Teaching Learning Leading K-12

Dr. Marnie Ginsberg: Reading Simplified. This is episode 532 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast.  Dr. Marnie Ginsberg is the founder of Reading Simplified, whose mission is to support busy, overwhelmed teachers learn a research-based system of effective and efficient instruction that accelerates all students’ reading achievement. Marnie’s surprise at finding so many of the middle school students in her classroom reading well below their grade, spurred a passion for finding and disseminating solutions. What followed included private tutoring, university research, the creation of an evidence-based reading program, and ultimately the development of Reading Simplified. Lots to learn and think about. Thanks for listening! Before you go... Could you do me a favor? Please go to my website at https://www.stevenmiletto.com/reviews/ or open the podcast app that you are listening to me on and would you rate and review the podcast? That would be Awesome. Thanks! Hey, I've got another favor...could you s

Michael Lehan: Athletics, Scholarship, and the IMG Academy. This is episode 531 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. Michael Lehan is the current Head of School at IMG Academy. He competed for six years in the NFL with the Miami Dolphins and Cleveland Browns before getting tapped to become a dean of students and assistant principal for the Osseo Area Schools, and then principal of Osseo Senior High School, which he guided to its first ranking as one of “The Best High Schools” in the nation by US News and World Report, an honor the school held for three straight years. During his tenure as principal, he was named 2019 “Hennepin Division Principal of Year” and 2020 “Principal of the Year” by the Minnesota Association of Secondary School Principals. In February 2022, he was named IMG Academy’s head of school, where he oversees, organizes and grows the world-renowned school’s academic programs while assisting with various aspects of its athletic program. Prior to joining IMG academy, Lehan was pr

Dr. Amoneeta talks with me about his book Teaching Mindfulness: A Guidebook for Teachers, Parents, Counselors, and Caregivers. This is episode 530 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. Dr. Amoneeta is currently a psychology professor at Fort Lewis College in Durango, CO, and adjunct faculty and clinical supervisor in the counseling psychology program at Assumption University in Thailand.  Jana York, MS, a children’s mindfulness educator, is the author of U is for Understanding: Claire’s Journey Toward Mindfulness. She is a resident of Utah. Today, we are focused on their book - Teaching Mindfulness: A guidebook for Teachers, Parents, Counselors, and Caregivers. Thanks for listening! Before you go... Could you do me a favor? Please go to my website at https://www.stevenmiletto.com/reviews/ or open the podcast app that you are listening to me on and would you rate and review the podcast? That would be Awesome. Thanks! Hey, I've got another favor...could you share the podcast with one of your fri

Sarah Wirth: Talks about the Ecsell Institute, her book The Coaching Effect, and the Impact of Coaching on Leadership. This is episode 529 of Teaching Learning Leading K12. Sarah Wirth is the President of EcSell Institute, the world’s first and only organization to measure and quantify leadership effectiveness. She is considered one of the world’s foremost authorities in metric-based performance coaching and growth. Her book, The Coaching Effect, coauthored by EcSell Institute CEO Bill Eckstrom, helps leaders at all levels understand the necessity of challenging people out of their comfort zone to create high-growth organizations. So much to learn! Some extra information before you go... The new intro and outro music was written and performed by Brian K. Buffington. Connect with Brian at briankbuffington@gmail.com or go to his website at  https://briankbuffington.com/ He is an awesome musician, comedic power, teacher, trainer, technology guru, and overall creator of all that is cool. Thanks, Brian! Oh, yea

  Dr. Judith Peck talks about art, the world of art, and her novel: Naked Under the Lights. This is episode 528 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. Dr. Judith Peck is Professor Emerita of Art, Ramapo College of New Jersey. She is author of several fiction and non-fiction works and a sculptor with work in eighty collections, including the Yale Gallery of Art, the Ghetto Fighters Museum in Israel, libraries, universities, and cultural and religious institutions here and abroad.  Dr. Peck holds a doctoral degree from New York University and two master's degrees from Columbia University. She is recipient of the 2020 Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award and has completed the first draft of a 4th novel about an art therapist who helps solve a school shooting.  Judith grew up in Baltimore Maryland. She has four grown children and twelve grandchildren and resides in Mahwah, New Jersey.  Images and videos of her sculpture can be viewed at www.jpecksculpture.com.  Descriptions of her books

Francisco Cervantes: Director of Creative Learning of the Scratch Foundation. This is episode 527 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. Francisco has extensive experience researching, designing, and implementing educational resources in K–12 computer science. Before joining the Scratch Foundation, Francisco served as the Director of HS/MS Computer Science Academics for NYC Department of Education’s CSforAll Team and earlier as a researcher with EDC's Center for Children and Technology.   Francisco worked closely with ScratchEd’s Creative Computing Curriculum Guide while in these roles where he investigated how teachers designed learning experiences in computing education. He later worked with rural and tribal schools in Minnesota to build K-12 CS programs that support underrepresented students in computing. Francisco is a California native and holds an M.A. in Educational Leadership, Politics, and Advocacy from New York University and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Cal

Dr. Quintin Shepherd: The Secret to Transformational Leadership. This is episode 526 of Teaching Learning Leading K12. Dr. Quintin Shepherd, a true visionary for the future of education, is the Superintendent at Victoria Independent School District in Victoria, Texas. Sarah Williamson of SWPR Group works with leaders in education to create thoughtful public relations programs that promote growth, build momentum, and enhance learners’ academic success and overall well-being.  Today, we are focused on their book - The Secret to Transformational Leadership Even with the deluge of leadership books on the market, a superintendent of a large school district and his colleague, the head of a prominent PR firm, still struggled to find a book that spoke to them about what they needed to become really successful leaders. So they wrote one themselves. Dr. Quintin Shepherd and co-writer Sarah Williamson use their combined decades of experience in the education and corporate spheres to create a unique model for leadershi

Jeff Ikler & Steven Miletto Discuss Knowing Your Purpose and Doing One More. This is episode 525 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. Jeff Ikler is Director of Quetico Career and Leadership Coaching, a firm dedicated to helping individuals overcome career issues, and leaders develop sustained changes in their leadership practices and organizations. He received his certificate in coaching from the Coach Training Institute, a firm recognized as one of the leading coach-training organizations in the world. His approach blends data-driven coaching, and consulting informed by working for more than 35 years in the corporate world. Jeff holds a Master’s in the Teaching of History along with a Bachelor’s in History from the University of Illinois. He taught high school history in Maywood and Batavia, Illinois, for seven years. He is a certified innovation facilitator using the SIT (Systematic Inventive Thinking) process. Additionally, Jeff is a former Executive Vice President at Pearson Learning

Laurel Schmidt talks about her book Gardening in the Minefield: A Survival Guide for School Administrators. This is episode 524 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. Laurel Schmidt is a lifelong educator (teacher, principal, district director), art lover, and writer. She's the author of a critically-acclaimed novel, How to Be Dead – A Love Story, and four non-fiction books on art, learning, and brain development. Today we will be focused on her book for school administrators - Gardening in the Minefield: A Survival Guide for School Administrators. She's a nationally recognized expert who has helped thousands of docents and museum educators master the art of leading dynamic inquiry-based conversations that have museum visitors and students longing for more.  Laurel also works with the education departments of numerous museums in Los Angeles and New York. She is a consultant to The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), and co-author of Contemporary Art Start: A Curriculum Guide to Contemporary Art

Carol Anderheggen talks about her books - Writing Down Cancer & Born-Child. This is episode 523 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast.  Carol Anderheggen has been a published poet and writer since the 1980s and is an active disaster relief volunteer with the American Red Cross. She has confronted many challenges in her life. Taken out of her home early in her life, removed from a mom with mental health issues, she floundered in foster care and then was adopted by a Navy couple. Her second mother became an alcoholic. Later in life she became a survivor of breast cancer. Both her childhood of trauma and her adult health scare are the subject of her books. Her first chapter book, Writing Down Cancer, was published by Finishing Line Press. She followed that up with the publishing of Born-Child. She has been published in regional journals such as Anemone, The Great Swamp Gazette, Newport Life, and Northeast Journal and served on the staff of The Frost Festival of Poetry, Franconia, NH for seven

Meg Flanagan - Helping Parents - Military & Civilian - Navigate Public School Requirements like 504 Plans, IEPs, and More. This is episode 522 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. Meg Flanagan is an educator who is passionate about helping families find peaceful, practical solutions to school problems. After serving as a tutor, she noticed that many families were unsure about who to ask or what to do when it came to getting their child the best help at school. This is a concern that is universal! As a Mom, she knows just how hard it is to remain clear-headed in the face of a crisis that could impact her kids. She loves serving as a voice of reason and a moderator when parents are overwhelmed and struggling to figure out the best things to help their child learn and grow. She is ready to use her decade of experience as a teacher and mom to help your family find sanity and solutions to stressful school problems! Lots to learn! Some extra information before you go... The new intro and outro

Miriam Plotinsky - Teach More, Hover Less: How to Stop Micromanaging Your Secondary Classroom. This is episode 521 of Teaching Learning Leading K-12, an audio podcast. Miriam Plotinsky is an instructional specialist with Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland, and the author of Teach More, Hover Less: How to Stop Micromanaging Your Secondary Classroom and the upcoming Lead Like a Teacher: How to Elevate Expertise in Your School.  Miriam is a National Board Certified Teacher and certified administrator, she lives in Silver Spring, Maryland and can be reached via her website or on Twitter: @MirPloMCPS. Today, we are focused on her book, Teach More Hover Less: How to Stop Micromanaging Your Secondary  Classroom.  Some extra information before you go... The new intro and outro music was written and performed by Brian K. Buffington. Connect with Brian at briankbuffington@gmail.com or go to his website at  https://briankbuffington.com/ He is an awesome musician, comedic power, teacher, trainer, technology g

Sheila Akbar - President & COO of Signet Education - Getting Into College. This is episode 520 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. Sheila Akbar joined the Signet team in the summer of 2010, bringing with her a wealth of experience teaching SAT, ACT, GRE, literature, and composition in both one-on-one and classroom settings. Sheila loves both teaching and learning, and finds nothing more rewarding than working closely with students to overcome the challenges they face. After graduating from Harvard in 2002, Sheila spent two years working in financial services before continuing her academic career, which culminated into two doctorates. She brings her significant business and academic experience to bear on her current role at Signet. Her skills include speaking to every client to craft a tailored solution for their needs, managing the administrative team, and providing educational thought leadership for the company. Sheila holds a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from Harvard Universit

Harvey "The College" Wizard - Helping Students Stand Out from the Crowd and Get Accepted Into the College They Desire. This is episode 519 of the audio podcast - Teaching Learning Leading K12. The story of how Harvey Wizard became an internet multimillionaire in the early days of affiliate marketing is told in the New York Time Bestseller, “Get Rich Click.”  Harvey is a successful serial entrepreneur, the world’s winningest college admissions coach, an international bestselling author, award winning photographer, published songwriter and globetrotting standup comedian.  And today, Harvey will tell us not only how to get accepted to schools like Harvard and Stanford (without unethical shenanigans), but also how the same approach can enable anyone to win at even life’s most competitive games. Awesome conversation! You will know that you can achieve more after listening to Harvey! Lots to learn! But wait... The new intro and outro music was written and performed by Brian K. Buffington. Connect with Brian at bri

Omar Reda, MD talks with me about his book The Wounded Healer: The Pain and Joy of Caregiving. This is episode 518 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. With us today is Dr. Omar Reda, world-renowned, Harvard-trained trauma expert, the author of several books, including his most recent book, “The Wounded Healer: The Pain and Joy of Caregiving”, and the founder of Untangled, a healing initiative that aims to break the cycles of trauma-related dysfunction through connection, support, education, empowerment, and the mastery of healthy coping skills. Today, we are focused on his book - The Wounded Healer: The Pain and Joy of Caregiving.  Lots to learn! But wait... The new intro and outro music was written and performed by Brian K. Buffington. Connect with Brian at briankbuffington@gmail.com or go to his website at  https://briankbuffington.com/ He is an awesome musician, comedic power, teacher, trainer, technology guru, and overall creator of all that is cool. Thanks, Brian! Oh, yeah... Could you

  Tim Moss & Bill Wall talk with me about their book - Complexities and Challenges: Clinical Perspectives in Combat Veteran Treatment and the Unique Needs of Military & Veteran Families. This is episode 517 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. Lt Col (retired) William Wall is a combat veteran and CEO for The Center for Life Stress and Psychotherapy. He is a 30-year veteran of the Air Force and Army and an internationally recognized leader in the field of disaster and military-related clinical traumatology. During his Air Force career, he served as the mental health deputy flight commander at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and the chief of behavioral health for Air Force Materiel Command. He was deployed in 2004-2005 as a combat stress team commander for Operation Iraqi Freedom and learned firsthand the dynamics of combat stress and its relation to PTSD. He served as social work ambulatory programs coordinator and manager for the Freedom Center, Dayton VA’s Operation Enduring Freedom

Lesley Koplow - Popcorn Comes to School: The Story of a Kitten in Kindergarten. This is episode 516 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. Lesley Koplow is a clinical social worker, teacher and author who lives in New York City. She is the Director of Emotionally Responsive Practice at Bank Street College, founder of Networks for Schools That Heal and a psychotherapist in private practice.  Lesley is the author of several books including; Where Rag Dolls Hide Their Faces, The Way Home, Unsmiling Faces: How Preschools Can Heal, Creating Schools That Heal, Bears, Bears Everywhere: Supporting Children's Emotional Health in the Classroom, Tanya and the Tobo Man, Politics Aside; Our Children and Their Teachers in Score-Driven Times, and Emotionally Responsive Practice: A Path for Schools That Heal.  Lesley is also the author of a children’s series A Story for Children in the Time of COVID…Lilah in the Land of the Littles , Jasmine’s Big Idea, and Wilson’s Wishes… and now Popcorn Comes to School: The

Eileen J. Donovan: A Lady Newspaperman's Dilemma. This is episode 515 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. Today I am talking with Eileen J. Donovan. Although born in New York City, where she spent most of her life, she has lived in six states and has visited most of the others. She earned her MA in English at Northern Arizona University. In one way or another, she has been writing her entire life, whether it was imaginative stories for her friends, or advertising copy for industrial clients. She never felt her stories were “good enough” to be published. At the persistent urging of her late husband, she finally agreed to seriously edit and revise one of them and take the plunge. Although accepted for publication, the book never made it all the way to print. However, she had the courage to pursue her dream of becoming a published author. Years later, her persistence paid off. Her traditionally published debut historical novel, Promises, won the 2019 Marie M Irvine Award for Literary Excellence

Richard Owens & Anthony Cook: How can we make the college prep process more equitable? This is episode 514 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. Today I’m talking with Anthony Cook and Richard Owens: Anthony is currently the Coordinator of College and Career Counseling at Osceola County School District in Kissimmee Florida. The National College Attainment Network (NCAN) recently named Cook one of 15 College and Career Readiness Fellows across the United States and the sole Fellow from Florida. Cook earned a Master of Science (M.S.) focused in Marriage and Family Therapy/Counseling from Stetson University. Richard Owens, The Managing Director of Programs at Tarrant To & Through Partnership (T3 Partnership), began his career in the classroom teaching fifth-grade math and science, and later joined Teach for America in a variety of roles.  As a senior managing director for Teach for America he built a community of more than 600 equity-driven corps members and alumni. With a focus on the p

Vicki Cody talks about her books Army Wife: A Story of Love and Family in the Heart of the Army and Fly Safe: Letters From the Gulf War and Reflections from Back Home. This is episode 513 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast.  Vicki Cody grew up in Burlington, Vermont and graduated from the University of Vermont in 1975, with a BS degree in education. For the next 33 years she was an Army wife, supporting her husband in his career. While raising their two sons and moving all over the United States and overseas, she served as a coach and mentor for Army spouses and as an advocate for Army families. Vicki has received numerous awards for her work on behalf of military families. In 2007, she was written into the Congressional Record in a tribute to her by Congressman Sylvestre Reyes, for her writings about Army life and her contributions to the nation as an Army wife and Army mom. In 2021, Vicki, along with her husband Dick, received the General Creighton Abrams Medal for Service from the Associ