Education Excellence

New Education Excellence host Michael Levin-Epstein chats with LeeAnn Kittle, Executive Director of Sustainability for Denver Public Schools. Together, they discuss LeeAnn’s path to her current role, how she is driving innovation in sustainability at DPS, contributors—and barriers—to success in climate action in the district, how other districts can go about forging their own paths toward sustainability success, and much more.   Music by Ruwin from Pixabay

Kris chats with Justin Reilly, CEO of Impero Software, a company that that integrates data about what students are doing on various devices from a several perspectives: what students are actually learning; tools for teachers to monitor that learning; and tools to ensure device safety.  The software enables teachers to capture exactly what students are learning in real time as well as how much time students are taking on certain tasks and whether they are making expected progress or need additional help. The bottom line in the classroom is the creation of a powerful tool for teachers as well as student empowerment. Reilly discuss one of Impero’s products that is just being launched, free of charge, in the United States, called Impero back:drop. This tool is a cloud-based solution for schools to manage and record student health information, such as mental health, behavioral, and medical issues, including COVID-19 symptoms. According to Reilly, Impero back:drop eliminates the need for paper-based reporting, prov

Kris chats with James Palcik, Director of Education, Safety, and Compliance at Flinn Scientific, about the challenges facing science educators during this pandemic. Palcik discusses the development of Flinn’s new Professional Learning Series, which include webinars offering guidance on the safe reopening of brick-and-mortar school facilities; OSHA guidance courses; and its Lab Safety 101 and 102 sessions, which have been previously deployed to assist thousands of science teachers. Palcik also discusses the recent launch of its Elementary and Science Stem Education Program, which is designed to increase safety awareness across North America — an initiative that has proven to be exceptionally popular. Not every product is made equally, he notes, explaining that items needed during this pandemic, such as facemasks, gloves, and hand sanitizers, differ in quality, and that you should never discount safety. Flinn is committed to providing educators with only the highest quality products in this space, he notes.  Th

The CEO of Reach Out and Read, Brian Gallagher, discusses their innovative program which provides books to children by partnering with pediatricians—giving children a new book at each well-child checkup from birth to age five.  Reach Out and Read provides life-long benefits: engaging families, supporting parent-child bonding, brain development, and literacy skills.  They often focus on low-income communities—leveling the playing field by preparing all children for formal education.  Pediatricians who take part in the program have embraced it  as an essential component of a child’s healthcare.  This episode is sponsored by Vernier, https://www.vernier.com/training; Open Up Resources, https://www.openupresources.org, Flinn Scientific, https://www.flinnsci.com and https://www.reachoutandread.org

You’re definitely going to want to listen to this episode with Mike Lavelle, CEO of Flinn Scientific, clearly a change agent in the education space.  “We absolutely believe fully in the role that hands-on learning plays in the educational process,” says Lavelle. Flinn Scientific listens to and solicits continuous feedback from educators to better understand their daily challenges and to create world-class lessons and products that are exciting, engaging, and reinforcing, he explains. Technology, he adds, has always been Flinn Scientifics’ centerpiece and the company uses technology in a variety of ways to more fully engage students. This episode is sponsored by Vernier,  vernier.com/training; Open Up Resources, openupresources.org; and Flinn Scientific, https://www.flinnsci.com.

Kristina talks with Jessica Siiwerski, CEO of Open Up Resource (OUR) about the importance of social-emotional learning (SEL); how SEL can be improved and how it affect the curriculum; and the tools and resources that  OUR provides administrators and educators to deal with SEL issues. Jessica’s work in K–12 education was profiled in The Wall Street Journal and Steven Brill’s book, Class Warfare: Inside the Fight to Fix America’s Schools. She also participated in the documentary film, The Lottery.  The episode was sponsored by InnovateK12, innovatek12.org/services; Vernier, vernier.com/training; and Open Up Resources,openupresources.org 

Heather Sherwood from the Educational Development Center, talks about her important work on Building CT Readiness: A Framework for Integrating Computational Thinking Across Subjects in High-Poverty Elementary Schools, an NSF-funded project investigating and refining a set of resources designed to help elementary schools clarify their definitions of CT and CT integration, to articulate their vision and plans for CT implementation, and to monitor the effectiveness of teacher professional development in CT instruction. Kristina and Heather translate and talk to this technical language which, in the end, boils down to the fact that students now must learn how to succeed in a device-driven world, and there are some real and effective solutions to do that well. This episode also features a special guest, David Carter from Vernier Software & Technology,  who shares some new news about the exciting new schedule of Spring 2020 Professional Development Workshops. Vernier is also a sponsor, and can more information

Kristina talks with Eric Schnieder, President and Co-Founder of InnovateK12, a platform built to include teacher and school staff involvement in identifying solutions and cultivating ideas for school improvement. Joining the conversation is Robb Virgin, a principal at Eden Prairie High School who uses InnovateK12 in his school. Listen to how he applies InnovateK12 to increase collaboration among students and staff as he strives to bring 21st leadership in everyday education. This episode is sponsored by InnovateK12. Learn more at InnovateK12.org.

Kristina talks with the innovative and inspirational Friends of the Children CEO Terri Sorenson. The model of this national non-profit seeks to break the cycle of generational poverty by pairing salaried mentors (called a Friend) who stays with each children for 12+ years, no matter what.     Listeners can learn about the record-breaking fundraising efforts, national campaign expansion five to 21 locations in just seven years, and quadrupling the number of children served. She has also diversified funding streams, growing the network-wide operating budget from just $7.5 million in 2012 to $33 million in 2019.    The impact is growth and increased funding, but most importantly, a tremendous impact on children and their families. Learn more and listen today.   This episode is sponsored by InnovateK12. Through an evidence-based, three-step sequence of innovation events, design thinking workshops, and lean prototype management, InnovateK12 leaders are breaking new ground and elevating their status as 21st century

Kris chats with Staci Smith, co-founder of FightSong?, a social emotional reporting app designed to prevent school violence by connecting students with their school counselors. Smith and her father James, a programmer who founded EdTech company Twotrees both experienced severe bullying in school and received inadequate support from school staff. They developed the FightSong! app to make sure other students don’t fall through the cracks without support. FightSong! is currently active in 15 schools across the country, mostly at charter and private schools. Through checks and balances within the app, administrators can review the status of conversations and interactions taking place between students and counselors. The social-emotional reporting app, allowing students to push the FightSong! button on their school- issued devices when they’re first experiencing issues, with the intention of prevents incidents from spiraling out of control. The app starts at $280/year for an entire school. If they can save just on

Kris chats with Justin Reilly, the new CEO of Impero Software, who was hired to lead the company in its next phase of growth, and Dennis Gonzales, technology director for the Ulysses Unified School District 214 in Kansas, who has 18 years of experience in the classroom teaching business apps/communications technology. Impero is dedicated to student well-being and has established monitoring devices that capture valuable safety information for educators, such as to support bullying prevention and to help determine whether a student is at risk. Impero’s software also has the capability of keeping track of student academic success, notes Reilly. Gonzales says that it’s important for educators, especially teachers, to embrace new technology or else “it can pass them by.” The Ulysses school district launched a one-to-one initiative for its high school students a couple of years ago, but needed a classroom management tool to help teachers. Impero provided the solution, according to Gonzales. This episode was sponsor

Kristina chats with Erin Cawley, program manager at Carnegie Mellon’s CS Academy, which has developed a novel, world-class, online, interactive high school computer science curriculum free for all to use. The program is designed to provide the resources necessary to empower teachers in instruction on computer sciences. CS Academy wants to instill a passion in students for computer science, rather than simply consuming new technology, Cawley says. Students are programming in Python and instruction is targeted toward ninth grades who have already taken Algebra 1, but the CS Academy is building out additional courses as well. There are several levels of instruction available from CS Academy that educators and students can take advantage by simply signing up for an account, with no other strings attached (it’s free). There also is professional development training and a support tab on the website available for teachers to get quick answers to their questions, she adds. This episode was sponsored by TESOL, www.tes

Kristina chats with Susan Liebesman, owner of Barbizon Chique. Barbizon specializes in developing life skills in children, teenagers and adults and provides development advice in the fields of modeling, acting, and singing. Susan also owns B2B Management, a boutique management company that manages corporate clients as well as top models, actors and artists, including Cover Girl Christina and movie star Regine Nehy. Liebesman discusses the importance of self-confidence and how Barbizon helps foster this extremely important characteristic in students. It’s also very important, she notes, for students to have a positive, balanced life to achieve their personal happiness. Barbizon’s curriculum includes looking at the whole person and honestly discussing body issues. Liebesman also notes that the entertainment industry can be dicey for parents and young kids unless parents do their due diligence to check out the bona fides of those offering opportunities for their children. This episode was sponsored by TESOL, www

Kristina chats with John Melville, director of biology at Vernier Software & Technology, which develops creative ways to teach and learn STEM using hands-on science, about data collection technology. Melville notes that data collection keeps students’ attention, (there’s more reality to it than writing on a chalkboard). In addition, he says, students, particularly biology students, perform much better on tests with hands-on lab experiments and reports, instead of with simulations. Also, using tools like adaptation goggles is an excellent way of learning about the neurological system, according to Melville. Finally, hands-on physiology experiments and analysis can intrigue non-science oriented students. This episode was sponsored by Vernier Software & Technology, http://www.vernier.com. 

Kristina chats with eight members of the NASSP (National Association of Secondary School Principals) Digital Principals of the Year Advisory Board about digital technology and innovation at their schools. The principals cite a variety of apps, programs, and tech tools, including Headspace; Instagram; Mood Meter; Flipgrid; Leaving Anchors of Appreciation; CANVAS; Twitter; and Google Suites. This is a quick but extremely informative episode. Give it a listen.

Kristina chats with Houston Kraft, co-founder of Character Strong, an organization that provides curriculum and trainings that transform the way schools teach the Whole Child. That approach, Kraft explains, includes social-emotional learning, character education, and equipping educators with practical tools to create a compassionate culture. Character Strong has worked with more than 1000 schools globally, he notes. The average family spends about 30 minutes a day connecting with their children, he adds, while school personnel are interacting with those children six hours a day, Kraft points out. Empathy has dropped 40 percent among college students, which should be a wake-up call for educators, he adds. That character trait, he says, as well as that of perseverance, are among the foundational pieces that students should possess, which are just as important as academic knowledge. “We’re in an epidemic of anxiety and loneliness,” Kraft asserts, and depression is on the rise as well. The function of education i

Kristina chats with Helene Becker, director of English Learner Education in the Norwalk, CN, Public Schools, who has taught ESL to all ages in Connecticut, New York, and Hawaii. When students come from a different country or culture or speak another language at home, it’s always a challenge to learn English, Becker notes. However, many K-12 students come from countries in Central America and have faced trauma and violence in their home countries and have enormous additional challenges. Other challenges: many of the students are over age and behind grade level; have to work; and are undocumented. Overlaying these challenges is the current national debate about immigrants in general. Many of the teachers involved in English language learning need additional training, according to Becker. Becker was part of the TESOL International Association writing team that wrote the TESOL Press best-seller The 6 Principles for Exemplary Teaching of English Learners. Among the principles: Know Your Learners, Create Conditions

Kristina chats with Jessica Baghian, Assistant Superintendent with the Louisiana Department of Education (LADOE) and Mike Nesterak, Vice President of Research and Development at NWEA and Senior Director of NWEA’s Product Innovation Center about Louisiana’s assessment pilot. Baghian leads assessment, accountability, and improvement for the LADOE and oversees improvement efforts of early childhood networks, local enrollment systems, and the CLASS quality rating system. Nesterak’s areas of expertise are reporting of data, early childhood assessments, and the use of technology in assessment. NWEA has been awarded a $1 million, two-year grant from The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation to support NWEA’s work with the Louisiana Department of Education on the state's innovative assessment pilot. The funding will be used to conceptualize, develop, and evaluate a pilot that utilizes curriculum content so that, regardless of their socioeconomic background, students have common background knowledge ensuring a more equ

Kristina chats with Annie Slease, Director of Advocacy and Education at National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Delaware, where she is responsible for programming, outreach, and advocacy for the statewide agency. Slease notes that the stigma of mental illness is the result of the lack of pertinent information. Early intervention is critical to dealing with mental illness in students and young adults, she explains. What percentage of people who develop mental illness do so by age 24? 75 percent. Social and emotional learning is extremely important in this area, she notes. Slease says that there’s nothing wrong with directly asking a person whether they are thinking of suicide. In fact, she explains, you may be saving a young person’s life. NAMI Delaware, the podcast’s newest marketing partner, offers education programs, support groups, and awareness events at no cost and provides advocacy on behalf of individuals and their families as well as helps shape legislative policies to support those affected by men

Kristina chats with Michael McLaughlin, superintendent of the San Leandro Unified School District in California since 2013 and Mike Teng, CEO and co-founder of Swing Education, a tech-enabled marketplace that connects substitute teachers with schools in need.  McLaughlin talks about rebuilding the infrastructure of the school district, including the introduction of new technology and the concept of aggressively competing against other schools, including charter schools. McLaughlin discusses the implementation and benchmarking of three-year strategic plans, and the importance of celebrating successes, including those involving student achievement, school safety, and re-branding of the district. The teacher shortage is definitely real in California, says McLaughlin and is magnified in the East Bay, where his district is located. It’s difficult financially for both permanent and substitute teachers to live there, so the district invited substitute teachers to attend its professional development meetings and also