Beyond the Box

In this episode of Beyond the Box, host Dr. Ronald G. Taylor welcomes Eric Ripley, Executive Director of Career & Technical Education at Grand Forks Public Schools. Drawing on nearly three decades in CTE as both an educator and administrator, Eric shares how career and technical education has evolved from a program once viewed as an alternative pathway into an essential opportunity for every s...

In this episode of Beyond the Box, host Dr. Ronald G. Taylor sits down with Eduardo Cesario, Deputy Superintendent of Academic Programs and Supports for Waukegan Community Unit School District #60. Eduardo shares how his district is building instructional coherence across 22 schools by creating consistent curriculum systems, strengthening stakeholder collaboration, and using data to drive continuo...

On Beyond the Box, host Dr. Ronald G. Taylor sits down with Kristen Hardy, Executive Director of Special Education / SELPA at Vallejo City Unified School District. With more than 20 years of experience, Kristen leads efforts to improve educational outcomes for students with disabilities while ensuring special education remains aligned with the district's broader instructional vision. In this conve...

In this episode of Beyond the Box, host Dr. Ronald G. Taylor sits down with Jeremy Qualls, Executive Director of Entrepreneurship and Innovation and Director of College, Career, and Technical Education (CTE) for Williamson County Schools. Jeremy shares how his team transformed the perception of CTE in one of the nation's highest-performing school districts by creating innovative, student-centered...

On Beyond the Box , host Dr. Ronald G. Taylor sits down with Rusty Gordon, Director of Pupil Services at Marysville Joint Unified School District in California. Rusty oversees special education programs and student support services across the district, working closely with school leaders and curriculum teams to ensure students with exceptional needs receive equitable access to high-quality instruc...

On Beyond the Box , host Dr. Ronald G. Taylor sits down with Troy Lange, Executive Director of Exceptional Student Services at Eagle County School District in Colorado. Troy oversees special education, gifted and talented programming, and nursing services—designing systems that support students ages 3 to 21 across diverse schools and pathways. Troy shares how Eagle County moved from individual tea...

On Beyond the Box , host Dr. Ronald G. Taylor sits down with Brooke Martin, Executive Director of Career and Technical Education (CTE) for Aldine ISD in Houston, Texas. Brooke shares what it takes to lead CTE at a massive scale, serving more than 20,000 students across 45+ programs, while still building coherence, quality instruction, and equitable access to real career pathways. This conversation...

On Beyond the Box , host Dr. Ronald G. Taylor sits down with Christopher Sanzeri , Assistant Director for Curriculum and Instruction in Specialized Student Services at Elgin Area School District U-46 . Christopher shares how U-46 is rethinking special education curriculum design, moving away from fragmented, supplement-heavy models toward coherent, aligned instructional systems. This conversation...

On Beyond the Box , host Dr. Ronald G. Taylor sits down with Zeek Edmond , Assistant Superintendent of Teaching & Learning for Tacoma Public Schools . Zeek shares how Tacoma is expanding equitable access to early learning, strengthening teacher retention, and building aligned systems that support both students and educators. From scaling preschool from a handful of pilot sites to districtwide...

On Beyond the Box, host Dr. Ronald G. Taylor sits down with Peter McWain, Executive Director for Curriculum & Instruction at Santa Fe Public Schools, to unpack what it really takes to design equitable, standards-aligned learning beyond a boxed program. Peter shares the story behind founding an early college high school built for first-generation students, why he prioritizes growth over profici...

On Beyond the Box, host Dr. Ronald G. Taylor sits down with Dixie Rosier, Assistant Superintendent of Learning & Instruction for Hobbs Municipal Schools in Hobbs, New Mexico. Dixie shares how her district is thinking beyond traditional instructional models to build a literacy-rich culture, invest deeply in teacher excellence, and create career pathways that connect learning to real-world oppor...