Getting Smart Podcast

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 PressTwitter: James BaileyTwitter: Randy WeinerDebbie Silver on Fall Down 7 Times Get Up 8Mark 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. 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!