Learning Can’t Wait

Host Hayley Spira-Bauer speaks with Math Therapy creator Vanessa Vakharia and Collaborative for Student Success Deputy Director Adam Ezring about making family math play as familiar and valued as reading aloud. Both guests recall being underestimated in math and explain how adult expectations can shape a child’s confidence and identity. Through the We’re All Solvers campaign, they advocate for ped...

On the Learning Can’t Wait podcast, host Hayley Spira-Bauer speaks with Dr. Daveda Colbert, Superintendent of Wayne Regional Educational Service Agency (Wayne RESA), about a life grounded in character, belief, service, and care for others. Colbert credits her mother, Jeanette, with teaching her that integrity matters as much as knowledge and describes how a one-week substitute-teaching assignment...

In this episode of Learning Can’t Wait, Hayley Spira-Bauer speaks with Aidan McDowell, founder and CEO of Unique Learn, about making learning more personal, purposeful, and engaging. Drawing on his own school experiences, Aidan explains how understanding students’ interests, cultures, emotions, and circumstances can help educators create meaningful learning experiences. He discusses Unique Learn’s...

In this episode of Learning Can’t Wait, Peter Bahr, Vice President of Employer Alignment and Managing Director of Strada’s Institute for the Future of Work, joins Hayley Spira-Bauer to explore how education can better connect students to career opportunities. Drawing on his own experience navigating college while working full-time, Bahr discusses Strada’s research on interstate talent migration, i...

On this Learning Can’t Wait podcast episode, host Hayley Spira-Bauer speaks with Teach For America CEO Aneesh Sohoni about how his parents’ immigrant journey shaped his belief in educational opportunity and how teaching revealed both his students’ potential and the systemic barriers they faced. Aneesh explains that Teach For America’s impact extends far beyond two years in the classroom, creating...

In this special crossover episode of Learning Can't Wait and ETS's Praxis Journeys, Hayley Spira-Bauer sits down with Vinay Ganti, Head of Partnerships and District Solutions at ETS, to discuss his unconventional journey into education, the challenges facing K-12 schools, and the future of teacher recruitment and retention. Vinay shares how his experiences in higher education, edtech, and innovati...

In this episode of Learning Can't Wait, Hayley Spira-Bauer sits down with Rose Else-Mitchell, Executive Director of the Science of Reading Center at SUNY, to discuss the evolving Science of Reading movement, the importance of bridging the gap between research and classroom practice, and how educators can evaluate the effectiveness of instructional materials and professional learning. Rose shares i...

In this episode of Learning Can't Wait, Hayley Spira-Bauer sits down with retired education leader and author Wendell Sumter to discuss his new book, Dirt Road Destiny. Drawing from his upbringing in rural South Carolina and his 36-year career in education, Wendell shares how family, mentors, adversity, and resilience shaped his leadership journey. He reflects on pivotal experiences, including bei...

In this episode of Learning Can't Wait, Hayley Spira-Bauer is joined by Alex Meis, Vice President of Attendance Strategy at ParentSquare, and Dr. Anny Iacono, Director of Student Services and Special Education at Nuview. Together, they explore the growing challenge of chronic absenteeism and explain why improving attendance is fundamentally about building relationships rather than enforcing compli...

In this episode of the Learning Can't Wait Podcast, Hayley Spira-Bauer sits down with Sri Madhusudan Sai, founder of a global movement dedicated to providing free, values-based education, healthcare, and nutrition to underserved communities. Sai shares how a childhood desire to help marginalized populations led him to build 22 educational campuses, multiple universities, a free medical school, ped...

In this episode of Learning Can’t Wait, Dr. Brenda Lewis, Superintendent of Fridley Public Schools, shares her leadership journey from paraeducator to superintendent and discusses the challenges her district faced during ICE Metro Surge. She explains how immigration enforcement activities on and around school property disrupted student attendance, created fear among families, and threatened studen...

In Season 12 Episode 2, Hayley Spira-Bauer sits down with Rachael Tutwiler Fortune, President of the Jacksonville Public Education Fund, for an inspiring conversation about community-driven change, future readiness, and the power of believing in young people. Drawing from her personal journey as a young mother who benefited from mentors who invested in her potential, Rachael shares how Jacksonvill...

In Season 12 Episode 1, Hayley Spira-Bauer kicks off the new season with Dr. Denise Reading, CEO and Founder of Future Plans, in a powerful conversation on eradicating poverty through education and workforce alignment. Drawing from her upbringing in rural Arkansas, Dr. Reading shares how systemic bias and lack of access—not lack of talent—hold individuals back. She discusses Future Plans’ five-ste...

And that’s a wrap on Season 11 of the Learning Can’t Wait Podcast, a season filled with bold ideas, inspiring leaders, and meaningful conversations shaping the future of education. From leadership and workforce sustainability to teacher well-being and student-centered innovation, this season brought together voices across education to challenge the status quo and reimagine what learning can and sh...

In Season 11 Episode 18, Hayley Spira-Bauer sits down with Dr. Kip Glazer, Silicon Valley principal and author of Ready to Lead with AI, to explore how school leaders can navigate rapid technological change while staying grounded in human-centered learning. Drawing from her unconventional journey into education and leadership, Dr. Glazer emphasizes that in an era of AI disruption, principals must...

In Season 11 Episode 17, Hayley Spira-Bauer speaks with Dr. David Lawrence, Superintendent of Dayton Public Schools, about leading with visibility, urgency, and innovation to drive real system change. Drawing from his journey from teacher to superintendent, Dr. Lawrence highlights how hands-on leadership, real-time decision-making, and a shift from static strategic plans to dynamic “academic actio...

In Season 11 Episode 16, Hayley Spira‑Bauer speaks with Perry Rosenstein, Co‑founder and CEO of WriteOn, about the intersection of AI, writing instruction, and student-centered learning. Drawing from his journey as an entrepreneur and his experiences working closely with educators, Perry highlights writing as one of the most under-supported yet essential skills in schools. He shares how Write On w...

In Season 11 Episode 14, Hayley Spira-Bauer sits down with Deborah Kenny, CEO and Founder of Harlem Village Academies, to explore what it truly means to educate a child beyond test scores. Drawing from decades of leadership and her new book The Well-Educated Child, Deborah shares a refined philosophy centered on quality thinking, student agency, and ethical purpose. She reflects on her journey bui...

In Season 11 Episode 13, Hayley Spira-Bauer sits down with John White, CEO of Great Minds and former Louisiana State Superintendent, for a candid conversation on leadership, systems change, and the role of curriculum in driving student outcomes. Drawing from his experience leading post-Katrina education reform in Louisiana, John discusses how crisis can catalyze improvement, the importance of loca...

In Season 11 Episode 12, Hayley Spira‑Bauer speaks with Dana Ainsworth, founder of Tomorrow House, about reframing student behavior through the lens of nervous system regulation rather than discipline or motivation. Drawing from her own lived experience, teaching background, and research in trauma, polyvagal theory, and education policy, Dana explains how adverse childhood experiences, outdated sc...

In Season 11 Episode 11, Hayley Spira‑Bauer brings together Dr. Elizabeth Chu (Executive Director, CPRL), Jason Kamras (Superintendent, Richmond Public Schools), and Celeste Terry (Superintendent, NYC District 18) for a powerful conversation on systems‑level change that is producing real academic gains. The episode centers on All Systems Go and the REACH framework, highlighting how districts acros...

In Season 11 Episode 10 of Learning Can’t Wait, Hayley Spira‑Bauer is joined by Alicia Meyers, an early childhood educator and children’s book author, for a rich conversation about teaching, literacy, and neurodiversity. Alicia shares her journey as a lifelong teacher, her experiences teaching in urban classrooms in Washington, D.C., and how the COVID era inspired her to begin writing. She discuss...

In Season 11 Episode 9, Hayley Spira‑Bauer welcomes Frances Messano, CEO of New Schools Venture Fund, for a wide‑ranging and deeply personal conversation about equity, choice, and courage in education. Frances reflects on growing up in a working‑class immigrant family in Coney Island, how access and luck shaped her own trajectory, and why she has dedicated her career to making opportunity less dep...

In Season 11 Episode 8, Hayley Spira‑Bauer sits down with Christopher Hull, Co-founder & President at Otus, to explore how meaningful data use can restore time, clarity, and humanity to teaching. A former middle school teacher, Chris shares how mentors helped him find his voice and why classroom frustrations—especially inefficient, narrative‑driven problem‑solving meetings—sparked the idea for...

In Season 11 Episode 7 of Learning Can’t Wait, Brandon Cardet-Hernandez, CEO and founder of Medley Learning, shares his journey from multilingual learner to educator, school leader, and edtech founder. He describes how early classroom experiences and the impact of a teacher who provided personalized language scaffolds shaped his commitment to equity and access. Brandon discusses the persistent gap...