Education Evolution

We spend so much time worrying about whether students will engage with the curriculum that we forget a really important part of the equation. Yes, students need to be interested. But what about the teachers? If the curriculum isn't easy to navigate and fun to use, teachers aren't likely to utilize all the tools and resources available. And that means the students will miss out too.   At the same t...

The ease with which we can travel and connect with others across the globe is mind-blowing, when you think about how people traveled and communicated just a generation or two ago. But yet, in some of the lower-income communities in the U.S., people often live and work within a 10-block radius. That means the children of these communities have their worlds limited to these confines too.   That's wh...

We're all fatigued. Even with schools and businesses opening back up, we're still so stuck in our pandemic and pre-pandemic ways. Hopefully everyone has learned a thing or two about what it looks like to educate our youth, because it's clear that things need to change.   That's why a group of dedicated education activists joined me last year in forming the EdActive Collective. We're determined to...

"Think Tanks" became popular in the 1960s, and even more so in the 1980s as a way for experts to research and develop ideas for policy and change. But if we spend all our time thinking instead of taking action, what good are we doing?   This week on the podcast, Don Soifer and Ashley Campbell of Nevada Action for School Options are sharing how their Action Tank is actually doing the work.   What i...

Kids need to feel that their passions and ideas matter. Unfortunately, our system is set up to mold kids into who we want them to be. Schools are guilty of this and even well-meaning parents are guilty of it. We have our own versions of success in our minds and trying to steer children on our path is setting them up for failure and for feeling unseen. This week on the podcast, Luthern Williams is...

Schools try to help and support families with neurodiverse learners, but there's not a lot of wiggle room for anyone who doesn't fit into the "normal" box. What schools don't acknowledge is that no two kids will ever be the same or learn in the same way. It's the parents' responsibility to advocate for their children and to help (kindly) educate schools, teachers, and other parents about how their...

We teach children that everyone is special and unique; everyone is different. So why is it that we don't model for kids how to embrace those differences in school? Instead, we expect children to conform to the way "normal" children should learn and develop.  Instead of labeling children with diagnoses, which generally only serve to fund resources, we should embrace the differences of everyone.  Ac...

How hopeful do you feel about the future? Does it show in your interactions with youth? I think we can all use a healthy dose of hope these days, but we're not talking about it enough. We look at the events of the world today and we stay quiet, feeling like we need to grin and bear it. That's not true. If you're struggling, others are struggling. And our youth need to hear stories of love, compass...

One of the biggest disservices we do to our youth is to expect them to graduate from high school knowing what they're going to do in their future without giving them any guidance or help in figuring that out. Instead, we need to support their passions and interests while encouraging them to put together their own narrative of success. Because success looks different for everyone. That story they t...

Does a high school diploma make kids ready for the workforce? The answer is no. Sure, they have knowledge of history and geography. But high schools don't teach the relevant, saleable skills that graduates can take to the workforce. Students either have to go to college or learn a skill. What if our youth learned a skill in high school? A skill that got them ready for work and that they actually w...

We don't build houses without first laying a solid foundation. So why do we expect children to learn without first making sure they feel safe and secure?  COVID has been a complex trauma for us all, yet we're pushing on rather than taking the time to process the information and being mindful of what students (and teachers!) are experiencing. Because if students aren't regulated, they cannot proces...

Teachers are (still!) not okay, and that's coming straight from the mouth of a teacher. The pandemic continues, and teachers continue to struggle with making the impact they went into the profession to make.  The result is a lot of burnout and frustration, a lot of complaining (from teachers, students, administrators, parents), and a mass exodus of teachers leaving the profession. This week's gues...

With schools struggling to stay open between COVID and teachers leaving the profession in droves we definitely need some wisdom and inspiration in the field of education right now. Who out there is moving learning forward? And what is giving us hope? If we're going to make it through this challenging time in history, actively searching for and reflecting on lessons and hope is going to be crucial....

Anyone can create change, so long as they have the heart and drive for it. This week's guest is a model for this.  Not liking what she saw in education, Monique Sayers looked inward and got to work. She gathered a community of other passionate change agents and co-authored a book of resources, stories, and insights that they hope will transform education to become the highest good of all. In our i...

So much of what we do in education is based around "getting through the curriculum" and checking off skills that students have "mastered." It's safe to say that this isn't working, and it frankly never has. Every child is different and every child learns at a different rate. The notion that you can teach concepts in a string of ideas and that students will latch onto them in order is archaic. Ther...

With school back in session, things have changed. Again. Many schools have gone back to virtual or hybrid and that's wreaking havoc on kids, teachers, parents, administrators, and the general public. So we're leaning again (still?) on technology and innovation. Though the increased rates of COVID is scary and unfortunate, this is an opportunity to embrace new ways of doing things. New ways that we...

Think about how different the lives of our children are, compared to how we grew up or how our parents and grandparents grew up. It's like night and day when you consider the technology changes, social development, human connection, racial awakening, and more. And yet. The status quo in education is for students to sit in a classroom and listen to a teacher talk. We've learned so much over the yea...

So many of us said goodbye to 2020 with starry-eyed hope for 2021...only to feel a sucker-punch at all that this year has offered up to us. I've felt the same way in many aspects.  But while 2021 wasn't the year we had hoped, I choose to look at the positives. I want to take learnings from this year and grow from them in the new year. Hit a reset button, if you will. This week on the podcast, I'm...

We've all heard that equality and equity are not one and the same. What one child needs to be successful can (and likely is) wildly different from what another child needs to be successful. But yet, so many schools still teach prescribed curriculum to the masses. On this episode, Professor Steven Cleveland is sharing his own take on equality and equity and offers a different way to look at it--one...

We have so many amazing educational leaders in the field and I appreciate that we're able to grow and learn together. But if we rely solely on leaders, our kids don't have the agency they deserve. This week on the podcast, I'm talking with Rachel Kittle of Leadership Launch about how her organization is giving kids the real-world experience they need to build confidence and become leaders. The res...

We know that learning is challenging for many kids, especially when schools rely on a prescribed curriculum that's voted on from the top--not with individual kids' needs in mind. Seeing all the gaps in the education system has led many to taking action to support our colorful, mismatched learners. I'm one of those, and so are this week's guests. This week we're talking to three amazing powerhouses...

Arizona is a national leader in education reform, having recently passed one of the most robust education reform bills in the nation. The goal? To showcase that seat time does not equate quality learning. Instead, thanks to HB 2862, the state recognizes that instructional time can look vastly different depending on the students' needs. Imagine that! This and so much more was possible thanks to the...

Our youth and young adults have so many more options than we did as kids. We were taught that you go into college or a trade; those were your two choices. Today, kids are creating their own model of what life will look like in adulthood. But to ensure their success, we need to help them develop their voice and agency. They need to know how to speak up and speak out and allow their voices to be hea...

There's so much overwhelm out there today, and our teachers are feeling the brunt of it. They're tasked with so much right now, from their regular teaching duties to "catching kids up" to navigating the trauma of kids, families, and themselves. It's no wonder that my own micro-school is seeing higher than normal teacher absenteeism. Maybe your schools are having a similar challenge. It's time for...

It's impossible to get around media these days. We're constantly inundated with images and content on social media, in our search browsers, on television, and even walking or driving down the street. As adults, we know that looking critically at the media is important, as is asking questions about what we see. Our children are often the target of that media, though they don't have that same insigh...