Getting Smart Podcast: Recent Episodes
Getting Smart
This podcast highlights developing trends in K-12 education, postsecondary and lifelong learning. Each week, Getting Smart team members interview students, leading authors, experts and practitioners in research, tech, entrepreneurship and leadership to bring listeners innovative and actionable strategies in education leadership.
This podcast is most frequently hosted by Tom Vander Ark, CEO of Getting Smart. Be sure to check out the Getting Smart Newsletter and Twitter Feed to stay on the cutting edge of innovations in learning.
Reach University is rethinking higher education with a simple but powerful idea: turn jobs into degrees. In this conversation, Joe Ross shares how apprenticeship degrees can help districts grow their own teachers by investing in the talent already in their buildings. From paraeducators to support staff, this model creates affordable pathways into the profession while strengthening local workforce pipelines. The episode explores teacher prep, higher education, lifelong learning, and new pathways that expand opportunity without adding debt.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction: Joe Ross & Reach University * (06:26) I Love That You Guys Look at Learning Environments * (07:37) How the Apprenticeship Degree Model Works * (17:24) Expanding Beyond K-12: Healthcare & Workforce Equity * (26:43) Next Steps: How to Get Started with Reach University
Links * Read the full blog here * LinkedIn * Reach University
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Mason Pashia and Jason Cummins sit down with Tyson Yunkaporta for a thought-provoking conversation on Indigenous knowledge, relational learning, and the role of schools as spaces for dialogue, contradiction, and meaning-making. Together, they explore how language shapes worldview, why Indigenous leadership brings vital governance protocols to education, and how schools can move beyond reinforcing boundaries to becoming places where relationships, complexity, and shared understanding can grow.
Outline * (00:00) Introductions & Indigenous Identity * (06:54) Language, Knowledge & Relational Thinking * (11:24) Creolization & Indigenous Agency * (18:59) Schools as Sites of Conflict & Culture * (24:41) Good Protocols & Indigenous Leadership * (31:42) Why Do This Work & Deep Time
Links * Read the full blog * American Indian and Indigenous Studies Program * Declaration of Peace for Indigenous Australians and Nature: A Legal Pluralist Approach to First Laws and Earth Laws * LinkedIn * Deakin Research
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Mason Pashia sits down with Gersom de Koning to explore theater education as a transformative practice. Their conversation examines how drama builds confidence, collaboration, leadership, and transferable skills while also offering a powerful model for gamification, exploration, and learning through productive failure. From arts integration and technical theater to the future of live performance in an AI world, this episode highlights why theater belongs at the center of meaningful learning.
Outline * (0:00) Introduction & Background * (2:01) Gersem's Journey into Theater * (5:41) What Makes Great Theater Education * (13:40) Drama, Gamification & Learning * (26:03) Failure, Collaboration & Leadership * (40:32) The Future of Theater & Drama Education
Links * Read the full blog here * LinkedIn * Gersom de Koning Official Site * Proper Job Gradcast Episode 19 * Creatively Christian: The Creative Power of Limitations
In this episode of The Getting Smart Podcast with Liberty Public Schools, Rebecca Midles introduces how Liberty Public Schools, located just north of Kansas City and serving about 12,000 students, is reimagining learning through real-world experiences and personalized pathways. The conversation features Julie Moore, Assistant Superintendent for Innovation and Learning, and Sarah Wickham, Director of Real-World Learning, who share the story behind Edge, a microschool embedded within Liberty High School. What began as a vision inspired by the success of EPiC Elementary and shaped by site visits, collaborative design, and even notes scribbled on a napkin became a districtwide learning journey. Rather than centering only on one innovative program, this episode explores how starting small, learning through iteration, and staying grounded in authentic, student-centered experiences can help an entire district transform.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction * (11:14) Building the Space and Team * (17:46) Scaling the Model * (21:15) Impact on Students and Educators * (25:11) Looking Ahead
Links * Read the full blog here * Liberty Public Schools * Julie Moore * Sarah Wickham * EPIC Elementary School * What School Could Be Episode with Liberty EDGE Students
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Mason Pashia is joined by Michael Crawford of America Succeeds and Chris Unger of Northeastern University to explore what it really takes to help young people build durable skills. Drawing on a 16-month study of 12 innovative high schools, they discuss how schools can make skills like collaboration, communication, and critical thinking explicit, visible, and measurable through authentic learning, reflection, advising, and real-world experiences. The conversation highlights the 3-4-3 framework for durable skills development and offers a compelling look at how student agency, professional identity, and informed career pathways are shaped when learning extends beyond the classroom.
Outline * (0:00) Introductions & Origin Stories * (5:08) The 16-Month Research Study * (32:59) Surfacing Evidence of Durable Skills * (33:00) Communicating the Value of Innovative Schools * (48:02) The 3-4-3 Framework
Links * Watch the full video here * LinkedIn | Michael Crawford * Linked In | Chris Unger * Igniting the Flame: How Motivation Catalyzes Student Potential in Horizon 3 Education * What Happens when you Launch Students' Interests into the World? * Q&A with Michael Crawford (Youth Today) * Chris Unger - A Revolution in Education Podcast * America Succeeds * Northeastern University Graduate School of Education
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Mason Pashia talks with Chris McNutt of Human Restoration Project about how empathy interviews can help schools move beyond traditional surveys and toward more meaningful, student-centered change. The conversation explores Polaris, a platform designed to gather and analyze qualitative student voice data at scale, and highlights how districts are using these insights to strengthen belonging, improve inclusion, and redesign learning experiences. From student agency and Portrait of a Graduate work to ethical questions around AI and data privacy, this episode offers a compelling look at how schools can listen better—and act with greater clarity and trust.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction * (07:11) Introducing Polaris * (18:10) Student Agency & Action * (30:02) AI Ethics & Data Privacy * (35:33) Building a Broader Movement
Links * Read the full blog * Chris McNutt's LinkedIn * Human Restoration Project Podcast * Human Restoration Project Website * Organization Overview
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Shawnee Caruthers sits down with Dr. Whitney Oakley, superintendent of Guilford County Schools, to explore the Guilford Guarantee—a bold district commitment that every graduate leaves high school with college credit, an industry-recognized credential, or a meaningful work-based learning experience. The conversation highlights what it takes to build real-world learning at scale, from family and student listening to employer partnerships, advising systems, and cross-sector alignment. Dr. Oakley shares how Guilford County is turning a promise into a sustainable strategy for equity, access, and future-ready pathways for all learners.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction * (04:45) The Guilford Guarantee * (12:29) Aligning the System * (19:05) Community Listening & Industry Partners * (22:53) Sustaining the Promise
Links * Read the full blog here * Watch the full video here * LinkedIn * Guilford County Schools * Whitney Oakley - Chiefs for Change * GCS Superintendent Dr. Whitney Oakley talks vision
Outline * (0:00) Introduction & Ancient Grains * (6:45) Teaching Across Contexts * (11:39) The Stimulation Gap * (17:36) The Hook, Pitch, Awakening & Strengthening Framework * (28:14) Civics, Democracy & the Classroom * (37:19) Civic Virtues & the Role of Schools
Links * Read the full blog here * Watch the full video here * Dr. Douglas Yacek * LinkedIn
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Mason Pashia sits down with Keri Rodrigues, founder and president of the National Parents Union, to explore the power of parent voice in education. From school safety and special education to report cards, trust, AI readiness, and student data privacy, Keri shares why families must be treated as true partners in shaping better learning experiences. This conversation is a powerful reminder that meaningful school change starts by listening to the people closest to students.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction * (01:32) Keri's Origin Story * (07:26) What Parents Are Frustrated About * (12:20) School-Parent Communication & Engagement * (24:03) Report Cards, Outcomes & Transparency * (31:26) Technology, Data Privacy & Duty of Care
Links * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog here * LinkedIn * National Parents Union
In this episode of Catching Up, Nate McClennen and Mason Pashia explore the ideas shaping the future of learning and work—from the link between school innovation and enrollment demand to the rise of student influencers as a new form of district storytelling. They also dig into AI's growing role in education, including bias in feedback systems, the homogenizing effect of generative tools, and how AI may free teachers to spend more time on uniquely human work. The conversation also highlights the importance of agency, internships, and real-world learning, while ending with reflections on poetry, humility, and the power of noticing the world around us.
Outline * (0:00) Intro & Episode Preview * (10:14) Student Influencers * (12:51) AI Bias & Homogenization * (27:01) Deep Dive: Agency & AI's Role in Education * (50:17) What's That Song?
Links * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog here * Can Student Influencers Help This District Rebuild Enrollment? * Personalized Bias in AI Writing Feedback * Percentage of High School and College Students Ages 16 Through 24 Who Were Employed * Shut Out: High School Students Learn About Careers but Can't Try One That Pays * Student Agency Boosts Engagement and Readiness * Agency in America * We're About to Get Agency Wrong
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Nate McClennen talks with Liza Garoznik, founder and CEO of Real Discussion, about one of the biggest questions in education today: how do we teach and assess durable skills like communication, listening, and collaboration? Framed by the rise of AI and growing concern about a "conversation crisis," the discussion explores why authentic interaction must be developed alongside artificial intelligence. Liza shares the origin story behind Real Discussion, explains the REAL framework—Relate, Excerpt, Ask, Listen—and offers practical insight into how schools can embed conversation skills into core academics while also measuring student growth, belonging, and engagement.
Outline * (0:00) Introduction & Durable Skills Framework * (3:40) Liza's Story & Real Discussion Origins * (11:23) The Conversation Crisis & Authentic Interaction * (21:36) The REAL Framework & Teaching Discussion Skills * (26:22) Assessment & Measuring Student Growth * (34:19) Practical Tools & Future of Real Discussion
Links * Watch the full blog here * Watch the full video here * LinkedIn * R.E.A.L. Discussion * Liza Garonzik on Teaching Tomorrow's Human Skills * Grade Discussion Skills, Not Discussions
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Mason Pashia sits down with Joana Ponce and Catherine Alves, featured in Roadtrip Nation's Explore Your Interests, for a thoughtful conversation about passion, purpose, and the messy reality of career exploration. Together, they reflect on how exposure to new people and possibilities helped them rethink the idea of a single "right" path, and why learning to navigate uncertainty may be one of the most important skills young people can build. From journalism and activism to climate work and community-based learning, this episode is a powerful reminder that fulfilling futures are rarely linear—and that sometimes the most important step is simply staying open to what comes next.
Outline * (0:00) Introduction & Poetry * (2:10) Non-Linear Career Paths * (5:14) What Is Roadtrip Nation? * (22:09) Passion, Purpose & Career Advice * (29:11) What's Next
Links * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog here * Roadtrippers' Journeys * Roadtrip Nation
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Nate McClennen sits down with Dr. Adel DiOrio to explore how school leaders can move from fragmented initiatives to real coherence through knowledge management, transformational leadership, and coaching. Drawing on her research in rural school systems and insights from The Coach's Playbook, Adel shares why documenting what works, building strong relationships, and leading with intention are essential to sustaining improvement over time. From the power of "if you think it, ink it" to the life-changing influence of coaches and leaders, this conversation offers practical wisdom for principals, superintendents, teachers, and anyone working to build stronger, more human-centered schools.
Outline * (0:00) Introduction & Guest Welcome * (5:56) Adel's Background & Career Path * (12:05) Leadership & Building Cohesive Teams * (19:07) Knowledge Management Research * (24:08) Dissertation Findings & Practical Takeaways * (37:51) The Coach's Playbook * (47:06) Wrap-Up & Key Takeaways
Links * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog here * LinkedIn
Why do so many promising ideas in education stay stuck in individual classrooms? In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Nate McClennen talks with Rebecca Wolfe about what it takes to turn innovation into lasting system change. From teacher agency and school leadership to accountability and knowledge-sharing, they explore how schools can create the conditions for ideas to spread, scale, and ultimately support learner thriving.
Outline * (00:00) Intro & The Problem * (12:46) Learning From AVID * (24:42) School Leadership & Culture * (34:15) The Macro Challenge * (41:40) Hope & A Bias Toward Action
Links * Read the full blog here * Watch the full video here * LinkedIn
Every school that has tried to change and failed has done so for the same reason: the system kept producing exactly the results it was designed to produce, and nobody changed the system. What Lake City Area Schools discovered — through honest self-examination, disciplined sequencing, and a refusal to mistake movement for progress — is that real transformation requires a different kind of courage than most improvement efforts demand. Not the courage to launch something new, but the courage to admit that the old system was working perfectly: producing disengagement on schedule, graduating students unprepared on time, and generating just enough compliance to keep the lights on. This is the story of what happens when a district decides that is not enough.
Join Rebecca Midles, Tim Hejnal and Meghan Utech to learn more.
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark speaks with Stephanie Reisner and Steph Loeck of GPS Education Partners about how work-based learning can transform student engagement, career readiness, and economic mobility. Drawing on 25 years of experience and their new book, Make School Work, they explore what makes work-based learning truly high quality, why employer preparation matters as much as student preparation, and how regional ecosystems can scale meaningful career-connected learning opportunities for more young people.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction * (08:53) Defining High-Quality Work-Based Learning * (11:26) Make School Work: The Book & Framework * (21:58) Employer Partnerships & Regional Ecosystems * (29:28) Metrics & Advice for Ed Leaders
Links * Watch the full video here * Stephanie Reisner * Steph Loeck * GPS Education Partners * Make School Work
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Nate McClennen sits down with Vriti Saraf, CEO of Ed3, to explore a timely and essential question: How do we move from using AI for efficiency to using AI for human flourishing in education? Drawing on Ed3's new research, The Emerging Role of Teachers in the Age of AI, the conversation examines how artificial intelligence is already reshaping teaching, why the future of education must center human relationships, and what new teacher personas—like learning architect, life navigator, and community connector—might emerge in more adaptive, student-centered systems. Together, Nate and Vriti unpack the risks of automation, the promise of redesigned educator roles, and why this moment demands not just better tools, but a bold rethinking of teaching, learning, and equity.
Outline * (0:00) Introduction & Topic Overview * (4:19) Genesis of the Portrait of a Teacher Project * (14:57) AI's Impact on Human Connection & Teacher Relationships * (22:23) Future Teacher Personas & Role Specialization * (39:30) Hopes for the Future of Education
Links * LinkedIn * Ed3 * The Emerging Role of Teachers in the Age of AI
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Nate McClennen sits down with Gianna Biaggi, founder and executive director of the Magnolia Project, to explore how schools can treat the community as campus. Together, they discuss how Magnolia Project connects middle and high school students with local mentors through immersive, hands-on learning experiences that build agency, engagement, and career awareness. From rural partnerships to durable skills to the power of reflection, this conversation highlights a compelling model for expanding real-world learning and helping every student imagine a future that fits who they are.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction & Expanded Learning * (02:01) Gianna's Story: From Teacher to Founder * (05:59) Building the Magnolia Project * (12:00) The Program Model * (21:18) Durable Skills & Student Outcomes * (34:06) Lessons Learned & What's Next
Links * Watch the full video here * LinkedIn * Magnolia Project * Magnolia Project's programs in Tomales * Dream BIG: The Power of On-Campus Career Exploration * Middle School Visit Day Teacher and Student Panel
Students at Wellesley High School are helping imagine what learning could look like in 2040. In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Mason Pashia talks with Alty and Anaya, two learners from the school's Evolutions (EVOLS) program, about designing future-ready classrooms, visiting innovative schools, and building skills through hands-on, project-based experiences. From CTE-inspired spaces and collaborative learning environments to student voice and public speaking, this conversation offers a powerful look at what happens when young people are invited to help shape the future of education.
Outline * (0:00) Introduction * (3:28) What Is Evolutions? * (6:54) School Visits & Inspiration * (8:40) Designing the Future of Education * (23:31) Student Voice & Changing Education
Links * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog here * Wellesley High School * Student Presentation
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark speaks with Dr. Deborah Kenny, founder of Harlem Village Academies and author of The Well-Educated Child, about what it means to educate for depth, agency, and purpose in the age of AI. Their conversation explores deeper learning, Montessori, International Baccalaureate, Socratic dialogue, and the kind of rigorous, student-centered experiences that help young people become thoughtful, capable contributors to the world.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction * (00:39) Meet Dr. Deborah Kenny & Harlem Village Academies * (03:17) Redefining Achievement & Key Influences * (09:22) Free Inquiry, Humility & Education's Purpose * (12:07) Deeper Learning: Montessori, IB & Low-Tech Schools * (28:09) Socratic Dialogue, Agency & Hopes for the Book
Links * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog here * LinkedIn * Book Site * Harlem Village Academies
Nate McClennen and Mason Pashia unpack a wide-ranging set of ideas shaping the future of learning, from AI "hive minds" and youth relationships with AI to portraits of a graduate, durable skills, and real-world learning. They explore what it means to prepare students for a non-routine economy where judgment, collaboration, agency, and ownership matter more than ever. Along the way, they highlight innovative school models, reflect on new research and reports, and consider how education systems can better connect technical skills, human development, and future-ready experiences.
Outline * (0:00) Intro * (13:13) School Spotlights * (20:52) Preparing Students for the Non-Routine Economy * (31:34) Durable Skills & Experience Matters Report * (37:20) Human Expression * (40:56) What's That Song?
Links * Watch the full video here * Artificial Hivemind: The Open-Ended Homogeneity of Language Models (and Beyond) * Youth, AI, and the Relationships That Shape Them * Good Riddance to Regents Exams? Or Will Ending Them Leave a Void for N.Y. Grads? * The Academies Of Hampton * Amp Lab at Electric Works * The Pearl Arts Innovation Institute * Amp Lab at The Refinery * 3Rivers Federal Credit Union Banking Internship * Humanist Essay * Harvard Medical School
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark talks with Jean-Claude Brizard, CEO of Digital Promise, about the launch of the Center for Learner Pathway Innovations and what it will take to build New Pathways that are truly "unbounded." They dig into the barriers that keep learners from seeing and accessing opportunity (visibility, value, and recognition gaps), why pathways must be co-created with learners and communities, and how credentialing and learner records can better capture skills and verified experiences—from work-based learning to out-of-school learning. The conversation also highlights regional pathway design (including an Alabama cybersecurity example), lessons from P-TECH, and how emerging technologies like AI can support powerful learning grounded in agency, purpose, curiosity, and connection.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction * (2:30) Barriers & Unbounded Pathways * (5:39) Co-Creation & Credentialing * (13:58) Cybersecurity Pathway & Alabama * (16:07) Powerful Learning & Emerging Technology
Links * Read the full blog here * Watch the full video here * TNTP * Jean-Claude Brizard * Digital Promise
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Nate McClennen sits down with author and education advocate Ted Dintersmith to rethink what math should look like in a changing world—especially as AI makes rote procedures less relevant. Together they unpack the limits of test-driven instruction, the consequences of low math and data literacy for civic life, and why classrooms should prioritize estimation, statistics, probability, modeling, and real-world problem solving that builds confidence and curiosity. If we want future-ready learners, math has to move from gatekeeping to empowerment.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction & Math Education Background * (05:52) Rote Skills vs. Relevant Math * (11:21) Standardized Testing & NAEP Scores * (17:10) Math Illiteracy & Real-World Consequences * (22:57) Calculus vs. Statistics Debate * (29:41) AI, the Future of Math Education & Takeaways
Links * Read the full blog here * Watch the full video here * LinkedIn * Ted Dintersmith Website
Stephanie Malia Krauss returns to the Getting Smart Podcast for a conversation with Tom Vander Ark about her new book, How We Thrive: Caring for Kids and Ourselves in a Changing World. Together they explore why so many adults and young people feel overwhelmed and depleted—and what it looks like to "rehumanize" school and home by protecting the essentials that help humans thrive. The discussion walks through body, mind, heart, and spirit essentials—from food, sleep, movement, and nervous system regulation to play, wonder, flow, connection, belonging, and contribution—offering practical, research-backed insights for educators, leaders, and parents navigating modern life.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction * (02:02) The Journey Through Three Books * (11:30) Body Essentials: Food, Sleep & Movement * (21:38) Mind Essentials: Play, Wonder & Flow * (29:32) Heart Essentials: Connection, Love & Belonging * (35:18) Spirit Essentials: Celebration & Contribution
Links * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog here * How We Thrive * LinkedIn
Learning doesn't happen "in rows," and Kevin Stoller has seen firsthand how the right environment can change everything. In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Mason Pashia talks with Stoller—author of Creating Better Learning Environments and host of the Better Learning podcast—about designing learner-centered spaces that support movement, choice, collaboration, and community connection. They explore why the term "classroom" can limit our thinking, how districts can better align facilities with instructional vision through a "learning space integrator," and what microschools, team-teaching models, and even museums and hospitality design can teach us about the future of learning spaces in an AI-enabled world.
Outline * (00:12) Introduction to Learning Spaces * (05:09) The Power of Intentional Design * (11:26) The Learning Space Integrator Role * (18:59) Transforming Existing Spaces * (26:30) Inspiration from Beyond the Classroom * (30:12) AI, Flexibility, and the Future
Links * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog here * LinkedIn * Kay Twelve
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, host Victoria Andrews sits down with student leaders from Northeast Academy for Aerospace and Advanced Technology (NEAT) to explore what happens when a Portrait of a Graduate becomes more than a poster on the wall. Kaylyn Rosado, Connor Mawhiney, and Anna Montero share how student voice shaped their school's learning model—from a student ambassador program and community interviews to classroom practices that build collaboration, empathy, and confidence. The conversation also highlights NEAT's flexible STEM-focused pathways (including aviation, biotech, robotics, coding, and advanced manufacturing), dual enrollment opportunities, and a clear message for school designers everywhere: involve students early, often, and authentically—because agency changes everything.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction & Student Introductions * (04:06) Student Ambassadors & Community Engagement * (09:54) Pathways & Career Exploration * (16:55) Personal Growth & Student Development * (20:44) Advice for School Leaders
Links * Read the full blog here * Watch the full video here * Northeast Academy for Aerospace and Advanced Technologies
In this episode of Catching Up, Nate McClennen and Mason Pashia explore what's changing in education—and what should change next—through the lenses of infrastructure, accountability, and emerging technology. They discuss a "smart city" view of transportation and connectivity, unpack new research on how parents respond to grades vs. standardized test data, and examine a Florida study on how school choice competition impacts performance. The conversation then shifts to the Future of Tech and Work, including AI agents and the incentive structures shaping major AI companies—ending with a clear call to invest in "relational infrastructure" so that human connection, trust, and agency grow alongside AI.
Outline * (00:00) Welcome & Overview * (03:23) Infrastructure & Mexico City * (08:36) AI Agents & Moltbook * (13:37) Parents, Grades & Testing * (18:28) School Choice Study * (38:26) Bottom-Up Innovation Framework * (47:08) What's That Song?
Links * Watch the full video here * Interpreting Performance: Evidence on Signal Weighting in Human Capital Investment * In These Districts, Students Get an English Credit for On-the-Job Internships * What actually determines AI's impact on humanity? Incentives, value networks, and the forces shaping AI's future. * The CHOICE We Make: The Critically Human Skills That Define Our Future * Welcome to the Era of Relational Intelligence * Can't Get There from Here: A Framework for the Start, Spread, and Scale of Bottom-Up Innovation in Education * Low-Earning Degrees Will Soon Lose Access to Federal Loans—Is Yours on the List
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, host Rebecca Midles talks with Kelly Coffin, superintendent in Farmington Hills, Michigan, about what it really means to "go slow to go fast" in district transformation. Coffin shares how leaders can build trust and capacity through co-design with educators closest to students, stay connected through daily visibility and listening routines, and "test the system" for readiness without defaulting to top-down control. The conversation centers on authentic leadership—grounded in clarity of vision, coherence, and the courage to be vulnerable in public—so teams don't just implement change, they own it.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction * (04:08) Leadership Evolution * (08:35) Daily Leadership in Action * (15:15) Building Trust and Capacity * (17:18) Advice for New Leaders * (28:26) The Bravest Leadership
Links * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog here * LinkedIn * Farmington Public Schools
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Victoria Andrews sits down with Eric Wearne of Kennesaw State University and the National Hybrid Schools Project to explore what research is revealing about hybrid models (often 2–3 days on campus and 2–3 days at home), including facilities and regulatory challenges, who teaches in these settings, and why learner-centered culture matters. They also dig into trust, access, and equity—highlighting creative solutions like support-day staffing and community partnerships—plus how expanded options could reduce conflict and better match learners to environments where they can thrive.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction * (03:45) National Hybrid Schools Project * (08:07) Facilities and Teacher Hiring * (14:33) Learner-Centered Design * (18:34) Addressing Access and Equity * (24:04) Finding and Choosing Schools
Links * Read the full blog here * Watch the full video here * LinkedIn * Samuel Everett School of Innovation * What Happens When Public School Districts Embrace Hybrid Schools? | The 74 * Julian Charter Schools
In the latest episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Mason Pashia sits down with Nat Kendall-Taylor, CEO of Frameworks Institute, to explore the critical role of narrative in education reform. They discuss how framing and storytelling can combat fatalism, foster engagement, and create systemic change in education. Together, they dive into the challenges of building cohesive education narratives, the importance of youth-led movements, and the potential of shifting education's focus from future preparation to fostering community and well-being in the present. Tune in to learn how innovative messaging can shape the future of learning and inspire action.
Outline * (00:12) Introduction & Framework Institute * (08:35) The Education Narrative Challenge * (10:58) Understanding Cultural Mindsets * (16:15) Narrative Strategy & Movements * (36:33) Reimagining Education's Purpose * (44:21) Vision for Transformed Education
Links * Watch the full video here * LinkedIn * Frame Works Institute * The 74: We Keep Rolling Out Good Ideas Without the Story. That's Why They Stall
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Victoria Andrews sits down with Dr. Justin Terry, Superintendent of Forney ISD, to discuss the groundbreaking Opportunity Center (OC) in Forney, Texas. Dr. Terry shares the vision behind this 350,000-square-foot, future-ready facility that integrates career, college, and community into one dynamic space. From entrepreneurial opportunities for students and community members to creating a vibrant third space that serves all ages, this conversation highlights how innovative design and collaboration can transform education and community engagement. Tune in to learn how Forney ISD is redefining learning and maximizing impact for its rapidly growing district.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction: The Opportunity Center * (02:43) Designing the OC: Vision and Process * (10:10) Creating a Third Space: Community Integration * (15:01) Entrepreneurship and Future-Ready Skills * (24:03) Innovation Within the Box * (28:07) Advice for Educational Leaders
Links * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog here * LinkedIn * Forney Independent School District
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, host Mason Pashia dives into the incredible work happening at the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center (EIC) in Williamson County, Nashville. Joined by mentor Clay Banks and three inspiring student entrepreneurs—Abby, Samuel, and Adam—the discussion highlights how mentorship, hands-on learning, and community support are transforming education. From tackling real-world problems to developing innovative solutions like drink safety tools and AI-powered learning platforms, this conversation showcases the power of empowering students to think big and act boldly. Tune in to explore how programs like the EIC are redefining what it means to learn, lead, and create impact.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction * (01:47) Finding Problems Worth Solving * (10:55) The Power of Mentorship * (19:18) Mentoring Students vs Adults * (31:44) Teachers as Mentors & Closing Thoughts
Links * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog here * LinkedIn | Clay Banks * Williamson County Schools
The latest episode of the Getting Smart Podcast dives into Kentucky's innovative "United We Learn" initiative, which emphasizes community-driven education, competency-based learning, and local accountability systems. Host Rebecca Midles is joined by Sarah Snipes, Director of Innovative Learning at the Kentucky Department of Education; Karen Perry, Executive Director at the Center for Next Generation Leadership; and David Cook, former Director of Innovative Learning, to discuss how Kentucky is building sustainable systems of education transformation. Together, they explore the importance of trust, collaboration, and shared vision in creating vibrant learning experiences for every student. Tune in to hear how Kentucky's efforts are inspiring education leaders nationwide, and learn why this model could be a blueprint for other states.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction & Guest Roles * (06:30) Building Networks & Partnerships * (16:03) Creating Shared Vision * (26:34) Portrait of a Learner Process * (32:47) District Models & Implementation * (36:00) Sustainability & Looking Ahead
Links * Read the full blog here * Watch the full blog here * David Cook LinkedIn * Sarah Snipes LinkedIn * Karen Perry LinkedIn * Previous blog by Stephanie and David
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark is joined by Dr. David Dimmett, CEO of Project Lead the Way, to discuss the critical importance of AI literacy, STEM pathways, and career readiness in today's rapidly evolving world. They explore how Project Lead the Way is preparing students and educators by integrating AI tools, ethical reasoning, and durable skills into learning experiences. Dimmett emphasizes the role of applied humanities in creating tools that serve humanity and discusses initiatives like Career Advantage, which focuses on career exposure, work-based learning, and industry-recognized credentials. Tune in to hear how education leaders can navigate this dynamic landscape while equipping students with the skills to thrive.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction & Planning Season * (01:44) AI Breakthroughs & The Future of Work * (10:08) AI Literacy Course & Framework * (18:37) Career Advantage & Skilled Trades * (25:16) AI Pushback & The Path Forward
Links * Read the full blog here * Watch the full video here * PLTW * LinkedIn | David Dimmett
On this episode of Catching Up, hosts Nate McClennen and Mason Pashia dive into key topics shaping education in 2026. From the rise of AI in classrooms and concerns about its regulation to a deep dive into the potential of scholastic journalism as a tool for real-world learning, they explore how education can foster connection, critical thinking, and creativity. The duo also shares their top 10 predictions for 2026, including insights on media literacy, work-based learning, and the future of education funding. Tune in for thought-provoking ideas, actionable insights, and even a little inspiration on building forts as adults!
Outline * (00:00) Introduction * (01:17) AI Pessimism & Trends * (05:44) Scholastic Journalism Deep Dive * (10:48) Top 10 Predictions for 2026 * (22:28) School Choice & Funding * (29:30) Science of Reading & Work-Based Learning * (45:28) What's That Song?
Links * Watch the full video here * Gallup polling - 80% of Americans favor regulating AI * Pew study - Only 17% believe AI will have a positive impact * Grey Goo - Britannica explanation * Economist article - Blue book sales doubling due to AI * Child Care Micro-Centers Filling Empty Classrooms in Chattanooga, TN * Peer Mental Health Support in Great Falls Public Schools, Montana * Local News Initiative - Vanishing Newspapers * Center for Scholastic Journalism - Decline in Scholastic Journalism * State of News - News Deserts * Cell Phone Bans in Schools - Campus Safety Magazine * AI Infiltration and Use in Education - Center for Democracy and Technology * AI Tutoring Development - LearnLM DeepMind Report * Science of Reading - AEI Article
In the latest episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark sits down with education leader Richard Carranza, Chief Strategy and Global Development Officer at IXL. Together, they explore transformative topics like the growing role of AI in education, the enduring importance of arts in identity development, and how personalized learning tools are shaping classrooms of the future. Carranza emphasizes that while AI offers powerful opportunities for efficiency and innovation, it will never replace the need for passionate, well-trained educators. The conversation delves into the challenges system leaders face, including budget constraints, changing learning environments, and preparing students for a future defined by tools and careers that have yet to emerge. Listen in to gain insights on how to lead with equity, embrace technology, and create transformative learning experiences.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction * (03:30) The Importance of Arts in Education * (05:50) AI in Education: Tools Not Replacements * (08:10) Leading Systems in the Age of AI * (14:10) IXL's Approach to AI and EdTech * (27:32) Looking Forward: Advice for Education Leaders
Links * Read the full blog here * Watch the full video here * LinkedIn * IXL Learning
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Nate McClennen engages with Wangchuck Wangchuck and Tashi Dendup to explore Bhutan's innovative approach to learner-centered practices. Learn how Bhutan connects education with its community, culture, and environment to foster critical thinking, collaboration, and sustainability. Through a whole-school approach, Bhutan is not only enhancing student engagement but also aligning its education system with its Gross National Happiness philosophy. This conversation highlights impactful lessons on transforming education systems to prepare learners for the complexities of the 21st century.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction to Place-Based Education * (03:42) Welcome to Bhutan * (06:34) Understanding Bhutan's Context * (11:37) Evolution of Education in Bhutan * (17:45) Place-Based Education in Practice * (21:37) Student and Teacher Impact * (29:12) Lessons Learned and Key Takeaways
Links * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog here * Center for School Curriculum and Development * Ministry of Education and Skills Development * Teton Science Schools
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark sits down with Diane Tavenner, founder and CEO of Futre, and Marshawn Brown, a student user of the platform. Together, they discuss how Futre empowers students to explore diverse career pathways with transparency and dignity. From personalized career exploration and work-based learning integration to long-term tools for student success, this conversation reimagines the mission of education. Learn how schools can support students in navigating post-secondary options and preparing for meaningful, purpose-driven futures.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction to Futre Platform * (09:02) Career Discovery and Exploration * (13:33) Work-Based Learning Integration * (22:35) Student Experience and Recommendations
Links * Read the full blog here * Watch the full video here * LinkedIn * Futre * Kairos Academies
In this dual-episode podcast, Tom Vander Ark of Getting Smart and Ben Kornell of EdTech Insiders dive into the transformative year of 2025 in education and share bold predictions for 2026. They explore how AI-driven innovations, work-based learning, and personalized education models are reshaping teaching and learning. From the rise of AI-forward schools to the impact of generative AI on traditional classroom practices, Tom and Ben discuss key trends such as the shift to learner agency, creativity, and critical thinking. They also tackle pressing challenges, including the increasing automation of the workforce, the potential backlash against AI in K-12 education, and the growing importance of teacher training for AI integration. This episode is packed with insights, predictions, and actionable advice for educators, policymakers, and edtech leaders navigating the future of learning.
Outline 1. (00:00) The Rise of AI Automation and Its Impact on Education 2. (10:21) Work-Based Learning and Career Education 3. (15:23) AI-Forward Schools and New Learning Models 4. (24:59) Teacher Training and Professional Development 5. (29:09) Closing Thoughts and Looking Ahead
Links * Read the full blog here * LinkedIn * ASU + GSV Summit
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, host Nate McClennen is joined by Dr. Brent Maddin of the Next Education Workforce Initiative at ASU Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College and Dr. Rebecca Hutchinson, superintendent at Concord Community Schools in Michigan. Together, they explore the transformative potential of team-based teaching models that reimagine the traditional "one teacher, one classroom" approach. From improving teacher retention and fostering collaboration to enhancing student outcomes and creating personalized learning opportunities, this conversation dives into how innovative staffing models can reshape the future of education. Listen in to hear firsthand experiences from Concord's groundbreaking implementations and learn why now is the time to embrace team-based education.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction and Context * (07:18) The Next Education Workforce Initiative * (14:33) Team-Based Staffing at Concord * (22:07) Impact and Student Outcomes * (36:50) Why This Time Is Different
Links * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog here * Rebecca Hutchinson LinkedIn * Brent Maddin LinkedIn * Next Education Workforce * Concord Community Schools * Unlocking the Potential of Team-Based Staffing
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Dr. Kenny Rodriguez, Superintendent of Grandview School District in Kansas City, shares how his district has embraced real-world learning and innovative pathways to drive student success. From his early work with Big Picture Learning in Tulsa to leading regional collaborations with neighboring districts, Dr. Rodriguez discusses the importance of breaking down barriers to provide shared opportunities for students. He highlights how Grandview integrates student passions into education through personalized learning pathways, partnerships, and hands-on experiences like Project Lead the Way. Tune in to hear how his leadership philosophy—focused on collaboration, creativity, and putting students first—has transformed education in his district and beyond.
Outline * (00:00) Discovering Big Picture Learning in Tulsa * (09:38) Building Pathways in Kansas City * (14:18) Regional Collaboration Begins * (19:52) Creating Shared Pathway Portfolios * (23:59) Leadership Through Learning * (28:00) Advice for Aspiring Superintendents
Links * Read the full blog here * Watch the full video here * Grandview School District * X | Kenny Rodrigues
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, host Mason Pashia sits down with Amara Nwuneli, the Africa 2025 Earth Prize regional winner, to discuss her inspiring work tackling urban climate challenges in Lagos, Nigeria. Amara shares how her project, The Green Sustainability Hub, integrates sustainable infrastructure into underserved communities by transforming waste into green spaces. From her experiences at COP 30 to her journey of securing grants and mentorship, Amara provides an inspiring look into youth-driven climate solutions, the importance of experiential learning, and the power of starting small to create meaningful change. Tune in to hear how mentorship and real-world projects can empower young leaders to reimagine urban sustainability.
Outline * (00:00) Criteria for Park Locations * (09:32) School vs Real-World Learning * (14:09) Finding the Earth Prize and Mentorship * (18:32) Marketing and Communications Skills
Links * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog here * LinkedIn * Preserve Our Roots * The Earth Prize
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Nate McClennen sits down with Fernande Raine, founder of the History CoLab, to explore the critical role of civics and humanities in shaping the future of education and empowering young people. They discuss the intersection of crises—disconnection, democracy challenges, and AI disruption—and how these challenges demand a reinvention of civic education. The conversation highlights the "18 by 18" framework, which outlines 18 key learning journeys for students to complete by age 18, and the importance of designing education to foster participation, connection, and purpose. Dive into this insightful discussion to learn how fostering civic engagement and leveraging the humanities can equip students to thrive as active, purpose-driven citizens in an evolving world.
Outline * (00:00) The State of Civics Education * (09:25) Understanding the Three Crises * (14:26) Historical Context of American Civics * (19:08) Building Multi-Perspectivity in Learning * (23:44) Purpose and Potential in Youth Development * (28:26) Creating Meaningful Civic Experiences
Links * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog here * LinkedIn * History Co:Lab
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, we sit down with Elliot Haspel, a nationally recognized child and family policy expert and author of Crawling Behind: America's Childcare Crisis and How to Fix It and Raising a Nation: 10 Reasons Why Every American Has a Stake in Childcare for All. Together, we explore why universal childcare is not just a family issue but a societal one, rooted in brain science, economic sustainability, and the moral imperative to support children and caregivers. Elliot shares actionable insights on how policymakers, educators, and community leaders can create a mixed-delivery childcare system that prioritizes accessibility, equity, and quality. This episode is a must-listen for anyone invested in the future of education, equity, and the well-being of families. Tune in to learn how we can collectively reimagine childcare as a public right.
Outline * (00:12) Introduction: Early Childhood Education and Personal Background * (04:46) Defining Caregivers and the Importance of Early Years * (11:11) Why Childcare Matters for Everyone * (18:32) Hope and Progress in Childcare Policy * (27:25) Building Public Will and Expanding the Constituency * (38:17) Integrating Childcare into Society and Development * (43:01) Childcare as a Right: Final Thoughts and Call to Action
Links * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog here * LinkedIn * Elliot Haspel Website * Substack
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Mason Pashia dives into the critical importance of elevating youth voice and agency in shaping the future of education. Joined by Izumi Vasquez, a recent Harvard graduate and UNICEF Youth Foresight Fellow, alongside Caitlyn McCurn and Shai Naides of UNICEF, the conversation explores how young leaders are reimagining educational systems to be more equitable and inclusive. From addressing global education challenges to designing systems that prioritize student voice, this episode highlights the intersection of community investment, civic leadership, and innovative approaches to learning. Tune in to learn how empowering youth as co-creators can transform education and prepare learners for a rapidly changing world.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction: Youth Voice in Education * (01:54) The Student Experience: Gaps in Support * (06:34) UNICEF's Youth Foresight Fellowship * (15:35) Building Confidence and Finding Voice * (34:10) Global Skills for an Uncertain Future
Links * Read the full blog here * Watch the full video here * LinkedIn | Izumi Vázquez * LinkedIn | Shai Naides * UNICEF USA * Innocenti * Child Rights Youth Foresight Report on Education 2025 * Last Years State of the Children Report * Shai Naides
In the latest episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Nate McClennen and Mason Pashia dive into a dynamic mix of topics shaping the future of learning and beyond. From exploring early reading development and its ties to brain pathways, to addressing the ethical concerns around AI and student surveillance, this episode balances critical education insights with thought-provoking discussions. The hosts also delve into the concept of "cognitive luxury," emphasizing the importance of creating space for deep, free, and slow thinking in today's fast-paced world. Wrapping up with the awe-inspiring migration of monarch butterflies and their remarkable precision, this episode offers a unique blend of education, innovation, and human connection. Tune in to explore how these themes intersect and inspire a brighter future for learners everywhere.
Outline * (00:00) Youth Perspectives on AI and Surveillance * (05:17) Early Reading Development and Brain Pathways * (10:24) Gifted and Talented Programs: Rethinking Early Testing * (16:06) Cognitive Luxury: Spaciousness, Agency, and Depth * (24:55) YouTube as an Educational Ecosystem * (36:15) Monarch Butterflies and Human Connection * (42:08) The Art of Touch: Tearing Your Food
Links * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog here * Hechinger Report * More in Common * Builders Movement * Arthur Brooks - Love Your Enemies
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Shawnee Caruthers sits down with Jen Chow, co-founder and COO of Polygence, Rahul Patel, founder of Hypothesis to Hardware, and Zohra Khawaja, founder of Hearts Against Homelessness, to explore how equitable mentorship and personalized learning systems can empower students to thrive. The conversation delves into the transformative power of mentorship when it becomes more than just a "nice-to-have," highlighting how mentorship systems that prioritize student agency, critical thinking, and curiosity can create meaningful, scalable, and equitable learning opportunities. From the role of expert mentors to the integration of AI in education, this discussion emphasizes the importance of meeting learners where they are and creating pathways for all students to succeed—regardless of their circumstances. Tune in to hear inspiring stories of impact and actionable strategies for building mentorship systems that work for everyone.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction to the Getting Smart Podcast * (06:05) The Impact of Personalized Learning * (08:49) Zohra's Journey and the Future of Mentorship * (24:38) Passion Projects and Student Agency * (29:47) Overcoming Challenges and Accessibility * (36:16) Recognition, Impact, and Closing Thoughts
Links * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog here * Polygence * Hearts Against Homelessness * Hypothesis to Hardware * LinkedIn | Zohra Khawaja * LinkedIn | Rahul Patel * LinkedIn | Jin Chow
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark sits down with Dr. Doug Fisher to discuss the new book, Teaching Students to Use AI Ethically and Responsibly. Together, they explore the critical need for AI literacy in schools and how educators can teach about, for, and with AI to prepare students for a computational future. Dr. Fisher emphasizes the importance of fostering curiosity, ethical decision-making, and data literacy while sharing practical examples of how schools can integrate AI into classrooms. This conversation is a must-listen for educators and leaders looking to embrace the opportunities and challenges of AI in education. Tune in to learn how we can empower future-ready students to navigate the world of AI responsibly.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction: The Explosion of Knowledge and AI in Education * (05:21) Collaborative Writing and the Book's Framework * (17:39) Teaching For AI: Essential Skills for Students * (22:11) Teaching With AI: Practical Applications and Quests * (28:17) Future of AI in Education: Simulations and Advice for Leaders
Links * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog here * Teaching Students to Use AI Ethically & Responsibly * LinkedIn
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Rebecca Midles sits down with Pam Moran, Ira David Socol, and Liz Calvert to explore how educational leaders are transforming traditional teaching and assessment into meaningful, student-centered learning experiences. Drawing from their new book, Real Learning, Real Accomplishment, the conversation dives into the power of mastery learning, systemic change, and fostering student and teacher agency. With insights from innovative schools across Kentucky, Virginia, Illinois, and Nevada, this episode highlights the strategies and belief shifts necessary to create lasting, impactful educational transformation. Tune in to learn how educators and leaders can embrace risk, reimagine grading systems, and prioritize real-world learning to empower every student to succeed.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction: The Journey to Real Learning * (01:52) Shifting from Achievement to Accomplishment * (08:37) Systems Change and Misconceptions About Leadership * (14:35) Building Teacher Agency Through Vulnerability * (21:52) Embracing Mistakes as Learning Opportunities * (28:48) The Moral Obligation: Transforming Grades and Assessment
Links * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog here * LinkedIn | Liz Calvert * LinkedIn | Ira David Socol * LinkedIn | Pamela Moran * Real Learning, Real Accomplishment
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark sits down with Dr. Tessa Forshaw and Rich Braden, authors of Innovation-ish: How Anyone Can Create Breakthrough Solutions to Real Problems in the Real World. They explore how innovation mindsets, creative problem-solving, and AI as a co-intelligence tool can empower anyone to tackle complex challenges. Drawing from their experiences at Stanford's d.school and Harvard, Tessa and Rich break down the frameworks, mindset shifts, and practical moves that make innovation accessible to everyone. Whether you're a leader, educator, or simply curious about the future of work and learning, this conversation will inspire you to embrace your inner innovator.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction: The Age of Innovation * (04:32) The AI Inflection Point * (08:19) Understanding Innovation Mindsets * (12:14) Applying Mindsets in Teams * (15:37) Innovation Moves: Beyond Rigid Frameworks * (20:09) Activating Through Metacognition
Links * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog here * LinkedIn | Tessa Forshaw * LinkedIn | Rich Braden * Innovationish
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Jenny Curtin, Director of Education at the Barr Foundation, shares her insights on reimagining high schools to create equitable, future-ready opportunities for all students. Jenny discusses her work leading transformative education initiatives across New England, including designing new high school models, investing in educators, and building public will for systemic change. She emphasizes the importance of listening to students, addressing systemic inequities, and ensuring that every learner has access to meaningful experiences that prepare them for life beyond high school. From the challenges of shifting entrenched mindsets to the opportunities created through collaborative, student-centered design, this conversation is a must-listen for anyone passionate about transforming education systems for the better.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction and Background * (05:01) Early Career Experiences and Challenges * (09:24) Barr Foundation's Three Strategic Areas * (14:36) Defining Success and Student Thriving * (19:55) System-Level Change and Internal Coherence * (25:06) Lessons Learned and Future Direction
Links * Read the full blog here * Watch the full video here * The Barr Foundation * LinkedIn * Indicators of School Quality * From Input to Impact: Student Voice in High School Transformation * Poll Results Inform Shared Vision for High School Excellence
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark speaks with Paul Benedict, associate professor and executive director of the Center for Entrepreneurship at Ohio University, about their groundbreaking AI initiative. In just two years, the College of Business transformed how students think about AI, entrepreneurship, and real-world problem-solving. From rapid prototyping workshops to AI-powered business solutions, Paul shares how Ohio University is preparing students to be AI-capable and thrive in a tech-driven world. Don't miss this inspiring conversation about future-ready learning and innovative uses of AI in education.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction to Ohio University's AI Initiative * (14:21) Five Key Areas of AI Application * (18:03) Entrepreneurial Mindset and Career Paths * (22:05) AI Programs and Curriculum Integration * (25:54) Leadership and Future Initiatives
Links * Read the fulll blog here * Watch the full video here * LinkedIn * Ohio University * The Artificial Intelligence Show
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark sits down with Dr. Ronald Dahl, a distinguished pediatrician and developmental scientist from UC Berkeley, to explore the transformative potential of adolescence. Together, they discuss why adolescence is not just a period of vulnerability but also a dynamic window of opportunity for learning, growth, and authentic contribution. Dr. Dahl highlights the importance of fostering agency, mattering, and experiential learning environments that allow young people to feel valued and empowered. From the neuroscience of brain plasticity to the actionable steps educators and leaders can take to create supportive systems, this conversation dives deep into how we can rethink adolescent development and learning. Tune in for insights on building authentic connections, navigating challenges, and creating spaces where young people can thrive and make meaningful contributions.
Outline * (06:53) The Science of Adolescent Development * (13:19) The Importance of Mattering and Contribution * (19:48) Agency, Autonomy, and the Adolescent Experience * (26:02) Technology, Learning, and Agency in Youth * (33:09) Work, Civic Engagement, and Experiential Learning * (39:31) Wisdom, Policy, and Closing Reflections
Links * Read the full blog here * LinkedIn * UC Berkeley
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Rebecca Midles sits down with Jon Alfuth and Julianna Charles Brown from KnowledgeWorks to explore the "how" behind transforming education systems. The conversation dives deep into the importance of state policy frameworks, personalized learning, and competency-based education to create future-ready systems. They discuss the role of a shared vision, like a Portrait of a Graduate, in driving systemic change and aligning policy with practice. With examples from states like Montana and Washington, this episode highlights how flexible learning pathways and transferable skills can prepare students for an uncertain future. Tune in to learn about the intersection of policy, practice, and innovation, and discover how systems can be reimagined to better serve learners.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction and Vision for Education * (13:16) Policy Framework Overview * (19:32) Implementing Policy Changes * (26:06) Flexible Learning Pathways * (32:33) State Examples and Success Stories * (35:04) Lightning Round Q&A
Links * Read the full blog here * Watch the full video here * LinkedIn | Jon Alfuth * LinkedIn | Charlie Brown * Jon Alfuth | KnowldegeWorks * Charlie Brown | KnowledgeWorks * KowledgeWorks
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Jeanine Collins, co-founder and Chief Impact Officer of the Center for the Future of Learning joins to share how Nevada is transforming its education system through bold partnerships, learner-centered design, and the arts. This episode dives into her journey from classroom teaching to leading statewide initiatives that redefine success for students through the Portrait of a Learner. Jeanine discusses the power of arts in education, how intermediary organizations can bridge policy and practice, and the importance of building collective action to drive systemic change. Tune in to explore how Nevada is fostering meaningful, interactive learning experiences that empower students to thrive in their communities and beyond.
Outline * (00:00) Early Career and Education * (04:14) Transition to Education Policy * (06:54) Founding the Center for the Future of Learning * (12:22) Youth Engagement and Innovation * (14:53) Values-Driven Leadership * (20:08) Building Networks and Future Vision
Links * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog here * Nevada Portrait of a Learner * Jeanine Collins Linkedin * Previous podcast with Jeanine on Nevada Succeeds * Center for the Future of Learning
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark is joined by Dr. Tony Wagner and Dr. Ulrik Christensen to dive into their new book, Mastery: Why Deeper Learning is Essential in the Age of Distraction. Together, they unpack the concept of mastery learning, why it matters in today's rapidly changing world, and how it connects to deeper learning and student agency. The conversation highlights innovative approaches to education, real-world examples from schools like Red Bridge and Olin College, and the critical need to foster intrinsic motivation and lifelong learning skills. Whether you're an educator, policymaker, or passionate about the future of learning, this is a must-listen episode!
Outline * (00:00) Introduction to Mastery Learning * (11:10) The Changing Nature of Work and Learning * (16:33) Assessment and Curriculum Changes * (21:27) Early Education and Student Agency * (26:58) Team-Based Learning and Real-World Applications * (31:54) Scaling and Implementation
Links * Read the full blog here * Watch the full video here * Ulrik Christensen LinkedIn * Tony Wagner LinkedIn * Podcast: Virginia Superintendent James Lane on Unleashing Innovation * How to Prepare Learners for an Uncertain Future: A Conversation with Dr. Tony Wagner * Book Review: Creating Innovators
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Nate McClennen sits down with Matt Bowman, co-founder of Open Ed, to explore how unbundled learning and personalized education are transforming the future of learning. They discuss Open Ed's innovative approach to blending public and private education systems, the role of competency-based learning, and how families can become education designers for their children. The conversation also dives into the impact of AI on education and how it's driving demand for flexible, learner-centered ecosystems. Whether you're a parent, educator, or policymaker, this episode offers actionable insights into creating personalized pathways for every learner.
Outline * (00:00) Rethinking the System * (03:39) Creative Learning Experiences * (13:57) Open Ed's Model * (20:36) Accountability and Competency * (27:07) Who Is Open Ed For? * (33:41) The Future: AI, Community, and Connection
Links * Read the full blog here * Watch the full video here * LinkedIn * Matt Bowman's Books * OpenEd
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark speaks with Dr. Isaac Agbeshie-Noye, Program Director for Widening Pathways at the SHRM Foundation. They discuss the concept of a skills-first future and how it can unlock potential and economic mobility through inclusive hiring practices. The conversation highlights the importance of aligning skills with workforce needs, the role of AI in shaping employment, and the value of collaboration between employers, schools, and training providers. Tune in to learn about the strategies and tools driving a more equitable and skills-focused workforce.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction to Skills First Future * (05:36) Understanding the Skills First Approach * (09:59) Barriers to Skills-Based Hiring * (14:38) Digital Infrastructure and Ecosystem Solutions * (19:27) Impact of AI on the Future of Work * (27:46) Next Steps and Future Initiatives
Links * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog here * LinkedIn * SHRM * Skills First Future
In this episode of Catching Up, Nate McClennen and Mason Pashia dive into the latest innovations shaping the future of learning. From Alpha School’s groundbreaking two-hour AI-driven learning model to the rise of ambient AI that integrates seamlessly into our everyday lives, this conversation explores the intersection of technology, education, and human connection. They also reflect on the importance of relational intelligence in schools, the role of real-world learning during the remaining six hours of a student’s day, and the growing significance of personalized and competency-based education. Tune in for thought-provoking insights and actionable ideas to reimagine education for a future-ready world.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction and Episode Overview * (05:46) Discussion on AI Companionship and Connection * (11:38) Updates on Educational Initiatives * (17:25) Alpha School and Two-Hour Learning Day * (29:44) Ambient AI and Learning Assessment * (35:30) Day in the Life of an Educator 2040 * (42:51) Uniquely Human Experiences and Closing * (48:12) What's That Song?
Links * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog here * What happens when AI chatbots replace real human connection? * American Friendship Project * Boosties * Tylenol, Autism and the Perils of Basic-Level Literacy * 7 insights about Chronic Absenteeism * Transcend: The Relationship Between Student Experiences and Outcomes * COVID Worsened Long Decline in 12th-Graders’ Reading, Math Skills * A Day in the Life of an Educator 2040 * USC Rossier Master of Education
In this podcast episode, leaders Virgel Hammonds and Beth Rabbitt discuss how FullScale is accelerating competency-based and personalized learning by aligning practice, policy, people, and progress. By adopting a Co-CEO leadership model, they emphasize the power of collaboration, distributed leadership, and bold accountability to drive systemic change. This episode dives into the importance of coherence across education systems and the role of Full Scale in creating tools, evidence, and partnerships to empower learners and educators. Tune in to explore how this unification aims to reimagine education at scale!
Outline * (00:00) Introduction and Personal Interests * (04:32) The Vision Behind the Merger * (08:37) Full Scale’s Ambitious Goals * (11:52) Co-CEO Leadership Model * (20:09) Accelerating Growth in Competency-Based Learning * (25:22) The Future of the Annual Symposium * (34:13) Closing Thoughts and Call to Action
Links * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog here * Beth Rabbitt LinkedIn * Virgel Hammonds LinkedIn * FullScale * FullScale Symposium
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Mason Pashia sits down with David McCullough III, co-founder of the American Exchange Project, to explore how domestic student exchanges can foster empathy, bridge cultural divides, and build lifelong curiosity. Learn how this innovative program connects high school students across the U.S., encouraging them to step out of their comfort zones, embrace new perspectives, and contribute to their communities. Tune in to hear about the transformative power of travel, the origins of the program, and its vision for creating a more united and empathetic future
Outline * (00:00) Introduction and Background * (04:31) Origins of the American Exchange Project * (08:35) History of Exchange Programs * (16:41) Current State of American Exchange Project * (21:58) Program Structure and Activities * (34:12) Future Growth and Vision
Links * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog here * American Exchange Project * LinkedIn
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Rebecca Midles sits down with Dr. Bill Nicely, Educator in Residence at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, to explore how cross-state, cross-sector collaboration in Kansas City is transforming education. They discuss the Real World Learning Initiative, the importance of market value assets for students, and how partnerships between urban, suburban, and rural districts are creating equitable opportunities. Tune in to learn how this innovative approach is preparing students for the future of work and fostering systemic change in education.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction to the Podcast * (03:39) Collaboration During the Pandemic * (07:12) Challenges and Successes in Cross-State Collaboration * (11:38) The Role of Business Partnerships * (18:54) Measuring Success and Quality * (25:44) Future Trends in Education
Links * Read the full blog here * Watch the full video here * LinkedIn * Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
Join us on this week’s Getting Smart Podcast as we sit down with Sangeet Paul Choudary, author of Reshuffle: Who Wins When AI Attacks the Knowledge Economy. Together with Tom Vander Ark, Sangeet explores the profound reshuffling of markets, education, and talent development in the age of AI. Discover how the value creation chain—curiosity, curation, and judgment—is shifting and why reimagining systems around AI as an engine, rather than a tool, is the key to thriving in the future. Tune in to unlock insights into coordination, innovation, and the possibilities of AI-driven ecosystems. Listen now!
Outline * (00:00) Introduction to the Great Reshuffling * (04:55) Curiosity, Curation, and Judgment * (15:38) AI as a Tool vs. AI as an Engine * (23:14) Coordination and the Future of AI
Links * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog here * LinkedIn * Reshuffle * Platform Thinking Labs * First Getting Smart Podcast Appearance * Sangeet Substack
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Nate McClennen and Hayley Spira-Bauer explore the transformative potential of AI, media literacy, and personalized learning in reshaping education. The lively conversation discusses how generative AI can reduce teacher workloads, foster high-agency classrooms, and create opportunities for meaningful human connections. The conversation also dives into the importance of media literacy as a core skill for navigating today’s digital landscape, empowering students to critically evaluate information and thrive in a rapidly evolving world. Tune in to discover actionable insights on building innovative, student-centered learning ecosystems and preparing learners for the future.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction and Guest Introduction * (01:50) AI's Impact on Teacher Workload * (03:41) Increasing Human Connection and Learning Ecosystems * (10:23) Reimagining Cross-Curricular Teaching * (14:27) Student Agency and Self-Directed Learning * (31:49) The Role of Content Knowledge and Skills
Links * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog here * Hayley Spira-Bauer Website * LinkedIn * Fullmind * Learning Can't Wait Podcast
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Nate McClennen and Mason Pashia explore key topics shaping education today, from the varying start dates of schools across the U.S. to the global progress on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). They dive into data on teacher shortages, discussing challenges with retention and exploring innovative solutions like rethinking educator models. The conversation also touches on the neuroscience of adolescent identity formation, emphasizing the importance of creating opportunities for healthy risk-taking and personal growth in schools. Tune in to hear insights on how schools can address current challenges while fostering connection, curiosity, and purpose among learners.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction and Agenda * (04:02) Global Goals and School Meals Progress * (07:40) Public School Perception Survey Results * (12:48) Teacher Shortage Data and Analysis * (17:36) Rethinking Teacher Models * (27:28) Identity Formation and Adolescent Development * (37:23) Human Expression and Connection * (42:47) What's That Song?
Links * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog here * When Do Kids Go Back to School? * Exclusive Poll: As Support for Schools Plummets, Americans Resist Closing Education Department * Reading for Fun: Student Experiences * How an Indiana District Puts a Premium on Teacher Autonomy * Overview of Teacher Shortages * How Can We Keep Teachers Teaching? * State of the American Teacher Survey * The Teaching Model That’s Keeping Educators in Schools * The Great Simplification Podcast: Taylor Guthrie * Sand Talk: Indigenous Thinking in a World That’s Lost Its Way * Mile-Long Table in Denver Seats Thousands of Strangers to Eat and Celebrate Community * Introducing Kestrel and Other Songs
Join us on the latest episode of the Getting Smart Podcast as Rebecca Midles sits down with Dr. Dave Richards, Executive Director of the Future Learning Council. Together, they explore how Michigan’s coalition of school districts and ISDs is driving statewide transformation through personalized learning and competency-based education. Discover how member-driven networks are fostering collaboration, scaling innovation, and creating flexible, learner-centered systems. From micro-schools to professional development tools, this episode dives deep into the future of education. Don’t miss this inspiring conversation about empowering communities and reimagining learning for all students!
Outline * (00:12) Introduction and Podcast Overview * (04:14) Meeting Dave Richards * (08:28) Building the Future Learning Council * (16:24) Supporting Rural Schools * (20:10) Professional Development Resources * (23:59) Future Vision and Innovation
Links * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog here * LinkedIn * Future Of Learning Council * Michigan Virtual
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Nate McClennen is joined by Kristen Burrus and Michael Stone from Chattanooga to discuss how fab labs and innovative learning ecosystems are transforming STEM education. They explore how STEM School Chattanooga and the Volkswagen eLab Network are integrating project-based learning, credentialing, and essential skill-building to create meaningful pathways for students. Learn how these efforts are bridging the gap between education and workforce readiness, offering students functional solutions to real-world challenges.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction and Podcast Overview * (03:16) Memorable Learning Experiences * (07:19) Chattanooga's STEM School Journey * (19:17) Leveraging Labs for Essential Skills * (20:34) Certification Process and Success Stories * (25:37) Building Fab Folio: From Google Forms to AI Integration * (29:27) Impact and Future of Fab Folio
Links * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog here * Fab Labs Network * Michael Stone - LinkedIn * Kristin Burrus - FabLearn Fellow * FabLearn Fellows Program * Volkswagen eLab Network
Explore the fascinating intersection of poetry, art, and identity on this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast featuring Mason Pashia. Mason discusses his debut book, Kestrel and Other Songs, and dives deep into the creative process, the power of words, and the ways poetry invites us to see the world differently. From his inspirations like Robert Macfarlane to the influence of place and personal experiences, Mason shares insights that connect creativity with education, identity, and community. Tune in for a thought-provoking conversation that celebrates storytelling, imagination, and the transformative role of art in shaping how we view and engage with the world. Get your copy now!
Outline * (00:00) Introduction to Kestrel * (02:32) The Art of Poetry * (12:00) Writing from a Place * (15:20) Art and Education * (21:45) Futures Thinking and Abundance * (25:44) Closing Thoughts and Reflections
Links * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog here * Into Wind * Buy Kestrel * Landmarks by Robert Macfarlane
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark sits down with Casey Evans, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs at American University's Kogod School of Business, to explore how AI is revolutionizing specifically business education. From integrating AI literacy across a fully redesigned curriculum to emphasizing professionalism and communication skills tailored for Gen Z, Casey shares how her team is preparing students for the future of work. Discover innovative approaches like interdisciplinary first-year courses, AI-infused learning paths, and the launch of new programs like the AI and Business Analytics major. Tune in to learn how the Kogod School is leading the charge in equipping students with both the technical and human skills needed to thrive in a rapidly evolving workforce.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction to AI in Business Education * (04:52) Integrating AI and Professional Skills * (09:14) Fostering Professionalism and Communication * (12:27) AI Literacy Across All Majors * (16:13) Entrepreneurship and Business Education * (22:37) Conclusion and Acknowledgements
Links * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog here * Casey Evans LinkedIn Profile * American University Website * Kogod School of Business Website * Business Analytics and AI Program
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark dives into the intersection of education and workforce innovation with Kerry McKittrick, Co-Director of Harvard's Project on Workforce. Together, they explore the evolving job market in the AI era, discussing challenges like the "AI job apocalypse" and the importance of creating agile pathways to economic mobility. Kerry highlights the critical role of work-based learning, industry partnerships, and personalized career navigation to prepare learners for a complex and dynamic workforce. Tune in to hear about the future of work, education's response, and how regional and adaptive pathways can create equitable opportunities for all.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction: AI's Impact on Jobs * (02:27) Pathways to Economic Mobility * (04:12) Current Job Market Challenges * (09:05) Education's Response to Workforce Changes * (14:21) Governors' Role in Workforce Development * (24:58) Conclusion and Future Work
Links * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog here * Kerry McKittrick | LinkedIn * Bloomberg Philanthropies CTE Initiative * Harvard Project on Workforce
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Nate McClennen and Mason Pashia explore the intersection of education innovation, policy updates, and emerging technologies. From the role of AI in fostering human flourishing to the potential of CTE centers and ISDs as innovation hubs, they dive into transformative ideas reshaping education. The discussion also delves into ethical considerations for AI, federal funding impacts on schools, and the power of decentralized networks to accelerate change. Tune in for insights on how education marketplaces and collaborative ecosystems can create future-ready learning environments.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction and Catching Up * (03:20) Scholarship Granting Organizations and Education Marketplaces * (08:34) Innovative Education Models and Networks * (22:49) Ethical Considerations in AI * (28:45) AI in Education and Dependency Concerns * (33:24) Human Expression and Storytelling * (38:08) What's That Song?
Links * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog here * Free pre-K, kindergarten expanded under new law signed by governor (New Jersey Monitor) * School choice causes confusion for families. Can edtech companies help? (EdSurge) * CTE in 2025: The evolving pathway to opportunity in a tech-driven world (Strategos Group) * Regional Education Agencies: The Critical Link Between the State and the Classroom (SISEP) * ESA State-by-State Report – March 2021 (WAESD) * EducationCounsel Policy Brief PDF * The Flourishing Hub – Research (Gloo) * Google Drive Document (PDF or File Link) * Chat GBT Study Mode * Google NotebookLM Video Overviews & Studio Upgrades * National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) Article
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, host Shawnee Caruthers explores the transformative power of Career Pathways Academy at iPark 87 with a dynamic panel of guests: Dr. Jonah Schenker (Ulster BOCES), John Boolukos (Archtop Fiber), and students Cameren Thibault-Edmonds and Natalie Winrow. Together, they discuss how place-based education, industry collaboration, and learner-centered design can open doors to opportunity, purpose, and belonging. From redefining Career and Technical Education (CTE) to fostering student confidence and self-direction, this episode highlights how intentional ecosystem building can create lasting community impact and prepare students to design the future.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction to the Getting Smart Podcast * (02:16) The Heart of Ulster BOCES: A Learner-Centered Vision * (07:18) Describing the Community and Pathways * (10:49) Industry Partnership: A New Era of Collaboration * (24:49) The Role of Advanced Manufacturing Pathways * (28:50) Workplace Learning Challenges: Real-World Experience * (33:18) Building a Sustainable Ecosystem for Education and Industry * (40:02) Closing Thoughts and Future Possibilities
Links * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog * iPark 87 * Dr. Jonah Schenker (LinkedIn) * John Boolukos (LinkedIn) * Ulster BOCES * Archtop Fiber * Kingston City School District
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark dives into the AI revolution in corporate learning with special guest Josh Bersin. Together, they explore the transformative potential of AI-powered tools like the Galileo HR Agent, which are reshaping talent development, HR systems, and learning and development (L&D). Discover how dynamic content, AI tutors, and virtual agents are creating “super workers” and revolutionizing workplace learning. Tune in to learn how these innovations are not just about efficiency but also about empowering humans to thrive in the workforce of the future.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction to AI Revolution in Corporate Learning * (05:35) Introducing Galileo: The AI HR Agent * (08:04) AI in Education: Opportunities and Challenges * (10:04) Revolutionizing Learning and Development with AI * (15:12) The Future of Corporate Training * (20:36) Practical Steps for Implementing AI in Education * (25:26) Conclusion and Final Thoughts
Links * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog here * Linked In * Does AI Stunt Learning? In Some Cases Yes. * Josh Bersin Academy * Galileo Learn
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, we dive into California’s groundbreaking efforts to expand equitable access to computer science education. Joined by Dr. Caryn Lewis, Rod Garcia, and Dr. Sharisa Chan, we explore how initiatives like the Cal MSCS Professional Learning Partnership are fostering equity, building interdisciplinary approaches, and promoting AI literacy for students and educators alike. From creating immersive communities of practice to emphasizing the importance of family engagement, this conversation reveals how California is setting the stage for a future-ready generation. Whether you're an educator, policymaker, or parent, this episode is packed with insights on how to create the conditions for authentic, inclusive, and impactful learning experiences.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction to the Getting Smart Podcast * (03:49) The Design of the CS Model * (06:49) The Relevance of Computer Science Today (12:56) Equity in Computer Science Education * (18:23) AI Literacy in Computer Science * (26:33) Conclusion and Final Thoughts
Links * Watch the full video * Read the full blog here * CSforCA * Dr. Sharisa Chan * Rod Garcia * Caryn Lewis * UCLA Center X * Monterey Department of Education * California Mathematics, Science, and Computer Science Partnership
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Mason Pashia and Jason Cummins are thrilled to have Kara Bobroff join them to share her journey in transforming education for Indigenous communities. As the founder of One Generation and the driving force behind the Native American Community Academy (NACA), Kara passionately discusses how schools can truly reflect and serve their communities. Kara discusses the creation of NACA, a groundbreaking school built on the values of cultural identity, wellness, and academic achievement. Discover how this model has inspired a network of schools across the country, empowering Indigenous education and fostering a sense of belonging and purpose. Join us for an uplifting conversation about the power of community-driven education and the bright future it holds for learners everywhere.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction to the Getting Smart Podcast * (02:00) Challenges and Inspirations in Native American Education * (05:11) The Role of Community in Shaping NACA * (08:37) Innovative Approaches to Indigenous Education * (11:49) Expanding the Vision: The Native American Community Academy Network * (24:56) The Broader Impact: NISN and Community Transformation * (33:29) Looking Forward: One Generation and Future Goals
Links * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog here * LinkedIn | Kara Bobroff * Our Past, Present, and Future | Getting Smart blog * NACA Inspired Schools * NACA Wellness Wheel * Humanizing Education (A book by Jason Cummins)
Join us on the Getting Smart Podcast as host Mason Pashia dives into regenerative design in education with Benjamin Freud, Head of Upper School at Green School Bali and co-founder of Coconut Thinking. Together, they discuss how schools can move beyond sustainability to embrace regenerative practices that create conditions conducive to life—not just for students but for all living beings. Explore the difference between sustainable and regenerative design, how to foster emergence in learning, and why the future of education requires a life-centered approach. Tune in to rethink systems and embrace the messy, transformative potential of education!
Outline * (00:00) Introduction to the Podcast and Guest * (03:58) Regenerative vs. Sustainable Design * (06:53) Principles of Regenerative Practice in Education * (11:03) Challenges and Contradictions in Regenerative Education * (22:10) Exploring Growth Synergy in Education * (25:52) Collaborative Learning and Assessment * (29:38) Scaling and Adapting Educational Models * (33:55) The Four S's Design Principle * (37:39) Creating Conditions Conducive to Life
Links * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog * Benjamin Freud article * Benjamin LinkedIn * Coconut Thinking
In this episode of Catching Up, Nate McClennen and Mason Pashia dive into a rich tapestry of educational innovation and thought-provoking topics. They explore Indiana's groundbreaking charter micro schools initiative, designed to re-engage students through public micro schools, and the fascinating history of Junior Republics—youth-led communities that once offered immersive real-world learning experiences. The duo also examines the importance of project management skills starting in kindergarten, the role of empathy in leadership, and the potential for education to combat tribalism while fostering the common good. Additionally, they unpack insights from the Global Flourishing Study, discussing how education can better equip learners with the skills and mindset to thrive in a rapidly evolving world. Tune in for an engaging conversation packed with actionable ideas and inspiring reflections!
Outline * (00:00) Introduction * (06:33) Employer Collaboration in Education * (09:37) AI in Education: Survey Insights * (12:12) Deep Dive: Indiana Charter Micro Schools * (16:14) Deep Dive: Junior Republics * (23:49) Real World Learning in 2025 * (32:06) Purpose of Education and Tribalism * (43:36) Signs of Human Expression * (48:40) What’s That Song?
Links * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog here * Global flourishing study * Indiana charter micro schools * In Tandem * Angela Even * Purdue University Global * Research Gate: Project Management and Education * Junior Republics
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, we explore the transformative power of professions-based learning through the lens of the CAPS network. Join Tom Vander Ark as he gets into how CAPS integrates real-world learning experiences with career-connected pathways, creating dynamic opportunities for students across the nation. With over 100 sites and participation from 200 school districts, the CAPS model emphasizes self-discovery and entrepreneurial mindsets, equipping learners with durable, transferable skills. Featuring insights from Corey Mohn, CAPS Executive Director, and Sophia Porter, a distinguished CAPS alumna, we discuss the essential role of AI in education and envision the future of professions-based learning. Discover why CAPS is redefining the traditional education model and empowering students to thrive in a rapidly changing world!
Outline * (00:00) Introduction to CAPS * (04:26) Sophia's CAPS Experience * (08:36) Sophia's Professional Journey * (11:56) Core Values of CAPS * (14:35) AI in Education and Career Development * (25:23) Anthropic's Approach to AI Safety * (29:57) Final Thoughts and Advice
Links * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog here * Corey’s LinkedIn * CAPS Network * Sophia Porter LinkedIn
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark sits down with Dr. Don Haddad, retiring superintendent of St. Vrain Valley Schools, to explore the impactful journey of transforming a school district into a responsive, high-performing system. Dr. Haddad shares insights on building a vision that aligns education with the fast-changing global environment, fostering community trust, and developing diverse pathways that significantly raised graduation rates. His approach to leadership and innovation, focused on equity and opportunity, has not only benefited the district but also set a benchmark in educational leadership. Tune in to discover how a mindset of contribution and community engagement can drive successful educational reform.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction and Background * (02:28) Challenges and Vision in 2008 * (09:14) Leadership and Mindset * (21:50) Systemic Changes and Innovations * (29:05) Extracurricular Achievements * (33:53) Sustaining Growth and Overcoming Challenges
Links * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog here * Don Haddad LinkedIn * St. Vrain Valley Schools * P-Teach * P-Tech * Career Elevation and Technology Center
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Nate McClennen dives into the cutting-edge world of AI in education with Habib Bangura from Urban Assembly. Discover how Project Cafe is revolutionizing classroom instruction by providing real-time, developmental feedback to teachers. By utilizing AI-driven video analysis, this innovative tool enhances teaching efficiency and effectiveness, paving the way for improved student outcomes. Join the conversation to explore how technology is transforming traditional educational models and what it means for the future of learning.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction to the Podcast * (06:19) Urban Assembly's Mission and Approach * (11:52) Challenges in Scaling Instructional Quality * (17:01) Project Cafe: AI-Driven Instructional Feedback * (27:32) Future of AI in Education
Links * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog * LinkedIn * The Urban Assembly
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, join Tom Vander Ark as he explores the transformative power of community-engaged learning with guests from Elizabethton High School in rural Tennessee. Discover how educators like Dustin Hensley are redefining education by integrating real-world challenges into the classroom, allowing students to develop crucial skills and a sense of purpose. Hear inspiring stories from alumni Veronica Watson and Sadie Whitehead, who share how these experiences have shaped their personal and professional lives. This conversation highlights the importance of student-centered education and the potential for community engagement to create meaningful learning opportunities. Tune in to learn how schools can become vibrant hubs for community connection and innovation.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction to Community Engaged Learning * (02:45) Student-Centered Learning in Action * (14:20) Leadership and Community Impact * (27:19) The Role of AI in Community Learning * (29:43) Advice for Educational Leaders * (31:52) Conclusion and Final Thoughts
Links * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog * Dustin Hensley LinkedIn * Elizabethon City Schools * Dustin Hensley Profile * Sadie Whitehead * Chatt Foundation team
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark sits down with Paul Herdman, CEO of the Rodell Foundation of Delaware, to discuss the transformative power of pathways in education. They delve into how initiatives like work-based learning and seamless transitions from high school to career can enhance student success and readiness for the future. This conversation highlights the importance of collaboration between educational institutions and employers to build effective and equitable pathways. Tune in to explore the new possibilities for students and the education system.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction to Career Connected Learning * (02:13) The Origin of Pathways in Delaware * (03:51) Global Insights and Project Development * (07:11) Design Elements for Effective Pathways * (13:36) Implementation Strategies and Equity Focus * (25:15) Advice for School and System Leaders * (30:47) Conclusion and Final Thoughts
Links * Watch the full video * Read the full blog * Rodel Foundation of Delaware * Paul Herdman LinkedIn * Jobs for the Future
In the latest episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, we dive into the transformative power of project-based learning (PBL) through the lens of the Border Lands project. Hosted by Shawnee Caruthers, this episode features insightful conversations with Ryan Sprott, an educator and PBL advocate, alongside former students Annah Sanchez, Daniela Hernandez, and Bianca Garza. Together, they explore how immersive learning experiences at the US-Mexico border shaped their understanding of complex social issues and fostered personal growth. The guests reflect on the profound impact of engaging directly with real-world challenges, emphasizing the importance of empathy, active listening, and critical thinking. This episode highlights the urgency of PBL in today's education landscape, advocating for its role in preparing students for the complexities of modern society. Tune in to hear how these experiences continue to influence their lives and why PBL is crucial for fostering a more equitable and interconnected world.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction and Personal Reflection * (04:24) The Power and Impact of PBL * (09:47) Student Reflections: Initial Understanding of the Border * (16:21) Profound Moments and Personal Growth * (23:55) Skills and Lessons Learned * (31:57) The Art Component and Overcoming Challenges * (38:08) Final Reflections and Advice * (46:45) Current Students Experiences
Links * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog here * How to Teach About Global Borders and Migration (Opinion) * Teaching Contentious Topics in a Divided Nation: A Memoir and Primer for Pedagogical Transformation by Ryan Sprott * Ryan Sprott LinkedIn * PBLworks * Daniela Hernandez LinkedIn
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Nate McClennen and Rebecca Midles discuss the Getting Smart Learning Innovation Framework, designed to catalyze systems change in education. They explore how personalized, competency-based learning models integrated with AI can meet the diverse needs of students and overcome the systemic challenges currently facing education. The conversation highlights the framework's focus on community-driven visions, adaptive learning models, and innovative signaling methods to ensure meaningful credentialing and assessment. Join us as we uncover the potential of this framework to lead educational systems toward new horizons, addressing pressing issues such as equity and access while empowering learners and leaders alike.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction to the Framework * (03:00) The Role of Leadership in Education * (09:59) The Importance of R&D in Schools * (19:39) Overview of the Framework * (26:16) Learning from Implementation * (29:50) Debates and Discussions * (34:39) Next Steps and Conclusion
Links * Watch full video here * Read the full blog * The Getting Smart Learning Innovation Framework * Building Systems That Serve: The Power of the Getting Smart Innovation Framework * What is the Evolving Role of Future Educators? * How can we reimagine where learning happens? Designing schools as community hubs within a personalized ecosystem * The Transcript Trap: Why Our Students Need Credentials, Not Just Grades
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Nate McClennen and Monique Uzelac, the Executive Director of the Washtenaw Educational Options Consortium in Michigan explore the innovative approach to educational choice within the consortium, discussing how it offers diverse programs like competency-based learning and early college opportunities. Monique shares insights into the consortium's collaborative efforts with multiple districts to enhance student outcomes and meet varied educational needs. The discussion also delves into the challenges and successes of maintaining a nimble yet established educational model, the significance of belonging and relationships amidst technological advancements, and future visions for expanding career and technology education. This episode is a deep dive into how learning ecosystems can provide students with personalized, relevant educational experiences, ensuring every learner's success.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction to the Podcast * (03:27) Monique's Most Engaging Learning Experience * (05:03) Professional Learning and Trauma-Informed Practices * (06:48) Overview of Washtenaw County * (08:41) Programs Offered by the Consortium * (20:43) Challenges and Sustainability * (27:12) Future Visions and AI in Education
Links * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog * LinkedIn * Washtenaw Virtual Alliance * Interview with Monique Uzelac * Teacher Powered Schools National Conference link
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Shawnee Caruthers has a vibrant conversation with Superintendent Dr. George Philhower to explore how joy, alongside connection, growth, and success, forms the core of their educational commitments. Learn about their innovative initiatives, like the Joy Integration Specialist role and Joy Jam conference, which transform learning experiences by fostering genuine curiosity and purpose. Join us to see how these efforts are not just enhancing academic engagement but also preparing students for real-world challenges with confidence and credentials. Whether you're an educator, parent, or community leader, this episode offers valuable insights into creating a thriving, joyful learning environment. Tune in now and be inspired by a district daring to ask, "What if joy came first?"
Outline * (00:00) Introduction to the Getting Smart Podcast * (01:19) Joy as a Learning Goal * (03:48) Creating Joyful Learning Experiences * (05:40) The Role of the Joy Integration Specialist * (10:41) Connecting with Students and Community Partners * (22:07) Rethinking Credits and Learning Outcomes * (28:32) Joy Jam: A Unique Professional Development Experience
Links * Watch the full episode * Read the full blog * Eastern Hancock Schools Website * LinkedIn * Joy Jam! 2025
In this episode of Catching Up, Nate McClennen and Mason Pashia explore the evolving landscape of education with a focus on AI leadership, applied humanities, and innovative learning spaces. They dive into key topics such as the role of AI in transforming educational practices, the shift towards applied humanities in higher education, and the potential of community spaces in schools to enhance learning experiences. With insights from recent developments and thoughtful discussions, this episode offers valuable perspectives for educators, administrators, and policymakers looking to navigate the future of education. Tune in to discover how these emerging trends are shaping new pathways for learners and educators alike.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction and Episode Overview * (02:40) Educational Innovations and Legislation * (04:41) Future of Learning: Digital Wallets and AI * (10:16) Applied Humanities in Higher Education * (18:20) AI in Schools: Leadership, Crowd, and Lab * (28:45) Reimagining Community Spaces in Schools * (33:31) AI in Job Screening and Hiring * (42:25) What's That Song?
Links * Watch the full video * Read the full blog here * Mason's LER Blog * Ministry of Imagination * Accreditation MSA * Teach For America Should Embrace Apprenticeship Model Amid AmeriCorps Cuts * LER digital wallet Michigan experiment * Educational Choice for Children Act * H.R 3250 * Applied Humanities * AI leadership - Ethan Mollick - One Useful Thing * Early Childhood and developers
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, host Victoria Andrews sits down with educational leaders BB Ntsakey and Kelly Niccolls to explore the transformative power of liberatory assessment. Discover how these innovative approaches move beyond traditional metrics to create personalized, student-centered learning experiences that emphasize growth and empowerment. By reimagining assessment as a tool for learning and liberation, educators can foster environments where students' unique strengths and potential are recognized and nurtured. Tune in to learn how you can implement these practices in your own educational context and the positive impact they can have on student engagement and achievement.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction to the Podcast * (03:08) Liberatory Assessment Framework * (07:45) Innovative Assessment Practices at Misa * (15:20) Student-Centered Learning and Continuous Improvement * (19:29) Practical Steps for Teachers * (27:20) Actionable Advice for Educators * (29:42) Conclusion and Final Thoughts
Links * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog here * Kelly Niccolls LinkedIn * Bb Ntskaey LinkedIn * Mysa Microschool
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, hosts Jordan Luster and Victoria Andrews delve into the critical aspects of sustainability within the microschool movement. They are joined by insightful leaders like Amar Kumar and Andrew Lee, who share their expertise on maintaining financial health, ensuring leadership succession, and prioritizing equity in education. Through candid discussions, the episode highlights how microschools, with their innovative and decentralized models, navigate challenges like budgeting, tuition setting, and creating inclusive environments. It’s a conversation not only about numbers but about sustaining passion and impact in education. Tune in to explore how these small-scale schools are making significant strides in shaping the future of learning.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction to the Getting Smart Podcast * (02:55) Insights from School Leaders * (09:42) Challenges and Future of Micro Schools * (15:38) Teacher Compensation and ESA's
Links * Read the full blog here * Andrew Lee | LinkedIn * Vita School of Innovation * Amar Kumar | LinkedIn * KaiPod Learning
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark engages in a thought-provoking discussion with Jamie Merisotis, CEO of the Lumina Foundation, about the evolving landscape of work and education in the age of artificial intelligence. As industries rapidly adopt AI technologies, Jamie shares insights on how human work is transforming and the crucial role of credentialing in ensuring economic prosperity. The conversation highlights the importance of redefining educational goals to include not only degrees but also valuable credentials that align with the demands of the modern workforce. Tune in to explore how AI is reshaping professions, why empathy and human skills remain essential, and how Lumina Foundation's ambitious goal aims to have 75% of the U.S. workforce equipped with meaningful credentials by 2040. This episode is a must-listen for educators, policymakers, and anyone interested in the future of work and education.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction and Key Questions * (02:29) AI's Rapid Adoption and Implications * (07:38) Future of Work and Job Displacement * (10:58) Entrepreneurship in the Age of AI * (13:19) Higher Education's Role in the AI Era * (18:22) Redesigning Higher Education * (23:14) Lumina Foundation's Future Goals * (26:38) Conclusion and Acknowledgements
Links: * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog here * Jamie Merisotis LinkedIn * Lumina Foundation * New Lumina Vision * Human Work in the Age of Smart Machines * Diverse Teams Smart Tools Blog * National Council for Workforce Education
In this enlightening episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark and Dr. Kaleb Rashad engage in a thought-provoking dialogue with Dr. Michael Fullan, an internationally acclaimed advocate for deeper learning. Together, they explore whether deeper learning is the key to addressing the challenges and opportunities presented by the new age of AI. Dr. Fullan introduces the concept of "systemness," emphasizing the need for systemic change over isolated educational initiatives. The conversation covers the transformative progress in Anaheim, driven by the integration of systemness and the five Cs of compassionate learning. Tune in to discover how AI can be a powerful accelerator for education when underpinned by a strong pedagogical and cultural foundation, and what it means to cultivate spirit work in learning environments. This episode is a must-listen for educators, administrators, and anyone interested in the future of education and AI's role in it.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction to Deep Learning and AI * (02:30) Systemness: The Key to Educational Transformation * (05:55) Challenges and Successes in Anaheim * (08:52) The Impact of PISA and System Change * (10:13) Bottom-Up Change: Building Capacity from the Ground Up * (14:45) The Five Elements of Systemness * (17:30) AI in Education: Opportunities and Cautions * (21:14) Spirit Work and Collaboration * (31:35) Nuance in Leadership
Links * Watch the video here * Read the full blog * Kaleb Rashad Linked In * Michael Fullan Press Kit * Michael's Books Mentioned In This Episode + Leading in a Culture of Change + The New Meaning of Educational Change 6th Edition + Nuance: Why Some Leaders Succeed and Others Fail + Coherence * eKadence * Education Reimaged * The Creation of Settings and the Future Societies * Getting Beyond Better offers a primer for social entrepreneurs * Humility is the New Smart * Michael Fullan Sees Global Momentum for Deep Learning
In this episode of "Catching Up!", Mason and Nate dive into a vibrant discussion on the evolving landscape of education, focusing on how vibe coding, curiosity, and judgment are poised to redefine learning priorities. They explore the shifting dynamics of computer science education in the age of AI and highlight the importance of fostering experience-based learning opportunities across diverse educational geographies. From the intriguing concept of "Italian brain rot" to the challenges of expanding CTE programs in rural areas, this episode covers an array of thought-provoking topics. The hosts also discuss the role of curation in both digital and physical spaces, emphasizing its growing significance in the modern world. Tune in to discover insights and strategies for preparing students for a future where curiosity and creativity drive learning and innovation.
Join Mason and Nate as they catch up on these exciting developments and share their vision for fostering collaborative and innovative learning environments.
Editor's note: In this episode, Mason wrongly refers to "the AI shark with sneakers" as Bombaleo Bambala... it is actually Tralalero Tralala. Appologies to Tralalero.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction to Vibe Coding and Curiosity * (01:53) Exploring AI and Vibe Coding * (07:13) AI's Impact on Research and Accuracy * (10:34) The Rise of Curation in Digital and Physical Spaces * (17:59) Deep Dive: Humans as Luxury Goods in the Age of AI * (29:34) Tracking Fitness and Reflection Practices * (33:13) AI and Learning Documentation * (41:22) Rural vs. Urban Education Experiences * (49:06) What’s That Song?
Links * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog here * Gobekli * Ripen * Solutions Journalism Network * David Bornstein on On Being * Human Flourishing Program * Art Museums and curation * Humans as "Luxury Goods" in the age of AI * What is the State of CS Education in 2024?
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, we delve into the transformative assessment practices of One Stone, a unique high school that prioritizes student agency and real-world skills. Host Victoria Andrews engages in an enlightening conversation with Celeste Bolin, Executive Director of One Stone, and students Sophie Gunther and Raya Naymik. They discuss the school's innovative approach to assessments, which emphasizes resilience, leadership, and the ability to "fail forward." By integrating students' diverse interests and lived experiences into the learning process, One Stone fosters a supportive environment where effort and growth are valued over traditional grading metrics. This episode offers valuable insights for educators, school leaders, and anyone interested in creating more human-centered, dynamic educational experiences.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction to the Getting Smart Podcast * (01:33) Sophie’s Athletic Journey and Learning * (03:38) Leadership and Learning at One Stone * (08:06) Raya’s Diverse Interests and Learning * (12:34) Contrasting Traditional and One Stone Assessments * (14:44) Celeste on One Stone’s Assessment Journey * (18:50) Student Agency in Assessment * (25:28) Addressing Student Anxiety in Assessments * (31:07) Conclusion and Final Thoughts
Links * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog * LinkedIn * One Stone * Growth Framework * One Stone Blog * PBS Brief but Spectacular
Join Shawnee Caruthers and Carlos Moreno in an enlightening conversation on the Getting Smart Podcast as they delve into the transformative power of leading with love, care, and vulnerability in education. This episode, recorded live at South by Southwest, explores the theme of Humanizing Pathways Leadership. Carlos Moreno, co-director of Big Picture Learning, shares his insights and experiences in empowering students and communities. With heartfelt stories and thought-provoking discussions on emotional intelligence and leadership, this episode is a must-listen for educators, leaders, and anyone passionate about creating impactful educational pathways. Discover how embracing emotional intelligence and community-focused leadership can redefine success in education. Tune in to learn more about how we can all contribute to a more inclusive and supportive learning environment. Read the full blog here:
Outline * (00:00) Introduction to Storytelling and Change * (02:11) Humanizing Pathways Leadership * (04:50) Audience Interaction and Icebreakers * (08:24) Emotional Intelligence in Education * (12:17) Leadership Lessons and Personal Stories * (29:58) Building Trust and Respect in Education * (30:59) Navigating Emotions and Vulnerability * (34:42) The Role of Mentorship in Education * (41:24) Living by Your Values as a Leader * (47:24) The Importance of Relationships in Schools * (50:07) Counseling and Mentoring Educators * (56:48) Closing Thoughts and Future Actions
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, host Rebecca Midles delves into the essential competencies of modern-day leadership with Laura Hilger, Senior Director of Teaching and Learning at KnowledgeWorks. Joined by Carmen Coleman and Estrada, the conversation explores the development and impact of the Lead for Learners Network and the Portrait of a Leader. These initiatives aim to guide educational leaders towards sustainable change through personalized, competency-based learning. Discover how collaborative processes and strategic leadership development can drive transformation in educational systems, ensuring leaders are equipped to foster equitable, learner-centered environments. Tune in to learn about upcoming opportunities and insights into building robust leadership pipelines.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction to the Getting Smart Podcast * (02:36) Overview of the Lead for Learners Network * (04:46) Development of the Portrait of a Leader * (07:49) Collaborative Process Behind the Portrait * (10:58) Impact and Implementation in Local Contexts * (14:23) Sustainable Change and Leadership Development * (20:37) Reflective Practice and Professional Learning * (22:07) Upcoming Events and Opportunities
Links * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog here * Laura Hilger LinkedIn * KnowledgeWorks * Laura Hilger X * KnowledgeWorks Youtube * Lead for Learners * Portrait of a Leader Aurora Institute
In this episode of "Catching Up!", hosts Mason and Nate dive into a lively discussion on the future of education, exploring how learning spaces, AI readiness, and global innovations are reshaping the landscape. From the creative redevelopment of community hubs in former malls to the pressing need for media literacy amidst a wave of information overload, this conversation covers a range of critical topics. They touch on the potential impacts of a new executive order on AI in education and the challenges facing early education systems. With insights from recent trips and conferences, including a poetic cultural journey through Ireland, this episode is packed with thoughtful reflections and forward-thinking ideas on how to best prepare students for an AI-driven world.
Join Mason and Nate as they catch up on these exciting developments and share their vision for fostering collaborative and innovative learning environments.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction and Catching Up * (01:18) Discussion on Music and Education * (03:43) Mall Redevelopment and Community Hubs * (06:43) Super Bloom and Media Theorist * (10:06) Media Literacy and Info Obesity * (12:47) America's Promise Alliance Research * (14:48) Executive Order on AI and Education * (19:57) Enrollment Issues in Public Schools * (25:15) Exploring Expanded Learning Ecosystems * (28:12) The Future of National Assessments * (32:12) Challenges in Early Education * (39:06) Cultural Insights from Ireland * (46:15) What’s That Song?
Links
- Watch the full video here
- Read the full blog here
- Mall redevelopment - OKC
- America’s Abandoned Malls
- Drop The Slop
- AI Executive Order
- America’s Promise
- How can we reimagine where learning happens?
- Montana Assements
- The Limitations of Through-Year Assessments
- States try to tackle child care shortages — by lowering standards
- Is universal early childhood education and care an equalizer? A systematic review and meta-analysis of evidence
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark is joined by Kathleen deLaski, author of "Who Needs College Anymore?" to explore the ever-evolving landscape of higher education. DeLaski challenges traditional views on college education, delving into how the rise of alternative pathways like apprenticeships and dual enrollment are reshaping post-secondary education. They discuss the implications of the Great Recession, the impact of AI, and the role of experience as the new "silver bullet" in career advancement. Tune in to discover why the four-year degree might not be the only or best option for today's learners and how these changes are influencing the future of work and education.
Outline
- (00:00) Introduction: Who Needs College Anymore?
- (02:34) The Changing Perception of Higher Education
- (04:27) The Great Recession's Impact on College Value
- (07:21) Is College for All Dead?
- (09:25) Who Needs College? Exploring Different Personas
- (14:17) The Rise and Fall of Bootcamps and MOOCs
- (20:45) The Future of Apprenticeships
- (24:03) The Step Ladder Approach to Higher Education
- (28:43) AI and the Future of Higher Education
Links * Read the full blog here * Watch the full video here * Who Needs College Anymore? * LinkedIn * Substack * Education Design Lab * deLaski Family Foundation * Blog on the Northeastern Co-op Model * Riipen * Ryan Craig on Apprenticeships * Reach University
On the latest episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Mason Pashia engages with Will Richardson, co-founder of The Big Questions Institute, to explore the evolving role of education in the face of global complexity and potential collapse. Richardson shares insights from his new manifesto, emphasizing the importance of repairing human and ecological relationships as a core educational mission. Together, they delve into the necessity of preparing students emotionally, physically, and spiritually to navigate an increasingly chaotic world. By focusing on adaptive change, curiosity, and the beauty of interconnectedness, this conversation challenges traditional schooling narratives and invites educators to rethink the skills and dispositions needed for the future. Tune in to discover how schools can become beacons of hope and resilience in uncertain times.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction and Host's Perspective * (02:29) Introducing Will Richardson * (05:27) Understanding Complexity in Education * (07:21) Confronting Collapse: A New Manifesto * (12:14) The IDGs and Skills for Growth * (18:35) The Importance of Shared Language and Nature * (25:07) The Role of Schools in Navigating Complexity * (34:14) Conclusion and Final Thoughts
Links * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog * LinkedIn * Will Richardson Manifesto * Will Richardson Substack * Margaret Wheatley * Roman Krznaric, The Good Ancestor * Indy Johar * Inner Development Goals * The Consilience Project * 12 Big Questions eBook * Hospicing Modernity by Vanessa Machado de Oliviera
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark engages in a thought-provoking conversation with Sara Schapiro, the director of the Alliance for Learning Innovation. Together, they explore the critical need for enhanced research and development (R&D) within the education sector—an area historically underfunded compared to other industries like healthcare. The discussion delves into the unique challenges and opportunities of education R&D, highlighting the importance of both federal and state-level support in developing interoperable data systems that drive innovation. Sara emphasizes the essential role of venture capital and design research in shaping the future of EdTech, while also stressing the importance of evidence-based practices in schools. This episode serves as a call to action for educators, policymakers, and parents to collaboratively advocate for stronger R&D infrastructure, ensuring that every student benefits from cutting-edge educational strategies. Don't miss this deep dive into the future of education innovation and the pathways to achieving it.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction: The Need for More R&D in Education * (01:21) Introducing Sarah Schapiro and the Alliance for Learning Innovation * (02:56) Challenges in Education R&D Funding * (08:10) State-Level Data Systems and Federal Support * (10:23) Higher Education and Research Incentives * (13:12) Venture Capital in EdTech * (16:30) The Role of Federal Government in Education R&D * (22:50) Conclusion: Collaboration and Next Steps
Links * Watch the full video here * Read the blog here * Sara Schapiro LinkedIn * Sara Schapiro Forbes * Digital Promise * Alliance for Learning Innovation (ALI) * ALI Policy Recommendations for 2025 * The Need Act * Erin Mote * Project Unicorn (Interoperability) * ALI Funding Analysis * SOLD Alliance * Reach Capital * Rethink Impact
In this episode of "Catching Up!", join Mason Pashia and Nate McClennen as they explore the intersection of learning spaces, AI readiness, and global education innovations. Discover how AI-assisted teams outperform conventional groups and what New Zealand's competency-based education system can teach us about learner records. Delve into the role of technology adoption inspired by the Amish and how this shapes community values. Whether you're an educator, policymaker, or lifelong learner, this episode offers insights into the evolving landscape of education and the future of learning ecosystems.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction and Overview * (03:30) Travel Insights and Education Systems * (07:17) Parent-School Communication and Student Proficiency * (09:52) Fan Mail and Demand for Innovative Education * (21:33) The Pendulum of Knowledge and Competency * (23:50) New Zealand's Competency-Based Education System * (27:09) Global Lifelong Learning Initiatives * (33:59) AI in the Workplace: A Study on Efficiency and Emotions * (37:10) Human Connection in the Age of AI
Links * Watch the full video here * Read teh full blog here * B-Flation: How “Good” Grades Can Sideline Parents * Learning Lab Wichita * In the City by the Sea, a Civic Upswing is Underway * Transforming Public Education: A Blueprint for Learner-Centered Change * ExcelinEd’s Pathways ROI Analysis * CoSN Leading the Way in AI for K-12 * Empowering Learners for School, Work, and Life: Insights from the Research Practice Collaborative (Phase I) * Aotearoa New Zealand’s rationale for micro-credentials * Reinventing the Traditional HS Diploma: New Zealand * New Zealand Record of Achievement * The Cybernetic Teammate * Relationally Responsible Tech: Designing a Digital Future That Puts People First
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Jordan Luster explores the transformative potential of relational intelligence in education with Isabelle Hau, Executive Director of the Stanford Accelerator for Learning and author of “Love to Learn.” Together, they explore the concept of relational intelligence (RQ) and its importance in shaping relationship-centered learning environments. Isabelle shares insights on how fostering strong emotional connections can enhance learning experiences, emphasizing that love and relationships are foundational to education. The conversation further examines how microschools and community-centered models can be effective solutions to the relational crisis in education, offering personalized and meaningful learning experiences. Isabelle also highlights the role of technology, advocating for “relationally responsible tech” that supports human connections. This episode is a must-listen for educators and leaders seeking to integrate deeper emotional and social learning elements into their educational practices.
Links * Watch the full video here * LinkedIn * Love to Learn * Isabelle Hau Site * Wildflower Montessori
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark chats with Don Wettrick, CEO of the StartEdUp Foundation, to explore the future of entrepreneurship education. Don Wettrick talks about how the foundation is transforming high school students into proactive problem-solvers and innovators through initiatives like the Innovate Within pitch competition. This program empowers young minds by encouraging them to tackle real-world problems, leveraging tools like AI to enhance opportunity recognition, design thinking, and impactful execution. Wettrick gets into the importance of embedding entrepreneurship as a universal skill set that can be applied across various careers, enabling students to develop an entrepreneurial mindset that extends beyond just starting businesses.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction to Entrepreneurship in the Age of AI * (03:15) Entrepreneurship as a Universal Skill * (06:30) Challenges in Teaching Entrepreneurship * (07:57) Teacher Accelerator and Fellowship Program * (12:54) Success Stories and Impact * (18:57) The Role of AI in Modern Entrepreneurship * (21:55) Vision for Innovation Hubs in Schools * (24:10) Advice for Young Entrepreneurs and Educators * (25:57) Encouraging Problem-Solving at Home * (28:04) Closing Thoughts and Final Tips
Links * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog * Pure Genius: Building a Culture of Innovation and Taking 20% Time to the Next Level * Don Wettrick's LinkedIn * StartEdUp Foundation * Don Wettrick's Blog * Don Wettrick's X
In this episode of “Catching Up,” Mason Pashia and Nate McClennen dive into the endless potential of AI across various sectors, with a focus on education and music. They explore the implications of AI-generated music, the concept of unbundling education to expand learning ecosystems, and the emerging importance of digital credentials and learner records. The discussion also highlights a new framework for school redesign, emphasizing real-world experiences and adaptability in a changing labor market. They further delve into the concept of abundance, inspired by recent literature, and its application to educational innovation. The episode concludes with a reflection on the enduring value of human connections and creativity in an increasingly digital world. Tune in to explore how these themes are reshaping the landscape of learning and work.
- Watch the full video here
- Suno
- Choosing Abundance Despite an Instinct for Scarcity: New Experiences and New Models
- More Options, More Opportunities: How AI Can Support High-Quality Learning for All
- Digital Credentials Summit Recap
- Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson
- Michael Horn and Ron Matus
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Mason Pashia and his guests talk about how YouScience is transforming career navigation for students and educators. Joined by an achieved panel of guests, including Peter Van Mondfrans from YouScience, Kaitlyn Tyler from the Greater Springfield Partnership, Christina Walters of Knight Dispatch, and Jamison Truebenbach from the Global Impact STEM Academy, the discussion explores the dynamic intersection of education, workforce development, and technology. They go in-depth on YouScience's unique approach to identifying student aptitudes and matching them with career opportunities, the critical role of local partnerships in retaining talent, and the transformative impact of real-world learning experiences.
Tune in to learn how this collaborative effort is equipping students with the tools, confidence, and language to thrive in the evolving job market, while fostering a stronger connection between education and industry.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction to the Getting Smart Podcast * (01:18) Meet the Guests * (05:04) Pete's Sales Journey and Career Insights * (07:38) Understanding Aptitudes with YouScience * (09:45) YouScience's Impact on Employers and Students * (14:56) Greater Springfield Partnership's Role * (17:53) Real-World Learning and Internships * (40:42) Conclusion and Final Thoughts
Links * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog here * Peter Van Mondfran | Linked In * Kaitlyn Tyler | Linked In * Christina Walters | Linked In * Jamison Truebenbach | Linked In * YouScience * Greater Springfield Partnership * Night Dispatch * Global Impact STEM Academy * Book: Preparing Tomorrow’s Workforce
In the latest episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, host Victoria Andrews engages in an enlightening conversation with Tiffany Green, the visionary founder of Uprooted Academy. This innovative platform is designed to transform the college application journey for young students by incorporating holistic elements such as financial literacy, wellness, and community engagement. Tiffany shares her personal experiences and insights, revealing how Uprooted Academy is not just about getting students to college but ensuring they thrive through comprehensive support that tackles often-overlooked areas like mental health and family involvement. By employing technology and AI, Uprooted Academy personalizes the college preparation process, making it more accessible and equitable for underrepresented communities.
Tiffany discusses the systemic challenges faced by students in navigating the complex college application landscape and how Uprooted Academy addresses these issues through a community-centric approach. The platform's unique features, like the AI assistant Rudy, provide students with tailored guidance, helping them manage stress and build a support network. With a mission to redefine educational equity, Uprooted Academy equips students, families, and educators with the tools and knowledge needed for long-term success. This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in leveraging technology and community resources to close educational gaps and empower the next generation of learners.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction to the Getting Smart Podcast * (01:28) Tiffany's Personal Journey and Inspiration * (05:44) Holistic Approach to Student Support * (07:11) The Role of Technology in Uprooted Academy * (10:27) Building a Supportive Community * (18:13) Challenges and Overcoming Obstacles * (26:02) The Importance of Wellness and Co-Regulation * (29:34) Empowering Students and Communities * (32:08) Conclusion and Final Thoughts
Links: * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog here * Uprooted Academy * The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma * David Brooks - December Cover Story: David Brooks on How the Ivy League Broke America
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, host Rebecca Midles sits down with Aylon Samouha, the CEO of Transcend and a visionary in education reform. They delve into the concept of The Third Way, an approach that blends community insights with proven educational practices to create lasting change in schools. Aylon shares his insights from years of experience in the field, discussing the limitations of traditional top-down reforms and the challenges faced by grassroots efforts. Together, they explore the importance of truly listening to students and communities to design learning environments that meet today's needs. The conversation is a thoughtful journey through the complexities and possibilities of transforming education, emphasizing the power of student-centered learning and community-based design.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction to the Podcast * (02:19) The Need for a New Educational Design * (06:04) Historical Resistance to Change in Education * (10:01) Impact of the Pandemic on Education * (11:41) The Importance of Student Experience * (14:31) Listening to Students: Challenges and Benefits * (18:16) Surprises in Community-Based Design * (21:47) Hopes for the Future of Education * (24:20) Parallels Between Jazz and Education Design
Links * Watch the full video * Read the full blog * LinkedIn * Transcend Education * The Aspen Global Leadership Network Fellow * Watch Aylon as a jazz guitarist * X profile
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, host Nate McClennen explores the topic of teen engagement with guests Jenny Anderson and Rebecca Winthrop, authors of "The Disengaged Teen." They delve into the four modes of learning—passenger, achiever, resistor, and explorer—offering insights on how students move between these modes. The conversation emphasizes the importance of agency and engagement in education, providing practical strategies for parents and educators to help students thrive. By focusing on nurturing student curiosity and agency, the discussion highlights how both parents and teachers can make a difference in fostering a love for learning. This episode offers valuable perspectives on how to address disengagement and create more engaging learning environments for teens.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction to the Podcast * (01:17) Curiosity About Engagement * (03:03) Engaging Learning Experiences * (07:18) The Disengagement Crisis * (10:46) Technology and Disengagement * (12:16) Four Modes of Learners * (15:20) Agency and Engagement Matrix * (21:29) Practical Applications for Schools * (25:45) Advice for Parents and Educators * (38:28) Conclusion and Key Takeaways
Links * Watch the full video * Read the full blog here * The Disengaged Teen * Jenny Anderson LinkedIn * Rebecca Winthrop LinkedIn * New York Times Article
Welcome to the Getting Smart Podcast, in today's episode, we dive into the innovative initiatives of District 214, a leader in creating personalized, real-world learning experiences for students. Supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, District 214 is part of the Illinois Accelerate Ed cohort, focusing on bridging K-12 education with postsecondary opportunities and careers. Join us as we speak with Dr. Lazaro Lopez, Associate Superintendent, and inspiring students Ayana and Georgie, who share their unique paths in healthcare and engineering. Discover how these learners are navigating their futures with confidence and purpose in an ever-evolving world.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction to the Getting Smart Podcast * (02:11) Georgie's Journey in Engineering * (05:05) Ayanna's Path to Medicine * (09:36) The Role of Educators and Industry Connections * (16:09) Success Metrics and Future Directions
Links: * Watch the full video * Read the full blog here * Illinois Accelerate ED * Dr. Lazaro Lopez * LinkedIn * D214 Pathways Handbook
In this episode, Mason Pashia is joined by Michael Horn to discuss his new book, "Job Moves: Nine Steps for Making Progress in Your Career." They explore the jobs-to-be-done theory and how it applies to career choices, highlighting the iterative process of career pathways. Michael shares insights on hiring your job, storytelling in career development, and the role of experiences in credentialing.
Outline
- (00:00) Introduction to the Getting Smart Podcast
- (02:09) Michael Horn's Career Journey
- (04:08) Understanding Career Prototypes
- (07:13) The Role of Storytelling in Careers
- (20:02) Advice for High School Students and Educators
- (22:34) Future of Job Market and AI
Links * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog here * LinkedIn * Michael Horn Website * Job Moves * Choosing College: How to Make Better Learning Decisions Throughout Your Life * Next Chapter * Michael Horn on Choosing College
Mark your calendars for SXSW EDU March 3-6, 2025 in Austin, Texas, and register now at sxswedu.com. Let’s work together to shape the future of education—one idea at a time.
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark interviews Abby Falik, founder of The Flight School, a transformative educational initiative aimed at high school graduates. The Flight School offers an innovative "launch year," encouraging young adults to step beyond traditional educational paths, explore personal passions, and engage in aligned work that addresses world needs. The program emphasizes experiential learning, global immersion, and self-discovery, distinguishing itself from the typical gap year by fostering skills such as resilience, empathy, and agency.
During the conversation, Falik articulates the importance of redefining success and education in a rapidly evolving world, aiming to prepare a generation of leaders equipped to navigate and contribute to a future shaped by global challenges and opportunities. The Flight School’s model, designed for scalability, seeks to involve a million students by 2035, making the experience accessible to diverse youth worldwide. Falik invites listeners to support and participate in expanding this vision, highlighting the broader societal shift towards valuing personal and communal impact over conventional academic achievements.
Outline * (04:16) The Concept of a Launch Year * (06:55) Components of the Flight School Program * (14:25) Skills and Community Building * (23:44) Scaling the Flight School Vision
Links * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog here * Abby Falik * The Flight School * Previous Podcast with Abby
In today's rapidly evolving educational landscape, Arizona is pioneering a transformative approach through unbundled learning. This model breaks down traditional educational silos, integrating K-12, higher education, and workforce readiness to equip students with the skills necessary for the 21st century. By leveraging partnerships with local businesses and educational institutions, initiatives like those led by ASU Prep and the Greater Phoenix Chamber are providing students with real-world learning experiences that extend beyond the classroom. These efforts not only enhance students' academic understanding but also prepare them for future career opportunities, ensuring they are both college and career ready. As Arizona continues to innovate, it serves as a model for other states aiming to reform educational pathways to meet the diverse needs of all learners.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction to Unbundled Learning Series * (00:56) Levels of Education Unbundling * (03:28) Guest Introductions and Personal Experiences * (10:10) Challenges and Solutions in Arizona's Education System * (21:39) Policy Barriers and Innovations * (33:00) Future Directions and Closing Remarks
Links
- Watch the full video here
- Read the full blog here
- Jennifer Mellor LinkedIn
- Greater Phoenix Chamber
- Chad Gestson LinkedIn
- Arizona Institute for Education and the Economy
- Whitney Marsh LinkedIn
- ASU Prep
- ASU Prep Digital Plus
- Khan World School
- Family Choice Friday
In Colorado, the unbundled learning movement is reshaping how education is delivered, bridging the gap between traditional schooling and real-world experiences. This initiative is driven by the need to provide students with relevant, career-connected learning opportunities that prepare them for future success. By integrating work-based learning, internships, and community projects, Colorado is fostering a learning ecosystem where students can earn credentials and develop skills directly applicable to the workforce. Organizations like Reschool Colorado, Jeffco Open School, and Colorado Succeeds are at the forefront, partnering with local businesses and communities to expand access to education beyond the classroom walls. This approach not only enhances student engagement but also builds a robust talent pipeline for the state's economy. However, overcoming legacy systems and ensuring equitable access remain significant challenges. Colorado's efforts exemplify how states can innovate to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving educational landscape.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction to Unbundled Learning * (00:49) Challenges and Opportunities in Unbundled Learning * (02:33) Spotlight on Colorado's Initiatives * (03:49) Personal Stories of Impactful Learning * (07:31) Organizational Efforts and Programs * (20:09) Future Directions and Final Thoughts
Links * Watch the full video * Read the full blog * Unbundled Research Doc * Getting Smart Unbundled Publication * JeffCo Open School Blog * Jeffco Open School * Melyssa Dominguez LinkedIn * Amy Anderson LinkedIn * Reschool Colorado * Colorado Succeeds * Shannon Nicholas LinkedIn * MySpark * Embark * Resources from ReSchool Colorado * Design Lab - resource to support people who want to co-design and co-create with communities that also includes sound clips sharing how RESCHOOL has used these resources and what it resulted in overtime * REVOLVE - interactive game designed to build empathy for young adults navigating learning and life and to access and map resources, skills and experiences gained across a variety of settings within a competency-based learning framework. * DISCOVER Learning - search-based tool to find out-of-school learning providers aligned with a family's/child's interests, age, needs * Family Choice Journal - family-facing resource to guide parents in making decisions with their children about schools and out-of-school experiences * Resources from Colorado Succeeds * Homegrown Talent Initiative case study * Path4Ward case study
The podcast episode "New Hampshire Unbundled" explores how New Hampshire has become a leader in unbundled and competency-based learning, offering students personalized educational pathways that extend beyond traditional school environments. By embracing initiatives like the Virtual Learning Academy Charter School (VLACS) and Learn Everywhere, the state provides learners with opportunities to earn credits through real-world experiences, ranging from internships to independent projects, thus fostering a learning ecosystem that is adaptable to individual student needs and aspirations. The discussion highlights the importance of flexible learning models that prioritize student engagement and mastery over seat time, and it emphasizes the critical role of policy and technology in expanding access to diverse educational opportunities. Through these innovative approaches, New Hampshire is paving the way for a future-ready education system that prepares students for success in an ever-evolving world.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction to Unbundled Learning * (03:17) Personal Stories of Impactful Learning * (06:39) Innovative Education Policies in New Hampshire * (21:02) Opportunities for Growth and Education Reform * (23:12) Challenges and Barriers to Educational Innovation * (30:21) Future Directions and Student-Centered Approaches
Links * Watch the full video * Read the full blog here * Partnership to Advance Youth Apprenticeship * Learn Everywhere * New Hampshire Learning Initiative * Portrait of a NH Learner * Virtual Learning Academy Charter School
In this engaging episode of the Getting Smart podcast, hosts Jordan Luster and Victoria Andrews dive into the world of micro schools with Coi Morefield, the innovative founder of the Lab School of Memphis. Morefield introduces Microschool Masters, a groundbreaking platform designed to address the unique challenges of microschool education by transforming teaching teams into exceptional educators and leaders. With a focus on adult learning, Morefield emphasizes the importance of mindset shifts and sustainable practices to retain educators and decrease costly turnover. The conversation highlights how microschools, with their small, personalized settings, require a distinct approach to teacher training and professional development compared to traditional models. Morefield shares how her platform is akin to MasterClass, offering high-quality, digestible courses that not only cover essential educational strategies but also critical areas like compliance and governance. This episode is a must-listen for those interested in the future of education and the transformative potential of microschools.
Outline * (00:00) Revolutionizing Education at SXSW EDU 2025 * (01:06) Introduction to the Getting Smart Podcast * (02:31) The Vision for Adult Learning in Micro Schools * (03:50) Challenges and Solutions in Micro School Education * (08:32) Building Community and Ensuring Compliance
Links * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog here * Coi Morefield LinkedIn * Coi Morefield Instagram * The Lab School of Memphis * The Rise of Millennial-Powered Microschools * Microschool Masters
The recent "What’s Next in Learning 2025" Town Hall highlighted pivotal trends poised to redefine education, emphasizing the growing impact of artificial intelligence (AI), governance shifts, and literacy. AI is revolutionizing classrooms by offering personalized learning experiences but also posing challenges such as plagiarism and ethical use. The discussion underscored the need for thoughtful governance and equitable access to these technologies. Additionally, the shift from federal to localized governance offers opportunities to innovate educational goals, like Portraits of Graduates, and address declining public school enrollments with alternative models like micro-schools. Literacy, encompassing reading, media, and civic literacy, remains crucial in preparing students for an information-rich world, fostering critical thinking, and active citizenship. These trends align with Getting Smart's mission to provide challenging, purposeful, and joyful learning experiences, encouraging educators to embrace innovations in teaching and learning.
In this episode, Shawnee Caruthers explores the innovative approach of the Blue Sky Institute to redefining healthcare education through its partnership with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee and East Tennessee State University. This initiative addresses workforce shortages by offering accelerated pathways that integrate technology with hands-on experience, preparing students for leadership roles in the healthcare industry. Brad Leon, the Blue Sky Institute's executive director, shares how this model ensures students graduate debt-free and fully equipped to meet the demands of the modern workforce.
The conversation highlights the importance of experiential learning, with programs like the Game Design Challenge inspiring students to pursue careers in technology. Through the Accelerate Ed initiative, Blue Sky transforms educational practices and impacts communities by providing long-term benefits through early access to higher education and work-connected learning. This partnership exemplifies how bridging education with industry needs can empower students and create a sustainable talent pipeline for the future.
Outline * (00:00) Welcome to SXSW EDU 2025 * (01:10) Introduction to the Blue Sky Institute * (03:07) Challenges and Solutions in Healthcare Education * (05:46) The Blue Sky Institute's Unique Approach * (10:48) Student and Community Engagement * (15:18) Future Prospects and Advice
Links * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog here * Brad Leon LinkedIn * Blue Sky AccelerateED * Article on BlueSky Institute * Bluesky / ETSU
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, we explore LEGOs exciting new venture into science education with their latest K-8 curriculum. Tom Vander Ark chats with Bo Stjerne Thomsen, head of LEGO Education, about how this innovative, inquiry-based learning approach is set to transform classrooms by integrating hands-on science experiences aligned with NGSS standards. Designed to reignite students' curiosity and creativity, these engaging kits are perfect for fostering critical thinking and collaboration. Join us as we delve into how LEGO's playful learning strategies can make science fun and accessible, ensuring that every child can experience the joy of discovery and learning. Listen in to find out how these resources are reshaping the educational landscape for both traditional and micro-schools.
Outline * (00:47) LEGO's New Science Curriculum Announcement * (01:31) Insights from Bo Stern Thompson on LEGO Education * (05:05) Details of the New Curriculum and Its Implementation * (21:22) Future Prospects and Conclusion
Links * Read the full blog here * Watch the full video here * LinkedIn * Bo Stjerne Thomsen * EdWeek Feature * LEGO Education Science * LEGO Education Science Press Release
In today's episode, we're diving into the transformative world of career-connected learning with two pioneers leading the charge. Joining us are Dannyelle Austin, the executive director at Launchpad, and Lisa Richardson, the project lead of Catalyze. Catalyze is dedicated to reshaping how students interact with potential career pathways by fostering a community of practice that connects educational innovation with real-world career opportunities. Since its inception, it has awarded over $14 million to numerous organizations, impacting over 65,000 students nationwide. This initiative empowers students by enhancing their agency and readiness for future careers, particularly in tech, through innovative programs like Launchpad.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction and Guest Welcome * (00:18) Understanding Catalyze: Mission and Impact * (03:26) Spotlight on Launchpad: Mission and Approach * (11:34) Student Experiences and Success Stories * (19:22) Future Directions and Advice for Educators * (27:15) Student Perspectives: Voices from the Program
Links * SXSW Edu * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog * Dannyelle Austin * LaunchPad * Catalyze Challenge * Gallup/Walton Family Foundation report
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark sits down with Dennis "Doc" Littky, an educational innovator whose work with Big Picture Learning and College Unbound is reshaping the landscape of personalized and experiential education. From the inception of Big Picture Learning, which challenges conventional schooling with its "leaving to learn" model, to the founding of College Unbound, a transformative institution serving adult learners, Littky shares his journey and insights. He discusses the importance of making education relevant and personalized, with each student following their unique path. Tune in to discover how Littky's visionary approach is influencing schools worldwide and paving new pathways for students of all ages.
Outline * (00:00) The Beginnings of Big Picture Learning * (00:59) A Conversation with Dennis Littky * (04:58) Innovative Education Models * (17:08) Expanding the Vision: College Unbound * (27:01) Reflections and Future Plans
Links * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog here * Dennis Littky Bio * The MET High School * Big Picture Learning
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark delves into the innovative educational approaches of Tacoma Public Schools, highlighting their commitment to integrating college and career readiness into a unified pathway. Partnering with Tacoma, Tom speaks with Adam Kulaas, Director of Innovative Learning, who shares insights on how the district is empowering students for life readiness. The focus is on engaging learners in meaningful work today while preparing them for future opportunities through practical, real-world applications. This approach is not just about bridging the gap between education and industry but fostering a mindset that values both the "now" and "next" stages of a student's journey.
The conversation also explores Tacoma's strategic partnerships and the diverse pathways available to students, such as the Jobs 253 program and dual-credit opportunities. These partnerships, including collaborations with local industries and educational institutions, are key to providing students with hands-on experiences and credentials that are relevant to the current job market. Tacoma's approach embodies an asset-based model of education, where existing resources are leveraged to create robust, personalized learning experiences. This episode serves as an inspiring example of how intentional pathways can transform education, ensuring all students have access to high-wage employment and lifelong learning opportunities.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction to New Pathways * (00:29) Tacoma Public Schools' Innovative Learning * (02:07) Life Readiness and Career Tech Education * (08:51) Comprehensive High Schools and Pathways * (17:46) Future Projects and Community Partnerships
Links: * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog here * Adam Kulaas Linkedin * Tacoma Public Schools
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark delves into the intricacies of workforce development and public leadership with Jennifer Purcell, the director of Future Ready Oregon. This state-level initiative represents a groundbreaking approach to aligning education and workforce systems, with a strong emphasis on equity and access. Jennifer shares insights into how Future Ready Oregon has successfully secured over $200 million in funding to support diverse learners and workers, creating pathways that connect education and high-demand career opportunities. The conversation highlights innovative programs like Workforce Navigators, which address broader needs such as transportation and childcare, ensuring equitable access to education and training.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction to Key Topics * (00:58) Deep Dive into Workforce Development * (02:12) Exploring Future Ready Oregon * (10:59) Innovative Programs and Grants * (28:22) Public Leadership and Personal Journey
Links * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog here * Jennifer Purcell LinkedIn * Future Ready Oregon * Health Pathways Publication
In this episode of the Getting Smart podcast, Tom Vander Ark is in conversation with Laura Slover and Mike Flanagan, focusing on the transformative initiatives in education being spearheaded by ETS and the Mastery Transcript Consortium (MTC). The discussion gets into the Skills for the Future initiative, emphasizing the shift from traditional education models towards competency-based education that aligns with the demands of a rapidly evolving workforce. This initiative, a collaboration between ETS and the Carnegie Foundation, seeks to broaden educational goals beyond conventional academics to include essential skills like communication, critical thinking, and civic engagement. By embedding innovative assessment tools in several states, the program aims to capture authentic evidence of student learning both in and out of the classroom, thus preparing students more effectively for future challenges.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction and Guest Welcome * (01:26) The Role of Achieve and the Standards Movement * (06:11) Mastery Transcript Consortium: Origins and Goals * (09:33) Skills for the Future Initiative * (22:05) Future of Education: Assessments and Signals
Links * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog here * Laura Slover LinkedIn * Mike Flanagan LinkedIn * Skills Transcripts at Scale: Why The ETS & MTC Partnership is a Big Deal * Skills for the Future announcement * States Announcement * Skills for the Future Press Release * A New Visio for Skills-Based Assessment Paper
In the podcast episode featuring Laurie Gagnon, the focus is on the transformative potential of Competency-Based Education (CBE) in reshaping K-12 learning environments. Laurie discusses how CBE moves away from traditional seat-time-based models, emphasizing mastery of skills and knowledge at an individualized pace. This approach not only personalizes learning but also aligns with the Aurora Institute's vision of equitable education. By centering on explicit, measurable learning objectives, CBE empowers students to take charge of their educational journeys, promoting a deeper, more engaged form of learning. Laurie highlights examples of districts successfully implementing CBE, showcasing practical applications and the systemic changes required to support this educational model.
Outline
- (00:00) Introduction and Guest Welcome
- (00:31) Understanding Competency-Based Education
- (04:16) Visualizing Competency-Based Education
- (07:54) Real-World Examples of CBE in Action
- (20:07) Addressing Equity and Future Directions
Links: * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog here * Laurie Gagnon * Laurie Gagnon LinkedIn * Laurie Gagnon and Cory Henwood * Illustrating the Competency-Based Education Definition * CompetencyWorks
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Victoria Andrews takes us into the transformative world of eSports alongside Danny Martin, co-founder and CEO of eSposure. With eSports growing into a $250 billion industry, it's more than just competitive gaming; it's a thriving ecosystem that fosters community, teaches valuable workforce skills, and opens pathways to entrepreneurship. Victoria shares how eSports has redefined the way students engage with education, offering opportunities for personal and professional growth. Danny talks about how programs like eSposure are bridging gaps, particularly for economically disadvantaged communities, by integrating technology and innovation into learning experiences.
Outline
(00:00) Introduction to Project Lead the Way
(00:40) Discovering the World of eSports
(03:29) The Community and Industry of eSports
(09:03) Entrepreneurship and Education in eSports
(17:55) Future of eSports and AI Integration
Links
- Watch the full video here
- Read the full blog here
- Danny Martin
- esposure
- Britney Seals
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Nate McClennen and Tim Dasey delve into the multifaceted impact of AI on education, exploring both the challenges and opportunities it presents. As AI becomes a larger part of various educational contexts, it prompts a reevaluation of traditional teaching methods and calls for the creation of new strategies to ensure students are prepared for an AI-driven world. Tim Dasey, drawing on his extensive experience in AI and education, emphasizes the need to shift from rote memorization to experiential learning approaches that foster critical thinking, adaptability, and problem-solving skills. This transformation is crucial for what Dasey refers to as "wisdom factories," where students not only acquire knowledge but also develop the intuition and judgment necessary to apply it effectively in diverse situations.
The discussion highlights three innovative strategies for enhancing educational practices: integrating games to build experience and intuition, adopting "upside-down learning" that prioritizes problem-solving over traditional subject compartmentalization, and implementing "productivity therapy" to tailor AI tools to individual learning and teaching styles. By embracing these approaches, educators can create dynamic learning environments that encourage experimentation and adaptability, essential traits in a rapidly changing technological landscape. The conversation also touches on the importance of agile methodologies in education, advocating for iterative cycles of implementation and feedback to keep pace with evolving educational technologies and methodologies. Together, these insights provide a roadmap for educators and school leaders seeking to navigate the complexities of integrating AI into educational settings effectively.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction to Elevating Innovation Virtual Conference * (01:00) AI and Education: A Fundamental Question * (02:27) Tim Dacey's Journey and Insights on AI * (09:26) Building Wisdom Factories: Skills for the Future * (32:20) Practical Steps for Educators and Future Projects
Links * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog here * Tim Dasey Website * Tim Dasey LinkedIn * Wisdom Factories: AI, Games, and the Education of a Modern Worker * Gallup Report on Management Skills and Readiness * Agile Methodology * Sweet Graipes Substack
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Shawnee Caruthers gets into a profound discussion with Dr. Christopher Emdin and Sam Seidel about their latest work, "From White Folks Who Teach in the Hood." This conversation is essential for educators who are ready to challenge their own biases and rethink their roles in marginalized communities. Emdin and Seidel explore the importance of cultural competency and equity in education, asking educators to not only impart academic knowledge but also to create inclusive environments where all students feel seen and valued. They emphasize the need for educators to become agents of change, taking accountability for their impact and actively working to dismantle systemic inequities in the classroom.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction to Elevating Innovation Virtual Conference * (01:04) Discussing 'From White People Who Teach in a Hood' * (03:04) Challenges and Reflections on Cultural Competency * (10:20) Practical Steps and Final Thoughts
Links * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog here * Chris Emdin * STEM, STEAM, Make Dream * sam seidel LinkedIn * sam seidel Bio * From White Folks Website * sam seidel and Olatunde Sobomehin on the Creative Hustle and Blazing Your Own Path * Getting Smart and the d.school: Live from SXSW * Chris Emdin on STEM, STEAM, Make Dream * For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood ... and the Rest of Y'all Too * From White Folks Who Teach in the Hood * Joy James * Imprisoned Intellectuals * Justin Coen on Reframing the Holiday Dinner
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, hosts Jordan Luster and Victoria Andrews dive into the world of microschools, exploring how these small, adaptive learning environments are making education more accessible and equitable. The conversation touches on the different strategies employed by micro school leaders across the country, emphasizing their commitment to overcoming challenges like financial barriers and geographic limitations. Through real-world examples, listeners gain insight into how microschools are expanding their reach through unique funding models, education savings accounts, and community partnerships that ensure inclusivity for all students, regardless of their background.
Outline
- (00:00) Exploring Micro Schools and Their Impact
- (02:56) Challenges and Opportunities in Micro Schools
- (05:41) Real Stories from Micro School Leaders
- (16:42) Future of Micro Schools and Accessibility
Links * Scalability Episode * Town Hall Recap: Microschools: Sustainability, Scalability and Accessibility * Vita Schools of Innovation * KaiPod Learning * The Ferguson School * Black Microschools Atlanta * Elements Academy
Project Lead the Way is a proven national leader in science, technology, engineering, and math education, for Pre-K through high school. They strive to help teachers make every student in every grade STEM-successful, through interactive, problem-based learning. Learn more and find a school with Project Lead The Way near you.
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, we learn about "The Solutionary Way" with Zoe Weil, co-founder and president of the Institute for Humane Education. Zoe discusses her innovative approach to education that exceeds older problem-solving by integrating ethical considerations to ensure actions do the MOST good for all involved. We explore how adopting a solutionary mindset can transform education and empower students to tackle more complex global challenges, leading to a more equitable and sustainable world.
Zoe Weil introduces listeners to the concept of "solutionaries"—individuals who identify and solve systemic problems through ethical action and strategic thinking. She shares insights from her book, "The Solutionary Way: Transform Your Life, Your Community, and the World for the Better," and discusses practical ways educators can implement solutionary thinking in classrooms. By encouraging a generation of solutionaries, Zoe hopes to prepare young people to become proactive changemakers capable of addressing the world's most daunting issues with compassion, and creativity.
Outline
- (00:00) Introduction to STEM Education and Project Lead the Way
- (00:41) Introducing Zoe Weil and The Solutionary Way
- (02:41) The Impact and Expansion of Solutionary Education
- (14:46) Understanding the Solutionary Process
- (15:40) The Importance of Problem Identification
- (21:54) Implementing Solutionary Thinking in Education
Links
- Watch the full video
- Read the full blog
- The Solutionary Way
- The World Becomes What We Teach: Educating a Generation of Solutionaries
- Institute for Humane Education
- Free Solutionary Guidebook for teachers
- Solutionary micro-credential program
- Online Graduate Programs with Antioch University
- Difference Making
In this podcast episode, Victoria Andrews gets into the transformative power of community in education. Joined by John Watson and Mawi Asgedom, the three discuss how fostering a sense of belonging and inclusion can lead to innovative learning environments. John Watson, the CEO of Evergreen Education Group, highlights the importance of creating spaces like the Digital Learning Annual Conference (DLAC) where educators can connect, share challenges, and learn from each other. This community-centric approach has helped educators overcome the isolation often felt in digital and hybrid learning environments.
Mawi, author and CEO of Inner Heroes, shares his personal journey from a refugee camp to Harvard, emphasizing that true innovation in education begins with relationships. He highlights the need for educators to intentionally see and support "invisible" students, ensuring all learners are valued and empowered to take risks. Through tools like the Inner Heroes app, educators can gain deeper insights into students' strengths and aspirations, fostering a more inclusive and supportive learning environment. This conversation underscores that the key to successful innovation lies not just in technology, but in building strong, empathetic communities that nurture both students and educators.
Outline: * (00:00) Introduction and Importance of Community * (01:27) Defining Community: Perspectives from John and Maui * (07:16) Challenges and Innovations in Digital Learning * (17:43) Empowering Leadership and Diversity
Links * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog here * DLAC * John Watson * Evergreen Education Group * Mawi Asgedom * Recent Podcast with Mawi * Beetles and Angels: A Boy’s Remarkable Journey from a Refugee Camp to Harvard * Inner Heroes
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, we are joined by an inspiring lineup of educational leaders who are at the forefront of transforming Nevada's educational landscape. Our guests are Jhone Ebert, Nevada's State Superintendent, and Jeanine Collins, Chief Innovation Officer at Ed Extraordinary. They discuss their pivotal roles in the creation and implementation of Nevada's State Portrait of a Learner. Alongside them, Brently Garbutt, Principal of Jerome Mack Middle School, and Claire Romzek, Magnet Coordinator at Lied STEM Academy, share firsthand experiences of how this is already reshaping learning environments and empowering students across the state.
The episode dives deep into the contents of Nevada's State Portrait of a Learner, exploring how it serves human values and a sense of belonging within educational systems. Through community collaboration and competency-based learning, the initiative shoots to equip students with essential life skills that extend beyond traditional academic knowledge. Our guests discuss the importance of industry partnerships, the integration of design thinking in school projects, and the transformative impact on school culture and student engagement. This episode is evidence of the power of collective vision and action in creating a more inclusive and future-ready educational system.
Outline * (00:00) Introduction and Welcome * (00:11) Nevada's Educational Transformation * (04:41) Community Collaboration and School Design * (17:23) Reflections and Future Aspirations * (23:14) Portrait at LEAD STEM Academy * (28:10) Portrait at Jerome Mack Middle School
Links * Watch the full video here * Read the full blog here * Nevada Portrait of a Learner * Jeanine Collins Linkedin * Jhone Ebert LinkedIn * Previous podcast with Jeanine on Nevada Succeeds * Brently Garbutt LinkedIn * Claire Romzek LinkedIn
In this episode of the Getting Smart podcast, hosts Jordan Luster and Victoria Andrews talk to Desiree Corbin of Mindsprout Montessori, Tiffany Blasingame of the Ferguson School, Kenesha Skaggs of SOAR Academy, Coi Morefield of The Lab School of Memphis, Amar Kumar of KaiPod, and Julia Bamba from the Issaquah School District. Together.
The conversation explores the opportunities and challenges of scaling microschools, highlighting different models and success stories. The hosts and their guests discuss both decentralized and centralized approaches to scaling, touching on the importance of community-based, personalized learning experiences. The episode talks about the potential microschools have to drive educational innovation and meet the diverse needs of students and families.
Outline
- (00:00) Introduction and Overview
- (01:56) Scaling Microschools: Opportunities and Challenges
- (03:28) Innovative Models and Success Stories
- (15:21) Decentralized vs. Centralized Scaling
- (32:22) Conclusion and Future Directions
Links
- Read the full blog
- Getting Smart Microschools Page
- Big Push for Small Schools
- Microschools Town Hall
- Lab School of Memphis
- MindSprout Montessori
- Kaipod Learning
- The Ferguson School
- SOAR Academy
- Issaquah Microschool
- Subscibe to our newsletter
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark speaks with Rachelle Dené Poth, an esteemed educator, author, and ed tech expert, about the integration of AI in education. Rachelle shares insights from her latest book, How to Teach AI: Weaving Strategies and Activities into Any Content Area, highlighting the importance of using AI to enhance language learning and foster innovation among students. They discuss the evolving landscape of education with AI tools like Google Translate and ChatGPT, the critical need for professional development to keep up with emerging technologies, and the potential of AI to transform both teaching and learning experiences.
Outline:
- (00:00) Introduction and Guest Welcome
- (02:04) Language Learning and AI
- (09:53) AI in Education: Strategies and Impact
- (20:23) Relational AI and Voice Interfaces
- (28:00) Future of AI in Education and Conclusion
Links
- Watch the full episode here
- View the full blog here
- Rachelle Dené Poth
- How to Teach AI: Weaving Strategies and Activities into Any Content Area
- Rachelle Dené Poth Getting Smart Posts
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Shawnee Caruthers is joined by Carolyn Weir, Executive Director of the McClure Foundation, discussing Vermont's innovative Free Degree Promise. This initiative offers accelerated, debt-free pathways to post-secondary education, particularly benefiting students from rural and underserved communities. Carolyn shares insights on the successes and challenges of implementing such programs, the importance of partnerships, and how these efforts are shaping the future of education and workforce readiness. Tune in to learn how Vermont is leading the way in creating equitable and sustainable opportunities for all students.
Outline:
- (00:00) Introduction and the Blurring Boundaries Between Education and the Workforce
- (01:24) Vermont’s Free Degree Promise and Its Impact on Rural Students
- (05:55) Measuring Success and Inclusivity
- (10:15) Success Stories and Student Motivations
- (15:07) Challenges and Future Plans for the 13-Year Promise
Links: * Watch the Full Video * View the Full Blog * Accelerate ED Vermont * McClure Foundation * Vermont’s Free Degree Promise * Vermont’s Early College Program * Subscribe to Our Newsletter!
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark is joined by project-based learning (PBL) advocate Kyle Wagner to delve into the transformative power of PBL in creating student-centered environments. Kyle shares his journey from visiting innovative schools like High Tech High to becoming a global ambassador for PBL. They discuss how these educational models foster creativity, agency, and purpose among students, and explore the broader implications for education systems worldwide. Whether you’re an educator, administrator, or parent, this episode provides valuable insights into how project-based learning can reshape the future of education. Tune in to learn about Kyle's new book, "Where's the Teacher? 12 Shifts for Student-Centered Environments," and discover strategies for implementing PBL in your own educational context.
Outline
- (00:00) Introduction to Project-Based Learning
- (02:20) The Magic of High Tech High
- (07:52) Transition to International Education
- (14:15) Exploring the Global Stage
- (33:49) The Future of Project-Based Learning
Links * Watch the full video here * View the full blog here * Kyle Wagner * Transform School * Kyle Wagner Author Page on Getting Smart * Where’s the Teacher: The 12 Shifts for Student-Centered Environments * High Tech High * One Stone * 12 Shifts to Move from Teacher-Led to Student-Centered Environments by Kyle Wagner * Kaleb Rashad on the Getting Smart Podcast * Center for Love and Justice * Better Leaders Better Schools * Subscribe to our newsletter!
This town hall discussion focuses on the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into the education system, particularly in K-12 settings. Nate McClennen leads this riveting conversation with featured speakers such as Wes Kriesel, Kunal Dalal, and Jerry Almendarez. Listen in as the discuss the growing use of AI tools among students and educators, highlighting the importance of understanding AI’s role in education.
The speakers discuss various aspects of AI, including its potential to augment human intelligence and the need to focus on uniquely human competencies in the face of technological advancements. They also emphasize the significance of student agency, with examples of student-led initiatives and feedback sessions that reveal how young learners are already engaging with AI in innovative ways. The episode underscores the necessity for educators and administrators to stay informed and actively participate in the ongoing dialogue about AI to ensure its effective and equitable implementation in schools.
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark is joined by Rachel Davison Humphries, Senior Director of Civic Learning Initiative at the Bill of Rights Institute. They explore the urgent need for robust civics education amidst a rapidly evolving socio-political landscape. Rachel emphasizes the role of civics in strengthening community ties and fostering democratic dispositions in students. The conversation also explores innovative ways to integrate civics across curricula, the state of civics education, and the invaluable resources provided by the Bill of Rights Institute to support teachers. This episode is a must-listen for educators, administrators, and anyone passionate about preparing students for active and informed citizenship!
Outline * Introduction to civics education * The State of Civics Education * Integrating Civics Across the Curriculum * The Role of the Bill of Rights Institute * Advice for Civics Teachers
Links: * Watch the full episode here * View the full blog here * Bill of Rights Institute * Rachel Davison Humphries * My Impact Challenge * Stories from Winners of the My Impact Challenge * Subscribe to our newsletter
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Shawnee Caruthers is joined by Betsy Revell, Senior Vice President of Career Connected Learning, and Marie Mackintosh, President and CEO of EmployIndy. They discuss the organization's efforts to provide Indianapolis students with access to tech apprenticeships through initiatives like Accelerate Ed, supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Outline
- Introduction and Overview
- EmployIndy's Role and Partnerships
- Accelerate Ed and Equitable Pathways
- Pathways in IT and Cybersecurity
- Student Experiences and Community Impact
Links
- Watch the full episode
- View the full blog
- Accelerate ED Indiana
- Employ Indy
- Indy Modern Apprenticeship
- Betsy Revell
- Marie Mackintosh
- TechPoint
- TalentBound
- Indiana GPS Diplomas
- Subscribe to our newsletter
In this episode of the Getting Smart podcast, Tom Vander Ark speaks with Lisa Gevelber, Vice President at Google and founder of Grow with Google. They discuss the transformative impact of Grow with Google, a program designed to provide alternative career pathways through online certificates in high-demand fields.
The conversation also delves into the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in education. Lisa discusses the launch of the Google Gen AI for Educators course, developed in partnership with MIT. This free, online professional development course aims to help teachers understand and effectively use AI tools in their classrooms. The course covers practical applications of AI, such as customizing lesson plans and creating assessments, while also addressing responsible AI usage.
Outline
- Introduction and Overview
- Creating Alternative Pathways
- Structure and Impact of Career Certificates
- Skills-Based Hiring and AI Integration
- AI Literacy and Future Directions
Links
- Watch the full conversation here
- View the full transcript here
- Lisa Gevelber LinkedIn
- AI Essentials Course
- AI for Educators Course
- Anaheim Union High School District
- UT system
- Google Teacher Center
- Subscribe to our newsletter!
In this episode of the Getting Smart podcast, Shawnee Caruthers speaks with Kathy Goodacre, Principal Gabe Oliveira, and Vice Principal Erika Raffo about the transformative work happening in Sonoma County through the CTE Foundation and its partnership with Elsie Allen High School. Kathy discusses the foundation’s mission to invest in and expand career technical education (CTE) programs across the county, emphasizing the importance of connecting classroom learning to real-world applications and high-demand careers.
The CTE Foundation of Sonoma County is a critical part of the Sonoma County California Accelerate ED cohort, supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Accelerate ED is built on the idea that high schools can provide early access to quality higher education in ways that incorporate work-connected learning and have long-term benefits for students. This initiative helps state-based groups plan and build accelerated pathways between K-12 education, postsecondary education, and careers.
Outline
- Introduction to CTE and Sonoma County's Vision
- Building Pathways: Elsie Allen High School's Transformation
- Accelerate ED Initiative and Community Connections
- Funding and Policy Support for CTE Programs
- Future Directions and Policy Recommendations
Links
- Watch the full episode here
- View the full blog post
- Accelerate ED Sonoma County
- CTE Foundation Sonoma County
- Kathy Goodacre
- Elsie Allen High School
- Vice Principal Erika Raffo
- Subscribe to our newsletter
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, we’re joined by Todd Smith, past podcast host and guest and CEO of Symphony Workforce, and Stacey Ocander, Senior Director of Workforce and Education Initiatives at Nebraska Hospital Association to discuss their collaborative efforts to address the healthcare workforce crisis in Nebraska. Stacey discusses the innovative statewide curriculum she developed for third to fifth graders, which introduces students to various healthcare professions through active learning and partnerships with local hospitals and nursing homes. This program aims to spark early interest in healthcare careers and create a seamless educational pathway from elementary school through undergrad. The curriculum includes practical, hands-on experiences such as doing buckle swabs and examining cells under a microscope, making healthcare professions accessible and engaging for young students.
Outline
- Introduction to Health Science Pathways
- Nebraska Hospital Association's Role
- Addressing the Workforce Crisis
- Creating Health Science Pathways
- Expanding Opportunities and Future Vision
Links * Watch The Full Episode Here * Todd Smith * Stacey Ocander * Find the Why! * Nebraska Hospital Association (NHA) * Subscribe to Our Newsletter!
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark talks to Conrad Wolfram, CEO of Wolfram Research and author of The Math Fix, to discuss the evolving role of computational thinking in education. They explore how the surge in computational power and AI can transform math education by moving away from manual calculations and focusing on real-world problem-solving.
Conrad Wolfram shares insights on the necessity of integrating computational tools into the curriculum, emphasizing that modern education should prepare students for complex problem-solving using AI and natural language interfaces. They also discuss the challenges and opportunities in updating math education to reflect these advancements, aiming to equip students with skills relevant to today's tech-driven world.
Outline
- The Evolution of Human-Computer Interaction
- The Role of Natural Language in AI
- Revolutionizing Math Education
- Future of Computational Thinking in Education
Links
- Watch the Full Conversation
- Conrad Wolfram Website
- Conrad Wolfram Bio
- Language Matters, and What Matters Has Changed by Conrad Wolfram
- Conrad Wolfram on Computational Thinking
- The Math(s) Fix Review by Rachelle Dene Poth
- South Fayette Computational Thinking
- Digital Promise - Computational Thinking
- US Math Wars by Conrad Wolfram
- Subscribe to Our Newsletter!
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark talks to Dr. Candy Van Buskirk, Assistant Superintendent of the Career Academy Network in South Bend, Indiana, to discuss her new book, 'Learn Outside. They talk about the innovative educational strategies at Career Academy Network and the goals of the new pathways campaign aiming to link students to economic mobility, focusing on experiential learning through career academies.
Outline
- Career Academy Network: Origin and Vision
- Experiential Learning and Dual Enrollment
- Insights from Leading Educational Models
- Concluding Thoughts and Future Direction
Links
- Watch the full conversation
- Dr. Candida Van Buskirk
- Learn Outside
- Career Academy Network of Public Schools
- Samueli Academy
- SEED Academy (Los Angeles)
- Da Vinci RISE
- High Tech High
- Cajon Valley
- Larry Rosenstock
- David Miyashiro
- Bostonia Global
- RIASEC
- Recent Ed Hidalgo Blog
- World of Work
- Nerel Winter
- ASA
- One Stone Growth Transcript
- Michael Matsuda Podcast
- Museum School in Grand Rapids
- Michael Fullan
- Scott Bess
- Purdue Polytechnic
- Dr. Katie Jenner
- Indiana Diploma Pathway
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On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark talks with Jean-Claude Brizard, CEO of Digital Promise They talk about the organization's unique congressional mandate and its role in educational innovation.
They explain how Digital Promise has exceptional access to U.S. government agencies, enhancing its impact on educational policy and practice. Brizard discusses the power networks like the League of Innovative Schools have in credentialing and micro-credentials for teachers, and the concept of 'powerful learning' that includes student agency and advanced pedagogies. They explore inclusive innovation processes that integrate voices from all community stakeholders, and reflect on Brizard’s past work on transforming New York City's high schools. This conversation highlights Digital Promise’s commitment to advancing education through research, technology, and innovative practices.
Outline
- Jean-Claude Brizard's Journey
- Transforming New York City Schools
- Innovative Networks and Powerful Learning
- Future of Credentialing and Inclusive Innovation
Links
- Jean-Claude Brizard LinkedIn
- Digital Promise
- League of Innovative Schools
- Conversation at CoSN
- Michelle Cahill
- Joel Klein
- Springpoint Schools
- Skills Transcripts at Scale: Why The ETS & MTC Partnership is a Big Deal
- Christina Luke Luna
- Indiana Diploma Pathway
- Click Here to Watch The Conversation
- Click Here for The Full Transcript
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This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is part of a new short monthly series where Mason Pashia is joined by Dr. Jason Cummins, a previous guest and a friend of the podcast, to speak with indigenous leaders and academics to discuss how indigenous ways of knowing and leading can, and should, shape the education system.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, hosts Mason Pashia and Dr. Jason Cummins are joined by Dr. Shane Doyle, an Indigenous educator and researcher. Dr. Doyle shares his educational background and work in implementing Indian Education for All in Montana. The discussion covers the importance of teaching the deep history of indigenous lands, the role of storytelling in education, and integrating indigenous wisdom in modern land management. Dr. Doyle also talks about the benefits of outdoor activities and the need for a comprehensive curriculum that includes Native American perspectives.
Outline * Introduction to the Podcast and Hosts * Collaborative Education and Indigenous Knowledge * The Importance of Place and History in Education * Closing Thoughts and Reflections
Links:
- Shane Doyle Podcast
- Article by Shane
- Indian Education For All
- Click Here For The Full Transcript
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On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, we’re joined by two members of the Communities Foundation of Texas team: Chris Coxon, Managing Director of Programs; and Ryan Franklin, Senior Director, Policy & Advocacy. Educate Texas has been in a leadership role in college and career readiness school models for over two decades, and has been the lead intermediary supporting the successful growth of both the Early College High School and P-TECH school models.
Outline:
- Overview of Educate Texas and Its Initiatives
- Challenges and Strategies in Policy Implementation
- Funding, Policy, and Sustainability
- Advice and Conclusion
Links:
- Accelerate ED Texas
- Accelerate ED Texas - Bexar County
- Educate Texas
- Communities Foundation of Texas
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This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is sponsored by Mrs. Wordsmith, learn more at mrswordsmith.com and save 15% on your order by entering discount code GETTINGSMART15 at checkout, (edited)
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Shawnee Caruthers is joined by Dr. Gholnecsar Muhammad. You might know her as Gholdy. Dr. Muhammad is an associate professor of curriculum and instruction at the University of Illinois Chicago. She is the author of the essential 2020 book “Cultivating Genius: An Equity Framework for Culturally and Historically Responsive Literacy,” and the 2023 book, “Unearthing Joy: A Guide to Culturally and Historically Responsive Curriculum and Instruction.”
Outline * Introduction to Joy in Education * The Power of Poetry and Freedom * Implementing Joy in the Curriculum
Links * Detailed Shownotes & Transcription * Hill Pedagogies * Cultivating Genius Interview * Cultivating Genius * Unearthing Joy * Gholdy Muhammad
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On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Victoria Andrews is joined by Melissa Byrne, Assistant Superintendent of Teaching & Learning at Barrington Community 220 School District in Illinois. We visited Barrington High School a few weeks ago with a team of principals from the Kansas City area. Melissa shared Barrinton’s Learner Profile, Pathways implementation, and Gem program that allows students to self-select competencies for a project.
Links:
- Learner Profile
- Framework 220
- Melissa Byrne LinkedIn
- Barrington 220
- The Portrait Model
- Postsecondary Workforce and Readiness Act
- Juan Jose Gonzalez and Gina Schuyler on Edsystems
- Chicago Real World Learning School Visits
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Mason Pashia is joined by Jennifer Brandsberg-Engelmann to discuss a new approach to teaching economics and why it is critical to teach economics to K-12 students as a way of understanding the world.
Links * Regenerative Economics Course * Link to the course * Recent Webinar on the Generative Economics Curriculum * Doughnut Economics * Kate Raworth * GCSE Requirements * Revised GCSE Syllabus * Mason’s Biomimicry Blog
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is sponsored by Mrs. Wordsmith, learn more at mrswordsmith.com
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark is joined by Dr. Carl Gombrich, the Dean at the London Interdisciplinary School (LIS), to discuss his transition from University College London (UCL) to LIS, motivated by a desire for educational innovation.
Throughout the conversation, Dr. Gombrich shared his experience of fostering interdisciplinary education at UCL and his subsequent decision to establish a new institution dedicated to this approach. He explained that traditional educational structures often inhibit interdisciplinary learning, as they are organized around distinct disciplines that do not reflect the interconnected nature of real-world problems.
We hope you’ve attended our town halls, but are you looking for even more ways to learn in community? Check out one of the two forthcoming webinars from the Aurora Institute. Learn more here.
This Getting Smart Town Hall focused on pathways in Health Sciences and focus on the following elements of effective pathways:
- sector job prospects and entrepreneurial opportunities
- career exploration resources
- high school pathway examples
- work-based learning and credentialing opportunities
- postsecondary pathway examples.
The event highlighted the critical role of education leaders, intermediaries, and thought partners in shaping the future of the healthcare industry and empowering the next generation of healthcare professionals.
We were joined by Dr. Kyle Hartung from JFF, then Kate Kreamer from Advance CTE, followed by Dr. Christine Rodriguez from NAF, and we closed with Jason Rausch from Project Lead the Way.
For the full shownotes, the recording, the slide deck and links mentioned in the chat, click here.
To view our new Health Science publication, click here.
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is sponsored by Mrs. Wordsmith, learn more at mrswordsmith.com
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark is joined by Dr. Shari Camhi, Superintendent of the Baldwin School District in Long Island.
Together, they discuss the need for enhanced media literacy in an age where information credibility is increasingly questioned. Additionally, Dr. Camhi shares insights from her decade-long tenure in Baldwin, highlighting how her personal experiences as a parent and educator have shaped her approach to creating diverse, enriching educational experiences. She stresses the importance of adapting education to ensure each student's unique needs are met, rather than conforming to traditional, one-size-fits-all models. She argues that media literacy is essential for developing critical thinking skills, enabling students to discern between true and false information. The Baldwin School District's strategy, known as Baldwin 2035, focuses on fostering civic engagement and community connections across all grade levels.
Links * Dr. Shari Camhi * Baldwin School District * Baldwin 2035
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Shawnee Caruthers is joined by two of the leaders leaning into this space, Juan Jose Gonzalez, Managing Director of Pathways & Operations at Education Systems Center at Northern Illinois University (EdSystems) and Gina Schuyler, Department Chair of Career and Technical Education at Grayslake Central High School, a partner of EdSystems.
EdSystems is a part of the Accelerate ED initiative, supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Accelerate ED is built on the idea that high schools can provide early access to quality higher education in ways that incorporate work-connected learning and have long-term benefits for students. This initiative helps state- and region-based groups plan and build accelerated pathways between K-12 education, postsecondary education, and careers.
Links: * EdSystems * AccelerateED Edsystems * Juan Jose Gonzalez Bio Page * Grayslake High School * Gina Schuyler
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is part of a new short monthly series where Mason Pashia is joined by Dr. Jason Cummins, a previous guest and a friend of the podcast, to speak with indigenous leaders and academics to discuss how indigenous ways of knowing and leading can, and should, shape the education system.
On this podcast episode, they are joined by Lona Running Wolf from the Piikani Nation to discuss her extensive work in educational reform and cultural preservation. Lona shares insights from her journey, highlighting her current role as the project administrator for Blackfeet ECO Knowledge, a nonprofit organization aimed at reversing the effects of historical trauma on Native communities through cultural, language, and environmental initiatives. Together they discuss the systemic challenges faced by Native students, the impact of policies such as the boarding school era, and the importance of integrating cultural knowledge into educational frameworks to better serve diverse learner needs.
Lona also discusses the profound influence of Blackfoot culture on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, emphasizing a community-centric approach to education and well-being.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Nate McClennen is joined by Sarah Elizabeth Ippel, Founder and Executive Director of the Academy for Global Citizenship, a public K-8 charter school that opened in 2008 on the southwest side of Chicago. ACG just moved into a brand new campus in partnership with the Cultivate Collective project — a multi-generational community hub that includes an urban farm, health center, and adult education programs.
Together, Nate and Sarah discuss her journey to founding the Academy for Global Citizenship, how she was shaped by international travel, her observations of both innovative and inequitable education systems, and her non-traditional way of navigating the educational ecosystem.
Links: * Full Shownotes * Sarah Ippel Linkedin * Academy for Global Citizenship * Cultivate Collective * Carnegie Report * AGC Model * Interview with Sarah * La Paz Podcast with Abel McClennen
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Tom Vander Ark is joined by Yu-Ling Cheng,Co-Producer of Remake Learning Days and Director of Kidsburgh and Parents as Allies, (Kidsburgh operates as a project of Grantmakers of Western PA).
Remake Learning Days is one of the world's largest festival of hands-on learning where parents and caregivers learn alongside their kids. The festival began in 2016 in southwestern PA and has since taken root in other regions. In 2024, there will be 2,000+ events across 16 regions, including 3 international regions, between the dates April 20-May 31. The festival events are an opportunity for families to learn together, to encourage kids to be curious and to learn about community resources.
Links: * Remake Learning Days * Remake Learning * Yu-Ling Cheng * LinkedIn * Grable Foundation * Kidsburgh * Brookings Institution * IDEO * HundrED * Parents as Allies * Grantmakers of Western PA * Carnegie Mellon University * University of Pittsburgh * Northgate School District
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Shawnee Caruthers is joined by Jennifer Mellor, Chief Innovation Officer at the Phoenix Chamber Foundation and Mike Huckins, Senior Vice President of Public Affairs and IT Operations at the Greater Phoenix Chamber. Together, Jennifer and Mike are working on ElevateEdAZ, a remarkable initiative by the Arizona design team that's revolutionizing education and workforce development in the state, is working to be at the intersection of key stakeholders to provide real opportunities for learners.
Links:
- Full Shownotes
- AccelerateED Phoenix Chamber
- Greater Phoenix Chamber
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Tom Vander Ark is joined by, Dr. Lesley-Ann Noel, a professor at North Carolina State University. Lesley-Ann is also author of Design Social Change, a new book from Stanford’s d.School run featuring past guests Sam Seidel and Olatunde Sobomehin on Creative Hustle and Sarah Stein Greenberg on Creative Acts for Curious People. Just the other day we ran an episode we recorded live at SXSW EDU 2024 with some of her colleagues.
This special episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is a live broadcast of a conversation between Tom Vander Ark and authors from the Stanford d.school. Together they discuss four new books that speak to important aspects of this work. This conversation features Sam Seidel and Olatunde Sobomehin of Creative Hustle, Dr. Leticia Britos Cavagnaro of Experiments in Reflection, and Grace Hawthorne of Make Possibilities Happen to discuss what educators can learn and use from these books and the authors' work at the Stanford d.school and beyond. Equal parts inspiration and actionable ideas, this conversation is a great survey of meaningful works. View the full show notes here.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Shawnee Caruthers is joined by Stacy Wall Schweikhart, CEO of Learn to Earn Dayton. Stacy brings more than 21 years of public sector leadership and a deep network of partners and resources to the CEO role.
We’re also joined by Dr. Thomas Lasley, Director of Policy and Advocacy, Montgomery County Educational Service Center and Founder of Learn to Earn Dayton. Tom focuses on shaping policies and practices that impact P-16 educational attainment.
Links: * Stacy Wall Schweikhart LinkedIn * Thomas Lasley LinkedIn * AccelerateED Ohio * Learn to Earn Dayton * YouScience * PACCE Navigators
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Rebecca Midles is joined by Nell Rosenberg, National Director of Teleservices at Clarke Schools for Hearing & Speech.
Links: * LinkedIn * Clarke School for Hearing and Speech * tVisit Teleservices Program * National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management,
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is part of a new short monthly series where Mason Pashia is joined by Dr. Jason Cummins, a previous guest and a friend of the podcast, to speak with indigenous leaders and academics to discuss how indigenous ways of knowing and leading can, and should, shape the education system.
In this episode, they are joined by Julian Guerrero Jr., the current Director of the Office of Indian Education (OIE) at the U.S. Department of Education. Together, they discuss the extensive range of grant programs managed by the OIE, which support everything from Native American language immersion programs to college and career readiness initiatives. Guerrero emphasizes the importance of these programs in enhancing educational opportunities for Native students across the U.S., highlighting that a significant majority of Native American students attend public schools outside of reservation systems.
Links:
- Office of Indian Education
- Indigenous Youth Career Exploration
- Oklahoma State University - Treaties link
- PUEDE Network
- The Society of American Indian Government Employees
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Rebecca Midles is joined by two members of the Transcend Usable Knowledge team —Cynthia Leck, and Juetzinia Kazmer-Murillo, to discuss their new report Igniting Agency in Early Learners.
Links:
- Igniting Agency in Early Learners
- Cynthia Leck
- Cynthia Leck LinkedIn
- Juetzinia Kazmer-Murillo
- Juetzinia Kazmer-Murillo LinkedIn
- Transcend
- Transform Learning with Community-Based Design
- Agency and Young Children Research Collaborative
On this special episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, producer Mason Pashia is joined by Timothy Jones. In honor of Poetry Month, Timothy and Mason discuss their deep appreciation and practice of the intersection and language.
Timothy is a long-time educator, coach, mentor and someone who lives and breathes hip-hop. Timothy is the Chief Visionary Officer at #HipHopEd, a digitally-birthed organization with a sprawling membership of brilliant educators and passionate advocates that know just how powerful this intersection can be.
He is also the founder of Techniques4Learning, a company dedicated to utilizing Hip-Hop and Culturally Relevant Pedagogy to develop and implement strategies, curricula and activities to improve teacher student engagement for schools, universities, education organizations and community-based organizations.
Links:
- Timothy Jones
-
HipHopEd
- Techniques4Learning
- What Exactly is an Executive Producer by Mason Pashia
- The Gift by Lewis Hyde
- Into Wind | Poems by Mason
- Timothy Jones on HipHopEd and Techniques4Learning
- New Pathways Design Principles feat. Tim Jones
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Rebecca Midles is joined by Sydney Schaef, Managing Director at reDesign, a nationally recognized, women-led education design lab committed to ensuring every young person is future-ready. reDesign recently released the Future9 competencies, 34 skills across a six-level designed progression. The framework draws on more than a decade of collaboration with schools, districts, and state leaders, alongside extensive research reviews, and feedback sessions with academics, young people, and industry leaders.
Together they investigate the the implementation of developmental-level progressions within learning systems, that operate at a different grain size from standards and are typically independent of specific contexts or curricula.
Links:
- Future 9 Competencies
- reDesign
- Sydney Schaef LinkedIn
- Future9 Competencies Press Release
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark and Shawnee Caruthers talk about a recent set of school visits in Minnesota as a part of an ongoing series of Real World Learning field trips.
The Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area is a thriving community of nearly 3 million people. Made up of 7 counties, 182 communities and 2 medium-sized, diverse urban districts (36k and 33k). Additionally, there are a couple big suburban districts like Apple Valley.
Links:
- School for Environmental Studies
- High School for Recording Arts
- Dallas School Visits Podcast Episode
- Cajon Valley Public Schools
- xello.com
- Real-World Learning Case Study
- Sam Seidel - Hip Hop Genius
- Ford Next Generation Learning
- Belton High
- St Paul Public Schools
- Shakopee High
- Burnsville High
- School for Environmental Studies
- High School for Recording Arts
- Avalon School
- Exploration High School
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Todd Smith, a New Pathways Fellow, founder and CEO of Symphony Workforce and former podcast guest hosts a conversation about an exciting initiative underway in Nebraska. These guests represent the Omaha Taskforce. Joseph Murray, Jesuit Academy. Osuman O. Issaka, Simple Foundation.
Links:
- Todd Smith
- Osuman O. Issaka
- Joseph Murray
- Symphony Workforce
- Todd Smith and John Batcher on Helping Students Find Their Why | Getting Smart
- Simple Foundation
- Jesuit Academy
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark is joined by Ryan Lufkin, VP of Academic Strategy at Instructure.
Links:
- Ryan Lufkin LinkedIn
- Instructure
- Portfolium
- Canvas Credentials
- Parchment
End of last year release - stratification
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Shawnee Caruthers is joined by Erika Giampietro, Executive Director at the Massachusetts Alliance for Early College. Erika recently led a design team as a part of the Accelerate ED initiative, supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Accelerate ED is built on the idea that high schools can provide early access to quality higher education in ways that incorporate work-connected learning and have long-term benefits for students. This initiative helps state-based groups plan and build accelerated pathways between K-12 education, postsecondary education, and careers.
We’re also joined by Destiny Egbuta a student at Salem State University.
Links:
- Erika Giampietro Bio
- Erika Giampietro LinkedIn
- Massachusetts Accelerate ED Design Team
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Shawnee Caruthers and Tom Vander Ark discuss a recent set of school visits in Dallas, Texas. These schools do an incredible job of showcasing dual enrollment, pathway management, business partnerships and building culture in their schools.
These schools create radical new pathways to economic mobility and cultures of possibility.
Links:
- BigThought
- The Future of Learning with Dr. Pamela Moran, Byron Sanders and Dr. Ed Hess
- Remake Learning
- Dallas County Promise
- Economic Mobility High: The New End Game for America’s High Schools
- 60x30TX Initiative
- Molina B Tech
- Adamson P Tech
- IDEA
- Career Institutes
- St. Vrain Valley Schools
- Dr. Don Haddad and Dr. Jackie Kapushion on St. Vrain Schools and Innovation Centers
- San Diego School Visits Blog
- Fort Osage
- Cajon Valley
- Phoenix Chamber of Commerce
- CAPS Network | Building and Growing Community Partnerships
- Paul Quinn College
- Oppti
- Skillsline
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Mason is joined by repeat guest Aaron Schorn of Unrulr and two new guests for the Getting Smart Podcast, Kwaku Aning, Director of the Center of Innovation and Entrepreneurial Thinking at the San Diego Jewish Academy and Mike Yates, The Reinvention Lab at Teach for America.
Links:
- Kwaku Aning LinkedIn
- Aaron Schorn LinkedIn
- Mike Yates LinkedIn
- San Diego Jewish Academy
- Reinvention Lab at Teach for America
- Designing Your Life
- MSCHF
- Hallcraft School Studio
- Unrulr
- Shoelace Learning
- Julia Dexter
- Changing the Subject
- d.school
- Scott Center for Entrepreneurship
- Bill Summers - Cañon City High School
- Capstone Consortium
- Big Picture Learning
- EyeCandy
- Previous episode with Aaron Schorn
- Lauryn Hill - Sister Act 2 Performance
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Shawnee is joined by New Pathways Senior Fellow Timothy Jones to discuss one of our New Pathways Design Principles: Curated.
When designing pathways, they must be “meaningful sequences of learning experiences linked to opportunity. The result in experiencing success in what’s next: real work experience, college credit, and industry-recognized credentials.”
Links:
- New Pathways
- View All Design Principles Episodes
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Shawnee is joined by New Pathways Senior Fellow Timothy Jones to discuss one of our New Pathways Design Principles: Intentional.
When designing pathways, ensure that they are “co-authored experiences and journeys with personalized and localized guidance and support.”
Links:
- New Pathways
- View All Design Principles Episodes
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Shawnee is joined by New Pathways Senior Fellow Timothy Jones to discuss one of our New Pathways Design Principles: Equitable.
When designing pathways, they must “provide equitable accessible, meaningful accommodation and support the development of social capital needed to access opportunity.
Links:
- New Pathways
- View All Design Principles Episodes
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Shawnee Caruthers is joined by New Pathways Senior Fellow Timothy Jones to discuss one of our New Pathways Design Principles: Purposeful. When designing pathways, they must “help learners identify strengths and interests and match them with possible futures. With a growing sense of purpose, learners spot opportunities and develop an entrepreneurial mindset.”
Links:
- New Pathways
- View All Design Principles Episodes
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Shawnee Caruthers is joined by Michael Gonzalez, Executive Director of Rural Schools Innovation Zone, a first-of-its-kind partnership made up of five school districts and five institutions of higher education in South Texas that, like our New Pathways campaign, help students find success in what’s next.
Links:
- Rural Schools Innovation Zone
- Michael Gonzalez LinkedIn
- Progressive Policy Institute
Join your community March 4-7 in Austin, Texas for SXSW EDU 2024 to help create a new tomorrow for learners everywhere! Go to sxswedu.com/attend/ to learn more.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark is joined by Lydia Logan, Vice President, Global Education and Workforce Development, Corporate Social Responsibility at IBM.
Together, Lydia and Tom talk about the credentialing landscape, the rise of green skills and how IBM is bridging those worlds with SkillsBuilds.
Links:
- Lydia Logan
- Press Release
- IBM SkillsBuild
- IBM Commits to Train 2 Million in Artificial Intelligence in Three Years, with a Focus on Underrepresented Communities (Sept)
- IBM Commits to Skill 30 Million People Globally by 2030 (oct)
- Justina Nixon-Saintil on Corporate Social Responsibility and the Rise of P-TECH
Join your community March 4-7 in Austin, Texas for SXSW EDU 2024 to help create a new tomorrow for learners everywhere! Go to sxswedu.com/attend/ to learn more.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Mason Pashia is joined by Josh Schachter, Founder of CommunityShare and long-time storyteller of environment and community. CommunityShare is a platform that connects young people to local opportunities and mentors to grow their networks. Their website prompts visitors to “Imagine your community as a human library.”
Links:
- Josh Schachter LinkedIn
- CommunityShare
- Praising Dark Places by Yusef Komunyakaa
- Learning Justice Project
- Josh Schachter Photography
- Creative Narrations
This episode is an overview of a recent contribution to a publication from the Hoover Institute written by Tom Vander Ark. This publication takes a look at the shift from print to digital in light of the 40th anniversary of A Nation At Risk. This era marked a shift from information scarcity to abundance, a shift from searching to sorting. It changed what, how, and where people learn, and not always for the better. In American schools, the shift to digital learning was gradual, uneven, often chaotic, expensive, and, while there was observed improvement in engagement, largely ineffective at boosting traditional outcomes.
The shift to digital learning was marked by four phases: computers in the back of the room, introduction of the World Wide Web, the rise of blended learning, and remote learning. The rise of generative AI in 2022 marks a new era of human-computer interaction.
Links:
- View Publication
- A Nation at Risk +40 | A Review of Progress in US Public Education
- AI for Education Publication
- Amanda Bickerstaff on AI for Education
- Bodo Hoenen on Generative AI for Curriculum
- Charles Fadel on Education and Competencies for the Age of AI
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Nate McClennen is joined by Rachna Mathur, Senior STEM Strategist, CEO/Founder of Stemology Club and Meg Grothman, Director of Arizona Impact and Mathematics Innovation at ASU Prep. We have worked with ASU Prep and ASU over the years, and they both continue to live up to their reputation as innovative organizations that are inclusive rather than exclusive in who they serve. They are organizations that say yes to any solution that will help all students succeed.
Links:
- Rachna Mathur Website
- Megan Grothman LinkedIn
- Rachna Mathur LinkedIn
- ASU Prep
- Digit
- Teach AI - AI Strategy Deck
- Si Se Puede Foundation
- Tempe Innovation Center
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Shawnee Caruthers is joined by Sharif El-Mekki, Founder and CEO of the Center for Black Educator Development. A proud alum of Overbrook High School in Philadelphia, PA and the former principal of Mastery Charter, Shoemaker Campus, Sharif sees education as activism and teachers as civic leaders. Sharif is also the co-host of the 8 Black Hands podcast. His mantra, “We Need Black Teachers” is more than a rallying cry, but a deep desire to give voice to the over 8 million black learners that need to see themselves in their classrooms and community.
Links:
- Center for Black Educator Development
- Phillys7thWard
- 8 Black Hands podcast
- Teaching Pathways
- Center for Black Educators 2022 Report
- Dr. Gregg Carr
- Fugitive Pedagogy by Dr. Jarvis Givens
- Education of Black People by W.EB Dubois
- Speeches to the Youth by Malcolm X
- Black Teachers on Teaching by Dr. Michelle Foster
- Dr. Vanessa Siddle Walker
- Dr. Gholdy Muhammad
- Dr. Zaretta Hammond
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Tom Vander Ark is joined by Charles Fadel, Founder of Center for Curriculum Redesign. Center for Curriculum Redesign is a leading authority on elementary and secondary outcomes and they recently published a great new book called Education for the Age of AI.
This book is one of the most thoughtful explorations of what skills humans will need to learn to do uniquelly meaningful work alongside AI. It explores how many of the 21st century skills will be impacted by AI while also taking a look at Drivers of meaningful work.
Links:
- Education for the Age of AI
- Portrait Model | Getting Smart
- Center for Curriculum Redesign
- Cajon Valley
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is part of a new short monthly series where Mason Pashia is joined by Dr. Jason Cummins, a previous guest and a friend of the podcast, to speak with indigenous leaders and academics to discuss how indigenous ways of knowing and leading can, and should, shape the education system.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Mason Pashia is joined by Dr. Jason Cummins and Dr. Hollie Mackey to discuss her incredibly important work in field building, policy and research and getting beyond marginality.
Dr. Hollie J Mackey is an enrolled member of the Northern Cheyenne nation presently located in Southeastern Montana and Associate Professor of Education at North Dakota State University. Her scholarship empirically examines the effects of structural inequity in Indigenous and other marginalized populations in educational leadership and public policy using multiple critical frameworks and methodologies. As an experienced policy consultant, public speaker, program evaluator, and community educator, she seeks to bridge theory and practice as a means of addressing complex social issues from an interdisciplinary perspective. She is the recipient of the D. J. Willower Center for the Study of Leadership and Ethics Award for Excellence and the Jack A. Culbertson Award for outstanding accomplishments as a junior professor of educational leadership. She serves as the Associate Co-Director for the Barbara L. Jackson Scholars Network at the University Council for Educational Administration and Associate Director of the Consortium for the Study of Leadership and Ethics in Education. She earned her Bachelors and Masters of Science in Public Relations at Montana State University-Billings, Masters of Legal Studies in Indigenous People’s Law at the University of Oklahoma, and Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the Pennsylvania State University.
Links:
- Hollie Mackey Website
- Hollie Mackey LinkedIn
- Office of Indian Education
- Susan Faircloth Episode
- Vox handtalk video, Lanny Realbird
- Alex Red Corn Episode
- NIES Setting the Context Report
How might we design new school models to better serve all young people? What are the skills, and jobs of tomorrow? IFTF’s Foresight Essentials course is great for those looking to build something new or trying to innovate within their current role.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Tom Vander Ark is joined by Amanda Bickerstaff, the Co-Founder and CEO of AI for Education. Amanda has been involved in 10 edtech and impact startups over the past two decades and continues to drive important work to further teacher learning.
Links:
- Amanda Bickerstaff LinkedIn
- AI for Education
- Interview with Amanda
- The Way It Is by William Stafford
- Marcus Buckingham Red Threads
- Wellbeing For Learning
- OfCom Online Nation Report 2023
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Nate McClennen is joined by Derek Wenmoth, Founder of Futuremakers, teacher, principal, distance educator and educational policy adviser in New Zealand and internationally. He’s also joined by Annette Thompson, Chief Executive Officer at Inquire Innovation and, previously, an elementary school teacher and principal for 37 years. She was named Arkansas Elementary Principal of the Year and an NAESP National Distinguished Principal in 2017. Together, Derek and Annette were two of the four co-authors of Agency By Design, a new playbook supported by the Aurora Institute, Future Makers and the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.
Links:
- Research on Agency
- Agency By Design Playbook
- Annette Thompson Site
- Derek Wenmoth Site
- Derek Wenmoth LinkedIn
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Mason Pashia is joined by two individuals from America’s Promise Alliance (APA), an organization that weaves people and organizations together for a positive impact. Mike O’Brien, CEO of America’s Promise Alliance, and Parvathi (Parv) Santhosh -Kumar their VP of Community Impact.
Together, they talk about the importance of field building, how uniquely bi-partisan and longstanding organizations like APA can drive change through radical collaboration, what they learned from a 180-organization listening tour across the U.S. and much more.
Links:
- America’s Promise
- Parvathi Santhosh-Kumar LinkedIn
- Mike O’Brien LinkedIn
- Baratunde with Jon Alexander
- Kim Smith on Getting Smart Podcast
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is a part of our New Pathways campaign. In partnership with American Student Assistance (ASA), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Stand Together and the Walton Family Foundation, the New Pathways campaign will question education’s status quo and propose new methods of giving students a chance to experience success in what’s next.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast we’re joined by Superintendent Michael Matsuda. Superintendent Matsuda has served in his role at Anaheim Union High School District for a decade and is also the author of the great new book: Educating for Purposeful Life: A New Conception of Schooling for the 21st Century.
The mission of the Anaheim Union High School District is to prepare high school graduates who possess a clear sense of purpose and the capacity to achieve their goals … talk about a pathways vision.
Links:
- Michael Matsuda Bio
- Educating for Purposeful Life: A New Conception of Schooling for the 21st Century
- Career Preparedness Systems Framework
- Anaheim Union High School District
- Ben Wildavsky on The Career Arts: Answering Big Questions About College and Career
- American Student Assistance
- New Pathways
On this Getting Smart Town Hall, we took a look at apprenticeship pathways and tried to answer some of the following questions: What does a modern apprenticeship system look like? How might we set up the necessary systems to create earn-and-learn opportunities in technology and teaching pathways.
We were joined by Erin Mote, InnovateEDU and Maureen Tracey Mooney, Department of Education who talked about Teacher Apprenticeships and Ryan Craig, author of Apprentice Nation as well as Chip Linehan, Co-CEO of Building 21 and Launchpad who discussed tech pathways for secondary students. Our presenters shared great slides overviewing the critical apprenticeship work across the nation.
- Links
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is part of a new short monthly series where Mason Pashia is joined by Dr. Jason Cummins, a previous guest and a friend of the podcast, to speak with indigenous leaders and academics to discuss how indigenous ways of knowing and leading can, and should, shape the education system.
Awaachiáookaate’, or Jason Cummins Ed.D is an enrolled member of the Apsaalooke Nation, and recently served as the Deputy Director for the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Native Americans and Strengthening Tribal Colleges and Universities, Office of the Secretary. Previously, he was the principal at Crow Agency Public School. As an Indigenous scholar and school leader he has innovatively worked to lead schools towards authentically serving Native American students PreK-12 and their communities by implementing culturally sustaining, trauma-informed, and restorative approaches.
We are joined by Alex Red Corn, Ed.D, a citizen of Osage Nation, where he is a member of the Tsi.zhu.wah.shtah.geh (Gentle Sky/Peacekeeper) clan. At Kansas State University, he is Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership, Coordinator of Indigenous Partnerships, CoChair of the Indigenous Faculty and Staff Alliance, Executive Director of the Kansas Association for Native American Education (KANAE) and Program Coordinator for the Indigenous Educational Leadership Graduate
Links:
- A Walk in My Shoes Documentary
- Alex Red Corn Bio
- The Rural Educator
- Journal of American Indian Education
- Indigenous Steam (Analise and Megan Bang)
- Osage Ribbon Work
- Lanny Real Bird
- Liberating Sovreign Potential
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Tom Vander Ark is joined by Jean Eddy, CEO of American Student Assistance (ASA) and author of Crisis-Proofing Today’s Learners: Reimagining Career Education to Prepare Kids for Tomorrow’s World.
Links:
- Crisis Proofing Today’s Learners
- Jean Eddy
- American Student Assistance
- Cajon Valley
- Tacoma Washington Schools
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is a part of our New Pathways campaign. In partnership with American Student Assistance (ASA), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Stand Together and the Walton Family Foundation, the New Pathways campaign will question education’s status quo and propose new methods of giving students a chance to experience success in what’s next.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Tom Vander Ark is joined by Dr. Amanda Stent, director of the Davis Institute for Artificial Intelligence, and Dr Taniya Mishra, founder and CEO of SureStart. Administered by Colby’s Davis Institute for Artificial Intelligence and the Halloran Lab for Entrepreneurship, the summer-long SureStart curriculum at Colby evolved from a longtime friendship between the two guests.
The Davis Institute for AI facilitates interdisciplinary, human-centered scholarship using rich datasets with real-world consequences and prepares students for a future where AI is transforming industries, careers, and modes of discovery, creativity, and scholarship.
A new generation of ethical AI designers spent eight weeks at Colby this summer for a start-up boot camp called SureStart. In addition to nine rising sophomores from Colby, the program attracted four students from partner school Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, the nation’s first degree-granting historically black college or university. The program aimed to teach students with an interest in AI skills to develop a well-researched and market-ready product that solves a real-world problem with a convenient and cost-effective solution. Students also had the opportunity to work with SureStart mentors including partners from organizations such as Alethea, Lockheed Martin, and Bloomberg Second Measure.
This episode highlights the programs and connections that got this initiative started.
Links:
- Davis Institute for Artificial Intelligence
- Sure Start: Getting Ahead on AI
- Halloran Lab
- Colby College Centers AI With Summer Program, Curricular Integration
- 22/23 Davis Institute Annual Report
- SureStart
- KEEN Network
- Fast.AI
- Playlab.ai
- AI4All
- Reinvention Lab from Teach for America
- Teach AI Toolkit
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is brought to you by our recent publication Green Pathways, and makes the case for why ALL pathways need sustainability and green embedded. Find out more here. On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Mason Pashia is joined by Shiva Rajbhandari, a current freshman at UNC Chapel Hill and avid climate and education activist who is, to date, the first student on a school board in the state of Idaho.
Links:
- School Board Activist Shiva Rajbhandari
- Idaho Climate Justice League
- The Sierra Club
- Green New Deal for Public Schools Act
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Victoria Andrews is joined by Producer Mickey Breeze, the 10-time Beat Battle Champion of the Twin Cities. He is also a former teacher for the “Twin Cities Mobile Jazz Project.” and a DJ for the Minnesota Timberwolves and Twins. He’s a proud alumni of the High School for Recording Arts in St. Paul, MN.
We’re also joined by Dr. H. Bernard Hall an Assistant Professor of Urban Teacher Education at Drexel University in the Department of Teaching, Learning, and Curriculum. His teaching and research interests include urban teacher education and development, social justice-oriented approaches to secondary English education, hip-hop pedagogy, anti-Black educational policy and practice, and critical qualitative research.
Links:
- Mickey Breeze
- H. Bernard Hall
- HipHopEd Conference
- IG: Mickey. Breeze
On this episode of Getting Smart Podcast Victoria Andrews discusses student entrepreneurship with an awesome group from Frisco ISD. Tommy Thompson teaches Marketing, Entrepreneurship and Finance Classes, as well as the DECA sponsor in Frisco ISD. Before teaching he worked in the corporate world for 18 years, started his own business, and served as an industry volunteer in the INCubatoredu program at Centennial High School which he now teaches.
We’re also joined by two students: Rupa Kumaran, the founder of Infiniti Board, a Board Game for Neurodiverse individuals and Esha Bandi, the founder of MyCourseWay, a company that digitizes a school’s entire course catalog.
Links:
- Business Incubator
- Uncharted Learning
- Tommy Thompson
- Frisco ISD
- MyCourseWay
- MyCourseWay Website
- Getting Smart Podcast on Uncharted Learning
- Frisco ISD Business Incubator
- Infiniti Board Game
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is part of a new short monthly series where Mason Pashia is joined by Dr. Jason Cummins, a previous guest and a friend of the podcast, to speak with indigenous leaders and academics to discuss how indigenous ways of knowing and leading can, and should, shape the education system.
In this episode, they are joined by Dr. Susan Faircloth to discuss the relationship between education and sovereignty, the National Indian Education Study, identity and home, and indigenous leadership.
Awaachiáookaate’, or Jason Cummins Ed.D is an enrolled member of the Apsaalooke Nation, and recently served as the Deputy Director for the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Native Americans and Strengthening Tribal Colleges and Universities, Office of the Secretary. Previously, he was the principal at Crow Agency Public School. As an Indigenous scholar and school leader he has innovatively worked to lead schools towards authentically serving Native American students PreK-12 and their communities by implementing culturally sustaining, trauma-informed, and restorative approaches.
Dr. Susan Faircloth, the former director of the School of Education at Colorado State University. An enrolled member of the Coharie Tribe of North Carolina, she focuses her research on Indigenous education; education of culturally and linguistically diverse students with special educational needs; and moral and ethical dimensions of school leadership.
Faircloth has published widely in such journals as Educational Administration Quarterly, Harvard Educational Review, The Journal of Special Education Leadership, International Studies in Educational Administration, Values and Ethics in Educational Administration, Tribal College Journal of American Indian Higher Education, Rural Special Education Quarterly, and Journal of Disability Policy Studies. She has also authored, co-authored, edited and contributed chapters to several books on topics related to Indigenous education.
Links:
- Q&A about the National Indian Education Study
- Susan Faircloth
- Scholarship List
- Dr. John Tippeconnic III
- Indian Education for All Act
- National Indian Education Study - Setting the Context
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Tom Vander Ark is joined by our friend Dr. Chris Unger, a Teaching Professor in the Graduate Programs in Education including the Doctor of Education program and author of the great new book A Revolution in Education: Scaling Agency & Opportunity for All.
Links:
- Viva La Revolucion Blog Post
- Amazon Link
- Season 1: https://arevolutionineducation.buzzsprout.com
- Season 2: https://arevolutionineducation2.buzzsprout.com
- Season 3: https://arevolutionineducation3.buzzsprout.com
- Difference Making at the Heart of Learning
- One Stone
- Living in Beta
- Design 39
- Iowa Big
- NAF
- Palisades High School
- Charlotte Lab School
- High Tech High
- Tacoma Public Schools
- Purdue Polytechnic
- Purdue Polytechnic Podcast - THIS… is the Revolution Podcast
- Purdue Polytechnic - Getting Smart Podcast
- Northern Cass School District
- Project Leo
On this Getting Smart Town Hall, we took a look at our latest publication, Support & Guidance For All New Pathways Journeys and spoke with practitioners and policy experts to get an overview of the current state of advisory models in U.S. schools. Together, we highlighted some exemplars in the space and discuss how support, guidance and advisory systems are critical parts of building New Pathways that serve all learners. Be sure to check out some of the links that were shared in the deck and the chat at the button below:
- Watch Recording
- View Links
- View Recap Blog
How might we design new school models to better serve all young people? What are the skills, and jobs of tomorrow? IFTF’s Foresight Essentials course is great for those looking to build something new or trying to innovate within their current role.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Shawnee Caruthers is joined by Sharhonda Bossier, CEO of Education Leaders of Color (EdLoC) and Carmita Semaan, Founder of the Surge Institute.
EdLoC “supports talented leaders of color in education and related fields to thrive as disruptive and innovative agents of change.”
The Surge Institute is “the preeminent pipeline addressing the dearth of leadership of color at decision-making tables. Surge educates, empowers and energizes leaders of color who will create transformative change in the communities they serve.”
Links:
- Sharhonda Bossier
- Carmita Semaan
- EdLoC
- Surge
- Bridgespan Fellows
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark is joined by Bob Schwartz to talk about pathways to opportunity and the role of college, specifically community colleges. Bob’s new book is America's Hidden Economic Engines: How Community Colleges Can Drive Shared Prosperity, which argues that community colleges need to be in the center of any national education and skills strategy.
“At their best, community colleges are the most nimble, flexible, market-oriented institutions in our higher education system, working closely with employers to meet regional labor market demands.”
Links:
- America’s Hidden Economic Engines: How Community Colleges Can Drive Shared Prosperity
- Review of America’s Hidden Economic Engines
- Bob Schwartz Bio
- “Gold Standard: The Swiss Vocational Education and Training System”
- Gallup Poll
- Work-based learning GPS report
- Northeastern’s Co-Op Model
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Tom Vander Ark is joined by Ben Wildavsky to discuss his new book The Career Arts: Answering Big Questions About College and Career. This book makes the case for building career success through broad education, targeted skills, and social capital.
Ben is also a visiting scholar at UVA and hosts the Higher Ed Spotlight podcast.
Links:
- Amazon Link
- New Pathways
- Brookings Institution
- Higher Ed Spotlight Podcast
- Ryan Craig on Apprenticeships
- LinkedIn Study
- Climb Hire
- Point Loma Nazarene University
- Link Support and Guidance Publication
- Michelle Weise on Long Life Learning
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is part of a new short monthly series where Mason Pashia is joined by Dr. Jason Cummins, a previous guest and a friend of the podcast, to speak with indigenous leaders and academics to discuss how indigenous ways of knowing and leading can, and should, shape the education system.
Awaachiáookaate’, or Jason Cummins Ed.D is an enrolled member of the Apsaalooke Nation, and recently served as the Deputy Director for the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Native Americans and Strengthening Tribal Colleges and Universities, Office of the Secretary. Previously, he was the principal at Crow Agency Public School. As an Indigenous scholar and school leader he has innovatively worked to lead schools towards authentically serving Native American students PreK-12 and their communities by implementing culturally sustaining, trauma-informed, and restorative approaches.
Dr. Robin Zape-tah-hol-ah Minthorn is a member of the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma, Apache, Nez Perce, Umatilla and Assiniboine and is currently the Professor and Department Chair at the College of Education at Oklahoma University. At the time of this recording was a professor at UW Tacoma.
Prior to her time in Washington, Dr. Minthorn served as Coordinator of Native American Affairs at Oklahoma State University and an adjunct faculty at Pawnee Nation College. Preceding that, as an academic advisor at Comanche Nation College, which is Oklahoma’s first tribal college. Dr. Minthorn also co-founded Gamma Delta Pi, American Indian Sisterhood and RAIN (Retaining American Indians Now) as an undergraduate at the University of Oklahoma. As an academic professional, she co-founded ONASHE (the Oklahoma Native American Students in Higher Education) Conference.
Links:
- Dr. Robin Zape-tah-hol-ah Minthorn
- Unsettling Settler Colonialism
- Since Time Immemorial
- Sweeney Winchief
- Paolo Friere
- Dr. Michael Yellow Bird
- Connie Mcloud
- Native Student Challenges
- Indigenizing the Academy
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark is joined by Elliot Washor, the co-founder of Big Picture Learning and author of the great new book Learning to Leave: How Real-World Learning Transforms Education. This book is the followup to the great Leaving to Learn: How Out-of-School Learning Increases Student Engagement and Reduces Dropout Rates.
Elliot is also the co-founder of The Met Center in Providence, RI and has been involved in school reform for more than 50 years as a teacher, principal, administrator, video producer, and writer. He has taught and is interested in all levels of school from kindergarten through college, in urban and rural settings, across all disciplines. His work has spanned across school design, pedagogy, learning environments, new forms and new measures for learning, and is supporting others doing similar work throughout the world. Elliot’s interests lie in the field of how schools can connect with communities to understand tacit and disciplinary learning both in and outside of school. Elliot is deeply committed to imagining Big Picture Learning as a ‘do-think-do’ organization, and persistently pushes the boundaries of its design in order to continually innovate practice and influence in the world of education especially for those youth living in communities furthest from opportunity.
Links:
- B Unbound
- Learning to Leave: How Real-World Learning Transforms Education
- Leaving to Learn: How Out-of-School Learning Increases Student Engagement and Reduces Dropout Rates
- One Kid at a Time: Big Lessons from a Small School
- Big Picture Learning
- Imblaze
- Namahana School
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Tom Vander Ark is joined by repeat guest Kim Smith to discuss a landscape analysis, the rise of learner-centered education and the three horizons.
Kim is the founder of LearnerStudio, a nonprofit intermediary accelerating progress towards a flexible, rigorous, equitable, and learner-centered education system, to ensure all our young people are inspired and prepared to thrive in life, career, problem-solving, and citizenship.
Previously, Kim was also the founder of the Pahara Institute, co-founder of NewSchools venture fund and Bellwether Education Partners, and a founding team member at Teach For America. She has helped to incubate numerous education and social change organizations and has served on a range of boards.
Links:
- Cambiar Education
- Jenn Holleran
- The Learner Studio Report
- Khanmigo
- Inflection (AI)
- Augmented Humans blog (By Producer Mason and Nate McClennen)
- Next Education Workforce
- Opportunity Culture
- CivixNow
- Learner Studio
- Derrell Bradford
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is a recording of the latest Getting Smart Town Hall — Agriculture Technology Pathways. On this episode, we heard from a great panel of guests who are running a wide range of programs to help young people connect with the growing field of agriculture technology.
Links:
- Town Hall Recap
- Video Link
- Links
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark is joined by Dr. Justin Reich, ED of MIT Teaching Systems Lab, host of the Teach Lab Podcast and author of Iterate: The Secret to Innovation in Schools.
On this episode, they discuss the two paths to coherence:
- Invitational Leadership: inviting people into a shared vision
- Transformational Leadership: As Dr. Reich says, this is ”Bringing People Together around Ideas They Care About;.....start[ing] with understanding, honoring, and respecting what people have already accomplished, and then helping them come together around ideas that will take their work forward.”
Links:
- John Diamond Where the Rubber Meets the Road
- Tom Daccord
- EdTech Teacher
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Nate McClennen is joined by Sharon Laidlaw, Director of Place Network at Teton Science Schools, to discuss place-based education, a movement that was articulated in the 1990’s and now has become a centerpiece of education innovation everywhere.
This movement is rekindling purposeful and agency filled learning experiences for young people. And while not explicitly named as place-based, these learning experiences that are unbundled, project-based, and real-world grounded in the tools of competencies and personalized approaches ALL fit within the place-based paradigm - using learning to engage the real world around real experiences and challenges - and this approach teaches critical skills that are a priority for an increasingly disconnected and complicated world.
Links:
- The Place Network
- Tetons Science Schools
- Sharon Laidlaw
- New Schools Venture Fund
- Roundrock Black Parents Association
- Gallup Poll
We’ve recently released a new publication that synthesizes years of research on AI and its impact on teaching and learning. You can find it at GettingSmart.com/artificial-intelligence/
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Nate McClennen is joined by Anant Agarwal, MIT Professor, Chief Platform Officer at 2U and Founder and CEO of edX, an online learning platform founded by Harvard and MIT. In 2020, Anant shared the story and vision for EdX from inception to present and its effort to increase access, reduce cost, and implement modularity in the higher education ecosystem. So much has happened in the last three years, that we thought it would be great to hear from Anant again (after his first time on the show) to get his sense of AI and how it will both play a role in both teaching in higher education as well as a topic for learning in higher education.
Links:
- Microbachelors Pathway
- Anant LinkedIn
- Anant Agarwal
- Y Pulse study
- 73 Million Learners
- Anant Agarwal on Extended Access to Education
- Axim Collaborative
- Open EdX
Key Takeaways:
- Ethics must be taught alongside Ai technology.
- The next phase of iteration is not only about scale, but about personalization.
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is a part of our New Pathways campaign. In partnership with American Student Assistance (ASA), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Stand Together and the Walton Family Foundation, the New Pathways campaign will question education’s status quo and propose new methods of giving students a chance to experience success in what’s next.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, New Pathways Senior Fellow Trace Pickering is joined by Dr. Tasia Chatman, Director of Learning Experiences at Springpoint and Jeff Sudmyer, Director of School Leadership.
As the Director, Learning Experiences, Tasia supports the design, development, and scale of Springpoint Transformative Learning Experiences. Tasia brings over 16 years of teaching and curriculum design experience. Her expertise is in curriculum design reflective of Universal Design for Learning and Culturally Responsive Teaching.
As Director of School Leadership, Jeff draws on over twenty years of experience as a teacher and administrator to coach principals and collaborate with leaders and teachers at Springpoint partner schools who are working to create innovative high schools.
Together, they discuss the elements of a transformative learning experience, making high school meaningful and much more.
Links:
- Tasia Chatman
- Jeff Sudmyer
- Springpoint
We’ve recently released a new publication that synthesizes years of research on AI and its impact on teaching and learning. You can find it at GettingSmart.com/artificial-intelligence/ On the recent Getting Smart Town Hall, we were joined by leaders who are thinking about generative AI and its implications and uses in the classroom. Throughout the conversation, we focused on how to ensure that your school is a safe and constructive place that embraces AI, while doing the work to set the proper agreements and expectations up front. We highlighted a few individuals who are working with their teams to address and utilize generative AI, including Steven Eno from Da Vinci Public Schools, Keeanna Warren from Purdue Polytechnic and Jim Newland from Hickman Mills.
Links:
- Links
- Chat
- Video
- Publication
Are you interested in attending one of the field’s largest gatherings of K-12 education innovators? The Aurora Institute Symposium 2023 promises community, lessons about education innovation from the field, and the latest research and policy to support education transformation. Find out more here.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Rebecca Midles is joined by Laurie Gagnon, CompetencyWorks Program Director and an author on some recent publications from the Aurora Institute: Next Generation Credentials and Work-Based Learning Policy.
Also, as an example of states moving forward, to help advance innovations in its Personalized, Competency-Based Learning (PCBL) pilot program, Utah has partnered with the Mastery Transcript Consortium to provide the learner record and resources to schools and districts making the shift.
We’re also joined by Cory Henwood, Innovation Director at Iron County Schools in Utah to discuss some of this work which was highlighted in the recent Aurora Institute report.
Links:
- Laurie Gagnon
- Cory Henwood
- CompetencyWorks Blog
- Going Beyond the Traditional: Next Gen Credentials and Flexible Learning Pathways
- Expanding Student Access to Work-Based Learning: Federal Policy Recommendations
- Aurora Institute
- Iron Essential Eight
- Kettle Moraine
- Florida XQ High PSI
- Mastery Transcript Consortium
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Shawnee Caruthers is joined by Eduardo Briceño, speaker, author and facilitator. His new book, The Performance Paradox: Turning the Power of Mindset into Action, was selected as a “Must-Read” by the Next Big Idea Club, which is curated by Susan Cain, Malcolm Gladwell, Adam Grant, and Dan Pink. This conversation unpacks what happens when we stay in cycles of performance rather than growth and learning.
Links:
- Eduardo Briceño
- The Performance Paradox
- Website
- How to Get Better at the Things you Care About (TED)
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Nate McClennen is joined by Morgan Camu, Head of Programs at Outschool.org and Justin Dent, founding Executive Director of Outschool.org. This non-profit branch of outschool.com is working to ensure not only access to all of outschool.com’s resources to those who are racially or economically marginalized - but is also thinking about how to support this unbundled ecosystem as a whole.
Links:
- Outschool.org
- Outschool.com
- Previous Podcast with Outschool founder Amir Nathoo
- Morgan Camu LinkedIn
- Kris Comeforo LinkedIn
- Engaged Detroit
- Outbridge
- Heritage Homeschoolers
- Epic Homeschool Network
Are you interested in attending one of the field’s largest gatherings of K-12 education innovators? The Aurora Institute Symposium 2023 promises community, lessons about education innovation from the field, and the latest research and policy to support education transformation. Find out more here.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Tom Vander Ark is joined by Nalukai program director Aaron Schorn and a high school student Sherry Jiang from Kealakehe high school.
The Nalukai Academy Startup Camp is a ten-day intensive entrepreneurship, technology, and design camp for high school students The camp covers a multitude of different subject areas with real-world applications, such as management, digital storytelling, design thinking, and large-scale digital projects. Campers at Nalukai are driven, clever, and innovative.
Nalukai focuses:
- Digital storytelling – branding & marketing, content creation, web design
- Leadership – project management, collaboration, team dynamics
- Entrepreneurship – networking, investor pitches, business plan development
- Design thinking – prototyping, mind-mapping, iteration
- Technology – coding, web development, digital business tools
Links:
- Nalukai Summer Agenda
- Nalukai
- Nalukai Blog
- Aarons and Trinity Asing Podcast
- Paul Graham Essay
- Difference Making at the Heart of Learning
- Real World Learning
- Kwaku Aning
- Uncharted Learning - Margarita Geleske
- Notre Dame de Sion Podcast Episode
- The Knowledge Society
- Instagram hinaea.hi
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Nate McClennen is joined by Thanasi Dilos, Co-Founder and Chief Growth Officer at Civics Unplugged. Thanasi has been an explorer with Nat Geo, a Venture Fellow and is also the Co-Founder and Founding Champion of DreamDAO - and he is 20 years old.
Links:
- Civics Unplugged
- Dream DAO
- Personal Site
- MIT Talk
- Design it For Us
- Sneha Revanur
- Encode Justice
- VELA Education Fund
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is brought to you by our recent publication Green Pathways, and makes the case for why ALL pathways need sustainability and green embedded. Find out more here.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark is joined again by Navid Nathoo, a former guest on the podcast. Navid joined us a few years ago to discuss The Knowledge Society, (TKS), one of the most revolutionary problem-based high school supplements that we’ve seen. This time we’re also joined by two TKS Learners, Theodore and Rachel. The group joins us from a sustainability summit in Switzerland.
Theodore is a 15 year old that is focused on solutions to the climate crisis. This has led him to work on climate tech projects in the lithium-ion battery space: working with a PH.D. student on her project of using ultra micro electrodes to increase the ionic conductivity of lithium-ion batteries at University of Quebec (UQAM) battery research labs.
Rachel is a 16-year-old activator at The Knowledge Society (TKS), with a deep interest in CRISPR and crop improvement. She is passionate about leveraging agritech to improve agricultural productivity in developing countries.
Links:
- Student Episode
- Foremer Episode with Navid
- TKS
- Future Class
- Villars Institute
Are you interested in attending one of the field’s largest gatherings of K-12 education innovators? The Aurora Institute Symposium 2023 promises community, lessons about education innovation from the field, and the latest research and policy to support education transformation. Find out more here.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark is joined by Kelly Smith, CEO and Founder of Prenda and author of the great new book A Fire to be Kindled: How a Generation of Empowered Learners Can Lead Meaningful Lives and Move Humanity Forward.
Links:
- A Fire to be Kindled Description
- Prenda
- Kelly Smith Linkedin
- Amazon Link
- KindlED Podcast episode about the book
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is brought to you by our recent publication Green Pathways, and makes the case for why ALL pathways need sustainability and green embedded. Find out more here.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark is joined by repeat guest Jamie Merisotis, CEO of Lumina Foundation, a foundation committed to making opportunities for learning beyond high school available to all. We spoke with Jamie in 2020 right after the publication of Human Work in the Age of Smart Machines.
Links:
- Lumina Foundation
- Human Work in the Age of Smart Machines
- Diverse Teams Smart Tools Blog
- National Council for Workforce Education
On the recent Getting Smart Town Hall, we were joined by NGLC to discuss their recent report focused on what comes after a school district adopts a Portrait of a Graduate. We also featured two of the educators highlighted in the report, not to mention countless others in our audience who are doing important work on the subject.
These districts have been hard at work on aligning to their Portrait and ensuring that it is a living, breathing document and they had great ideas for how to keep revisiting, revising and ensuring that it is relevant to all stakeholders.
Links:
- Mentions in Chat
- Recap Blog
Are you interested in attending one of the field’s largest gatherings of K-12 education innovators? The Aurora Institute Symposium 2023 promises community, lessons about education innovation from the field, and the latest research and policy to support education transformation. Find out more here.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Nate McClennen is joined by Amit Sevak, the CEO of ETS, the largest private educational assessment organization in the world and Tim Knowles, the 10th president of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Both Amit and Tim are long-term education leaders and entrepreneurs who have focused their careers on creating better opportunities for more people through education.
Together, they have formed a new partnership to rethink assessment and measurement.
Links:
- ETS
- ETS Team Page
- Carnegie Foundation
- Timothy Knowles
- Press Release about Partnership
- Mastery Transcript Consortium
Are you interested in attending one of the field’s largest gatherings of K-12 education innovators? The Aurora Institute Symposium 2023 promises community, lessons about education innovation from the field, and the latest research and policy to support education transformation. Find out more here.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Nate McClennen is joined by Amit Sevak, the CEO of ETS, the largest private educational assessment organization in the world and Tim Knowles, the 10th president of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Both Amit and Tim are long-term education leaders and entrepreneurs who have focused their careers on creating better opportunities for more people through education.
Together, they have formed a new partnership to rethink assessment and measurement.
Links:
- ETS
- ETS Team Page
- Carnegie Foundation
- Timothy Knowles
- Press Release about Partnership
- Mastery Transcript Consortium
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark is joined by a high school student Sabrina Zhang. We are also joined by Jack Prater, one of Sabrina’s teachers at Polytechnic School in Pasadena, California. They recently collaborated as a mentor/mentee team in The Earth Prize competition, a $200k global competition for students to create solutions to climate-related challenges.
Links:
- Interview with Jack
- Agrivision
- The Earth Prize
- Polytechnic Institute
- Sabrina’s Blog
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is a part of our New Pathways campaign. In partnership with American Student Assistance® (ASA), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Stand Together and the Walton Foundation, the New Pathways campaign will question education’s status quo and propose new methods of giving students a chance to experience success in what’s next.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, New Pathways Senior Fellow Trace Pickering is joined by Jim Bailey, Director and Co-founder of Rock Tree Sky, a self-directed learning center in Ojai, California. Rock Tree Sky provides learner-centered, experiential education space where learners and mentors are supported to follow their unique learning journey. Rock Tree Sky cultivates an inclusive learning community with a goal of developing the whole self through learning in relationship with others.
Links:
- Rock Tree Sky
- Education Reimagined
- Free to Learn - Peter Gray
- John Holt
- John Dewey
- Iowa Big
- Karen Pittman and Gary Briggs Getting Smart Podcast
- Piaget
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is a part of our New Pathways campaign. In partnership with American Student Assistance® (ASA), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Stand Together and the Walton Foundation, the New Pathways campaign will question education’s status quo and propose new methods of giving students a chance to experience success in what’s next.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, we have some returning guests from Notre Dame de Sion. We spoke to these students last year before they went on a transformational trip to Kenya. It was so nice to have Mary, Suzanne, Claire and Ginger back on the podcast.
Links:
- Previous podcast with Sion Students
- Notre Dame de Sion
- Global Impacts
- EduCatered: Emilie Lai
- EduCatered: Gabby Dedrick
- Lewa Wildlife Conservancy
This episode is supported by our recent Artificial Intelligence publication which focuses on the ways in which AI is shaping teaching, leading and learning.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Nate McClennen is joined by Karema Akilah, founder of the Genius School, Genii DAO and Geniiverse. Karema and I met at ASU GSV and I was struck by her creative “genius” in pulling together homeschools, Web3, metaverse worlds and all around commitment to learner agency, purpose and difference making.
Links:
- Personal Site
- Genii DAO Site
- Genii DAO Twitter
- Genius School - Decentralized, Democratic, Self-Directed
- Robert Kiyosaki, Cash Flow 101
- What Can Decentralized Organizations Accomplish in Education?
- Raising Free People - Akilah Richards
- Raising Free People Book
- John Holt - Unschooling
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Rebecca Midles is joined by Landon Mascareñaz an educator, writer, and vice president of community partnership at the Colorado Education Initiative. We’re also joined by Doannie Tran, a partner at the Center for Innovation in Education.
Their new book, The Open System: Redesigning Education and Reigniting Democracy makes the case that education is our greatest democracy-building endeavor, and through opening it up to the communities it serves and redesigning public systems, we can reimagine and reinvigorating our democracy and countless other shared pursuits of our society.
Links:
- The Open System Institute
- The Open System Book
- Landon Mascareñaz
- Doannie Tran
- Colorado Education Initiative
This episode is supported by our recent Artificial Intelligence publication which focuses on the ways in which AI is shaping teaching, leading and learning.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Tom Vander Ark is joined by Ryan Craig, Managing Director of Achieve Partners. Ryan is leading the development of the Hire/Train/Deploy sector, a new category of intermediary organizations that take the friction out of hiring--for companies as well as job seekers.
In his 2018 book , A New U: Faster + Cheaper Alternatives to College Craig made the case that unless you get a free ride to a top school, you should find a free or affordable sprint to a good first job.
Ryan’s upcoming book, Apprentice Nation: How the "Earn and Learn" Alternative to Higher Education Will Create a Stronger and Fairer America, will focus on economic mobility and a more durable American job market.
Links:
- Ryan Craig on Last-Mile Training as an Alternative to Higher Ed
- How Faster + Cheaper Alternatives Will Replace Much of Higher Ed
- Apprenticeships for America
- Apprentice Nation: How the "Earn and Learn" Alternative to Higher Education Will Create a Stronger and Fairer America
- Skillstorm
- Optimum Healthcare IT
- Riipen
- CreatorUp
- A New U: Faster + Cheaper Alternatives to College
- Ryan Craig
- Achieve Partners
Are you interested in attending one of the field’s largest gatherings of K-12 education innovators? The Aurora Institute Symposium 2023 promises community, lessons about education innovation from the field, and the latest research and policy to support education transformation. Find out more here.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark is joined by Cyane Dandridge, founder of Strategic Energy Initiatives (SEI), an environmental nonprofit that builds leaders to drive sustainability solutions. One of those solutions is a high school model, School for Environmental Leadership (SEL). The flagship is MarinSEL, a “school within a school” located within Terra Linda High School in the San Rafael City Schools district and we’re excited to be also joined Karen Madden, a teacher leader from MarinSEL.
Links:
- 2021 Impact Report
- SEI
- School for Environmental Leadership (SEL)
- High School Sustainability Curriculum Page
- Cyane Dandridge
- Karen Madden
On this Getting Smart Town Hall, we are joined by Erin Mote from Educating All Learners Alliance and Karla Phillips-Krivickas from Think Inclusion to discuss some of the core challenges facing learners with disabilities, some of the most pressing topics circling the learning disability field and to highlight exemplars who are responding well to these pressures and challenges.
Links:
- Slides from the Town Hall
- Video of the Town Hall
- Links from the Town Hall
- Link to Recap
- Next Town Hall
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Tom Vander Ark is joined by Karen Pittman, Partner at Knowledge to Power Catalysts and Gary Briggs, Director of Systems Impact at New Teacher Center to discuss a recent report The Elephant in the Classroom. This position paper articulates a new, shared purpose for education and paints a picture of what it would look like if our systems were rooted in a vision that centered equity, humanity, justice, and self-actualization for students and adults.
Links:
- Elephant in the Classroom PDF
- Karen Pittman LinkedIn
- Gary Briggs LinkedIn
- SOLD Alliance Design Principles
We’ve recently released a new publication that synthesizes years of research on AI and its impact on teaching and learning. You can find it at GettingSmart.com/artificial-intelligence/
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Tom Vander Ark is joined by Dr Scott Muri, Superintendent of Ector County School District in Odessa, Texas.
Previously, he has served in numerous district leadership roles and is a leader in funding schools, educator prep and much more.
Links:
- Twitter Link
- Scott Muri LinkedIn
- Sal Khan about AI tutoring
- Ector County School District
Are you interested in attending one of the field’s largest gatherings of K-12 education innovators? The Aurora Institute Symposium 2023 promises community, lessons about education innovation from the field, and the latest research and policy to support education transformation. Find out more here.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Nate McClennen is joined by Orly Friedman Head of School at Red Bridge in San Francisco, a unique learning environment that builds agency in young people. Orly has worked in the DC public schools, Khan Lab School and with Transcend - among many other experiences. We had the chance to catch up with her at ASU-GSV and she was excited to share the story of the school.
Links:
- Red Bridge
- Orly Friedman
- Bogota, Columbia: Colegio Fontán
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Rebecca Midles is joined by a former guest on the Getting Smart Podcast and a friend of Getting Smart, Stephanie Malia Krauss. Stephanie is the author of multiple books, including Making It and the new Whole Child, Whole Life: 10 Ways to Help Kids Live, Learn, and Thrive.
Links:
- Whole Child Whole Life
- Stephanie Malia Krauss Website
- Past episode with Stephanie
We’ve recently released a new publication that synthesizes years of research on AI and its impact on teaching and learning. You can find it at GettingSmart.com/artificial-intelligence/
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Nate McClennen is joined by Bodo Hoeden co-founder and CEO of Nolej, a generative AI tool that automatically convert documents (Text, Video, Audio) into dynamic active learning content through the use of our AI. What used to take instructional designers hours, can now be done by anyone in minutes.
Nolej is focused on doing the following:
- Creating a tool that can generate bite size e-learning packages from any content in real-time.
- Mapping these experiences into a multi-dimensional latent space - almost like a map of ignorance for search and visibility.
- Building A GPS to help guide you through these learning experiences and to help you interact with mentors, experts and other learners.
In this conversation, Nate and Bodo discuss the vast potential of AI, the past and future of collective intelligence, the structure of Nolej and much more.
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is supported by the JFF Horizons Summit. Find out more at horizons.jff.org.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark is joined by Michelle Blanchet, Founder & Director of the Educator’s Lab and author of Preventing Polarization: 50 Strategies for Teaching Kids About Empathy, Politics, and Civic Responsibility co-authored by Brian Deters.
Michelle is also serving as a Senior Fellow for our New Pathways campaign as she helps us to highlight and share stories around keeping sustainability and citizenship at the core of pathways.
Links:
- Educator’s Lab
- Michelle Blanchet
- Civics Through Play
- The Startup Teacher Playbook
- Preventing Polarization Amazon
- Basehor-Linwood Student designed park
- Lies My Teacher Told Me
- UnTextbooked Podcast
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark is joined by Dr. Scott McLeod, a Professor of Leadership for Educational Organizations at University of Colorado Denver and author of numerous books, most recently Leadership for Deeper Learning. Scott is also a Senior Fellow at Getting Smart.
Links:
- Different Schools for a Different World
- Leadership for Deeper Learning
- Scott McLeod Twitter
- Scott McLeod Fellow Page
- LeaderTalk
- Redesigning for Deeper Learning
- Dr. Don Haddad and Dr. Jackie Kapushion on St. Vrain Schools and Innovation Centers
- New Village Girls Academy
- Butler Tech
- CAPS Network
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is sponsored by JFF Horizons.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, we’re rebroadcasting a recent Getting Smart Town Hall where we discussed various Portraits of a Graduate, Graduate Profiles, and Student Learning Goals with hopes of identifying a set of learner capabilities and skills that will prepare young people for whatever is next. We’re joined by Tim Taylor of America Succeeds who helps shine a light on Durable Skills, conversations with industry leaders and much more.
Links
- Links from chat
- Link to website post
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is brought to you by our new Credentialed Learning Interactive Publication, check it out at GettingSmart.com/Credentialed.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Rebecca Midles and Victoria Andrews are joined by Kathryn Kennedy, Executive Director of Wellness for Educators, a nonprofit that is invested in and passionate about supporting educators worldwide with research-based, trauma- and equity-informed trainings, coaching, and strategies for social, emotional, mental, and physical health and wellbeing.
They’re also joined by Dr. Rebecca Itow the Treasurer on the Board of Directors at Wellness for Educators. She is also the Principal of Indiana University High School Online. We recently had the pleasure of meeting Kathryn and her team at the Digital Learning Annual Conference (DLAC) where we hit it off quickly and HAD to learn more.
Links
- Well4edu
- Kathryn Kennedy
- Dr. Rebecca Itow
- Dena Simmons
- Well4Edu Podcasts
- Shomari Jones
- Unrulr
- Aaron Schorn
- Voice for Equity
- Center for Ed Justice
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Mason Pashia is joined for a second time on the podcast by Awaachiáookaate', or Jason Cummins Ed.D. He is an enrolled member of the Apsaalooke Nation, and recently served as a principal at Crow Agency Public School. As an Indigenous scholar and school leader he has innovatively worked to lead schools towards authentically serving Native American students PreK-12 and their communities by implementing culturally sustaining, trauma-informed, and restorative approaches. Dr. Cummins is currently serving as the Deputy Director for the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Native Americans and Strengthening Tribal Colleges and Universities, Office of the Secretary.
Links:
- Department of the Interior: Boarding School Report
- Dr. Jason Cummins and Mike Ruyle on the School Wellness Wheel
- Exterminate All the Brutes
- Lanny Real Bird
- Difference Making
- Sweeney Windchief
- Alex Redcorn
- Ethan Chang: Dangerous Leadership
- Trail-Cast Podcast
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is a part of our New Pathways campaign. In partnership with American Student Assistance (ASA), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Stand Together and the Walton Foundation, the New Pathways campaign will question education’s status quo and propose new methods of giving students a chance to experience success in what’s next.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Shawnee Caruthers is joined by Stephanie Short and David Zasada to discuss Design for Delight’s (D4D) latest case study which highlights core takeaways from the recent D4D camp and course. Earlier this year, America Succeeds and Design4Delight partnered to articulate the effectiveness of Intuit’s Design for Delight program and how well it cultivates Durable Skills.
Stephanie Short is Vice President of Partnerships at America Succeeds, a non-profit education advocacy organization committed to improving educational opportunities, outcomes, and equity by harnessing the influence and acumen of the business community in accelerating systems change.
Dave Zasada is Vice President of Education and Corporate Responsibility at Intuit, a global technology firm specializing in software and the creator of the Design for Delight program.
Links
- Design for Delight: Building Durable Schools with Learners
- Design for Delight: Durable Skills Case Study
- Design for Delight Resources
- Stephanie Short
- Design for Delight
- Dave Zasada
- CompTIA
What would an economy look like that centered justice, regenerativity and collaboration? Want to play a role? Find out more about the Next Economy MBA from LIFT Economy.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Tom Vander Ark is joined by Dr. David Dimmett, President and CEO of Project Lead the Way. Prior to Project Lead the Way he served for over a decade at the Evansville Vanderburgh school district in a variety of roles.
Links:
- PLTW David Dimmett
- PLTW
- Project Lead the Way 2022 Annual Report
- Sam Seidel and Olatunde Sobomehin on Creative Hustle
- Stoked
We hosted a town hall event called Raise the Bar: Policy Shaping Pathways. We were lucky to be joined by two policy gurus: Dr. Amy Loyd, Assistant Secretary at the Department of Education and Julie Lammers, Senior Vice President, Advocacy and Corporate Social Responsibility at American Student Assistance (ASA). Together, we discussed how recent policies will drive school change through intentionally building and designing pathways toward student success. One of these policies is Raise the Bar: Lead the World, a recent initiative from Secretary Cardona which will focus on:
- Creating Pathways for Global Engagements
- Ensure every student has a pathway to college and careers
- Provide every student a pathway to multilingualism
You can find the links from the chat here.
Interested in learning more about the World of Work? We’d love to see you at the summit. Register here.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, New Pathways Senior Fellow Trace Pickering is joined by Al O’Bannon. Al is the Executive Director of the LBA Foundation in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and is a Certified School Counseling Leadership Specialist, recognized by the American School Counseling Association. Al has over 20 years of experience with non-profit organizations.
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is a part of our New Pathways campaign. In partnership with American Student Assistance® (ASA), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Stand Together and the Walton Foundation, the New Pathways campaign will question education’s status quo and propose new methods of giving students a chance to experience success in what’s next.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Shawnee Caruthers is joined by Dr. Dennis Johnston, Senior Director and Chief Research Officer at AVID, a resource for professional development, feedback and continued knowledge sharing.
Links:
- AVID
- Link to White Paper
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, New Pathways Senior Fellow Trace Pickering is joined by David Weinberg, a teacher, principal, curriculum director, assistant superintendent, and a founder of EPIC North HS in New York City. He now spends his time working to help schools become more innovative and restorative.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Shawnee Caruthers is joined by Josh Fryday,California’s Chief Service Officer within the Office of Governor Gavin Newsom to lead service, volunteer, and civic engagement efforts throughout California.
Links:
- Josh Fryday
- California Volunteers
- College Corps
- Climate Action Corps
- Mission: Joy
- On To Greener Pathways: The Future of Work Has New Opportunities for Students
What would an economy look like that centered justice, regenerativity and collaboration? Want to play a role? Find out more about the Next Economy MBA from LIFT Economy.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Tom Vander Ark is joined by Dr. Justin Aglio, the Executive Director of the Readiness Institute at Penn State University. Previously, Justin was a district leader in Montour School District, one of the first districts to pilot the AI+Ethics middle-grade curriculum.
Links:
- Justin Aglio LinkedIn
- Montour School District
- Readiness Institute at Penn State University.
- Mark Cuban Foundation AI Bootcamp
- Penn State
- AI Ethics - Media Lab
- Unbundled Learning
- Instagram Readiness Institute
Will we be seeing you this year at SXSW EDU? Register today.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Shawnee Caruthers is joined by Jenee Henry Wood, a Partner at Transcend Education and David Nitkin, also a Partner at Transcend.
David and Jenee recently worked on an initiative called Conversations with Kids, a research project and culminating paper that analyzed data from 20,000+ students who participated in Transcend's Leaps Student Voice Survey and focus groups. Tons of outstanding themes were identified as a result.
Links
- Conversations with Kids Initiative
- Survey Tool
- Conversation Guide
- Jenee Henry Wood LinkedIn
- David Nitkin LinkedIn
- Northern Cass School District
- Transcend Education
On the 2023 edition of our annual “What’s next in learning?” Getting Smart Town Hall, we dug into some of the core drivers impacting learning today: the Pandemic Response, New Pathways and AI Everywhere. We then broke these categories down further into trends that we are seeing that are likely to have a big impact on the education ecosystem in 2023.
See the links that we mentioned here.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, we’re sharing a recent conversation between Tom Vander Ark and Louka Parry. Together they discuss the mission of school, credentials and records, generative AI, shifting towards regenerative models of learning and much more.
Louka Parry is CEO of The Learning Future, a company committed to transforming learning structures, systems and societies so that we better empower individuals to develop the key human capabilities that matter most now and into the future. Louka is also the host of The Learning Future Podcast, which we recommend you check out for more conversations about the future of learning.
Links:
- About Louka
- The Learning Future Podcast
- Salzburg Global Seminar
- Thomas Homer-Dixon on Commanding Hope and the Nature of Complexity Podcast
- Tim Klein and Belle Liang on How to Navigate Life
- Difference Making at the Heart of Learning
- Learning Creates Australia
- Da Vinci Schools
- Learning Economy Foundation
- Sam Seidel and Olatunde Sobomehin on the Creative Hustle and Blazing Your Own Path
Schools are supposed to prepare young people for the opportunities ahead of them, but oftentimes the opportunities move faster than the school systems. In the last few years some of the world’s leading countries have made massive commitments to sustainability. Legislation like the Inflation Reduction Act has promised millions of new jobs in sustainability and, currently, our lack of labor force is a huge bottleneck in being able to meet the demands of these urgent legislative wins. What can schools do to create greener education to employment pathways and prepare younger generations for the jobs ahead?
Michelle Blanchet from Educator’s Lab and Mason Pashia from Getting Smart recently hosted a roundtable discussion to help spotlight where we are now and where we need to get to.
The panelists on this event were:
- Thomas Riggle, Denver Public Schools
- Tish Tablan, Generation180
- Shonique Banks, Philadelphia Energy
- Jordan Crolly, Philadephia School District
Interested in learning more about the World of Work? We’d love to see you at the summit. Register here.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Nate McClennen is joined by Dr. Julie Evans, CEO of Project Tomorrow, and author of the new book Free Agent Learning. Project Tomorrow runs Speak Up which routinely surveys young people about their perceptions and opinions about school. She is a deep believer in listening to learners and providing agency for their learning.
Links:
- Julie Evans Bio
- Free Agent Learning
- Aurora Institute Presentation
- Project Tomorrow
- Project Tomorrow Speak Up Research
- Daniel Pink on Autonomy, Mastery and Purpose
- Thomas Arnet Bio
- Blogs by Thomas Arnett
Interested in learning more about the World of Work? We’d love to see you at the summit. Register here.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Nate McClennen is joined by Dr. Julie Evans, CEO of Project Tomorrow, and author of the new book Free Agent Learning. Project Tomorrow runs Speak Up which routinely surveys young people about their perceptions and opinions about school. She is a deep believer in listening to learners and providing agency for their learning.
Links:
- Julie Evans Bio
- Free Agent Learning
- Aurora Institute Presentation
- Project Tomorrow
- Project Tomorrow Speak Up Research
- Daniel Pink on Autonomy, Mastery and Purpose
- Thomas Arnet Bio
- Blogs by Thomas Arnett
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is a part of our New Pathways campaign. In partnership with American Student Assistance® (ASA), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Stand Together and the Walton Foundation, the New Pathways campaign will question education’s status quo and propose new methods of giving students a chance to experience success in what’s next.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Shawnee Caruthers is joined by a dream team of guests. The first speaker you’ll hear is Kelly Fast, Director of Experiential Learning at Notre Dame de Sion. We then turn to four incredible Sion students: Mary, Suzanne, Claire and Ginger to discuss some of the incredible work and learning they are doing on a local and global level.
If you want to support the work, you can send an email to globalimpacts@ndsion.edu.
Links:
- Notre Dame de Sion
- Global Impacts
- EduCatered: Emilie Lai
- EduCatered: Gabby Dedrick
- Days for Girls
- Giving Hope and Help
- Sew Powerful
- Urbavore
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Rebecca Midles is joined by two dear friends and peers: Kelly Niccolls and Abby Benedetto. Kelly Niccolls is formerly a Getting Smart colleague and now leads Secondary Teaching and Learning at Cheney Public Schools.
Abby Benedetto is one of Getting Smart’s Senior Fellows and is also the founder of Core Shifts.
Listen in as they discuss the Assessment as Revelation framework. We also recently published a blog by them on GettingSmart.com all about the framework. Check it out!
Links:
- Kelly Niccolls LinkedIn
- Revelatory Assessment One-Pager
- Abby Benedetto LinkedIn
- Abby Benedetto Pathways
- Deeper Learning Equity Fellows
- Street Data
- Listening Leader
- Emergent Strategy
- Core Shifts
- Cheney Public Schools
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark is joined by repeat podcast guest Sam Seidel Director of K12 Strategy + Research at the Stanford d.school, the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford University and Olatunde Sobomehin, CEO of StreetCode Academy to discuss their new book Creative Hustle: Blaze Your Own Path and Make Work That Matters.
Links:
- Sam Seidel Twitter
- Sam Seidel LinkedIn
- Sam Seidel Bio
- Olatunde Sobomehin LinkedIn
- Olatunde - Praxis Labs
- Olatunde Sobomehin Twitter
- Creative Hustle: Blaze Your Own Path and Make Work That Matters
- HipHopGenius.org
- StreetCode Academy
- Sam Seidel on Design Thinking
- Sarah Stein Greenberg Podcast
- Design for Belonging by Dr. Susie Wise
- New Pathways
- Rep Mag
- High School for the Recording Arts
- Big Picture Learning
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark is joined by Dr. Barbara “Bobbi” Kurshan and Kathy Hurley the co-authors of the new book InnovateHERs: Why Purpose Driven Entrepreneurial Women Rise to the Top.
Dr. Barbara “Bobbi” Kurshan, is the President of Educorp Consultants Corporation and Senior Innovation Advisor, the Graduate School of Education, Education Entrepreneurship, University of Pennsylvania, and a former education industry entrepreneur.
Kathy Hurley is a former senior executive for numerous educational publishing and technology companies, including IBM and Pearson. After retiring from Pearson, she was selected as a Fellow of the Advanced Leadership Initiative (ALI) at Harvard University and co-founded a global nonprofit organization, Girls Thinking Global.
Links:
- Amazon Link
- Barbara Kurshan LinkedIn
- Kathy Hurley LinkedIn
- Innovatehers resources
- EMP Whitepaper
- Ken Kay on Redefining Student Success
- Innovation Ecosystem
- Newsletter Subscription
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is a part of our New Pathways campaign. In partnership with American Student Assistance® (ASA), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Stand Together and the Walton Foundation, the New Pathways campaign will question education’s status quo and propose new methods of giving students a chance to experience success in what’s next.
On this Getting Smart Town Hall we took a look at a number of organizations and technologies that enable powerful badging and credentialing opportunities to help students share their stories, their learning and their priorities.
Credentialing is the new way to communicate capabilities and provides more reliable and precise capability signaling than courses and grades. We'll explore the secondary and postsecondary learning and employment ecosystems where credentialing is emerging, how it complements skills-based hiring, and the implications for learner records.
We were joined by Project Director of Project Zero, David Kidd as well as Director of Product Management at XQ, Rachel Safferstone. These two guests are doing incredible work in the space of credentialing and badging and both the vision and the experience to help us better understand the broader landscape.
Links:
- Recap Post
- Links from the Town Hall
- Getting Smart Town Halls
- Unbundled Learning: A Getting Smart Publication
Thank you to BetterHelp for sponsoring this episode. Speak with an affordable, licensed therapist at your convenience and save 10% on your first month at BetterHelp.com/GettingSmart.
We’ve done it! It’s the season finale of EduCatered. Thank you SO much for joining us through all of these great conversations this first season.
This special season finale is hosted by producer Mason, and he interviews Shawnee Caruthers and previous guest, now Getting Smart teammate, Victoria Andrews. We do things a little differently this time around… we hope you’ll tune in.
Links:
- Victoria Playlist: Kool Kids Vibes
- Victoria Playlist: Upbeat Elevator Jams
- Victoria Playlist: Let’s Ride
- Big Bang Recap Podcast
- Valencia Instagram
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Tom Vander Ark is joined by Dr. Ellen Perconti, Superintendent at Goldendale School District. Dr. Ellen Perconti is an experienced education superintendent with a demonstrated history of leading instructional reform and creating cultures focused on engagement.
Links:
- Goldendale School District
- Getting Smart Podcast with Joanne McEachen
- Education Leaders Organization
- Marc Johnson Sanger Unified
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is a part of our New Pathways campaign. In partnership with American Student Assistance® (ASA), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Stand Together and the Walton Foundation, the New Pathways campaign will question education’s status quo and propose new methods of giving students a chance to experience success in what’s next.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Shawnee Caruthers is joined by Stephanie Taylor, director of clinical innovation at Presence.
Stephanie has worked in education since 2002 as a teacher, a special education teacher/case manager, school psychologist, and director of special education. She is currently working in the private sector to help schools gain access to needed related services through teletherapy.
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is a part of our New Pathways campaign. In partnership with American Student Assistance® (ASA), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Stand Together and the Walton Foundation, the New Pathways campaign will question education’s status quo and propose new methods of giving students a chance to experience success in what’s next.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark is joined by Dr Paul LeBlanc, president of Southern New Hampshire University and author of the books Students First: Equity, Access, and Opportunity in Higher Education and, most recently, Broken: How Our Social Systems are Failing Us and How We Can Fix Them
Listen in while Tom and Paul talk about the power of stories, the difference between belonging and mattering and how keeping relationships at the center of human systems is the only way to find success.
Links:
- Students First (Amazon Link)
- Broken (Amazon Link)
- Paul LeBlanc Bio
- Paul LeBlanc and Connie Yowell
- Harvard Education Press
- New Pathways
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is supported by LME Global’s Learning Blueprint. Find out more at lme.global/smart.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom is joined by Tanya Sheckley, author of the new book Rebel Educator: Create Classrooms Where Impact and Imagination Meet.
Tanya Sheckley is the Founder and President of UP Academy – a progressive elementary lab school in San Mateo, California. UP Academy is reinventing education by customizing learning for each student, integrating project-based learning throughout its curriculum, and supporting students with disabilities to attend school alongside able-bodied students in mixed-age classrooms.
Links:
- Tanya Sheckley
- Rebel Educator Podcast
- Rebel Educator
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Tom Vander Ark is joined by David McRaney, author of the new book How Minds Change: The Surprising Science of Belief, Opinion, and Persuasion and the host of the You Are Not So Smart Podcast.
Links:
- About You Are Not So Smart
- You Are Not So Smart Podcast
- How Minds Change
- How Minds Change Discussion Guide
- Clash by Caravan Palace
- James Burke
- Jay Van Bavel
- The dress debate
- SURFPAD
- Genetic Epistemology by Jean Piaget
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Shawnee Caruthers is joined by author and instructional specialist Miriam Plotinsky to discuss her new book Teach More, Hover Less.
Miriam is a strong advocate for student-centered learning, she provides coaching and professional development for teachers and administrators. Plotinsky is widely published in Education Week, Edutopia, ASCD Express, The Teaching Channel, EdSurge, K–12 Talk, and Education World. She is also a National Board Certified Teacher with additional certification in administration and supervision.
Links:
- Author website
- Teach More, Hover Less
- List of articles by Miriam
- Miriam Plotinsky Twitter
- Catlin Tucker - Take Learning Sideways
- Rachel Portman - Chocolat Soundtrack
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is a part of our New Pathways campaign. In partnership with American Student Assistance® (ASA), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Stand Together and the Walton Foundation, the New Pathways campaign will question education’s status quo and propose new methods of giving students a chance to experience success in what’s next.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark is joined by Dr. Mike Magee, the president of Minerva University. Previously, Mike spent time largely in edpolicy at Rhode Island School of Design, Rhode Island Mayoral Academies, and Chiefs for Change.
Minerva University is a 10 year old independent, non-profit, accredited institution of higher education. It was formed in partnership with a venture-backed startup called the Minerva Project and incubated at Keck Graduate Institute.
Links:
- Mike Magee About
- Mike Magee Twitter
- Minerva University
- Minerva Project
- Ben Nelson
- Forum Platform
- Minerva University Sustainability Minor
- Seabound Carbon Capture
- Master of Science in Decision Analysis
Some of Mike’s Favorite Poems:
- Emily Dickinson - I dwell in Possibility
- Gwendolyn Brooks - Boy Breaking Glass
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is a part of our New Pathways campaign. In partnership with American Student Assistance® (ASA), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Stand Together and the Walton Foundation, the New Pathways campaign will question education’s status quo and propose new methods of giving students a chance to experience success in what’s next.
The recent Getting Smart Town Hall focused on Education 3.0 (ed3), aka how Web3 will likely empower a new generation of learning. We were joined by founder of K20Education, Vriti Saraf as well as Mike Peck, Vriti’s co-founder of ed3DAO. This event covered how the web has evolved and how that has similarly mapped onto the education model.
NOTES:
- NEW Unbundled Publication
- View Full Recap
- Links From the Town Hall
- What Can Decentralized Organizations Accomplish in Education?
- Three Ways Web3 Will Change Education For Good
We're thrilled to bring you an episode of one of our favorite current podcasts: UnTextbooked. In each episode, a young producer talks to a scholar about a topic they’re curious about. We know that you, our audience, care deeply about at least two things: Continuing to learn and challenge yourself, and celebrating others' learning, especially young folks. Get ready for a ride on the power of perspective.
UnTextbooked is back with new episodes every Thursday. Follow the show wherever you listen to podcasts, so you never miss an episode. UnTextbooked Shownotes: There are more than five hundred federally recognized Indigenous nations in the United States today, nearly three million people, but their stories have largely been omitted from the nation’s history.
On this episode of UnTextbooked, producer Gavin Scott interviews acclaimed historian and activist, Professor Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz and takes a look at U.S. History through the lens of Indigenous Peoples and unpacks what we’ve been missing as a nation without their perspective.
BOOK: An Indigenous People's History of the United States
GUEST: Professor Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
PRODUCER: Gavin Scott
MUSIC: Silas Bohen and Coleman Hamilton
PRODUCTION: Pod People - Hannah Pedersen, Danielle Roth, Shaneez Tyndall, and Michael Aquino.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark is joined by Chris McNutt and Nick Covington, two leaders of the Human Restoration Project, an initiative aimed at transforming school systems towards human-centered policies that promote well-being and powerful learning.
Links:
- Chris McNutt
- Nick Covington
- Human Restoration Project Podcast
- 100 Days of Conversation Podcast
- Human Restoration Project Conference
- Human Restoration Project PD
- UN Sustainable Development Goals
- Difference Making | Getting Smart
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark is joined by Chris McNutt and Nick Covington, two leaders of the Human Restoration Project, an initiative aimed at transforming school systems towards human-centered policies that promote well-being and powerful learning.
Links:
- Chris McNutt
- Nick Covington
- Human Restoration Project Podcast
- 100 Days of Conversation Podcast
- Human Restoration Project Conference
- Human Restoration Project PD
- UN Sustainable Development Goals
- Difference Making | Getting Smart
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is a part of our New Pathways campaign. In partnership with American Student Assistance® (ASA), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Stand Together and the Walton Foundation, the New Pathways campaign will question education’s status quo and propose new methods of giving students a chance to experience success in what’s next.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark is joined by Dr. Don Haddad, the Superintendent at St. Vrain Valley Schools and Dr. Jackie Kapushion, the Deputy Superintendent.
Together, they discuss the various pathways initiatives of St. Vrain Valley Schools, the role of a superintendent and how to scale innovation.
Links:
- Don Haddad LinkedIn
- St. Vrain Valley Schools
- Jackie Kapushion Twitter
- Jackie Kapushion LinkedIn
- P-Teach
- P-Tech
- Career Elevation and Technology Center
- Bill Ritter Getting Smart Podcast
- Next-Gen Career Prep at St. Vrain Innovation Center
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is a part of our New Pathways campaign. In partnership with American Student Assistance® (ASA), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Stand Together and the Walton Foundation, the New Pathways campaign will question education’s status quo and propose new methods of giving students a chance to experience success in what’s next.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark is joined by Dr. Don Haddad, the Superintendent at St. Vrain Valley Schools and Dr. Jackie Kapushion, the Deputy Superintendent.
Together, they discuss the various pathways initiatives of St. Vrain Valley Schools, the role of a superintendent and how to scale innovation.
Links:
- Don Haddad LinkedIn
- St. Vrain Valley Schools
- Jackie Kapushion Twitter
- Jackie Kapushion LinkedIn
- P-Teach
- P-Tech
- Career Elevation and Technology Center
- Bill Ritter Getting Smart Podcast
- Next-Gen Career Prep at St. Vrain Innovation Center
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is supported by LME Global’s Learning Blueprint. Find out more at lme.global/smart.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Tom Vander Ark is joined by Alex Budak, a UC Berkeley Haas faculty member and now the author of a new book called Becoming a Changemaker: An Actionable, Inclusive Guide to Leading Positive Change at Any Level.
Links:
- Alex Budak LinkedIn
- Alex Budak Website
- Becoming a Changemaker (Amazon)
- Difference Making
- Bryan Stevenson
- Changemaker Index
- Sam McCracken
- N7 Shoe
- Dr. Nadine Burke Harris
- ACEs
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is supported by LME Global’s Learning Blueprint. Find out more at lme.global/smart.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Tom Vander Ark is joined by Alex Budak, a UC Berkeley Haas faculty member and now the author of a new book called Becoming a Changemaker: An Actionable, Inclusive Guide to Leading Positive Change at Any Level.
Links:
- Alex Budak LinkedIn
- Alex Budak Website
- Becoming a Changemaker (Amazon)
- Difference Making
- Bryan Stevenson
- Changemaker Index
- Sam McCracken
- N7 Shoe
- Dr. Nadine Burke Harris
- ACEs
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark is joined by a group of guests to discuss the promise of science fairs and why science deep dives should be part of every learner's experience. In 2020 we spoke with Maya Ajmera, CEO of the Society for Science and host of the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) and Regeneron Science Talent Search. Our three guests for this podcast are:
Priscilla Lumbreras is a science teacher in Granbury ISD and an alumni of the Society’s Advocate Program as well as a STEM Research Grantee.
Anika Puri is a grad of Horace Greeley High School in Chappaqua, New York and a freshman at MIT. She is also the recent winner of the Peggy Scripps Award for Science Communication at Regeneron ISEF.
Laalitya Acharya is a Regeneron Science Talent Search and ISEF alumni, a student at Columbia and an intern at Regeneron.
Links:
-
Regeneron Science Talent Search
-
Horace Greeley High School
-
The Nereid Project
-
MozAIrt
-
Maya Ajmera
-
Society for Science
-
Granbury ISD
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is a part of our New Pathways campaign. In partnership with American Student Assistance® (ASA), The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Stand Together and the Walton Foundation, the New Pathways campaign will question education’s status quo and propose new methods of giving students a chance to experience success in what’s next.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Tom Vander Ark is joined by Jennifer Klein and Kapono Ciotti who are here to discuss their new book The Landscape Model of Learning: Designing Student-Centered Experiences for Cognitive and Cultural Inclusion.
Jennifer is a former head of school with extensive international experience and over thirty years in education, including nineteen in the classroom.
Kapono Ciotti taught in Honolulu, Hawaii, and Dakar, Senegal, for over a decade before moving into school leadership. Kapono has led schools in the United States and Egypt, where he put into practice the philosophy of "students making the world a better place.”
Links:
- Jennifer D. Klein Bio
- Principled Learning Strategies
- Kapono Instagram
- Kapono bio
- Recent Getting Smart Blog by Jennifer D. Klein
- American International School of Egypt
- NAIS People of Color Conference
- The Power of Place: Authentic Learning Through Place-Based Education
- Ken Kay and Yong Zhao on Portrait of a Graduate
- The Rise: Creativity, the Gift of Failure, and the Search for Mastery by Sarah Lewis
- Rightful Presence by Tan and Barton
- Zone of proximal development
- What School Could Be
- Robert G Peters
- Deliberate Optimism co-authored by Judith Baenen
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is a part of our New Pathways campaign. In partnership with ASA, Stand Together and the Walton Foundation, the New Pathways campaign will question education’s status quo and propose new methods of giving students a chance to experience success in what’s next.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark is joined by Dr David Garcia, Associate Professor in the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University. A former Arizona Associate Superintendent of Public Instruction, and recent author of Teach Truth to Power: How to Engage in Education Policy.
Links:
- Teach Truth to Power
- David Garcia bio
- Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is a part of our New Pathways campaign. In partnership with ASA, Stand Together and the Walton Foundation, the New Pathways campaign will question education’s status quo and propose new methods of giving students a chance to experience success in what’s next.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Nate McClennen is joined by Rupert Ward, a former Special Adviser and Project Lead for iDEA, one of the world's most successful free educational technologies.
Rupert is a Professor of Learning Innovation and Associate Dean (International) within the School of Computing and Engineering - at the University of Huddersfield, UK. He is also a National Teaching Fellow and Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
Nate and Rupert discuss the importance of trust, how learning fitness could be more like physical fitness and the role of technology in shaping the future of learning.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Nate McClennen is joined by David Rogers from Dual Language Education of New Mexico. The organization began informally in 1997 and formally in 2001, the mission of the organization is to advocate for and support the effective design and implementation of dual language education programming. Providing children with a world class, multilingual education.
David served as Executive Director for 22 years.
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is a part of our New Pathways campaign. In partnership with ASA, Stand Together and the Walton Foundation, the New Pathways campaign will question education’s status quo and propose new methods of giving students a chance to experience success in what’s next.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, we are re-broadcasting our recent Getting Smart Town Hall that was all about Growth Mindset and school cultures. Led by Getting Smart team members Victoria Andrews and Shawnee Caruthers, this event focused on self-talk, the power of yet, the importance of feedback and much more as we tried to lay the groundwork for building a positive culture in your school building.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark is joined by someone very familiar to our listeners, Michael Horn. Michael has been on the podcast a handful of times to discuss his many books on college, innovations in higher education and more.
Today Michael is here to discuss his new book From Reopen to Reinvent: (Re)creating School for Every Child.
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is a part of our New Pathways campaign. In partnership with ASA, the Gates Foundation, Stand Together and the Walton Foundation, the New Pathways campaign will question education’s status quo and propose new methods of giving students a chance to experience success in what’s next.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark is joined by Scott Bess, Head of School of Purdue Polytechnic High Schools in Indiana, and Keeanna Warren, Associate Executive Director of Purdue Poly and Founding Principal of Purdue Poly North.
Purdue Poly has long been one of the leaders in developing new learning models and innovative pathways for young people and we’re thrilled to have them on the show!
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Shawnee Caruthers is joined by Victoria Andrews, a fellow Getting Smart-er. They’re also joined by Dr. Shameka Gerald, the VP of Learning at YELLOW.
Recently the three of them went to Big Picture’s Big Bang Conference which they described as invigorating, foundational and as a “homecoming.”
Links
- Victoria Andrews
- YELLOW
- Dr. Shameka Gerald
- Big Picture Learning
- Big Bang 2022
- Can’t Miss Education Conferences in 2022
- Illtown Sluggaz
- Edleader21
- Dr. Timothy Jones
- Dr. Chris Emdin
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is a part of our New Pathways campaign. In partnership with ASA, the Gates Foundation, Stand Together and the Walton Foundation, the New Pathways campaign will question education’s status quo and propose new methods of giving students a chance to experience success in what’s next.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Shawnee Caruthers is joined by Dr. Dave Richards, the Executive Learning Strategist for Michigan Virtual and a key part of Future of Learning Council, a partner that we’ve loved working alongside over the last year.
We are also joined by two superintendents who are a part of this project - Dr. Christopher Timmis, Superintendent of Dexter Community Schools and Dr. John VanWagoner of Traverse City Area Public Schools.
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is a part of our New Pathways campaign. In partnership with ASA, the Gates Foundation, Stand Together and the Walton Foundation, the New Pathways campaign will question education’s status quo and propose new methods of giving students a chance to experience success in what’s next.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark is joined by Michael Smith, CEO of AmeriCorps, the federal service agency connecting individuals and organizations to tackle the nation’s most pressing challenges. Michael also served as executive director of the My Brother’s Keeper Alliance and as director of Youth Opportunity Programs at the Obama Foundation. Prior, he was the White House’s Director of the Social Innovation Fund.
Links:
- Michael Smith bio
- AmeriCorps
- AmeriCorps Fit Finder
- AmeriCorps Guide for Districts
- The National Partnership for Student Success
- The Obama Foundation
- My Brother’s Keeper Alliance
- Best Practices Clearinghouse
- Public Health AmeriCorps
- Strategic plan
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Tom Vander Ark is joined by Dr. Belle Liang, a professor of Counseling Psychology at Boston College, and Tim Klein, an award-winning urban educator, clinical therapist, school counselor and formerly served as the Chief Impact Officer at Project Wayfinder. Tim now works with Belle at the Purpose Lab.
Both are also authors of the great new book How to Navigate Life: The New Science of Finding Your Way in School, Career, and Beyond.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, it’s a family reunion! Nate McClennen is joined by Abel McClennen, the Director and one of the founders of La Paz Community School in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. A PK-12 school on two campuses with a mission to cultivate informed, mindful citizens of the world.
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is a part of our New Pathways campaign. In partnership with ASA, the Gates Foundation, Stand Together and the Walton Foundation, the New Pathways campaign will question education’s status quo and propose new methods of giving students a chance to experience success in what’s next.
On the recent Getting Smart Town Hall, the team was joined by Julia Freeland Fisher (Clayton Christensen Institute), Edward DeJesus (Social Capital Builders, Inc.) and Tyler Thigpen (The Forest School) for a discussion of innovative approaches to mapping and analyzing students’ existing networks as a way to build more asset-based pathways.
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is a part of our New Pathways campaign. In partnership with ASA, the Gates Foundation, Stand Together and the Walton Foundation, the New Pathways campaign will question education’s status quo and propose new methods of giving students a chance to experience success in what’s next.
On the recent Getting Smart Town Hall, the team was joined by Julia Freeland Fisher (Clayton Christensen Institute), Edward DeJesus (Social Capital Builders, Inc.) and Tyler Thigpen (The Forest School) for a discussion of innovative approaches to mapping and analyzing students’ existing networks as a way to build more asset-based pathways.
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is a part of our New Pathways campaign. In partnership with ASA, the Gates Foundation, Stand Together and the Walton Foundation, the New Pathways campaign will question education’s status quo and propose new methods of giving students a chance to experience success in what’s next.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Tom Vander Ark is joined by Bruno Manno, a veteran of education philanthropy and editor of a new collection of essays, The Opportunity to Rise: Rethinking K-12 Education Pathways to Social and Economic Mobility.
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is a part of our New Pathways campaign. In partnership with ASA, the Gates Foundation, Stand Together and the Walton Foundation, the New Pathways campaign will question education’s status quo and propose new methods of giving students a chance to experience success in what’s next.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark is joined by Karla Phillips-Krivickas, CEO of Think Inclusion and member of the Arizona state education board in. Karla has spent 25 years leading policy work at KnowledgeWorks and ExcelinEd and is an expert in competency-based education. She also serves as an advisor to Getting Smart.
Let’s listen in as they discuss Karla’s recent policy victories, what truly inclusive education means, Karla’s unique journey and much more.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Nate McClennen is joined by Lisa Lewis, a freelance journalist who focuses on the intersection of parenting, public health, and education and recent author of The Sleep-Deprived Teen: Why Our Teenagers Are So Tired, and How Parents and Schools Can Help Them Thrive.
Let’s listen in as they discuss the problem with the school schedule, research and science around sleep and getting work done at the policy level.
Links
- The Sleep-Deprived Teen: Why Our Teenagers Are So Tired, and How Parents and Schools Can Help Them Thrive
- Lisa L. Lewis
- Start School Later’
- Lisa Lewis Twitter
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark is joined by Dr. Valerie Truesdale, the Assistant Executive Director of AASA, the Superintendents Association; and Dr. David Miyashiro, Superintendent of Cajon Valley Unified School District and Dr. Kelly Niccolls Teaching and Learning Asst. Director, Secondary at Cheney School District to discuss next generation school system leadership.
Together they cover: What skills are required today? Who is the next generation of school leaders? What matters to them?
Links:
- AASA
- Cajon Valley Unified School District
- Cheney School District
- Previous town hall with David Myashiro
- Previous podcast with Valerie Truesdale
- Decolonizing Education by Kelly Niccols
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark is joined by Dr. Michael T. Conner, CEO/Founder of the Agile Evolutionary Group. Dr. Conner served as Superintendent of Schools (Middletown, CT), Chief Academic Officer (Norwalk, CT), Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning (Willimantic, CT) and Principal of Augusta Lewis Troup School (New Haven, CT). He is the creator and architect of the Disruptive Excellence Framework.
Links:
- Agile Evolution Group
- Dr. Michael Conner Twitter
- Dr. Michael Conner LinkedIn
- Thomas Siebel - Digital Transformation
- What’s Next - Clay Christensen
- Atul Gwande
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark is joined by the phenomenal Kaya Henderson. Kaya is the CEO of Reconstruction, a edtech company that delivers k-12 courses that situates Black people, culture, and contributions in an authentic, identity-affirming way. Kaya is a career educator, starting as a middle school Spanish teacher in the South Bronx with Teach for America.
Kaya has been a leader in DC for 20+ years, first with TFA, then TNTP and then a decade at DCPS. She co-hosts the popular podcast Pod Save the People, with DeRay McKesson.
Let’s listen in as they discuss representation, hosting a podcast and the importance of culturally responsive pedagogy.
Links:
- Pod Save the People
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark is joined by the phenomenal Kaya Henderson. Kaya is the CEO of Reconstruction, a edtech company that delivers k-12 courses that situates Black people, culture, and contributions in an authentic, identity-affirming way. Kaya is a career educator, starting as a middle school Spanish teacher in the South Bronx with Teach for America.
Kaya has been a leader in DC for 20+ years, first with TFA, then TNTP and then a decade at DCPS. She co-hosts the popular podcast Pod Save the People, with DeRay McKesson.
Let’s listen in as they discuss representation, hosting a podcast and the importance of culturally responsive pedagogy.
Links:
- Pod Save the People
On this special episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, producer Mason Pashia is joined by Tom Vander Ark and Shawnee Caruthers to celebrate the approximately 400th episode of the Getting Smart Podcast.
They discuss why Getting Smart started a podcast in the first place, run through a quick lightning round of favorite moments and laugh a lot.
Episodes mentioned in the episode:
-
Dr. Roberta McFarland on The Magic of Outdoor Education
-
Joe Erpelding on Magical Schools and Thrively
-
EduCatered: Ululani Shiraishi
- 100 Days of Conversation Project and The Importance of Community Agreements
- Chris Emdin on STEM, STEAM, Make Dream
- Summit Tech Academy on Learning Pathways
- Immokalee High School on Entrepreneurship and Projects That Serve Community
- Embark Education on Embedding Learning in Business
- Jamie Merisotis on Human Work in the Age of Smart Machines
- Clifton Taulbert on Habits of the Heart
- Timothy Jones on HipHopEd and Techniques4Learning
- Erin Jones on Stories and Strategies for Racial Healing
- Dr. Trish Scanlon on How Voice Technologies Should Work For Kids
- Dr. Angela Duckworth on Developing Character
- The Future of Learning with Dr. Pamela Moran, Byron Sanders and Dr. Ed Hess
- Stephanie Krauss on Readiness, Opportunity, and The Right to a Decent Life
- Michelle Weise on Long Life Learning
- Chelsea Craig and Dr. Anthony Craig on Indigenous Ways of Knowing and Leading
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is brought to you by What If.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark and Getting Smart Podcast Producer Mason Pashia are joined by Dr. Frank Keil, a Yale Professor of Psychology & Linguistics and author of the new book Wonder: Childhood and the Lifelong Love of Science. When it comes to thinking about thinking … Frank is one of the best.
Together, they discuss the majesty of wonder, how we need to do a better job of instilling wonder on a daily basis and how it is how science is a fantastic avenue for exploring a sense of wonder.
Links:
- Frank Keil Bio
- Wonder: Childhood and the Lifelong Love of Science
- Excerpt from Wonder: Childhood and the Lifelong Love of Science
- The Age of Wonder
- Annie Murphy Paul Podcast
- Marin Reeves Podcast
- When You Wonder, You’re Learning Podcast
This episode of the Getting Smart podcast is a part of our New Pathways campaign. Find out more here.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark is joined by Dr. Mark Benigni, the award-winning superintendent of Meriden Public Schools and the co-author of the forthcoming book The Great Equalizer: Six Strategies to Make Public Education Work in America.
We’re also joined by Barbara Haeffner, Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Innovation at Meriden Public Schools and co-author.
Together, they discuss Mark’s legacy in Meriden and the book’s strategies for reimagining and building a better public education.
Links
- Book Link
- Mark Benigni LinkedIn
- Mark Benigni Twitter
- Barbara Haeffner LinkedIn
- New Pathways Campaign
- Meriden Portrait of a Graduate
- Tools For Building a Climate
This episode of the Getting Smart podcast is a part of our New Pathways campaign. Find out more here.
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is a re-airing of our recent New Pathways Town Hall that breaks down each of the six pillars of pathways. These pillars will help learners find meaning in their personal, professional, and communal lives.
Our New Pathways campaign is comprised of Unbundled Learning, Credentialed Learning, Accelerated Pathways, New Learning Models, Support and Guidance, and Policies and Systems and steered by our guiding principles of: Intentionality, Equity, Curation and Purpose, the goal of New Pathways is to help learners experience success in what’s next.
Find all links mentioned in this town hall here.
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is a part of our Green Schools campaign, an initiative to highlight important thinkers and activists in the movement to make schools more sustainable, more green, and more mindful of our relationship with the planet.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark is joined by his friend and former Governor of Colorado, Bill Ritter. Bill Directs Center for the New Energy Economy, Colorado State University which works with state and federal policymakers to create clean energy policy throughout the country.
During his four-year term, Ritter established Colorado as a national and international leader in clean energy by building a New Energy Economy. Years ago, Governor Ritter authored a book entitled, Powering Forward – What Everyone Should Know About America’s Energy Revolution, which we talk about at length on this episode.
Links
- Center for the New Energy Economy
- Powering Forward – What Everyone Should Know About America’s Energy Revolution
- Bill Ritter LinkedIn
- Dr. Bryan Willson
- Senator Tim Wirth
- Green Cross
- Justice 40
- TerraPower
- Modular Reactors
- Boulder Valley School District
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Deion Jordan is joined by Isaiah Walker, principal at KIPP Philadelphia Prep Academy, where he manages and mentors multiple Principals in Residence.
Isaiah started his teaching career at Saint Charles Borromeo School in Harlem, teaching middle school science. He then transitioned to Newark to teach middle school English language arts at Great Oaks Charter School. Later on, Isaiah spent five years working with KIPP focusing on building teacher coaching and leadership development with KIPP NYC and KIPP School Leadership Programs. As a leader in his building and the KIPP network, Isaiah developed multiple at-risk intervention programs to address social and emotional issues for students that are being used throughout the organization and across the country. Isaiah holds a B.A. from Columbia University, has studied and received certifications from Cornell University and Harvard University and is currently studying at the University of Pennsylvania.
Links:
- KIPP Philadelphia
- The Fire Next Time
- Bettina Love
- Kim Marshall’s Podcast
- Center for Black Educator Development - Black Men Educator Conference
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Nate McClennen is joined by three incredible students who recently competed in the Regeneron Science Talent Search, an event co-hosted with Society for Science. Check out our podcast episode with Maya Ajmera to hear more about Society for Science. The students are Christine Ye, a student at Eastlake High School
Aseel Rawashdeh, a student at Anderson High School, and Elijah Burks, a student at Caddo Parish Magnet High School.
Let’s listen in as they discuss their science projects, what project-based learning has done for them as learners, agency, and much more.
LINKS:
- Christine’s Project Video
- Aseel’s project video
- Elijah video
- Regeneron Talent Search
- Society for Science
- Getting Smart Podcast with Maya Ajmera
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Shawnee Caruthers is joined by Nadine Levitt, founder of WURRLYedu and PD Reimagined. She is also the creator of the My Mama Says book series and writer of numerous blogs and education resources.
Nadine has a varied combination of experiences - from lawyer, to opera singer to education advocate and we are thrilled to have her on the podcast.
Links
- WURRLYedu
- PD Reimagined
- My Mama Says
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Nate McClennen is joined by GPS Education Partners (GPS Ed) and representatives of DuPage County Schools to discuss school and industry partnerships and work-based learning. We recently supported GPS Ed in publishing a white paper called Work-Based Learning Ecosystems: Improving OPPORTUNITY for All by Integrating SCHOOL, COMMUNITY and the WORKPLACE. On this episode, our guests are:
- Dr. Darlene Ruscitti, Superintendent of DuPage County Schools
- Jovan Lazarevic), Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction of Lake Park HS
- Jim Campbell, the business partner on this project and VP & General Manager, Fabrication Division of Prince Industries
- Jeff Ziegler, GPSEd's Partner Development Manager for our Client Solutions Team
WBL learning ecosystems have three elements - community, education (cc and K-12), and business partners - and then an intermediary to help bring them together. This episode works to highlight that relationship.
Links:
- White Paper
- GPS Education Partners
- DuPage SD
- Prince Industries
- DuPage Youth Apprenticeship Program
Producer's Note: This episode had some minor technical difficulties, notably some persisting pops and clicks throughout the recording. On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Shawnee Caruthers is joined by some innovators in Colorado’s Embark Education program. Embark Education is a micro middle school in North Denver embedded in two small businesses – Pinwheel Coffee and Framework Cycles. Embark supports students to courageously inquire, engage, and discover a sense of self in an environment that is learner-centered, integrated, and embedded.
We’re joined by Brian Hyosaka, an Embark Educator and incoming Head of School. Brian is also accompanied by three students today: Maura(6th), Neela(7th), and Lachlan (8th).
Links:
- Brian Hyosaka
- Embark Education
- Iterative
- pinwheelcoffee.com
- frameworkcycles.com
- Blog Post on Purposeful Learning
- Embark Blog Post on Scheduling
- Embark Blog Post on Advisory Conferences
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Nate McClennen is joined by Adam Geller, CEO and Founder of Edthena — a personalized professional learning and video observation tool.
Nate and Adam discuss a wide range of things from their backgrounds as science teachers, the psychology of performance improvement, embedding culturally responsive pedagogy, and much more.
Links:
- Adam Geller
- Zaretta Hammond and Edthena
- Edthena
- AI Coach for Teacher
- Self-Reflective Coaching Style
- Can the AI Coach Platform Really Help Teachers with Coaching Cycles?
- The 3 R’s of Strong Teacher Collaboration within the AI Coach Platform
- How AI Coach Platform Expands Access To Coaching For All Teachers
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark is joined by Sal Khan, founder of Khan Academy and Amy McGrath, Chief Operating Officer at ASU Preparatory Academy. They recently launched the Khan World School @ ASU Prep - an innovative new online high school opening in August.
For full shownotes, including an announcement blog, check it out here.
Links
- Khan World School
- Amy McGrath on Learning Under Quarantine
- Khan World School Announcement
- Facebook live with Sal and Amy
- Khan Academy District Partnership
- ASU Preparatory Academy - Pilgrim Rest Elementary
- Schoolhouse.World
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Tom Vander Ark is joined by Dr Angela Duckworth, a professor at Penn. She’s a co-founder of Character Lab, the author of Grit, a bestseller that reveals the secret to achievement is passion and persistence; and the co-host with the No Stupid Questions podcast with Stephen Dubner.
Links
- Character Lab
- No Stupid Questions podcast
- Grit
- US Surgeon General Issues Advisory on Youth Mental Health
- SXSW Session
- Sean Talamas
- James Heckman
- DSST Shared Values
- Posts by Bjork and Bjork
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Shawnee is joined by a superstar team of students and teachers from Immokalee High School. Falia Justima is an educator at Immokalee High School in Collier County Public Schools in Naples, where she has taught for four years. She is also an entrepreneur in the local community where she runs a real estate and small personal finance advising company with her sister.
We’re also joined by two seniors cousins from Falia’s IncubatorEDU classroom team. Luz Cantero-Huapilla and Lizbeth Huapilla (Wapiya). Alongside some of their classmates they created the company Harvesting Housing to serve migrant farmers.
LINKS:
- SXSW Difference Making conversation with Falia Justima
- Harvesting Housing video
- Margarita/Uncharted Podcast
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is sponsored by What If?
Also, if you’re interested in submitting your teacher pledge, find out more here and send a recording to Mason@GettingSmart.com.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Shawnee Caruthers is joined by a few special guests from Project Invent, design thinking and invention programs to empower every student as an innovator.
Jordan Mareno is Partnerships and Recruitment Manager at Project Invent, Alexis Lopez is an educator and fellow for Project Invent and lastly, Angel, a student who recently participated in a Project Invent cohort!
Links:
- Clubhouse network
- Project Invent
- Invention Opportunity
- Angel’s LinkedIn
- Magis Athletics (Angel’s T-shirt concept)
- Teacher Pledge
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is sponsored by engage2learn. Contact them today!
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Shawnee Caruthers is joined live by the Principal/Director and students from Summit Tech Academy in Lee’s Summit, Missouri.
First, we talk with Dr. Jeremy Bonnesen - the Principal/Director of Summit Tech Academy at The Missouri Innovation Campus. Later in the episode we will be joined by some students to discuss their various interests, pathways and connection to their community.
Links
Summit Technology Academy
Summit Tech Academy Virtual Tour
Missouri Innovation Campus
Real World Learning Case Study
Thank you to BetterHelp for sponsoring this episode. Speak with an affordable, licensed therapist at your convenience and save 10% on your first month at BetterHelp.com/GettingSmart.
On this episode of EduCatered we’re joined by Heidi Alexander, Founding Principal at ASU Preparatory Academy - Pilgrim Rest Elementary.
We love getting to work alongside ASU Prep in a number of ways and are always blown away by their incredible innovations and most of all… their incredible people. Heidi is one of those amazing individuals. Alongside her team, she keeps ASU Prep Academy at the center of their community.
Let’s listen in as they talk about food, belonging and how to best communicate with families.
We recently recorded a Getting Smart Town Hall that is all about poetry. Over the course of the conversation we discuss why we use poetry to kick-off events, what poetry means to the Getting Smart Team, what poetry means to our audience, what are new methods of teaching poetry and much more.
In this event, we used the following poems:
- Poetry by Pablo Neruda
- The Way it Is by William Stafford
- 20 lines to turn ‘bird’ into a verb by Mason Pashia
- See More by Jean E Taddonio
- This is just to say by William Carlos Williams
- Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley
You can sign up for Mason’s weekly newsletter featuring an original poem at his website.
Check out the next Getting Smart Town Hall here.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark is joined by Erin Jones, educator, leader, athlete and author of the great book Bridges to Heal US: Stories and Strategies for Racial Healing.
Let’s listen in as Erin reads us an original poem and they discuss athletic leadership, community conversations, the problem with establishing norms and much more.
Links:
- Bridges to Heal US: Stories and Strategies for Racial Healing
- Poetry Unbound: Rita Dove — Eurydice, Turning
- You Are Now the Host by Tom Vander Ark
- Bridges to Heal Workbook
- Afro Educator on Tik Tok
- Bridges to Heal US TED Talk
- Passion for Change TED Talk
- Bridges TED Talk
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Nate McClennen is joined by Maggie Favretti and Benjamin Freud, authors, consultants and advocates for the environment, for people and for a more sustainable future. At Getting Smart, we are thinking a lot about Green Schools - sustainable and equitable and inclusive future.
Maggie is founder of DesignEd 4 Resilience and is currently working on a new book titled Beyond Futurephobia: Teaching, Learning and Life in the Age of Climate Disasters.
Benjamin is the co-founder of Coconut Thinking and has years of experience in international schools, PBL, school leadership and more.
Let’s listen in as they discuss how we need to shift towards kinetic energy, how human beings are actually human becomings, the importance of regenerative learning, the metaverse and much more.
Links
- Benjamin Freud article
- Benjamin on the metaverse
- Maggie LinkedIn
- Designed4resilience.org
- Benjamin LinkedIn
- Coconut Thinking
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is sponsored by Difference Making.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Rebecca Midles is joined by Zoe Weil, co-founder and president of the Institute for Humane Education, and a pioneer in the comprehensive humane education movement.
She is also the author of the book The World Becomes What We Teach: Educating a Generation of Solutionaries, as well as numerous other books and TED Talks.
LINKS
- The World Becomes What We Teach: Educating a Generation of Solutionaries
- Institute for Humane Education
- Free Solutionary Guidebook for teachers
- Solutionary micro credential program
- Online Graduate Programs with Antioch University
- Difference Making
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is sponsored by Getting Smart Services.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Tom Vander Ark is joined by Steve Katsouros, founder and CEO of the Come To Believe Network, an inclusive and accessible college model.
The network was inspired by the success of Arrupe College of Loyola University Chicago which has been recognized as a national model for increasing the college graduation rates for low-income students of color.
Let’s listen in as they discuss access, scale, accreditation, affordability and more.
Links:
- Come to Believe: How the Jesuits Are Reinventing Education (Again)
- Arrupe College
- Come to Believe Network
- Stig Leschly on Innovating Within Higher Education
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Shawnee Caruthers is joined by Shannon Buerk, the Founder & CEO of engage2learn. Engage2learn is a platform that grows high-performance cultures in public schools to sustain local visions of learning for students. With 28 years of K-12 experience, Shannon has partnered with 225 school districts–impacting 2.3 million public education students to date.
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is sponsored by Smart Sprints. Find out more here.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Shawnee Caruthers is joined by co-founders of Symphony Workforce, Todd Smith and John Batcher. Symphony Workforce is a gamified solution for career discovery and talent acquisition.
Let’s listen in as they discuss connecting students to their community, what district and workforce partnerships look like and more.
Links:
- Symphony Workforce
- Find the Why
- Todd Smith
- John Batcher
- Find the Why Twitter
- Partnership for kids
- JAG
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is sponsored by our upcoming Smart Sprint, Bring Your Portrait of a Graduate to Life. You can register here. On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Shawnee Caruthers is joined by the one and only Chris Emdin, founder of HipHopEd where he is the colleague of our former guest Timothy Jones. Chris was also the Multicultural Educator of the Year award recipient and is the author of books like For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood... and the Rest of Y'all Too, Ratchetdemic, and most recently, STEM, STEAM, Make Dream.
Let’s listen in as Chris and Shawnee discuss Rigor, a new definition of PTSD, STEM education, “ratchet” and much more.
Links:
- STEM, STEAM, Make Dream
- Ratchetdemic: Reimagining Academic Success
- 7 Cs of Reality Pedagogy
- 7 Rights of the Body
- Dr. Christopher Emdin
- Brooklyn Technical High School
- High Tech High
-
HipHopED
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is sponsored by our upcoming Smart Sprint, Bring Your Portrait of a Graduate to Life. You can register here.
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is a recording of a recent Getting Smart Townhall — New Pathways: Every learner on a personalized path to opportunity. This event kicked off our latest campaign which will serve as a road map to the new architecture for American schools, where every learner, regardless of zip code, is on a pathway to productive and sustainable citizenship, high wage employment, economic mobility, and a purpose-driven life.
During the event we were joined by some amazing guests including: Dave Schulder, Superintendent of D214, Shatera Weaver of EL Education and Lydia Logan of IBM who all shared the important work they are doing in this space.
You can view the full shownotes here.
Check out the links from the chat, here.
We are thrilled to bring you a new podcast from Getting Smart called EduCatered: A Podcast That’s Catered to Educators. Subscribe here!
On this episode of EduCatered we’re joined by Elizabeth Herbert, the Social Studies Department Chair at Gateway STEM high school in St. Louis Public Schools. Elizabeth spent some time teaching in Costa Rica and Nicagaragua and you’ll likely find her obsessing over her cats, binge-watching or reading a great thriller.
Shawnee and Elizabeth talk about a range of topics - from food stories and geography to the importance of attention and community organizing. Let’s dig in!
Links
Elizabeth Herbert
Gateway STEM High School
Jonathan Pulphus
Learn Zawadi
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is sponsored by engage2learn. Contact them today!
On this episode, Tom Vander Ark is joined by Dr. Harriette Thurber Rasmussen and Dr. Mohammed (Mo) Raei, co-editors of the new book Adaptive Leadership in a Global Economy: Perspectives for Application and Scholarship.
Dr. Rasmussen is an organizational development coach and an assistant clinical professor at Drexel University. Dr. Raei is an independent leadership and organization development consultant, coach, and dissertation coach based in Jordan. He has consulted on strategic planning and 360-degree feedback.
Let’s listen in as they discuss solving adaptive problems, the new mutuality, ways to lead and much more.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Tom Vander Ark is joined (again) by Dr. Fernande Raine, the Founder of The History Co:Lab, social entrepreneur and Russia scholar. She also leads The Learning Collaborative, an organization that works to change the way we teach and collaborate around history.
LINKS:
- The History Co:Lab
- Dr. Fernande Raine On Using History and Museums to Incubate Changemakers
- Turning Points: New Mental Models
- The Asia Society: International Affairs
- Untextbooked
- Mastery Transcript Consortium
- XQ
- Asia Society: Council on Foreign Relations
- World Savvy: Global Competence
- Reimagining Migration
On this special episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark is joined by Mark Schneider live at SXSW EDU. Mark is the Director of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), Department of Education. Prior to joining IES, he served as vice president and an Institute Fellow at American Institutes for Research (AIR) and President of College Measures. In 2013, the Chronicle of Higher Education selected him as one of the 10 people who had the most impact on higher education policy that year.
Links:
Mark Schneider
Institute of Education Sciences
American Institutes for Research
College Measures
On this special episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Shawnee Caruthers hosts a live conversation at SXSW EDU with Kenny Rodrequez, Superintendent of Grandview C-4 School District and Paul McCorkle, Associate Executive Director of Cornerstones of Care.
Listen in to hear them discuss essential skills, connecting to communities, economic mobility and much more.
Links:
Kenny Rodrequez
Paul McCorkle
Grandview C-4 School District
Cornerstones of Care
SXSW Episode Link
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Nate McClennen is joined by Jennifer Seydel and David Sobel, co-authors of the new book Trailblazers for Whole School Sustainability.
Jenny is the Executive Director of the Green Schools National Network and has decades of experience in the classroom and building new green schools around the world.
David is an avid writer and speaker on outdoor education and play-based learning and is the Professor Emeritus in the Education Department at Antioch University New England.
Let’s listen in as they discuss schools that focus on sustainability as a core part of their mission.
Links:
David Sobel
Green Schools Town Hall
Green Schools National Network
Boulder Valley
Prairie Crossing
Encinitas Union School District
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Rebecca Midles is joined by Mike Ruyle, a former educator, a recognized voice in trauma-informed care and the recent author of the book The School Wellness Wheel: A Framework Addressing Trauma, Culture and Mastery to Raise Student Achievement.
We are also joined by co-author Dr. Jason Cummins, who is a Crow tribal member and principal from the Crow reservation in Montana. He was also recently the Montana Indian Educator of the Year and is the host of the podcast Trail-Cast.
Let’s listen in as they discuss trauma, the medicine wheel, personalized learning and much more.
Links:
The School Wellness Wheel: A Framework Addressing Trauma, Culture and Mastery to Raise Student Achievement.
Mike Ruyle
Trail-Cast
Crow Agency School
Leading the Evolution
Dr. Sarah Laser
Dr. Benjamin Bloom
Rachel Yehuda
Zaretta Hammond
Pamela Cantor
Nadine Burk Harris
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Nate McClennen is joined by Aaron Schorn, Head of Growth & Community at Unrulr. He is also a Getting Smart Columnist.
They are also joined by Trinity Asing, the founder of Mauka Market - the world’s first regenerative marketplace.
Aaron supported Trinity’s journey at Nalukai, a youth leadership and entrepreneurship program in Hawai’i. We’re thrilled to talk with these inspiring guests about youth entrepreneurship, sustainability and ecoschools and much more.
Links
Unrulr
NalukaiMaukaGetting Smart articles by Aaron
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Tom Vander Ark is joined by one of his favorite podcast hosts… Baratunde Thurston, host of the How to Citizen podcast.
Baratunde is an Emmy-nominated host, author of the New York Times bestseller How To Be Black, and creator/host of How To Citizen with Baratunde which Apple named one of its favorite podcasts of 2020. He’s also a founding partner of the new media startup Puck.
He will also be keynoting SXSW EDU alongside his friend Priya Parker, author of The Art of Gathering.
We appreciate the work that Baratunde is doing to shed light on important people, organizations and methods to turn citizen into a verb.
Links
How to Citizen
How to Be Black
SXSW with Priya Parker
Community Solutions
Folded Map Project
See No Stranger by Valerie Kaur
Eric Liu
Build
Some of our favorite How to Citizen Episodes
Fast, Fair, Fun (with Digital Minister Audrey Tang)
Building Bridges, Not Walls (With Tonika Johnson)
Why Is Our Economy So … White? (with Heather McGhee)
We are thrilled to bring you a new podcast from Getting Smart called EduCatered: A Podcast That’s Catered to Educators. Subscribe here!
At Getting Smart, food, education, and innovation are at the heart of our recipe. This podcast mixes it all together to get to know teachers that are doing the work and making a difference.
We start with the appetizer: what makes these educators unique. Then to the main course, stories and experiences that have helped to shape their practice. Finally, dessert, some tips for what you can do next — creating a future of learning that works for everyone.
On this episode of EduCatered we’re joined by Dr. Tequilla Brownie. While we try to feature educators on this podcast, the work of Tequilla and her organization is too important to pass up.
Tequilla is the recently appointed CEO of TNTP, an organization that is seeking to end the injustice of educational inequality by providing excellent teachers to the students who need them most and by advancing policies and practices that ensure effective teaching in every classroom.
Tequilla will be leading a session at SXSW EDU on March 8th, 2022 on Disrupting Racial Inequities in K-12 Schools and much of the story of racial inequity is Tequilla’s story as well.
Let’s listen in as Shawnee and Tequilla discuss the crossover of education and social work, understanding what motivates young people and more.
Links:
TNTP
Session at SXSW
Twitter
LinkedIn
Maslow
Full Shownotes
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Tom Vander Ark is joined by Joseph South (@southjoseph), Chief Learning Officer at ISTE.
Joseph formerly served as the Director of the Office of Educational Technology at the U.S. Department of Education.
Let's listen in as Tom and Joseph discuss the importance of expertise and providing students with the chance to do work that matters to them and their community.
Where to go for more?
- Peak: Secrets from the new Science of Expertise
- https://www.edsurge.com/news/2017-10-27-mia-in-school-instilling-a-sense-of-purpose-in-students
- Esther Wojcicki on Raising Successful People
- www.learningaccelerant.com or via Twitter @southjoseph
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Tom Vander Ark is joined by Caroline Hill, a Washington DC based education entrepreneur and founder of 228 Accelerator. Caroline also is the creator of the equityXdesign framework, a way of building on design thinking and other design processes to ensure human-centered and equitable practices.
Let’s listen in as Tom and Caroline discuss the importance of mindfulness and wellness for leaders, what drives innovation, reimagining black history month, redesigning oppressive systems and much more.
Links:
4.0 Schools
228 Accelerator
Twitter
equityXdesign Paper
Black Next-Story Month
Somatic Breathing
Ken Kay and Yong Zhao on Portrait of a Graduate
Full Shownotes
On this episode of the podcast, we are running a recent Getting Smart Town Hall recording all about unbundling and re-bundling learning experiences. The conversation covered schools and programs that are reframing learning to credential, credit, and count programs and experiences outside of the traditional pathways in order to better meet the increasing variety of school choice, increasing demand by parents, and increasing quality options.
This event was co-facilitated by team members Nate McClennen and Tom Vander Ark and featured a wide range of guests.
More about townhalls
Inspiration blog
Links from event
Full shownotes
This episode of the podcast is brought to you by the Smart Update, our weekly newsletter. Sign up today. On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Rebecca Midles is joined by a superstar lineup of design thought leaders to discuss liberatory design.
Victor Cary, Senior Director at the National Equity Project (formerly known as the Bay Area Coalition for Equitable Schools) has worked in education for over 40 years, starting as a high school teacher in Richmond, CA.
David Clifford is the co-creator of Liberatory Design. He also founded DSX, an educational non-profit that invites creative courage in all of us to design for equity.
Tania Anaissie is also a co-creator of Liberatory Design. She is the founder of Beytna Design. She is also Faculty at The National Equity Project.
Links
Building Equitable Learning Environment network
LiberatoryDesign
LiberatoryDesign.com
equityXdesign
Design for Belonging by Susie Wise
You can view the full shownotes here.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Rebecca Midles is joined by Jenna Mancini Rufo, co-author of Reimagining Special Education: Using Inclusion as a Framework to Build Equity and Support All Students alongside Julie Causton.
Jenna is the CEO of empowerED, an education consulting firm specializing in inclusion, special education, and equity. In addition to being a special education teacher, Jenna has experience as a former Assistant Superintendent, Special Education Director, and Policy Specialist. Today she spends her time supporting organizations and schools in rethinking special education.
Let’s listen in as Jenna and Rebecca discuss learning models, intervention, co-teaching and much more.
We are thrilled to bring you a new podcast from Getting Smart called EduCatered: A Podcast That’s Catered to Educators. Subscribe here!
On this episode of EduCatered we’re joined by Rachael Fenner, a Reading Specialist and Teacher at Carr Lane, a Visual and Performing Arts Middle school in St. Louis. Rachael is fond of walking her dog Mocha, reading young adult fiction and you know our favorite… cooking.
Shawnee and Rachael talk about a range of topics - from the difficulties of middle school, to the importance of knowing the context of where you live. Let’s dig in!
Links:
The Broken Heart of America by Walter Johnson
Stamped From the Beginning by Ibram X Kendi
You’re listening to the Getting Smart Podcast. I’m Nate McClennen and today I’m joined by Taylor Shead, the CEO of STEMuli. STEMuli is a Dallas-based company that is building technology skills for the workforce in order to build a diverse talent pipeline. They are also the first educational metaverse that has been integrated into public school in the U.S.. Recently, STEMuli was awarded the Transformation Award from Forbes.
Let’s listen in as Nate and Taylor discuss what the metaverse is, who it benefits, how far off we are from a full virtual learning ecosystem and more.
Links/Mentions:
STEMuli
Michael Moe
Dr. Usamah Rogers
Moses Estigoy
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is sponsored by GettingSmart.com where we recently ran a related post called So You Designed a Profile of a Graduate, Now What?
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Tom Vander Ark is joined by Ken Kay, founder of Partnership for 21st Century Skills, leading advocate of the 4C’s and its successor EdLeader 21, and co-author of Redefining Student Success, featured on an August episode of the Getting Smart Podcast.
We are also joined by Dr. Yong Zhao, a Foundation Distinguished Professor in the School of Education at the University of Kansas and a professor in Educational Leadership at the Melbourne Graduate School of Education in Australia. He is also the author of the new book Learners Without Borders: New Learning Pathways for All Students.
Let’s listen in as they discuss Portrait of a Graduate, learning pathways and more.
You're listening to the Getting Smart Podcast. On today's episode we are sharing a recording of a recent town hall event called What's Next in Learning: 2022, which was led by the Getting Smart Team. Over the course of the conversation we spotlight inspiring audience members, share tons of leading examples and drop links to some of our favorite resources. You can find those links here.
We hope you enjoy and register for our next town hall here.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom is joined by Stig Leschly, Senior Lecturer at Harvard Business School where he teaches entrepreneurship. Stig is a practicing entrepreneur, and is currently the CEO and Founder of College101, an issue advocacy organization focused on US higher education.
Let’s listen in as they discuss what can be done to fix higher education, maximizing advocacy and more.
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is brought to you by the upcoming Smart Sprint, which kicks off January 24th.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Getting Smart’s Educator in Residence Deion Jordan is joined by a few very special guests from Crosstown High in Memphis, TN — Ava, Dallas, and Vera. They are all seniors at Crosstown High school.
For the past four years, these students have held various leadership roles and contributed greatly to the Imagineering and envisioning of their school. We will spend our time together discussing co-authorship at Crosstown High.
This conversation was inspired by recent Getting Smart articles like this one that place an emphasis on students leading learning and co-authoring their own learning experiences.
Let’s listen in!
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is sponsored by the spring cohort of Education Reimagined’s Learning Lab Orientation. You can register now!
On this episode, Tom Vander Ark is joined by Dr. Gilda Barabino, the President of the Olin College for Engineering.
Dr. Barabino is also the Professor of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering at Olin. She is the president-elect of AAAS, the American Association for the Advancement of Science and previously served as Dean of The Grove School of Engineering at the City College of New York.
Let’s listen in as they discuss chemistry, engineeringunleashed.com, the power of access and affordability and much more.
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is sponsored by What If.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark is joined by Rhonda Broussard, founder of Beloved Community, veteran educator, student of the world and author of the upcoming book One Good Question.
Let’s listen in as they discuss agency, education in 2030, equity audits and much more.
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is sponsored by Smart Sprints.
We recently hosted a Getting Smart Town Hall alongside Green Schools National Network to spotlight some of their recent work on establishing a GreenPrint, a framework and philosophy for building an ecosystem of sustainability minded schools and learners.
Check out the full show notes here.
Learn more about the GreenPrint.
View links from the event.
This episode is sponsored by our upcoming Smart Sprint. Find out more here.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark is joined by Greg Toppo and Jim Tracy, co-authors of the new book, Running with Robots: The American High School’s Third Century.
Greg Toppo is a journalist who has covered education for more than twenty years. He is also the author of The Game Believes in You: How Digital Play Can Make Our Kids Smarter.
This is Jim’s second time on the podcast. Jim is a Stanford trained historian, and a Senior Advisor at JFF who has been head of several independent schools.
Let’s listen in as they discuss education in the year 2040, AI and much more.
On this episode of the EduCatered podcast, we're joined by Rachelle Dené Poth, a Spanish and STEAM educator who lives in Pennsylvania. She is also a Getting Smart Columnist and active conference goer, tweeter and the first person to jump into a new tech solution.
Shawnee chats with Rachelle about a range of topics, ranging from the importance of being involved to apple pie. She also expresses gratitude for the work of Katie Martin, a friend of Getting Smart as well! You can check out Katie's episode of the Getting Smart Podcast here.
Let’s dig in.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Nate McClennen is joined by Brent Maddin, Executive Director of Next Education Workforce at Arizona State University. Brent leads a team that is collaborating with P-12 practitioners and higher-ed faculty to help design the roles of current educators, expand who enters the education workforce, and rethink how we develop and credential these educators.
Prior to coming to ASU, Brent was a co-founder and Provost at the Relay Graduate School of Education and also founded TeacherSquared—a national center dedicated to increasing collaboration among teacher preparation institutions.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark is joined by Annie Murphy Paul author of the new book The Extended Mind: The Power of Thinking Outside the Brain.
For the past decade, Annie has been a leading brain science writer on The Brilliant Blog.
Let’s listen in as Tom and Annie discuss the importance of the body in using the mind, how this can be better applied in schools and distributed cognition.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark is joined by Kiko Suarez, VP of Higher Education and Workforce Development at Territorium, a global edtech company connecting learners with recommended jobs. Territorium recently launched its AI-powered Comprehensive Learner Record (CLR), into the U.S. to break down the barriers between universities and employers.
Let’s listen in as Tom and Kiko discuss why learner records are so important, the state of higher education and who decides which skills are most important.
This episode of the podcast is a re-publishing of our recent Getting Smart Town Hall we are celebrating the one year bookiversary of Difference Making at the Heart of Learning by Tom Vander Ark and Emily Liebtag. We talked with our live audience about purpose-based learning, getting communities involved and how this ties into the idea of a global citizen.
You can find links to the resources mentioned here.
For a quick recap you can read it here.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark is joined by Clifton Taulbert, an acclaimed author, speaker and entrepreneur. His life story, Once Upon a Time When We Were Colored became a critically acclaimed 1996 movie and one of his books was sent to Nelson Mandela as a gift for his release from prison in 1990.
His most recent book, The Invitation, was chosen by the Architect of the United States Capitol as part of the 50 the anniversary celebration of the signing of the 1964 Civil Rights Legislation. Taulbert has written fourteen books in total, produced a major motion picture, and served as a consultant on several documentaries, including the Emmy-award-winning Boomtown: An American Journey, which details the birth of Tulsa, Oklahoma.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Tom Vander Ark is joined by Christine Ricci and Leo Morton, two business leaders from Kansas City who recently met with Tom at a Kauffman Foundation-sponsored real-world learning event.
For the last five years, Christine served as CEO of Phone Medic, also known as UbreakIfix, an electronics repair chain. She has had twenty years of executive leadership in healthcare and tech with companies like HCA, Cerner, Sprint and more.
Leo Morton is a private equity investor and President of DeBruce Companies, a family office managing a diverse investment portfolio. He started his career as an AT&T engineer and has had numerous executive roles in manufacturing and energy. He also served as the Chancellor of the University of Missouri Kansas City for nearly a decade.
Let’s listen in as they talk about connecting school to industry, where entrepreneurship comes from, how to have better school and business partnerships and much more.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Mason Pashia is joined by a very special guest — Luke Harris. Luke is a Junior at Horace Mann high school and has described himself as “enjoying taking things apart and not quite getting them back together.” For the past two years, he has been developing a design engineering curriculum for kids, created to teach real-world entrepreneurial and engineering skills.
Let’s listen in as they talk about the design process, why problem solving and finding both need to be taught to engineers and much more.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark is joined by Carla Marschall, co-author of the new book Worldwise Learning: A Teacher's Guide to Shaping a Just, Sustainable Future, which is a guide focused on supporting K-8 learners in gaining a better understanding of how to be global citizens. Carla has held leadership roles in international schools in Switzerland, Germany, Hong Kong, and Singapore over the past ten years and currently works as the Director of Teaching & Learning at UWC South East Asia, with the mission to make “education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future.
We are thrilled to bring you a new podcast from Getting Smart called EduCatered: A Podcast That’s Catered to Educators. It’ll be on its own podcast feed soon!
At Getting Smart, food, education, and innovation are at the heart of our recipe. This podcast mixes it all together to get to know teachers that are doing the work and making a difference.
We kick off the podcast series with Ululani (Ulu) Shiraishi, a middle school language arts teacher at Kamehameha Schools Maui. She is also a mother of three and a self-proclaimed laugher.
Shawnee chats with Ulu about a range of topics, ranging from salad goulash and listening to the importance of community and habit. She also expresses gratitude for the work of Ekela Kanaiaupio-Crozier, one of the first people to teach the Hawaiian language at the collegiate level.
Let’s dig in.
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is sponsored by the Getting Smart newsletter: Smart Update.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark is joined by Robert Simmons III. Robert is a scholar and activist on diversity, equity and inclusion. Robert serves as a Scholar in Residence and a Scholar of Antiracist of Antiracist Praxis in the School of Education at American University and as a member of the Diversity Scholars Network at the National Center for Institutional Diversity at the University of Michigan.
Let’s listen in as they discuss new social contracts, longtime DEI advocacy, compounding crises, food programs and much more.
Be sure to sign up for our Smart Update newsletter to get a weekly round up of what's innovative in learning.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Nate McClennen is joined by Kim Alexander and Alton Frailey from Collegiate Edu Nation (CEN).
Kim is the CEO of Collegiate Edu Nation and has spent most of his career at Roscoe Independent School District where he served as superintendent from 2003 to 2019 before transitioning to lead CEN. Kim has done so much in Roscoe to promote early college and STEM to support disadvantaged rural students.
Alton has been in the education world for 35 years, serving as a superintendent for two districts in Texas and one in Ohio. Alton is involved in numerous boards and community organizations both locally and nationally. and He is currently President of Alton L. Frailey & Associates, LLC, specializing in leadership development, community engagement, school board team building, and executive coaching.
Let’s listen in as they discuss rural innovation in Texas schools and more about CEN.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom is joined by Daniel Pianko and Nasir Qadree. Daniel is the co-founder and managing director of Achieve Partners, an investment fund harnessing digital transformation to build new models for learning and new pathways to good jobs. He also hosts the Better Money, Better World podcast.
Nasir Qadree is the Founder and Managing Partner at Zeal Capital Partners, an inclusive investment vehicle partnering with entrepreneurs to bridge America's Wealth and Skills gaps. Before Zeal, Nasir led AT&T social impact fund and before that was head of education at Village Capital, an early impact seed fund.
Let’s listen in as they discuss investment in learning, why it’s more important than ever and how investments are shifting towards social, as well as financial impacts.
Getting Smart recently hosted a monthly town hall event called Ask Away: A Getting Smart AMA (Ask Me Anything). We invited the audience to ask us questions about leadership and the future of learning and we did our best to answer them. We recorded the session and you can listen to it now.
You can register for our next town hall on Difference Making here.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Getting Smart team members Mason Pashia and Shawnee Caruthers are joined by Timothy Jones, a long-time educator, coach, mentor and someone who lives and breathes hip hop. Timothy is the Chief Visionary Officer at #HipHopEd, a digitally-birthed organization with a sprawling membership of brilliant educators and passionate advocates that know just how powerful this intersection can be.
He is also the founder of Techniques4Learning, a company dedicated to utilizing Hip-Hop and Culturally Relevant Pedagogy to develop and implement strategies, curriculum and activities to improve teacher student engagement for schools, universities, education organizations and community based organizations.
Let’s listen in as they discuss the role of hip hop in school, how being an MC is like being a minister, what educators can learn from other professions, student engagement and much more.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom is joined by Sarah Stein Greenberg, the Executive Director of the Stanford d.school and the recent author of Creative Acts for Curious People: How to Think, Create, and Lead in Unconventional Ways.
Sarah has spent the last decade leading d.school and her new book is a masterclass in design activities, design process and creativity. Throughout the episode Sarah and Tom mention "Sam", they are referring to Sam Seidel K12 Lab Director of Strategy + Research.
Let’s listen as Sarah and Tom discuss design thinking, a design toolkit, problem solving, community involvement and much more.
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is sponsored by GettingSmart.com.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Nate McClennen is joined by Amy McGrath, Deputy Vice President of Arizona State University. They discuss Learning Under Quarantine, a new model that is a fully adaptable, just-in-time learning support for students who have been temporarily sent home for any reason.
Amy has spent the vast majority of her career in education, working in education innovation and transformation as well as personalized learning. This exciting new initiative is a natural build on these professional passions.
Let’s listen in as they discuss student supports, online learning and what higher education can do for students of all ages.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Rebecca Midles is joined by Dr. Ulcca Joshi Hansen, the Chief Program Officer at Grantmakers for Education. She is also the author of The Future of Smart: How Our Education System Needs to Change to Help All Young People Thrive.
Ulcca has a career built upon learner-centered and inclusive education policies and her new book looks for ways to incorporate those human-centered approaches alongside social justice and large-scale education reform.
Let’s listen in as they discuss identity, definitions of indigenous, codification of learning and more.
Dr. Roger Weissberg passed away this week after a multi-year battle with cancer. Roger always strove to live social and emotional learning as well as teach it, and he helped to shape much of the present day vision of what education should be. We are deeply grateful for Roger’s leadership and his commitment to making education better for all learners. You can go to this link to read more about Roger’s life and work. We are reposting this 2016 conversation with Roger in his memory.
Roger Weissberg, chief knowledge officer for the Collaborative For Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL), joins Tom for a discussion around Social Emotional Learning (SEL), and shares more on reasons he feels SEL has become so prominent in education discussions and what the future of SEL in schools might be.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark sits down with Roberta McFarland, Director/Principal of Outdoor Environmental Education for Waskowitz Outdoor Programs.
Dr. McFarland has a long career in residential outdoor environmental education and she loves helping young people find magic by engaging on a journey of diversity with people and nature.
Let’s listen in as they discuss the magic of the outdoors, learning by playing,
his episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is sponsored by our recent publication Designing Microschools: Why Small Learning Environments is a Big Idea
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark sits down with Martin Reeves, SVP Boston Consulting Group, BCG, and chairman of the BCG Henderson Institute, Martin recently co-authored a book called The Imagination Machine, an executive’s guide to systematically harnessing imagination for organizational reinvention and rejuvenation.
Let’s listen in as Tom and Martin discuss collective imagination, how schools can better empower young people to imagine and how imagination intersects with strategy.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast we’re talking with Michael Levine, Senior Vice President of Noggin, Nickelodeon’s direct-to-consumer interactive learning service for young people.
Michael spent time at Carnegie, Sesame Street, the Joan Ganz Cooney Center and has been a leading advocate for the importance of research in early learning. He is also the co-author of Tap, Click, Read.
Let’s listen in as he and Tom discuss the role of digital media in early learning, the importance of learning sciences, and more.
Links
- Digilearn
- Gregg Behr & Ryan Rydzewski on When You Wonder, You’re Learning
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is sponsored by 20 Invention Opportunities in Learning & Development.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Rebecca Midles sits down with Katie Martin, Chief Impact Officer at Learner-Centered Collaborative.
Katie supports school and district leaders to reimagine school. Along with the professional learning team, Katie supports district and school leaders to create the conditions and experiences to shift to learner-centered models of education. Before her time at Learner-Centered Collaborative, Katie was an educator and also served as Director of District Leadership at the Buck Institute for Education.
She is recently the author of Evolving Education: Shifting to a Learner-Centered Paradigm.
This episode of Getting Smart Podcast is sponsored by Screencastify.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark sits down with Richard Culatta, CEO of the International Society for Technology in Education (better known as ISTE), a nonprofit serving education leaders in 127 countries. Richard was appointed by President Obama as the Director of the Office of Educational Technology for the US Department of Education.
Richard also is the author of a new book, Digital For Good: Raising Kids to Thrive in an Online World.
Let’s listen in as Tom talks with Richard about smart tools, inclusion and more.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark sits down with Ken Kay, founder of Partnership for 21st Century Skills and its successor EdLeader 21, and Suzie Boss, long time education writer and consultant. Ken and Suzie recently co-authored the book Redefining Student Success: Building a New Vision to Transform Leading, Teaching and Learning.
On this episode they discuss who should be present for the create of a portrait of a graduate, whether or not PBL is catching on, how to truly center the student and co-author learning experiences alongside them and more.
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is sponsored by Screencastify.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark sits down with Amir Nathoo (@AmirNathoo), CEO of Outschool, an education platform that offers live online classes for K-12 learners. Amir earned a Masters degree in Electrical and Information Sciences from Cambridge 20 years ago and has been an entrepreneur and business builder since. Amir led the development of Square Payroll and served as CEO and co-founder of Trigger.io.
Let's listen in as Tom and Amir discuss the opportunity of live online classes and his history in tech.
Navid Nathoo on What Education Can Learn From the Real World
Learners From The Knowledge Society
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is sponsored by Screencastify.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Rebecca Midles (@AKRebecca) sits down with Rebecca Wolfe (@rewolfe13), Vice President of Impact and Improvement at Knowledgeworks and Ryan MacDonald, Senior Program Associate on the Student-Centered Learning team at the Council of Chief State School Officers.
They discuss the updated version of the Educator Competencies for Personalized, Learner-Centered Environments, a new customizable toolkit and a district usage map.
Listen in to hear more about the competency toolkit, the pandemic’s impact on SEL and equity and what’s coming next.
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is sponsored by Screencastify.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark is joined by John Watson, founder of Evergreen Education Group. John is the leading expert on online learning. He recently hosted the Digital Learning Annual Conference (DLAC).
Let’s listen in as Tom and John discuss the promise of online learning, how it is different from remote learning and how educators and districts can better use online learning to serve their learners.
Be sure to sign up for the Getting Smart Smart Update for a weekly blast about what's next in learning.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Tom sits down with Briony Chown (@BrionyChown), Director of High Tech High Elementary Explorer.
Briony is a seasoned educator who is passionate about creating a better future of elementary education. She is going into her sixth year as Director of High Tech Elementary Explorer and her ninth year with the Explorer team.
Let’s listen in as Tom and Briony chat what elementary schools could be, the outstanding student work at High Tech High, international approaches to learning and community connected projects for young learners.
Additional Links
Episode 217 - How Educators Can Positively Impact a Child’s Cognitive Development with Dr. Pamela Cantor.
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is sponsored by Screencastify.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom speaks with Dr. Rhoda Mhiripiri-Reed, superintendent of Hopkins Public Schools in southwest Minneapolis and famous school architect Randy Fielding, who is focused on pathfinding efforts and making Hopkins a more collaborative space.
Let’s listen in as Tom, Randy and Dr. Mihiripiri-Reed discuss transformation, pillars of innovation, reimagining learner experience and environment and much more.
Links
- Twitter: Randy Fielding
- Twitter: Dr. Rhoda Mhiripiri-Reed
- Hopkins Public School
- Royal Report
- Screencastify
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast we’re joined by three esteemed guests to discuss the new AASA Report issued by the Learning 2025 Commission, which makes a commitment and a recommendation for whole child design.
Joining us today is Dr. Luvelle Brown who is currently serving as the Superintendent of the Ithaca City School District (ICSD) in Ithaca, New York.
We’re also joined by Dr. Pamela Cantor, founder of Turnaround for Children and currently a governing partner of the Science of Learning and Development Alliance.
Lastly, we are joined by Valerie Truesdale, Deputy Director of AASA, The School Superintendents Association.
Let’s listen in as Tom talks with these guests about the findings in the new report and why a commitment to whole child design is more important than ever.
Links:
- Learning 2025 Report
- Twitter: Dr. Luvelle Brown
- Twitter: Dr. Pamela Cantor
- Twitter: Valerie Truesdale
- Science of Learning and Development Alliance
- Ithaca City School District
- Turnaround for Children Toolbox
- AASA
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom speaks with Anthony and Chelsea Craig, leaders in the state of Washington and advocates for indigenous ways of life and leading.
Dr. Anthony Craig has served as a teacher, teacher leader, principal, and central office administrator in suburban and reservation settings in Washington state. He is a Professor of Practice, Educational Leadership & Policy Studies at the University of Washington’s College of Education where he directs the Leadership for Learning program. He is a member of the Yakama Nation.
Chelsea Craig is a member of the Tulalip Tribes and has spent her career serving as a teacher at Tulalip Elementary. Her experiences include being the school librarian, teaching 2nd and 3rd grade and most recently as the Cultural Specialist for Quil Ceda Tulalip Elementary.
Let’s listen in as Tom discusses the current sense of mutuality, sustainability and what the modern world can learn from the wisdom of indigenous practices.
Links:
Twitter: Dr. Anthony Craig
Quil Ceda Tulalip Elementary
Decolonizing Methodologies
Highline School District
What if?
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Rebecca Midles is talking with Randy Weiner and James Bailey about their new book The Daily SEL Leader: A Guided Journal.
Aside from being an author, Randy Weiner co-founded and served as the first Chairman of the Board at Urban Montessori Charter School (UMCS) in Oakland, CA—the nation’s first public Montessori, Arts Integration and Design Thinking school. He is also a co-founder and the CEO at BrainQuake, a two-time U.S. Department of Education Small Business Innovation Award winner.
James Bailey’s career has encompassed teacher, principal, school turnaround, principal consultant, and superintendent roles spanning Texas, Colorado, and Wyoming. As Superintendent in Wyoming, his district was the first member in the state to join the League of Innovative Schools after reform efforts around personalized learning and social-emotional development.
Let’s listen in as they discuss the impetus for a daily SEL practice and the importance of educator self-care and self-efficacy.
Links:
Corwin
The Daily SEL Leader: A Guided Journal
Twitter: Corwin Press
Twitter: James Bailey
Twitter: Randy Weiner
Debbie Silver on Fall Down 7 Times Get Up 8
Mark White and Dwight Carter on Leading Schools in Disruptive Times
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom is joined by Dr. Pedro Noguera and Dr. Frederick (Rick) Hess, co-authors of the new book A Search for Common Ground: Conversations About the Toughest Questions in K-12.
Pedro Noguera is the Emery Stoops and Joyce King Stoops Dean of the Rossier School of Education and a Distinguished Professor of Education at the University of Southern California.
Frederick M. Hess is a resident scholar and the director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where he works on K–12 and higher education issues. He is the author of Education Week’s popular blog “Rick Hess Straight Up” and a regular contributor to Forbes and The Hill. He also serves as an executive editor of Education Next and the co-host of the “Common Ground” podcast.
Let’s listen in as they discuss the importance of disagreement, relationships and some of the biggest challenges in education.
Links:
A Search for Common Ground: Conversations About the Toughest Questions in K-12.
Twitter: Rick Hess
Twitter: Pedro Noguera
Getting Smart Services
100 Days of Conversation Getting Smart Podcast
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is brought to you by a new Getting Smart campaign called "What If?"
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Rebecca Midles talks with Antonia Rudenstine about RedesignU and a new approach to k-12 content mapping.
Antonia Rudenstine is a former high school teacher, is now the director of reDesign, LLC, a consulting group that focuses on creating new school designs and program models, in addition to supporting leaders and teachers in the work of instructional and curricular improvement. She has over 25 years of experience supporting schools in thinking deeply about teaching and learning, as it applies both to young people and adults and experience as a school founder and leader, a teacher and a founder of a consulting practice.
Let’s listen in as Antonia and Rebecca talk about curriculum, school models and learning ecosystems.
Links:
- Antonia Rudenstine
- RedesignU
- What if?
- Twitter: @AMRudenstine
Today, Shawnee Caruthers, the Director of Learner Experience at Getting Smart, is sitting down with Dr. Debbie Silver.
Dr. Silver is an award-winning educator with 30 years of experience as a classroom teacher, staff development instructor, and university professor. As a former Louisiana State Teacher of the Year, Debbie is one of the nation’s most popular keynote speakers and professional development presenters, having given presentations around the world (including 49 states, Canada, Mexico, Europe, the Middle East, Australia, Africa, and Asia).
In this conversation today, Shawnee and Debbie speak about the second edition of her beloved 2012 bestseller, Fall Down 7 Times, Get Up 8, titled, Fall Down 7 Times, Get Up 8: Raising and Teaching Self-Motivated Learners, K-12, which was released this month (May 2021). They discuss student agency, self-efficacy, what parents should be telling their kids, the importance of failure, and some of the key highlights from her newest book.
Key Takeaways:
[:09] About today’s episode with Dr. Debbie Silver.
[:41] Shawnee welcomes Debbie to the podcast!
[1:01] Debbie shares what inspired her to pursue a career in education.
[2:17] How education and humor collide.
[3:53] Debbie shares her thoughts on how we can better teach joy and live joyfully.
[10:02] Shawnee congratulates Debbie on her new book, Fall Down 7 Times, Get Up 8: Raising and Teaching Self-Motivated Learners, K-12, and Debbie shares what inspired her to write the original edition of the book in the first place.
[13:12] Why Debbie jumped on the opportunity to do the new edition of her book.
[16:45] How agency and equity both connect and differ.
[19:56] Why agency is so powerful and important for children.
[23:08] Why “failure isn’t an option” is such a harmful thing for teachers to tell their students. And why, instead, they should be preaching the importance of failure.
[27:16] What Debbie wishes she knew earlier as a teacher.
[29:41] Shawnee thanks Debbie for joining the Getting Smart podcast!
Mentioned in This Episode:
Rashawn “Shawnee” Caruthers | Getting Smart
Debbie Silver
Fall Down 7 Times, Get Up 8: Raising and Teaching Self-Motivated Learners, K-12, by Debbie Thompson Silver
Brené Brown
Carol Dweck
“‘I Wish You Bad Luck.’ Read Supreme Court Justice John Roberts’ Unconventional Speech to His Son’s Graduating Class”
Corwin
Get Involved:
Check out the blog at GettingSmart.com.
Find the Getting Smart Podcast on iTunes, leave a review, and subscribe.
Is There Somebody You’ve Been Wanting to Learn From or a Topic You’d Like Covered?
To get in contact: Email Editor@GettingSmart.com and include “Podcast” in the subject line.
The Getting Smart team will be sure to add them to their list!
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom sits down with Dr. Fernande Raine, a social entrepreneur who works towards re-imagining how we talk about, teach and use history as well as bringing civics education to the forefront. She currently heads Got history and The Learning Collaborative, two organizations that work to change the way we teach and think about history.
Let’s listen in as Fernande and Tom talk about new approaches to history, democracy and changemaking.
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is sponsored by The Invention Opportunity.
Get Involved:
Check out the blog at GettingSmart.com.
Find the Getting Smart Podcast on iTunes, leave a review, and subscribe.
Is There Somebody You’ve Been Wanting to Learn From or a Topic You’d Like Covered?
To get in contact: Email Editor@GettingSmart.com and include “Podcast” in the subject line.
The Getting Smart team will be sure to add them to their list!
This week, Tom Vander Ark is sitting down with Justina Nixon-Saintil, the Vice President and Global Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at IBM. Justina drives strategic, socially responsible programmatic investments that enable IBM’s technology and talent to address some of society’s biggest challenges worldwide. She also leads initiatives like P-TECH and SkillsBuilds and uses multi-sector partnerships to help create more inclusive and innovative schools and workforces. Justina was also Verizon’s liaison to President Obama’s White House Office of Science and Technology, U.S. Department of the Interior, and U.S. Department of Education. Earlier in her career, she was an engineer for the U.S. Department of Energy.
Join in for today’s conversation to learn about how Justina’s unique career trajectory from engineering to social responsibility, the future of IBM, digital credentialing, P-TECH, SkillsBuild, skills-based hiring, how IBM is doing its part in addressing inequities in America, the state of corporate social responsibility, and much more.
Key Takeaways:
[:01] About Screencastify, the leading K-12 screen recording solution.
[:39] About today’s episode with Justina Nixon-Saintil.
[1:33] Tom welcomes Justina to the podcast!
[1:57] Justina speaks about her upbringing and early education.
[4:10] Justina’s experience as the only African-American to graduate in her engineering class.
[5:06] Tom and Justina speak about how we have to do a better job of introducing young people to the STEM field.
[6:30] Is Justina encouraged by the response of leading companies like IBM to really live into their corporate social responsibility?
[9:15] IBM’s stance on AI.
[10:33] Justina’s thoughts on inequities in America (especially for women and People of Color) and how it fits into her role at IBM.
[13:35] How IBM has been a leader in moving towards skills-based hiring as a strategy to attack inequity.
[16:29] About IBM’s leadership in digital credentials.
[17:40] About P-TECH.
[20:29] Tom and Justina give a shout-out to Dallas ISD for having a P-TECH as the campus.
[21:17] What is Open P-TECH?
[22:20] Applications of AI that Justina is most excited about.
[24:25] How does Justina continue to learn?
[25:52] Tom thanks Justina for joining the podcast!
[26:02] Thanks to Getting Smart’s sponsor, Screencastify.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Screencastify.com/GettingSmart
Justina Nixon-Saintil’s LinkedIn
P-TECH
SkillsBuild
IBM Credentials
Open P-TECH
Dallas ISD
Get Involved:
Check out the blog at GettingSmart.com.
Find the Getting Smart Podcast on iTunes, leave a review, and subscribe.
Is There Somebody You’ve Been Wanting to Learn From or a Topic You’d Like Covered?
To get in contact: Email Editor@GettingSmart.com and include “Podcast” in the subject line.
The Getting Smart team will be sure to add them to their list!
Today the Getting Smart team is sitting down with Mark White, an award-winning teacher, Principal, and Superintendent, as well as Dwight Carter, a nationally recognized school leader and Director of Student Support Services at Eastland-Fairfield Career Center in Groveport, Ohio.
Recently, Mark and Dwight published the second edition of their book, Leading Schools in Disruptive Times: How To Survive Hyper-Change. With school leaders facing unprecedented disruption, Mark and Dwight draw the blueprint in their book for adapting schools to ever-changing times. They provide practical strategies for identifying and responding to disruptions; an overview of the CAT framework; real-life stories from exceptional educational leaders; tips on guiding teachers, staff, and students through the many lessons learned during the pandemic; and a grounded examination of radical disruptions schools will face in the years to come.
Together, Tom, Mark, and Dwight discuss the new edition of their book, what they’ve learned in writing it, key lessons throughout their careers, and how educators can prepare students for a globalized world when many institutions are not ready for the constantly changing 21st century.
Key Takeaways:
[:08] About today’s episode with Mark White and Dwight Carter.
[:45] Tom welcomes Mark and Dwight to the podcast!
[:55] Did Mark and Dwight both grow up in Groveport, Ohio? How did they first meet?
[2:34] Mark speaks about the challenges he faced becoming a Superintendent during a recession in 2009.
[3:52] As a school leader for more than 18 years, Dwight shares his key takeaways for success as a high school leader.
[5:41] What Dwight does as a school leader to set the tone in his building.
[7:24] Dwight shares a story about hiring a live DJ to kick off the school year right!
[8:07] Mark shares what he believes makes Dwight so successful as a school leader.
[8:48] Tom congratulates Mark and Dwight on the second edition of their book, Leading Schools in Disruptive Times.
[9:02] How did they come up with the idea to write a book on this topic?
[11:00] When did Mark and Dwight begin to work on the updated edition?
[12:53] Why the testing model in schools may be the one thing that is holding schools back the most.
[15:15] How the pandemic pushed agility forward with schools and what that looks like today.
[17:38] Mark elaborates on the factors that are shaping the schools of tomorrow.
[18:44] Dwight’s hopes for how the pandemic will impact schools going forward.
[19:25] In Chapter 1 of Leading Schools in Disruptive Times, it says, “If leaders are going to thrive, they have to use disruption to their advantage.” How can teachers do this?
[22:14] Mark speaks about what it means to be globally ready and a post-pandemic world through transparency.
[24:18] Dwight’s tips for school leaders on how to stay in closer touch with their communities.
[26:56] Mark applauds American teachers on their rapid adaptation to change and shares his take on the importance of technology in education.
[29:02] Dwight shares his thoughts on updating your technology so that it supports your learning agenda.
[30:44] How does Dwight flip a bad situation into a positive one as a school administrator?
[33:06] Mark’s advice for school and system heads leading in disruptive times.
[34:17] Tom congratulates Mark and Dwight once again on the second edition of their book and thanks them for joining this week’s episode.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Mark White
Dwight Carter
Eastland-Fairfield Career Center
Leading Schools in Disruptive Times: How To Survive Hyper-Change (Second Edition), by Mark White and Dwight Carter
Mindset Digital
Get Involved:
Check out the blog at GettingSmart.com.
Find the Getting Smart Podcast on iTunes, leave a review, and subscribe.
Is There Somebody You’ve Been Wanting to Learn From or a Topic You’d Like Covered?
To get in contact: Email Editor@GettingSmart.com and include “Podcast” in the subject line.
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Today Tom is joined by Fred Dust; the author of the new book, Making Conversation: Seven Essential Elements of Meaningful Communication.
Fred is a former Senior Partner and Global Managing Director of the legendary design firm, IDEO. And in his new book, he shows how to design conversations and meetings that are both creative and impactful.
Join the conversation as Tom and Fred discuss the four pillars of conversation, where conversation interconnects with design, and how we can do a better job of helping young people develop these skills.
Key Takeaways:
[:08] About today’s episode with Fred Dust.
[:40] Tom welcomes Fred to the podcast and congratulates him on his terrific new book!
[:56] Fred shares his thoughts on why design thinking is now more important than ever before.
[2:55] Would Fred agree that almost every step of design-thinking involves a conversation or a set of conversations?
[5:58] Fred shares what prompted him to write his book, Making Conversation.
[9:58] Why does a good and clear conversation start with commitment?
[11:30] The second chapter of Making Conversation is on clarity. Fred elaborates on the importance of being metacognitive about what, how, and to whom you’re communicating.
[15:31] Fred gives his take on code-switching and whether or not it should be something that we’re teaching.
[19:32] The importance of being context-aware.
[20:55] What constraints have to do with conversations.
[23:24] About Screencastify, the leading K-12 screen recording solution.
[24:09] How education can teach conversations and real dialogue in high school.
[27:39] In writing, formative feedback is quite important. Is the same true for conversation? And if so, where and how should learners be getting formal or informal feedback on the way that they engage in dialogue?
[30:15] The most important place to learn the art of dialogue at the secondary level.
[32:15] Fred shares his thoughts on how we can educate the primary grades on dialogue.
[34:31] Fred discusses how we can approach reconnecting with kids as fall approaches.
[36:23] One conversation every kid should be having right now.
[36:42] How Valor’s Powered by Compass program engages students around the country in thoughtful dialogue.
[37:09] Tough conversations: how to have them.
[40:20] Fred shares his personal mission and how he continues his learning.
[41:52] Who should read Fred’s book, Making Conversation.
[42:40] Tom thanks Fred for joining the Getting Smart Podcast.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Fred Dust
Making Conversation
Making Conversation: Seven Essential Elements of Meaningful Communication, by Fred Dust
High Tech High
IDEO
Elizabeth Warren
The Power of Place: Authentic Learning Through Place-Based Education, by Tom Vander Ark, Emily Liebtag, and Nate McClennen
Screencastify.com/GettingSmart
Giving Voice to Values: How to Speak Your Mind When You Know What's Right, by Mary C. Gentile
ChildArt Magazine Jan 2021 Issue
Valor’s Powered by Compass
Getting Smart Podcast Ep. 301: “Joe Erpelding on Magical Schools and Thrively”
Get Involved:
Check out the blog at GettingSmart.com.
Find the Getting Smart Podcast on iTunes, leave a review, and subscribe.
Is There Somebody You’ve Been Wanting to Learn From or a Topic You’d Like Covered?
To get in contact: Email Editor@GettingSmart.com and include “Podcast” in the subject line.
The Getting Smart team will be sure to add them to their list!
Today, Tom is speaking with Dr. Christina Theokas, Chief of Applied Science at Turnaround for Children, about the whole-child design movement and the new Toolbox from Turnaround for Children.
The Turnaround for Children Toolbox is an online hub created by educators, for educators — and is backed by science, research, and passion. With this tool, educators will be able to create a supportive environment, cultivate developmental relationships, and build students’ knowledge, skills, and mindsets. Prior to her role with Turnaround, Christina was the Director of Research at the National Center for Urban School Transformation (NCUST) where she studied the teaching practices, systems and structures, and leadership of high-performing urban schools; and worked with educators to implement those strategies in their schools.
Join Tom and Christina for this fascinating conversation around why whole-child education matters now more than ever before, how to use the Turnaround for Children Toolbox, and how educators and ed-leaders can get started with implementing these mindsets and approaches in their strategies.
Key Takeaways:
[:08] About today’s episode with Christina Theokas.
[:52] Tom welcomes Christina Theokasto to the podcast.
[1:22] Christina shares about her original introduction to whole-child learning and development.
[3:59] What is whole-child learning and development?
[6:25] Is social-emotional learning (SEL) a subset of whole-child learning and development?
[8:38] As the Chief Applied Science Officer at Turnaround for Children, Christina elaborates on why the team has worked on a toolbox that summarizes the science of learning and development for educators.
[12:42] About the tiered support resources within the Toolbox.
[14:42] About the Well-Being index that is a part of the Turnaround for Children Toolbox.
[16:24] Is there a secondary version and an elementary version of the Well-Being Index?
[16:47] How often does Christina recommend that teachers use the Well-Being Index?
[18:20] Is the Toolbox for teachers, school leaders, policymakers, parents, or everybody involved with education?
[21:21] How will this dynamic resource change over time?
[23:32] About Turnaround for Children’s Building Blocks for Learning resources.
[25:32] The importance of student agency.
[26:27] Christina’s parting words of advice for teachers and school leaders in getting started on their whole-child journey.
[27:58] How Christina stays focused and productive as an individual learner.
[29:23] Where to learn more about the Turnaround for Children Toolbox.
[30:00] Tom thanks Christina for joining the podcast.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Christina Theokas
Turnaround for Children Toolbox
Well-Being Index | Turnaround for Children Toolbox
Building Blocks for Learning | Turnaround for Children
Getting Smart Podcast Ep. 217: “How Educators Can Positively Impact a Child’s Cognitive Development with Dr. Pamela Cantor”
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Today. Tom is sitting down with author and entrepreneur, Suneel Gupta, to discuss his new book, BACKABLE: The Surprising Truth Behind What Makes People Take a Chance on You.
Suneel is the co-founder of Rise Labs, Inc. and teaches innovation on faculty at Harvard University. Using the seven steps inside BACKABLE, Suneel went from being the face of failure for the New York Times to being the “New Face of Innovation” for the New York Stock Exchange. His ideas have been backed by firms like Greylock and Google Ventures, and he has invested in startups including Airbnb, Calm, and SpaceX. Suneel also serves as an emissary for Gross National Happiness between the United States and the Kingdom of Bhutan.
Tune in for today’s fascinating discussion as Tom and Suneel discuss how the “it” factor can be learned, what makes someone “backable,” failure, Gross National Happiness, and some of the biggest lessons and key concepts from his book, BACKABLE.
Key Takeaways:
[:08] About today’s episode with Suneel Gupta.
[:52] Tom welcomes Suneel to the podcast.
[1:06] About Suneel’s rich career background.
[2:22] Suneel talks about why surveying for Gross National Happiness is important, what initially got him interested in better measurement for societal progress, and key lessons he learned in speaking directly to the researchers in Bhutan who collect the GNH data.
[6:05] What Suneel learned about the art of pitching in writing his book, BACKABLE.
[9:10] What makes someone “backable.”
[10:47] Suneel unpacks the second concept of what makes someone backable: “Put yourself in a story that makes your case memorable.”
[14:41] Suneel elaborates on the sixth concept of what makes someone backable: “You can’t just wing it. You have to practice and you have to adjust based on feedback from practice.”
[17:27] How high school and college could do a better job in helping people develop the skills necessary in order to become more backable.
[21:48] Why everyone can benefit from reading BACKABLE.
[22:29] About Screencastify, the leading K-12 screen recording solution.
[23:15] How Suneel continues to learn.
[25:45] Tom congratulates Suneel for his new book and thanks him for joining the podcast!
Mentioned in This Episode:
Suneel Gupta
BACKABLE: The Surprising Truth Behind What Makes People Take a Chance on You, by Suneel Gupta with Carlye Adler
Rise Labs, Inc.
Gross National Happiness
TED Talk “Do Schools Kill Creativity?” by Sir Ken Robinson
Screencastify.com/GettingSmart
Getting Smart Podcast Ep. 302: “Kim Smith on Creating Schools, Companies and the Pahara Institute”
Get Involved:
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Today, Tom talks with Nate Kellogg of The Learning Accelerator and Gwen Baker of Bellwether Education Partners about the Strategy Lab — a project of the Always Ready for Learning initiative.
The Strategy Lab is a networked learning community from The Learning Accelerator, in partnership with Bellwether Education Partners, working to accelerate the development of a more resilient and equitable education future. This work culminated in the Real-Time Redesign toolkit, an actionable resource for helping districts apply the key learnings and processes from the Strategy Lab work.
Listen in as Tom speaks with Nate and Gwen about this important collaborative work within a network of schools and districts. And be sure to stay tuned until the end to hear from some of the participants themselves!
Key Takeaways:
[:08] About today’s episode with Nate Kellogg and Gwen Baker.
[:52] Tom welcomes Nate and Gwen to the podcast.
[1:09] Nate tells the origin story of the Always Ready for Learning initiative as well its three projects: the Parabola Project, the Coaching Network, and the Strategy Lab.
[2:34] Gwen shares how she and Bellwether get involved in this project and why they were personally compelled by it.
[4:25] Nate shares about the districts they originally focused on when beginning this project.
[6:02] Which services to Gwen try to quickly mobilize and offer to these partner districts with the Strategy Lab?
[7:33] Was there any learning between these districts? Were they learning together about shifting their education to remote and when/how they might go hybrid or in-person?
[8:32] Gwen elaborates on how the networking between districts was one of the most powerful tools for learning and growth.
[10:34] Nate explains the Real-Time Redesign toolkit.
[11:46] Would Gwen say that the toolkit is still highly useful for not only the participating districts but other districts as well right now?
[12:57] Nate shares his predictions and hopes for what may be better or different in the fall with their partnered districts as a result of the work they’re doing.
[15:22] Gwen shares her hopes and predictions for the fall as a result of the work that they’ve done with their partnered districts.
[16:56] Does this COVID-19 era mark the end of the individual practitioner and the beginning of teaching teams and embracing new strategies and tools around personalized and competency-based learning? And if so, does Gwen see this as a permanent shift going forward?
[18:40] Does Nate think that many of the districts that they’ve worked with will continue to have an online or virtual learning program post-pandemic?
[19:49] Does Nate believe we will continue to see enriched online programs that incorporate more project-based learning and more community connections, as well as more hybrid programs that stick around long-term, post-pandemic?
[21:04] Does Gwen have any predictions for new models that she thinks we’ll see in the fall or beyond?
[21:58] Where to find more information about the Strategy Lab and the Real-Time Redesign toolkit.
[22:44] Gwen shares some parting words to districts and leaders curious about the projects.
[23:02] Tom thanks Gwen and Nate for joining the podcast!
[23:19] The districts that participated in the Strategy Lab share their thoughts on the process and answer the questions: 1. What was the most powerful part of the Strategy Lab cohort? 2. What are they piloting as a result of the Strategy Lab and the Real-Time Redesign process?
[23:34] The Chief Academic Officer of Indianapolis Public Schools, Dr. Warren Morgan, shares his thoughts on the Strategy Lab cohort.
[26:55] The Director of Academics at the Austin Independent School District, Suzanne Newell, shares her thoughts on the Strategy Lab cohort.
[30:42] The Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment at Renton School District, Bob Ettinger, shares his thoughts on the Strategy Lab cohort.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Nate Kellogg
The Learning Accelerator
Gwen Baker
Bellwether Education Partners
Strategy Lab
Real-Time Redesign
Monterey Peninsula Unified School District
Indianapolis Public Schools
Austin ISD
Mastery Charter
Phoenix Charter Academy
Cedar Rapids Community School District
Warren Morgan
Suzanne Newell
Balance With Blended Learning: Partner With Your Students to Reimagine Learning and Reclaim Your Life, by Catlin R. Tucker
Getting Smart Podcast Ep.293: “Beth Rabbit and Asaf Bitton on the State of Health and the Parabola Project”
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Today, Tom is sitting down with Thomas Homer-Dixon, the author of the new book, Commanding Hope: The Power We Have to Renew a World in Peril. Thomas is also the author of the well-received book, The Ingenuity Gap, and, the Director of the Cascade Institute at Royal Roads University in Victoria, BC, Canada. Additionally, he also holds a University Research Chair in the Faculty of Environment at the University of Waterloo.
In this conversation, Tom and Thomas discuss why and how the world is getting more complex, the role of complexity scientists, the focus of the Cascade Institute, the importance of young people developing a sense of agency, what schools can do to educate their students about climate change, and about his book, Commanding Hope.
Key Takeaways:
[:08] About today’s episode with Thomas Homer-Dixon.
[:38] Tom welcomes Thomas to the podcast.
[:55] What is a complexity scientist? And what do they do?
[3:51] The observations and systems that led Thomas to spot the ingenuity gap that he wrote about 20 years ago in The Ingenuity Gap. And is it worse today than it was 20 years ago?
[7:17] Observations from Getting Smart’s “20 Invention Opportunities in Learning & Development” report.
[9:37] Tom highlights how, increasingly, innovation in the public space requires a combination of public, private, and philanthropic funding.
[10:17] Thomas highlights an advantage we have today: our capacity to ramp up combinatorial innovation.
[11:48] What the Cascade Institute is, what they do, and its mission.
[15:00] Tom congratulates Thomas on his new book and reads the opening passage.
[16:13] Who is Stephanie May and why was she an inspiration for Thomas’s new book, Commanding Hope?
[21:28] How important is helping students develop a sense of agency and knowing that they can have an impact on the world? How do students achieve a sense of agency?
[24:29] How and where students should learn about climate change.
[26:06] How schools and system heads should engage young people in solutions around climate change.
[28:28] Simple cultural efforts schools can make to help create more awareness among their students on their environmental footprint.
[29:35] The importance of creating space for young people to take on their own passion projects and go deep with them.
[30:04] Thomas shares how he continuously learns.
[32:38] Has Thomas read Bill’s new book, How to Avoid a Climate Disaster?
[32:57] Tom thanks Thomas for joining the podcast!
Mentioned in This Episode:
Thomas Homer-Dixon
Commanding Hope: The Power We Have to Renew a World in Peril, by Thomas Homer-Dixon
The Ingenuity Gap: Facing the Economic, Environmental, and Other Challenges of an Increasingly Complex and Unpredictable Future, by Thomas Homer-Dixon
Cascade Institute
University of Waterloo
“20 Invention Opportunities in Learning & Development,” by Getting Smart Staff
Stephanie Middleton May
Elizabeth May
Greta Thunberg
Difference Making at the Heart of Learning: Students, Schools, and Communities Alive With Possibility, by Tom Vander Ark and Emily Liebtag
How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need, by Bill Gates
Get Involved:
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This week, the Getting Smart team is speaking with Gregg Behr and Ryan Rydzewski about their new book, When You Wonder, You're Learning: Mister Rogers’ Enduring Lessons for Raising Creative, Curious, Caring Kids.
Gregg Behr is the Executive Director of The Grable Foundation, a father, and a children’s advocate whose work is inspired by the legacy of his hero, Fred Rogers. His co-author, Ryan Rydzewski, is an award-winning author, reporter, and speechwriter whose science and education stories span everything from schools to space travel to Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.
Listen in as they discuss their new book and the themes of community, collaboration, and the enduring lessons of Mister Rogers.
“Not only was [Mister Rogers] that loving grandfatherly figure who made us feel loved and capable of loving, but he was also a remarkable learning scientist.” — Gregg Behr
Key Takeaways:
[:10] About today’s episode with Gregg Behr and Ryan Rydzewski.
[:46] Tom welcomes Gregg and Ryan to the podcast.
[1:08] Gregg speaks about his educational background and the thread of ethics and character formation that run through his work.
[1:57] How and when did Gregg discover the power of active learning that is behind Remake Learning? What is the origin story of Remake Learning?
[5:44] Ryan shares why he decided to teach at East Baton Rouge Parish School System back in 2009 after receiving his Bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing at the University of Pittsburgh.
[6:23] Did Ryan have any classes in the Cathedral of Learning at the University of Pittsburgh?
[7:01] Gregg shares when and how Mister Rogers entered the picture in his world.
[8:28] Ryan speaks about his connection to Mister Rogers growing up and why he found him so inspiring.
[9:21] Gregg shares about Fred Rogers’ presence across the Pittsburgh community.
[10:39] Ryan elaborates on how the environment of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood was highly engineered to enrich lives and future growth and how every script, song, and story was created in alignment with proven research that benefited children.
[12:13] Why warmth and safety are so important in creating space for curiosity, and the ways in which Fred Rogers embodied warmth and safety that unlocked learning for children.
[14:19] Gregg highlights other points of intentionality in Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood that they uncovered while writing their book, When You Wonder, You're Learning.
[15:04] Why they incorporated many song lyrics into their book.
[16:22] Gregg shares what he believes Mister Roger was trying to evoke when he asked, “What might you do?” on his show.
[17:54] Mister Roger has said, “Listening is where love begins.” What did Ryan learn about listening in writing the book?
[19:33] Gregg shares what he thinks Fred Rogers’ advice would be today about working together and collaboration.
[21:35] As a writer, did Ryan find this book easy or hard to write?
[22:51] Gregg shares the main mission of their book, who they tried to address, and what they hoped to accomplish by writing it.
[24:58] About a powerful new tool that every teacher should be using with their students: The Well-Being Index by Turnaround for Children.
[25:50] Ryan shared what he learned about himself from working on this project and how he continues to learn going forward.
[27:44] What Ryan is doing to make himself a better writer and his advice for young writers.
[28:48] Gregg shared what he learned about himself from working on the book and how he continues to learn about the practice of philanthropy.
[30:50] Tom and Jessica thank Ryan and Gregg for joining the podcast!
Mentioned in This Episode:
When You Wonder, You're Learning: Mister Rogers' Enduring Lessons for Raising Creative, Curious, Caring Kids, by Gregg Behr and Ryan Rydzewski
Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood
Gregg Behr’s LinkedIn
Ryan Rydzewski’s LinkedIn
The Grable Foundation
Remake Learning
Teach for America
The Pittsburgh Foundation
Turnaround for Children
The Well-Being Index by Turnaround for Children
Getting Smart Podcast Ep. 208: “How to Raise Successful People with Esther Wojcicki”
Get Involved:
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Today Tom is sitting down with Dr. Trish Scanlon, CEO and founder of SoapBox Labs. Dr. Scanlon is one of the foremost leaders in voice technology — especially with regards to children’s voices. She has over 20 years of experience working in speech recognition technology, including Bell Laboratories and IBM. In 2018, Dr. Scanlon was named one of Forbes’ top 50 “Women in Tech.” In 2020, she was ranked sixth of seventeen global visionaries in voice by industry-leading publication, Voicebot.ai.
Listen in as Tom and Dr. Scanlon discuss the possibilities of voice technologies, why children pose a unique challenge in the field, and how tech can be keeping ethics and well-being at the center. Don’t miss out on this A.I. deep-dive on learning, voice tech, and creating more access for learners with differences.
Key Takeaways:
[:08] About today’s episode.
[:54] Tom welcomes Dr. Scanlon to the podcast.
[1:12] How did Dr. Scanlon become interested in voice technology?
[2:32] Was Dr. Scanlon able to find advisors 20 years ago in voice technology?
[3:50] Which machine learning tools are most useful in speech recognition?
[5:24] When did Dr. Scanlon recognize that speech recognition was particularly challenging for children?
[8:20] The origin story of Dr. Scanlon’s company, SoapBox Labs.
[10:35] Dr. Scanlon explains the service that SoapBox Labs offers its clients.
[12:37] About the Turnaround for Children Toolbox.
[13:17] The current and planned applications for voice recognition, speech therapy, and voice tech in learning and development in the classroom.
[15:53] How they manage varying accents in speech technology.
[19:06] Discussing the challenges around the biases in voice recognition technology.
[21:45] Other categories of assisted tech that Dr. Scanlon is excited about with regards to how they can better serve and create more access for learners with differences.
[23:53] Is the next generation growing up as voice technology natives? How should we be managing or navigating this next generation of youth growing up as voice natives?
[27:04] What Dr. Scanlon thinks students and teachers should know about machine learning today, as well as how and where we should be introducing this topic in school.
[28:53] Why is Dublin a hot spot for ed-tech startups? Why have they become a world leader in technology?
[31:13] How does Dr. Scanlon continue her learning?
[32:26] Tom thanks Dr. Scanlon for joining the podcast.
Mentioned in This Episode:
SoapBox Labs
Dr. Trish Scanlon
Voicebot.ai
Toolbox | Turnaround for Children
TechCrunch
EdSurge
Getting Smart Podcast Ep. 258: “Flynn Coleman on a Human Algorithm”
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This week, Tom Vander Ark is joined by a group of young change-makers and Dr. Erin Raab, Chief Strategy Impact Officer of the Choice-filled Lives Network. Together, they discuss the “100 Days of Conversations” project, a collaborative project organized to catalyze conversations in communities across the country on each of the first 100 days of the new administration.
Alongside Erin, three young men are setting the stage for impactful and life-changing conversations in Minnesota. These young men are Jose Perez, Cole Stevens, and Walter Cortina. And together they run an organization called Bridgemakers.
Erin, Jose, Cole, and Walter share about the “100 Days of Conversations” project, Bridgemakers, and how it has impacted them, their communities, and the youth, parents, and system heads alike. The Getting Smart team loves the energy and urgency of this conversation as well as the continued emphasis on student voice. You will not want to miss out on this one!
Key Takeaways:
[:08] About today’s episode.
[:53] Tom welcomes Dr. Erin Raab and the three young men to the podcast.
[1:11] Dr. Erin Raab speaks about her career and how reimagining education became a central part of her mission.
[2:43] Dr. Raab speaks about where the insight that community conversations are key to unlocking potential comes from.
[4:18] Dr. Raab shares about how she ran into the three young gentlemen accompanying her on the podcast today and what led them to work together.
[6:00] Walter introduces himself and explains what Bridgemakers is all about.
[6:49] Cole introduces himself and continues to share about what they do with Bridgemakers, the achievements they’ve had over the year, and how they tie in with the “100 Days of Conversations” project.
[10:40] Jose introduces himself and shares how he connected with Bridgemakers.
[12:58] Walter speaks about the other goals Bridgemaker is setting out to achieve.
[15:03] Walter shares how he got involved with this work.
[15:30] Walter shares how the High School for the Recording Arts (HSRA) has helped him do what he does today.
[16:22] Cole speaks about his high school experience and why it has driven a lot of his passion for school.
[17:57] Where did Cole’s passion for difference-making and reimagining education come from?
[21:17] Dr. Raab shares more about the ins and outs of the “100 Days of Conversations” project.
[24:30] Walter shares more about his experience with being both a participant and host with the “100 Days of Conversations” project.
[25:42] Jose shares his own experience with the “100 Days of Conversations” project.
[28:03] Cole shares his own experience with the “100 Days of Conversations” project and how Bridgemakers helped him with his agency and confidence.
[29:28] Walter speaks about how both the youth and the adults come away from these conversations feeling enlightened and empowered.
[30:31] Are school administrators and system heads generally sponsoring these conversations? How are they involved and what are the hoped-for outcomes for them as well as the students and parents involved?
[33:19] How being a conversation host has changed Walter and the way he thinks about his path forward. Walter also shares what’s next on his roadmap.
[35:00] Dr. Raab shares what’s next for the “100 Days of Conversations” project. She also shares what she’s learned through this initiative and the aspirations for change that she hopes will come as a result of it.
[38:32] Cole shares about his next steps and how he is going to take his Bridgemakers experience forward.
[42:05] Tom thanks all three young men for their leadership at Bridgemakers.
[42:17] Tom thanks Dr. Erin Raab for her work and she shares where to learn more about the “100 Days of Conversations” project.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Bridgemakers
Choice-filled Lives Network
Dr. Erin Raab | Choice-filled Lives Network
“100 Days of Conversations” Project | Choice-filled Lives Network
REENVISIONED
Human Restoration Project
Local Voices Network
Youthprise
High School for the Recording Arts (HSRA)
Difference Making at the Heart of Learning: Students, Schools, and Communities Alive With Possibility, by Tom Vander Ark and Emily Liebtag
Get Involved:
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Welcome back to the Nevada Succeeds mini-series! This three-part series is all about leadership, innovation, and education opportunities within Nevada Succeeds — a Las Vegas-based education non-profit focused on empowering systems transformation through educator impact, policy, and design-thinking.
This third part with Nevada Succeeds marks the finale of the series. Tom is joined by return guest Jeanine Collins, as well as Dr. Marion Smith, Dr. Kaleb Rashad, and Eric Chagala.
Jeanine Collins is the founder and Executive Director of Nevada Succeeds; an Adjunct Faculty at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas; and the Founder and Principal at Reflect Forward. Dr. Marion Smith is the Superintendent of Summit School District, Colorado. His Racial Equity Adaptive Leadership framework (R.E.A.L) is key to the Nevada Succeeds fellowship program design. Dr. Kaleb Rashad is the Creative Director of the High Tech High Graduate School of Education. Eric Chagala is the founding principal of the Vista Innovation & Design Academy (VIDA). Together, Kaleb and Eric have been hard at work on a new initiative called Unlocked, a Black-led 501(c)3 education non-profit, where they have had an instrumental influence on the mindset and methodology of the Nevada Succeeds’ InspirED Fellowship.
In this episode, Jeanine, Dr. Smith, Dr. Rashad, and Eric discuss the future of leadership, preparation, and development, how they all connected and came to be collaborators with Nevada Succeeds, what human-centered and equity-focused design means to them, the importance of creative leadership, and their thoughts on how we can all become more thoughtful school and community leaders.
Key Takeaways:
[:04] About the Nevada Succeeds mini-series.
[1:22] About the third and final part of the series.
[2:10] Tom welcomes special guest, Jeanine Collins, back to the podcast!
[2:44] Jeanine introduces Dr. Marion Smith and shares how they originally connected.
[4:29] Dr. Marion Smith shares about his career journey and rich educational history!
[5:43] How did Dr. Marion Smith develop his racial equity adaptive leadership framework? What is it about and what does it aim to accomplish?
[8:58] Jeanine shares why the framework resonates so much with her and why she wanted to incorporate it into the Nevada Succeeds fellowship.
[11:04] Tom welcomes Dr. Kaleb Rashad and Eric Chagala to the podcast!
[11:51] Kaleb shares how he and Eric came together to create Unlocked, a Black-led 501(c)3 education non-profit.
[14:03] Jeanine shares what she loves about Eric and Kaleb and why she wanted to get them involved with Nevada Succeeds.
[16:24] Eric explains what human-centered and equity-focused design means when it comes to VIDA and Unlocked.
[18:32] Eric shares some practical examples of human-centered and equity-focused design and the results that it brings.
[20:48] Marion speaks about what human-centered and equity-focused design means at a system level.
[24:27] What is creative leadership? And why is it more important than ever?
[28:22] Jeanine elaborates on how they keep the spirit and message of equity and justice alive amongst the Nevada Succeeds fellows!
[30:08] On the Unlocked website, there is a quote about inviting kids to do work that really matters to them and their community. Eric elaborates on this and shares how, at VIDA, they are “tending to the souls of schools.”
[31:24] Dr. Smith speaks about the kinds of experiences that people would benefit the most from in terms of preparing them to be thoughtful school and community leaders.
[34:58] Kaleb shares about the ways in which we can prepare people to be thoughtful school and community leaders.
[39:35] Eric shares how he believes people can become more thoughtful school and community leaders.
[41:20] Jeanine shares what is on Nevada Succeeds’ roadmap and what she hopes to accomplish in the future.
[43:11] Tom thanks everyone for joining the podcast!
[43:40] Shawnee concludes the Nevada Succeeds three-part mini-series!
Mentioned in This Episode:
Rashawn “Shawnee” Caruthers | Getting Smart
Nevada Succeeds
Nevada Succeeds InspirED Global Fellowship
Jeanine Collins’ LinkedIn
Dr. Marion Smith Jr.’s LinkedIn
Summit School District, Colorado
Educate to Liberate Consulting
Dr. Kaleb Rashad’s Website
High Tech High (HTH)
Eric Chagala’s Website
Vista Innovation & Design Academy (VIDA)
Unlocked
Getting Smart Podcast Ep. 263: “Kaleb Rashad on Race and Education in America”
Difference Making at the Heart of Learning: Students, Schools, and Communities Alive With Possibility, by Tom Vander Ark and Emily Liebtag
Getting Smart Podcast Ep. 314: “Up Close with Nevada Succeeds: Origins of the InspirED Fellowship” (Part 1)
Getting Smart Podcast Ep. 316: “Up Close with Nevada Succeeds: Leading State Learning Transformation” (Part 2)
Get Involved:
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In this week’s episode, Tom is sitting down once again with special guest, Pavel Luksha.
Pavel Luksha is a leading education futurist. He’s a Professor of Practice at Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO, the Director and founder of Global Education Futures, and serves on the advisory board for Whittle School and Studios. What drives Pavel forward is creating a world that works for everyone. He’s a global thinker and change catalyst focused on creating the discipline of social ecosystem gardening.
Recently, Pavel contributed to a new future of skills report that is one of the best that the Getting Smart team has seen on the subject! The report was a collaboration between Global Education Future, WorldSkills Russia, and WorldSkills International and is titled, “Future Skills for the 2020s: A New Hope.” It summarizes interviews that Pavel conducted with leaders and experts all over the world and focuses on the three overarching skills that are needed to build a thriving future for all. These skills are: 1) Collaborate, adapt, and transform 2) Embrace future-orientations and technological tools, and 3) Embody well-being of people and planet as our primary purpose.
Listen in as Tom and Pavel discuss what learners need to know and why we live in a VUCA place. If you’re working on a new portrait of a graduate (or a graduate profile) and are thinking about the skills that your learners will need in the 2020s, this is a must-listen-to episode!
Key Takeaways:
[:10] About today’s episode with Pavel Luksha.
[:45] Tom welcomes Pavel back to the Getting Smart Podcast!
[1:42] As a world traveler, how has the last year been for Pavel without any international travel?
[2:52] How were GEF, WorldSkills, and Pavel able to conduct this study during a global pandemic?
[4:05] Pavel talks about the volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) world and how 2020 gave people the experience of a pandemic, one of the aspects of the VUCA world.
[4:47] Tom outlines the three overarching skills that the report covers and Pavel speaks about the first of the three, “Collaborate, adapt, and transform,” and why it is so critical.
[8:25] Pavel speaks about the increasing mutuality towards embracing well-being, as well as some of the counter-trends that they are seeing during the pandemic.
[10:52] Pavel shares about the megatrends in the report that are transforming the nature of the global economy: Digitalization, Globalization, and Environmentalization.
[15:03] Pavel elaborates on this idea of life-centered, transformative, regenerative, and circular economies — and why experts see this as a likely scenario.
[17:00] Pavel gives advice to education leaders and highlights the factors that they should be thinking about in the 2020s.
[20:05] Pavel elaborates on how education leaders should lean into artificial intelligence, big data, and exponential technologies.
[22:12] Why Tom loves “Future Skills for the 2020s” report.
[23:12] Pavel shares why they went sector-by-sector in the report.
[24:12] Pavel has also released an in-depth report on learning ecosystems titled, “Learning Ecosystems: An Emerging Praxis for the Future of Education.” Pavel elaborates on what a learning ecosystem is and why they are worth studying.
[30:38] Pavel provides some examples of what a healthy learning ecosystem looks like.
[34:30] How does Pavel keep productive and stay focused on his learning even in the midst of a global pandemic?
[36:46] Tom thanks Pavel for joining the podcast once again!
Mentioned in This Episode:
Pavel Luksha (LinkedIn)
Getting Smart Podcast Ep. 223: “Pavel Luksha on Educating for Purpose, Potential, and the Planet”
Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO
“Future Skills for the 2020s,” Report by GEF, WorldSkills Russia, and WorldSkills International
Global Education Futures
WorldSkills Russia
WorldSkills International
“Learning Ecosystems: An Emerging Praxis for the Future of Education,” Report by GEF and Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO
Dream a Dream
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Welcome back to the Nevada Succeeds mini-series with your hosts, Rashawn “Shawnee” Caruthers and Tom Vander Ark! This three-part series is all about leadership, innovation, and education opportunities within Nevada Succeeds — a Las Vegas-based education non-profit focused on empowering systems transformation through educator impact, policy, and design-thinking.
In this second part of the three-part series with Nevada Succeeds, Shawnee Caruthers and Tom Vander Ark welcome Nevada State Superintendent, Jhone Ebert; Nevada Succeeds Executive Director, Jeanine Collins; as well as two teachers and InspirED Global fellows, Mike Lang and Jordana McCudden.
Jhone Ebert is the Superintendent of Public Instruction at the Nevada Department of Education. Previously, she was the Senior Deputy Commissioner for Education Policy of the New York State Education Department and the Chief Innovation and Productivity Officer at Clark County School District. Jeanine Collins is the Executive Director of Nevada Succeeds; an Adjunct Faculty at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas; and the founder and Principal at Reflect Forward. Mike Lang is a Technology Teacher at Clark County School District who prides himself on innovation and teaching the whole student. Jordana McCudden is a teacher, instructional coach, and project facilitator at the Clark County School District. She has worked in education for 20-plus years and strives to have a positive impact on classrooms across the state.
Together, they discuss Nevada Succeeds’s InspireED Global Fellowship, why they find it so valuable as educators and leaders, how it has impacted their future plans and outlook on education, and how it has helped aid their journeys (especially during a global pandemic).
Be sure to tune in (and stay tuned for part three of the series coming next week)!
Key Takeaways:
[:04] About the Nevada Succeeds mini-series.
[1:23] About the second part of the three-part mini-series.
[1:38] Tom welcomes special guests, Jhone Ebert, Jeanine Collins, Michael Lane, and Jordana McCudden.
[2:21] Jhone Ebert gives the lay of the land in Nevada and speaks about how many students and schools there are.
[3:11] The state of affairs of education in Nevada, particularly in Clark County.
[6:53] In addition to the pandemic, what other priorities has Jhone Ebert set for her department as Superintendent?
[11:04] Jeanine speaks about Nevada Succeeds and how she and Superintendent Ebert connected.
[13:38] Mike shares how he learned about the InspireED Global Fellowship, what he did in it, and why he found it valuable.
[16:15] What it has been like for Mike to teach during a pandemic, how he has helped other teachers adjust their practice this year, and important lessons he thinks we should take with us, post-pandemic.
[19:04] Jordanna speaks about her role in Clark County, how she became an InspireED Global fellow, and how it has impacted the way she is thinking about her future plans.
[23:22] Has helping to shape education policies statewide been a byproduct of some of Jordanna’s leadership activities?
[25:01] Jhone Ebert shares her excitement and gratefulness for sharing space with incredible educators and leaders.
[26:17] Jeanine speaks more about the incredible Nevada Succeeds InspirED Global Fellowship and why it is so important — especially right now.
[28:20] Mike speaks about his week going forward as an educator.
[29:28] Tom thanks everyone for joining the podcast.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Rashawn “Shawnee” Caruthers | Getting Smart
Nevada Succeeds
Nevada Succeeds InspirED Global Fellowship
Jeanine Collins’ LinkedIn
Jhone Ebert’s LinkedIn
Mike Lang’s LinkedIn
Jordana McCudden’s LinkedIn
Las Vegas Sands
Getting Smart’s Newest Report: “20 Invention Opportunities in Learning & Development”
Get Involved:
Check out the blog at GettingSmart.com.
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Today, Tom is sitting down with three outstanding learners who are passionate about difference-making, innovation, and making the world a better place. All three students — Sofia Sanchez, Naila Moloo, and Aaryan Harshith — are a part of The Knowledge Society (TKS); one of Getting Smart’s favorite afterschool programs!
Sofia Sanchez is passionate about synthetic biology, biotechnology, and innovation. Currently, she’s attending the Tecnológico de Monterrey high school in Mexico and focuses her studies on exponential technologies so that she can start a company that impacts the world in a positive way.
Naila Moloo attends the Elmwood high school in Ontario and is passionate about sustainable energy — specifically where it intersects with nanotechnology. Naila loves to learn about anything related to emerging technology, ranging from quantum physics to space exploration.
Aaryan Harshith attends the Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School in Ontario and is working to create a better, healthier world through the things he builds and the research he conducts. For the past two years, his primary focus has been on building a medical device to enhance cancer diagnosis during surgery — currently, he’s in the process of running human trials for it!
Listen in as Tom speaks with these learners to hear about their motivations to change the world, the emerging opportunities they see, and how they practice continuous learning. They share about their passion projects, hopes for the future, how they would change high school if they could, their visions for difference-making in this world, and how TKS has aided them in their learning journeys.
This is an episode that has left the entire Getting Smart team feeling incredibly inspired so be sure not to miss out!
Key Takeaways:
[:08] About today’s episode with three incredible students.
[1:38] Tom welcomes the three learners to the podcast!
[2:51] Sofia shares how she became so passionate about synthetic biology.
[3:31] How did Sofia discover TKS?
[4:21] How did Sofia turn her interest in gene editing and the gut microbiome into an incredible project?
[5:57] Was there any information on TKS about these topics or was Sofia’s learning self-directed through the internet?
[6:32] Was Sofia assisted by a coach at TKS on any of the projects that she worked on?
[7:21] Sofia speaks about her motivation for writing on Medium and hosting her own podcast, the 2045 Podcast.
[8:51] Naila speaks about her project for a science fair that led to her winning a scholarship for TKS.
[10:46] How did Naila become interested in sustainable energy, particularly superconductors?
[12:40] Does Naila study these interests at her school, Elmwood, or does she explore them outside of school?
[13:53] How did Aaryan find out about TKS? How long has he been in the program? And what kind of projects did he create for science fairs? What was his motivation?
[15:55] How is TKS different from traditional learning at Aaryan’s high school?
[17:10] What sparked Aaryan’s interest in a universal cancer vaccine?
[18:39] Sofia speaks about her evolving philosophy around difference-making.
[20:21] About Turnaround for Children’s Well-Being Index.
[21:13] How TKS has helped Naila think about where she wants to make a difference in the world.
[22:10] Aaryan shares what TKS has helped him with and inspired his vision for difference-making.
[22:57] Aaryan shares his thoughts on college vs. other post-secondary options.
[24:14] Sofia shares what is next for her after high school.
[26:00] Naila shares about the ways in which she thinks that high school could be more valuable.
[27:07] Sofia shares how she would change high school.
[27:49] Aaryan speaks about the opportunities that high schools should provide their learners with.
[28:22] Sofia shares her continuous learning tips for other young learners.
[29:38] Naila shares how she continually learns and gives advice to other students.
[30:34] Aaryan shares how he keeps learning and gives some advice to other learners as well.
[32:05] Tom thanks Sofia, Naila, and Aaryan for joining the Getting Smart Podcast!
Mentioned in This Episode:
The Knowledge Society (TKS)
Getting Smart Podcast Ep. 305: “Navid Nathoo on What Education Can Learn From the Real World and The Knowledge Society”
Sofia Sanchez’s LinkedIn
Sofia Sanchez’s Website
Sofia Sanchez’s Medium Profile
2045 Podcast by Sofia Sanchez
Naila Moloo’s LinkedIn
Naila Moloo’s Website
Chronicles Of Illusions: The Blue Wild, by Naila Moloo
Aaryan Harshith’s LinkedIn
“LightIR: Changing the Way We See (and Treat) Cancer Forever,” by Aaryan Harshith | Medium
Difference Making at the Heart of Learning: Students, Schools, and Communities Alive With Possibility, by Tom Vander Ark and Emily Liebtag
Well-Being Index | Turnaround for Children
Get Involved:
Check out the blog at GettingSmart.com.
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Join hosts Rashawn “Shawnee” Caruthers and Tom Vander Ark in this special Getting Smart Podcast mini-series about the Nevada Succeeds InspirED Global Fellowship! This will be a three-part series all about leadership, innovation, and education opportunities within Nevada Succeeds — a Las Vegas-based education non-profit focused on empowering systems transformation through educator impact, policy, and design-thinking.
Dedicated to building a state-wide ecosystem, Nevada Succeeds launched InspireED Global Fellowship in July 2020 in partnership with Las Vegas Sands. The goal of the fellowship is to empower educational practitioners to investigate Nevada education challenges and use design-thinking to develop actionable plans to determine solutions.
In this first part of the three-part series with Nevada Succeeds, Shawnee and Tom Vander Ark welcome Jeanine Collins, Mary Jean Gallagher, and Chip Kimball to the podcast. Jeanine Collins is the Executive Director of Nevada Succeeds; an Adjunct Faculty at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas; and the founder and Principal at Reflect Forward. Mary Jane Gallagher is the former Chief Student Achievement Officer and Assistant Deputy Minister of the Ontario Ministry of Education. She also co-authored the book, The Devil Is in the Details: System Solutions for Equity, Excellence, and Student Well-Being. Chip Kimball was the previous Superintendent for Singapore American Schools and is now making his way over to the International School of Prague.
In their conversation together, Jeanine, Mary, and Chip discuss the important work that Nevada Succeeds is doing, the challenges of system leadership today, strategies for developing young leaders, insights and advice on how leaders can innovate and be champions for equity in their school system, and much more.
The Getting Smart team is honored to partner with Nevada Succeeds on this type of work and is so excited for all of you to listen in to these conversations with the many key players in the initiative! Be sure to tune in (and stay tuned for part two of the series coming next week)!
Key Takeaways:
[:04] About the first episode in the three-part series with Nevada Succeeds.
[2:03] Tom welcomes Jeanine Collins, Mary Jean Gallagher, and Chip Kimball to the podcast.
[2:56] The backstory of Nevada Succeeds, about their mission, and how they have shifted their goals in the last year with COVID-19 by doing meaningful virtual and remote work.
[5:09] Jeanine speaks about the amazing and diverse lead learners that they’ve assembled at Nevada Succeeds.
[6:28] How did Dr. Kimble originally connect with Nevada Succeeds? And how does he think about the challenges of educator and school leadership today?
[9:11] Jeanine elaborates on the learning agenda at Singapore American and how inviting 100 of his faculty members to visit 100 of the best schools in the world impacted their success.
[11:36] Mary Jane Gallagher reflects on the challenges of system leadership today.
[15:55] Jeanine summarizes how she thinks about leadership development, what it should look like, and how she has incorporated these ideas at Nevada Succeeds.
[18:21] Chip speaks about strategies for developing young leaders.
[20:32] Mary Jane shares her insights on important experiences for developing leaders.
[23:36] Chip shares his thoughts on how leaders can innovate and be champions for equity in their school system.
[25:27] Mary Jane shares her insights on leading for innovation while championing for equity.
[29:28] Chip shares some additional insights on what they discovered after visiting 100 of the best schools in the world.
[31:12] Jeanine shares her key insights on innovation and equity.
[34:19] Mary Jane shares what is currently on her ‘shortlist’ for innovation opportunities.
[36:04] Chip shares what is on his shortlist for innovation.
[38:13] Jeanine shares what is on her own shortlist for innovation.
[39:29] Tom chimes in with an innovation of his own and thanks Jeanine, Chip, and Mary Jane for joining the Getting Smart Podcast.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Rashawn “Shawnee” Caruthers | Getting Smart
Nevada Succeeds
Nevada Succeeds InspirED Global Fellowship
Jeanine Collins’ LinkedIn
Mary Jean Gallagher’s Twitter
Chip Kimball’s LinkedIn
Reflect Forward
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
The Devil Is in the Details: System Solutions for Equity, Excellence, and Student Well-Being, by Michael Fullan and Mary Jean Gallagher
Ontario Ministry of Education
Las Vegas Sands
Singapore American School
International School of Prague
The Knowing-Doing Gap: How Smart Companies Turn Knowledge into Action, by Jeffrey Pfeffer and Robert I. Sutton
Getting Smart’s Newest Report: “20 Invention Opportunities in Learning & Development”
Get Involved:
Check out the blog at GettingSmart.com.
Find the Getting Smart Podcast on iTunes, leave a review, and subscribe.
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Today, Getting Smart team member Rashawn “Shawnee” Caruthers is sitting down with Margarita Geleske of Uncharted Learning and Tom Leonard, the Superintendent of Texas’s Eanes Independent School District.
Margarita worked with the founding Uncharted Learning to create INCubatoredu, which helps students develop future-ready skills as they build real businesses. She also served as chairperson and trustee for the Barrington 220 Educational Foundation and as well as a trustee for Barrington Youth & Family Services.
As a native of Chicago, Illinois, Dr. Tom Leonard served as Superintendent in the Barrington 220 School District in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago for seven years. He has been in his current role as Superintendent of Eanes ISD also for nearly seven years, having first entered the role in 2014.
Together, Margarita and Tom talk about student engagement and powerful entrepreneurial experiences within the community. Listen in as Shawnee talks with these incredible guests about INCubatoredu as well as their secret to success in engaging communities and students!
“We really need to change what we’re doing in our schools because the traditional curriculum that we’re using is not the world we’re living in now. And if we’re not venturing into entrepreneurial studies … we’re preparing kids for the world of the 1970s — and that’s gone.” — Tom Leonard
Key Takeaways:
[:09] About today’s episode with Margarita Geleske and Tom Leonard.
[1:10] Shawnee welcomes Margarita and Tom to the podcast!
[1:48] Tom introduces himself and speaks about his school district, Eanes ISD.
[3:05] How Tom and Margarita met.
[4:28] About Uncharted Learning.
[6:01] Tom shares about how Eanes ISD connected with Uncharted Learning and about INCubatoredu.
[10:25] Why is community such an important focus for Tom and why it is important for Eanes ISD to partner with organizations such as Uncharted Learning?
[11:50] Why the INCubatoredu program has been so impactful in particular.
[12:29] How to connect your community with your school district.
[14:10] How is a volunteer role in Uncharted Learning different from traditional roles?
[16:27] How have their relationships with mentors and coaches changed (as well as the relationship between schools and communities) changed since the pandemic? And what have they done to combat any potential negative shifts?
[19:54] About Getting Smart’s new report on what’s next in learning!
[20:53] The transparent, real-world look into the lives of business owners that students were uniquely provided over the course of the pandemic.
[22:09] What do business professionals bring to the student experience?
[25:47] The importance of “failing forward.”
[27:28] Tom shares why this work is so important to him.
[29:09] Margarita shares her “why.”
[31:56] How do people volunteer for the kinds of roles that Uncharted Learning offers?
[33:24] Tom shares some suggestions on what Superintendents and school districts can do to build or rebuild engagement with their communities.
[36:26] Tom and Margarita share some closing thoughts about community.
[39:51] Shawnee thanks Tom and Margarita for joining the Getting Smart Podcast!
Mentioned in This Episode:
Rashawn “Shawnee” Caruthers | Getting Smart
Margarita Geleske’s LinkedIn
Uncharted Learning
INCubatoredu | Uncharted Learning
Tom Leonard’s LinkedIn
Eanes Independent School District (Eanes ISD)
Barrington 220 Educational Foundation
Barrington Youth & Family Services
Barrington 220 School District
Getting Smart’s Newest Report: “20 Invention Opportunities in Learning & Development”
Getting Smart Podcast Ep. 216: “Don Wettrick on Teaching Entrepreneurship”
Get Involved:
Check out the blog at GettingSmart.com.
Find the Getting Smart Podcast on iTunes, leave a review, and subscribe.
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Today, Getting Smart team member, Rebecca Midles, is virtually sitting down with Kelley Munger and Megan Marcus of FuelEd.
Kelley and Megan are both professional development consultants that specialize in social-emotional learning and relationship building. Megan is the founder of FuelEd. She started her career in research and helped lead the research efforts for the book, The Social Neuroscience of Education: Optimizing Attachment and Learning in the Classroom, by Louis Cozolino. Kelley completed her Ph.D. in Early Intervention and Special Education at the University of Oregon and is a researcher and licensed therapist working in areas of trauma, adult attachment, special education, and human development.
Join in the conversation as they talk about the intersections of whole-child and SEL, how to best develop SEL within teachers and leaders, and where educators can get started in their SEL journeys.
Key Takeaways:
[:09] About today’s episode with Kelley Munger and Megan Marcus of FuelEd.
[:55] Rebecca welcomes Kelley and Megan to the Getting Smart Podcast.
[1:04] How Kelley and Megan first met and came together with FuelEd.
[2:10] The differences (and similarities) between social-emotional learning, trauma-informed practices, and whole-child and whole-person work.
[4:52] How and why they incorporate all three lenses (of SEL, trauma-informed practices, and whole-person work) at FuelEd.
[5:04] Kelley describes what “attachment stories” are.
[7:56] The importance of identity and the differences in SEL practices for educators vs. students.
[16:10] About Getting Smart’s new report on what’s next in learning!
[16:46] Dos and Don’ts for teaching SEL.
[23:11] Key takeaways and advice for scaling, and more on the inception of FuelEd.
[26:36] How anti-racist teaching is being supported through SEL and the work that Kelley and Megan are doing at FuelEd.
[31:20] Kelley and Megan share some ideas on addressing large-scale trauma/collective stories to help educators and students.
[34:47] Rebecca thanks Kelley and Megan for joining the podcast.
[36:27] Where to learn more about FuelEd and the work that Kelley and Megan are doing in this world!
Mentioned in This Episode:
Rebecca Midles | Getting Smart
FuelEd
@FuelEdSchools on Twitter
Megan Marcus
Kelley Munger
The Social Neuroscience of Education: Optimizing Attachment and Learning in the Classroom, by Louis Cozolino
Getting Smart’s Newest Report: “20 Invention Opportunities in Learning & Development”
Getting Smart Podcast Ep. 308 — “Phoenix Charter Academy on The Primary Person Advisory Model”
Get Involved:
Check out the blog at GettingSmart.com.
Find the Getting Smart Podcast on iTunes, leave a review, and subscribe.
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Today Tom is sitting down virtually to speak with Jeremy Keeshin, about his new book, Read Write Code: A Friendly Introduction to the World of Coding and Why It’s the New Literacy.
Jeremy has been an innovator from an early age and co-founded CodeHS back in 2012 when he was just graduating from Stanford University with a BS in Computer Science. CodeHS is an online coding education platform that helps schools teach computer science to high school students. Jeremy is an advocate for continuous learning, focusing on emerging technologies, and providing free access to education for all high schoolers.
In this episode, Jeremy speaks about his book, Read Write Code, the many benefits of learning to code, why it might be the new literacy, and whether or not students should still be thinking about going to college. He also speaks about the many opportunities that learning coding provides, what CodeHS offers educators and schools, how the rise of A.I. and machine learning is changing what should be taught to students in high school, and advice for students interested in pursuing a career in computer science.
Key Takeaways:
[:00] About Project Unicorn.
[:33] About today’s episode with Jeremy Keeshin
[1:13] Tom welcomes Jeremy to the podcast!
[2:02] When did Jeremy originally get hooked on coding?
[3:10] Did Jeremy always know that he wanted to focus on computer science?
[3:47] Jeremy speaks a bit about his experience studying Computer Science at Stanford University.
[5:18] How, why, and when Jeremy started his company, CodeHS.
[5:49] Jeremy explains what CodeHS is.
[6:51] About CodeHS’s business model.
[7:18] What teachers and administrators get in the premium offering that CodeHS offers.
[7:49] Why they offer free programming through CodeHS.
[9:07] Why what CodeHS offers is so invaluable to so many teachers and schools.
[10:15] For students with a deep interest in computer science, what courses should they take in high school?
[12:46] What programming languages would Jeremy recommend students focus on?
[14:14] Is coding the new literacy or is it just a vocational skill?
[17:32] What coding looks like at the elementary level and the best long-term way of teaching programming in a sustainable way for students.
[18:55] How the rise of A.I. and machine learning in every sector of the economy has changed what we should teach students in high school.
[21:57] Computer science is moving really quickly. How can we give students advice about what careers might be attractive to them and what they should be learning in high school? And how can we help teachers and counselors stay up-to-date on this knowledge?
[24:07] Should students go to college for coding with so many great resources online?
[26:17] Tom plugs Jeremy’s fantastic book, Read Write Code: A Friendly Introduction to the World of Coding and Why It’s the New Literacy.
[26:39] Who should read Jeremy’s book?
[26:56] Why secondary teachers would really benefit from reading Jeremy’s book.
[27:33] With things moving so fast, how does Jeremy keep up and continually learn?
[28:36] Tom thanks Jeremy for joining the podcast!
Mentioned in This Episode:
Project Unicorn
Jeremy Keeshin
Jeremy Keeshin’s Twitter
CodeHS
Read Write Code: A Friendly Introduction to the World of Coding and Why It’s the New Literacy, by Jeremy Keeshin
JavaScript
Python
Coding in the Wild
Getting Smart Podcast Ep. 138: “AI4All Extends the Power of Artificial Intelligence to High School Girls”
Get Involved:
Check out the blog at GettingSmart.com.
Find the Getting Smart Podcast on iTunes, leave a review, and subscribe.
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Today Tom is speaking with Dr. Ron Crutcher, President and Professor of Music at the University of Richmond. He’s also the author of the new book, I Had No Idea You Were Black: Navigating Race on the Road to Leadership.
Dr. Crutcher was a founding co-chair of Liberal Education and America’s Promise (LEAP) and a former member of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. His new book, I Had No Idea You Were Black, outlines his success as a Black intellectual navigating highly-charged social issues, his principles for leading and being, his personal and professional journey, his struggles as both an artist and an educator to overcome the blindness and cruelty of racism, and the ways in which we must build colleges and universities as places where learning starts with listening and where courage and character matter.
Listen in as Tom and Dr. Crutcher discuss the influence of music, strong leadership, the role of university and college, lessons on life and leadership, and much more.
Key Takeaways:
[:10] About today’s episode with Ronald A. Crutcher.
[:44] Tom welcomes Ronald A. Crutcher to the podcast and congratulates him on his new book!
[:56] How did the cello first enter Dr. Crutcher’s life?
[4:28] How an incredibly influential teacher put Dr. Crutcher on a completely different life trajectory.
[8:22] How this influential teacher (and the experiences that followed) impacted Dr. Crutcher’s leadership style.
[11:44] Dr. Crutcher shares additional insights from his musical and performing arts background that he brings to his work today as an educational leader and President and Professor of Music at the University of Richmond.
[14:47] Ron shares the story that resulted in the title of his book, I Had No Idea You Were Black: Navigating Race on the Road to Leadership.
[17:20] Ron speaks more on his experience of being one of the few African-Americans involved in symphonies and orchestras and the lessons he learned.
[19:05] What began Ron’s dream of leading a university.
[21:25] About Getting Smart’s new report on what’s next in learning!
[23:05] Important characteristics and values for leaders and those in a role such as a college or a university President.
[27:20] How Ron is able to stand by these values in his own role.
[28:04] Ron speaks on the importance of being in a diverse community and what that should look like in a college or university.
[31:14] Three key lessons from Ron’s book on acknowledging race, controversies, and slowing down to have these important conversations around diversity.
[34:42] Ron elaborates what he sees the purpose of higher education as and what higher ed can do to create a shared reality around diversity and equity.
[38:20] Ron’s agenda for improving diversity and equity at the University of Richmond.
[42:28] Tom thanks Ron for joining the podcast and sharing his invaluable insights!
Mentioned in This Episode:
Ronald A. Crutcher’s LinkedIn
I Had No Idea You Were Black: Navigating Race on the Road to Leadership, by Ronald A. Crutcher
Getting Smart’s Newest Report: “20 Invention Opportunities in Learning & Development”
Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About Colleges, by Loren Pope and Hilary Masell Oswald
Getting Smart Podcast Ep: “Joe Truss on Dismantling White Supremacy Culture in Schools”
Get Involved:
Check out the blog at GettingSmart.com.
Find the Getting Smart Podcast on iTunes, leave a review, and subscribe.
Is There Somebody You’ve Been Wanting to Learn From or a Topic You’d Like Covered?
To get in contact: Email Editor@GettingSmart.com and include “Podcast” in the subject line.
The Getting Smart team will be sure to add them to their list!
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark is speaking with Summer Stephens and Nate Waite about district change in the Churchill County School District.
Summer Stephens is a longtime educator and superintendent that has successfully implemented systems of blended and online learning, voice and choice, self-paced learning, project-based learning, and design thinking. A specific focus of her work includes bridging the gap between courses traditionally identified as core and CTE, and, working to ensure that systems have opportunities and pathways for all students to engage in future-ready work.
Nate Waite has a background in both the classroom and in edtech and is now the Innovation and Professional Learning Facilitator for the region. The bulk of his time is spent right at Churchill, SD, where has been for the last 24 years.
Listen in as Summer and Nate talk with Tom about district change, professional learning models, and how they each continue their own learning!
Key Takeaways:
[:11] About today’s episode with Summer Stephens and Nate Waite of Churchill County School District.
[:58] Tom welcomes Summer and Nate to the Getting Smart Podcast!
[1:12] Where the Churchill County Public School is.
[2:18] Has Nate been directly working with Summer in the last two years she has been working at Churchill County?
[2:36] What was the state of learning when Summer first arrived at Churchill?
[4:25] Was the “Profile of a Learner” in place when Summer joined the team or did she develop it?
[5:56] About the different Profiles of a Learner: Critical Thinker, Inspired Innovator, Collaborative Learner, Effective Communicator, Global Citizen, and Lifelong Learner.
[8:05] Nate provides some background on why they developed the Global Citizen and Inspired Innovator profiles and what it means to be those learners.
[11:21] Summer elaborates on their change strategy at Churchill.
[13:47] The four elements of Churchill’s instructional model.
[18:06] A powerful new tool that every teacher should be using with their learners: the Well-Being Index by Turnaround for Children.
[19:01] What professional learning looks like in Churchill.
[21:10] Was 2020 the toughest year of Summer’s career?
[23:30] Nate shares about the challenges (and the silver lining) that the staff of Churchill has experienced in the last 12 months.
[25:50] What is going to be better and different in Churchill 18 months from now? What capabilities and strategies have they implemented in the last 12 months that they will continue to take forward?
[28:43] How Nate has continued his own learning.
[30:42] How Summer has continued her own learning.
[32:28] Tom Vander Ark thanks Summer Stephens and Nate Waite for joining the podcast!
Mentioned in This Episode:
Summer Stephens’ LinkedIn
Nate Waite’s LinkedIn
Churchill County Public School
Naval Air Station Fallon
Well-Being Index | Turnaround for Children
Getting Smart Podcast Ep. 232: “Virginia Superintendent James Lane on Unleashing Innovation”
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In this episode, Getting Smart team member, Rashawn Caruthers, talks with two educators from Phoenix Charter Academy about their Primary Person Model. This model is a one-on-one advisory system that puts mental health and wellness at the forefront of student progress, which now — more than ever — is so important.
Phoenix Charter Academy is a member of the Strategy Lab cohort, which is part of the Always Ready for Learning Network; a project from The Learning Accelerator. As storytelling partners on the project, Getting Smart is thrilled to share this vital work that helps districts work together to accelerate the development of a more resilient and equitable education future.
Rashawn’s two guests today are Scarlet Im and Marisa Balleani of Phoenix Charter Academy. Scarlet is a Mathematics teacher and Marisa is an Academic Support Teacher and IEP/504 Case Manager. These two educators demonstrate care and a willingness to learn and iterate for the benefit of their learners.
In their conversation, Scarlet and Marisa share about the Primary Person Model from its successes to its challenges and the future of the practice. At the end of the episode, Scarlet shares a special one-on-one conversation with her and a scholar to demonstrate what the PPM model looks like on a daily basis.
Key Takeaways:
[:11] About today’s episode with Scarlet Im and Marisa Balleani of Phoenix Charter Academy.
[1:18] Rashawn Caruthers welcomes Scarlet and Marisa to the podcast.
[1:31] Scarlet shares her background and gives an introduction to the Phoenix Charter Academy.
[2:56] Marisa speaks about her role at Phoenix Charter Academy.
[3:42] About the Primary Person Model and how it originally began.
[5:36] How Marisa has witnessed the Primary Person Model create a shift for students.
[7:09] Key findings that Scarlet is seeing from these one-on-one meetings with students and educators.
[9:19] Marisa shares her personal experience with her PPM caseload and the benefits she is seeing amongst students.
[10:06] How are they collecting data from the PPM program to continue to build the program post-COVID-19 and in different reflective practices?
[11:35] Scarlet shares how they have used professional development to support the PPM work within their school.
[14:21] Marisa shares how they use the data they collect to shift their teaching practices and their level of support for one another.
[15:55] Is the PPM model scalable? Can other schools utilize it?
[19:38] What would students say about the PPM model? What do they like most about it?
[21:44] A special check-in between Scarlet and one of her scholars where they go over his weekly schedule, upcoming goals, and more!
[32:46] Rashawn thanks Scarlet and Marisa for joining the podcast!
Mentioned in This Episode:
Phoenix Charter Academy
Strategy Lab
Always Ready for Learning Network
The Learning Accelerator
Scarlet Im
Marisa Balleani
Getting Smart Podcast Ep. 217: “How Educators Can Positively Impact a Child’s Cognitive Development with Dr. Pamela Cantor”
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Joining Tom today is Thomas Hatch, a professor at the Teachers College Columbia University and the Director of the National Center for Restructuring Education, Schools, and Teaching (NCREST). Thomas’s research includes studies of school improvement, district, and national levels. His latest book, The Education We Need for a Future We Can’t Predict, focuses on efforts to create more powerful learning experiences both inside and outside schools in developed and developing contexts.
In Thomas and Tom’s conversation, they discuss the future of powerful learning, micro-innovations, and change. Thomas takes listeners through his book, The Education We Need for a Future We Can’t Predict, and shares the key components that lead to school and systems change. This is a fascinating discussion so don’t miss out!
Key Takeaways:
[:10] About today’s episode with Thomas Hatch.
[:42] Tom Vander Ark welcomes Thomas Hatch to the podcast.
[:51] Thomas shares the origin story of NCREST as well as its mission.
[3:01] Tom shares his appreciation for Thomas’s early work on the concept of coherence.
[3:39] Thomas takes us to the early beginnings of his work around coherence and explains what it is and why it is important.
[7:26] Tom congratulates Thomas on his new book, The Education We Need for a Future We Can’t Predict, and shares what he loves about it.
[7:54] Thomas tells about each of the sections in his book, starting with part 1: “Why Should Schools Change?” He headlines the case for change and provides some suggestions on how to create agreements around them.
[11:40] Tom shares the key insights he appreciated in the first section.
[12:27] The second section of the book covers barriers to change. Thomas lists some of the barriers and what we can do to make progress in overcoming them.
[15:39] In section three of Thomas’s book, he writes about how schools can improve. In particular, he focuses on high-leverage problems. Thomas explains what these are, why they’re critical, and shares some examples.
[17:33] The next section of Thomas’s book is on how education can change where he introduces the concept of micro-innovations. Thomas explains what these are and what they can do to move a system agenda forward.
[20:18] Tom shares how 4.0 Schools have been teaching this idea of micro-innovations.
[21:07] Chapter 5 of Thomas’ book is on systems change. Thomas speaks about two critical elements of systems change that are covered in this chapter: capacity building and collective responsibility.
[25:28] Would Thomas agree that it takes a decade-long push on all three of these primary levers to really promote systems change?
[27:44] Thomas reflects on his career, professional learning, and how he has seen education change over the years.
[30:29] Would Thomas say that writing is part of his learning process?
[32:00] What’s next for Thomas?
[34:10] Tom thanks Thomas for joining the Getting Smart Podcast!
Mentioned in This Episode:
Thomas Hatch’s Website
The Education We Need for a Future We Can’t Predict, by Thomas Hatch
National Center for Restructuring Education, Schools, and Teaching (NCREST)
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Project Zero
ATLAS Communities | Project Zero
The New American Schools Development Corporation (JSTOR)
Success For All Foundation
Linda Darling-Hammond
Coalition of Essential Schools
Theodore R. Sizer
4.0 Schools
Albemarle County Public Schools
Getting Smart Podcast Ep. 256: “Jenny Pieratt on Powerful PBL”
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Today Tom is speaking with Stephanie Krauss; an educator, social worker, researcher, and writer. Her work focuses on what young people need in the first quarter of life for them to thrive and be ready for adulthood. She is a senior advisor to JFF and a staff consultant for the Youth Transition Funders Group.
In this episode, Tom and Stephanie discuss the ways her childhood ultimately led her to follow up her teaching career with an education in social work. Her new book, Making It: What Today’s Kids Need for Tomorrow’s World, focuses on the rarely discussed but extremely important currencies required for kids today. During the discussion, Stephanie highlights the social and financial realities of kids, the inequities and injustices that exist in the education system, and how adults can equip young people with the competencies they need to survive.
Key Takeaways:
[:11] About today’s episode with Stephanie Krauss.
[:43] Tom Vander Ark welcomes Stephanie to the podcast!
[1:22] Stephanie chose to pursue social work to better understand the social and financial realities of kids.
[3:27] The “Readiness is a Right” philosophy.
[7:59] Stephanie’s book, Making It: What Today’s Kids Need for Tomorrow’s World, unpacks the complexity and explains the injustice of what is required for readiness.
[12:36] Stephanie describes the new currencies she focuses on in her book, Making It.
[20:11] Injustices and inequities in social capital and the role it plays in a child’s life.
[25:07] How young people can be discerning about choosing credentials and cash.
[27:32] Stephanie tackles the lack of access to capital/cash for students living in poverty.
[31:44] Specific ways educators and community leaders can be currency builders.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Stephanie Malia Krauss
Making It: What Today’s Kids Need for Tomorrow’s World, by Stephanie Krauss
Who You Know: Unlocking Innovations That Expand Students' Networks, by Julia Freeland Fisher, with Daniel Fisher, foreword by Clayton M. Christensen
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Today Tom is speaking with Navid Nathoo; an innovator, entrepreneur, and creator of the new program and platform, The Knowledge Society. The Knowledge Society is an after-school program that helps learners navigate interests and encourages them to contribute to their communities as well as the global community with a series of projects.
In this episode, Tom and Navid talk about what the future of education could be and how to get learners to find their spark and lean into difference-making. Navid shares about the genesis of The Knowledge Society, its mission, why he decided to create it, and how the program itself works. He also shares some key insights on how you can skill up in a new area, the importance of honing your ability to problem-solve, and the top indicators of what makes someone successful.
Key Takeaways:
[:09] About today’s episode with Navid Nathoo.
[:48] Tom Vander Ark welcomes Navid to the podcast!
[1:25] Navid shares about his background and his upbringing in Canada.
[2:21] About the previous companies Navid has founded.
[3:19] Navid shares how he first became interested in the space of artificial intelligence and data science. Navid also highlights the importance of honing the ability of problem-solving as well as using emerging technologies to solve problems.
[7:10] Navid offers insights on how you can skill up in a new area.
[9:47] Why did Navid decide to start The Knowledge Society?
[13:20] One of the top key indicators of what makes someone successful, and the mission of The Knowledge Society.
[14:35] About The Knowledge Society program and some of its major goals.
[16:39] Would Navid say that students have to be self-directed in this program?
[18:00] How do they match students with projects?
[20:00] How many learners are in the program? And where are they from?
[21:36] Navid talks about their business model and scaling aspirations.
[23:05] Would it be possible to use this model to rethink high school and college?
[26:29] Tom and Navid share what they love about The Knowledge Society.
[28:18] Navid shares some examples of impressive student projects.
[32:02] Tom thanks Navid for joining the podcast and Navid shares where you can learn more about TKS online!
Mentioned in This Episode:
Navid Nathoo’s LinkedIn
The Knowledge Society
TKS’ Twitter
Getting Smart Podcast Ep. 284: “Joanne McEachen on Contributive Learning”
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Today, Tom is virtually sitting down with Trace Pickering, the Executive Director of Iowa BIG — one of Getting Smart’s favorite learning programs in the country!
Trace has a background in community building, has served as the Associate Superintendent of Cedar Rapids Community School District, and has also served as the Associate Director of Education Reimagined. Trace has a legacy of empowering people to pursue interesting and important projects while bringing together an entire community.
In this conversation, Tom and Trace discuss the power of community-connected projects, how to scale a program like Iowa BIG, and how to create a culture of project-based learning. Trace also shares about the genesis of Iowa BIG, some incredible student-led projects that have come out of Iowa BIG, and his thoughts on why community-centered learning is more important than ever.
Key Takeaways:
[:09] About today’s episode with Trace Pickering.
[:55] Tom Vander Ark welcomes Trace to the podcast!
[1:05] Did Trace grow up in Iowa?
[1:16] Trace and Tom go into the “Way-back Machine” to 12 years ago after the Cedar River covered Cedar Rapids in a flood. Trace shares his reflections from what he learned in the process of a local newspaper inviting him to host a series of community conversations about what was next for Cedar Rapids. He also shares how this series of community conversations led to the creation of Iowa BIG.
[6:54] Trace explains what Iowa BIG is, what its mission is, and how long it has been running.
[8:46] How does this work for students? How many high schools do they work with?
[9:23] Trace shares about how Iowa BIG is learner-centered and how the projects work around this.
[11:54] Do many or all of the student projects at Iowa BIG revolve around the concept of “community as classroom”?
[12:22] The idea that students should do work that matters to them and their community is really central to every project that’s co-constructed at Iowa BIG.
[12:42] Trace shares a recent example of an incredible student project that helped out the community in the midst of the pandemic.
[17:05] Trace shares how they incorporated communication expectations into that project and how the organizing students developed and demonstrated communication standards as part of the project.
[19:07] Trace shares how they incorporate science and math learning into these community projects and shares a specific example of an amazing student project.
[21:50] Trace gives advice to those who want to start up a similar program and become more learner-centered.
[23:48] Tom offers further suggestions on how you could begin to implement a similar program.
[24:11] What would an Iowa BIG ecosystem look like? What if all high schools were learner-centered?
[26:57] Does Trace feel that this sort of work is more important than ever in this current landscape?
[29:09] Where to learn more about Iowa BIG and the work that Trace Pickering is doing.
[30:01] Tom thanks Trace for joining the podcast!
Mentioned in This Episode:
Iowa BIG
@IowaBIG Twitter
The Iowa BIG Podcast on Spotify
@IowaBIG Facebook
@IowaBIG Instagram
Trace Pickering’s LinkedIn
XQ | Iowa BIG
The Power of Place: Authentic Learning Through Place-Based Education, by Tom Vander Ark, Emily Liebtag, and Nate McClennen
Difference Making at the Heart of Learning: Students, Schools, and Communities Alive With Possibility, by Tom Vander Ark and Emily Liebtag
LimoLink
Getting Smart Podcast Ep. 265: “Jenny Pieratt on Powerful PBL”
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In this episode, Tom is joined by Kelly Young, President of Education Reimagined, to chat with Randy Ziegenfuss, podcast host and former Superintendent, about his multi-decade influence in the education space.
Randy recently retired from the role of Superintendent in the Salisbury Township School District where he served for the past 15 years. Currently, he teaches as a Clinical Adjunct Professor of Education at Moravian College and Delaware Valley University. You can read his blog at WorkingAtTheEdge.org and listen to his podcasts at ShiftYourParadigm.org or TLTalkRadio.org.
Listen in as Tom and Kelly reflect on Randy’s influence and experience on leadership and learner-centered education!
Key Takeaways:
[:09] About today’s episode with Randy Ziegenfuss.
[:55] Tom Vander Ark welcomes Randy Ziegenfuss to the podcast!
[1:05] Tom thanks Kelly for joining as a co-host in this episode.
[1:58] Many people know Randy as the Salisbury Township School District’s Superintendent, which is in Allentown, PA. Did Randy grow up there? Where did he go to school and what did he excel in?
[3:56] Tom and Randy highlight the huge role extracurricular activities and the arts often play in being powerful learning experiences for people in their formative years.
[5:33] Why every young person deserves an experience in music and the arts in high school, and why these experiences are especially powerful and important.
[7:02] Did Randy plan to be a music teacher? What were his early aspirations?
[9:50] Did Randy ever take a school group to Broadway?
[10:27] When and how did Randy make the shift from music to ed-tech?
[12:20] How Randy was first introduced to Education Reimagined and the powerful collaboration that they’ve had over the last several years.
[14:05] When did Kelly first hear about Randy?
[14:55] What Kelly really likes about Randy’s podcasts.
[15:52] Randy reminisces on what led to the creation of his podcasts.
[18:24] Tom shares what he really appreciated about Randy’s podcasts.
[18:50] The benefits and challenges of having learners involved in many of Randy’s dialogues throughout the years.
[19:53] Kelly shares why she believes listening to learners is so vitally important.
[20:18] What Randy sees as being really powerful in hearing from young people and what he thinks listeners gained from listening to them.
[23:17] Kelly and Randy reflect on learner-centered leadership, what they’ve come to learn about it, and what makes a learner-centered leader.
[29:28] What Randy and Kelly would hope to see in a learner-centered ecosystem.
[32:30] Would Randy say that last year was the toughest year of his professional career? What would he say was the most challenging aspect?
[35:32] Randy highlights some of the cracks, openings, and opportunities that came from this tough last year.
[37:50] Tom and Kelly thank Randy for his incredible contributions to the education space.
[39:00] Randy gives his thanks to Tom and Kelly.
[40:13] Getting Smart thanks Randy and Kelly for joining the podcast!
Mentioned in This Episode:
Randy Ziegenfuss’s LinkedIn
Randy’s Twitter @Ziegeran
WorkingAtTheEdge.org
TLTalkRadio.org
ShiftYourParadigm.org
Salisbury Township School District
Moravian College
Delaware Valley University
Getting Smart Podcast Ep. 170: “Randy Ziegenfuss on Teacher Leadership and Student-Centered Learning”
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In this week’s episode, Tom virtually sits down with Kim Smith, founder of the Pahara Institute and co-founder of NewSchools Venture Fund and Bellwether Education Partners.
Kim Smith is widely recognized as an innovative and entrepreneurial leader in education and has been featured in Newsweek’s report, “Women of the 21st Century,” as the kind of woman who will shape America’s new century. Kim was also a founding team member at Teach for America, created and led an Americorps program for community-based leaders and education, managed a business startup, and completed a brief stint in early online learning at Silicon Graphics. She has helped to incubate numerous education and social change organizations and has served on a range of boards.
In Tom and Kim’s conversation today, they discuss investment opportunities, Kim’s impressive career in identifying and supporting innovations in education, and her advice for this year.
Key Takeaways:
[:09] About today’s episode with Kim Smith.
[1:03] Tom Vander Ark welcomes Kim to the podcast!
[2:19] Kim shares how both of her parents were also educators and how they influenced her career.
[3:49] How long was Kim at Teach for America?
[3:57] What did Kim do after Teach for America?
[5:17] The origin story of NewSchools Venture Fund.
[6:34] Tom underscores how innovative of an idea the NewSchools Venture Fund was when it was founded in 1998.
[7:26] Kim speaks about the early criticisms of the NewSchools Venture Fund as well as the challenges.
[7:50] What led to the idea of NewSchools Venture Fund?
[10:49] How Kim recruited an incredibly talented team for NewSchools Venture Fund.
[12:53] Lessons learned from the incredible success of NewSchools Venture Fund.
[16:39] Tom gives John Doerr a shoutout for the role he played in the success of NewSchools Venture Fund.
[17:15] Kim’s legacy at NewSchools Venture Fund has certainly resulted in a thousand great schools — all of which are still thriving to this day! Kim shares how she is proud of this accomplishment.
[17:51] Tom shares his appreciation for Kim’s early insights and leadership with R&D and ed-tech venture funds.
[19:23] Kim’s recent thoughts on philanthropy.
[20:50] In 2012, Kim founded Pahara Institute, a non-profit focused on talent. Kim shares the origin story, why she wanted to create it, and its main mission.
[24:49] How many leaders have been a part of Pahara over the last eight years?
[24:58] What Kim is proudest of with Pahara Institute.
[28:34] Kim’s advice for philanthropists in this day and age.
[29:57] Advice for system heads.
[31:30] Advice for state leaders that would help support families and learners.
[33:00] Kim speaks about her hopes for the new Secretary of Education.
[33:35] What Kim hopes all of these groups keep in mind as we head into 2021.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Kim Smith’s LinkedIn
Stanford Graduate School of Business
Teach for America
Pahara Institute
NewSchools Venture Fund
Bellwether Education Partners
John Doerr
Getting Smart Podcast Ep. 212: “Teach for America: Helping All Kids Receive the Education They Deserve, with CEO Elisa Villaneuva Beard”
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This week, Tom is speaking with Joe Erpelding, a passionate educator and leader who is in the business of transforming schools and students’ lives.
Joe served as the Principal at the Poway Unified School District for a number of years before making his way to Design39Campus where he was able to create a magical, one-of-a-kind school experience for every learner. Now, he is transitioning to support the team at Thrively, a tool for helping learners understand their strengths, purpose, and passion.
Listen in as Tom speaks with Joe about what makes Design39 a magical place to be, why design thinking matters, and what Thrively can do for education.
Key Takeaways:
[:09] About today’s episode with Joe Erpelding.
[:44] Tom Vander Ark welcomes Joe to the podcast!
[:50] How long has Joe been with Design39?
[1:05] What makes Design39 such a magic TK-8 campus.
[2:46] How the Design39 building reflects the amazing program and culture.
[3:15] How Joe and his colleagues describe what learners should know and be able to do at Design39.
[4:53] How they express their learning goals at Design39.
[5:53] What design thinking means to Joe and how they practice it at Design39.
[7:02] Joe builds a picture of what you would see if you walked into the classrooms of the primary grades.
[8:37] About the double classrooms, common spaces, and unique seating options at Design39.
[9:58] Joe shares about the unique “learning parties” at Design39 for the intermediate grades.
[11:10] The role of the teacher (or “learning experienced designers,” as they’re called at Design39).
[13:19] How does Joe think about the role of a school head, now having almost two decades of school leadership?
[14:37] Joe describes a difficult challenge that their community went through and how they approached it together, ultimately overcoming it.
[16:46] How Joe leads his own learning as a school head.
[19:04] How Joe and his colleagues led a new way forward in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
[21:51] About the Thrively app, how it is being used at Design39, and what Joe is hoping to accomplish by joining the team.
[24:52] The age range Thrively covers.
[25:25] How the feature “sparks” within the Thrively platform helps ignite students’ curiosity.
[26:10] How Thrively helps promote social justice.
[27:01] The various ways teachers can utilize Thrively.
[29:16] Joe’s hopes for joining the Thrively team and what he hopes they can accomplish over the next two years.
[30:21] Where to learn more about Thrively, Design39Campus, and connect with Joe online.
[30:55] Tom thanks Joe for joining the podcast.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Joe Erpelding
Poway Unified School District
Design39Campus
Thrively
Education Reimagined
Stanford d.school
Altitude Learning
Big Picture Learning
Getting Smart Podcast Ep. 95: “Leadership for School Progress in Poway Unified”
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Today, Tom is talking with journalist and author, Jeff Selingo, about his new book, Who Gets In and Why: A Year Inside College Admissions. This book was published in September 2020 and was named an Editor’s Choice by the New York Times book review. Jeff has written about higher education for more than two decades and is a New York Times best-selling author of three books. He is also a regular contributor to The Atlantic and is a special advisor for innovation and professor of practice at Arizona State University. Additionally, he co-hosts the Future U Podcast, with Michael Horn.
Listen in as Tom and Jeff talk about what’s going on under the hood of higher ed and what opportunities there are for a more equitable future. Jeff also shares many tips and advice for learners and their families when selecting and applying for the college and universities that are right for them.
Key Takeaways:
[:10] About today’s episode with Jeff Selingo.
[:48] Tom Vander Ark welcomes Jeff to the podcast!
[:52] What percentage of Americans have a post-secondary degree? And is it better than it was twenty years ago? What should we be aiming for?
[1:52] Does Jeff see higher ed changing from something that you do after high school to something that you continue to access throughout life?
[4:53] Should colleges be turning their alumni networks into learning networks?
[6:14] How many institutions are there for American higher ed?
[7:06] The impact that the pandemic is having on these institutions and, in turn, the communities they’re a part of.
[8:32] How many universities are selective?
[9:47] Is it true that a large percentage of young people actually get into their first-choice college?
[10:30] Jeff shares his thoughts on the ACTs and the SATs. Is he pro- or anti-testing?
[12:20] Has college lost its return on investment over the last decade?
[13:20] Tom congratulates Jeff on his new book, Who Gets In and Why: A Year Inside College Admissions.
[13:40] Why did Jeff decide to write this book?
[15:06] While researching his book, Jeff spent a lot of time in three universities in particular. How did he choose them and why? And were these universities selective?
[15:54] How many students did Jeff track at these universities?
[16:15] Is the admissions process better or worse than most would think?
[17:37] What does Jeff mean by, “Schools are either buyers or sellers”?
[18:48] Jeff’s predictions for the future of “buyers.”
[20:32] Jeff’s advice for applicants from his book.
[22:59] How big should your college funnel be? And how do you narrow it down?
[24:02] Does early admission improve your chances of getting in?
[24:33] Is fit or image more important when choosing where to go?
[25:12] How Jeff advises learners and their families on the trade-offs between reputation and cost.
[27:57] What the parents’ role should be in this process.
[28:50] What should the high school experience be so that learners are positioned to make a good choice in selecting which college or university is right for them?
[30:27] What would Jeff add to his book now, given the pandemic?
[31:43] Jeff’s predictions on what college might look like coming out of the pandemic.
[32:14] What does Jeff mean by, “Colleges should recruit all students like athletes”?
[33:15] America seems to have fallen out of love with higher ed in the last few years. Is Jeff optimistic about the future of the sector?
[35:08] Tom plugs Jeff’s book, Who Gets In and Why: A Year Inside College Admissions and gives his recommendation on who should be reading it.
[35:47] Where to learn more about Jeff and his book online.
[36:10] Tom thanks Jeff for joining the podcast.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Jeff Selingo
Who Gets In and Why: A Year Inside College Admissions, by Jeff Selingo
Future U Podcast with Jeff Selingo and Michael Horn
Lumina Foundation
Getting Smart Podcast Ep. 286: “Jamie Merisotis on Human Work in the Age of Smart Machines”
Getting Smart Podcast Ep. 297: “Michelle Weise on Long Life Learning”
Long Life Learning: Preparing for Jobs that Don‘t Even Exist Yet, by Michelle Weise
Getting Smart Podcast Ep. 228: “Michael Horn on Choosing College”
Get Involved:
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This week, Tom is joined by special guest, Maya Ajmera, the President and CEO of the Society for Science & the Public and Publisher of its award-winning magazine, Science News.
In 1993, Maya founded The Global Fund for Children (GFC), a non-profit organization that invests in innovative, community-based organizations working with some of the world’s most vulnerable children and youth. She is also a celebrated children’s book author with more than twenty books under her belt. Recently, Maya was awarded the 2020 Public Service Award by the National Science Foundation.
In this conversation, Tom talks with Maya about social entrepreneurship, why science matters now more than ever, and her extraordinary journey through the world of science and impact. Maya highlights the importance of project-based learning, science fairs, equity in delivering science news, and providing all learners with the opportunity to become a scientist or engineer, and the Society for Science & the Public’s role in pushing these changes forward.
Key Takeaways:
[:10] About today’s episode with Maya Ajmera.
[:53] Tom Vander Ark welcomes Maya to the podcast!
[1:00] Maya shares how she first became entranced with the world of science through duckweeds.
[3:00] Maya speaks about her experience both attending the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics and now being a trustee.
[4:25] About the mentorship program at the NC School of Science and Mathematics that led to Maya being recognized as one of the nation’s leading young scientists.
[5:31] Does Maya agree that every learner should have the opportunity to be a part of a science fair every other year from grades 6-12?
[6:42] How Maya’s organization has helped lead the science fair movement.
[6:59] Why science fairs are so beneficial to students’ learning.
[7:42] When and how Maya made the decision to switch from basic science to public policy, and eventually found The Global Fund for Children at only 24 years old.
[10:55] Maya speaks about leading the GFC for 18 years and why she ultimately decided to leave and become a professional lecturer and visiting scholar at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University.
[13:44] Why and how Maya took on her new role as President and CEO of the Society for Science & the Public.
[16:13] Maya further elaborates on the equity of the Society for Science & the Public and how they ensure equitable participation in their programs.
[19:02] Having taken over Science News during a time where it was very difficult to be a publisher, Maya shares how she has rethought and reworked the business model into becoming more sustainable and having a broader impact.
[22:03] As a society we are facing the challenge of an ever-present general distrust and disregard of science with the rise of social media. Maya shares how she thinks we can regain this trust back and how The Society for Science & the Public is playing a role in rebuilding an interest.
[24:17] What science learning could and should look like in school.
[27:57] About the incredible International Science and Engineering Fair by The Society for Science & the Public.
[28:45] The link between science education, entrepreneurship, and impact; and what we could be doing to introduce more young scientists to impact models (that could provide them with the opportunities to start companies, launch social enterprises, etc.).
[31:30] What areas of science is Maya most encouraged by right now?
[33:22] Maya’s advice for students that are interested in science.
[34:07] Tom congratulates Maya on winning the 2020 Public Service Award by the National Science Foundation.
[34:45] What’s next for Maya and The Society for Science & the Public?
[35:55] Where to find Maya and The Society for Science & the Public online.
[36:54] Tom thanks Maya for joining the podcast.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Maya Ajmera
Society for Science & the Public
Science News Magazine
The Global Fund for Children (GFC)
International Science and Engineering Fair
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals
Getting Smart Podcast Ep. 233: “Rebecca Parks on Learning and Exploring Through Nature and Science”
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Today, Tom is joined by a powerful panel of ed leaders to discuss the future of learning. You will hear from Dr. Pamela Moran, Byron Sanders, and Ed Hess.
Dr. Pamela Moran is recognized internally as a leading advocate for contemporary education. She currently serves as Executive Director of the Virginia School Consortium for Learning and routinely consults with higher education, non-profits, and school districts. Byron Sanders is the President and CEO of Big Thought; an organization that serves 150,000 students at more than 400 locations with creative enrichment. Their work is about closing the opportunity gap and building agency, hope, and creativity. Ed Hess has spent more than 20 years in the business world as a Senior Executive at Warburg Paribas Becker, Boettcher & Company: Robert M. Bass Group, and Jones Lang Wooten. He’s the author of 13 books, over 150 practitioner articles, and over 60 Darden cases dealing with innovation, learning cultures, and system processes.
Join in the conversation as Tom speaks with his esteemed guests about the invention opportunities in learning, the future of the American high school, and the kinds of learning experiences that are really going to benefit students. This is a deep and powerful conversation with tons of key takeaways, important lessons, and insightful wisdom that you won’t want to miss out on!
Key Takeaways:
[:10] About today’s episode with Pam Moran, Ed Hess, and Byron Sanders.
[1:18] Tom welcomes his panel of guests to the podcast!
[1:44] Ed Hess’s book, Hyper-Learning, suggests that we should learn to do stuff that computers are not very good at (i.e. excel cognitively, behaviorally, and emotionally in ways that technology cannot). Ed elaborates more on this and how it sets the stage for the future of education.
[7:53] Byron’s thoughts on we should redefine the purpose of, and goals of, high school.
[11:50] Pam shares her insights on how she sees the redefining of the goals and purpose of high school, and whether or not Portrait of a Graduate is a good step in the right direction.
[17:35] Tom’s new book, Difference Making at the Heart of Learning, shares the radical proposition that high school should be a place where you figure out who you are, what you’re good at, what you care about, where/how you’re going to make a difference in the world, and that difference-making is the new superpower. Does Ed see this as part of the new core purpose of high school?
[19:58] The kinds of learning experiences that Byron sees as really benefiting high school students.
[24:20] Pam shares what kinds of learning experiences she sees as benefiting high school students.
[25:15] Pam proposes a question for the panel: “What would need to change if what we wanted to do was to move towards kids who understand the concept of ‘quiet egos’ and why that is an important disposition to have success in life?”
[26:02] Ed answers Pam’s question.
[27:02] Ed shares a prediction on how he sees the future of classrooms within high schools.
[29:12] Tom proposes that making an advisory structure and relationships central in both the secondary and post-secondary experience is part of the answer. Ed also shares his thoughts on this.
[31:00] Byron answers Pam’s question.
[32:12] Byron elaborates on the stakes and challenges that we’re really facing in trying to redefine high school.
[33:42] In response to this inequity problem, some would say the answer would be to double down on the current inherited system that is not working for high school students. What is Byron’s response to this?
[36:41] Ed shares his thoughts on what he sees as being at stake as we redefine these inherited systems.
[38:51] Pam shares her own thoughts and insights on the topic of what we need to be cautious of as we redefine high school.
[42:18] Byron shares his thoughts on how we could reorganize the high school experience in a more community-connected way.
[49:56] Pam asks Ed for his insights on what it would take to actually start to create an environment for teenagers that doesn’t look like anything that we have right now.
[53:23] Tom wraps up the podcast and gives his thanks to Pam, Ed, and Byron for sharing their insights and wisdom.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Dr. Pamela Moran
Virginia School Consortium for Learning (VaSCL)
Byron Sanders
Ed Hess
Big Thought
Hyper-Learning: How to Adapt to the Speed of Change, by Ed Hess
Portrait of a Graduate
Difference Making at the Heart of Learning: Students, Schools, and Communities Alive With Possibility, by Tom Vander Ark and Emily Liebtag
Journeyman Ink: DaVerse Lounge
Creative Solutions
We Are Crew: A Teamwork Approach to School Culture, by EL Education
EL Education
Valor Public Schools
Getting Smart Podcast Ep. 236: “Listening to Kids and Designing from Scratch for Timeless Learning with Pam Moran”
Getting Smart Podcast Ep. 254: “Byron Sanders on Closing the Opportunity Gap in Dallas”
Getting Smart Podcast Ep. 283: “Ed Hess on Adapting to the Speed of Change”
GettingSmart.com/InventionOpportunity
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This week, Tom is sitting down with author and advisor, Michelle Weise, to discuss her new book, Long Life Learning: Preparing for Jobs that Don't Even Exist Yet.
Michelle is currently serving as an entrepreneur-in-residence and Senior Advisor at Imaginable Futures, a venture of The Omidyar Group. Michelle was formerly the Chief Innovation Officer at Strada Education Network’s Institute for the Future of Work, and Sandbox Collaborative, the innovation center of Southern New Hampshire University. She was also the co-author of Hire Education: Mastery, Modularization, and the Workforce Revolution, with Clayton Christensen.
In this conversation, Tom and Michelle discuss her background in the arts and innovation; how and why she came to write her new book, Long Life Learning; what long life learning means to her; what she predicts to be the future of business models for long life learning; and her advice on how we can all make good decisions about what to learn next no matter where we are on our long life learning journey.
Key Takeaways:
[:10] About today’s episode with Michelle Weise.
[:55] Tom Vander Ark welcomes Michelle to the podcast.
[:59] Tom congratulates Michelle on her new book, Long Life Learning.
[1:37] When did Michelle’s interest in language, literature, and poetry begin?
[2:27] Michelle elaborates on her deep passion for poetry and how both reading and writing it helped her get through the death of her 10th-grade chemistry teacher.
[3:07] Michelle’s exploration of Asian-American and African-American poetry and fiction in graduate school.
[3:58] Michelle’s favorite African-American poet and what drew her to Asian-American poetry in particular.
[4:57] Tom highlights a poet whose work he recently fell in love with: Rita Dove.
[5:14] How and why Michelle came to be a Fulbright Scholar in Seoul, South Korea.
[6:20] Michelle’s path after coming from Korea and why she decided to join an ed-tech start-up with Gunnar Counselman.
[9:15] After a short stint at Fidelis, Michelle joined the Clayton Christensen Institute as a Senior Research Fellow of Higher Education for nearly 2½ years. There, she also had the opportunity to write a book with him called, Education: Mastery, Modularization, and the Workforce Revolution.
[9:38] Michelle’s experience working with Clayton on their book together.
[10:57] Tom reflects on a past experience with Clay and Michelle shares an important lesson that she learned through working with him.
[13:16] After Christensen Institute, Michelle did another three-year stint at Strada, a non-profit impact fund in Indianapolis.
[13:50] About Michelle’s role at Strada and how it led to her writing her new book, Long Life Learning.
[15:53] At Strada, Michelle had the opportunity to interview hundreds of people. Was this specific to Long Life Learning or was it more for the R&D center at Strada?
[17:00] Young people today are not only going to live longer but they’re also going to experience more change in their lifetimes than previous generations. The old model of education and work is already becoming obsolete. As Michelle shares in her book, we need to begin thinking about long life learning.
[20:22] With this knowledge, is it becoming less critical to make a decision about where you go to college immediately after high school?
[22:44] Would Michelle agree or disagree with the sentiment Ryan Craig expressed in his 2018 book, A New U, that unless you can get a free or subsidized education at a selective university you really should think about a hard sprint to a good first job as an entry point to an earn-and-learn ladder?
[25:58] Does Michelle foresee Gen Zrs having careers somewhat resembling her own? I.e. taking a “tour of duty” approach?
[28:17] What are the business models for long life learning going to be?
[32:03] What advice do people need to make good decisions about what to learn next?
[37:24] Does Michelle see AI making it easier for us to learn in the direction we point to?
[40:28] Is Michelle optimistic about adaptive learning?
[42:17] Some of the other ways Michelle sees AI aiding us in the future.
[43:58] Does AI have the potential to make hiring more equitable? Or is Michelle concerned that more inequity will surface in AI-driven systems?
[46:11] As a long-life learner herself, how does Michelle continue her journey every day in “getting smart?”
[45:56] Would Michelle agree that Louise Glück was a good choice for the 2020 Nobel Prize in Literature?
[47:53] Tom plugs Michelle’s book, Long Life Learning.
[48:23] Tom thanks Michelle for joining the podcast.
[48:48] About Tom and Emily’s book, Difference Making at the Heart of Learning.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Michelle Weise’s LinkedIn
Long Life Learning: Preparing for Jobs that Don't Even Exist Yet, by Michelle Weise
Imaginable Futures
The Omidyar Group
Education: Mastery, Modularization, and the Workforce Revolution, by Clayton Christensen and Michelle Weise
The Power of Place: Authentic Learning Through Place-Based Education, by Tom Vander Ark, Emily Liebtag, and Nate McClennon
Emily Dickinson (Poet)
The Art of Hunger: Essays, Prefaces, Interviews, by Paul Auster
Kamau Brathwaite (Poet)
Rita Dove (Poet)
Fulbright Korea
Gunnar Counselman
Michael Horn
Strada Education Network
Derek Thompson on The Atlantic
Crazy/Genius Podcast by Derek Thompson
Stanford d.school
Harvard Extension School
A New U: Faster + Cheaper Alternatives to College, by Ryan Craig
David Blake
Learn In
Louise Glück Wins the 2020 Nobel Prize in Literature
Getting Smart Podcast Ep. 285: “Amy Klement on Equity and Imaginable Futures”
Difference Making at the Heart of Learning: Students, Schools, and Communities Alive With Possibility, by Tom Vander Ark and Emily Liebtag
Get Involved:
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Joining the podcast in this episode is Marni Baker Stein, Provost and Chief Academic Officer at the Western Governors University (WGU).
For over 25 years, Marni has been designing and scaling programs to improve access, affordability, and student success. Prior to joining WGU, she worked for educational institutions in the United States and abroad on the development and administration of pioneering high school, undergraduate, graduate, continuing, and professional programming models delivered through competency-based, online, and hybrid formats. Marni was selected by the Department of Education to serve as a member of the National Technical Working Group, charged with expanding the 2016 National Education Technology Plan and using technology to transform higher education.
Join in on today’s conversation as Tom and Marni talk about the future of higher ed and the role of advisors and skills. Marni shares experiences during her education as well as her career, how the learning model at WGU has changed in the last three years (and what’s next on the roadmap), about WGU’s new “achievement wallet” and how it will help transcript students’ competencies, how the education landscape has been shifting away from degrees to more skill-based progression (and what this means for traditional higher education), and much, much more.
Key Takeaways:
[:10] About today’s episode with Marni Baker Stein.
[1:05] Tom Vander Ark welcomes Marni to the podcast.
[1:14] Why did Marni study French and Economics at Penn State University?
[2:15] When Marni was pursuing her Ph.D. in Educational Leadership at Penn State, did she already have her sights set on higher ed?
[2:43] Marni shares how she came to launch the first English language MBA programming in the former Soviet Union after finishing up her Master’s Degree (and later in Japan and Turkey).
[4:01] The big takeaways from Marni’s experiences developing English programs abroad.
[5:07] Marni’s experience as a Curriculum Coordinator at UC Santa Barbara.
[6:28] In 1998, while helping Penn State launch their online learning program, did Marni have any visibility to Western Governors University (WGU) starting out in Salt Lake City?
[8:04] Background on the founding of WGU.
[8:33] Highlights from Marni’s four years as Chief Innovation Officer at the University of Texas System.
[11:14] Three-and-a-half years ago, Marni became the Provost and Chief Academic Officer at the Western Governors University (WGU). She shares about the state of the university at the time; what she saw that they were doing well and areas she saw as an opportunity for improvement.
[14:21] How the learning model at WGU has changed in the last three years and what’s next for the learning model.
[15:54] Marni elaborates on the progress they’ve made at WGU with regards to focusing on what learners need to know, how they know what learners know, and how they can communicate and capture that.
[16:54] About WGU’s “achievement wallet” that they’re rolling out in the spring and how it will help transcript students’ competencies.
[18:42] At WGU, mentors play a really important role. Marni describes this role and how they guide the learning journey for students.
[21:01] How a mentor helps a learner find out if they’re in the right academic program.
[22:22] If a learner is struggling with a concept in a class, do they go to their mentor or their course instructor? How would they connect to academic support?
[23:30] Are they using a Case Management approach? Is software involved in keeping the learner up-to-date?
[24:39] With a set of partners, Marni launched the Open Skills Network. She describes what it is and its overall mission and vision.
[27:42] Lately the education landscape has been shifting away from degrees to more skill-based progression. What does this mean for traditional higher education?
[32:40] Does Marni predict that more learners will be mixing and matching to create unique pathways?
[32:59] Have enrollments increased at WGU since COVID-19? How is WGU participating in the lifelong learning space going forward?
[34:41] Is WGU the largest school of education in the country?
[35:01] Marni gives an update on Mark Milliron, their Senior Vice President and Executive Dean, as well as an exciting initiative that is being worked on right now.
[36:25] Where to learn more about WGU.
[36:46] Tom thanks Marni for her leadership at WGU.
[37:05] How many learners are enrolled right now at WGU?
[37:16] Tom thanks Marni for joining the Getting Smart Podcast.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Marni Baker Stein’s LinkedIn
Getting Smart Podcast Ep. 228: “Michael Horn on Choosing College”
The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State/PSU)
Western Governors University (WGU)
University of Texas System
University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV)
Open Skills Network (OSN)
WGU 2019 Annual Report
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Today’s episode features a conversation with Dr. Donna Housman. Dr. Housman is a clinical psychologist and founder of the Housman Institute, a Boston-based, early childhood training, research, and advocacy organization. This institute also features its own lab school, Beginnings.
In these challenging times, Dr. Donna Housman has been providing insights to parents who are having to not only adjust to the stress of having to self-quarantine and social distance but also become full-time teachers and caregivers to their children.
Listen in as Dr. Housman talks with Rebecca Midles, the Vice President of Learning Design at Getting Smart, about the importance of mental health among parents, teachers, and students.
Key Takeaways:
[:10] About today’s episode with Dr. Donna Housman.
[:50] Welcoming Dr. Donna Housman to the podcast.
[1:02] Dr. Housman shares about her work and background.
[2:35] Why teachers are becoming increasingly stressed and burned out; and how they can get the help, support, and feedback they need in order to be able to serve students and their schools.
[6:26] Dr. Housman highlights a study.
[8:26] A big piece to why teachers are stressed right now and why they need, more than ever, SEL.
[9:45] What teachers need to do in order to be available for the children that they teach.
[10:38] Strategies, advice, and hope in moving forward during this time.
[13:56] The importance of relationships, especially between teachers and their students during this pandemic.
[14:48] About Housman Institute’s ECSEL Program and how it benefits both teachers and students.
[18:38] Rebecca thanks Dr. Donna Housman for joining the podcast.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Housman Institute
Housman Institute’s ECSEL Program
“Teachers Are Anxious and Overwhelmed. They Need SEL Now More Than Ever.” (YCEI with CASEL) April 7th, 2020
Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence (YCEI)Collaborative for Social Emotional and Academic Learning (CASEL)
Getting Smart Podcast Ep. 202: “Jared Cooney Horvath on Cognitive Neuroscience”
Get Involved:
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Today the Getting Smart team is joined by Donna McDaniel to discuss professional learning and real-world learning.
Donna is a longtime educator who has bridged the world of business and education. Through her experience and numerous school settings, Donna has invaluable experience for knowing the ins and outs of what qualifies as real-world skills. She has taken this knowledge to create the CAPS program in the Blue Valley School District, which has gone on to create a network of more than 70 professional learning-centric schools in the United States. Now, Donna is supporting Kansas City’s Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, as they seek to implement a novel regional movement towards ensuring that all students graduate with valuable professional experiences.
Also joining the conversation in this episode is Rashawn Caruthers, the Director at Getting Smart. Previously, she was the Director of Career and Technical Education at Kansas City Public Schools and, prior to that, the Assistant Director of Career and Technical Education at Kansas City Missouri School District.
Together, Tom, Donna, and Rashawn take a look at Donna’s journey in business and education, the importance of professional learning and market value assets, the real-world learning initiative she is a part of, and the kind of impact she has seen through real-world learning experiences. The Getting Smart team found Donna’s commitment to the intersectionality of education and the workplace inspiring and is sure you will too!
Key Takeaways:
[:10] About today’s episode with Donna McDaniel.
[1:00] Tom welcomes Donna McDaniel to the podcast.
[1:05] Tom shares that they are also joined by Rashawn Caruthers.
[2:35] Going in the “wayback machine,” Donna shares why she decided to study education in Kansas City.
[3:40] What attracted Donna to being a teacher (and later, a school leader) as someone who used to personally struggle in school.
[4:21] Where Donna started her career in education.
[4:59] Rashawn reflects on her early career in education and how her and Donna’s paths have aligned.
[5:19] About Donna’s pivot from the world of business to the world of education and why she believes this experience was crucial in her ability to lead in education.
[7:26] The origin story of Blue Valley’s program, CAPS.
[9:42] Rashawn shares her experience with CAPS.
[10:10] How CAPS helps students develop an entrepreneurial mindset.
[13:20] CAPS is a next-generation career center. Donna further describes what the program itself looks like.
[14:56] Tom shares his appreciation for CAPS and how it has become a national movement in real-world learning.
[15:46] How did the idea of “market value assets” from Susan Wally turn into a regional initiative sponsored by the Kauffman Foundation?
[20:02] Rashawn speaks of the key pieces in real-world learning and what she most loves about the initiative.
[21:00] Donna shares why she believes that this real-world learning initiative has had such strong, positive support across the region.
[23:11] Which kinds of high schools are involved in the initiative and how many are involved in the initiative?
[24:21] Donna shares a specific example of how the initiative has had an impact on a school that was greater than expected.
[26:19] Tom highlights some rural communities and schools that have successfully modeled real-world learning experiences.
[27:55] Challenges that high schools have faced trying to expand access to real-world learning.
[30:45] As a district leader in Kansas City, Rashawn shares her perspective on the challenges of trying to create real-world learning experiences in a classroom.
[33:00] Does Donna find the commissioners of Missouri and Kansas to be generally supportive of what the districts are trying to do?
[34:41] Donna elaborates on how she has been a strong advocate across the region for getting students core credits for real-world learning opportunities.
[36:03] Could this real-world initiative be replicated in other states?
[37:04] What does Donna hope to see in the next five years as it relates to real-world learning?
[39:07] Tom underscores one of his favorite parts about the real-world learning initiative.
[40:05] Donnas shares how she thinks the pandemic has created even more of an opportunity to create jobs.
[41:13] Tom thanks Donna for her leadership and for joining the podcast!
[41:51] Rashawn shares some parting thoughts about the real-world initiative.
[42:31] Donna shares some parting words and gives her thanks to Getting Smart.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Donna McDaniel
Blue Valley School District
Blue Valley CAPS
Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
Rashawn Caruthers
Northland CAPS
Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation’s Real World Learning Initiative
PREP-KC
Hickman Mills School District
Getting Smart Podcast Ep. 265 — “Corey Mohn and Shameka Montgomery on Next-Gen Career Education”
Get Involved:
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In this week’s episode, Tom is talking with Dr. Beth Rabbitt and Dr. Asaf Bitton about the state of global health, how it relates to schools, and a new initiative called the Parabola Project, which offers education leaders tools and strategies to minimize health risks while maximizing learning when reopening schools.
Dr. Beth Rabbitt is the CEO of The Learning Accelerator, a national non-profit that is working to make the “potential” possible and practical for every teacher and learner. Underpinning TLA’s work is a drive to ensure that each student receives an effective, equitable, and engaging education that supports them to reach their full, unique potential.
Dr. Asaf Bitton is Executive Director of Ariadne Labs, a joint center for health systems innovation at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Together, Dr. Beth Rabbitt and Dr. Asaf Bitton have partnered to launch The Parabola Project to help schools minimize COVID-19 health risks while maximizing learning.
Listen in as Tom speaks with Beth Rabbitt and Asaf Bitton about what schools should be doing during the pandemic, and what the current research shows.
Key Takeaways:
[:10] About today’s episode with Beth Rabbitt and Asaf Bitton.
[1:05] Tom welcomes Beth and Asaf to the podcast!
[1:24] Dr. Bitton shares about Ariadne Labs; their mission, vision, and what they have accomplished thus far.
[2:27] Dr. Beth Rabbitt speaks about The Learning Accelerator (TLA); their mission, vision, and what they have accomplished thus far. She also shares about the origin of The Parabola Project.
[6:50] Should kids be in school right now? Dr. Bitton shares his insights.
[9:03] What can schools do to safeguard staff members in an in-person school setting?
[10:51] Dr. Bitton’s thoughts on the risk associated with staff members’ circles of interaction outside of a school setting.
[13:43] Practices that can be put in place to minimize transmission risk.
[15:07] Beth offers some suggestions on how superintendents could frame a community dialogue to bridge the gap between parents who want their children back in school and teachers with concerns about returning to a public setting.
[18:08] Should schools be paying attention to testing, tracking, and tracing when it comes to COVID-19? And if so, how might they?
[20:04] What could school districts and the government be doing better? Does Dr. Bitton see things getting better in the next few months in terms of a coordinated public health response?
[23:34] What Beth is telling schools about sports.
[25:27] If a school or a district doesn’t have room to bring all of their students back in a safe and distant way, is a hybrid schedule still the best approach?
[27:12] Dr. Bitton’s advice for local health officials and school officials on how they can build a sense of trust about the path forward in terms of precautions, protocols, vaccinations, and strategies.
[31:31] How should school and system leaders think about the gaps that seem to be accelerated for the most vulnerable students?
[34:44] Dr. Bitton offers some holiday advice to keep in mind in the coming months.
[36:43] Where to learn more about The Parabola Project.
[37:33] Tom thanks Dr. Rabbit and Dr. Bitton for both joining the podcast.
Mentioned in This Episode:
The Parabola Project
Beth Rabbitt
Asaf Bitton
Learning Accelerator
Ariadne Labs
Get Involved:
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In this week’s episode, Tom is talking with author and thought leader, David Price, on the power of us.
David is an author, educator, consultant, and public speaker based in North Yorkshire, UK. He has written two Amazon best-selling books, the latest titled, The Power of Us: How We Connect, Act, and Innovate Together. David has led innovation in education projects around the world for the past twenty years, following leadership roles in community, adult, further, and higher education. David is an advisor to the Mastery Transcript Consortium in the United States, the Canadian Education Association, Learnlife in Spain, and New York-based cultural consultancy, Sparks & Honey. In 2009, he was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by the Queen for services in education.
Tune in for the conversation as Tom speaks with David about his most recent book, The Power of Us, and some of its most important takeaways.
Key Takeaways:
[:10] About today’s episode with David Price.
[1:02] Tom welcomes David to the podcast!
[1:10] David speaks about his early life, where he grew up, where he has traveled, life as a freelancer, and growing up as a musician.
[4:35] About seven years ago, David wrote a famous book called, Open, which previewed the new age of open source and open talent. He shares what led him to write the book and what he wanted to accomplish by writing it.
[6:58] Open both encouraged people and companies to operate in a transparent and open manner. It also outlines the new open economy and how people can lead really fulfilling and productive lives in the freelance and gig space; what John Winsor would call the open talent space. Would David agree that for everyone to be able to step into this space that it would require a new social contract?
[9:25] Tom congratulates David on his new book, The Power of Us: How We Connect, Act, and Innovate Together, and reads an excerpt from the introduction.
[10:44] David tells the story of his update to The Power of Us and how he came to a conclusion that felt more true than ever.
[13:55] A summary of Chapter 2 of David’s book, The Power of Us, on scalable learning.
[16:11] An explanation of chapter 3 on people-powered innovation.
[18:22] The second part of The Power of Us is on mindsets. David speaks about two mindsets he writes about in the book.
[20:12] The next section of the book talks about the operating system; a shorthand way of describing how an organization works (the culture, the structure, and the systems that either collectively inhibit or enable innovation). David elaborates on how organizations either block or promote innovation.
[21:41] Part 4 of the book talks about leadership. David argues that it requires a very different kind of leadership to enable bottom-up innovation. He describes what this leadership looks like in practice.
[24:20] Part 5 in the book is a great toolkit with sections on trust and transparency, engagement and equity, and mastery and meaning. David elaborates on these sections in the toolkit.
[28:07] David offers some advice to school heads on how they can incorporate key ideas from The Power of Us into their schools.
[30:02] Tom and David further elaborate on the importance of schools focusing on agency and community.
[31:30] Tom and David share what they love about High Tech High.
[32:15] Why the work that the Mastery Transcript Consortium does is important to David.
[35:19] Tom shares a profound excerpt from The Power of Us.
[36:37] Tom thanks David for his book, The Power of Us, and shares why you should pick it up!
[37:03] David gives a closing thought that sums up the opportunity that’s available to us right now.
[38:14] Tom thanks David for joining the podcast.
Mentioned in This Episode:
David Price
The Power of Us: How We Connect, Act, and Innovate Together, by David Price
Open: How We'll Work, Live and Learn in the Future, by David Price
Mastery Transcript Consortium
Canadian Education Association
Sparks & Honey
Learnlife
Getting Smart Podcast Ep. 275: “John Winsor on the Open Talent Economy”
Garry Ridge | CEO of WD-40
Larry Rosenstock | High Tech High
Getting Smart Podcast Ep. 208: “Esther Wojcicki on Raising Successful People”
Difference Making at the Heart of Learning, by Tom Vander Ark and Emily Liebtag — Enter code Smart20 to save 20% off the cover price!
Get Involved:
Check out the blog at GettingSmart.com.
Find the Getting Smart Podcast on iTunes, leave a review, and subscribe.
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On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast we are giving you a look at a new conversation series led by Getting Smart team member Rebecca Midles. She has been having informative and inspiring conversations with leaders in the field of competency-based education and they are all available to you at GettingSmart.com/CBE.
On this episode, she is speaking with Claudette Trujillo Principal of Metropolitan Arts Academy, a PK-8 Arts innovation school in Westminster Public Schools and a longtime advocate of CBE.
Claudette Trujillo is in her 21st year in the education field and her 12th year of competency-based implementation. She also has a Masters in Educational Counseling, in addition to her administration license and Bachelors of English with a secondary endorsement.
Today Rebecca and Claudette unpack what it takes to successfully implement a competency-based learning model, share stories from the field and much more.
In this week’s episode, Tom is speaking with Karen Cator and Vic Vuchic.
Karen Cator began her career in Alaska as a teacher and a special assistant for telecommunications for the governor of Alaska. This led to Apple, where she directed their leadership and advocacy efforts in education. She then was appointed to lead the office of ed-tech in the Obama administration which culminated in her joining the Digital Promise effort as CEO in 2013.
Vic Vuchic is the Chief Innovation Officer at Digital Promise Global. Before his time at Digital Promise Global, Vic consulted with a number of foundations and organizations on education technology, innovation, and philanthropy. Prior to consulting, Vic developed strategies and managed over a hundred million dollars in technology-focused grants at the Hewlett Foundation to launch and grow the open educational resources movement and create and advance the deeper learning strategy.
Listen in as Tom talks with these esteemed guests about ed-tech and the invention opportunity.
Key Takeaways:
[:10] About today’s episode with special guests, Karen Cator and Vic Vuchic.
[1:09] Tom welcomes Karen and Vic to the Getting Smart Podcast!
[1:17] Karen reflects on the launch of Digital Promise in 2011.
[2:11] Tom shares his appreciation for Karen’s leadership during her role as the Director of the Office of Education Technology for the U.S. Department of Education.
[2:44] Karen shares what it was like launching Digital Promise while leading the office of ed-tech.
[4:09] Digital Promise has had an important and unique role in the research and development (R&D) space of helping to link science to practice. Was that part of Digital Promise’s initial mission?
[8:13] When Vic took a break from studying as an engineer, he picked up the jazz flute! Does he still practice it or have a favorite flutist?
[9:54] In Vic’s career, he in part launched the age of open educational resources (OER) during his career at the Hewlett Foundation.
[10:37] Karen highlights the innovations in learning and development that she is most excited about and thinks are potentially the most important.
[13:28] Has Digital Promise’s work with Verizon Innovative Learning Schools helped to advance technology and reliable internet access into the hands of students?
[14:32] Vic highlights and the innovations in learning and development that he is most excited about.
[17:45] Originally launched in 2011, the League of Innovative Schools now includes 114 districts and almost 3,900 schools. What is the role that the League of Innovative Schools plays in relationship to innovation?
[20:02] All 114 districts within the League of Innovative Schools share the common attribute of stable and effective leadership which indicates that building support for an agenda over a long period is critical in letting innovation take root and be brought to scale.
[21:02] Another important lesson from the League of Innovative Schools: the combination of a leader and their own mindset/view of innovation and the leadership of the district is critical.
[21:57] Digital Promise and their partner districts have been making a push toward more inclusive leadership. Recently, they announced their Center for Inclusive Innovation. Karen elaborates on its vision and mission.
[23:55] Over the last two years, Vic has developed an amazing web of research that is now searchable by case study or symptom. It helps teachers connect with important resources. As Vic thinks about the potential impact that the learner variability project can have, where and how does he think it’s going to make the biggest difference?
[28:05] Tom’s lightning round on the theme of innovations (for both Karen and Vic): 1. When you think of the category of “learner experience,” what are the innovations that you’re most excited about? 2. Why are you excited about challenge-based learning? Why is it important? 3. What are you excited about with regard to measurements and credentialing? What about the challenges?
[39:35] How Digital Promise has done a fantastic job of leading innovation for equity.
[40:03] Learning formats and new school models that Karen is excited about.
[41:22] Is Vic a fan of micro-schools or nano-schools? What does he think about new learning formats?
[43:19] Tom highlights the incredible work that Karen has done in the last twenty years.
[44:13] Vic thanks Karen for the great work she is doing in the world.
[44:44] Tom thanks both of the guests for joining the podcast.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Digital Promise
Karen Cator’s LinkedIn
Vic Vuchic’s LinkedIn
The Aspen Institute
Verizon Innovative Learning Schools
National Center for Research in Advanced Information and Digital Technologies
League of Innovative Schools
Virtual Teaching Academy Session One (with Tom Vander Ark and Dewayne McClary)
Dewayne J. McClary | Director of League of Innovative Schools at Digital Promise
Center for Inclusive Innovation — Digital Promise
Difference Making at the Heart of Learning: Students, Schools, and Communities Alive With Possibility, by Tom Vander Ark
High Quality Project Based Learning (HQPBL)
Tuva Labs
Desmos
Newsela
Concord Consortium
Get Involved:
Check out the blog at GettingSmart.com.
Find the Getting Smart Podcast on iTunes, leave a review, and subscribe.
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In this week’s episode, Tom is speaking with a father-daughter duo, Mark and Alex Milliron.
Mark Milliron serves as Senior Vice President and Executive Dean of the Teachers College at Western Governors University (WGU). In addition to his work with WGU, Mark helps catalyze positive change in education through his Catalytic Conversations blog and podcast series, and through service on boards and advisory councils of leading-edge education organizations.
Alex Milliron is a rising senior in the College of Education at the University of Texas at Austin. During her time at Dripping Springs High School in Texas, Alex was an honor student, a three-year varsity basketball player, a high jumper, and a regular community volunteer.
Now, both Mark and Alex are co-authors as well with their new book, The Sugar Chair Stories. The Sugar Chair Stories tells three stories on the theme of learning how to “slow down, look around, and figure out how to sweeten things up.”
Listen in to learn more about their wonderful new book and what Mark and Alex are up to in the world of education!
Key Takeaways:
[:10] About today’s episode with Mark and Alex Milliron.
[1:01] Tom welcomes Mark and Alex Milliron to the podcast.
[1:10] Mark shares his thoughts and perspective on the current state of American higher education amid a global pandemic.
[3:01] With four children, has Mark had a lot of family time during the pandemic? What have they spent their time doing?
[4:04] The genesis of Mark and Alex’s book, The Sugar Chair Stories.
[4:35] About Mark’s history with WGU and his return to WGU as the Senior Vice President and Executive Dean.
[5:10] Is WGU the biggest school of education in America?
[6:01] How Mark thinks about the value proposition for learners in the school of education?
[6:41] Has Mark seen as big of a jump in the enrollment at the school of education during the pandemic as other parts of the college?
[7:48] To what extent has the school of education embraced the idea of competency and focusing on important skills?
[9:59] Having grown up with one of America’s great educators, what motivated Alex to pursue education as well?
[10:46] What are Alex’s plans post-grad? What would she like to teach?
[11:53] What is a ‘sugar chair’ (from their book, The Sugar Chair Stories)?
[13:00] The meaning behind The Sugar Chair Stories’ slogan: “Slow down, look around, and figure out how to sweeten things up.”
[13:57] How did Alex and Mark come up with the concept of each story being for a different age group?
[16:01] Why The Sugar Chair Stories is multi-generational and perfect for the whole family.
[17:01] Alex shares how they collaborated on their book together.
[17:33] Did Alex bring any of her athletic experience to writing the book?
[18:27] Mark shares what he learned about his daughter Alex in the process of writing the book together.
[19:15] Alex and Mark share their thoughts and reflections on the editing process of the book.
[20:29] Did it feel like it took forever for the book to come out?
[21:12] What Alex learned writing a book.
[22:15] Be sure to check out The Sugar Chair Stories, by Mark Milliron and Alexandra Milliron!
[23:07] Are they planning on launching a virtual book tour?
[24:05] Tom thanks Mark and Alex for joining the podcast.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Western Governors University (WGU)Teachers College at Western Governors University
College of Education at the University of Texas at Austin Catalytic Conversations Blog
Catalytic Conversations Podcast
Dripping Springs High School
The Sugar Chair Stories, by Mark Milliron and Alexandra Milliron
MarkMilliron.com
TheSugarChair.com
@MarkMilliron on Twitter
Get Involved:
Check out the blog at GettingSmart.com.
Find the Getting Smart Podcast on iTunes, leave a review, and subscribe.
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On today’s episode of the Getting Smart podcast, Rebecca Midles sits down with Tom Vander Ark to discuss the new book co-authored by him and Dr. Emily Liebtag: Difference Making at the Heart of Learning.
This book stemmed out of our multi-year Future of Work campaign when our team realized that one of the hallmarks of the future of work is purposeful work contributing to communities. Through hundreds of school visits and powerful conversations with inspirational organizations across the globe, we observed changemakers in action and learners who were more ready than ever to make a difference in the world.
Difference Making at the Heart of Learning, is an inspirational, yet practical guide to help educators, counselors, and youth-development leaders build on students’ talents and interests to develop their desire for a better world, entrepreneurial mindset and personal leadership skills — so they can make a difference to their families, their communities, and society. In this episode, they discuss what difference making means, why it is the superpower of the new economy and how more schools can get involved with organizations who are dedicated to difference making.
Mentioned in This Episode:
- Difference Making at the Heart of Learning
- Difference Making Campaign
- Ask About AI
- LEAD Innovation Studio
- Global Dignity Day
- Tara C. Chklovski
- High Resolves, Videos for Change
- Big Thought, Byron Sanders
- Olin College,
- KEEN Network
- Joanne McEachen Podcast
- Global Goals
- 5 Reasons High Schools Should Help Young People Find and Make Their Unique Contribution.
Today on the podcast, Tom Vander Ark is speaking with Deanna Mulligan on the topics of talent, leadership, and the opportunity gap.
Deanna grew up in a small town in Nebraska, earned an MBA from Stanford, and became the Principal Engagement Manager at McKinsey & Company. After working there for eight years, Deanna launched a career in insurance where, after a two-year sabbatical, she became the CEO of Guardian Life Insurance, one of the ten largest life insurance companies in America.
Additionally, Deanna served on the President’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability for Young Americans from 2014–2015 and was Chair of the Board of the ACLI from 2015–2016. In 2018, Fortune named her one of the “50 Most Powerful Women in Business” and in 2019, Crain’s New York Business recognized her as one of “The 50 Most Powerful Women in New York” — the fifth time since 2011!
In her new book, Hire Purpose: How Smart Companies Can Close the Skills Gap, Deanna shares how companies and education institutions can work together to close the skills and opportunity gap.
Listen in as Tom talks with Deanna about her career journey and her new book, Hire Purpose.
Key Takeaways:
[:10] About today’s episode with Deanna Mulligan.
[:55] Tom welcomes Deanna Mulligan to the podcast.
[1:00] About Deanna’s life and early education in a small town in Nebraska.
[1:18] How Deanna came to work at McKinsey & Company after graduating from Stanford.
[2:29] The lessons Deanna learned and the experience she gained during her eight years at McKinsey.
[3:22] What drew Deanna to insurance.
[4:04] About the two years Deanna took off prior to launching a career in insurance.
[7:33] How Deanna came to work for Guardian.
[8:11] Did Deanna’s two-year sabbatical shape her views on family leave?
[9:44] Deanna shares her reflections as the CEO of Guardian for nearly 10 years; how she thought about her role, as well as the biggest takeaways and lessons from her time as CEO.
[12:03] What Deanna learned about talent development as CEO of Guardian.
[13:26] Where Deanna’s idea for her book, Hire Purpose: How Smart Companies Can Close the Skills Gap, came from. She also shares how she connected with Greg Shaw, her co-author.
[17:40] Tom shares his experience with Greg Shaw and Deanna touches on what the overall process of writing Hire Purpose was like.
[18:22] How companies and post-secondary can work together to close the opportunity gap, and examples of organizations that are already doing this.
[21:54] While writing Hire Purpose, did Deanna and Greg have the chance to touch on the pandemic before it was released?
[23:12] Now that we’re deep in the midst of the pandemic, are there any additional footnotes Deanna would include in Hire Purpose if she were to release it now?
[23:56] While writing, did Deanna have any changes in opinion on certain topics or areas?
[25:55] Both Deanna and Guardian are very purposeful and values-based. Would Deanna say that establishing partnerships with shared values is the way to overcome and power through any challenges?
[26:35] Deanna gives recommendations and advice for young adults and professionals thinking about a career or starting a career during the pandemic.
[28:19] Tom thanks Deanna for joining the Getting Smart Podcast and congratulates her on her success with Guardian and her new book.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Deanna Mulligan
Guardian Life
Hire Purpose: How Smart Companies Can Close the Skills Gap, by Deanna Mulligan and Greg Shaw
Clayton Christensen
Hit Refresh: The Quest to Rediscover Microsoft's Soul and Imagine a Better Future for Everyone, by Satya Nadella and Greg Shaw
PTech.org
Infosys
The Power of Place: Authentic Learning Through Place-Based Education, by Tom Vander Ark and Emily Liebtag
Getting Smart Podcast Ep. 280: “Julia Freeland Fisher and Mahnaz Charania on Social Relationships and Networks”
Get Involved:
Check out the blog at GettingSmart.com.
Find the Getting Smart Podcast on iTunes, leave a review, and subscribe.
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This week, Tom is sitting down with the president and CEO of Lumina Foundation, Jamie Merisotis.
Jamie is a globally-recognized leader in philanthropy, education, and public policy. Jamie’s foundation, Lumina Foundation, is committed to making opportunities for learning beyond high school available to all. They envision a system that is easy to navigate, delivers fair results, and meets the nation’s need for talent through a broad range of credentials.
In this episode, Jamie discusses his newest book, Human Work in the Age of Smart Machines. In his book, Jamie makes that case that the question is not, “What is the future of work?” but, “What is the work of the future?”
Jamie and Tom discuss the new paradigm of work (one that consists of learning, earning, and serving), the importance of shifting to a model of teaching and learning about the skills and traits that are uniquely human, and how we can keep equity in the forefront in working toward building a credentialing system that works for everyone.
Key Takeaways:
[:10] About today’s episode with Jamie Merisotis.
[:43] Tom welcomes Jamie Merisotis to the podcast.
[1:07] Jamie has been in the postsecondary policy space for about 30 years. At a young age, he ran a national commission on financing a postsecondary. He shares about how he landed this job and what the experience was like.
[3:26] How this commission helped springboard Jamie into co-founding the Institute for Higher Education Policy in 1993.
[4:40] In 2008, Jamie joined the Lumina Foundation as the President and CEO. He shares why he was interested in this opportunity.
[6:58] Jamie speaks about the work they’re doing at Lumina Foundation with policy advocacy, new learning models, competency-based learning, and impact investing. Jamie elaborates on impact investing as an emerging strategy.
[8:59] Jamie highlights some of the major changes he has seen in education since publishing his last book, America Needs Talent: Attracting, Educating & Deploying the 21st-Century Workforce, as well the key observations that led to his newest book, Human Work in the Age of Smart Machines.
[13:05] The second chapter in Human Work in the Age of Smart Machines makes the case for the work that only humans can do which blends traits such as compassion, empathy, and ethics; developed skills for problem-solving, and integrative skills. Would Jamie agree that this could also be the summary of a new outcomes framework for learning institutions?
[15:53] A core insight from Jamie’s book is that the new paradigm of human work is learning, earning, and serving. He elaborates on what this means and why it is important.
[18:10] Jamie’s book challenges the traditional academic disdain for the workplace. It reads, “Our education system does not do a good job of developing skills that human work requires, in large part because we’re often divorced from the settings where human work is actually performed.” Jamie elaborates on this and shares his thoughts on how we can better integrate work and learning.
[22:35] The importance of shifting to a model of teaching and learning about the skills and traits that are uniquely human.
[25:05] How a transparent system of credentialing could be a part of how learning institutions and work environments connect. Jamie also speaks about how we can get better at credentialing in general (and, in particular, for the skills that matter the most).
[27:01] Jamie points to the Europass system as a comprehensive and dynamic system. Should we be aiming for this in America?
[28:28] The importance of keeping equity in the forefront to build credentialing systems that work for everybody.
[31:12] Jamie closes out with a few thoughts on revolutionizing democratic society. He describes the connection between his view of human work and the contribution that it can make to strengthening a democratic society.
[34:33] Tom thanks Jamie for his new book and for imparting his wisdom on the podcast!
Mentioned in This Episode:
Jamie Merisotis
Lumina Foundation
Human Work in the Age of Smart Machines, by Jamie Merisotis
Difference Making at the Heart of Learning: Students, Schools, and Communities Alive With Possibility, by Tom Vander Ark and Emily Liebtag
Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP)
America Needs Talent: Attracting, Educating & Deploying the 21st-Century Workforce, by Jamie Merisotis
Getting Smart Podcast Ep. 273: “Conrad Wolfram on Computational Thinking”
The Math(s) Fix: An Education Blueprint for the AI Age, by Conrad Wolfram
Cobots
CEW Georgetown — Center on Education and the Workforce
World Values Survey (WVS Database)
Getting Smart Podcast Ep. 229: “Eric Williams on Empowering Students to Make a Contribution”
Get Involved:
Check out the blog at GettingSmart.com.
Find the Getting Smart Podcast on iTunes, leave a review, and subscribe.
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Today, Tom is speaking with Amy Klement, Managing Partner of Imaginable Futures, a global philanthropic investment firm that believes learning has the power to unlock human potential and aspires to provide every learner with the opportunity and the tools they need to imagine, and to realize, a brighter future.
Amy formerly worked for eBay where she served as vice president of relationship marketing and as vice president of product strategy and operations. Joining as one of its earliest employees, Amy also worked for PayPal as vice president of product. She then went on to help lead Omidyar Network’s work in Education, Financial Inclusion, Property Rights, and Consumer Internet & Mobile initiatives in key geographies.
Join in on the conversation to hear all about the incredible work Imaginable Futures is doing, the grantees and investments they’re making, and Amy’s overall philosophy on educational philanthropy. Amy also speaks about the recent report she collaborated on with IDEO titled, “Learning Reimagined: Radical Thinking for Equitable Futures,” and touches on the themes of equity, impact investing, and the importance of values.
Key Takeaways:
[:10] About today’s episode with Amy Klement.
[:40] Tom welcomes Amy Klement to the podcast.
[1:06] Amy speaks a bit about her time as an early employee at PayPal.
[1:24] Amy shares some highlights and key takeaways from her seven years with PayPal and interacting with some of Silicon Valley’s biggest personalities.
[5:47] About Amy’s shift from PayPal to eBay and her experience in the VP role.
[6:36] About Pierre Omidyar and why Amy decided to help him launch the Omidyar Network.
[8:44] Amy and Tom highlight a few of Imaginable Futures’ grantees, starting with Wonderschool.
[10:30] What Amy appreciates and loves about Bridge International.
[12:56] What Amy appreciates about the innovative African network, SPARK Schools.
[14:20] About the incredible global network, Teach For All, and what Amy loves about it.
[16:40] About Imaginable Futures; their structure, the work that they do, and more.
[18:43] Is Imaginable Futures an impact organization, first and foremost?
[18:54] Amy elaborates on how Imaginable Future’s flexibility allows them to structure investments in a way that promotes both scaled impact and sustainability in the most efficient way possible.
[20:28] Imaginable Futures has a wonderful but challengingly broad agenda; investing from early learning through post-secondary in America, Africa, and Latin America. What does Amy think about collecting the best ideas and narrowing those down to investment choices?
[22:55] Imaginable Futures’ beautiful set of values: where they came from, how they uphold them, and what they are.
[24:15] Are Imaginable Futures’ investment 50/50 between return-seeking and philanthropic? And is it by design or did it just work out that way?
[24:55] The importance of taking on risk when it comes to philanthropy.
[30:10] About Amy’s new report, “Learning Reimagined: Radical Thinking for Equitable Futures”.
[31:52] Two key provocations from Amy’s report: 1. What if student agency became the most important measure of learning? And, 2. What if young people connected in new ways, developed voices, organized for change across politics, climate, systemic inequities, and even their own learning?
[34:25] Amy and Tom discuss other provocations in the “Learning Reimagined” report: “What if learning progressions were based on competencies?” And: “What if home-schooling became the new school if we learned more about different school formats?” Amy also shares her thoughts on whether she thinks we’ll see home-schooling innovations take off as a result of the pandemic.
[35:25] The importance of addressing inequities quickly (and now more than ever).
[36:29] Amy’s closing thoughts on what’s next for Imaginable Futures.
[37:58] Tom thanks Amy for joining the podcast!
Mentioned in This Episode:
Amy Klement
Imaginable Futures
Pierre Omidyar
Omidyar Network
Wonderschool
Bridge International
SPARK Schools
“SPARK Schools: Scaling Affordable Excellence in South Africa,” by Tom Vander Ark | Getting Smart
“Low-Cost Schools Are Transforming Africa,” by Tom Vander Ark | Getting Smart
Teach For All
“Teaching Without Internet” on WhatsApp
“Learning Reimagined: Radical Thinking for Equitable Futures”
IDEO
African Leadership Academy
Teach for India
Kids Education Revolution
Difference Making at the Heart of Learning: Students, Schools, and Communities Alive With Possibility, by Tom Vander Ark and Emily Liebtag
Getting Smart Podcast Ep. 282: “Shauntel Garvey on EdTech Impact Investing”
Get Involved:
Check out the blog at GettingSmart.com.
Find the Getting Smart Podcast on iTunes, leave a review, and subscribe.
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The Getting Smart team will be sure to add them to their list!
This month on Getting Smart, the podcasts will be focused on the theme of difference-making — which is also the subject of a new book launched just this week by Tom Vander Ark and Emily Liebtag, Difference Making at the Heart of Learning: Students, Schools, and Communities Alive With Possibility.
To kick things off, Joanne McEachen is joining the podcast to have a conversation with Tom about her newest book, The Depthvale Detectives and the Great Education Crisis: A Guide to Contributive Learning in Schools. Joanne is the founder and CEO of The Learner First, an international education consultancy. The ‘welcome’ to her new book, The Depthvale Detectives and the Great Education Crisis, promises that all students can learn to contribute and add to the world in all manners of ways. And, when they do, no matter their plans or pursuits, they’ll have what they need to find real success. This book is a story for both educators, parents, and students about using your powers (AKA what you’re learning) for good. These powers can help you discover what it takes to contribute and how to make wellbeing, meaning, and fulfillment the ultimate outcomes of all that you do.
In Joanne’s conversation with Tom, they discuss how schools can commit to contributive learning so that all students can learn how to add to the world, what is important to measure, the key elements of deep learning, and the fascinating five-phase change process that she outlines in her newest book, The Depthvale Detectives and the Great Education Crisis.
Key Takeaways:
[:10] About today’s episode.
[1:06] Tom welcomes Joanne McEachen to the podcast.
[1:18] Joanne elaborates on what her email signature, “Meaning and fulfillment is the new wealth, and contribution is the only way to earn it,” means.
[2:36] How Joanne thinks about contribution and what it means.
[5:06] The ‘welcome’ to Joanne’s new book, The Depthvale Detectives and the Great Education Crisis, where she first made the discovery of the sentiment described, and what it means.
[7:27] Contributive learning: the new superpower.
[7:49] Joanne shares about growing up in New Zealand and how her education has shaped her current philosophy around education.
[8:48] All of Joanne’s books indicate a strong sense of purpose and measuring what matters. She elaborates on how she developed the ideas in these books while leading two schools in New Zealand.
[10:54] Joanne shares what is on her list of important things to measure and how she hopes they would be measured.
[14:26] Joanne describes the elements of deep learning and what it has been like for her to write with Michael Fullan.
[16:35] Joanne elaborates on what she and Michael mean when they speak about deep learning.
[17:34] Why did Joanne choose a novel format for her new book, The Depthvale Detectives and the Great Education Crisis: A Guide to Contributive Learning in Schools?
[19:28] Joanne cleverly worked in a five-phase change process into the story of her new book. Tom recaps the first two phases (1. Start with yourself; who are we really? 2. Pinpoint your purpose; why are we here?) and Joanne explains why it is important for teams to start with these ideas.
[21:45] Joanne elaborates on the next two phases (3. Dive into outcomes; what do we want? 4. Plot your position; where are we now?).
[23:22] Joanne explains what the final phase, “5: Invite teams to commit to contribution,” looks like.
[25:15] What Karanga is, where to find it online, and why Joanne is passionate about it.
[27:29] Where to find Joanne online and learn more about what she is up to.
[27:51] Tom closes out the podcast with a beautiful sentiment from Joanne, and Joanne shares how people can incorporate this idea into their school.
[28:38] Tom thanks Joanne for the work that she does and for joining the podcast.
[29:08] About Tom and Emily’s new book, Difference Making at the Heart of Learning: Students, Schools, and Communities Alive With Possibility.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Difference Making at the Heart of Learning: Students, Schools, and Communities Alive With Possibility, by Tom Vander Ark and Emily Liebtag
Joanne McEachen
The Learner First
Twitter @TheLearnerFirst
Twitter @JoanneMcEachen
The Depthvale Detectives and the Great Education Crisis: A Guide to Contributive Learning in Schools, by Joanne McEachen and Matthew Kane
Making the Important Measurable, Not the Measurable Important, by Joanne McEachen and Jane Davidson
Measuring Human Return: Understand and Assess What Really Matters for Deeper Learning, by Joanne McEachen and Matthew Kane
Michael Fullan
Deep Learning: Engage the World Change the World, by Michael Fullan, Joanne Quinn, and Joanne McEachen
Dive into Deep Learning: Tools for Engagement, by Joanne Quinn, Joanne McEachen, Michael Fullan, Mag Gardner, and Max Drummy
Getting Smart Podcast Ep. 277: “Michael Fullan on Leading in a Culture of Change”
Getting Smart Podcast Ep. 151: “Michael Fullan Sees Global Momentum for Deep Learning”
Our Iceberg is Melting, by John Kotter and Holger Rathgeber
Karanga.org
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Today, Tom Vander Ark is joined by Ed Hess to talk hyper-learning — one of the new demands of the 21st-Century workforce.
After 20 years in business, Ed Hess has spent nearly two decades in academia teaching leadership. He is a professor of business administration and Batten Faculty Fellow at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business. He is the author of eleven books, over sixty articles, and over 60 Darden cases. His new book, Hyper-Learning: How to Adapt to the Speed of Change, suggests that for humans to stay relevant in the workplace, we have to be able to excel cognitively, behaviorally, and emotionally in ways that technology can’t.
Join in on today’s conversation with Tom and Ed to learn how you can implement hyper learning in your own life, your organization, or your school!
Key Takeaways:
[:10] About today’s episode.
[:43] Tom welcomes Ed Hess to the podcast.
[:50] After twenty years in business, Ed switched to academia. Ed shares why he decided to make the shift.
[2:16] Does Ed teach executive or full-time students at Darden?
[3:58] Tom and Ed speak about their experiences teaching students.
[6:34] Ed speaks about his 2017 book, Humility Is the New Smart: Rethinking Human Excellence in the Smart Machine Age, and how he landed on that title.
[11:17] Why humility is so key for both educators and learners, and Ed’s predictions on technology advancements in the next 10 years.
[14:58] Ed defines the term “hyper-learning.”
[17:49] Personal behaviors and practices of hyper-learning as outlined in Ed’s book.
[22:20] Why daily advisory systems are so effective and mission-critical for learners.
[25:03] How to cultivate a culture in your workplace that values hyper-learning.
[32:05] Tom thanks Ed for joining the podcast!
Mentioned in This Episode:
Ed Hess
Hyper-Learning: How to Adapt to the Speed of Change, by Ed Hess
Humility Is the New Smart: Rethinking Human Excellence in the Smart Machine Age, by Ed Hess
Getting Smart Podcast Ep. 264: “Ryan Craig on Putting America Back to Work”
Future of Work | Getting Smart
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In this episode, Tom is talking education venture funding with Shauntel Garvey!
Shauntel is a partner and co-founder of Reach Capital, an impact-focused edtech venture fund that was spun out of non-profit NewSchools Venture Fund, in 2015. Since then, they have deployed about $95 million in 61 investments, including some well-known startups such as ClassDojo, Ellevation, NearPod, and Newsela — all while maintaining a focus on education and workplace innovations.
Join the conversation to learn more about Reach Capital, how they have evolved since branching out from NewSchools, the amazing companies in their portfolio, what a typical investment process looks like, and all about return, growth, and impact when it comes to venture funding.
Key Takeaways:
[:10] About today’s episode.
[:45] Tom welcomes Shauntel Garvey to the podcast.
[:53] How did Shauntel get to MIT?
[2:50] Why did Shauntel decide to go to Stanford and pursue a dual education MBA?
[4:01] Was Shauntel aware of how many extraordinary people have gone through this same program when she was going through it herself?
[4:49] Shauntel shares about when she first learned about NewSchools Venture Fund and what led her to become involved.
[6:35] How and when Shauntel and her co-founder (of Reach Capital) decided to branch out from NewSchools and start their own venture fund.
[8:22] About the second fund they’re currently investing in with Reach Capital.
[9:04] How Reach Capital has evolved from NewSchools, going beyond K-12 funding.
[9:55] Can you run a viable venture fund, looking for both impact and return? How does Reach Capital try to maximize both of those?
[11:38] The meaning behind the name “Reach Capital.”
[12:08] How Reach Capital is looking to bring more diverse founders into edtech and why Shauntal believes it is so incredibly important.
[14:40] Shauntel walks listeners through the venture process in a typical investment.
[18:26] What does it mean to lead deals? And do they like to lead deals at Reach Capital?
[19:00] After making the investment with a company, what does their relationship look like going forward? How do they continue to support them?
[20:54] How many companies in Reach Capital’s portfolio is Shauntel actively involved in?
[21:26] The hardest part of Shauntel’s job currently.
[21:50] Lightning round of the cool companies in Reach Capital’s portfolio! Shauntel speaks about the incredible work of Abl, BetterLesson, ClassDojo, AdmitHub, Desmos, Ellevation, Hone, Newsela, PeopleGrove, Schoolzilla, Tynker, Nearpod, Outschool, Epic!, and Riipen.
[32:12] The gaps Shauntel is currently seeing in education where there’s an opportunity to make a big difference.
[35:34] With Reach Capital, do they try to create spaces that can bring together public and philanthropic investments as well as private investments?
[37:29] Infrastructure challenges and the inequities that have been amplified during the pandemic.
[38:30] Tom thanks Shauntel for joining the Getting Smart Podcast!
Mentioned in This Episode:
Shauntel Garvey
Reach Capital
NewSchools Venture Fund
ClassDojo
Ellevation
Nearpod
Newsela
Abl
BetterLesson
AdmitHub
Desmos
Hone
PeopleGrove
SchoolMint
Schoolzilla WriteLab
Julia Freeland Fisher
Tynker
Outschool
Epic!
Riipen
Getting Smart Podcast Ep. 264: “Ryan Craig on Putting America Back to Work”
Raise Your Hand Texas
NSBA
Getting Smart Podcast Ep. 274: “Rachelle Dene Poth on Charting a New Course”
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Today Tom is speaking with gaming and esports expert, Mike Sepso. Mike is widely considered the godfather of esports and has been at the heart of esports for nearly 20 years.
In 2002, Mike launched Major League Gaming, a professional esports organization. He later sold MLG to game-maker, Activision, in 2015. Last year, Mike launched Vindex to provide infrastructure to the esports industry. And just recently, Vindex acquired Belong Gaming Arenas and plans to open more than 500 Belong locations in hometowns across America.
Right now, about half of America is gaming during the pandemic. It might surprise you to know that gaming is bigger than both music and movies combined. This year, video game revenue will likely top $170 billion.
Though the percentage of gamers that play professionally is small, it is growing. Esports is approximately a $1 billion business itself. Join in today’s conversation with Tom to hear about Mike’s mission to open local arenas across America to grow esports, as well as what he thinks about esports as a career path (and how high schools, colleges, and educators should play the game).
Key Takeaways:
[:10] About today’s episode.
[1:06] Tom welcomes Mike to the podcast.
[1:11] Having been at the heart of esports for nearly 20 years, would Mike say that he’s always been a gamer?
[1:35] The history of when and how esports emerged out of the video game market.
[3:35] The origin story behind Mike’s founding of Major League Gaming.
[7:11] How Mike thinks about the global gaming market today and why he believes gaming has become so big, so fast.
[11:48] The mission behind Mike’s new company, Vindex, and some of the history behind esports.
[18:50] The three-pronged strategic approach they’re taking with Vindex.
[22:52] Mike shares about their exciting acquisition of Belong Gaming Arenas as well as why they wanted to acquire them.
[31:50] Where these gaming arenas will be placed and how big they will be.
[33:40] Is esports a viable career path? And what role can or should high schools and colleges play with regards to esports?
[37:52] How will esports impact communities? Should economic directors be thinking about esports or working it into their plans?
[39:38] How big is the market of esports? Where does Mike see it a couple of years from now?
[41:07] How has esports been positively and negatively impacted by COVID-19? Does it only have growth to look forward to in the coming years?
[46:26] Tom thanks Mike for joining the podcast!
Mentioned in This Episode:
Mike Sepso’s LinkedIn
Mike Sepso’s Twitter @MSpeso
Major League Gaming
Activision
Vindex Belong Gaming Arenas
Overwatch League
Getting Smart Podcast Ep. 238: “Chad Dorsey on Modeling and Data Science in STEM Education”
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In today’s episode, Tom is joined by Julia Freeland Fisher and Dr. Mahnaz Charania. Julia is the Director of Education Research at the Clayton Christensen Institute and the author of the important 2018 book, Who You Know: Unlocking Innovations That Expand Students’ Networks. Dr. Mahnaz Charania is a Senior Research Fellow, also at the Clayton Christensen Institute.
Recently, Julia Freeland Fisher and Dr. Mahnaz Charania co-authored an incredibly important new paper together called, “The Missing Metrics: Emerging Practices for Measuring Students’ Relationships and Networks.” The paper outlines how measuring for diversity and social capital can open new doors and perspectives for students at various junctures in their education journey. Through this, education systems can start to build an evidence base for closing the social side of opportunity gaps and ensure that all students are supported equitably in their path to economic prosperity.
Join in for the conversation as Tom, Julia, and Dr. Mahnaz discuss the four-dimensional framework for measuring students’ social capital they’ve proposed in their paper, “The Missing Metrics,” and why social capital needs to be taken into account when addressing equity, access, and more.
Key Takeaways:
[:10] About today’s episode.
[:55] Tom welcomes Julia Freeland Fisher and Dr. Mahnaz Charania to the podcast.
[1:28] Dr. Mahnaz Charania shares why she decided to study experimental social psychology.
[2:02] What sparked Dr. Mahnaz Charania’s interest in education?
[2:43] Did Dr. Mahnaz Charania work with Helene Gayle at the CDC?
[3:13] Julia Freeland Fisher recaps her career journey from her early work around blended learning to social capital.
[5:48] Dr. Mahnas Charania shares what interests her about the work she is currently doing around social capital.
[6:32] Julia shares what she would add to the 2020 epilogue of her 2018 book, Who You Know, with regards to the pandemic.
[11: 33] The backstory behind the comprehensive measurement framework that is outlined in Julia Freeland Fishers and Dr. Mahnaz Charania’s paper, “The Missing Metrics: Emerging Practices for Measuring Students’ Relationships and Networks.”
[12:50] How Dr. Mahnaz Charania is addressing social capital through a continuous improvement approach.
[14:33] The four-dimensional framework for measuring students’ social capital: quantity of relationships, quality of relationships, the structure of networks, and the ability to mobilize relationships.
[14:39] How to measure the quantity of relationships and why it matters.
[18:44] How to measure the quality of relationships, why it is a key aspect in the four-dimensional framework, and some examples.
[22:30] About the structure of networks, why it is important, and how to measure it.
[24:39] About Getting Smart’s sponsor this week, Micro-Collegiate Academy by TEL Education.
[25:51] About the last of the four categories, the ability to mobilize relationships, and how to measure it.
[27:00] The benefits of using extended transcripts or portfolios in helping young people tell the story of who they’re becoming, what they’ve accomplished, what they’ve overcome, and who they’ve connected with.
[30:33] Examples of fantastic online digital extended transcripts or portfolios and what great extended transcripts and portfolios should include.
[33:04] Why continuous improvement/self-growth is a key component in measuring these metrics.
[35:00] How educators and institutions can help students build their networks (especially during the pandemic).
[36:59] Dr. Mahnas Charania’s advice for principals and counselors on where to start.
[38:25] Julia’s advice for principals and counselors on where to start.
[40:07] Are these emerging metrics just as important as your reading or math score?
[41:01] Tom thanks both guests for joining this week’s episode.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Clayton Christensen Institute
Who You Know: Unlocking Innovations That Expand Students’ Networks, by Julia Freeland Fisher
“The Missing Metrics: Emerging Practices for Measuring Students’ Relationships and Networks,” by Dr. Mahnaz Charania and Julia Freeland Fisher Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
CARE International
Critical Mentoring: A Practical Guide, by Torie Weiston-Serdan
The Power of Place: Authentic Learning Through Place-Based Education, by Tom Vander Ark, Emily Liebtag, and Nate McClennen
Trovvit
Big Picture Learning
ASU Local
xSEL Labs
Micro-Collegiate Academy | TEL Education
Greenlight Credentials
Climb Hire
CareerVillage
Nepris
Getting Smart Podcast Ep. 165: “Why Youth Need Social Capital and How Schools Can Help” (A 2018 interview with Julia Freeland Fisher)
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Today’s episode is featuring an interview with Dr. Helene Gayle.
Dr. Gayle is the CEO of the Chicago Community Trust; one of the nation’s leading community foundations. The trust works with donors, non-profits, community leaders, and residents to lead and inspire philanthropic efforts that improve the quality of life for the residents of the Chicago region. For 30 years, Dr. Gayle was one of the world’s leading experts on infectious diseases, leading global efforts at the CDC, the Gates Foundation, and CARE International.
Dr. Gayle’s global-to-local story gives her a unique perspective on issues of race and class and sets the stage for the trust attack on the racial and ethnic wealth gap. In this episode, she speaks about her role as CEO of CCT and the work they are doing around closing the racial and ethnic gap in Chicago and America; her ideas on what would help improve the quality of (and access to) education in Chicago; and her thoughts and predictions around the impact COVID-19 will have long-term.
Key Takeaways:
[:10] About today’s episode with Dr. Helene Gayle
[:59] Tom welcomes Dr. Helene Gayle to the podcast!
[1:57] Dr. Gayle speaks about her career journey and why she decided to transition from pediatrics to public health.
[4:18] About Dr. Gayle’s incredible 30-year career in public health.
[8:37] Dr. Gayle’s thoughts and predictions on COVID-19.
[10:20] Dr. Gayle elaborates on how we’ve done as a country dealing with COVID-19.
[11:56] About three years ago, Dr. Gayle became the CEO of the Chicago Community Trust. She explains what it is and why the role interested her.
[16:28] How Dr. Gayle is taking on the equity and wealth gap in Chicago through the Chicago Community Trust.
[21:47] How COVID-19 has actually amplified Chicago Community Trust’s message and mission.
[23:08] The link to education in Chicago Community Trust’s plan and Dr. Gayle’s thoughts on what would help improve the quality of and access to education in Chicago.
[25:23] How Dr. Gayle’s experience and training in public health have shaped her approach in tackling the root cause.
[26:40] Dr. Gayle’s thoughts on the guidelines schools should follow in reopening.
[28:01] Dr. Gayle’s advice for investors and policymakers at the state and local level.
[30:23] Tom thanks Dr. Gayle for her 30-year contribution to public health, for transforming opportunity in Chicago, and for joining the podcast!
Mentioned in This Episode:
Dr. Helene Gayle
Chicago Community Trust
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
CARE International
Getting Smart Podcast Ep. 253: “Lia McIntosh on Community Development”
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In today’s episode, Tom Vander Ark is joined by Gary Funk and Haley Richardson for a discussion on rural schools and rural teachers!
Gary Funk has spent 30 years serving and advocating for America’s rural schools. For the last four years, he has served as the Director of the Rural Schools Collaborative. Currently, he’s running a campaign called “I Am a Rural Teacher,” which is a national advocacy campaign that gives voice to rural teachers.
Recently, Gary and the “I Am a Rural Teacher” campaign recently highlighted the rural school teacher, Haley Richardson, who teaches second grade at University Charter School (UCS) in Livingston, Alabama.
In their conversation, Gary and Haley talk with Tom about the work they are doing to encourage teachers to embrace the power of place to help young people appreciate where they’re from and the opportunities that exist there.
Key Takeaways:
[:10] About today’s episode with Gary Funk and Haley Richardson.
[:50] Tom welcomes Gary Funk and Haley Richardson to the podcast!
[1:01] Haley speaks about her upbringing, family, and early education.
[2:20] Why Haley and her brother both decided to pursue a career in education.
[3:36] Gary shares about his upbringing, family, and early education.
[5:15] What attracts Haley to teaching in rural communities.
[6:55] Why rural schools are so important and, in particular, why it has become a focal point in Gary’s career.
[9:00] Why schools are integral to the life and community of a rural area.
[9:45] Why a community loses a lot when they lose a school and the negative impact of the consolidation of schools.
[11:05] The surge of micro-schools during the pandemic and how they’re helping re-conceptualize what schools are.
[12:48] At the University Charter School (UCS), Haley had the chance to be a part of the founding faculty. She shares about her experiences there as well as the origin of the school.
[14:04] How they’re expanding UCS going forward.
[14:22] Is UCS on the campus of the University of West Alabama (UWS)?
[14:38] Do they offer student teaching opportunities at UWS?
[15:15] About the Black Belt Teacher Corps program at UWS.
[16:30] About the Rural Schools Collaborative that Gary runs.
[18:45] Why a sense of place is so important to cultivate — especially in a rural school.
[21:34] Gary shares his take on why place is so critical for rural schools as well as how they can better embrace where they’re from to deepen their roots and their connection to the towns that support them.
[26:20] Further discussing place-based education and Haley’s relationship with the Place Network Schools.
[28:51] Some of the challenges with teaching in a rural area.
[31:50] Haley shares some words of encouragement for those considering becoming a rural teacher.
[33:00] What Rural Schools Collaborative is trying to accomplish with the “I Am a Rural Teacher” campaign.
[34:53] Tom thanks Gary and Haley for joining the podcast!
Mentioned in This Episode:
Rural Schools Collaborative
I Am a Rural Teacher Campaign
Haley Richardson’s Rural Teacher Feature on I Am a Rural Teacher
University Charter School (UCS)
“The Hobbit Effect: Why Small Works in Public Schools,” by Lorna Jimerson
Teton Science Schools
Place Network Schools
The Power of Place: Authentic Learning Through Place-Based Education, by Tom Vander Ark, Emily Liebtag, and Nate McClennen
I Am a Rural Teacher: Haley Richardson of Alabama (Video)
National Rural Education Association
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Today, the Getting Smart team is bringing you an episode on leading in a culture of change with Michael Fullan.
Michael has been the world’s most persistent and persuasive advocate for powerful learning experiences. He is encouraged by the global momentum he sees with whole systems adopting deep learning strategies and policies.
Twenty years after his best-selling book, Leading in a Culture of Change, Jossey-Bass released the second edition — certainly a timely resource!
In this episode, Tom and Michael discuss the new edition of Leading in a Culture of Change and all that has been updated within its pages. With more than 50% of the words being completely new in the book, it is an incredibly important resource not to miss out on (even if you have read the first edition)! Michael gives listeners a preview of what he covers in this book as well as his views on what is currently happening in the world and how it is impacting the movement to deeper learning.
Key Takeaways:
[:10] About today’s episode with Michael Fullan.
[:41] Tom welcomes Michael back to the podcast!
[:49] When was the first edition of Leading in a Culture of Change released?
[1:08] How much did Michael rewrite in this second edition?
[2:28] What is a ‘culture of change’? And what does it have to do with education leadership?
[5:55] Why you need to read the second edition of Leading in a Culture of Change (even if you’ve already read the first edition).
[6:51] Key differences between the first and second edition of the book.
[9:20] What being a lead learner means.
[10:22] The importance of the phrase, “I don’t know,” in unlocking deeper learning.
[11:58] The five components of change leadership. Michael explains the first one, moral purpose.
[12:48] Why it is more important to focus on impact than moral purpose.
[13:30] Discussing the notion of unintended consequences and how they can come about.
[14:32] The second of the five components of change leadership: understanding change. Michael also shares what he means by nuance when it comes to leaders that succeed vs. those that fail.
[16:43] Change is complicated and requires us to study the nuances of change and to be prepared for things to occur differently than we had anticipated. Michael unpacks this idea and shares potential mistakes that can be made during change.
[20:20] The third of the five components of change leadership: building relationships.
[24:22] Reimagining education in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
[27:22] The fourth component of change leadership: creating and sharing knowledge.
[32:23] The last of the five components of change leadership: creating coherence.
[34:13] Is it easier to create coherence in a new school than an old school? How does Michael engineer coherence in an incoherent system that has layers of inherited policy, structure, and systems?
[37:27] Is Michael still optimistic about more deep learning globally?
[38:48] Tom thanks Michael for joining the podcast!
Mentioned in This Episode:
Leading in a Culture of Change, by Michael Fullan — Grab yourself a copy here!
Nuance: Why Some Leaders Succeed and Others Fail, by Michael Fullan
Mary Parker Follett
“Reimagining Education: From Remote to Hybrid Learning,” by Michael Fullan and Joanne Quinn in collaboration with Microsoft
American Journal of Education (AJE)
In Search of Deeper Learning: The Quest to Remake the American High School, by Jal Mehta and Sarah Fine
Difference Making at the Heart of Learning: Students, Schools, and Communities Alive With Possibility, by Tom Vander Ark and Emily Liebtag
Coherence: The Right Drivers in Action for Schools, Districts, and Systems, by Michael Fullan and Joanne Quinn
The Devil Is in the Details: System Solutions for Equity, Excellence, and Student Well-Being, by Michael Fullan and Mary Jean Gallagher
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, by Thomas S. Kuhn
Get Involved:
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Today on the podcast, Tom Vander Ark is joined by Ron Berger.
Ron has been teaching for 40 years and is currently the Chief Academic Officer at EL Education. He’s also the author of some popular books you may have heard of! One of which, Leaders of Their Own Learning: Transforming Schools Through Student-Engaged Assessment, is one of Getting Smart’s favorites.
Last year, Ron joined the Getting Smart podcast to discuss a companion piece to Leaders of Their Own Learning. (If you missed it, be sure to check out episode 222, linked below!)
In this episode, Ron is joining the podcast once again to discuss his newest book, We Are Crew: A Teamwork Approach to School Culture, that he wrote in collaboration with Anne Vilen and Libby Woodfin. At EL Education, ‘crew’ is the culture and the advisory structure. We Are Crew details secrets to create secondary schools that promote academics and character development.
Listen in to hear about how crew as a culture and structure is transforming schools!
Key Takeaways:
[:10] About today’s episode with Ron Berger.
[1:00] Tom welcomes Ron back to the podcast.
[1:07] Ron speaks about the impact his previously published book, Leaders of Their Own Learning, has had on schools, educators, and students.
[2:17] How the timing of Ron’s new book, We Are Crew, came out at an opportune time with the current global pandemic.
[3:42] What is ‘crew’ as culture? How is it different from traditional public schools?
[8:41] What is the structure of crew?
[9:43] How the crew model varies between elementary and secondary schools.
[11:20] The role that crew fulfills in a high school.
[13:29] About crew’s post-secondary planning and goal-setting.
[14:42] Why is it hard for homeroom advisories in high school to be done well? And how can they be improved?
[17:38] What makes crew particularly successful?
[19:45] Chapters 4-7 in We Are Crew cover the specific jobs that crew does for EL Schools. In Chapter 4, the book details how to help young people become effective learners. Ron further elaborates on this and details how crew helps them understand themselves as a learner.
[22:15] Chapter 5 in We Are Crew is about becoming ethical people. Ron shares how crew aids in that.
[24:55] Chapter 6 is on contributions. Ron elaborates on how crew helps young people understand contributions and begin to make their own, unique contributions.
[26:51] Chapter 7 talks about post-secondary. Ron adds his thoughts on how educators can help young people imagine possible futures.
[30:04] Tom and Ron reflect on the timeliness of We Are Crew.
[31:13] Where to find Ron and access free EL Education resources online.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Ron Berger
EL Education
Leaders of Their Own Learning: Transforming Schools Through Student-Engaged Assessment, by Ron Berger, Leah Rugen, Libby Woodfin, and EL Education
Getting Smart Podcast Ep. 222: “Ron Berger on Helping Students Become Leaders of Their Own Learning”
We Are Crew: A Teamwork Approach to School Culture, by Ron Berger, Anne Vilen, and Libby Woodfin
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