Learning Counsel Report Podcast

With the release of Supergirl creating a flashpoint in pop culture, this episode explores how Warner Bros. Discovery, DC, and Discovery Education are turning superhero storytelling into powerful learning experiences for students. LeiLani Cauthen speaks with Euan Lampitt, Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility at Warner Bros. Discovery , about the impact of the DC Superpowered Storytelle...

Hear from guest Molly Hebert Loyd, CEO of Concentric Education Solutions about how her organization is leading the charge to solve an intractable problem in schools, chronic absenteeism, with a human solution.

This podcast episode focused on the importance of coherence in classrooms and the integration of AI tools in education, featuring Sari Factor, Vice Chair and Chief Strategy Officer of Imagine Learning , and Jason Fournier, Senior Vice President of Product Design and AI . The discussion explored how curriculum-informed AI can support teachers by providing targeted resources and feedback while maint...

This podcast episode focused on the importance of coherence in classrooms and the integration of AI tools in education, featuring Sari Factor, Vice Chair and Chief Strategy Officer of Imagine Learning, and Jason Fournier, Senior Vice President of Product Design and AI. The discussion explored how curriculum-informed AI can support teachers by providing targeted resources and feedback while maintai...

Listen in as LeiLani and Shaka Mitchell, Nashville-based lawyer, facilitator and national leader in education reform policy discuss the school choice expansion and the many different roles that AI is playing in the expansion.

Schools must be in sync with Millennial parents and their Alpha Generation children with mobile communications that drive a sense of community spirit while increasing student recruitment and retention.  The landscape of schooling has scattered into a multitude of options, especially with 29 States and Washington D.C. having at least one type of school choice program that includes vouchers.  Find o...

AI is advancing rapidly, but not all applications lead to better learning. There's a big difference between flashy, generative AI and the kind of AI that fuels real learning, especially in math. In this episode, Dan Tracy of MIND Education unpacks how thoughtfully designed, neuroscience-based programs can use AI to enhance, not replace, great instruction. Learn why effective AI in math education i...

With an epic teacher shortage, schools are turning to tutoring to solve for the 40% mixed ability teaching currently burdening teachers. What are the logistics of adding tutoring, how does it work? What subjects can be covered? Are tutors qualified and how does feedback work? Listen in as LeiLani and Connie Warren, M.Ed. , Senior Marketing Manager, BookNook discuss this important topic as schools...

In this episode, we welcome Dan Tracy, a leading expert in mathematics education at MIND Education. Dan shares his insights on one of the biggest challenges in achieving high-quality math instruction: shifting from a procedural approach to conceptual understanding that fosters deep mathematical thinking.   Dan and LeiLani, explore how to create  a math class full of discussion, experimentation, an...

Discussion with Beatriz Arnillas, Executive Director, 1EdTech Foundation With at least seven thousand educational software publishers in America, including libraries of discrete digital objects, systems, courseware, and various single-function apps, there is a lot to consider in terms of how it could all work together. Meet Beatriz Arnillas, a life-long educator who concerns herself with the futur...

Math scores are down, and kids are still struggling at pre-pandemic levels, according to NAEP. District leaders need a solution now. In this episode, we tackle this issue head-on. Join us as we dive deep into practical actionable strategies you can implement immediately to address these challenges. We speak with Brandon Smith, a leading math expert on Neuroscience learning at MIND Education, about...

What does research show is really happening with declining student learning? Brian Shaw, CEO of Discovery Education, joins LeiLani to discuss what he's been seeing and what it has meant to drive new software development. For one thing, Brian talks about what parents want for their learners today is different than it used to be. Listen in to meet Brian and hear what is going down in charting new di...

Join LeiLani as she discusses an oft-overlooked arena of classroom modernization – instructional audio. If you've ever been that learner at the back of the room with a teacher or presenter you can hardly hear, or who continues speaking while they are turned towards a presentation so their voice is now muffled, you can get an idea of the importance of this discussion. Tony Zeikle, Sr. VP of Revenue...

As we prepare students for the challenges of tomorrow, math education must evolve to meet their needs. In this podcast, we'll explore the shifting role of math in our world and discuss how innovative approaches like game-based and visual learning are shaping the future of math education. Discover how neuroscience informs these innovations and engage students, foster critical thinking, and build de...

Imagine saving teachers huge amounts of time because they no longer worry about students engaging low-quality information when researching online. Imagine empowering students' critical thinking skills and reinvigorating their quest for knowledge in every research assignment. Sound like another hyped Gen-AI promise? On this podcast, meet Jeff Walsh of Sooth. FYI as he introduces a big new idea and...

Meet authors and educators Dr. Joseph Jones, Superintendent of New Castle County Vocational-Technical School District and Dr. T.J. Vari, Senior Director of Product Strategy at MaiaLearning.  While on tour for Learning Counsel media, LeiLani met Joseph and T.J. at the regional Baltimore event and learned of their involvement in teacher retention.  Between them, they have written six books and are w...

Join LeiLani and Dr. Ehsan Kattoula, Assistant Superintendent Accountability Division, Cobb County School District in Georgia for a discussion on "Appropriate Learning Scaffolding Using AI."  Dr. Kattoula makes cogent points on how AI will need to be used in schools, what it's worth will be to learning, and what he means by "scaffolding" learning.  Kattoula's long-time work as an educator and data...

LeiLani embarks on a discussion with her friend Karl Rectanus, an edtech entrepreneur and former educator with a history of great innovations in the K12 marketspace. Together they bring up what's at the top of trends and dynamics in K12, starting with what's happening with AI.  Karl's perspective on what will happen, what's new and what educators should pay attention to makes for a refreshing list...

States like California and Georgia are working on curriculum frameworks that include incorporation of mathematical "Big Ideas." What are they? Listen in on this podcast with LeiLani and Brandon Smith, the Lead Mathematician and Product Director at MIND Education. The discussion opens about the possibility that mathematics education has been trying to solve the wrong problem in learning, how learni...

More teachers should understand that loss of engagement in the present generation of students has serious neuroscience-driven experts hot on the trail of tech solutions that curiously elevate human discourse at the same time. LeiLani interviews Senior Director of Product and Content for MIND Education, Ki Karou, who leads a team of learning and game designers, artists and mathematicians who develo...

Nigel Nisbet, VP of Content Creation at MIND Education joins LeiLani to discuss creative reasoning in the process of learning math. Imagine a mind being able to internally visualize math in a similar way to any other language – such as the mental image picture one gets of a tall tree in all it's dimension on a landscape and its color and movement in the wind. Such a mind exploring math would have...

What does it mean to school leaders and teachers to intersect students with what they need to achieve when the existing schedule already overwhelms teachers? When there is no time to catch students up or challenge ones far ahead, something must be done or the likelihood of losing those students to alternatives or dropping out is high. The dawning of change in the structure of schooling includes no...

Listen in as LeiLani discusses with guest Ki Karou of MIND Education what it means to use game-based learning, visual learning, in helping learners build mental schema and problem-solve.  This is a complex topic that Karou is an expert in, being the Lead Mathematician and Product Director at MIND Education.  Karou's application of game theory and rich background in cognitive sciences makes for an...

LeiLani discusses how the future is already here – education is, irretrievably, already in an intelligent network matrix but still has much to do to fit comfortably in it. Mike Witzman, Senior Director of Solutions Engineering of Cisco's U.S. Public Sector team talks about the trend of "form following function": with LeiLani and the three levels of schooling being part of a new matrix of learning....

A conundrum of schools wanting to personalize and customize learning, to tailor it around individuals is juxtaposed against a lack of logistics and strategy in this discussion with Matt Yeager, Assistant Superintendent of Technology from Garland Independent School District in the Dallas, Texas area with 52,000 students.  Yeager introduces his theory of leadership and answers questions about what h...