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Transformative Principal

Transformative Principal

849 episodes — Page 4 of 17

S12 Ep 571Be More Colorful’s Yass Prize Journey with CareerViewXR Entrepreneurship with Matthew Chaussee

Matt Chaussee is the CEO of Be More Colorful, a Midwest-based immersive media production studio whose platform, CareerViewXR, is rapidly gaining national attention. Matt, along with his wife (and company owner) Katie, lead an innovative team of creatives who are laser focused on making career exploration affordable, accessible, and fun! CareerViewXR provides students and adult career seekers across the country with an unprecedented opportunity to experience real-world careers through virtual reality technology. Recently selected from a field of over 2,000 applicants to be one of 33 Semifinalists for the prestigious Yass Prize, Matt will discuss the significance of the award, and how he sees tools like CareerViewXR transforming how we guide students on their educational journey.Please add questions that we would ask here, and you can add anything that you would like to add as well. STOP Principles of the Yass PrizeHelp us connect with students in new and different ways. How do we use tried and true strategies to help us change thingsTrue transformation is going beyond the books. How do we all learn best? Transformation is change with a purpose. Yass Prize celebrates innovation in education, with over 2000 applicantsCareer Exploration - CareerViewXR - How do we challenge others to become better? Vote in the Yass PrizeOther companies as the 32 semi-finalists: are ASU Preparatory Global, Burbella Learning Academy, CompSci High, Create Conservatory, Indi ED, Sora Schools, Verdi EcoSchool, and VictoryXR.CareerViewXR - Our focus is really on taking that tried and true real job experience to help kids have real-life experiences - immersive media, showing what that real work is like. Virtual reality and virtual tours. Bricklayer’s experience - I wanna try that bricklayer’s experience in 4th grade. Most of the time an adult’s pathways really never gave them an opportunity on which pathway they could choose. There are so many careers out there. It doesn’t have to be interesting or exciting, it has to be authentic to someone at the right time. Helping kids see the excitement of what jobs could be. Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL, and Renaissance Learning:As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Nov 5, 202338 min

S12 Ep 570Learnership: The Skill of Learning with James Anderson Transformative Principal 570

James Anderson is an Australian-based international speaker, author, and educator who is passionate about helping us become better learners. His Mindset Continuum builds on Carol Dweck's work on Growth Mindsets to give us practical tools to nurture a deeper understanding of ourselves as learners. His description of Learnership - the skill of learning, then gives us a powerful way to understand and improve how we engage in the learning process. The result: we get better at getting better!Originally a teacher and school leader, for the past 20 years, James has been working with schools to make classrooms more thoughtful places. He challenges teachers to think deeply about their own Mindsets and how their beliefs are communicated to students in often subtle and unintended ways. His Growth Mindset Style Guide takes us beyond catchphrases and cliches to provide practical and easily implemented strategies that change learners' mindsets. In today’s episode, we discuss leadership. Although James made the word up, he defines it as the skill of learning. His work connects the habits of mind and Dweck’s Fixed vs Growth Mindset, but he’s developed ways to take these concepts further and make them applicable to students and schools. It was a refreshing perspective instead of discussing the traditional focus of teaching and achievement. James describes the role of the student, teacher, administrator, and even the parent in developing skilled learners. The best way for listeners to reach out to James Anderson: jamesanderson.com.au Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL, and Renaissance Learning:As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Nov 2, 202346 min

S12 Ep 569Social Media Skills for Schools with Andrea Gribble Transformative Principal 569

Andrea Gribble is the master of all things social media for schools. Her first book recently launched: Social Media for Schools: Proven Storytelling Strategies & Ideas to Celebrate Your Students & Staff - Without Losing Your Sanity and she is the host of a podcast called Mastering Social Media for SchoolsIn today’s episode, Andrea shares where staff can start when they are handed the social media duties for the school or district. She describes the systems she uses to schedule content and keep followers engaged, how to keep the content going during the summer months, and how to keep it positive.Andrea can be reached by going to https://socialschool4edu.com/ Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL, and Renaissance Learning:As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Oct 29, 202334 min

S12 Ep 568School Culture And The Road To Awesome with Darrin Preppard Transformative Principal 568

Darrin Peppard is a school district superintendent, speaker, author, publisher, and consultant focused on what matters most in leadership. Darrin’s an expert in school culture and climate as well as coaching and growing emerging leaders. He is known for his keen insight, culture-first leadership style, and dynamic personality. In 2016, Darrin was named Wyoming Secondary School Principal of the Year by WASSP/NASSP and was the 2015 Jostens Renaissance Educator of the Year. In 2017, Darrin earned his Doctorate Degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Wyoming. This past summer, Darrin was inducted into the Jostens Renaissance Hall of Fame. On today’s episode, we discuss school culture and the road to awesome. Darrin describes the moment he knew his school had a culture problem and how he started down the road less traveled instead of the “gotcha” road. He started by changing what he controlled, himself, and then focused on empowering the students and staff to join him and take ownership in their school’s journey. www.roadtoawesome.net307-371-89447 Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL, and Renaissance Learning:As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Oct 22, 202340 min

S12 Ep 565Helping the Development of a Skill with Victor Karkar Transformative Principal 565

Scrible is about the writing process.- Impact of AI on writing.- What does “embrace it” actually mean?- It’s important to define it appropriately.- We talk about teaching and learning together, but they diverge a little bit here.- How does embracing it mean that students are using cognitive skills.- Litmus test for the use of automation in education: Does it help develop or bypass the development of a skill?- It’s ok to have automation as skills are increasing.- Granularity is key.- Map activities in the writing process to skills along the way.- The “I use it myself” reason may not be good enough for our rising generation.- Conflation of cognitive development mode with productivity mode.- Education isn’t about being productive.- When compliance is gone, they realize it’s all fake.- Good writers and not good writers.- Don’t let what it does for you strongly shape what we should be doing for the next generation.- Lived experience bias - because I lived this, i have this experience.- What’s best for students?- First principles perspective- If we don’t give them the opportunity to gain skills early on, we run into a situation where people won’t know what good looks like.- What if you stop teaching math and just give kids calculators.- Connect on LinkedInAbout Victor KarkarMeet Victor Karkar, the brains behind Scrible, a game-changing startup that’s shaking up the way we do web-based research and collaboration. Victor’s been around the block in both the Internet and biotech sectors, mainly focusing on product management and business development. He was an instrumental part of the early team at insuranceOrder.com, a startup that got snapped up by the Fortune 500 giant, Marsh & McLennan. Oh, and he even dipped his toes into the venture capital world with a gig at New Enterprise Associates. So yeah, he’s seen the startup life from all angles.But what really makes Victor tick? He’s a modern-day Renaissance person. In the startup world, you’ve got to be a jack-of-all-trades, and Victor’s worn every hat you can think of—designer, product developer, tester, marketer, you name it. He’s a tech nerd at heart, with a deep respect for the engineers and scientists who are pushing us into the future. He’s got a keen eye for clean, thoughtful design and is borderline obsessive about the details. Victor’s a debate geek turned entrepreneur who loves nothing more than a well-crafted argument or a slick presentation. He’s a dreamer who believes that a few good people can really change the world. But he’s no pie-in-the-sky idealist; he knows that to make lasting change, you need a rock-solid operation to back up those big ideas." Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL, and Renaissance Learning:As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Oct 19, 202338 min

S12 Ep 567Journey Modeling with Molly McGowan Gorsuch Transformative Principal 567

What is journey modeling? Take a look at what decisions people make and what it means for your potential people to look for youWhat brings true value to your School/District?Where are you bringing value to your employee and where are they bringing value to you? What skill sets are you looking for and are articulated in the Bringing people into your fold before you really get them in the door. You want to appeal to the individual and create a customer experience.Weird to think of these future employees as a customer of your district. How are people seeing you? And what are they seeing? Are your messages being seen in a positive way? Identify a friction point and how you could turn that into a touchpointHow could you use LinkedIn in a more effective manner? Engage with your constituents - go and ask what people are saying. It’s valuable to know each student’s name, but have you talked to every parent? CollaborativeJob descriptions from old-school approaches. Key drivers for specific generations. Value talents and skillsets in that job descriptionExpectations around the job and the processHow do you make people feel wanted? Relationships and setting expectations.HR does have the opportunity to grow here. You can still communicate. You can automate many of these sequences. Automate what you canNew Hire Onramp Email TemplateJourney Model - teachers saw that they weren’t hearing from districts during a period of time over the summer. People expect a certain level of interaction with schools and districts to understand what is going on. Showing them what it is to be in the community. Journey Model components - catalyst, question-asking, touchpoints (community, benefits, etc.), decision-making process, after acceptance, on ramping, continuingIdentifying key focus areasAbout Molly McGowan Gorsuch, APRDirector of Client Engagement at Rhodes BrandingMolly is the liaison between education leaders and Rhodes Branding, connecting the K-12 community with services designed to accelerate performance and market position. She leads content and partner engagement strategy and is a frequent conference presenter and podcast/blog guest.You can find me on LinkedIn, or @MollyMGorsuch on Twitter. Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL, and Renaissance Learning:As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Oct 16, 202346 min

S12 Ep 566Generative AI is Just Round 1 with Micah Miner Transformative Principal 566

Generative AI in k12 education and it's impact on teacher prep and planning, assessments, writing instruction, and other subjects. Ethical use of generative AI and importance of transparency and demystifying it. Also, contrast generative AI tools with instructional AI, and how high can be leveraged to improve teaching and learning. Also, a conversation on civics and history instruction and it's impact on society and polarization.Student data privacy laws. DigLitCon - AI Literacy4300 kids in 9 schools in Chicago area. AI literacy - Generative AI is just round 1. Demystify what AI is and that it’s not magicFeels like magicMIT’s Day of AIWe need to know about it, but not everyone needs to be an expert. What do kids need to know in relation to AI LiteracyWe pretend that people should know a lot of thingsWill we call AI friends or supports. Harnessing AI for a Human-Centered EducationWe can’t find our life inside of a fake realityIt is a tool, and it can do great things when it is with people. Can’t hide from AI. CheatingWhat can we do with planning education guidelinesAcademic integrity policies and policies in place for Generative AI. Assessment has to be redefined as a process. Packback, writable, character.aiClearly articulating where you can and can’t use AI. Have to teach them how to use it. How to teach and use it ethically, model ethics, be transparent when we use it, make sure it’s not taking away from the learning process. “This X was created with use of Generative AI tools.”We need to be professionally humble. We need to have local policies that reflect policies6 tenets of post-plagiarismThis is only round one of a potential fourth revolution. Just because it is almost right doesn’t mean that it is right. Data privacy - byteAbout Micah Miner: Micah J. MinerDistrict Administrator Instructional Technology & Social Studies at Maywood, Melrose Park, Broadview School District 89, American Consortium for Equity in Education Contributing Writer , Times 10 Publications Author of the book Harnessing AI for a Human-Centered Education Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL, and Renaissance Learning:As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Oct 12, 202336 min

S12 Ep 563Creating a Venture to Fund Your School with Dr. Brett Jacobsen Transformative Principal #SummerofAI

Welcome to another episode of Transformative Principal! In today’s episode, we have the privilege of speaking with Dr. Brett Jacobsen, the CEO of The Mount Vernon School, Mount Vernon Ventures, and Mount Vernon Online – The Global Online Campus. With over 15 years of experience leading Mount Vernon through a transformational period, Dr. Jacobsen has gained a national reputation for innovation in education.In our conversation, Dr. Jacobsen shares his insights on creating a venture to fund your school. He discusses how Mount Vernon School, established in 1972 as a PK–8 school, has embraced an innovation mindset, even though they have been around for a long time. Driven by a desire to be known as an innovative school, Mount Vernon has experienced significant growth over the last decade.Dr. Jacobsen introduces the concept of the Blue Ocean Strategy, emphasizing the importance of shaping your school’s narrative and brand. Rather than trying to compete with other schools, Mount Vernon Ventures focuses on consulting with other schools and developing accessible products and tools. They have also ventured into business development with Mount Vernon Online.Dr. Jacobsen explores the challenge of separating funding from the backs of their people and finding alternative markets to support their initiatives. He also highlights the importance of creating multiple pathways for students and implementing an inquiry-based, competency-driven system.Portfolio of three different areas1972 school establishedPK–8 SchoolFelt Like a startup even though they’ve been around for a long time.Giving more tours than serving our own community.Over the last decade school has grown by 60%Blue Ocean StrategyCirque du Soleil is it high art or circus?Didn’t want to be known as a traditional school.Didn’t want to be known as a progressive school.how do you shape your narrative around your school’s brand?Wanted to be known as an innovative school.We would lose every time if we tried to compete with othersMount Vernon VenturesConsulting with other schoolsValue proposition - current practitioners leading change.What is your innovation intention?Ventures work on developing products and tools that are accessible.Business development as well - Mount Vernon Online.Multiple PathwaysR&D Report around AIFunding is generated from Mount Vernon VenturesTraditionally generated from Non-tuition generating activities.Externally, how could we reinvest back into the school?How do you separate from funding being on the backs of our people?Find another market that funds things.How do we create multiple pathways for our students?Learning outcomes explored in an inquiry model - assessed based on proficiency.Inquiry, Competency-based system.Lego-bricking courses - systems takenMod System is based on 9-week time periods - students take four courses during a mod.They have to have more math courses at the backend of their high school course.Did a lot of open share when we started.Agnostic about things they implement with schools.Ventures are about birthing opportunities that expand the Mount Vernon Ecosystem.Training and investing in professionals in schoolIdentify market segments - creating more pathways for students.Would look very different from the three we’ve talked about today.About Brett JacobsenEntering his 15th year, Dr. Brett Jacobsen is CEO of The Mount Vernon School, Mount Vernon Ventures, and Mount Vernon Online – The Global Online Campus. Leading Mount Vernon through a transformational period since 2009, the School with 1,250 students strong, has gained a national reputation for innovation in education, As a result, Dr. Jacobsen launched a Transformation R&D consulting company known as Mount Vernon Ventures, partnering with schools throughout the world. Most recently, in August 2022, Mount Vernon Online, Mount Vernon’s online high school, welcomed its first cohort of students to the School. Outside of overseeing a portfolio of business units, Dr. Jacobsen frequently shares his journey of innovation and entrepreneurial impact at national and international conferences. Dr. Jacobsen was recognized by the Atlanta Business Chronicle as one of the 2017 Most admired CEOs in the education category. He is also a proud member of Leadership Atlanta, Class of 2013.LinkedinThe Mount Vernon School | Mount Vernon Ventures | Mount Vernon Online Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL, and Renaissance Learning:As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit org

Oct 5, 202341 min

S12 Ep 564The Intersection of Ai, Instructional Design, and Backend Classroom Administration Opportunites and Tradeoffs with Thomas Thompson Transformative Principal 564

Perhaps large language models could solve some challenges in schools. Teacher attrition - how can you build excellence if you can’t keep teachers?Time is not enough to do deep work, which is required for effective planning. The AI can’t do everything (nor should it). Source it, shape it, share it.AI as a creative collaborator - Lesson seedLook at generative content like a sculptor would look at a block of marble. Elaborative explanation is a best practice in education. Prefer to pull methods from cognitive sciencesStudents engaging in essay evaluation rather than essay writing. Artificially intelligent tutors - Khanmigo and others. Training against chess bots. Chess is a closed system, so perhaps not the best idea. Proficiency vs aptitude vs Hard to get quality feedback - What are the parameters you need to be in to access the highest level of success? Embedding best practices into our One-shot prompt vs. leading the language model into learning. Unit plans - 4-6 weeks of instructional planning. Distributed & interleaved practiceAssessments & quizzes. AI lowers the cost of evolution. Open Educational Resources compared to Teacher Pay Teachers. Things open up in ways you couldn’t imagine simply because you did something.Foundational models are not particularly useful in their basic form for what we’re trying to do in education. Having granular control that teacher can make changes in the workspaceHow to take Smart NotesObsidian note taking appYou learn in relation to what you already know. The intersection of Ai, instructional design, and backend classroom administration—opportunities and tradeoffs.The limits of the technology, boundary conditionsBroad institutional implications - Foundational flaws in educationLudwig Wittgenstein - blue and brown books. The Wittgensten Reader, the tractatusAbout Thomas ThompsonThomas Thompson is the founder and CEO of eduaide.ai, which boasts over 100,000 users. Eduaide is an AI tool to help eliminate teacher burnout and make high-quality teaching resources universally accessible.Thomas has a Master in Educational Technology from Johns Hopkins School of Education and is still a teacher in the Maryland area. Martin Gurry - Public2001 data produced more in one year than we’ve every produced before. Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL, and Renaissance Learning:As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Oct 2, 202353 min

S12 Ep 562AI and the Future of Education: Teaching in the Age of Artificial Intelligence with Priten Shah Transformative Principal 562

Priten Shah is the CEO of Pedagogy. Cloud, which provides innovative technology solutions to help educators navigate global challenges in a rapidly evolving world, as well as founder of the civics education nonprofit United 4 Social Change. His book is AI and The Future of Education: Teaching in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, published by Jossey-Bass (Wiley).In this episode, Ross and Priten discuss:The cloud of rumors, confusion, and fear surrounding the rise of artificial intelligenceDefining AI and machine learningWhy it’s important to get not only to accept but embrace these technologiesEthical concerns to considerWhat should schools do around teacher training? How AI can either solve or widen the achievement gap depending on how schools proceedWhat can teachers automate and make more efficient?The potential of AI that most excites PritenFind AI and The Future of Education: Teaching in the Age of Artificial Intelligence at https://prtn.me/book Visit https://bepodcast.network to learn more about the Be Podcast Network for educators.About today’s guestPriten Shah, M. ED, and B.A, Harvard, is the CEO of Pedagogy. Cloud provides innovative technology solutions to help educators navigate global challenges in a rapidly evolving world. He is the author of Wiley’s Jossey-Bass publication, “AI & The Future of Education: Teaching in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.“Priten is also the founder of United 4 Social Change, a civics education nonprofit that focuses on helping teachers integrate interdisciplinary education into their curricula through animated videos, lesson plans, and innovative classroom activities.Connect at instagram.com/pedagogycloud and linkedin.com/in/pritenhshahAbout the hostRoss Romano is a co-founder of the Be Podcast Network and CEO of September Strategies LLC. He is a leadership development and performance coach for professionals in a range of industries and consults with organizations and high-performing leaders in the K-12 education industry to help communicate their vision and make strategic decisions that lead to long-term success. Connect on Twitter @RossBRomano and LinkedIn Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL, and Renaissance Learning:As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Sep 21, 202346 min

S12 Ep 561Using AI to Terminate Homework with Jethro Jones - Transformative Principal: Summer of AI

Teens can use artificial intelligence to help them rock their homework. AI shouldn't be something parents and teachers are afraid of, and I had a great conversation with Transformative Principal Jethro Jones on how teens can use AI to TERMINATE their homework! And by terminate, I mean complete it. Obviously.--See what Jethro is up to at www.jethrojones.com--Register for my new Drop-In Coaching offer for this fall semester by going to www.joeymascio.com/drop-in-coaching--Follow me on Instagram! www.instagram.com/sidekicktohero Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL, and Renaissance Learning:As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Sep 18, 202330 min

S12 Ep 560Navigating AI Biases with Mike Gaskell - Transformative Principal 560

Generative AI offers many advantages for educators, for use in and out of the classroom.When I prompt for images of "a focused student," the first three are boys, two are white, the third is an Asian boy, and the fourth is an apparent high school female.If my anecdotal examples haven't convinced you, try for yourself, or refer to a respected resource on this subject, which characterizes how bias is becoming a more obvious concern while producing these realistic images.In essence, this makes collected information static, yet dynamic in how AI returns the content.In the first example, I added one word, "diverse.""Write a song that promotes understanding and empathy between people from different walks of life." Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL, and Renaissance Learning:As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Sep 14, 202318 min

S12 Ep 559Artificial Intelligence to Streamline Your Teacher Life with Mary Howard - Transformative Principal: Summer of AI

Mary Howard is a Nationally Board Certified Teacher and teaches 6th grade ELA and Science in Grand Island, New York. She has found success using digital tools that not only make learning fun for her students, but encourage critical thinking, collaboration, and create a life-long passion for learning. Whether the digital experience is related to Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics or promotes literacy, Mary believes passionately in the potential that technology has for reaching and engaging ALL learners. In pursuit of this passion, Mary has spent the past 15 years presenting at dozens of technology conferences including NYSCATE, STANYS and, ISTE among others. She has become a globally recognized speaker on the topics of augmented reality and virtual reality and the Next Generation Science Standards and shares her strategies through her blog, yoursmarticles.com. She has published numerous educational technology articles and has provided webinars on Virtual Environments, Virtual Reality, 3D Design, QR codes and digital engagement strategies. Mary’s accolades include recognition as the 2018 International Society for Technology in Education’s Virtual Pioneer of the Year and 3 Silver Presidential Volunteer Service awards. She was a New York State Teacher of the year finalist for 2018 and 2020 and is a New York State Master Teacher. When Mary isn’t elbows deep in her technology initiatives, she is a mother of 3 boys and devotes her free time to refereeing youth hockey and volunteering within the hockey community. She is an avid runner, Adirondack 46er and recently cycled across New York State on the Erie Canal. Mary is a newly published author with her new release, Artificial Intelligence to Streamline Your Teacher Life: The ChatGPT Guide for Educators.Key Takeaways:AI is a tool that will help give teachers more time, reduce burnout, and improve teaching.Technology is about amplifying teachers' ability to reach all students.Reluctance to integrate technology doesn't come from a place of fear rather a place of this is, "one more thing".The more we streamline teachers' everyday tasks, the more we can get them in front of students and spending more quality time facilitating student learning.ChatGPT still needs to be checked once the product is finished.We need to make sure we follow age and privacy concerns because ChatGPT is collecting data on the users.Education still has to focus on thinking rather than retrieval of information. This will help the integration of ChatGPT as a useful tool rather than a tool used to get good grades.The perfect classroom still has a teacher who is helping guide rich discussions through the Socratic method and collaboration with AI helping streamline that in the background.Leaders need to celebrate every little success individuals have to continually build positivity.Stay Connected:Artificial Intelligence to Streamline Your Teacher Life: The ChatGPT Guide for EducatorsYour SmarticlesTwitter Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL, and Renaissance Learning:As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state ass

Sep 11, 202339 min

S12 Ep 558AI: Remarkably Imperfect Productivity for Educators & Families with Mike Gaskell - Transformative Principal: Summer of AI

Episode adapted from this article The use of AI chat tools has rapidly increased this year.AI chat tools have a difficult time with voice since they lack the emotional context that humans can interpret through the nuances of tone, pitch, expression, and most of all, uniqueness.More significantly, AI chat tools cannot express a person’s point of view because they lack the complex beliefs, values, and opinions that form a person’s consciousness.Educators should make this clear to people accessing AI chat tools in their schools.While AI chat tools have some limitations such as capturing voice and eyes, it has remarkable productivity opportunities educators can leverage while navigating around imperfections to increase their efficiency and effectiveness. Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL, and Renaissance Learning:As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Sep 7, 202319 min

S12 Ep 557Open School with An Edcamp & Learn About AI with Mike Gaskell - Transformative Principal: Summer of AI

AI Edcamp for facultySchools are opening and AI looms as a BIG question mark. How will teachers and administrators use it? What about students? How can we start to understand the complexity of AI in schools? This brief, chock-full episode offers a prescription for busy administrators and teachers. Use the simple formula of an Edcamp and bring the expertise to your school community today!Concepts adapted from my book:Radical PrincipalsMore info:How to run an Edcamp virtually Listen to Mike, a principal, author, and podcaster, share quick, actionable strategies, bite sized solutions that have sustainable impact. Each episode gives you a take home approach you can use today. You'll hear about a study, a story, and a strategy that are linked together. Educators face more challenges than ever. Stop spinning your wheels and listen to refreshing answers backed by 25 years of experience, interviews, and research. Take the journey with Mike today and start helping children now!Mike's overarching goal: If I can help one child and one adult, this was all worth it! Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL, and Renaissance Learning:As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Sep 4, 202314 min

S12 Ep 556How Web3 is Changing Education with Vriti Saraf - Transformative Principal: Summer of AI Transformative Principal 556

Vriti Saraf is the CEO & founder of k20 Educators where she builds metaverse spaces for learning. She is also a co-founder of the first community organization on blockchain for educators, by educators, called Ed3 DAO. Both organizations aim to reimagine learning.Vriti has served as a teacher, a professor, a dean, & a director in public, private, & charter schools both locally & internationally across K-12 & higher education.Join us for this conversation about Web3, what it is, how it is transforming education, and why we should embrace it.IN THIS EPISODE, WE DISCUSS:Web3 and how it’s shaping the future of education. How blockchain allows us, instead of institutions, to own our credentials. Decentralized credentials and flexible learning paths. Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAO) allow for democratic school environments. Fears and concerns about Web3.When educators should use virtual spaces or the metaverse.The benefits of hybrid learning.AI, ChatGPT, and how they’re teaching us what skills our students should learn. Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL, and Renaissance Learning:As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Aug 31, 202339 min

S12 Ep 554Exploring the Transformative Power of AI in Education: A Conversation with Kiran Athota and Dr. Wendy Oliver Transformative Principal 554

Jethro Jones is interviewing Kiran Athota, CEO of FocalPoint Education, and Dr. Wendy Oliver, Chief Learning Officer at FocalPoint,K12, Inc. The discussion centered around the transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education and its impact on student engagement and personalized learning.Athota and Oliver delved into the distinction between AI assistants and human teachers, emphasizing the importance of teachers in catching plagiarism and guiding students. They acknowledged the fear surrounding new technology but highlighted the benefits of AI in understanding student knowledge better than ever before.The conversation also touched on the role of AI in assessing student progress and skills. Athota and Oliver stressed the need for authentic and personalized measures of growth, moving away from traditional assessments. They emphasized the importance of partnerships in education, with teachers and students actively involved in the development of AI tools.ChatGPT vs. Generative AI. Georgia Tech’s ExperimentStudents not know the difference between AI assistant and professor. Any student can plagiarize The best tool is the teacher to catch plagiarism Teachers and students should know how to use it. We are afraid of new technology. AudioPen AIDiscussing plagiarism and how to make choices around it. How FocalPoint is using AI. Giving teachers back time for their work. Using ChatGPT for scoring Multi-dimensional score Building a learner profile and informing the personalization of education Student engagement Standards work has already been there. How to make it more engaging for kids. “I already know the student is struggling, how do I get them from here to here?” Generative AI is giving us engagement Technology is at a point where we can understand what students know better than ever. AI can pull in questions/assignments/activities/etc. for growth that are aligned to kids’ interests and skills. Ugh, another diagnostic… We need to find other ways to assess students Parents found that they have a voice and choice in education. We need partners, not vendors, in education. Developed with teachers and students in mind. If we have a good authentic way to measure student progress and skills, you don’t need the assessment. - Starting to see trends and growth in policy and procedure in Education.About Kiran AthotaKiran Athota has always been at the forefront of edtech innovations. As chief architect for GADOE’s longitudinal data system, he won national attention from EdWeek and the Data Quality Campaign. He subsequently was the first to introduce single-sign-on to K12 education. As co-founder and CEO of FocalPoint Education, he led his team in groundbreaking developments in an xAPI-enabled adaptive learning platform, and assessment platform and overcame education data silos with FocalPoint’s proprietary data-interoperability model. Most recently, he and FocalPoint have introduced blockchain student credentialing to serve the CTE segment and national trade and professional credentialing associations.About Wendy Oliver, Ed.D.With more than 20 years of experience in digital education, Dr. Wendy Oliver, a Tennessee teacher and administrator, thrives when implementing innovative learning models and creating amazing learning experiences for students. Throughout her career, Wendy has had the opportunity to develop and pioneer a district, TN’s state-wide, and international digital learning programs. She served as the Chief Learning Architect for Arizona State University’s digital charter network of schools and recently launched a network of private, for-profit schools. Wendy created Oliver’s Frameworks for Blended and Online Instruction, and subsequently, a software that allows teacher to self-assess their knowledge of instruction in each respective environment, a software that has been implemented in multiple districts and states. Her leadership expertise, experience as a certified scrum master, hands-on knowledge of digital learning and curriculum design, paired with her expertise in assessment and evaluation, are leveraged to design innovative, learner-centered solutions in her role as Chief Learning Officer at FocalPoint,K12, Inc. Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL, and Renaissance Learning:As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and sa

Aug 28, 202345 min

S12 Ep 553Creating Safe and Engaging AI Tools with Cahlan Sharp Transformative Principal 553

This episode discusses the potential of artificial intelligence in education and how it can empower both students and teachers. Cahlan Sharp talks about his experience building the micro school platform Prenda and how it aims to empower learners. He discusses how AI tools like chatbots and pulse check activities can help teachers gain insights into how students are doing and where they need help. However, Cahlan stresses that AI should be used as a tool to enhance the learning experience rather than as a source of truth. Transparency and teacher oversight are important to ensure student safety and privacy when using AI tools. Startup Failures: Reddit before Reddit. Draw My DollPrenda started with after-school programs with librarians. How to teach something that you’re not totally familiar with. Helping kids learn something that was focused around the student. Focused on the method rather than the content. Helping kids walk through the content themselves. Kelly Smith holding a microschool in his own home. Guides. Similar to Acton AcademyKids with specific needs. How can we help moms create classrooms in their living rooms? The difference between passive and active learning. Empowerment People are more empowered with the right tools in their hands. AI is an empowering tool. If we put tools in the hands of educators What would you do if you had an assistant next to you and you could ask them? Ideas of personalized tutors powered by AI This is going to change everything. Every student will have access to a personalized tutor How is everybody doing in our class? Spaces - Teacher generated, student facing chat spaces. Bellringer Pulse space - bringing in a personal relationship Pulse Exit Ticket - working through learning outcomes Desired outcome, but not a desired output. Not always a right or wrong answer. AI cannot always be a source of truth. How to focus on what AI is actually good at. Messages are safe and raising red flags. Safety and data privacy. Built-in mechanisms (content moderation, privacy, etc.) Establishing how long we keep student data. Scrubbing data Transparency - teachers have access to all the kids’ chats Parents are an important critical stakeholder in the process. Build tools for parents down the road. Motivated by giving people powerful tools. About Cahlan Sharp[Cahlan Sharp] is a highly versatile leader, technologist, entrepreneur, engineer, and investor. Passionate about technology, education, and building things that matter. Serial entrepreneurs participated in lots of failed startups. Founder of DevMtn helped start the micro schooling Prenda, and now CTO and CoFounder at SchoolAI Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL, and Renaissance Learning:As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Aug 21, 202346 min

S12 Ep 552AI is Just a Baby Right Now with Timothy Dasey Transformative Principal 552

You have a long background in AI so you’ve seen the ups and downs of that field and the over-hype cycles of the past. Why are the warnings about AI credible now, and what do you see as the biggest dangers? AI as a tool to remove drudgeryIt’s just doing a repetitive task over and over.Behavior has emerged from abstractions.These systems are babies.Questions schools should be asking about AI Services they adopt.AI companies don’t exactly know what they are selling.Impossible to test what all the software can do.Having ways to monitor what is going on.Bring students into the process.Productive Struggle - Jo BoalerAPLUS Framework:Moving toward a realm where general cognitive skills will matter more than domain-specific expertiseThe way we are doing school is not the best way to get there. How you divide up your functions drives the overall ethos of the system.Memory system is fundamentally associative.The better network you have, the better you’ll learn.Work on problems that have different issues, trade-offs, limitations, etc.Resource management becomes a major skill that is needed.Carving up the world according to common challenges than knowledge domains.Knowledge on demand.Teaching the forest and filling in with trees.We tend to take knowledge and pile it up brick by brick.Change is hard.Activation energy - if there’s too much friction, it’s very difficult.AI in the classroom - teacher workload less.When you deal with complex issues, you keep what works and jettison what doesn’t.Working on multi-disciplinary challenges.Student agency is a must.Is there enough understanding of the conceptual ideas?Moving to increased levels of abstraction.About Timothy DaseyDr. Tim Dasey has a long history of technical development, analysis, and leadership on huge national issues like today’s AI emergence. His graduate school dissertation in the early 90s was on AI machine learning applied to neuroscience, and that combination has allowed him unusual perspectives on learning in general, whether for AI or people.Tim spent thirty years at MIT Lincoln Laboratory—their national security hub—where he developed (10 years) and then led (20 years) technology analysis and development for a wide array of challenges. He led 40–80 person groups focused on Chemical and Biological Defense and then AI, and grew new business areas in public health, bioengineering, disaster management, logistics, critical infrastructure protection, and law enforcement.Tim has eclectic expertise that allows him to contribute to leadership and management studies, computer science, biology and medicine, psychology, modeling and simulation, human-systems integration, education, and system analysis. He holds a Ph.D. degree in Biomedical Engineering from Rutgers University and a B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Clarkson University.Relative to education, Tim has taught study skills and computer science at the college level, and computer science for 8th graders. However, Tim doesn’t consider himself a teacher since his classroom experiences were brief. His expertise is in AI, the present and future of work, and learning science (humans and machines). He also led the development of numerous educational games over a decade at MIT.He currently runs a consulting company that focuses on AI opportunities and strategic implications for a variety of communities, including biotech, education, and entrepreneurial investment. He has recently published a book called Wisdom Factories: AI, Games, and the Education of a Modern Worker, about AI’s impact on work and the education reform implications. Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL, and Renaissance Learning:As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. These results are possible for your students,

Aug 17, 202347 min

S12 Ep 550Change with Richard Gerver Transformative Principal 550

Richard Gerver is a sought-after speaker, bestselling author, and world-renowned thinker on human leadership and human transformation. His career began in education, first as a teacher and then as a school principal, when he turned the fortunes of a failing school and its pupils around in just two years. Since the success of his first book, focusing on his experience in frontline education, Richard has devoted himself to advancing society’s thinking on learning, change, and how best to realize our full potential.He has worked with an extraordinary range of people, from elite athletes to former US President Barack Obama. Named UK Business Speaker of the Year three times, Richard has been invited to speak on the world’s biggest stages, including TED, the RSA,, and the BBC.Today, it’s our pleasure to welcome Richard to The Authority for an enlightening discussion based on his international bestseller, Change: Learn to Love It, Learn to Lead It.Richard and Ross discuss:Questions:What is change and what makes it meaningful.How the pandemic necessitated change and changed Gen-Z’s perspective on the inevitability of change. “We are living in the first age where we no longer determine the rate of change.”How Richard navigated the change from teacher to three-time UK Business Speaker of the Year. Overcoming the fear of change caused by “imagined consequences.”What the innovation of “Total Football” shows us about embracing change. Is loving and embracing change necessary for leading it?Fear of the unknown and how authority figures will react to our own efforts at change. Overcoming artificial complexity and self-constructed barriers. CQ — the Curiosity Quotient. Richard’s next endeavours. Find Change, Simple Thinking, Creating Tomorrow’s Schools Today, and all of Richard’s other books and work at www.richardgerver.com Find Richard’s LinkedIn Learning courses, Overcoming Complexity and Developing Mental Toughness for Leadership, here.Subscribe to The Authority to get more deep-dive interviews with education authors. It’s available wherever you get your podcasts. Visit https://bepodcast.network to learn more about the Be Podcast Network for educators.About today’s guestRichard Gerver is a sought-after speaker, bestselling author, and world-renowned thinker. His career began in education, first as a teacher and then as a school principal, when he turned the fortunes of a failing school and its pupils around in just two years.Since the success of his first book, focusing on his experience in frontline education, Richard has devoted himself to advancing society’s thinking on learning, change, and how best to realize our full potential. He has since written several books on leadership and innovation, including the bestsellers Change and Simple ThinkingNow regarded as one of the world's leading thinkers on human leadership and organizational transformation, Richard has worked with an extraordinary range of people, from elite athletes to former US President Barack Obama. Named UK Business Speaker of the Year three times, Richard has been invited to speak on the world’s most recognized stages, including TED, the RSA, and the BBC.With his unique insight into our development from infants to adults, Richard helps us understand the nature of our personal and professional responses to risk, change, creativity, and development. His ability to connect experiences across many, often seemingly different, environments helps individuals’ companies and organizations expand their thinking and their perception of their own potential.Follow Richard on Twitter @richardgerver and on LinkedIn. About the hostRoss Romano is a co-founder of the Be Podcast Network and CEO of September Strategies, a consulting firm that helps organizations and high-performing leaders in the K-12 education industry communicate their vision and make strategic decisions that lead to long-term success. Connect on Twitter @RossBRomano or LinkedIn Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL, and Renaissance Learning:As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact,

Aug 14, 202356 min

S12 Ep 551Maintaining Humanity Despite AI with CJ Casciotta Transformative Principal 551

What does it mean to maintain humanity? - To practice the forgotten art of being the ordinary. - We are ok as the messy, complex meat machines we were born with. Don’t have to be personal brands. Don’t have to elevate or project or photoshop. - Reverence for the base model.- Technology does train us, regardless of what we think about that.- Have an understanding of the basis of what we have as a human.- We’ve lost the drive to imagine apart from entertainment and convenience.- We don’t have a vision of what a profile of a graduate looks like.- We need imagination for education, housing, energy.. the areas that would benefit ordinary people the most - 9 beatitudes of media technology- “Let’s just wait until the data is conclusive”- Kayfabe vs. Collective journey- Jerry Springer - Brilliant politician in Cincinnati.- Personal brand prohibited him from being a good politician- Hero’s journey is tiring.- Collective journey doesn’t have heroes. It has conductors: Ted Lasso, Encanto, and Barbie. - Teams taking down misunderstandings, and systems.- Not individual villains. People perpetuating those systems are redeemed not banished. - It’s a lot easier to ban an avatar.- Let’s teach kids new modalities. Don’t perpetuate the hero’s journey. Create collective journeys.About CJ CasciottaCJ Casciotta brings more than a decade of experience as a results-driven creative strategist and award-winning media producer.Seen by many as a trusted voice on 21st-century cultural shifts, he’s consulted and developed campaigns for presidential candidates, IPOs, startups, and Fortune 500s alike, partnering with notable brands such as MGM Studios, Delta Airlines, Sesame Street, Lululemon, and The United Nations Foundation. An accomplished media producer, he’s collaborated on projects with leading culture-makers like Ira Glass of This American Life, Seth Godin, and FoodNetwork’s Maneet Chauhan.A sought-after communicator and TEDx alumnus, he’s traveled globally speaking to creative professionals at venues like Creative Mornings, Charity: Water, and STORY. In addition, CJ’s work has been featured by Forbes, Salon, CBS, MTV, and TechCrunch. He’s the author of the book Get Weird: Discover the Surprising Secret to Making a Difference (Hachette, 2018). His next book, The Forgotten Art of Being Ordinary, releases in 2023 with BenBella Books. Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL, and Renaissance Learning:As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Aug 14, 202342 min

S12 Ep 549The Future of AI in Primary Grades with Janessa Fletcher Transformative Principal 549 #SummerofAI

Janessa Fletcher, Content Director for Education to the Core, discusses the future of AI in primary education. She explores the potential of AI in teaching reading skills, the need for supplemental resources, and the impact of technology on reading habits. Fletcher emphasizes the importance of the science of reading and personalized approaches to support students’ diverse needs.Dabbling in ChatGPTUsing it to write emailsCons - science of reading - following a scope and sequence.still figuring out what to type into chatgpt to get whatIt can be trained to do what we need, eventually.How bullish she is on developing itAligned to orton-gillingham or full foundations.Need for supplemental resources in addition toUpper elem and secondary schools.How genuine is that feedback?How does the science of reading helpRead NaturallyThis is research this is best practices.Phonics, orthographic mapping.One size doesn’t fit all.Barriers to reading: lack of support and practice, lack of resources,Tech making it so that kids don’t need to read as much.What is the future of AI as it relates to primary educationAbout Janessa FletcherJanessa Fletcher is the Content Director for Education to the Core, a primary curriculum resource creation company and primary teacher printable membership subscription service.Previous to her current role, she was a Preschool Teacher for 2 years; Kindergarten Teacher for 8 years; Instructional Coach & Interventionist for 3 years. Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL, and Renaissance Learning:As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Aug 10, 202330 min

S12 Ep 548AI Is Not A Tool, It's An Ecosystem with Kevin Shindel Transformative Principal 548 #SummerofAI

Kevin Shindel, a high school social studies teacher, discusses the impact of technology and AI in classrooms. He emphasizes the importance of understanding the purpose and potential of AI before fully adopting it. Shindel raises concerns about trust, privacy, and the need for collaboration with AI. He believes AI is not just a tool, but an ecosystem that requires careful consideration.About Kevin ShindelKevin Shindel is a high school social studies teacher with 28 years of experience. He has taken a keen interest in technology and its impact in classrooms. 10 years ago, he created a digital detox program for students, and he runs this experience every year with his kids. He’s very interested in the holistic impact of technology on students when adopted in schools. Begin with purpose.What’s the purpose of AI?Skeptic by nature.Personalization is important.Aristotle’s goldenVirtuous but vices at the extremes.How much will taxpayers be willing to pay to have teachers be hand holding and AI.What is driving the AI Push right now?MoneyPower and statusFearHubrisCan use the technology they create to solve the world’s ills.Big tech exploitations.Trust is a big issue.We need to work with Collaborators, not Service Providers.What are the problems in today’s classrooms?We don’t know the advice an AI Therapist would give.What is the problem and is this the solution?It would be difficult to replace me in a classroom right now, but these are the dumbest AI we will ever work with.AI’s carbon footprintGreatest learning tool ever created by humans. Greatest cheating tool, also.AI is not a tool. It’s an ecosystem.Unleash learning about AI before we unleash using AI.How will this affect Human relationships, privacy, data, Accessibility, hard work vs. meaningful workWhere do we have the hard work happen?Promise of offloading hard workSee people wanting to get this plane off the ground without knowing everything in there.Defining hard work is incredibly challenging.The purpose is to help someone find gainful employment.4-month exploratory window before we adopt whole heartedly.Ai is not a tool, it’s an ecosystemSee Jason Fried’s ideas about tools hereWhen AI tool is not a user error. Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL, and Renaissance Learning:As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Aug 7, 20231h 1m

S12 Ep 546How To Get Grants Using ChatGPT with Sarah Rubenstein Transformative Principal 546 #SummerofAI

Sarah Rubenstein, principal of OCEAN School, shares her experience using ChatGPT to write grant proposals. She highlights the time-consuming nature of grant writing and how ChatGPT helped her generate drafts quickly. Rubenstein believes that using AI for certain writing tasks is acceptable and efficient, freeing up time for more meaningful work.OCEAN School - 20 year-old schoolFamily partnership program school. Some learning on campus with a teacher30% in school settings. 70% with parents6–12 online program.Experiential learning opportunities.Place-based learningGrant writing is needed for that job.If you want teachers to get kids out of classrooms, need school buses and time to plan.Some grants are straightforward.Super time-consuming, read, highlight,Didn’t always get the grant.writing 20–40 pages on the grant.130K over 2 years.First time, took 4–5 days uninterrupted time. Needed to work from scratch.Only took 3–4 hours.I didn’t have to do any of the thinking.Read, objectives,Spit out the chunks in sections.Thought it would be the bestThe way chatGPT writes and the way technical grants want it to be written align well.Almost everything, take its first draft and then edit it in Google Docs.Not sure if it was cheatingWas transparent with the superintendent that she was doing it.We can’t afford grant writers.Decide if it is really coming from me.Almost anything is acceptable to use chatGPT.An article for publication somewhereIf AI can generate that assignment, why are we assigning it to them?It’s not worthy of my time.Anytime that someone asks you to write something, just open up the AI and ask it to do something.AudiopenI haven’t tried to write anything that I care enough about to not use ChatGPT.About Sarah RubensteinSarah Rubenstein is the principal for OCEAN School, a K–12 Alternative School in Port Townsend, WA. Sarah also serves at the Port Townsend School District Place Based Learning Director supporting community connected learning across the district. She is a credentialed teacher with Masters’ Degrees in Biology and Educational Leadership. Sarah has worked as a math and science teacher in Washington and California, as well as a curriculum writer, and teaching coach. Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL, and Renaissance Learning:As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Aug 6, 202340 min

S12 Ep 547Context Gives Meaning with Michael Horn Transformative Principal 547 Summer of AI Series

Today we are talking with Michael B. Horn about the impact of AI on K12 (and higher) education and it’s level of disruption. Are students more disengaged because of the pandemic or AI taking over jobs?Anxiety from high school students because it is just far enough away.In every field entry level role becomes something much different.Intermediary places that employ apprentices.Theory of interdependence and modularity.In the early years of a system, different systems have to be done by the same entity.The nature of skills and work is moving so fastBook learning has to be done interdependently with the actual work.willfully blind to the reality.Google has changed the game and so will AI.Combination of human skills with the AIHard things are still important.Habits of success, social emotional skills, soft skills, etc.What is hard may change.What is scarce may become clearer.It’s easy to get a bunch of gibberish written on the internet.What’s harder is to write something that compels others to take action.How to idenitfy hidden bias in AI.Rhetoric, philosophy, ethics and others are more important now.How we shape the AI and the code itself using ethics, philosophy.Overcorrection of humanities vs. STEM fields.Our ability to be discerning consumers is going to be more important.Are we training AI or is AI training us?Maybe knowledge is less important.Discerning what is fact vs. fiction.Information exists, knowledge gathers it, wisdom is applied knowledge, discernment is knowing when to use it.Schools seek to organize information into knowledge, smart people gain wisdom, and enlightened ones seek for discernment.Context gives meaning.Contrast give meaning.About Michael HornMichael B. Horn strives to create a world in which all individuals can build their passions and fulfill their potential through his writing, speaking, and work with a portfolio of education organizations. He is the author of several books, including the recently released From Reopen to Reinvent: (Re)creating School for Every Child; the award-winning Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns; Blended: Using Disruptive Innovation to Improve Schools; Choosing College;and Goodnight Box, a children’s story.Michael is the co-founder of and a distinguished fellow at the Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation, a non-profit think tank and an adjunct lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He cohosts the top education podcasts Future U and Class Disrupted. He is a regular contributor to Forbes.com, the New York Sun, and writes the Substack newsletter The Future of Education. Michael also serves as an executive editor at Education Next, and his work has been featured in outlets such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Harvard Business Review, and NBC. Michael serves on the board and advisory boards of a range of education organizations, including Imagine Worldwide, Minerva University, the LearnLaunch Institute, and Guild Education, and is a venture partner at NextGen Venture Partners.Michael was selected as a 2014 Eisenhower Fellow to study innovation in education in Vietnam and Korea, and Tech&Learning magazine named him to its list of the 100 most important people in the creation and advancement of the use of technology in education. Michael holds a BA in history from Yale University and an MBA from the Harvard Business School. Previous Episodes with Michael HornDisrupting Class with Michael Horn Transformative Principal 202 - Transformative Principal with Jethro JonesBlended Learning with Michael Horn Transformative Principal 203 - Transformative Principal with Jethro JonesTransformative Principal | Choosing College with Michael Horn Transformative Principal 295Transformative Principal | Tackling the Teacher Shortage Problem with Michael Horn, Charles Fournier and Kevin Stoller Transformative Principal 525 Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL, and Renaissance Learning:As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I s

Aug 4, 202339 min

S12 Ep 545Creating Learning Experiences with AI with Caleb Hicks Transformative Principal 545 #SummerofAI

In this podcast episode with Caleb Hicks, the focus is on creating learning experiences with AI. The discussion revolves around empowering teachers to move beyond traditional methods and become designers of engaging environments for students. The use of AI-powered apps and FERPA-compliant chat platforms are highlighted as tools to enhance student experiences. The concept of “spaces” is introduced, allowing teachers to create personalized learning adventures for their students. The episode also touches on the benefits of using AI for tasks like SAT prep and streamlining administrative duties for teachers. Overall, the conversation emphasizes the importance of prioritizing meaningful connections with students and designing environments that foster engaging learning experiences.How do you make decisions around this for what you create for teachers?School and education is a human-first endeavorTalking about career exploration.Magnifying the work that teachers do.Teacher busy-work vs. meaningful work.Frictionless first draftTeachers are stuck in this traditional overloaded position.Allowing teachers to move into the role of designer.2 things that should take priority for teachers: connection with students and anything that is designing the environment to help students create meaningful learning experiences.Getting your classroom to be engaging is no easy feat.There are steps on the journey to be engaging.Lecture/worksheet/canvas quiz process.Spaces - AI powered apps for student learning experiences.FERPA-compliant chat for teachersHow can we move beyond the quiz or worksheet to feel what it is like to make decisions as a colonial soldier?Space is like Choosing your own adventure for different scenarios.Template, Spanish cafe.Every student gets their own personal experience in the spaces.SAT Prep tutorsBellringer check in and exit ticket - pulse checks.Response from early users of SchoolAI.First question: how can we have a FERPA-compliant chatGPT experience?Next: action buttons - write a newsletter, prepare a lesson plan, etc. Making it so teachers didn’t have to be prompt engineers.Spaces - choose your own adventure - all teachers can create their own spaces.About Caleb HicksCaleb Hicks is an experienced educator, founder, and angel investor, boasting over 15 years of expertise in instructional design, learning experience design, educational leadership, and early-stage startups.Presently, Caleb leads SchoolAI, a venture dedicated to developing AI-powered tools tailored for teachers and school administrators, aimed at transforming educational institutions into extraordinary environments. Alongside his commitment to SchoolAI, Caleb is the esteemed founder of Factor, a non-profit organization that empowers students to explore various careers and lifestyles by facilitating their collaboration with professionals from renowned companies such as Apple, SpaceX, and the San Antonio Spurs. Caleb continues to provide ongoing support to Factor, nurturing its mission. Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL, and Renaissance Learning:As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove stu

Aug 3, 202343 min

S12 Ep 544Errorless Learning with Dr. Paul Gavoni Transformative Principal 544 #SummerofAI

Dr. Paul Govani, an expert in human performance and coaching, emphasizes the importance of errorless learning and the role of AI in education. He believes that teachers need more practice and feedback to be effective, and that regular feedback for students is crucial for learning. Dr. Govani also discusses the need for tight feedback loops and the use of simulations to prepare teachers.Errorless learningMaking sure that students don’t make mistakesGradual releaseAI can play a huge part in improving educationThe human element cannot be removed from education.Learning happens from the environment.Replace learningGives teachers a different role.Education holds the key to successWe’re not doing a very good job educating our educators.Too much theory, too little modeling, too little feedback.Simulations hold the key to getting teachers ready to do the work of being a teacher.Practice vs. game time.Leaders get even less practice.Got to equip people with knowledge and skills in the teacher programIf you start blaming people, you aren’t doing scienceYou can’t learn on the job.Prepare them to a certain level and then support them.Teachers are being dropped into the classroom before they are actually ready.2 parts of the assessment.Kids need regular feedback - positive and correctiveDelay in that feedback delays learning.Have teachers enhance learning through their activities.Admin has management ratios that are too high.Frequency count of skillsPeople need tight feedback loops.Why measuring opportunities to respond works behaviorally.Pick one or two structures a week.Discretionary effortHow to give tight feedback loopsPreplanned correctionsSocial validity - how do people feel?Survey data that’s not going back to the leader, but going back to the coach. Give them the why.The 5 LawsWhat kind of questions should we be asking?Are we moving in the right direction, being supported? Look for leading indicators.Connect with Paulie here.Professional Crisis ManagementAbout Paul GovaniAn expert in human performance, coaching, and organizational leadership, Dr. Paul “Paulie” Gavoni has worked in education and human services for 20 years.He has served in a variety of positions including COO, Leadership Director, Assistant Principal, School Turnaround Manager, Clinical Coordinator, Therapist, Behavior Analyst, and Adjunct Professor at IRSC, FAU, and NSU. Beyond his direct work with students in poverty and those suffering from behavioral and mental health issues, Dr. Gavoni specializes in providing administrative teams, teachers, and staff with training, coaching, and consultation with analyzing and developing behavior and performance management systems to positively impact key performance indicators. As a behavior scientist, Dr. Gavoni is passionate about applying organizational behavior management (OBM) strategies to establish positive environments that engage and bring out the best in people so they can bring out the best in the children they serve.Former fighter and golden gloves heavy-weight coaching. He uses the science of human behavior to train fighters. He’s also a wall street journal and new york times best selling authorDr. Paul “Paulie” Gavoni is a behavior scientist specializing in human performance, coaching, and organizational leadership who has worked across education, human services, and sports for over two decades. In this capacity, he served the needs of children and adults in various positions including COO, Vice President, Director of School Improvement, Leadership Director, Professor, Assistant Principal, School Turnaround Manager, Clinical Coordinator, Lead Therapist, Trainer, Coach, and Behavior Analyst. Dr. Gavoni is passionate about applying Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and Organizational Behavior Management (OBM) strategies to lead and help other leaders establish positive and engaging environments across industries that bring out the best in people. He is a Board Member of the Opioid Awareness Foundation and The World Behavior Analysis Day Alliance. Known for his authenticity and practical approaches, Dr. Gavoni hosts the Thoughts & Rants of a Behavior Scientist and the Crisis in Education Podcasts. He is also a sought-out speaker at a variety of Educational, Sports, and Behavior Analytic Conferences and co-author of Wall Street Journal and USA Today’s Best-Selling The 5 Scientific Laws of Life & Leadership: Behavioral Karma; Quick Wins! Accelerating School Transformation through Science, Engagement, and Leadership; Deliberate Coaching: A Toolbox for Accelerating Teacher Performance (#1 Amazon Best Seller); MMA Science: A Training, Coaching, & Belt Ranking Guide (#1 Amazon New Release), and QUICK Responses to Misbehavior for Reducing Misbehavior and Suspensions (#1 Amazon Best Seller). In addition, he is currently preparing How to Determine if Your Leadership is $hitty. Dr. Gavoni is proud to introduce ABA & OBM to a massive audience through his numerous publications. Beyond his work

Aug 1, 202344 min

S12 Ep 543If The Science Of Reading Is Settled, Why Are We Still Having Teachers Instead Of AI Teaching Kids To Read? with Emily Garcia Transformative Principal 543

In this podcast episode, primary educator and entrepreneur Emily Garcia discusses the science of reading and the role of teachers versus AI in teaching children to read. While there is systemic and explicit phonics-based instruction that is necessary for effective reading instruction, there are also many factors that prevent AI from being able to fully replace teachers. Teachers provide multiple inputs and value in partner reading and are necessary for building a classroom community and managing the classroom. However, when applicable, teachers should use AI as a tool to enhance their teaching methods. The decision of when to use AI should be made during PLCs and based on what is working for the students.This episode is brought to you by AILeader.info, where you can learn all about AI specifically in a place designed for educators through 3-minute masterclasses. Science of readingSystemic and explicit phonics-based instruction.Just too many factors that preventIt is so highly technicalAI cannot detect CVC and otherDo we still need the teachers?Multiple input from having a teacher there.Value in partner readingHuman standpoint: How do we attack this word?The scope and sequence are over 100 pages.AI cannot comprehend yet all that has to be done.Illustrations, clip art, and more.Teachers are amazing, and we’ll never be able to replace teachers with AI or a bot.instant gratification vs. instant feedback.Incredibly difficult to teach phonics.Teachers have to be there for the class to run smoothly.With no teacher, there’s no community.Classroom management vs. classroom community.You don’t have to be as great at teaching methods if you are great at building community.When applicable, teachers should absolutely be using AI.Teachers have to decide when it is appropriate.This feels a lot like technology in the 90s and 2000s.How to determine when AI should be used or not used? During PLCs, it’s about the conversation and how people are using AI and what is working.About Emily GarciaEmily Garcia is a primary educator, a passionate advocate for quality education, and a visionary entrepreneur. With her unwavering commitment to revolutionalize the educational landscape, Emily has made a significant impact by founding Education to the Core, an organization that has served over 500,000 classrooms worldwide. Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL, and Renaissance Learning:As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Jul 10, 202336 min

S12 Ep 541Using Data To Find The Perfect College with Dave Hurwitt Summer of AI Series Transformative Principal 541

Dave Hurwitt is an innovator. Over the course of his career, he’s led the development and launch of new products and services – from toothpicks to wind turbines – that have generated well over $1 billion in sales. Having worked in admissions through grad school, he was amazed by how little technology and the internet had impacted the college search and admissions process. And even more, he was dismayed to discover how often students were transferring or dropping out altogether. In early 2020, this led directly to his founding Troove, a 2-sided, AI-powered platform to help students discover their passions, people, and place based on the real experiences of recent alumni and current higher education students.This episode is brought to you by AILeader.info, where you can learn all about AI specifically in a place designed for educators through 3-minute masterclasses. How Troove worksTake the idea of suggestions from Netflix or Amazon and apply it to college.15-minute quiz, how do you ask the right questions to get the answers that make sense of the patterns?At any school, there is an in and out of the classroom experience and culture.Less self-awareness.Finding experts who can explain psychological safety.Keep layering in more and more data.Social culture preferences and learning culture preferences.Doesn’t have to be complete to start.Continue to explore the good stuff.Open to sharing data and information about yourself.Willingness to share and age are tightly correlated.How can we make that sharing of information safer, data safe, and help them see themselves more clearly?Incomplete information about schools without complete information.Making informed decisions about their future.Is this too complicated?Start taking steps - the request: go explore new technologies that might be useful that we can afford to trial.Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good.Just get started.Connect with Dave Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL, and Renaissance Learning:As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Jul 4, 202333 min

S12 Ep 542Bot's Up, Doc? with Jethro Jones Transformative Principal 542

In this episode, Jethro and Fred discuss chatbots and artificial intelligence. The episode covers the history of chatbots, including the Turing Test and the development of Large Language Models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT, Bing, and Jasper. The potential uses and issues with chatbots are explored, including incomplete or misinformation, theft of intellectual property, inappropriate uses, and threats to various types of jobs. The episode also touches on the impact of chatbots on education and the potential for the weaponization of disinformation, cybersecurity, and more emotion-targeted advertising.Beginning of Cybertraps Podcast Episode IndexWritebettr.com - test out AI with your poorly written emailsAILeader.info - learn about AI and how to use it to save time with 3-minute masterclasses.Today’s Topic: Bot’s Up, Doc?Keynote delivered at last minute for Alaska Society for Technology in EducationArtificial Life and Artificial IntelligenceWhy chatbots are NOT “artificial intelligence” – yet“The Father of Chat”The Turing TestAlan Turing OBE FRS [1912–1954] – British mathematician and computer scientistLeader in the development of computer and algorithmic theoryAt Bletchley Park, helped design a machine to crack the Enigma code1950 – Turing devises The Turing Test:Can a computer produce answers indistinguishable from a human?The Imitation Game1954 – Turing commits suicideLarge Language Models (LLMs)ChatGPT (esp. 4)BingJasperembedded AIPhotoshopGoogle Workspaceincredibly rapid changeCurrent ChatGPT IssuesIncomplete Data or MisinformationTheft of Intellectual PropertyInappropriate UsesResponse to MSU ShootingThreat to Various Types of JobsMid-to Lower-Level TechMedia / PR ProfessionalsCustomer ServiceParalegals / Attorneys?Religious Leaders?MonetizationA Quick Object LessonCensorship Is a Biz-KillChina Was a Tech Leader in the 2010sWeChatAliPayBeijing (CCP) Got NervousParty Officials Took Corporate SeatsThe goal Was to Limit Social InfluenceChinese Tech Companies Slashed Investment in Pure ResearchChatGPT and EducationA Flawed Resource for StudentsIncomplete InformationMisinformationKids Will Use Technology to CheatNot the First Time …Several Schools Have Had Cheating ScandalsNYC Blocked, then Unblocked, Access to ChatGPTResponses and SolutionsTools for Identifying Chat-Generated ContentIncorporate Chat Critiques into CurriculaThe Revenge of the Palmer Method?Create Assessments that ChatGPT Can’t AnswerThe Parade of HorriblesWeaponization of DisinformationCybersecuritySocial EngineeringScams and SpamsManipulative SuggestionsIntegration with Other TechnologiesMore Emotion-Targeted AdvertisingDisplaced Emotional RelationshipsPersonalized Chatbot (“Amanuensis”)Fasten Your Seat Belt. It’s Going to Be a Bumpy Night. Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL, and Renaissance Learning:As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Jul 3, 202333 min

S12 Ep 540The Future is Now Summer of AI Series on Transformative Principal with Nancy Giordano Episode 540

Based in wonder and optimism, Nancy Giordano is an exponential strategist focused on building a safe, inclusive, thriving future. Believing we have a once in a generation opportunity to rethink, reimagine and reshape every industry and social construct we call life, she supports and champions those actively architecting bold solutions and guides the visionary leaders eager to meet this call. An active strategist working on horizon solutions, Nancy is eager to share her insights on emerging technologies and shifting cultural expectations in ways that get everyone deeply motivated by the possibilities…and confident to start building.This episode is brought to you by AILeader.info, where you can learn all about AI specifically in a place designed for educators through 3-minute masterclasses. Life hack - make up your jobJob is labeled or definedCan’t use a map anymore, so we need a compass - What does the future need and expect, and what am I in a unique position to create and contributeCompass allows you to sense and respondpurpose and intentionlenses to the future - personal, community, societyexpectations and opportunities as a member of the communityWatched the movie “Her”It didn’t come out of nowhereSpeech that can be fabricated See Episode 537History teachers may be best prepared.LiteraciesDreams and the role they play in our psychological well-beingJoined an AI startup 8 years ago.Humanity Bill of RightsHow do we build better decision-making framingDavid Ogilvy - give me the freedom of a tightly defined strategy.We can all agree on these 10–12 thingsSAMR ModelThe more students have to go outside the system for what they think is important the less the value is that degree.It’s a tool that helps usWhat are the use cases for AI?Responsible AI instituteScale the conversation around ethicsAlgorithm and dataHuge structural changesTeachers who have it are that much more impactful and great.Part of the reason we have a mental health crisis is that kids don’t feel totally prepared for the future.Gravitate towards those who are preparing us well.SWOT Analysis - RIFF Map - Relieved, inspired, frustrated, FearfulThings you’re frightened byHead to nancygiordano.com and check out the book LEADERing.Summer of AI - learn all about AI in a safe, supportive community focused on school leaders and applications of AI to school environments - aileader.info Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL, and Renaissance Learning:As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Jun 29, 202334 min

S12 Ep 539Using AI in Turnaround Schools with Dr. Scott Neil Transformative Principal 539

This episode is part of the Summer of AI series presented by AILeader.info. AILeader.info makes the abstract actionable by helping you stay on the cutting edge with 3-minute masterclasses that teach you what you need to know about AI in just 3 minutes or less. To join, go to AILeader.infoGot key people to be successful. Curriculum alignment Instructional rigor advanced models for schools Teacher Planning - is the source of what teachers are doing. Is ChatGPT the best for lesson planning? More advanced models exist. Machine Learning will actually remember the moves and methods of a teacher. Almost like having a coach built into your model. Bard with Google ASU+GSV conferenceFineTune - If you’re serious, you need better language models. Provides references to everything that it creates. School districts can go in with more confidence because there is less bias. AI is going to be the path. Dual challenge for school districts - figure out a policy on AI Don’t worry about AI taking your job, worry about the person who knows AI taking your job. You can control AI and put parameters around it. Intervention plans for students at the completion of a lesson. The human element goes into what are the rules you’re telling the AI to do. Make a strategic plan to get AI out there in a sensible way. AI models in SEL 90% of the time Teaching people how to be good prompt engineers Explain it to me like you’re a consultant. Jasper for CopywritingMachine Learning - it learns what you’re looking for. Mazy pulls from four different types of sources How to be careful about what you adopt. How this should be impacting teaching and learning. People are thinking that kids are cheating. Aligning to the 21st century world of work. Global achievement gap. What are the skills kids are going to need? Kids need the assistance of a teacher when they are stuck. Why wouldn’t we have AI take the place of teachers if the AI can do it better? What is a teacher going to be in the future? We had a chance to make a real impact Just design a great lesson. - #1 thing that catches kids up 3 years in 1 year - is feedback.- Ego-involved feedback vs. task-involved feedback.- Data’s getting stale - 48 hours- How to make sure teachers have time to do what they need.- Lead180.com- educompass.appAbout Scott NeilDr. Scott Neil is a nationally recognized expert in the area of school turnaround with a focus on Data-Driven Instruction and instructional leadership. With a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and 20 years of school and district leadership experience in urban education, Scott has led the turnaround of five different urban schools in Florida over his 31-year career in education. Dr. Neil spent six years working as a national subject matter expert, training facilitator, and principal coach with the national nonprofit organization New Leaders, whose mission is to prepare educators to become transformational school principals across eleven cities within the United States. Scott founded LEAD180 in 2014 to help provide support to schools across the country in the area of instructional planning and the alignment to the Cognitive Rigor of College and Career Ready Standards.Bringing a unique combination of deep experience as both a practitioner and researcher in the field of school leadership within high poverty school settings, Scott has trained and mentored over 400 principals, 400 emerging school leaders, and over 5,000 teachers over the course of his career. Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL, and Renaissance Learning:As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-

Jun 23, 202341 min

S12 Ep 538How Superintedents are Approaching AI with Jeremy Tucker Transformative Principal Summer of AI Series Episode 538

Dr. Tucker brings a unique perspective with a lifetime of learning experiences overseas and in the United States. Having grown up traveling back and forth between Africa and the United States he experienced a variety of learning environments. He credits his mom, his first homeschool teacher, teachers at an international school, and numerous Missouri educators for his decision to pursue a career in education. His experiences have influenced his commitment to designing learner-centered educational experiences.He currently serves as the Superintendent of Liberty Public Schools. During his time in LPS, the District opened EPiC Elementary (2022 National Blue Ribbon School), partnered with industry to create Kansas City Tech Academy, established the UnSchool Challenge, and rolled out several micro schools including HMS by Design, EDGE, North Nation By Design, and Warren Hills Reimagined. These innovations evolved through a commitment to answering the question, “What does it mean to be learner-centered?” and always thinking about what lies at the edge of vision. In 2017 Liberty Public Schools was accepted into the Digital Promise League of Innovative Schools. League districts pioneer innovative learning and leadership practices that lead to improved outcomes for students and that help prepare them for learning for life.Moving closer to the “edge of vision,” Dr. Tucker has led the LPS community in designing a Graduate Profile, establishing a Vivid Vision, development of an equity-centered strategic plan, and advanced Real World Learning networks across the Kansas City metropolitan area.Dr. Tucker was identified as a “20 to Watch” educator for 2016–2017 by the National School Boards Association. In 2019, Dr. Tucker was named the 2019 Missouri Superintendent of the Year.This episode is brought to you by AILeader.info, where you can learn all about AI specifically in a place designed for educators through 3-minute masterclasses. Understanding what we mean by Artificial intelligence and how rapidly it is evolving.How do we leverage our data in a better way?How might we leverage artificial intelligenceJobs that could be created vs jobs eliminated.It’s about how we do our jobs.It’s important to have ourLeveraging group think and group feedback to get to the sentiment ofMaking qualitiative data quantifiableInteroperability of systems - Could AI help our systems communicateWord CloudsValuable skill that could be lost? Did I really capture everything?Allowing people to get their hands dirty with the feedback.How do we make sure that people have the ability to live in bothGIGO garbage in garbage out.Machine learning in the computerDon’t want to miss the critical thinking piece where they just take the CSV file without understanding how things are working.AI is not an emerging field,It’s accelerating. It’s probably worth recognizing we’re all learners.We’re fairly progressiveCare for the present and enabling the future.At times we’re learning or leading.how does this fit into my content area or my grade level?ChatGPTHow do I integrate this into my classwork?Is there any difference between a teacher using ChatGPT and and Teachers Pay TeachersOER district, using available-online curriculum.Really understand the validity of the resourceTraditional Resource Adoption vs. OER resource adoption.Curricular teams have choiceProfessional development, how to navigate that.How teachers will look at educational resources and professional developmentField trips for admin & teachers to learn from other industries.What do we learn from other industries?For what experiences is there no substitute?Starts with human elements, and then we slide in the academic areas.Engagement - how do we ensure that everyone is engaged? Improving 2 way communication and engagement opportunities.How to connect with Jeremy - LPS53.org, follow on jtucker.tmOER expert - Jeannette Westfall - Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL, and Renaissance Learning:As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that

Jun 19, 202338 min

S12 Ep 537APLUS framework for adopting AI with Jethro Jones Summer of AI Series Transformative Principal 537

In this episode, Jethro Jones introduces the Summer of AI Series on Transformative Principal. All summer, we’ve got some great interviews scheduled to come out with believers, skeptics, and everyone in between all about AI. See the APLUS framework hereJoin the conversation by joining our Facebook group hereAnd, Jethro also shares the AILeader.info resource, a membership site to help you learn how to save time and energy by learning how to use AI most effectively as a school leader. Join here. Jethro also shares the APLUS framework for adopting AI in schools: Accessibility: Ensure that AI-driven educational tools and resources are accessible to all learners, regardless of their backgrounds, abilities, or disabilities. Design AI systems that accommodate diverse learning styles and provide inclusive learning experiences for all students.Privacy and Ethics: Uphold strong ethical standards in the design, development, and deployment of AI technologies in education. Safeguard student privacy, ensuring transparent data collection and usage practices. Proactively address bias, fairness, and accountability concerns to maintain trust and protect the rights of learners.Learner-centricity: Place learners at the center of AI integration in education. Prioritize their well-being, agency, and autonomy in the learning process. Promote critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills while using AI as a supportive tool rather than a replacement for human interaction and guidance. This means that we cannot implement tools that make teachers’ lives easier if it actually makes students’ lives worse! One of the things that I have been hearing a lot of lately is that adults want to use AI to help them do their jobs, but at the same time want to prevent students from using AI and start calling it plagiarism or academic dishonestly. OK for me, but not for thee, is a bad way to approach this new technology. Usability: Develop AI-based educational tools and platforms that are user-friendly and intuitive for both students and educators. Prioritize simplicity, clear interfaces, and streamlined experiences, enabling easy adoption and minimizing technical barriers for all stakeholders.Sustainability: Consider the long-term impact and sustainability of AI integration in education. Embrace scalable and cost-effective solutions that benefit educational institutions and accommodate future advancements. Promote environmental sustainability by optimizing energy consumption and minimizing electronic waste.These principles, known as APLUS, emphasize the importance of privacy, ethics, and responsible data practices in AI integration in education. By prioritizing accessibility, learner-centricity, usability, and sustainability alongside privacy and ethics, we can create an educational environment that harnesses the power of AI while ensuring the well-being and rights of learners are protected. Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL, and Renaissance Learning:As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for t

Jun 12, 202319 min

S11 Ep 536Helping Staff Come into a New School with Eric Makelky and Jethro Jones Transformative Principal 536

This is a continuation of our coaching calls with Eric Makelky. Please check our previous episodes 532527523 519 514, 510, 506, and 501In this episode, we talk about onboarding new staff. What Eric has done that has been helpful.District duties and Principal duties.How do we make people stick around?New Teacher Academy - in-house teachers come in and model, share, and showcase practices from their classroom.In-house people leading these things.Half-day around the building - basic information.Make a list, and trickle in during the summer.And what do they really need to be ready for the first day of school?Resources, curriculum, plan, classroom management.Big Picture vs. Details.How do you do that?Trello Board about onboardingHow do you avoid overwhelming them?Identify what is really valuable and what is extraMentoring new teachersHow do you not force mentoring on teachers?Collaborative teams within PLCs.Solid mentorMentorship is done according to the needs of the menteeIt’s about mentoring culture not just pedagogy.Have retired teachers come and be mentors when appropriate. Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL, and Renaissance Learning:As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Jun 6, 202339 min

S11 Ep 535Building Momentum with Danny Bauer Transformative Principal 535

Danny Bauer is a Principal Development & Retention ExpertBest Selling AuthorAnd Host of Two of the World’s Most Downloaded PodcastsAs the Chief Ruckus Maker, he founded Better Leaders Better Schools in 2015.In this episode, we talk about his new book and other various and random things. Why an experimental mindset is so important.Deliver a result in as few words as possibleBuild Leadership MomentumGift yourself a 3-hour deep work blockPerfect principal entry planJohn Unger - after I started this all the stress was gone.Should veteran school leaders still pick up this book?How to get out of your own head?Imagine worst-case scenarios.I’ve already imagined worse than this.What would it take for you to hold this with an open hand?Outcomes are never in your control, inputs are.5 categories within the framework - start with the individual school leader, ruckus maker mindset tool.Everything else builds on top of each other and leads toSignificant and legacy work is not found in operations.The mark you leave on a campus is found on the other parts besidesBreaking up the entry plan to focus on significant time periods.Each campus is different and has unique needs.Take actionHow to turn off the noise.Get the book here: buildleadershipmomentum.comBonuses: Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL, and Renaissance Learning:As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Jun 1, 202343 min

S11 Ep 534From Conflict to Collaboration with Dr. Robert Feirsen and Dr Seth Weitzman Transformative Principal 534

In this episode, we talk with Dr. Robert Feirsen and Dr. Seth Weitzman about their new book From Conflict to Collaboration: A School Leader’s Guide to Unleashing Conflict’s Problem-Solving Power.We talk about how to avoid conflict, the three A’s to approach conflict, and much more.About the GuestsDr. Robert Feirsen is currently an associate professor and coordinator of the Educational Leadership Program at Manhattanville College. Previously, he was assistant professor and chair of the Education Department at the New York Institute of Technology. A former SAANYS member, Dr. Feirsen enjoyed a distinguished career in P-12 schools. As a school building leader in Westchester and Nassau Counties, he served as an elementary school principal, a middle school assistant principal, and a middle school principal. At the central office level, he served as an assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, deputy superintendent, and superintendent of schools. Dr. Feirsen taught at the elementary, middle, and high school levels as a social studies and special education teacher in schools in New York City before moving into supervisory roles. Dr. Feirsen holds an Ed.D. from Fordham University. Dr. Feirsen’s research interests include addressing organizational conflict, the school principal-school counselor relationship, principal and teacher retention, the relationship between psychological ownership and professional learning, college readiness, and the applications of design thinking. His research and other articles have been published in a number of academic journals, as well as Educational Leadership and Education Week. Dr. Feirsen has led workshops at such venues as ASCD, the American School Counselor Association (ASCA), the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE), and the American Educational Research Association (AERA). With Seth Weitzman, he has presented at national and statewide conferences including ASCD, the New York State Council of School Superintendents (NYSCOSS), and the New York Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (NYACTE). Seth Weitzman is also the co-author of From Conflict to Collaboration: A School Leader’s Guide to Unleashing Conflict’s Problem-Solving Power and How to Get the Teaching Job You Want.Dr. Seth Weitzman sat in a middle school principal’s chair for 27 years in Nassau and Westchester counties. Leadership positions included co-president of the Mamaroneck administrators’ union, president of the Nassau County, and later, the Westchester County Middle School Principals’ Association, and a New York State Middle-Level Liaison (a working group of principals representing every county and BOCES in New York State meeting with NYSED officials). Together with Dr. Robert Feirsen, he is the co-author of two books: How to Get the Teaching Job You Want and From Conflict to Collaboration: A School Leader’s Guide to Unleashing Conflict’s Problem-Solving Power. He is either author or co-author of a number of articles published in national education journals including Educational Leadership and American Middle-Level Education Magazine. Drs. Feirsen and Weitzman have presented in numerous professional association conferences at the county, state, and local levels (e.g. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, American Association of School Personnel Administrators, New York State Middle School Association, New York State Association of Teacher Educators) and graduate-level classes (Teachers College, Bank Street College of Education). He is currently Senior Instructor in the Mercy College Educational Leadership Department. His 40-year education career began teaching elementary school and middle school in Connecticut and New York City. He holds an EdD from Teachers College, Columbia University. Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL, and Renaissance Learning:As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Ma

May 29, 202346 min

S11 Ep 533Designing a Student-Driven CTE School with Shelley Groves Transformative Principal 533

Shelley Groves is an assistant superintendent of a Career Technical Education Planning District in Ohio. In this podcast, she shares her experiences with CTE, work-based learning experiences, how she keeps kids from failing, and how she has changed the curriculum to give students more choice while still focusing on the standards. She also talks about the collaboration between the two campuses and the Focus Friday pilot program that has helped to build more effective relationships.In Ohio, CTE can be delivered several different ways: career technical planning districtOne exceptional experience. 2 campuses, Fairfield and Franklin CountiesOnly juniors and seniors.From career exploration to workforce development.How far do kids have to travel. 1 hour bus ride for some.Perkins funding comes with CTE.Required to have work-based learning experiences.Failure is not an option.My students don’t fail, because I don’t give them an option.Kids are leaving and working on the job.AASA last year - listening to one of the speakers. Why are we afraid to ask for student feedback.What are we afraid they are going to say?Looking at our curriculum, students who come here are hands-on, but over the past years, our academic model didn’t reflect what’s happening in our CTE labs.How do we help students love the academic model?Gave students Children’s literature class and Inquiry passion projects based on their own interests.Some students don’t report to campus at all.Stopped doing English 11 and started giving kids more choice so they could focus on the standards.Scary thing for teachers because they have to learn with the students.The teacher already knows the standards.Are you getting what you need from this class?Two campuses - struggling with collaboration.Two schools working independently of each other.Teachers wondering if they are going to go through it every year?How do we make classes sufficient so that kids can do things in any section or period?Applied academics - kids who are in construction go to each of their classes together.Students’ concerns are that they don’t want to be identified by just their program.Pilot Program - Focus Fridays - no classes on those days, different sessions you can attend.How different classes have helped teachers build more effective relationships.Kids really feel like the school is committed to them as an individual.Passion for learning, what better way to model this than to give kids opportunities to do what classes they want.Applications are up by 300 students.Lots of communication behind the “Why”How can you fix the academic part of it?Why are we teaching what we’re teaching and how are we teaching it?How to be a transformative Principal? Try something new. Model something new for your staff and don’t give up.About our GuestShelley Groves has been in education for 25 years, started as teacher of math and now overseeing curriculum as assistant superintendent of a CTE Planning District. They serve 16 schools districts About our HostJethro Jones, 2017 Digital Principal of the Year, is a former principal and founder of the BE Podcast Network. He is also the author of the books How to be a Transformative Principal and SchoolX: How principals can design a transformative school experience for students, teachers, parents – and themselves! Jethro currently speaks around the country on a variety of subjects from principal leadership to student driven learning. Jethro has worked as a principal at all K–12 levels, including a prison school, a district coach, distance learning team lead, and English teacher. Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL, and Renaissance Learning:As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks

May 24, 202341 min

S11 Ep 532Dealing with Difficult Parents with Eric Makelky and Jethro Jones Transformative Principal 532

This is a continuation of our coaching calls with Eric Makelky. Please check in our previous episodes 527, 523, 519, 514, 510, 506, and 501In this episode we talk about dealing with difficult parents. - Celebration - Just calling someone who applied. - Someone applying - Reaching out immediately - Making it personal. - Parents - How to get them on your team? - 25–30 parents now on the advisory council. - Challenges with parents - Being a successful principal is about being popular and making everyone happy. - Parents can be really challenging. - Education is the parents’ responsibility and we are here to help out. - What about when there isn’t a reason? - I’m recording this conversation…Me, too. - Would you like me to send a copy to you? - Intimidation approaches - Next time: so many things to learn that I didn’t have things in place for helping new staff. How do I help new staff transition in? Sponsors Transformative Principal MastermindLead a school everyone can be proud of.Being a principal is tough work. You’re pulled in all kinds of directions. You never have the time to do the work that really matters. Join me as I help school leaders find the time to do the work they became principals to do.I help you stop putting out fires and start leading.Learn more at https://transformativeprincipal.com Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL, and Renaissance Learning:As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

May 8, 202336 min

S11 Ep 531Implementing Distributive Leadership with Jack Arend Transformative Principal 531

Jack Arend joined the AWSP team in July 2019. He has served in education since 1989 as an elementary, middle and high school music teacher. He began his building leadership career in the fall of 2006 as the principal of Peter G. Schmidt Elementary in the Tumwater School District. After eleven years in the principalship, he served two years at the Central Office level overseeing multiple content areas and mentoring first year teachers. Jack and his wife are both graduates of Washington State University. Jack received his Masters Degree from Western Washington University and his Administrative credentials from Seattle Pacific University. Jack and his wife Brenda enjoy living in the Olympia area and love spending time with their three children, Amanda, Emily, and Thomas. The Move Up Workshop online version is now closed, but if you are interested, you can join the waitlist at my web site Move Up workshop Do you see your school vision in your classroom observations Professional Learning is self-care for the school leader. Self-care is how you get your power back. From aspiring to retiring School Leadership matters Are there systems set up that allow you to leave? Can you schedule an in-person event and not feel guilty. Distributive leadership Saddened when people can’t go There’s no “coverage for my building” so I can’t go. Learning is a part of our job. Schools are big machines to keep running. It’s no small job that schools run efficiently every day. Every moving part is not contingent on moving the wheel. It doesn’t always have to be the school leader. I thought I was there to take things off their plates. Delegation Giving people opportunities for others enables me to do other things Trust can take so long to develop and take split second to break Trust is like walking on a glass tabletop. Start with honesty and clarity Not taking things off my plate that should be on my plate. Let it happen, and don’t micromanage. “How’d it go?” Drafting a master schedule example What are their parameters, and what is out of bounds? Importance of understanding the task. People want to have a voice How to be a transformative principal? Get to know your people. It’s 100% relational. Sponsors Transformative Principal Mastermind Lead a school everyone can be proud of. Being a principal is tough work. You’re pulled in all kinds of directions. You never have the time to do the work that really matters. Join me as I help school leaders find the time to do the work they became principals to do. I help you stop putting out fires and start leading. Learn more at https://transformativeprincipal.com Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL, and Renaissance Learning:As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

May 1, 202341 min

S11 Ep 530How to Make Today a Win with Ryan Henton Transformative Principal 530

Ryan Henton is the Assistant Principal at 450-student Castle Rock High School. He’s in his 15th year as an educator and his first year as an administrator. Previous to administration, he was an English teacher teaching everything from 6th grade to English AP, in California and now in Castle Rock. In this episode, we talk about Ryan’s experience at the Move Up workshop which you can join virtually starting next week! Worksheet hanging on his wall. Helped me focus more learning on the job is so fast and furious. Show up Lead Up, Level Up Ryan’s one thing is “How to make today a WIN.” Moving from Prevention to Promotion mindset. Focusing on his destination. Did I make the right move? So many hats to wear and so many things to do. I always went home feeling not successful. The workshop helped me see things in a different way. Connecting with other assistant principals. Format | Calendar | popped up | | ———– | ———————- | | Podcast | bullying investigation | | JV Practice | Meet with parents | This workshop was an upgrade in my thinking! Making me think and reflect day-to-day Forces me to reassess my goals for that day. How the one thing has impacted his leadership The principal has seen it, but he isn’t sure if the staff sees it. My world was my classroom Your classroom is your priority. I’ve become more attentive, more focused Important to you, but not important to the whole How to be a transformative principal? Lean into your strengths! Sponsors Transformative Principal Mastermind Lead a school everyone can be proud of. Being a principal is tough work. You’re pulled in all kinds of directions. You never have the time to do the work that really matters. Join me as I help school leaders find the time to do the work they became principals to do. I help you stop putting out fires and start leading. Learn more at https://transformativeprincipal.com Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL, and Renaissance Learning:As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Apr 26, 202332 min

S1 Ep 530An Interview With Jethro and Lynn Hardin from the Principal Purpose Podcast

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In this interview, Jethro talks with Lynn Hardin about the Move Up Workshop. Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL, and Renaissance Learning:As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Apr 25, 202336 min

S11 Ep 529Every Teacher an Intervention Expert with Shaun Cornwall Transformative Principal 529

On this episode we talk about the Move Up Workshop, where you will learn how to show up, lead up and level up so you can move up. Are you ready to move up? Take the 2-minute assessment here and see for yourself. Shaun Cornwall is a seasoned educator and administrator dedicated to delivering top-notch education to all learners. Shaun embraces a well-rounded approach to education, focusing on academic, engineering, artistic, wellness, and social-emotional aspects. With a 20-year background in education, he has served as an Assistant Principal, Dean of Students, and elementary-level classroom teacher. He is currently serving as an assistant principal in the issaquah school district. Shaun has a knack for incorporating technology into learning environments and has successfully developed STEM programs during his career. With a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership and a principal’s license, he is also an active member of ASCD and AWSEP, and has contributed to STEM conferences and the NSTA’s Science Scope journal. Apart from his professional life, Shaun is a devoted husband and father to four wonderful children, aged between 7 and 17. In his spare time, he loves designing and playing board games, crafting delicious sourdough bread, and catching the latest films at the movies. Most valuable from the workshop was around evaluations and aligning myself around her values Our staff will be intervention experts is our vision. Rubric-based observations vs. a conversational approach Robotic and not super focused or helpful for teachers? Feedback is more authentic Teachers want to be better teachers and my feedback actually helps them now. One thing: going to be in one lunch every day. Put it on the calendar and told people they can expect to see me. Having a paraprofessional out there with me observing how I was handling it. Why you should attend the workshop. You are in charge of your own professional growth. What has made Shaun a great principal? Other principals. A great principal: Mary Kay Summers More about being intervention experts: meeting students where they need and what they need How to support teachers in that realm. How to be a transformative principal? Get out of your office. Be with kids. Connect with kids that don’t see you as much. Sponsors Transformative Principal Mastermind Lead a school everyone can be proud of. Being a principal is tough work. You’re pulled in all kinds of directions. You never have the time to do the work that really matters. Join me as I help school leaders find the time to do the work they became principals to do. I help you stop putting out fires and start leading. Learn more at https://transformativeprincipal.com Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL, and Renaissance Learning:As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Apr 18, 202330 min

S11 Ep 528Be the Head Coach of a School with Ben Ziegler Transformative Principal 528

Ben Ziegler started his teaching career in SW Washington back in 2009. For a decade now, he has been a part of the Battle Ground School District, and for the past four years, he has been serving as an administrator. Throughout his tenure, Ben has held various positions, including a Dean for Students at the high school level, three years as an elementary AP, and currently, he is an AP at the middle school level. On this episode we talk about the Move Up Workshop, where you will learn how to show up, lead up and level up so you can move up. Are you ready to move up? Take the 2-minute assessment here and see for yourself. What was most valuable from the workshop you attended with Jethro? Getting our mission/vision statements into our observations. How we are aligning in our vision and mission Coherence - aligning academics and social emotional. TPEP What is your one thing? Being aware 2x a day, ask myself if I’m aware. Helping teachers be more willing to try new things and do different things. How has your one thing impacted you in ways you didn’t expect? Had a really good conversation with a staff member here and made some suggestions to a staff member. Believe in myself more and slow down in moments in dealing with people. Strategic vs. Tactical approaches. Perspective Surprised in a good way with how much it aligned with what I already believe. Inventory of gratitude If someone is considering attending this workshop, what advice would you give them? What is your vision for your career? Started coaching middle school sports at 19 years old. Loved teaching and coaching. Be the head coach of a school. You work with people to improve their schools but help them be the best they can be. Knowing when to pull back and when to push. It comes down to relationships. It often comes down to the right question at the right time. Let people sit there. How to be a transformative Principal? Figure out your one thing for yourself - go out and observe and listen. Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL, and Renaissance Learning:As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Apr 9, 202326 min

S11 Ep 527The Long Game of Recruiting and Retaining Teachers with Jethro Jones and Eric Makelky Transformative Principal 527

Take our free quiz to see if you’re ready to become a principal! Get personalized feedback and actionable steps for improvement. Start your journey to educational leadership success today! In this episode, we are continuing our coaching conversations with Eric. Please check in our previous episodes 523 519 514, 510, 506, and 501 We are talking about how we finally met in person! We have known each other for years, but haven't met yet! Here's the outline of the rest of what we talk about: Schoolai.com Chapter on hiring from How to be a Transformative Principal Recruiting and hiring What do we need to do differently to be more flexible Knowing how few applicants there are, how can we recruit differently? What is good? Easy to fill out applications Vacancies open sooner Early for traditional What do you not feel good about? Don’t know how much difference teacher fairs make or not Like having a presence at a job fair. Very few graduates in programs Internet has changed the application process How much schools social media helps? Suggestions for Improving Attract people to come to your school. Get on the phone and talk to them about what you offer at the school. “We need a body” Worried to non-renew a teacher because they’re not going to get any applicants. Always be recruiting Look for talent everywhere Build a pipeline and keep in touch. Letter of intent for returning to their home district and get a bonus. Build a longer district pipeline. Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL, and Renaissance Learning:As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Apr 2, 202344 min

S11 Ep 526The Authority: Culture Rules with Mark Miller, WSJ Best-Selling Author and Chick-Fil-A VP

In this episode, we’re bringing you a conversation from The Authority Podcast, part of the Be Podcast Network. Today’s guest is international best-selling author and business leader Mark Miller, Vice President of High Performance Leadership for Chick-Fil-A. Culture Rules: The Leader's Guide to Creating the Ultimate Competitive Advantage is Mark’s 11th book. He currently has over one million books in print in more than twenty-five languages. Ross and Mark discuss: 71% of U.S. leaders believe culture is their #1 most powerful tool to drive performance, but enhancing culture ranks low on their priority list — why the gap? First move: decide and declare what you're trying to create. Culture needs to be explicit. The 3 Culture Rules: Aspire, Amplify, Adapt What does culture mean to your customers? Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella wanted to shift the company from being “know-it-alls” to “learn-it-alls” — what did Mark learn while working on the book? The “magic circle” of game design and how it explains culture. What Mark learned about innovation and purpose. Measuring culture Culture Rules is now available for purchase, with a number of bonuses available for individual and bulk orders. Learn about them here: https://www.leadeveryday.com The Authority is a weekly podcast featuring interviews with leading authors from the education world and beyond. Host Ross Romano, a leadership coach, storytelling strategist and edtech advisor, draws out their invaluable insights on leadership, culture-building, transformation, and student & educator success. Subscribe to The Authority: Apple: https://apple.co/3ePnTea Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3JxkyeX RSS: https://feeds.libsyn.com/425789/rss Connect on social media: Mark Miller is a business leader, best-selling author, and communicator. He began writing almost twenty years ago, and with over one million books in print in more than twenty-five languages, Mark’s global impact continues to grow. Connect with him: https://www.linkedin.com/in/highperformanceleaders/ https://twitter.com/MarkMillerLeads Ross Romano is a co-founder of the Be Podcast Network and CEO of September Strategies, a consulting firm that helps organizations and high-performing leaders in the K-12 education Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL, and Renaissance Learning:As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Mar 28, 202355 min

S11 Ep 525Tackling the Teacher Shortage Problem with Michael Horn, Charles Fournier and Kevin Stoller Transformative Principal 525

This week on Transformative Principal, Jethro Jones shares a special episode where he was on a panel to discuss the current teacher shortage and what can be done. This was recorded for the Better Learning Podcast In this podcast, we discussed the following: - teachers that are leaving or doing really well. - How education has been a pink collar job and the impact that has on our day today - Empowering individuals - Addressing mentorship - Policy change vs. leadership decisions - Public Impact in North Carolina - Teacher Buy-in - Teachers want to connect - Playing with Teaching - Motivation - Leadership & culture - A discussion of money About the Panel:ists Michael Horn is the co-founder of the Clayton Christensen Institute and author of Blended and Disrupting Class, and the new book coming out this week called “Choosing College!”, which is the book we are talking about today! Charles Fournier is a High school English teacher and freelance podcaster at Wyoming Public Radio. Worked as an associate producer on the award-winning podcast HumaNature. Currently working as a sound designer on award-winning podcast, The Modern West, and host The Mountain Time Podcast Hour on WPR. Recently, have been producing the narrative podcast Those Who Can’t Teach Jethro Jones, 2017 Digital Principal of the Year, is a former principal and founder of the BE Podcast Network. He is also the author of the books How to be a Transformative Principal and SchoolX: How principals can design a transformative school experience for students, teachers, parents – and themselves! Jethro currently consults schools and districts on redesign efforts that don’t seem like another program. Jethro has worked as a principal at all K–12 levels, including a prison school, a district coach, distance learning team lead, and English teacher. The Better Learning Podcast is hosted by Kevin Stoller, CEO of Kay-Twelve and author of Creating Better Learning Environments. The podcast is also associated with other organizations that are focused on improving education including the Education Leaders’ Organization (ELO) and the Second Class Foundation Sponsors Transformative Principal Mastermind Lead a school everyone can be proud of. Being a principal is tough work. You’re pulled in all kinds of directions. You never have the time to do the work that really matters. Join me as I help school leaders find the time to do the work they became principals to do. I help you stop putting out fires and start leading. Learn more at https://transformativeprincipal.com Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL, and Renaissance Learning:As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Mar 23, 20231h 3m

S11 Ep 524Building Skills in Executive Functioning with Dr. Karen Dudek-Brannan Transformative Principal 524

Dr. Karen Dudek Brannan spent 14 years as a school speech-language pathologist (SLP) while working on her doctorate in special education and Director of Special Education credential. In 2015, she launched a business focused on helping IEP teams design services that support language, literacy, and executive functioning, as well as helping all team members be better leaders. She brings a valuable perspective from both the service-provider and leadership ends of special education. Dr. Karen is also the host of De Facto Leaders on the Be Podcast Network. The show is designed for teachers, aspiring school leaders, and pediatric therapists who want to gain new strategies for success in their sessions and classrooms, and become more effective leaders. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or visit Karen's website to find the link to your preferred podcast app. Summary: In today’s episode we dive into the world of executive functioning. Dr. Dudek-Brannan explains what effective work should look like beyond the traditional model of students working on skill deficiencies in isolation with a counselor or therapist. She describes how a team can focus on building these skills in students and what practice in the classroom includes. Best way for listeners to reach out to Karen: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/ Sponsors Transformative Principal Mastermind Lead a school everyone can be proud of. Being a principal is tough work. You’re pulled in all kinds of directions. You never have the time to do the work that really matters. Join me as I help school leaders find the time to do the work they became principals to do. I help you stop putting out fires and start leading. Learn more at https://transformativeprincipal.com Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL, and Renaissance Learning:As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Mar 15, 202337 min

S11 Ep 523How to Prioritize Problems with Eric Makelky and Jethro Jones Transformative Principal 523

How Eric Taught a student to write a better email. Write better emails How to prioritize problems. Keeping a focus What’s keeping you from focusing on your 1 thing in your school? 1 thing: getting into classrooms. Master schedule - Is this even in the top ten list? Got into his 1 thing within a month every year. Priorities - getting prepared for state testing, getting prepared for next year’s scheduling, graduation, staffing for next year. Are your priorities your todo list? Big idea behind state testing reflect the efforts of our kids What makes or breaks a great school. Why isn’t your past experiences translating to the current situation. Graduation rate was 85%, wasn’t meeting our goals. Goal of learning 1 thing each day. I’ve learned something new every day. What is the 1 thing that if you What was most valuable? Reframing how I prioritize Sponsors Transformative Principal Mastermind Lead a school everyone can be proud of. Being a principal is tough work. You’re pulled in all kinds of directions. You never have the time to do the work that really matters. Join me as I help school leaders find the time to do the work they became principals to do. I help you stop putting out fires and start leading. Learn more at https://transformativeprincipal.com Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL, and Renaissance Learning:As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Mar 5, 202341 min

S11 Ep 522Relationships to Repair and Prevent Harm with Dr. Tina Curry Transformative Principal 522

Tina Curry, Ed.D is currently Lead Coach at Fernwood Elementary School in Chicago Public Schools and an adjunct professor at DePaul University and National-Louis University. She was one of the contributors to the book Teaching for Racial Equity, which was recently named an Excellence in Equity Award Winner. She is an expert in equity in education and has trained educators in culturally responsive teaching and equity practices. She is a sought- after equity consultant. As a critically acclaimed public speaker and advocate for equity and justice in education, Dr. Curry has delivered keynote addresses locally and nationally. During her 23- year tenure in Chicago Public Schools she has served as a middle school and high school teacher, an equity coach, a literacy coach and went on to become a literacy specialist for three years in the Office of Literacy. Dr. Curry was named National Louis University’s Graduate Faculty of Year in 2019 and received the Most Influential Teacher Award from Sarah Goode STEM Academy that same year. She is a presenter at Illinois Association for Teacher of English (IATE), National Council for Teachers of English (NCTE), Illinois Reading Council (IRC), American Education Research Association (AERA), Illinois Writing Project (IWP), and Literacy Research Association (LRA). Her research interests include culturally responsive teaching, equity, literacy coaching, and school leadership. Summary for show notes: In today’s episode we talk with Dr. Tina Curry about her equity journey. She describes some of the many obstacles she faced when confronting racial equity in public school, including her work with other teachers. Tina points to relationships between teachers and students as the most meaningful way to repair and prevent the harm that has been done. Best way for listeners to reach out to Tina: Twitter @DrTina Curry Email [email protected] Sponsors Transformative Principal Mastermind Lead a school everyone can be proud of. Being a principal is tough work. You’re pulled in all kinds of directions. You never have the time to do the work that really matters. Join me as I help school leaders find the time to do the work they became principals to do. I help you stop putting out fires and start leading. Learn more at https://transformativeprincipal.com Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL, and Renaissance Learning:As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Feb 26, 202331 min