8 with 8

Dr. Fierro is back to help us improve our effectiveness in teaching literacy to students who are simultaneously learning the English language. This can seem like a daunting task, but it is absolutely doable. In our last episode, Dr. Fierro shared four considerations for supporting literacy development in English language learners. If you missed that episode, we encourage you to go back and listen...

Over the last ten years, Ohio’s percentage of EL students has doubled to approximately 60,000 students. Spanish is the home language of almost 40% of Ohio’s English learners, along with 90 other home languages. How are we teaching these students to read WHILE we teach them to speak English? We are thrilled to welcome to the podcast Dr. Antonio Fierro, an award-winning educator and one of our very...

Raising literacy achievement is one of our top priorities at SST8, and we bet it's one of yours too. But it's not the only priority! How can design our instruction in one area of learning so that it supports learning in other areas of development? Today, two of our team members will discuss resources and strategies for helping some of our youngest learners build social-emotional competencies while...

We’re expanding our view of literacy by delving into the world of writing - emergent writing in particular. We are joined by another outstanding guest: researcher and author Dr. Lucy Hart Paulson. In the space of just 30 minutes, Lucy will have our listeners looking up the science of WRITING, searching for golf pencils and art easels, and maybe rethinking how and when we introduce keyboarding for...

Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) are experts in language, by definition - but they may be an untapped source of professional learning for colleagues, as well as a support for developing readers and writers. What role can SLPs play in supporting literacy development in our schools? SST8’s Tracy Mail recently attended a conference called Reading, Writing and the SLP: Preschool to High School, spo...

Research indicates that, with effective instruction, over 90% of all students CAN read at grade level. Join us for our first episode of our 8 Great Literacy Learning season of 8 With 8 , and you’ll leave with the stepping stones needed to move your instruction into that effective realm. Our very special guest, Dr. Carol Tolman, shares 8 ways to make this happen for each child in your classroom, bu...

We are back with a fifth season we are calling 8 Great Literacy Learnings . We’ll be sharing the eight topics that have most significantly shaped how we are thinking about literacy instruction, and that we think have the power to dramatically impact the way we go about teaching reading, writing, and language in our schools. In this thought-provoking season, we’ll tackle topics both big and small,...

As we wrap up season 4, we have spent the last seven episodes shifting our thinking about so many important considerations for supporting students with disabilities: our mindsets in general, curriculum, assessment, family engagement, and so much more. But there’s an overarching theme that we haven’t touched on yet, and that is the topic of equity in education. The word equity has become a bit of a...

Today, we’ll be taking a look at career/technical education, also known as CTE. This is an avenue of education that has really grown and thrived in Ohio over the last decade or more, and we know that all students can benefit from the opportunity to learn job-specific skills from experts in their chosen field. For students with disabilities, CTE is a particularly exciting option because it offers a...

This season, we have been reflecting on ways to reset/restart the year, with a focus on students with disabilities and eye toward getting back on track after the pandemic. We know that one of the biggest keys to the success of our students is the involvement and support of their parents. This is especially true for students with disabilities. In this episode, SST8's Helen Brophy talks with Mariann...

Everywhere we look in education, we see the term "curriculum" - especially "the general curriculum" as it relates to students with disabilities. It even features prominently in IDEA. But what exactly do we mean by curriculum? Not everyone uses this word the same way. What if we thought differently about exactly what we’re giving access to - and how we go about doing it? In this episode, we welcome...

What is one thing all teachers do with all students? All teachers give assessments to check for student understanding! From formative checks to state-wide tests, it’s something we, as educators, all do. The hard part is figuring out if you’re getting a true picture of what each student knows and can do. As we continue our season on resetting and restarting education for students with disabilities,...

How do we address unfinished learning that exists for students with diverse needs? We can't possibly cover everything so what do we do? Listen in to learn how you can use the three easy to remember steps of "Weed, Feed, and Seed" to prioritize, target, & deliver instruction to meaningfully address gaps in learning! Co-Hosts: Dee Dee Howes and Stacey Smith, SST8 Educational Consultants Addition...

How do you support the establishment of an inclusive community to support the needs of students who receive special education services? Join us to hear 8 strategies for promoting a positive and inclusive school climate; one in which all staff believe that in order to meet the needs of ALL students, it’s necessary to meet the needs of EACH student. Co-Hosts: Stephanie Denham*, former SST8 Education...

This is our first episode of season 4 of 8 with 8 , and for the next eight episodes we’ll be focusing on strategies school leaders and educators can use to push the reset button and re-focus ourselves around effective strategies for meeting the needs of students with disabilities. To help us, we have been revisiting ODE's Reset and Restart guide, particularly the section on Additional Consideratio...

The circumstances of the 2020-2021 school year offered many opportunities for innovation and new ways of delivering learning, and in many ways our field has grown stronger as a result. But nevertheless, we are starting to see in statewide data that some students have experienced significant learning losses as a result of the pandemic, especially among vulnerable student populations - including stu...

This is the last episode of Season 3, which we have called Learning through Leadership. It has been an incredible journey through the histories and insights of some of our very favorite educational leaders - including some of our great colleagues in region 8, outstanding leaders at the state level, and even international speaker and author Dr. Peter DeWitt. Join us today as SST8 consultants Denise...

This week, 8 with 8 brings you a fun and wide-ranging discussion with Joe Iacano, Superintendent of the Summit Educational Service Center (Summit ESC). Most of us know Joe as a supportive educational leader who has been in the field for more than 40 years of experience in education, and in a wide range of leadership roles. His current leadership role at Summit ESC affords a unique perspective acro...

We’re continuing our “Learning through Leadership” journey today as our own Denise Ward talks to Superintendent Melvin Brown about his own leadership journey. Melvin is currently the Superintendent of Reynoldsburg City Schools, which is just outside of Columbus. Our colleagues in Region 8 may remember Melvin from his time as Deputy Superintendent of Cuyahoga Falls City Schools. In today’s episode,...

Why would a student-focused leader choose the word "ME" as her word of the year? Join us this week to find out, as SST8 consultants Debbie Theirl and Chris Ferrell catch up with Aireane Curtis , Superintendent of Windham Exempted Village Schools. She has held a wide range of educational consulting roles and leadership experiences in Northeast Ohio, which prepared her for her current position. In t...

This week, we’re bringing you another great interview with another great educational leader.  SST8 consultant Denise Ward sits down to talk with Jeff Ferguson, who recently retired from Tallmadge City Schools after serving as Superintendent for 15 years. This makes Jeff Summit County’s longest-serving Superintendent, and listeners with an interest in educational leadership will learn a lot fr...

Dr. Marva Kay Jones, Senior Executive Director of Continuous Improvement at the Ohio Department of education, has served in many positions of educational leadership from the local to the state level.  In a candid interview with Heidi and Denise, she imparts important lessons for school leaders in this time of COVID and beyond, and advises aspiring leaders on how to stay authentic, fulfill the...

Dr. Peter DeWitt, our special guest and international speaker/author on leadership, is back for more! We had so much fun talking with from Dr. DeWitt that we didn't want it to end - so we kept going, with the goal of learning even more through his unique leadership lens. This week, he talks to us about social media literacy in the "post-truth era," social-emotional learning and educator well-being...

We're kicking off Season 3 in a big way - we've got Peter DeWitt! He's a national and international speaker on all things educational leadership, and he has so many great thoughts on the major issues of our field: anti-racist education and equitable funding; student engagement and empowerment; making the shift from managerial to instructional leadership; and high-stakes testing. Dr. DeWitt's uniqu...

What does training for a marathon have to do with reforming districtwide literacy instruction? In the final episode of Season 2, Why Words Matter , we share the words and insights of Region 8's Comprehensive Literacy State Development Grantee, Kent City Schools, as they lead their district in growing a literacy program based in the Science of Reading. Join Karen Rumley, Rachel Yohn, and Kristin Ga...