapid social and technological change. Ryan Rydzewski is a writer whose science and education reporting has garnered several awards and fellowships. A graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, he taught elementary school in southern Louisiana before earning an MFA in nonfiction writing from Chatham University. During our conversation, Behr and Rydzewski discuss the changing nature of learning landscapes.
This episode features Dr. Thomas Ralston, Assistant Professor in the School of Education at the University of Pittsburgh and Director of the Forum for Western Pennsylvania School Superintendents.
Dr. Ralston brings 32 years of experience as a public educator to our conversation about the challenges facing school superintendents as they move beyond the COVID pandemic and look toward the future. As a former classroom teacher, building principal, and superintendent, Dr. Ralston is able to look at these challenges from multiple perspectives. His contributions to the improvement of education have earned him the 2010 Administrator of the Year award from the Pennsylvania Association of Middle Level Education, the 2017 Distinguished Education award from the University of Pittsburgh Tri-State Area School Study Council, and the 2020 Superintendent of the Year from the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association.
Jason Banks is a standup comedian based out of Columbus, Ohio. His unique and refreshing style of comedy has helped him emerge as one of the top rising talents on the comedy scene. Jason’s natural ability to connect with any crowd with humorous yet over exaggerated stories has placed him as one of Columbus’s top comedians. After winning numerous contests throughout Ohio including the funniest person in Columbus contest at the Columbus Funny Bone, Jason has performed in some of the hottest clubs across the nation including The Apollo. In addition, Jason has been featured on Tru TV’s Laff Mobb’s Laff Tracks, Sirius Satellite Radio, Kevin Hart’s LOL Network, and Steve Harvey on Watch on Facebook Watch.
In this episode, Dr. Sean Freeland shares his experiences as a public-school math teacher and as a university professor preparing future math teachers. Of particular concern are the negative experiences students have had with math and their aversion to the subject. To help learners reimagine the relationship with math, Freeland invites learners to write a math autobiography. Once they are able to tell their math story, they can begin to imagine new possibility for themselves and their students.
Today’s episode features guests Frances Rust, PhD and Roberta Schomburg, PhD. In the late 1970s, the Carnegie Foundation began to explore the differences between a PhD and an EdD. All too often it seemed that teachers and administrators found the PhD to have little relevance to their world of practice. At the same time, those in the university were concerned that the results of research were not being integrated into practice. These concerns gave rise to a question, “What can be done to make the EdD both scholarly and practically relevant?” No one wants the EdD to be a PhD lite. At the same time, there doesn’t seem to be a consensus on what substantive practitioner scholarship should look like. Dr. Rust and Dr. Schomburg bring their wealth of experience in working with students at the doctoral level to this conversation about the nature of doctoral study and the dissertation as part of doctoral work.
This episode features Keeley Baronak, PhD, Chair of Carlow University’s Department of Education and Executive Director of the University’s Campus School. During our conversation, Dr. Baronak recounted a moment when an eighth-grade student admitted he couldn’t read and the scribbles on the printed page had absolutely no meaning for him. This encounter set Dr. Baronak on a path of discovery, not just for the best practices for reading instruction, but also for an understanding of the science of learning. She infuses her passion for knowledge and caring for students in her work with undergraduate, graduate, and practicing teachers. “These are difficult times for the profession,” she says, “and we must think outside the narrow boxes we have constructed for our work with students.” In the face of teacher shortages, many states are experimenting with alternatives to the traditional preparation and certification of teachers. “It’s crucial,” she says, “that those of us in university teacher education programs reach out and work cooperatively with school districts to assure the availability of qualified and competent educators.”
This episode features Gerry Florida, an accomplished jewelry artist, whose belief in human imagination and resilience fuels her work with at-risk youth, including those incarcerated in a juvenile detention center. Florida has served as the director of several community art programs, as a board member of several community and educational organizations, and a founding member of Studio Blue. As she explains, “I thrive on minimal direction, spontaneity, and mistakes. Free-form wirework in jewelry-making demands impromptu solutions in order to harmonize each next move with the last. My work is a ‘live happening’ of endless bloopers, masterfully redirected with each movement of untamed wire that is never backtracked, never undone and never given a second chance to correct itself. My continual artistic challenge is to integrate failures and make them beautiful in the finished piece.” Bringing this artistic sensibility to her relationships with juvenile offenders, she does not dwell on their past mistakes, but encourages them to integrate what they have learned into new and better possibilities for their futures.
Additional information about Gerry Florida’s work as an artist and advocate for at-risk youth can be found on her website, https://floridarecycled.com
In this episode Richard Williams, a retired public school educator, shares his pedagogical approach for bringing history to life through “learning by doing.” As a classroom teacher, a department chair, and a cooperating teacher, Mr. Williams has worked to connect students with the rich history of their own home towns and the surrounding area. Since his retirement, Mr. Williams continues to pursue his passion by doing research, giving presentations, and serving on the board of historical associations.
In this episode, we talk with Ralph Proctor, Jr., PhD, a Professor of Ethnic & Diversity Studies at the Community College of Allegheny County. During our conversation we explore the historical challenges of incorporating information about the role of African-Americans since the founding of America to the present. In particular, focuses on how such information can be taught in ways that build bridges among those with different social and cultural backgrounds.
Among the courses that Dr. Proctor teaches are Understanding Violence in American, African-American History, Achieving Cultural Competence, and African Art/Artifacts in the Cycle of Life. Over the years he has served in professional and administrative capacities in academia, social service agencies, and business organizations. He pioneered the use of oral history at the University of Pittsburgh with his study, Racial Discrimination against Black Teachers and Black Professionals in the Pittsburgh Public School System: 1934-1973 (now published by Learning Moments Press). In addition, Learning Moments Press has published Voices from the Firing Line: A Personal Accountof the Pittsburgh Civil Rights Movement and Song of The Hill: Life, Love, Legacy about Pittsburgh’s iconic Black community. In his personal and professional life Dr. Proctor has been and continues to be a tireless warrior in the battle for civil rights.
In this episode, we talk with Michelle Cravens who offers her perspective as an educator with many years of experience within different contexts and age levels. At the beginning of the podcast, Cravens shares how an early job at an Animal Shelter had a profound impact on her. At the shelter she cared for animals who had been abandoned and abused. She learned to nurture them and at times hold them tight as they left the pain of this world behind. She worked beside Class-D felons who had overwhelming compassion for the animals and an incomparable work ethic. This experience greatly influenced her as she continued to pursue a career in education. She has served as a middle school English/Language Arts teacher, an elementary school counselor, and a Bridge Program teacher in an alternative high school program. Michelle currently is a Middle School Counselor where she works as part of the Instructional Leadership Team in a CSI labeled school with one of the most diverse populations of middle school students in the state of Kentucky. In her school, 40% of the students are Multiple Language Learners, 56% are considered minority populations, and about 20% qualify for special education. Close to 80% of the student population fall into a lower socioeconomic status. Michelle is currently completing a Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership at Northern Kentucky University.
Dr. Perry is the Executive Director of the Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate, a consortium of universities committed to the promotion of practice-based scholarly research. During this conversation Dr. Perry recounts the events surrounding the formation of CPED, its mission, its accomplishments, and examples of various practice-based studies.
Additional information about the Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate is available at https://www.cpedinitiative.org.
Dr. Perry’s publications include the books: The Improvement Science Dissertation in Practice; The EdD and the Scholarly Practitioner, and In Their Own Words: A Journey to the Stewardship of the Practice in Education.
In this episode we continue our conversation with Dr. Wendy Milne with a focus on her work with two community arts organizations—Attack Theater and the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art (SAMA).
We explore how this collaboration began and its power for generating excitement and understanding of the arts among students, school personnel, parents, and the general community. As Dr. Milne points out, the lessons they learned about virtual artist residencies and teaching offer new avenues for connecting students with the world of art beyond the school walls.
Additional information about Attack Theatre is available at https://www.attacktheatre.com. Additional information about SAMA is available at https://www.sama-art.org.
In this episode we talk with Dr. Wendy Milne, an elementary art educator and the 2004 recipient of the outstanding Elementary Art Educator Award from the Pennsylvania Art Education Association. The focus of our conversation is Dr. Milne’s use of reflective artmaking as a mode of professional learning and her school district’s use of differentiated projects to fulfill Pennsylvania’s mandate for teacher evaluation. In recent years, the Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate has been advocating for the preparation of scholarly practitioners. The ways in which Dr. Milne has built upon and extending the work of her dissertation is an excellent example of the power of practitioner inquiry.
Dr. Milne’s award winning dissertation serves as the basis for her book, Professional Learning through Reflective Artmaking: A Pedagogical Portfolio, available on Amazon. Professional Learning Through Reflective Artmaking: A Pedagogical Portfolio
In this episode, Susan Roth shares her concerns about the lack of understanding and recognition given to the field of early childhood education. With a Master’s degree and over 12 years of experience in a variety of pre-K settings, Roth is a thoughtful and impassioned advocate for credentialed professionals who work with children during critical stages of early development. As Roth reflects on her years of teaching, she articulates the challenges of setting boundaries as a form of care for her students and herself.
In this episode, we continue our conversation with Dr. Megan Reister, Dr. Jane Ammon, and Dr. Stef Gardiner-Walsh. As these professors share the focus of their doctoral research, they illuminate the concepts of “other mothering” and “MotherScholars.” Each is committed to preparing future teachers to work effectively with students who have some form of hearing loss.
Kemmery (Reister), Megan A. Are You Deaf or Hard of Hearing? Which Do You Go By: Perceptions of Students with Hearing Loss. Ph.D. Dissertation (University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2014).
Ammon, Jane. Decentering Whiteness in Teacher Education Through A Creative Self Study of Womanist Caring Pedagogy. Doctoral Dissertation (Kutztown University, 2022).
https://research.library.kutztown.edu/edddissertations/23
Gardiner-Walsh, Stef. Factors Characterizing the Academic Experiences of Children with Mild Bilateral or Unilateral Hearing Loss. Doctoral Dissertation (The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. 2015).
Reister, Megan. MotherScholars’ Perceptions , Experiences, and the Impact on Work-Family Balance (Lexington Books, 2022). https://rowman.com/Lexington
This episode features three university professors—Dr. Megan Reister of Franciscan University, Dr. Jane Ammon of Chestnut Hill College, and Dr. Stef Gardiner-Walsh of Illinois State University. These three educators share their experiences of growing up with hearing loss and how these experiences inform their work with students. All three completed dissertations on issues of identity and “being other” in a hearing world.
Kemmery (Reister), Megan A. Are You Deaf or Hard of Hearing? Which Do You Go By: Perceptions of Students with Hearing Loss. Ph.D. Dissertation (University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2014).
Ammon, Jane. Decentering Whiteness in Teacher Education Through A Creative Self Study of Womanist Caring Pedagogy. Doctoral Dissertation (Kutztown University, 2022).
https://research.library.kutztown.edu/edddissertations/23
Gardiner-Walsh, Stef. Factors Characterizing the Academic Experiences of Children with Mild Bilateral or Unilateral Hearing Loss. Doctoral Dissertation (The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. 2015).
Reister, Megan. MotherScholars’ Perceptions , Experiences, and the Impact on Work-Family Balance (Lexington Books, 2022). https://rowman.com/Lexington
This episode features our conversation with James “JB” Brown, musician, producer, educator, and director of Creative Youth Development for the Homewood-Brushton YMCA in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. With a state-of-the-art recording studio and a S.T.E.A.M. maker space, the Y offers elementary, middle, and high school students opportunities for developing their creativity and gaining skills necessary for college and future careers. During the conversation Brown shares the philosophy that underpins the program as well as some of the amazing experiences provided to young participants, including a trip to the Czech Republic so a hip-hop group, Blow Ya Mynd, could perform on the main stage of the YMCA International Youth Festival.
Today’s guest is Frances Rust, PhD, Professor Emerita at New York University’s Steinhardt School. Dr. Rust has a distinguished career as a teacher educator and has directed programs at Teachers College of Columbia University, Manhattanville College, Hofstra University, and NYU; most recently she has served as Senior Fellow and Director of the Teacher Education Program at the University of Pennsylvania GSE. Among her numerous awards are the 1985 AERA Outstanding Dissertation Award, the 1998 Teachers College – Columbia Outstanding Alumni Award, the 2001 Association of Teacher Educators Distinguished Research Award, and the 2009 National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators Outstanding Teacher Educator Award. She has published widely on topics related to teacher preparation, teacher professional development, and teacher-driven action research and school improvement. As a Fulbright Fellow, Dr. Rust is currently working with the Council of the International Forum on Teacher Educator Development (InFo-TED). In this conversation, we explore the current state of teacher education, Dr. Rust’s vision for the future of teacher education, and the importance of teacher research.
Today’s guest is Frances Rust, PhD, Professor Emerita at New York University’s Steinhardt School. Dr. Rust has a distinguished career as a teacher educator and has directed programs at Teachers College of Columbia University, Manhattanville College, Hofstra University, and NYU; most recently she has served as Senior Fellow and Director of the Teacher Education Program at the University of Pennsylvania GSE. Among her numerous awards are the 1985 AERA Outstanding Dissertation Award, the 1998 Teachers College – Columbia Outstanding Alumni Award, the 2001 Association of Teacher Educators Distinguished Research Award, and the 2009 National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators Outstanding Teacher Educator Award. She has published widely on topics related to teacher preparation, teacher professional development, and teacher-driven action research and school improvement. As a Fulbright Fellow, Dr. Rust is currently working with the Council of the International Forum on Teacher Educator Development (InFo-TED). In this conversation, we explore the current state of teacher education, Dr. Rust’s vision for the future of teacher education, and the importance of teacher research.
This episode features our conversation with Brooke Varghese who has taught in China, Vietnam, Oman, and the United States. Having experienced what it is like to be a stranger in totally different cultures, Varghese is particularly concerned with creating welcoming, inclusive environments for her young students. As Varghese points out, even in the same community, each family has its own culture. One important role of early childhood education is helping students make the transition from the familiarity of their home culture to differences encountered in the broader community. To read a Scholarly Personal Narrative written by Varghese to fulfill a requirement for her Master’s degree visit the scholarpractitionernexus.com.
This episode features our conversation with early childhood educator Alyson Woodall who now directs a diocesan pre-school program created by her mother. For a time, this mother-daughter team worked together, blending “old school” pedagogy with new approaches. She offers a unique perspective as an educator with many years of experience within different contexts and age levels. Woodall shares her concern about students manifesting mental health issues in the early childhood classroom and the challenges of securing various supports and services to support these children.
This episode features our conversation with Gina Ligouri about project-based learning. Ligouri is a well-respected, trailblazing educator from western Pennsylvania who was named Pennsylvania's Technology Innovator of the Year in 2020. She has earned degrees from Carlow University, Robert Morris University and Duquesne University where she studied English Literature, Instructional Technology, and Supervision/Curriculum Development, respectively. She currently chairs the English department at Montour High School and participates in her district’s co-curricular, project-based learning courses. In April 2022 she was a featured presenter at the Western Pennsylvania Council of Teachers of English (WPCTE) GET CONNECTED Conference. Her presentation was titled: Project vs. Project-Based Learning. For a copy of Ligouri's presentation visit scholarpractitionernexus.com and click on S-P Library-PowerPoints.
This episode features our conversation with Maura Bell who changed from her career as a professional ballet dancer to education. Teaching in a university laboratory school, Bell infuses her Reggio inspired pedagogy with her understanding of expressive movement. Bell uses dance as a metaphor for illuminating pedagogical principles in the Scholarly Personal Narrative she wrote for completion of her Master’s degree. Those with an interest in early childhood education, the Reggio philosophy, and personal narrative as a genre for practice-embedded inquiry can read “Get to the Point(e): Dancing between the Reggio Philosophy, Culturally Relevant Teaching and Trauma-Informed Care” at scholarpractitionernexus.com
This episode features Dr. Roberta L. Schomburg, an internationally recognized expert in child development and early childhood education. Dr. Schomburg worked with Fred Rogers to develop activities that educators could use in conjunction with the issues raised in Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood. She has served as the Executive Director of the Fred Rogers Center and currently is a consultant on projects of Fred Rogers Productions, including Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, Donkey Hodie, and Alma’s Way. For many years, Dr. Schomburg served as Associate dean and director of the Carlow University School of Education. During this conversation we explore the creative ways in which technology can be used to enhance children’s development of skills.
This episode features Dr. Roberta L. Schomburg, an internationally recognized expert in child development and early childhood education. Dr. Schomburg worked with Fred Rogers to develop activities that educators could use in conjunction with the issues raised in Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood. She continues to support the development of educational programming for children initially as Executive Director of the Fred Rogers Center and currently as a consultant to Fred Rogers Productions. For many years, Dr. Schomburg served as Associate dean and director of the Carlow University School of Education. During our conversation, Dr. Schomburg shares the events that led to her work with Fred Rogers, the process he used to develop his programs, and the philosophy that inspired his messages to children and their parents.
This episode features Dr. Sarah Tambucci, an experienced artist, educator, and advocate for children and youth. Dr. Tambucci has served as President of the National Arts Education Association and is currently Director Emerita of the Arts Education Collaborative in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 2005, she received the Pennsylvania Governor’s Award for Outstanding Leadership in Arts Education. In addition to authoring numerous articles on issues related to arts education, educational leadership, and policy, she serves on regional, state and national advisory boards. During this conversation, Dr. Tambucci shares her extensive experience with arts education as a teacher, principal, and mentor of beginning art teachers. In addition, she describes an institute through which she has helped school superintendents to understand the importance of integrating the arts across subject areas and grade levels.
This episode features Dr. Sarah Tambucci, an experienced artist, educator, and advocate for children and youth. Dr. Tambucci has served as President of the National Arts Education Association and is currently Director Emerita of the Arts Education Collaborative in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 2005, she received the Pennsylvania Governor’s Award for Outstanding Leadership in Arts Education. In addition to authoring numerous articles on issues related to arts education, educational leadership, and policy, she serves on regional, state and national advisory boards. During this conversation, Dr. Tambucci shares her concerns about the pervasive anger and uncivil behaviors to which children are being exposed. She discusses the role of art in helping children express their concerns and deal with strong emotions.
This episode features Max Schachter whose son Alex was killed during the 2018 school shooting in Parkland, FL. Since that tragic day, Max has created a non-profit organization, Safe Schools for Alex and has become a tireless advocate for laws, policies and practices that can make schools safer for all children. During the interview, Max stressed two points. (1) It is vitally important for schools to comply with laws requiring the reporting incidents of violence and other violations of codes of conduct to their respective state board of education. Without such data, districts tacitly create an environment that condones violence. (2) Districts (and law enforcement agencies in the surrounding community) need to establish threat assessment teams that can investigate potential threats. In recognition of his efforts Max was awarded the U.S. Department of Justice Attorney General Citizen Volunteer Service Award in 2019. For a wealth of information and resources to improve safety in your school, go to: https://www.safeschoolsforalex.org/
Dr. Terry Kushner has extensive experience as a teacher, principal, superintendent, and coach. Following his retirement, he has remained active in the profession as a supervisor of student teachers and as a member of a university-based program that provides leadership training. As he says, “Education is my vocation.” In this podcast, Dr. Kushner shares his perspective on changes that have occurred in education over the years. Regardless of the changes, however, he sees building strong relationships as crucial for good teaching and good administration.
Lance Rhinehart has taught high school English for over 21 years in a suburban district in Western Pennsylvania. In this podcast, he reflects on changes brought about by the COVID pandemic. Returning to in-person instruction was not merely a matter of reopening school buildings and expecting everyone to pick up where they left off. Everyone is readjusting—trying to find a new balance between empathy for stressed out students and re-engaging them in them in substantive learning. As is clear through his comments, Rhinehart’s deep love of teaching has helped him weather the challenges of the past three years.
In this podcast Anitrice Black, an early childhood educator for over 20 years in urban settings in Western Pennsylvania, shares her values about working with parents to best meet the needs of her young students. “Parents entrust their children to me. I want them to know they can reach out with questions—to know I take their concerns seriously.” As a keen observer of children’s behavior, Black has great insight into the social and emotional needs of her students. Responding to those needs is paramount for creating a classroom environment conducive to learning.
During this episode, Dr. Helen M. Hazi puts recent challenges to curriculum content into an historical perspective and offers suggestions for responding to efforts to censor instructional materials. A major focus of Dr. Hazi’s scholarship has been the intersection of law and policy with educational practice. She helps to distinguish what teachers can do to minimize the possibility of challenges to their instructional choices and what is the responsibility of principals, superintendents, and school boards. Although the information conveyed cannot be considered formal legal advice, the ideas presented provide a framework for thinking about the troubling issue of censorship.
In this episode, middle school students Ryan and Camden share their experiences and thoughts about going to school during the COVID pandemic. What shines through in their comments is an empathy for what others were experiencing—from the stress experienced by teachers, to difficulties of other students, to their own family’s adjustments. We were so pleased to spend some time in conversation with these thoughtful young students.
This episode features Leticia Harshman who has been teaching high school English for 20 years in a suburban district in Western Pennsylvania. During the conversation Harshman reflects on her growth from a new, uncertain teacher to one who can see the solving of challenges as fun and who clearly enjoys her work with students. On the one-year anniversary of her school switching to remote learning, Harshman asked her students to write “Dear Diary” entries about what the experience had been like for them. A sampling of the students’ writing can be read by visiting https://scholarpractitionernexus.com/dear-diary-student-reflections-on-school-during-covid/ In addition to the students’ writing, Harshman’s piece, “Learning through the Tears,” can be accessed at:
https://scholarpractitionernexus.com/learning-through-the-tears-by-leticia-harsman/
This episode features Dr. Christine Coyle as she shares her journey from earning a doctorate in cell biology to the teaching of high school science. Dr. Coyle reflects on her shift in focus from basic research to promoting an understanding and love of science in others. Dr. Coyle entered the world of K-12 education during the COVID pandemic which means she did not have to dismantle tried and true instructional methods, but did have to find her way in an unsettled and changing landscape of practice.
Erika Felack-Buci has been teaching English for ten years in an economically distressed community in Western Pennsylvania. What comes through in her reflections are her deep affection and respect for her students and her commitment to giving them as good a learning experience as possible. A special project undertaken by Erika and two of her colleagues exemplify what it means to be stewards of education. In 2021, Felack-Buci wrote “Teaching through the Tears,” to convey what she was experiencing as a teacher during the COVID pandemic. To read this piece, visit https://scholarpractitionernexus.com/teaching-through-the-tears-by-erika-felack/
Darrah Rhinehart teaches high school English in a suburban district in Western Pennsylvania. During the conversation, Rhinehart reflects on instructional adaptations she made as she adjusted to teaching remotely. In doing so, she offers an example of how lessons learned during the COVID pandemic can be carried through as a new normal of schooling takes shape. In 2021, Rhinehart wrote, “Unraveling Pedagogy,” to express her struggle between her own perfectionism and realistic expectations during a challenging time. To read her piece, visit, https://scholarpractitionernexus.com/unraveling-pedagogy-by-darrah-rhinehart/
This episode introduces the hosts of Speaking of Education—Marilyn J. Llewellyn, PhD, Patricia L. McMahon, PhD, and Maria Piantanida, PhD During the conversation the hosts explain how they came to meet each other and the range of projects they have pursued together. They share their vision for the podcast and their hopes for what can be accomplished through the sharing of stories about important educational issues. For more information about the hosts, visit https://scholarpractitionernexus.com/