Getting Smart Podcast

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   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 we’re talking with John Winsor on the open talent economy. John Winsor built a big publishing business around sports and fitness. He saw the business changing and started crowdsourcing articles from athletes. That got him interested in open talent — otherwise known as ‘work outside of full-time employment,’ which includes the freelance and the gig economy. Three years ago, John joined the faculty at Harvard Business School as a visiting executive and founded Open Assembly, an organization that hosts conversations about the future of work. In this conversation with Tom, John describes the shift to open talent. Corporations are interested in this shift because of the potential to get work done faster, better, and cheaper. Individuals like the flexibility and variety. Tom and John also talk about the new social contract that would be needed to support open talent markets.   Key Takeaways: [:10] About today’s episode with John Winsor. [1:05] Tom welcomes John to the podcast. [1:11] John shares how and why he went to Colorado College. [2:28] Is Colorado College still a ‘big block’ school? How did the way that the college was organized aid John in his learning? [3:44] John reflects on receiving his MBA in Marketing at the University of Denver. Tom and John also discuss how both CC and UoD have evolved over time. [7:07] How John got into the publishing business. [9:48] About John’s interest in racing and cycling. [12:33] How and where John became interested in the idea of open talent and the future of work. [15:38] John defines what open talent is. [16:52] Should everyone be in the ‘open talent’ space? Or is it something that complements full-time employment? What does John see, five to 10 years from now, for the open talent space? [19:15] How it could be possible to create an open talent economy that is equitable for everyone. [25:00] Ways to help the open talent economy scale in an equitable way. [27:17] Advertising opportunities available through Getting Smart. [27:47] Three years ago, John founded Open Assembly, an organization that produces content around open talent and more. John shares what they have accomplished so far with Open Assembly and what they’re trying to accomplish, going forward. [31:12] What high school education for a market of open talent should look like. [33:46] Does John agree with Ryan Craig’s advice around giving a “hard sprint to a good first job”? [37:55] Will an open talent economy lead to the widening income and wealth gap? [40:30] How we can all play a part in creating the foundation for an open talent economy. [43:02] Tom thanks John for joining the podcast!   Mentioned in This Episode: John Winsor Harvard Business School Open Assembly Diffusion of Innovations, by Everett M. Rogers Spark: Be More Innovative Through Co-Creation, by John Winsor Flipped: How Bottom-Up Co-Creation is Replacing Top-Down Innovation, by John Winsor Crowdsourcing: Why the Power of the Crowd Is Driving the Future of Business, by Jeff Howe Info@GettingSmart.com — Email Jessica to learn more about sponsorships and advertising opportunities with Getting Smart! Toptal Getting Smart Ep. 264: “Ryan Craig on Putting America Back to Work” “1,000 True Fans,” by Kevin Kelly “One Thousand True Fans: All You Need to Know about Marketing in a Single Article,” by Jeroen Riemens   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!  

The Getting Smart team is excited to be bringing you a conversation with one of their favorite teacher bloggers, Rachelle Dene Poth! Rachelle is a French, Spanish, and technology teacher and an ed-tech consultant. She’s also an attorney with a Master’s Degree in Instructional Technology and leads the ISTE Teacher Education Network. In 2019, Rachelle received the ‘Making IT Happen Award’ at the annual ISTE Conference. Rachelle has published four books on education, with her most recent being Chart a New Course: A Guide to Teaching Essential Skills for Tomorrow’s World. In Rachelle’s and Tom’s conversation today, they discuss Rachelle’s newest book and talk about the future for teaching and learning. Key Takeaways: [:10] About today’s episode with Rachelle Dene Poth. [:52] Tom welcomes Rachelle to the podcast. [1:26] Going in the way-back machine, Rachelle shares why she studied French at Penn State. [3:33] When and why Rachelle began to study Spanish. [4:38] Having just wrapped up her 24th year at Riverview School District, Rachelle shares some of her thoughts around how quickly time flew by. [5:19] The origin story of how Rachelle became interested in ed-tech and why she became an ed-tech consultant. [7:09] How Rachelle thinks of her role as a teacher and how it has evolved over the course of her 24-year career. [9:15] Rachelle shares her go-to writing strategies and hacks. [11:24] What motivated Rachelle to publish a book of quotes (In Other Words: Quotes that Push our Thinking). [12:58] About Rachelle’s book, The Future is Now: Looking Back to Move Ahead, and her experience with writing three books at the same time. [14:07] What is ‘gladiating together’? [14:42] About Rachelle’s book, Unconventional: Ways to Thrive in EDU, and how it provides practical advice for getting started with unconventional learning experiences for all students. [15:53] Advertising and sponsorship opportunities available through Getting Smart. [16:24] About Rachelle and ISTE’s collaboration on Chart a New Course: A Guide to Teaching Essential Skills for Tomorrow’s World. [17:04] About ISTE’s tried and true process for peer-reviewing books. [18:22] A summarization of Rachelle’s advice from chapter 1 of Chart a New Course, “Connections and Presence: Navigating the Digital World”. [20:17] A look at Chapter 2: “Team Up: Relationship Building and Social-Emotional Learning.” [21:41] How Chapter 3, “Create and Connect: Fostering Communication Skills,” gave teachers and readers a broader view of new communication skills. [23:23] What Chapter 4, “Show What You Know: Bringing Stories to Life,” covers. [24:30] About the last chapter in the book, “Create Global Connections: Learning Together and Exploring the World.” [26:42] Ed-tech lightning round! Tom asks Rachelle: Will AR and VR ever live up to the hype as a learning medium in schools? Does Rachelle use Google Expeditions and other similar tools? What are her thoughts on AI and machine learning? Does she believe that machine learning will impact administrative applications? [29:30] The challenges that come with schools opening back up this fall. [29:54] Is coding more of a language or a job skill? [30:58] Are a lot of Rachelle’s students on TikTok? Is the world beginning to shift from print to video? [31:53] Some of Rachelle’s favorite apps that help create or leverage sustained learning relationships. [33:10] Rachelle shares words of encouragement for teachers who are undecided whether or not they want to return to the classroom this fall. [35:30] Tom thanks Rachelle for joining the podcast.   Mentioned in This Episode: Rachelle Dene Poth Rachelle Dene Poth’s LinkedIn Rachelle Dene Poth’s Twitter Posts by Rachelle Dene Poth on GettingSmart.com ISTE Teacher Education Network Chart a New Course: A Guide to Teaching Essential Skills for Tomorrow’s World, by Rachelle Dene Poth In Other Words: Quotes that Push our Thinking, by Rachelle Dene Poth The Future is Now: Looking Back to Move Ahead, by Rachelle Dene Porth EduGladiators Unconventional: Ways to Thrive in EDU, by Rachelle Dene Poth Info@GettingSmart.com — Email Jessica to learn more about sponsorships and advertising opportunities with Getting Smart! Google Expeditions Nearpod DreamBox i-Ready Achieve3000 Flipgrid   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!  

Conrad Wolfram, Director of global strategy for Wolfram Research, discusses the shift towards computational thinking in education. He emphasizes the importance of utilizing technology for problem-solving and decision-making in the AI era. Wolfram advocates for a curriculum focusing on computational thinking over traditional math skills, highlighting the need for integrating advanced topics like machine learning and algebraic reasoning. The podcast explores the impact of technology on computational capabilities and advocates for a revolution in math education to prepare students for the future.

In today’s interview, the Getting Smart team is talking to Ada Palmer, a history professor at the University of Chicago. As a historian, Ada studies the long-term evolution of ideas and the history of religious radicalism, science, and freethought, especially in the Italian Renaissance, Enlightenment, and Classical Greece and Rome. In addition to being a historian, Ada is also a composer and an award-winning science fiction author. In Tom and Ada’s conversation, they discuss how we can learn from the past and the future. Ada shares her insights on historical pandemics; how society has changed; how history may influence the future; how sci-fi can help society integrate new, ethical frameworks; and how investigating the past and the future can help us navigate the complex here and now.   Key Takeaways: [:10] About today’s episode. [:41] Tom welcomes Ada to the podcast! [:48] As a historian at Chicago, what does Ada believe that history can teach us about a world that’s currently going through a pandemic as well as the current BLM movement? [6:05] Donald Ferguson has said that historians study crisis. Does Ada think about studying history in this way? [8:21] Ada shares her thoughts on what the Golden Age really means and why it is so incredibly important to study. [12:19] Ada talks about her passion for space exploration, space launches, and the space program and what it all means to her. [13:19] How true social change actually happens (using examples through history). [24:15] About Getting Smart’s resource on equity work. [24:51] Ada shares about her role as a teacher and how she thinks about learning. In particular, she highlights her teachings about the Italian renaissance and why she has her college students reenact the fateful Conclave of 1492. [32:50] Why Ada writes science fiction, particularly ‘big ideas’ science fiction. [35:05] How science fiction can help us create new ethical frameworks and dynamic frameworks for changing the world. [38:10] Ada’s take on the rise of synthetic content such as deep fakes. [40:32] What an ideal high school curriculum looks like to Ada. [48:51] Tom thanks Ada for joining the podcast!   Mentioned in This Episode: Ada Palmer’s Blog GettingSmart.com/EquityWork 1492 Conclave Ada Palmer’s Books Who Owns the News?: A History of Copyright, by Will Slauter   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 bringing you a podcast with their friend, Michael Horn, a speaker and writer on the future of education. Michael has spent the last five years leading the higher education consulting practice at Entangled Group. One of their early investments was with Guild Education, a venture-backed startup leading the ‘education as a benefit’ movement. In May, Entangled was acquired by Guild Education and together, they have launched Next Chapter, a new kind of outplacement service to help laid-off workers access the training and job opportunities they really need. In this episode, Tom and Michael discuss Guild Education and Next Chapter. Michael shares his thoughts around how education and work are changing in light of the COVID-19 pandemic (and what they’re doing to help); his advice for high school and college students around entrepreneurship and building social capital; micro-credentialing and cooperative learning pathways; and how remote tech work may begin to change in America, especially with regards to rural states.   Key Takeaways: [:10] About today’s episode. [:45] Tom welcomes Michael Horn back to the podcast. [:57] Michael shares how he has explained what is currently happening in America to his children. [2:41] The 2020 postlude to Michael’s book, Choosing College, that was released in August 2019. Michael also shares the advice that he gives to high school juniors and seniors as they think about their current education pathway considering the COVID-19 pandemic. [7:02] About Michael’s last five years as the Chief Strategy Officer for Entangled Group and what the Entangled Group is all about. [8:17] What Guild Education (a firm Michael was an early investor in that has recently acquired Entangled Group) is all about. [11:00] About Rachel Romer Carlson (one of two founders of Guild Education), her family, and all of the incredible work that they do for education. [14:15] With Guild Education’s acquisition of Entangled Group, they launched Next Chapter. Michael describes what Next Chapter is all about. [16:51] Michael’s thoughts on Ryan Craig’s new venture, Achieve Partners, and how it is a different approach to similar problems that he is also working on. [20:20] Post-pandemic there will be more remote work in tech America. How might rural states help more people skill up to participate in the technology economy and maybe even do it from their hometowns? [23:55] Discussing the possibility of higher ed micro-schools or cooperative learning pathways. [27:23] Michael’s advice for high school and college students regarding entrepreneurship. He also shares his thoughts on how entrepreneurship should be a part of the curriculum and why entrepreneurial skills are incredibly valuable. [31:54] The invention challenges Michael believes we absolutely need to address within this decade. [36:01] Credentialing of learning: the upsides and downsides. [38:06] The importance of leaving high school with a network/set of connections that could provide both insight and opportunities. Michael also shares some policies and tools that could help build social capital for students in high school in more equitable ways. [41:48] About Michael’s podcast, Class Disrupted. [43:02] Where to find Michael online. [43:25] Tom thanks Michael for joining the Getting Smart Podcast!   Mentioned in This Episode: Michael Horn Entangled Group Guild Education Next Chapter | Guild Education Getting Smart Podcast Ep. 228: “Michael Horn on Choosing College” Choosing College: How to Make Better Learning Decisions Throughout Your Life, by Michael Horn and Bob Moesta Global Citizen Year “Global Citizen Year Launches Accessible Gap Year Alternative” Getting Smart Podcast Ep. 264: “Ryan Craig on Putting America Back to Work” Achieve Partners Teton Science Schools ASU Local Who You Know: Unlocking Innovations That Expand Students’ Networks, by Julia Freeland Fisher Class Disrupted Podcast by Michael Horn on The 74 Michael Horn’s Website Michael Horn’s Twitter @MichaelBHorn   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’s episode is featuring a recent interview Tom Vander Ark had with Brian Greenberg on creating great schools! Greenberg is an educator, investor, and entrepreneur at the intersection of technology, education, and philanthropy. He is also one of Getting Smart team’s favorite people right now in education!   After teaching high school English in L.A., Brian Greenberg was the founding Principal for Leadership Public Schools in the Bay Area. He coached principals for new leaders and served as Chief Academic Officer for Envision Schools. Eight years ago, with support from the Fischer family, Greenberg opened Silicon Schools; a non-profit that has funded the creation of fifty great new Bay Area schools that foster innovation and personalization in the neighborhoods that need them most.   With the closure of school buildings, Greenberg observed his schools moving slowly to remote learning. He attributes the smooth transition to well-developed academic programs and strong school cultures.   Tune in to learn more about Brian’s work in supporting great new schools as well as his insights about the important role that Silicon Schools play in advancing innovation and equity in education!   Key Takeaways: [:10] About today’s episode. [:56] Tom welcomes Brian to the podcast! [1:35] The best and hardest parts of teaching English in Los Angeles. [4:27] The biggest takeaway Brian learned as a teacher. [5:09] Brian’s experience as the founding Principal for Leadership Public Schools. [8:55] Key pieces to a successful principalship. [9:48] Lessons Brian learned from his experience with mentoring principals for new leaders. [12:48] What Brian learned from serving as Chief Academic Officer at Envision Schools. [16:07] How Silicon Schools was opened with the support from the Fischer family. [16:58] The importance of new school development and why it is high-return philanthropy. [20:33] The challenges with taking good schools to greatness and taking okay schools to good. [24:52] What the formula for success looks like for creating new schools. [29:51] Where you want to be on the spectrum of a proven model vs. an innovative model when it comes to creating a new school. [33:48] Key lessons Brian learned when their fifty schools closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [41:07] About Brian and Silicon School’s two guidebooks/playbooks; the content they covered and what they were made for. [42:02] The challenges educators face in planning for an uncertain August and September and how they can be solved. [45:38] Tom thanks Brian for all of the incredible work that he does and for joining the podcast!   Mentioned in This Episode: Brian Greenberg Silicon Schools Leadership Public Schools Envision Schools The Gates Foundation Teach Like a Champion: 49 Techniques that Put Students on the Path to College, by Doug Lemov Teach Like a Champion 2.0: 62 Techniques that Put Students on the Path to College, by Doug Lemov California Collaborative for Educational Excellence - The Playbooks Getting Smart Podcast Ep. 259: “Eric Tucker on Reopening Schools with Equity in Mind”   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 speaking with Hardeep Gulati, the CEO of PowerSchool. PowerSchool is a leading ed-tech platform, serving more than 32 million students, 65 million parents, and nearly 100 million users in 70 countries. The company empowers teachers and drives student growth through innovative digital classroom capabilities and real-time communication across any device. Hardeep grew up in Central India, earned a Master’s in Computer Science at IT, moved to the United States, and started a process automation business that was quickly acquired. He spent almost a decade leading product development at Oracle and is now leading the team at PowerSchool. Joining Hardeep in today’s episode is Marcy Daniel, the Chief Product Officer at PowerSchool. In their conversation, Marcy shares more about the platform’s functionalities, what it means to be a unified classroom, and how schools are finding the platform most useful. Listen in to hear how Hardeep and Marcy are helping to unify technology to help schools unlock a classroom's true potential and supporting school districts during the COVID-19 pandemic. Key Takeaways: [1:16] Tom Welcomes Hardeep and Marcy to the podcast! [1:31] Hardeep speaks about his education and career background. [2:31] Hardeep reflects on the startup he created shortly after college; how he came up with the idea and the problems that it solved. [4:05] Key takeaways from Hardeep’s 12-year career in product development at Oracle. [7:26] Hardeep shares the challenges of taking on the CEO role at Powerschool and how his corporate background aided in taking on these challenges. [12:13] The history of Powerschool. [12:39] When and why Marcy joined Powerschool. [13:02] Marcy’s role at Powerschool and the acquiring of Schoology. [13:32] The functionality of the Unified Classroom — the industry’s first solution to empowering teachers with personalized learning tools to improve education outcomes for every student. [14:51] Is Schoology the learning platform in Unified Classroom? [15:03] Marcy explains why the integration of HR with Unified Classroom is important. [17:10] The functionalities of micro-credentialing in Unified Classroom. [18:52] Is there a budget management module in the Unified system? [19:23] The five Es of effectiveness in driving better education outcomes. [21:42] Why all schools should adopt a learning management system in the next 60 days. [24:24] Marcy highlights some trends, key takeaways, and behavior changes from teachers and school leaders in their school districts. [26:27] Marcy and Hardeep’s take on what will be different next school year. [29:48] How the last two months have changed Powerschool’s product roadmap. [30:46] Does the insights platform include some formative assessments or is it a data integration platform? Mentioned in This Episode:PowerSchool Hardeep Gulati Marcy DanielSchoology PowerSchool Unified Classroom GettingSmart.com/GettingThrough 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!  

In today’s episode, Kelly Niccolls, Learning Design Manager from the Getting Smart team, is joined by Kristi Dominguez and Ellen Dorr for a follow-up podcast on leading school systems towards healing with love.   Building upon their first discussion in episode 252, Ellen and Kristi focus on the commitment of leadership practices and tending to the exhaustion of students, staff, and stakeholders. In addition to the uncertainty of the pandemic, Kristi and Ellen also talk about the current state of the nation and how they are taking action as leaders to ensure all students and their families know that they are seen, heard, and loved.   This episode dives into the depths of leading with love; that love is truth, love is commitment, love is being clear and direct, and that love is making tough decisions. This relentless love is what Kristi and Ellen lead with to ensure that all students are the center of decision-making and that they continue to work towards the future of school systems that will heal better. In their conversation, they talk through the leadership challenges of planning for the return to school this fall, in light of COVID-19 safety regulations, discuss the ways that they are learning, how they are leading practices towards anti-racist outcomes, and how they have been finding ways to nurture through such times of pain and peril.   Key Takeaways: [:10] About today’s episode. [2:22] Kelly Niccolls welcomes Kristi and Ellen to the podcast! [4:33] What preparing for the fall semester looks like from dealing with the unknowns to continuing to do the right things for kids and providing relevant, meaningful learning experiences that they’ll want to be engaged in. [9:57] How Kristi and Ellen are taking into consideration the current protests and BLM movement when thinking of their next moves as leaders of school systems. They share how they will be serving the students that are harmed in systemic oppression and racism through being intentional in their actions as leaders and tending to the hearts and souls of those who are hurting. [15:56] About the Getting Through microsite. [16:37] How Kristi and Ellen are identifying the key pillars that they need to lead through and be really diligent about, not making any negotiations to ensure that school systems do come back new and changed in ways that are necessary to uphold the liberties of all children, and to be exemplary of what high-quality teaching and learning really look like. [20:18] How Kristi and Ellen are able to hold the space to honor conflicting important suggestions by stakeholders, students, teachers, leadership teams, and the community while co-designing. [26:35] Bright points of their collaborative work, outcomes that they’re pleased with, and things that are on the horizon for teaching and learning. [29:29] How Kristi and Ellen are leading with love through the work that they’re doing; where they are seeing love, hope, and optimism; and how they are feeling and experiencing love throughout the community. [35:20] Kelly thanks Kristi and Ellen for joining the podcast and sharing their insights!   Mentioned in This Episode: Kelly Niccolls Ellen Dorr Renton School District Kristi Dominguez Bellingham Public Schools Getting Smart Podcast Ep. 252: “Kristi Dominguez & Ellen Dorr: Leading Central Systems Through COVID-19 with Optimism, Hope & Love”   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 bringing you an interesting episode on educating on climate change with Nichole Berg and Kimberly Howard.   Nichole Berg is the program’s manager for climate change and climate justice at Portland Public Schools where she leads efforts to support the school board’s groundbreaking climate literacy solution. Joining Berg in this interview is Kimberly Howard, the Program Officer at Portland General Electric, as well as the sponsor for the development of a climate change curriculum.   Together, Nichole, Kimberly, and Tom discuss the school board’s initiative to empower youth leaders and to create more opportunities around civic engagement — specifically around climate change, why Portland General Electric cares so passionately about climate change and why they ultimately decided to partner with Portland Public Schools, and how the curriculum at Portland Public Schools is being developed in partnership with PGE.   Listen in as they talk to Tom Vander Ark about educating for climate change!   Key Takeaways: [:10] About today’s episode! [:44] Tom welcomes Nichole and Kimberly to the podcast. [1:47] Nichole’s background as a bilingual educator and moving into a role about climate change and justice. [5:30] Background on the groundbreaking 2016 policy that addressed climate change: Portland Board of Education Resolution 5272. Where it came from, what it said, and why it was so groundbreaking. [7:38] In 2019, students rallied around the school board wanting to see systematic change from the policy. They wanted to be empowered as youth leaders and to help create more opportunities around civic engagement. The role Nichole currently holds was created to coordinate and facilitate this effort. [9:37] Why Portland General Electric passionately cares about climate change and why they ultimately decided to partner with Portland Public Schools. [13:06] As an experienced actor, how did Kimberly come to lead a corporate social responsibility initiative? [16:52] “The Way It Is,” by William Stafford; how it relates to both of Nichole’s and Kimberly’s backgrounds and how it has brought them together for this really exciting initiative. [18:37] Nichole addresses some of the skepticism and concerns from the public around having a public energy company sponsor their climate curriculum. She also shares how Kimberly’s and her partnership is very symbiotic, positive, and helpful for the students. [22:20] How the curriculum at Portland Public Schools is being developed. [24:29] How PGE employees will be involved with the Portland Public Schools’ initiative. [26:17] An example of how PGE partnered with a high school to develop a 50-year energy plan. [29:38] Kimberly describes what success looks like regarding the climate change curriculum. [33:05] Nichole shares what success looks like for her regarding the climate change curriculum. [33:57] Tom thanks Nichole and Kimberly for joining the podcast!   Mentioned in This Episode: GettingSmart.com/GettingThrough National Geographic Grosvenor Teacher Fellow Program Portland Board of Education Resolution 5272 Wheatridge Renewable Energy Facility “The Way It Is,” by William Stafford Early Morning: Remembering My Father, William Stafford, by Kim Stafford Energy Institute High School   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!