Getting Smart Podcast

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. The Getting Smart team will be sure to add them to their list!

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" 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 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: 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 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" 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!