Teaching Matters

Roughly four in ten American high school students report not feeling connected to anyone at their school. Host Scott Titsworth talks with Dr. Dominique Smith — principal of Health Sciences High and Middle College in San Diego and co-author of the new second edition of Belonging in School: Creating a Place Where Kids Want to Learn and Teachers Want to Stay — about why the effort students spend tryi...

On this episode of Teaching Matters, host Scott Titsworth talks with Zaretta Hammond, a teacher educator and the author of Rebuilding Students’ Learning Power: Teaching for Instructional Equity and Cognitive Justice. Hammond argues that teaching strategies are not the same as learning: teachers can cover the content, model each step, and supply every scaffold, and the student still has to do the t...

Most districts are still arguing about whether to ban artificial intelligence or allow it. Alex Bronson thinks both sides of that argument are losing. In this episode, host Scott Titsworth talks with Bronson, Director of K-8 Science at Uncommon Schools, about why prompt engineering is not the same thing as literacy, and why she believes the work of preparing students for an AI-saturated world star...

In this episode of Teaching Matters, host Scott Titsworth talks with Sabine Wallis, General Manager of NWEA, about where K-12 assessment is headed as districts navigate academic recovery, growing skepticism about testing, and the arrival of AI in classroom tools. Wallis, who joined NWEA in December 2025 after product leadership roles at Renaissance Learning and Illuminate Education, argues that th...

Earlier this year, Teaching Matters talked with the founders of Abre about making school data meaningful. This episode is the other half of that story. Host Scott Titsworth talks with Dr. Karen Cheser, Superintendent of Durango School District in southwest Colorado and the 2025 EmpowerED Digital Superintendent of the Year, about what happens when a district actually puts that kind of system to wor...

Host Scott Titsworth talks with Natalie Campana, the 2025-2026 National Project Lead The Way (PLTW) Engineering Teacher of the Year, and her former student Sarah Ostovich, now an aviation major at Ohio University. A follow-up to Teaching Matters' July 2026 conversation with PLTW's Katie Minihan, this episode traces the mentorship that connected a Steubenville High School teacher and her student, t...

Only one state has recovered its pre-pandemic 4th grade reading scores, and roughly 70% of 4th and 8th graders nationally are not reading proficiently. On this episode, host Scott Titsworth talks with Louise Baigelman, founder and CEO of Storyshares, about building a public benefit corporation focused on older striving readers in grades 3-12. Baigelman, a former middle school teacher, discusses wh...

In this episode of Teaching Matters, host Scott Titsworth talks with Dr. Tara Valoczki, Assistant Vice President of Education and Student Life at Milton Hershey School, a tuition-free boarding school for students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Dr. Valoczki describes her path from elementary principal to systemwide leader, and explains why her office oversees academics, health service...

Host Scott Titsworth talks with Ali Arsan, Founder and CEO of Edlio, the K-12 communications platform used by more than 19,000 schools across North America. After 25-plus years in education technology, Arsan argues that most EdTech has prioritized its own growth over the needs of educators and families, leaving schools juggling disconnected platforms while families get lost in the middle. The conv...

In this episode of the Teaching Matters podcast, host Scott Titsworth talks with Auditi Chakravarty, President and CEO of the Advanced Education Research and Development Fund (AERDF), about her path from high school English teacher to leading a national education R&D fund. The conversation centers on AERDF's “Advanced Inclusive R&D” model and the organization’s recent initiative putting teachers a...

Dr. Kara Stern returns to the Teaching Matters Podcast to discuss new data on the topic of absenteeism. She highlights two recent reports from SchoolStatus. Dr. Stern is the Director of Education and Engagement at SchoolStatus. During our discussion Dr. Stern provided mid-year updates on attendance from the 2025-2026 school year and discussed how intentional strategies by districts, particularly f...

As families gear up for a school year that will cost them close to $1,000 in supplies, Scott talks with Frank Cullen, Executive Director of the Council for Innovation Promotion (C4IP), about the counterfeit goods flooding online marketplaces each fall. Cullen, whose career has spanned from Hollywood to Capitol Hill, explains why U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized more than $7 billion in fak...

This episode of Teaching Matters introduces audience members to Project Lead the Way through a discussion with Dr. Katie Minihan, Executive Vice President and Chief Impact Officer. The conversation examines the connection between student engagement, experiential learning, and community partners particularly in STEM education. Katie discusses the importance broader definitions of success beyond sta...

Alyssa Tormala, Head of School at Laurel Springs School, shares insights on online education, mastery-based learning, community building, and the role of technology like AI in modern schooling. Laurel Springs is a fully accredited online school. In our discussion, Alyssa discusses trends in online education as well as ways in which online educators adapt practices to help students grow. Laurel Spr...

This episode explores the effectiveness of professional development in K-12 education, featuring insights from Jim Hall, CEO of the K12 Coalition. Topics include strategies for impactful teacher training, the role of evidence-based practices, and the future of education with AI and other innovations. K12 Coalition: https://k12coalition.com

Natural disasters pose risks for schools that exceed typical planning efforts. When such disruptions occur, districts with mature and scalable plans are able to return to some sense of normalcy more quickly. Megan Kuhfeld, Director of Growth Modeling and Analytics with NWEA discusses a recently released research brief from NWEA discussing factors that should be considered when developing a mature...

In this episode of Teaching Matters, Scott Titsworth interviews Juliana Worrell, Chief Schools Officer for Uncommon Schools, about the challenges and strategies in fostering reading habits among students. They discuss the alarming statistics regarding Gen Z's reading preferences, the importance of engaging students with relevant texts, and the role of technology in education. Juliana’s comments em...

Lindsay Burns and Chelsea Herbert, Gifted intervention Coordinators at Chillicothe (OH) City Schools, discuss creation of the Excite Lab and its role in providing opportunities for gifted students. The discussion highlights the personal journeys of the educators involved, the community context of Chillicothe, and the integration of STEM and arts in education to fulfill the district’s objective of...

This episode introduces listeners to Lumos Learning, an online platform that helps students build confidence and success on state standardized tests. Mukunda Krishnaswamy, founder and CEO, and Rich Katz, Senior Superintendent in Residence at Lumos, discuss the evolving landscape of education, particularly focusing on the integration of AI in learning environments, strategies for improving student...

Brittanie Bates is the Senior Vice President and Principal of Crimson Global Academy, an internationally accredited online school. In this episode, Scott and Brittanie discuss the evolution of online education, Brittany's journey from traditional teaching to online education, the skills necessary for effective online teaching, and the importance of community building in virtual classrooms. The con...

In this conversation, Scott Titsworth and Shail Silver discuss the prevalence of speech disorders in children and the innovative solutions provided by Speech LP, an AI-driven platform designed to enhance speech therapy. Shail shares his personal journey into the ed-tech space, the development of the app, its features, and how it integrates with professional speech therapy. Speech LP is currently f...

Tom Livezey is the superintendent of Oak Ridge Public Schools in Muskegon, Michigan. In this episode, Tom discusses the evolution of communication between schools and parents, the importance of parent engagement, and innovative strategies to improve student attendance. Livezey shares insights from his extensive experience in education, emphasizing the need for community understanding and trust to...

This episode of Teaching Matters features Alix Guerrier, CEO of Donors Choose. Donors Choose is a nonprofit platform that matches teachers’ projects and needs with donors. Alix discusses the 25-year history of Donors Choose as well as recurring and emerging trends in what teachers are seeking to fund. Donors Choose: https://www.donorschoose.org YouTube: https://youtu.be/l-TACQgVs2Y

In this conversation, Scott Titsworth and Susan Riley explore the importance of creativity in education, particularly through arts integration and the challenges teachers face in fostering a creative environment. They discuss the impact of AI on creativity, the barriers posed by standardized testing, and the potential of leveraging students' unique experiences as resources for creative problem-sol...

In this conversation, Carmelo Piazza, the Executive Director of the Brooklyn Preschool of Science, discusses the importance of early childhood education, particularly through inquiry-based learning and STEAM concepts. He shares his journey into education, the philosophy behind his preschool, and the significance of creating a stimulating, screen-free learning environment for young children. The di...