Voices in Education Podcast

Leadership, especially within the education sector, isn't something that can be mastered in a single semester. But aiming for perfection and shying away from your missteps can be the greatest mistake of all if you want to find success and create a positive school culture. As a former principal and current Director of Student Services & Special Education at Uintah School District, Dr Dean...

Collaboration between educators and parents is key when it comes to creating safe, nurturing environments for the kids within our schools - not least when it comes to helping manage their mental health and wellness. And though there is a definite improvement in the quality of connections made between many educators and caregivers, there is undoubtedly more work to be done. Anne Moss Rogers, an aut...

According to recent data, school systems that prioritize student safety and wellness are seeing increasingly positive results when it comes to both student academic success and educator retention - but what does it take to build and maintain such a system in the modern day? Dr. Robert Avossa, the founder and president of K-12 Leadership Matters LLC and former superintendent, joins the Voices in Ed...

It is becoming clearer with every passing year that education is rarely 'one size fits all' when it comes to our students' learning, wellness and success. As the world changes and evolves, our understanding and practices most evolve too - but that is often easier said than done. For Superintendent Iranetta Wright, education is the great equalizer: no matter a child's background...

As teachers, we all try our best to juggle being successful educators, caregivers, administrators, mentors, managers and so many other responsibilities that it can feel impossible to adequately achieve in every area. But what if the solution to these challenges was more to do with the whole school system rather than the individual teachers? Julie Norman, a Leadership and School Effectiveness Advis...

Educators often put the mental health and wellness of their students above their own, but when teacher burnout is such a common occurrence in and around the classroom in the modern day, this approach soon reveals itself to be a detrimental and unsustainable one for all involved. In spite of his inarguable successes as both a teacher and an award-winning Head of Key Stage 3, Adam Parkes experienced...

For many, working in education is primarily a role of passion: a love for helping to provide a better start in life for the next generations of young people outweighs all else. But that doesn’t mean education cannot also be a prosperous and long-term career – one where a true difference can be made. From school leadership to superintendency, the possibilities are many. There is, however, a signifi...

With student mental health and wellness at an all-time low, the work of our school counselors, student services teams and support staff has never been a more important or powerful tool. From helping to build stronger school systems to bolster the help we provide, to offering one-to-one support for staff and students alike, their roles are integral in battling the wellness crisis we face in the edu...

Being a leader within the education sector is challenging at the best of times, with so many responsibilities to fulfil and objectives to achieve. While juggling all of these elements, it's not surprising that we sometimes lose sight of the real goal behind why we do what we do: to create access and opportunity for our students everywhere. For Dr April Grace, educator, consultant, and superin...

According to reports from the CDC, 22% of students seriously considered attempting suicide in 2021, with 10% actually attempting suicide - a tragic figure that is seemingly on the rise year on year. With student mental health and wellness now a key focal point for all schools, how we can be more proactive than reactive is a question on many educators' minds. Dr Dean Wilson, Director of Studen...

In the modern world of education, we are beginning to understand more and more that one size does not fit all when it comes to our students' learning and wellness. Behind every behavior and 'bad day', there can be so much more at play than simply a student misbehaving or acting out. In the eyes of Dr Lateshia Woodley, Educational Consultant, Psychologist and Lead Dream Builder, many...

Is a school’s focus on SEL and wellness of students coming at the expense of its teachers? In this episode, Sarah Milianta-Laffin, discusses why so many teachers feel unsupported on the job. As both a Teacher and an Instructional Coach, Sarah provides her unique perspective on ways schools can better care for and retain teachers. One thing to avoid is what Sarah calls “toxic positivity” where teac...

The one thing schools never seem to have enough of is funding. In this episode, Amy Yamamoto Callahan shares her perspective as both a Ventura Union School District Trustee and a parent. Amy discusses why SEL is so important for children to develop into healthy adults, and why she’s fighting for the funding needed to provide enough wellness workers for every school in her district.  Connect with A...

Uncertainty might create a sense of discomfort in most people. For many students, however, uncertainties are creating an anxiety loop that feeds on itself. In this episode, Abounding Circles founder Sarah Snyder (LCSW) shares why students today have more and more uncertainty in their daily lives (Covid, social media, bullying) and how it leads kids to live in a constant state of alert. Sarah share...

Ask any winning sports team and they’ll agree, the right coach matters. In this episode, Dr. Sherrell Hobbs of Victory Education Solutions discusses the importance of coaching schools and educators on social-emotional learning (SEL). Learn how SEL can help students develop empathy, emotional control, and self-awareness. To illustrate its value, Dr. Hobbs shares an inspiring story of how SEL allowe...

Taking a moment to be mindful seems so easy. So why is it so hard for most of us to do? In this episode, Laure Sabini, founder of Full of Kindness, shares the value of teaching mindfulness to children, adolescents, and teachers. Simple mindfulness practices have been shown to improve student mental health , build personal confidence, and help us stay centered amid the pressures of our lives. Liste...

The rate of professional burnout among teachers is high. Some are planning to retire sooner than originally planned, while others have left the profession entirely.  Kati Vaughn is the founder of Stay the Course. In this episode, she discusses the practice of Restorative Coaching, which helps educators build their resilience and reignite their passion for teaching. Kati also shares ways that schoo...

If students aren’t engaged, maybe the problem isn't so much what they’re learning as how they’re learning. In this episode, Mindy Faber, co-founder of Convergence Design Lab, discusses the role her agency plays in researching and designing new ways of learning. Discover how these new ways of learning have helped schools increase student engagement and generate improvements in academic perform...

The Community School model gives students access to everything from work-based learning to tutoring and other types of support. In this episode, Lauren Campion, Education Administrator  of Lowell Public Schools, shares how partnerships with local organizations are allowing students, particularly those deemed at-risk, to take advantage of resources they might otherwise not get. Hear for yourself wh...

Even in the land of sandy shores and swaying palm trees, anxiety and depression remain on the rise. Between Covid, school closures, new variants, and more, the past 24 months have created a roller coaster of big emotions for many Hawaiian students. At the same time, mental health providers are burning out. Dr. Dennis Itoga, clinical psychologist and Adjunct Professor at Chaminade University in Hon...

When working with a mental health professional, finding the right therapist is key. Colleen Leung, founder of Unmute, hopes for a world where prioritizing one’s mental health is as common as going to the gym. In this episode of the Voices in Education podcast, Colleen shares why finding the right therapist is imperative, plus how Unmute is tackling the supply and demand imbalance of patients and t...

As program manager for The Upswing Fund, Sierra Malia Fox-Woods has the privilege of supporting organizations that are improving kids’ mental health by breaking down barriers to access. Tune in to hear Sierra talk about the fantastic work being done to support LGBTQ+ students and children of color.  Learn more about Sierra Malia Fox-Woods: Sierra’s LinkedIn profile . And check out the important wo...

In episode 8 of the Voices in Education podcast, we explore how we can ensure SEL programs support our ESL students. Listen in as Casey talks with Johnny Gannaw, Dean of Students at Highline Public Schools in South Seattle, about how he’s addressing the social-emotional needs of a culturally diverse community of students and families.  Learn more about Johnny Gannaw: Johnny Gannaw’s LinkedIn profi...

SEL expert Lulu Luckock is a consultant to schools and youth organizations throughout the UK. In this episode, Lulu discusses the important role that emotional intelligence (EQ) plays in social-emotional learning — and shares why supporting our students, their families, and teachers to develop emotional intelligence is more important now than ever.  Learn more about Lulu Luckock at http://www.lulu...

Being late to virtual meetings is a problem plenty of us can relate to, especially when Zoom calls and Google Meets crowd our calendars. But few of us actually develop an innovative app to solve the problem like Seth Raphael, a San Francisco Bay area high schooler, did. When Seth found himself being late to class as a remote learner, he took matters into his own hands by developing a clever techno...