Getting Smart Podcast

Today, Tom is sitting down with three outstanding learners who are passionate about difference-making, innovation, and making the world a better place. All three students — Sofia Sanchez, Naila Moloo, and Aaryan Harshith — are a part of The Knowledge Society (TKS); one of Getting Smart's favorite afterschool programs! Sofia Sanchez is passionate about synthetic biology, biotechnology, and innovati...

Join hosts Rashawn "Shawnee" Caruthers and Tom Vander Ark in this special Getting Smart Podcast mini-series about the Nevada Succeeds InspirED Global Fellowship! This will be a three-part series all about leadership, innovation, and education opportunities within Nevada Succeeds — a Las Vegas-based education non-profit focused on empowering systems transformation through educator impact, policy, a...

Today, Getting Smart team member Rashawn "Shawnee" Caruthers is sitting down with Margarita Geleske of Uncharted Learning and Tom Leonard, the Superintendent of Texas's Eanes Independent School District. Margarita worked with the founding Uncharted Learning to create INCubatoredu, which helps students develop future-ready skills as they build real businesses. She also served as chairperson and tru...

Today, Getting Smart team member, Rebecca Midles, is virtually sitting down with Kelley Munger and Megan Marcus of FuelEd. Kelley and Megan are both professional development consultants that specialize in social-emotional learning and relationship building. Megan is the founder of FuelEd. She started her career in research and helped lead the research efforts for the book, The Social Neuroscience...

Today Tom is sitting down virtually to speak with Jeremy Keeshin, about his new book, Read Write Code: A Friendly Introduction to the World of Coding and Why It's the New Literacy . Jeremy has been an innovator from an early age and co-founded CodeHS back in 2012 when he was just graduating from Stanford University with a BS in Computer Science. CodeHS is an online coding education platform that h...

Today Tom is speaking with Dr. Ron Crutcher, President and Professor of Music at the University of Richmond. He's also the author of the new book, I Had No Idea You Were Black: Navigating Race on the Road to Leadership . Dr. Crutcher was a founding co-chair of Liberal Education and America's Promise (LEAP) and a former member of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. His new book, I Had No Idea You We...

On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast , Tom Vander Ark is speaking with Summer Stephens and Nate Waite about district change in the Churchill County School District. Summer Stephens is a longtime educator and superintendent that has successfully implemented systems of blended and online learning, voice and choice, self-paced learning, project-based learning, and design thinking. A specific...

In this episode, Getting Smart team member, Rashawn Caruthers, talks with two educators from Phoenix Charter Academy about their Primary Person Model. This model is a one-on-one advisory system that puts mental health and wellness at the forefront of student progress, which now — more than ever — is so important. Phoenix Charter Academy is a member of the Strategy Lab cohort, which is part of the...

Joining Tom today is Thomas Hatch, a professor at the Teachers College Columbia University and the Director of the National Center for Restructuring Education, Schools, and Teaching (NCREST). Thomas's research includes studies of school improvement, district, and national levels. His latest book, The Education We Need for a Future We Can't Predict , focuses on efforts to create more powerful learn...

Today Tom is speaking with Stephanie Krauss; an educator, social worker, researcher, and writer. Her work focuses on what young people need in the first quarter of life for them to thrive and be ready for adulthood. She is a senior advisor to JFF and a staff consultant for the Youth Transition Funders Group. In this episode, Tom and Stephanie discuss the ways her childhood ultimately led her to fo...

Today Tom is speaking with Navid Nathoo; an innovator, entrepreneur, and creator of the new program and platform, The Knowledge Society. The Knowledge Society is an after-school program that helps learners navigate interests and encourages them to contribute to their communities as well as the global community with a series of projects. In this episode, Tom and Navid talk about what the future of...

Today, Tom is virtually sitting down with Trace Pickering, the Executive Director of Iowa BIG — one of Getting Smart's favorite learning programs in the country! Trace has a background in community building, has served as the Associate Superintendent of Cedar Rapids Community School District, and has also served as the Associate Director of Education Reimagined. Trace has a legacy of empowering pe...

In this episode, Tom is joined by Kelly Young, President of Education Reimagined, to chat with Randy Ziegenfuss, podcast host and former Superintendent, about his multi-decade influence in the education space. Randy recently retired from the role of Superintendent in the Salisbury Township School District where he served for the past 15 years. Currently, he teaches as a Clinical Adjunct Professor...

In this week's episode, Tom virtually sits down with Kim Smith, founder of the Pahara Institute and co-founder of NewSchools Venture Fund and Bellwether Education Partners. Kim Smith is widely recognized as an innovative and entrepreneurial leader in education and has been featured in Newsweek 's report, "Women of the 21st Century," as the kind of woman who will shape America's new century. Kim wa...

This week, Tom is speaking with Joe Erpelding, a passionate educator and leader who is in the business of transforming schools and students' lives. Joe served as the Principal at the Poway Unified School District for a number of years before making his way to Design39Campus where he was able to create a magical, one-of-a-kind school experience for every learner. Now, he is transitioning to support...

Today, Tom is talking with journalist and author, Jeff Selingo, about his new book, Who Gets In and Why: A Year Inside College Admissions . This book was published in September 2020 and was named an Editor's Choice by the New York Times book review. Jeff has written about higher education for more than two decades and is a New York Times best-selling author of three books. He is also a regular con...

This week, Tom is joined by special guest, Maya Ajmera, the President and CEO of the Society for Science & the Public and Publisher of its award-winning magazine, Science News . In 1993, Maya founded The Global Fund for Children (GFC), a non-profit organization that invests in innovative, community-based organizations working with some of the world's most vulnerable children and youth. She is also...

Today, Tom is joined by a powerful panel of ed leaders to discuss the future of learning. You will hear from Dr. Pamela Moran, Byron Sanders, and Ed Hess. Dr. Pamela Moran is recognized internally as a leading advocate for contemporary education. She currently serves as Executive Director of the Virginia School Consortium for Learning and routinely consults with higher education, non-profits, and...

This week, Tom is sitting down with author and advisor, Michelle Weise, to discuss her new book, Long Life Learning: Preparing for Jobs that Don't Even Exist Yet. Michelle is currently serving as an entrepreneur-in-residence and Senior Advisor at Imaginable Futures, a venture of The Omidyar Group. Michelle was formerly the Chief Innovation Officer at Strada Education Network's Institute for the Fu...

Joining the podcast in this episode is Marni Baker Stein, Provost and Chief Academic Officer at the Western Governors University (WGU). For over 25 years, Marni has been designing and scaling programs to improve access, affordability, and student success. Prior to joining WGU, she worked for educational institutions in the United States and abroad on the development and administration of pioneerin...

Today's episode features a conversation with Dr. Donna Housman. Dr. Housman is a clinical psychologist and founder of the Housman Institute, a Boston-based, early childhood training, research, and advocacy organization. This institute also features its own lab school, Beginnings. In these challenging times, Dr. Donna Housman has been providing insights to parents who are having to not only adjust...

Today the Getting Smart team is joined by Donna McDaniel to discuss professional learning and real-world learning. Donna is a longtime educator who has bridged the world of business and education. Through her experience and numerous school settings, Donna has invaluable experience for knowing the ins and outs of what qualifies as real-world skills. She has taken this knowledge to create the CAPS p...

In this week's episode, Tom is talking with Dr. Beth Rabbitt and Dr. Asaf Bitton about the state of global health, how it relates to schools, and a new initiative called the Parabola Project, which offers education leaders tools and strategies to minimize health risks while maximizing learning when reopening schools. Dr. Beth Rabbitt is the CEO of The Learning Accelerator, a national non-profit th...

In this week's episode, Tom is talking with author and thought leader, David Price, on the power of us. David is an author, educator, consultant, and public speaker based in North Yorkshire, UK. He has written two Amazon best-selling books, the latest titled, The Power of Us: How We Connect, Act, and Innovate Together. David has led innovation in education projects around the world for the past tw...

On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast we are giving you a look at a new conversation series led by Getting Smart team member Rebecca Midles. She has been having informative and inspiring conversations with leaders in the field of competency-based education and they are all available to you at GettingSmart.com/CBE . On this episode, she is speaking with Claudette Trujillo Principal of Metrop...