EDUCATΞUS

🌎 What does it take to lead learning that actually prepares students for the world they will enter? In the 🎉 Season One finale of EDUCATΞUS , Dr. Tiffany Smith brings together four education leaders whose work spans schools, systems, literacy, leadership, and applied learning. 🎙️ Featuring: 📍 Dr. Delores Wallace-Brown — Sumter, South Carolina 🗽 Everett Stemridge — Education Specialist, New Yor...

How do we prepare teachers for the classrooms they are leading today—and for the classrooms still taking shape? In Episode 9 of EDUCATΞUS , Dr. Tiffany Smith sits down with Shinita M. Simpson, Ed. S. , an educational leader, consultant, and advocate with 26 years of experience in education. Before retiring from public education, Shinita served as Director of Special Education for the Special Schoo...

In Part One , our panel explored the growing influence of 🤖 artificial intelligence on literacy, authenticity, creativity, and teaching. In Part Two , the conversation turns toward practice. 🎨 Terri Webb, Natasha Moore, Layla Goushey, Scott Ramsey, and Raychelle Martin share how they design multimodal learning experiences, help students develop digital literacy, and navigate the realities of tea...

🎙️ NEW EPISODE IS LIVE! Building Multimodal Composition (Part 1) is now streaming on Spotify ! 🎉 Artificial intelligence is changing how we teach, write, and create—but what does that mean for the future of English language arts? In this episode, I sit down with an incredible panel of ELA educators from K–12 and higher education to explore the role of AI in literacy instruction, authenticity, cre...

👀 How do we help students move beyond simply noticing the world to thinking deeply about it? In Episode 7 of the EDUCATΞUS Podcast , Dr. Tiffany Smith welcomes Dr. Shannon Koropchak , Director of Co-Curricular Programming and English educator at John Burroughs School in St. Louis. 📚 Together, they explore how observation becomes the foundation for inquiry, critical thinking, and meaningful commu...

What begins as a conversation about student agency and classroom management in K–12 classrooms evolves into a discussion of real-world learning across both K–12 and higher education. Joined by Tamara Rodney, Dr. Melissa Joy Benton, and Dr. Edythe Weeks , we explore how teacher autonomy influences educators' ability to create meaningful learning experiences and share examples of real-world less...

💭 What happens when a podcast interview becomes a curriculum conversation? In this episode of the EDUCATΞUS Podcast , Dr. Tiffany Smith sits down with Tracie McGhee , founder of The Empowernista and the I Define ME Movement , to explore the relationship between identity, voice, and student agency. 💜 🌱 As the conversation unfolds, something unexpected happens. Rather than simply answering questi...

What happens when English Language Arts moves beyond essays and grammar to become a vehicle for inquiry, observation, communication, and authentic engagement with the world? In this episode of EDUCATΞUS , Dr. Tiffany Smith is joined by English Language Arts educator Tamara Rodney for a conversation exploring how literacy can prepare students for life beyond the classroom. Together, they discuss st...

Communities are filled with learning opportunities—but only if we teach students how to notice them. In this episode of EDUCATΞUS , Dr. Tiffany Smith sits down with Sidney McGhee , Director of Damned Good People , to explore how neighborhoods, businesses, public spaces, and community organizations can become meaningful parts of the curriculum rather than simply places students pass through. Togeth...

🎙️ Bonus Episode: Vivian Gibson on Bringing Mill Creek into the Classroom In this special EDUCATΞUS bonus episode, Dr. Tiffany Smith is joined by Vivian Gibson, author of The Last Children of Mill Creek . Throughout Episode 2, a conversation with Ellie DesPrez and Sara Jay, listeners hear repeated references to Vivian Gibson and her memoir, The Last Children of Mill Creek , which became the founda...

What happens when students learn with their community instead of simply about it? This week on EDUCATΞUS, Dr. Tiffany Smith is joined by Ellie DesPrez and Sara Jay of John Burroughs School to explore how community-based learning can transform the classroom. Together, they discuss a multidisciplinary project centered on The Last Children of Mill Creek by Vivian Gibson, helping seventh-grade student...

In the first episode of EDUCATΞUS, Dr. Tiffany Smith is joined by Dr. Joelle McIntosh, veteran Career and Technical Education educator, curriculum leader, and global education advocate, to explore a question at the heart of contemporary schooling: Is the traditional school curriculum still meeting the needs of today's learners? Together, they discuss the challenges educators face within standa...

The EDUCATΞUS podcast is almost here. In this special pre-launch announcement, host Dr. Tiffany Smith introduces the vision behind the series and shares what listeners can expect as we prepare for the official launch on June 15, 2026. EDUCATΞUS explores how educators, community leaders, researchers, nonprofit professionals, higher education faculty, and other practitioners can work together to cre...

Welcome to EDUCATΞUS, a podcast hosted by Dr. Tiffany Smith exploring teaching, learning, inquiry, community, and the human experiences connected to education. This brief introduction offers a preview of the conversations ahead and an invitation to join us as we explore how learning happens both inside and beyond the classroom. © 2026 TMS Visionary Group. All rights reserved. EDUCATΞUS is a TMS Vi...