Innovating Education

In this episode of the Innovating Education Podcast, Dr. Riley Williams talks with Dr. Joseph Jones and Dr. T.J. Vari—co‑founders of TheSchoolHouse302, about why meaningful school improvement requires working through conflict rather than avoiding it. The conversation examines their evolution from site leaders under No Child Left Behind to authors and coaches, and how that experience informed their...

In this episode of the Innovating Education Podcast, we sit down with Erin Thorkilsen—educator, professor, and founder of Heart in Education, a professional development initiative focused on the human and relational dimensions of teaching. With over two decades of experience and deep grounding in learning science, Erin helps educators navigate complexity, strengthen classroom culture, and teach in...

In this special Thanksgiving episode of the Innovating Education Podcast, Dr. Riley Williams talks with Kwame Sarfo Mensa—veteran educator, global consultant, and author of Learning to Relearn —about what it means for educators to “unlearn and relearn” in order to create more humanizing schools. The conversation examines how equity-centered, culturally affirming practice invites teachers and leade...

In this episode of the Innovating Education Podcast, Dr. Riley Williams talks with Steven Bollar—also known as Stand Tall Steve—an educator, former superintendent, author, and national speaker on school climate and culture. The conversation examines why many school improvement efforts stall when leaders pursue perfection over progress and how clearer decision-making and culture practices can make...

In this episode of the Innovating Education Podcast, Dr. Riley Williams talks with Bob Safran, an educator and developer of the EGUMPP grammar program, about the place of explicit grammar instruction in literacy education. The conversation reviews how policy shifts such as the 1985 NCTE resolution influenced classroom practice and considers arguments for reintroducing more structured grammar study...

In this episode of the Innovating Education Podcast, Dr. Riley Williams talks with Eleni Soler—founder of Eleni’s Edge, educator, systems strategist, and certified coach—about how entrepreneurial thinking can inform the design of K–12 learning in a volatile, uncertain world. The conversation examines how inquiry-based learning, AI-powered ideation, and coaching practices can increase student agenc...

In this episode of the Innovating Education Podcast, Dr. Riley Williams talks with Marc Williams—global speaker, educator, and co‑founder of Speaker Skills Academy—about redesigning how public speaking is taught in schools and organizations. The conversation examines why traditional public speaking classes often reinforce fear and performance anxiety, and how Marc’s ten-part Rules of Engagement fr...

In this episode of the Innovating Education Podcast, Dr. Riley Williams talks with Dr. Jen Rafferty—educator, emotional intelligence practitioner, and founder of Empowered Educator—about teacher burnout as a systemic failure rather than an individual weakness. The conversation examines how neuroscience, emotional regulation, and identity work can help educators understand their stress responses an...

In this episode of the Innovating Education Podcast, Dr. Riley Williams talks with Ruthe Farmer—founder and CEO of the Last Mile Education Fund, former Senior Policy Advisor for Tech Inclusion in the Obama White House, and a national leader in the CSforAll movement—about what it truly means to design tech pathways that don’t leave low-income and underrepresented students behind. From scaling natio...

In this episode of the Innovating Education Podcast, Dr. Riley Williams talks with David Woodward—founder and president of Forefront Education and lead author of Universal Screeners for Number Sense —about why classroom assessments are the most powerful lever schools have to improve learning. Drawing on his work with districts nationwide, David explains how to realign instruction, grading, and ass...

In this episode of the Innovating Education Podcast, Dr. Riley Williams talks with Justin Pickens—teacher, coach, speaker, and father—about what it means to build school culture from the inside out in systems that often leave teachers burned out and students unseen. Justin shares how small, intentional actions from educators helped him break cycles of generational trauma and why he now works to he...

In this episode of the Innovating Education Podcast, Dr. Riley Williams talks with Nick Farrenkopf—founder and CEO of Wibly—about how interactive “knowledge trees” are reshaping how students understand and retain mathematics. Drawing on his background in private tutoring, chemical engineering, and machine learning, Nick explains how Wibly visualizes interconnected concepts to reduce cognitive over...

In this episode of Innovating Education, Dr. Riley Williams talks with Dr. Sandra Breece—CEO of School Founders Academy and founder of Telesis Center for Learning—about how one mother’s determination to support her son grew into a K–12 charter movement for hands-on, inclusive learning. Dr. Breece shares stories from founding a school in her duplex to racing fire codes with 10 days to spare, naming...

In this episode of the Innovating Education Podcast, Dr. Riley Williams talks with psychologist, author, and strength-based education expert Dr. Steven Baron about how teachers can flip the script from deficits to strengths in everyday practice. Drawing on more than 30 years in schools and private practice, Dr. Baron shares real stories and practical moves that help students see themselves through...

In this episode of the Innovating Education Podcast, Dr. Riley Williams talks with Dr. Natasha Veale—special education leadership consultant, dean, and author of How to Retain Special Education Teachers: A Transformational Leadership Guide for School Administrators —about what it really takes to create schools where special educators can thrive and stay. If you have ever said, “We can’t keep our s...

In this Back-to-School special of Innovating Education, Dr. Riley Williams talks with school leader Michael Maine about what it really takes to turn around a struggling campus when morale, trust, and results are all on the line. Michael shares the moment he learned that nearly 90% of his staff would not send their own children to the school they worked in—and how that honest feedback became the ca...

In this Back to School special episode of Innovating Education, Dr. Riley Williams talks with Mark Moring about what it means to follow a 31-year superintendent and still lead with authenticity, humility, and a fresh vision for Durant ISD. Mark shares how he approached his first year by listening deeply, building trust, and centering collaboration, all while honoring the district’s history and cla...

In this episode of Innovating Education, Dr. Riley Williams talks with Dr. Christopher Harrington—national edtech and digital learning leader—about two innovations that are redefining quality in virtual education: Digital Learning WORKS! and AccredVEd. Together, they explore what it would mean for every online program to have a 24/7 thought partner and an accreditation process that actually drives...

In this episode of Innovating Education, Dr. Riley Williams sits down with Dr. Jason Williamson—leadership expert, author, and founder of the Second Mile Initiative—for a powerful conversation about what it means to lead with purpose, accountability, and heart. From growing up in a town of 81 people to serving as a principal, military officer, and leadership consultant, Dr. Williamson shares how t...

In this episode of Innovating Education, Dr. Riley Williams is joined by educator, author, and Innovageous co-founder Shira Woolf Cohen for a powerful conversation on what it really means to lead future-focused schools. Drawing on her new book, Leading Future-Focused Schools: Engaging and Preparing Students for Career Success , Shira outlines an actionable framework to shift culture from complianc...

In this episode of Innovating Education, Dr. Riley Williams talks with Adam Olenn, founder of Rustle and Spark, about how schools can use storytelling not as spin, but as a strategic lever for engagement, culture, and change. Drawing on decades of work in branding, communication, and behavior change, Adam explains what makes a story effective—and why leaders must move beyond updates and announceme...

In this episode of Innovating Education, Dr. Riley Williams talks with Justyna Bronski—certified teen life coach, former Teacher of the Year, and founder of Justyna Bronski, LLC—about the students who look “perfect” on the outside yet are quietly struggling with anxiety, perfectionism, and people-pleasing. Drawing on more than a decade in the classroom and her current coaching work with teens and...

In this bold episode of Innovating Education, Dr. Riley Williams talks with Dr. Darrin Peppard—former superintendent, best-selling author, and CEO of Road to Awesome—about the single staff-meeting question that transformed his entire approach to school leadership. Dr. Peppard shares how shifting from a deficit lens to recognizing what students do right helped move his school from thousands of disc...

In this episode of Innovating Education, Dr. Riley Williams is joined by digital learning specialists Rachel Doty and Courtny Drydale to talk about what responsible AI integration really looks like in K–12 schools. They share frontline lessons from leading district-wide AI work, emphasizing that effective implementation is less about the tools themselves and more about trust, transparency, and tea...

In this energizing episode of Innovating Education, Dr. Riley Williams talks with Lisa Parry—award-winning principal, TEDx speaker, and co-developer of the Good to Great Teacher Mentoring Program—about what it really takes to lead schools where both students and adults can thrive. Drawing on more than 30 years in education, Lisa shares why she still teaches one class a year as a principal, how she...