Lessons Learned

How can we redesign education to truly prepare students for the future of work? “ Would we design a system where the high school diploma is the end goal for our secondary schools, or would we design a system that provides more avenues for industry credentials and early college credit and early planning? Would we design a system that is not engaging our students or providing them the agency that th...

What does the future of teaching look like in the age of AI? “I've met so many people in the AI field who share a sense of responsibility and opportunity. You hear all the noise in the news, but many of us are working for a better future for all humans as a result of this technology.” - Luyen Chou In this episode of Lessons Learned , host Matt sits down with Luyen Chou, Co-Founder and CEO of Dewey...

How do we move beyond Participants’ Reactions when we evaluate PD? “ It's not that teachers are afraid of change or reluctant to change. It is just they're so committed to learning in their kids that they're not going to sacrifice their wellbeing and their learning for the sake of something new. And so you must build into any innovation, some strategy whereby teachers can gain feedback to see if i...

What does it take to transform early opportunities into lasting career mobility? “ We must all [school districts, nonprofits, workforce] be in collaboration. It's not a choice, it's a necessity. I'm not saying it's always easy, but it's not something we can opt out of. ” -Dr. Monique Perry-Graves In this episode of Lessons Learned , host Matt welcomes Dr. Monique Perry-Graves, CEO of Road to Hire,...

How can districts make the most of every dollar while still raising academic intensity? “ If we want to be the future ready system of tomorrow, we have to look each other in the eye, have courageous conversations, and we have to create the school system of tomorrow.” - Superintendent Dr. Patrick Ward This special episode of Lessons Learned comes from a recent virtual event featuring the superinten...

How can industry and education work together to prepare students for the future? “ People at a younger age deserve to learn earlier what their opportunities are and deserve to be encouraged to think about and explore their interests.” -Matt Kellam In this episode of Lessons Learned Season 2, host Matt sits down with Matt Kellam, Manager of Workforce Development at Dominion Energy, to explore the p...

What does effective instructional coaching really look like? “If there’s no goal, it’s just a nice conversation.” -Jim Knight In this special episode of Lessons Learned, host Matt welcomes Jim Knight, one of the most influential voices in instructional coaching and K-12 professional learning. With over 20 years of research and 10+ books authored, Jim reflects on his journey from aspiring English t...

What does it really mean to be an instructional leader? “Systems over goals. If you want instructional leadership to be a focus—create a system to make it happen. We can get bogged down in the small fires…because if we don’t, [they can] become a whole wildfire. But when we create a system to focus on the things that need to be a priority—like instructional leadership—then we no longer have to say,...

How can we make math more accessible, engaging, and future-focused? “When someone’s asking, ‘Hey, when am I gonna use this math?’ you can be like, ‘Have you ever played a video game? Because they used math to make that video game'. And not only did they use math—they used Desmos to do this. They use the exact same tool that we're using today.” -Eli Luberoff In this episode of Lessons Learned , hos...

How can districts prepare students for both college and career success—and what does it require from our instructional leaders?   “As a leader—getting the [support] that you need, that’s tailored to what is important to you—that's when you make your most growth, and that’s something that can’t be found with a one-size-fits-all PD opportunity.” - Adam Bowen In this episode of Lessons Learned, host...

How do we prepare students for jobs that don't exist yet? “What I'm hopeful for is that always—no matter how challenging the circumstance—there is someone who is teaching and there are students who are learning.” -Chike Aguh In this episode of Lessons Learned , host Matt tackles this question with Chike Aguh, Senior Advisor of The Project on Workforce at Harvard. As a former Chief Innovation Offic...

How can we align K–12 pathways with real economic opportunity? “The definition of leadership is influence. The challenge of leadership is conflict. The result of leadership is change. And when there's a lot of change, we're gonna experience a lot of conflict, and that's going to require stronger leadership.” -Dr. TJ Vari In this episode of Lessons Learned , host Matt sits down with Dr. TJ Vari, Se...

How can we make math instruction more engaging and relevant for every student? “Kids need fewer commercials for math's power in their jobs later and more actual, tangible experiences of math's power now in their education.” -Dan Meyer In this episode of Lessons Learned , Season 2, host Matt is joined by Dan Meyer, former high school math teacher and current VP of User Growth at Amplify, widely kno...

What if K-12 school districts saw scheduling as a strategy for alignment rather than a task to be done? “We really under-invest in training future school leaders on how to invest this multi-million dollar budget... how to get more students college and career ready—and how to run it effectively and efficiently.” -Dr. Steven Gering In this episode of Lessons Learned , host Matt sits down with Dr. St...

What does building ‘life-ready’ students really look like? In this special compilation episode of Lessons Learned , we highlight five powerful insights from the visionary education leaders featured in Season 2. From district superintendents to CTE directors, these voices share a collective optimism about the future of public education. Across their diverse experiences, a shared message emerges: re...

How can we rethink workforce partnerships for sustainability and impact? “Every parent out there wants a better life for their child and unfortunately, historically, we've always thought that pathway was through a four-year degree. That's just the way we grew up. But the world has changed. Business has changed. When you look at the number of jobs that are out there that require a four-year degree,...

How can districts evolve to support every educator and every student? “Really looking at your programs—which ones are making the biggest impact—and there's no debate. The biggest impact you can have on student achievement is teacher efficacy.” -Brett Ferguson In this episode of Lessons Learned , our host Matt is joined by members of Iberia Parish’s team, Brett Ferguson, Kirsten Dutile, and Kyla Au...

What role do schools, families, and businesses play in building career-ready learners? “The single biggest unifying conversation we've had is about future-readiness. When you talk about the current environment we're in, right now is the time to be asking how the school and all the systems align to assure that every student that walks across the stage is ready for whatever they choose next.” -Patri...

How do Educational Service Centers (ESCs) help turn policy into practice in Ohio’s schools? “How do you reverse engineer what the future could look like into the type of profession that interests you? That could provide you with the income and the quality of life that you need to be able to do [the things you love]? What's the education you need to get there?  And [we’re] finding that in all insta...

How can we leverage student agency to build more invested, more prepared graduates? “We need to give kids context to understand that if they’re going to think about their life beyond (and their goals beyond) school, they need to understand where they fit in [and how education prepares them for it].” -Jen Kushell In this episode of Lessons Learned, our host Matt kicks off Season 2 with Jennifer Kus...

What is some of the best teacher advice you've received?  In this of Lessons Learned, BetterLesson Director of Solution Design Romain Bertrand sits down with Jaime Speed, an educator in Oregon with over 24 years experience. During their conversation they discuss blended learning, the Scottish Storyline method, and how sometimes, the best way to form relationships with your students is to just be y...

Can family engagement lead to greater educational outcomes—and less teacher turnover? In the latest episode of Lessons Learned, BetterLesson CEO Matt Kennard sits down with Vidya Sundaram, CEO and Co-Founder of Family Engagement Lab for a conversation about creating a better environment for learning through meaningful connections. Hear about how increased family engagement impacts student achievem...

"Teacher Talk" helps us learn from other educators by hearing about their favorite classroom strategies and methodologies. In this episode, BetterLesson's Director of Solution Design Romain Bertrand has a conversation with Afrika Afeni Mills. During their conversation, they talk about building a classroom library, how to keep learning (and the power in *admitting* that you are still learning) and...

AI in education may be the topic du jour, but rightfully so. Whether you are embracing–or rejecting–the onslaught of these new technologies, there’s simply no way to ignore them anymore. So what are we doing to address and manage ai in our schools? And are we utilizing its power and capabilities to our advantage? In this episode of Lessons Learned, BetterLesson CEO Matt Kennard sits down with Anna...