Teaching Learning Leading K-12

  Barbara R. Blackburn - Rigor and Assessment in the Classroom: Strategies and Tools. Second Edition. This is episode 794 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. Ranked in the Top 20 Global Gurus in Education, Barbara has dedicated her life to raising the level of rigor and motivation for professional educators and students alike. What differentiates Barbara’s over 30 books are her eas...

Amy M. Pollack - The Still Further Adventures of Jelly Bean. This is episode 793 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. Amy Meislin Pollack was a teacher for over four decades, raised three children, and loves to play with her seven grandchildren. From her own childhood to the classroom and as a parent and grandparent, she is perfectly positioned to pen her coming-of-age book series. ...

Lindsay Whorton - A New School Leadership Architecture: A Four-Level Framework for Reimagining Roles. This is episode 792 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. Dr. Lindsay Whorton is proud to be a founding member of The Holdsworth Center. She helped design the Center’s programming and has served as president since 2019. Under Lindsay’s leadership, Holdsworth has grown from serving se...

Danny Kofke - Where to Spend, Where to Save: A Teacher's Guide to Managing Your Finances. This is episode 791 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. After being a teacher for 18 years, Danny Kofke stepped out of the classroom to join the Southern Education Retirement Consortium and help change the way teachers and classified staff save for retirement. Danny’s love of teaching and pers...

Ralph R. "Rick" Steinke - Vital Mission: A Jake Fortina Series Love Story. This is episode 790 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. Ralph Richard “Rick” Steinke is the award-winning author of a memoir, Next Mission: US Defense Attaché to France (to be republished in 2026). He is also an award-winning author of the Major Jake Fortina series, which includes Major Jake Fortina and the...

Chelsi Brosh, PhD & Melissa Cook - TouchMath - How Combining Multisensory Mathematics Instruction with AI-Powered Progress Monitoring Has Transformed Outcomes for Struggling Learners. This is episode 789 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. Chelsi Brosh, PhD, BCBA-D, is Chief Academic Officer at TouchMath, leading efforts to make math accessible for students with learning challe...

Mediocrity - Part 4: Not in These Classes. This is episode 788 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. Mediocrity creeps into being when something should have been done but wasn't. Ignored or the thought that somehow the issue would fix itself or go away allows mediocrity to cement itself to the school or organization. It becomes accepted as how we do things here. A shrug and a comment...

Mediocrity: Could I Have Done More? This is episode 787 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast.  Mediocrity creeps into being when something should have been done but wasn't. Ignored or the thought that somehow the issue would fix itself or go away allows mediocrity to cement itself to the school or organization. It becomes accepted as how we do things here. A shrug and a comment, "It'...

Mediocrity: Settling for OK. This is episode 786 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast.  Mediocrity can find its place in your building by you not paying attention to what is going on in your setting. It can manifest by allowing things to go unaddressed. There are challenges in our schools where situations can arise that are going to take time and require our full attention. Unfortuna...

Mediocrity: How Does It Appear in Your School or School System? This is episode 785 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. This is a short introduction to what mediocrity is and why it is important to identify it. I share some thoughts from my friend Mark Wilson that he discussed in his workshop - From Getting by to Getting Better. This is an introduction to a series of episodes that...

Annalies Corbin, PhD - The PAST Foundation: Access Through Innovation. This is episode 784 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. Dr. Annalies Corbin is the Chief Goddess, President & CEO of the PAST Foundation. In 2000, Dr. Corbin founded the PAST Foundation, an organization she envisioned could lead the way to connecting scientific research with classrooms, schools and communiti...

Brandy Samuell - Student Needs for Mental Well-Being, Dangers Associated with AI for Mental Care, and the Role that Technology Can Play in Supporting Student Mental Health When It Supports Human Connection. This is episode 783 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. Brandy Samuell, M. Ed., is a seasoned educator with an impressive 32-year career dedicated to public education. Her exten...

Dr. Nakia Cotton-Smith: Essential Tips for Special Education Leaders. This is episode 782 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. With twenty-nine years of leadership and educational experience, Dr. Cotton-Smith has held various district and school-level leadership positions in the two largest districts in Georgia. She has also served as a Director of Special Programs at Florida State...

Denise Haynes Talks About Her Novel - Talent Show, Growing Up in a Large Family, and Asks, "Do We Know and Understand Our Parents?" This is episode 781 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. Denise Theresa Haynes has had several different careers, ranging from a flight attendant for British West Indian Airways and an advertising clerk for a newspaper, (Trinidad Guardian), to being a t...

Dana Sutton Shares Her Latest Children's Book: Maddie Finds Her Place. This is episode 780 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. Dana Sutton is a tutor, coach, and parent with decades of experience working with children (biological, adopted, and stepchildren) and young adults. She had also worked in preschool, and as a substitute teacher. She is now inspiring young minds with an empo...

Steve Haberlin, PhD - Demystifying Meditation Practice for Educators. This is episode 779 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. Steve Haberlin, PhD, is an assistant professor of curriculum and instruction in the College of Community Innovation and Education at the University of Central Florida.  Dr. Haberlin’s research focuses on the implementation of mind-body practices, including m...

Katherine Davis-Gibbon Shares Her Latest Children's Book - Words: Growing Children's Vocabulary & the Power of Words. This is episode 778 of Teaching Learning Leading k12, an audio podcast. Katherine Davis-Gibbon is an award-winning children's book author, publisher, certified yoga and Pilates teacher, and mother of two. She founded Riverlet Press in 2021 to publish books that nurture children...

Rae Hughart - Founder & CEO of Teachers Deserve It: Talking Teacher Burnout & the Need for Great Professional Development. This is episode 777 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. Rae Hughart is the CEO & Founder of Teachers Deserve It, a TEDx speaker, and an award-winning educator dedicated to transforming the teaching profession. With a background in middle-level math...

Durga Suresh-Menon, PhD - Head of School: New England Innovation Academy. This is episode 776 of Teaching Learning Leading, K12, an audio podcast. Durga Suresh-Menon, Ph. D., is Head of School at New England Innovation Academy.  An energizing, dynamic and growth-minded educator with a record of inclusive leadership and passionate storytelling, Dr. Suresh-Menon joins NEIA with over two decades of c...

Laura Levine - President & CEO - JumpStart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy. This is episode 775 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. Laura Levine has devoted her career to helping people of all ages better understand financial services through marketing and outreach, communications, and most recently, through education. In 2004, she became executive director of the Jum...

Jason McKenna - How A.I. and Robotics are Changing STEM Education. This is episode 774 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. Jason McKenna is V.P. of Global Educational Strategy for VEX Robotics and author of “What STEM Can Do for Your Classroom: Improving Student Problem Solving, Collaboration, and Engagement, Grade K-6.” His work specializes in curriculum development, global educat...

Hosho McCreesh - Psalms from the Badlands: 150 Psalms or Haiku Style Poems about the American Southwest. This is episode 773 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. Hosho McCreesh is currently writing & painting in the gypsum & caliche badlands of the  American Southwest. His work has appeared widely in print, audio, & online. Our focus today is his work…. Psalms from the B...

Annie Kessler - City Year New York and Student Success Coaches. This is episode 772 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. Annie Kessler is a dedicated leader committed to advancing educational equity. She started her career in education as a City Year New York AmeriCorps Member, serving in a 5th grade classroom at PS48X in the South Bronx after receiving a Bachelor of Arts in English...

Lee Matthew Goldberg- Miles in Time - Book 1: Solve the Mystery, Save the Future. This is episode 771 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. Lee Matthew Goldberg is the Anthony, Lefty, and Prix du Polar nominated author of fifteen novels including THE ANCESTOR and THE MENTOR, and THE GREAT GIMMELMANS along with his five-book DESIRE CARD series and the RUNAWAY TRAIN trilogy.  MILES IN...

Joshua Ray - Finding Your Balance: Personal and Professional Wellness Strategies for Effective Educational Leadership. This is episode 770 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. Joshua Ray, EdD, is an educational speaker and author who has led the Professional Learning Communities (PLC) at Work® process at the elementary, secondary, and district level. He is passionate about building...