The What School Could Be Podcast

Listeners, I could not be more stoked to share that today my guest is Michael Nachbar, the Executive Director of the Global Online Academy, otherwise known as GOA, a pioneering network of more than schools and educators reimagining learning to empower students and educators to thrive in a globally networked society. Michael was appointed the executive director of GOA in 2011, its inaugural year. Since 2011 he has collaborated with global educational institutions to develop a network of over 100 schools in more than 40 countries, enhancing access to quality online education worldwide. GOA is an international consortium of public, independent, charter, and international member schools. Member school students have full access to GOA's online education course catalog. Member school teachers have the opportunity to design and teach student courses and have access to GOA's professional learning courses and programs.Prior to founding GOA, Michael served as Lakeside School’s middle school assistant director (Lakeside is an independent school located in Seattle, Washington), and worked in a variety of roles, including teacher, curriculum coordinator, and director of technology at the Village Community School in New York City. He holds a B.A. in both English and Psychology from Indiana University, and earned an M.A. in Education Leadership through the Klingenstein Center at Columbia University’s Teachers College. Michael started his career in education as a Teach for America corps member, teaching high school English in Roma, Texas. Editing for this podcast is provided by the talented Evan Kurohara. Our theme music is provided by Michael Sloan. Please leave us a review and give us a rating at your favorite podcast app.

This is the 5th in a series of special episodes that come from the Game Changer and Big Think speaker series in the WhatSchoolCouldBe.org archives. Keep in mind the audio comes from Zoom calls and YouTube webinars, so expect a couple bumps and knocks along the way. On the other hand, the conversations you will hear are incredible for their depth and insight into what school could be, and what could be school. In this episode Dr. Sandra Chapman joins What School Could Be hosts Kapono Ciotti and Susannah Johnson for an inspiring conversation focused on helping educators of infants through adolescents apply an identity-conscious and developmentally appropriate approach to teaching and caring for children. Dr. Chapman will also share interventions with educators that can interrupt bias and contribute instead to identity-safe environments. Sandra "Chap" Chapman, EdD is the Founder of Chap Equity, an organization rooted in the belief that, through teamwork, we can learn more about ourselves and others; discuss and discover the foundational research needed to address the needs in a community; create conversations that support individuals where they are and confront barrier issues; and create actionable steps towards building stronger educational communities. Dr. Chap facilitates workshops on racial identity development, racial microaggressions, implicit bias, identity and racial anxiety, stereotype threat, and hiring in education and with teams in various types of organizations. Embedded within each concept are tools for helping individuals override unconscious phenomena linked to identity and better connect behavior with values. This episode was edited by Kim Dilts and Evan Kurohara. Theme music provided by Michael Sloan. To join the What School Could Be global online community go to Community.WhatSchoolCouldBe.org.

My guest for this 110th episode is Kentucky’s Dr. Carmen Coleman. Boy-oh-boy, did I look forward to this conversation, and enjoy prepping for it! Back in April of this year, 2023 I finally had the chance to meet Dr. Coleman in person at the Deeper Learning Conference, held at High Tech High. I felt like I had just met the Jane Goodall of student-driven learning. Dr. Coleman is Kentucky bluegrass through and through. Her first teaching job was at the elementary school her mom taught at, and she attended. Not only has she been a teacher, principal, college professor and superintendent in Kentucky, she was the Superintendent of the Danville Independent School District, the Chief Academic Officer for the Jefferson County Public Schools and is now the Chief of Transformational Learning and Leading for the Ohio Valley Education Cooperative. Professor John Nash at the University of Kentucky wrote the following wonderful words about Carmen, for this episode. "I often say that the only barrier preventing schools from reaching their full potential is the will of the adults leading them. It's not an overly complicated concept - you simply have to want to make a difference. Carmen Coleman is living proof of this principle. These last twelve years, I found not just a colleague, but someone who inspires me to continue to advocate for meaningful change in education. I’m certain I’m not the only one who feels this way. The entire state of Kentucky is fortunate to have Carmen's visionary leadership.” Editing for this podcast is provided by the talented Evan Kurohara. Our theme music is provided by Michael Sloan. Please leave us a review and give us a rating at your favorite podcast app.

Today my guest is Cerina Livaudais, a computer science coach, mentor and guide, and education leader at DreamHouse Academy Ewa Beach, on the West Side of the island of Oahu in Hawai'i. DreamHouse was founded by a team of individuals led by Alex Teece, a former guest on this show and a brilliantly innovative leader who worked relentlessly to get DreamHouse’s charter application passed. Alex recently handed over the reins at DreamHouse to Ryan Mandado, whose name will come up at the end of this conversation. Michael Sarmiento, Purple Maiʻa Education Director said the following about Cerina: “She has reminded me that teaching is about connection. Connection to your students, connection to your content, connection to your culture, connection to you colleagues, connection to your community, and most importantly connection to a purpose that is bigger than yourself. Cerina gathers all of these connections and creates a magical learning space where her students are brave enough to do challenging things because they know they are valued and loved.” Editing for this podcast is provided by the talented Evan Kurohara. Our theme music is provided by Michael Sloan.

Fasten your seatbelts, listeners. Jeff Hotle is an innovative, creative educator with 45 years of experience as a teacher, principal, technology director, school director and designer of pioneering learning models. Originally from the United States, Jeff has been living in Qatar, China, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cambodia and New Zealand working in the field of education since 2006. He has been with Liger Leadership Academy as its Director of Learning since 2013 and is passionate about education and the promise it provides to the learner, the community and the world. (He retired in early 2023.) His goal is to ignite curiosity, inspire a love of learning, and motivate children to fulfill their potential through project-oriented and opportunity-based experiences. Our episodes are edited by the talented Evan Kurohara. Music is provided by my friend and master pianist, Michael Sloan. If you love this episodes please rate the show and give us a review wherever you get your podcasts. Huge thanks to Robert Landau and Lene Jensby Lange for helping coordinate my interview with Jeff.

This is the fourth in a series of special episodes that come from the Game Changer and Big Think speaker series in the What School Could Be archives. Educators worldwide are striving to connect their students to classrooms and experts in ways that humanize the world while preparing them to thrive in the 21st century. In this re-mixed, re-mastered Game Changer conversation, Jennifer D. Klein, author of The Global Education Guidebook, takes us through the steps and strategies needed to set up equitable global partnerships that benefit all learners, founded in the tenets of global citizenship and global competency. Hosted by What School Could Be’s Susannah Johnson, the Director of Global Curriculum and Coaching Development, and Kapono Ciotti, the Executive Director, this conversation ranges across a number of topics and themes, which will inspire you. A product of experiential project-based education herself, Jennifer D. Klein taught college and high school English and Spanish for nineteen years, including five years in Central America and eleven years in all-girls education. In 2010, Jennifer left teaching to begin Principled Learning Strategies, which provides professional development to support authentic student-driven global learning experiences in schools. She has a broad background in global education and partnership development, student-driven curricular strategies, inclusivity, and experiential, inquiry-driven learning. As a former head of school with extensive international experience, Jennifer facilitates dynamic, interactive workshops for teachers, leaders and students, working to amplify student voice, to provide the tools for high-quality project-based learning in all cultural and socio-economic contexts, and to shift school culture to support such practices. Jennifer is also committed to intersecting global project-based learning with culturally-responsive and anti-racist teaching practices, and her experience includes deep work with schools seeking to address equity, take on brave conversations, build healthier communities, and improve identity politics on campus. Jennifer’s first book, The Global Education Guidebook, was published in 2017, and her second book, The Landscape Model of Learning, co-authored with Kapono Ciotti, was released in July, 2022. 

This episode covers a wide range of issues in education, most notably design thinking and generative AI. John B. Nash is an associate professor in the Department of Educational Leadership Studies at the University of Kentucky. He teaches a range of courses on school technology leadership, design thinking and research methods. His current research agenda investigates how technology, innovation and policy interact and influence schools and educators in different contexts. John is also a director of the UCEA Center for Advanced Study of Leadership for Technology in Education (CASTLE) and the Laboratory on Design Thinking in Education (dLab). John is the former Associate Director for Evaluation at the Stanford Center for Innovations in Learning (SCIL), where he conducted applied research on improving program evaluation in grant-funded initiatives, and the former Associate Director of Assessment and Research at the Stanford Learning Laboratory, where he examined the effects of innovative technologies on learning. Our episodes are edited by the talented Evan Kurohara. Music is provided by my friend and master pianist, Michael Sloan.

Whole Child, Whole Life author, Stephanie Malia Krauss writes, “I am a mom [and now two-time author] with a background in education and social work. Through my experiences teaching and running a school, I know getting young people to succeed academically does not always mean they are healthy, happy, or ready for what comes next. This was true in my own life. As a high school dropout, I needed people and opportunities within and beyond school to help me live and learn. Today I work at the intersection of education, youth development, workforce development, and human services. My work and writing focuses on what young people need to build lives and futures they love. I am fortunate to work with brilliant leaders across the US to advocate for and build systems, structures, policies, and practices to make that possible.” Editing for this episode is provided by the talented Evan Kurohara. Our theme music comes from the vast catalogue of music by master pianist, Michael Sloan. Please support this show by giving us a rating and writing a review wherever you get your podcasts!

Humans have always been creative hustlers—problem solvers who seek to live beyond the limits suggested by society. Yet we live in a world where the place you were born, the amount of money you have, and the level of melanin in your skin indicate a precise path you are expected to follow. Too many of us silence our creativity and let our hustle calcify as we settle for the roles assigned to us. In this special episode, moderated by What School Could Be's Susannah Johnson and Kapono Ciotti, you will hear Olatunde Sobomehin and Sam Seidel, co-teachers of the Creative Hustle course at Stanford University, help you identify and navigate your own creative path that leads from your gifts—your unique combination of skills—to your goals, where you make a living doing things that matter. Sam Seidel is the K12 Lab Director of Strategy and Research at the Stanford d.school, and co-author of four books, including Creative Hustle, Changing the Conversation About School Safety, Hip Hop Genius 2.0, and Hip Hop Genius: Remixing High School Education. Olatunde Sobomehin is the CEO and co-founder of StreetCode Academy, a Silicon Valley-based non-profit that offers free tech classes to communities of color. Olatunde is a proud graduate of Stanford where he majored in Urban Studies, led a public speaking class in the Engineering department, and played on the top 25 Men's Basketball Team, where he was also voted Most Inspirational Player in 2003. 

Today my guest is Julia Fliss. Julia is an educator, activist, world changer, lifelong learner, creative, and yogi who lives and teaches middle level learners at a school in the mountains of Evergreen, Colorado. She has made it her life’s mission to advocate for student voice, agency, and the power of transformative pedagogy and global collaboration within our current education system. Julia and I share a common superhero named Zoe Weil, the founder of the Institute for Humane Education and the author of The World Becomes What We Teach. Zoe, for this episode writes, "Julia Fliss is the kind of teacher most of us wish we had had, even just once in all the years we were in school. A teacher who believed in us so deeply that we discovered who we could be through her reflected eyes and constant encouragement. A teacher who wanted to know us so that we could better know ourselves and pursue our passions. A teacher who created a class culture so bustling with enthusiasm, kindness, and cooperation that we could truly thrive. A teacher who made learning come alive and inspired us to make a difference in the world. A teacher who helped us to think deeply as well as to act ethically. A teacher so positive and loving that we had a role model for life." Editing for this episode is provided by the talented Evan Kurohara. Our theme music comes from the vast catalogue of music by master pianist, Michael Sloan. Please support this show by giving us a rating and writing a review wherever you get your podcasts! To contact me with questions or comments navigate to the contact page for this show.