Voices for Excellence

What happens when a public school district builds a micro school inside itself, and doesn't apologize for it?Rob Dickson is the CIO of Wichita Public Schools (USD 259), and he's not waiting for permission to innovate. Creative Minds, a K-6 vertical classroom where kindergartners learn alongside sixth graders. Future Ready Centers that look like businesses, not classrooms, where students earn certifications in advanced manufacturing and cybersecurity. An iterative, agile approach to systems change that treats failure as feedback, not failure.Dickson's work bridges the operational and instructional sides of AI adoption, from changing app approval processes to training teachers on generative AI within weeks of ChatGPT's release. He argues that adaptability is the highest form of intelligence, and that schools must prepare students not for certainty, but for curiosity in the face of constant change.What You'll Learn:The three learning stages: K-5 learning by doing, 6-8 skill discovery, 9-12 skill developmentSocial fitness - how Generation Alpha navigates networks of billions, not 15Why AI replaces tasks, not jobs - and what that means for curriculum designHow Wichita's Future Ready Centers and Creative Minds micro school operateArizona State's six levels of problem solving - and why academia lives in the first threeHumanity, Agency, Audacity: Rob's three words for being 2035-ready

What if AI isn't trying to fit into your classroom — but to rebuild it entirely?Erin Mote, CEO and founder of InnovateEDU, explores what it means to navigate an arrival technology, one that doesn't fit into existing systems but fundamentally reorders them. Erin leads national and international work on AI literacy, including National AI Literacy Day (March 27th), and she's not here to hype or fear-monger. She's a scout: someone managing both the promise and the peril.What You'll Learn:The difference between arrival technologies (AI, electricity, internet) and adoption technologies (crypto, VR)Why AI literacy is as critical in English and science as it is in computer scienceReal examples of AI reducing bias, optimizing bus routes, and screening for dyslexiaHow National AI Literacy Day (March 27) is calling in parents, students, and communitiesWhy "do something" is the only response that mattersErin's two-word challenge: Do somethingHer song choice: Happy (balancing promise and peril)

Can Your AI Guidance Actually Guide — Or Does It Just Add Cognitive Load?Thirty-five states have issued AI guidance for schools. But how many of those documents reduce workload instead of compounding it? How many build judgment muscles instead of issuing checkbox mandates? And how many actually get used in real classrooms?Julia Fallon, Executive Director of SETDA, has spent 25 years working with state education technology leaders to design systems that prioritize coherence over compliance. In this conversation, she reveals why effective guidance must anchor values in context, design for agency, and trust educators by default, or it will live on a shelf, ignored.What You'll Learn:Why AI is infrastructure, not a program, and what that means for funding and strategyThe three divides from the 2024 National Ed Tech Plan: access, design, and useHow No Child Left Behind's compliance trap offers lessons for AI adoption todayWhy reducing cognitive load is the design principle most guidance ignoresWhat DJing on Twitch teaches about learning publicly and modeling transparencyThe three-word challenge: Coherence. Agency. Trust.Julia also shares her leadership signature song — "The Music Sounds Better with You" by Stardust — and why collective rhythm, not solo performance, defines systems-level change.

What does leadership look like when education is evolving faster than ever?In this powerful episode of Voices for Excellence, Dr. Michael Conner welcomes Dr. Rachel Edoho-Eket — President of the Maryland Association of Elementary School Principals, nationally recognised keynote speaker, and two-time bestselling author.Together, they explore:• Why people must come before programs • How relational intelligence strengthens teacher retention • Building trust as the foundation for school transformation • Ethical AI integration and protecting student privacy • Preparing Generation Alpha and Beta for a radically different workforceDr. Edoho-Eket shares practical leadership insights grounded in service, high expectations, and culture-building. She challenges leaders to think beyond policy and focus on recommendations, adaptability, and human-centred innovation.The conversation closes with three anchoring principles for educational leadership today: hope, service, and love.If you are a principal, superintendent, educator, or system leader navigating change, this episode offers clarity and direction.Listen now and join the conversation.

What if unlocking educational excellence meant embracing both our past traumas and the resilience we’ve built through them? In this compelling episode of Voices for Excellence, Dr. Michael Conner welcomes Dr. Paul Miller, an influential educator and author, as part of our Black Excellence series during Black History Month. With a visionary approach that bridges the past and future of learning, Dr. Miller's leadership and literary works challenge conventional narratives and inspire transformative change.Dr. Miller is currently the Chief Academic Officer at Exceptional, overseeing 27 (soon to be 29) charter schools in Rochester, New York. His dedication to educational equity, especially for Black and brown students, is reflected in his best-selling books and his mission-driven approach to school leadership. But it’s the personal stories, as much as the professional insights, that make his voice such a crucial addition to modern educational discourse.This episode dives into the heart of systems transformation, using Dr. Miller’s books, such as From Gutter to Greatness and The Good Me and the Hood Me, as lenses for understanding how authentic leadership and self-awareness can redefine educational outcomes. Dr. Miller unpacks the necessity of addressing personal and professional wounds to foster school environments where every student can thrive.What You’ll Learn:Embracing Vulnerability: Understand how acknowledging personal struggles can lead to authentic and effective leadership.Transforming Mindsets: Explore strategies for collective teacher efficacy to create meaningful change in student outcomes.Redefining Resilience: Learn how the dualities within students, such as 'the good me and the hood me,' can be strengths rather than deficiencies.Systemic Change through Storytelling: Discover how storytelling and lived experiences can inform educational practices and policies.The Power of Purpose-Driven Leadership: See how connecting personal pain to a larger purpose can drive educational excellence.This conversation is not just about reforming schools, it’s about reshaping the cultural narratives that drive educational systems. Dr. Miller’s insights beckon us to reimagine the future of education with a renewed commitment to authenticity, empathy, and courage.Subscribe and share to continue driving the future of education for all.

How do we build the future of learning with—and not against—the forces of innovation transforming society?In this visionary episode of Voices for Excellence, Dr. Michael Conner sits down with Mike Yates—education disruptor, creative strategist, and a national leader shaping the future of teaching through AI and learner-centered design. From leading AI innovation at Teach For America's Reinvention Lab to helping launch Alpha, one of the most talked-about school models in the country, Mike brings a rare combination of tech fluency, classroom insight, and a relentless push for equity-driven excellence.Grounding the conversation in what students truly need—schools they love, learning that matters, and life-readiness that empowers—Mike shares raw truths and bold strategies for unlocking student potential through agency, design, and affirmation. He also offers a candid look into his personal why: a student who once hated school but now champions joyful, rigorous, and radically different models of learning.Together, Dr. Conner and Mike explore how AI must be used not as a substitute for teachers, but as a tool to unleash their genius—and how reengineering teacher preparation, redefining mastery, and resisting fossilized systems are no longer optional if we want all students to thrive.What you’ll learn in this episode:Bold Reimagination: How Alpha Schools deliver world-class outcomes in just two hours a day—and the deeper design thinking behind their successAI for Equity: Teach For America’s radical redefinition of teacher training to prepare future-ready educators with powerful AI toolsUnlearning as Leadership: How dismantling traditional pedagogies opens space for excellence, authenticity, and cultural alignment in classrooms Design Over Directives: Why the designers of tomorrow—not just instructors—will define the future of learningPower of the Pivot: Why students need real-world, high-stakes learning models—and how systems can start small but think bigTech as Amplifier: How generative and agentic AI can elevate human connection, not replace it—if leveraged with empathy and precisionMike’s work reminds us: the systems we build today decide who gets to lead tomorrow. This episode is a must-listen for education leaders ready to rise to the moment and build a future where every learner thrives. Through frameworks, lived experience, and actionable design strategies, this conversation advances Dr. Conner’s mission to architect equitable, innovative, and high-performing ecosystems for all.Subscribe and share to continue driving the future of education for all.

What does it really take to redesign education systems for a future that demands equity, human-centered innovation, and world-class learning outcomes?In this riveting Black Excellence Series episode of Voices for Excellence, Dr. Michael Conner sits down with visionary systems leader Dr. Tauheedah Baker-Jones—a powerhouse in transformational education reform whose work bridges research, policy, and practice. As the Southeast Regional Director of the National Center on Education and the Economy and co-founder of the Trinity Strategy Group, Dr. Baker-Jones brings a rare lens: one grounded in faith, justice, and rigorous, evidence-based systems change.From her early days as a classroom teacher in Los Angeles to her groundbreaking role as the first Chief Equity and Social Justice Officer for Atlanta Public Schools, Dr. Baker-Jones has championed coherent, high-impact leadership in some of education’s most complex contexts. Her doctoral research at Harvard explored the execution of controversial change efforts in polarized environments—and she didn’t stop at the theory. She applied these frameworks in real time, helping to move the needle on outcomes for thousands of students in Atlanta, even amid unprecedented adversity.You’ll hear her powerful philosophy: "Design for outcomes, not intentions," and discover her signature Amplify Impact framework—a discipline-driven, change management model shaped by moral clarity, systems architecture, and the deep belief that every child must thrive, not by accident but by design.What you’ll learn in this episode:Bold Frameworks for Equity-Centered Change: Why coherence, not isolated initiatives, must guide system redesignSystemic Excellence vs. Good Intentions: How to shift from performative cycles to clear execution aligned to outcomesWhy Equity Is an Engineering Principle: A pragmatic and visionary reframe of equity as intentional design for universal excellenceLeading Through Controversy with Moral Clarity: What it means to be courageous when your leadership becomes a political targetLong-Life Learning & 22nd-Century Readiness: How forward-thinking systems must evolve for a globally connected, AI-enabled futureThe Critical Triad for Transformation: Change management, systems design, and disciplined executionDrawing from both global research at NCEE and real-world systems leadership, Dr. Baker-Jones leaves us with a human truth: the future of learning must be intentionally designed to elevate every learner—and that requires moral leadership, courage, and coherence at every level.Subscribe and share to continue driving the future of education for all.