EDU Café

I’m excited to share the latest episode of the EDU Café Podcast, where I had the opportunity to sit down with Dr. Ellen Mandinach and Dr. Ed Dieterle for an incredibly thoughtful conversation about data literacy, data ethics, AI, and the future of education. As schools increasingly rely on data and technology to guide instruction and decision-making, this discussion explored an essential question:...

What if data isn’t neutral but, instead, actively shaping who students become? In the latest episode of EDU Café, I sit down with Dr. Ezekiel Dixon-Román and Dr. Ed Dieterle to unpack one of the most urgent conversations in education today: how data, algorithms, and AI are influencing not just how we measure learning but how we define it. We explore: 🔹 Why data is socially produced and interprete...

🎙️ New EDU Cafe Podcast Episode: Understanding Dyscalculia in Today’s Classrooms What if up to 8% of students in your classroom struggle with math, not because they aren’t trying but because of a neurological difference? In my conversation with Dr. Sandra Elliott, we unpack the often-overlooked learning difference: dyscalculia . 💡 Key takeaways: Dyscalculia impacts number sense, calculation, and...

Excited to share a new episode of EDU Café Podcast ! In this conversation, Liza Garonzik (founder of R.E.A.L. Discussion ) sits down with Nora Landon of William Penn Charter School to explore a question many of us are grappling with: In an AI-driven world, what matters more, not less, about being human? A few ideas that really stayed with me: 💡 The growing need to explicitly teach human skills, s...

Episode 2 of Future Plans’ Designing Opportunity mini-series is live, and it might challenge how you think about workforce development. We often hear about the “talent gap.” But what if the real issue isn’t people…? In this episode, Future Plans Christa Krohn facilitates a discussion with Betsy Franjola of Hocking Hills Garment Center, Josiah Hannah of Coalfield Development, and Stefano Alva of Vi...

I had the opportunity to sit down with Dr. Michelle Riconscente, PhD , CEO & co-founder of Valutare .AI and author of The AI Amplification Effect.  We explored a powerful idea: AI doesn’t just change how we work; it amplifies who we already are. We dug into the four work styles framework (analytical, driver, expressive, amiable) and what it means for how we lead, collaborate, and make decision...

We often talk about the “talent gap.” But what if the problem isn’t talent? What if it’s design? In the first episode of our Designing Opportunity: From Job Readiness to Future Resilience series, we explored a fundamental question with Letha Pugh, an entrepreneur and workforce development leader, Dan Leffingwell, Vice President of Policy and Advocacy at Future Plans, and Nick Moore, Acting Assista...

🎙️ New Podcast Episode: The Network of Networks: Innovation to Support All Learners What does it take to create systemic change for students with disabilities and learning differences? In the latest episode of EDU Café Podcast , I had the opportunity to host Aurora Dreger of InnovateEDU to discuss the work underway through the Educating All Learners Alliance (EALA) and how cross-organizational col...

Dr. Hruska, who serves as a Senior English Instructor at Stanford Online High School (SOHS), guest hosted with four SOHS students, including Hannah Poplack, Sadie Giessner, Maxwell Palance, and Wanzie Li,  to talk about how real inclusion happens and why student leadership is essential. They discussed: 💡 Creating advocacy groups like the Neurodivergent Student Alliance and Disability Culture Club...

In our latest episode of EDU Café , Kathryn sits down with Justin Bruno, Director of AI Strategy & Innovation at Oakland Schools, to explore what it really looks like to lead AI strategy across 28 school districts without pretending to have all the answers. Justin shares insights from his journey, starting with his work at Michigan Virtual to stepping into a brand-new leadership role focused o...

Our latest EDU Café conversation featuring Dr. Denise Reading , founder and CEO of Future Plans, a nonprofit dedicated to ending poverty one person at a time by helping individuals discover their greatness and connect to meaningful career pathways. In this powerful episode, we explore how grassroots collaboration, personalized career discovery, and community-driven solutions are transforming lives...

In this episode, we sat down with Dr. Naphtali Hoff to explore why delegation is one of the most misunderstood, and most essential, skills for school principals. Drawing from his new book, he shares how leaders can move beyond doing it all themselves to building strong leadership teams that create sustainable, high-functioning schools.

Teacher Leadership as Influence, Not Title What does it really mean to be a teacher leader? In our latest episode, Dr. Bryan Zugelder and Justine Juart Lunsford explore teacher leadership not as a role defined by hierarchy or titles, but as influence, partnership, and action. Together, we reflect on:  ✨ How teacher leadership strengthens the educator continuum  ✨ The difference and connection be...

The latest episode of the podcast just dropped with Jon Fila and Jason Neiffer digging into one of the biggest questions in education right now: What happens after the AI hype settles? In this conversation, they explore:  ✨ What they’ve learned from the rapid rise of generative AI  ✨ How educators and system leaders are navigating real implementation (beyond buzzwords)  ✨ Where AI is already ma...

Curious about the future of the schools, especially micro schools and other innovative models?. In this episode, Thomas Arnett and Meris Stansbury of the Clayton Christensen Institute dive into what really drives families to seek out new learning environments, drawing from the “Jobs to Be Done” research and real stories from parents navigating school decisions. They explore why understanding these...

🎙️ New Episode Alert! In the latest episode of EDU Café Podcast, Guest host Ji-Soo Song of SETDA sat down with Michael Ham of Full Scale and Elizabeth Foster of Learning Forward to unpack new national research and four major findings that shape how educators experience professional learning in EdTech and AI. They dive into the digital design divide highlighted in the 2024 National EdTech Plan and...

🍎 What happens when AI enters the classroom for teachers? In this EDU Café episode, the last of three in his series on AI’s impact, Ryan Gravette of Idaho Digital Learning explores how educators are adopting AI at different levels: Informing – drafting emails, translating parent communications. Augmenting – co-creating rubrics, quizzes, and lesson content. Replacing – grading assignments with AI...

📚 Today’s kindergartners will never know a world without AI. In our EDU Café conversation, the second of three in his series on AI’s impact, Ryan Gravette of Idaho Digital Learning Alliance shares how students are becoming “AI natives” and what that means for learning. He notes that students often skip straight to replacement (using AI to do the work for them) rather than using it to inform or au...

🚀 The workforce is changing—fast. In this EDU Café episode, the first of three in his series on AI’s impact, Ryan Gravette of Idaho Digital Learning Alliance breaks down how AI is transforming jobs across industries. He describes three stages we’re seeing: 1️⃣ Informing – AI helps us make decisions and work faster. 2️⃣ Augmenting – AI co-creates with us, boosting efficiency and reshaping job role...

What happens when a district creates a clear, human-centered framework to guide teaching and learning? In this conversation, Dr. Brian Troop , Superintendent of Ephrata Area School District (PA), and Dan Mahlandt dive into the district’s Tools, Targets, and Techniques instructional model, and how it’s helping educators prepare students not just for graduation, but for life. 💡 They explore: How Ep...

In this conversation, we explore the powerful intersection of AI, equity, and the instructional core with Dr. Ed Dieterle, Founder of Education Research Partners. Ed breaks down the five interconnected divides that shape how AI impacts education - from algorithms and data to agency and interpretation. More importantly, he challenges us to ask: 👉 Are we just using AI to do things better (automatio...

How are states navigating the evolving digital learning landscape in 2025, and what does it mean for school and district leaders on the ground? In this conversation, Julia Fallon, Executive Director of SETDA, and Dorann Avey, Digital Learning Director at the Nebraska Department of Education, join us to explore insights from SETDA’s newly released 2025 State EdTech Trends Report. 🎙️ They dive into:...

🌍♻️ New EDU Café Episode 🎙️ What if every technology purchase your district made could tell a story about sustainability, stewardship, and smarter investments for students? In this episode of EDU Café, we sit down with Louis McDonald, Project Manager for CoSN and retired CTO from Fauquier County Public Schools in Virginia, to discuss the recently released Sustainable Procurement Guidelines, devel...

We’re diving into “The Future Is Female: How Women Are Shaping Unconventional Education - and Why” with three powerful voices in education innovation:  ✨ Mickey Revenaugh – Co-founder of Connections Academy, author of School’s Out  ✨ Manisha Snoyer – CEO and Co-Founder of Modulo  ✨ Shiren Rattigan – Founder of Colossal Academy & Colossal Academy Online Together, they share how women are rei...

🌿 Wrapping up a powerful series on the EDU Café Podcast 🌿 We’ve reached the final episode of our Promising Practices for Teachers three-part series with Kelly Murphy , exploring the transformative impact of art therapy and active meditation in classrooms. In this episode, Kelly shares examples, impact, resources, and challenges that come with integrating these practices into real learning enviro...