Learning Unboxed

In this episode of Learning Unboxed, we sit down with Ned Johnson, co-author of “The Self-Driven Child” and “What Do You Say?”. Ned’s unique blend of experience as a successful academic tutor and a dedicated advocate for student autonomy helps us explore how control and agency shape a child’s mental health and intrinsic motivation. We discuss why a student’s sense of control matters more than we m...

In this episode of Learning Unboxed, we explore how Ferris, a facility dog at Upper Arlington High School, is transforming inclusion and leadership for students with disabilities. Kim Wilson, an Intervention Specialist, shares how Ferris fosters connections, encourages student leadership, and enhances the school community in ways beyond traditional support models. What started as an experiment in...

In this episode of Learning Unboxed, we dive into the transformative power of the Portrait of a Graduate with Shannon King, Chief Learning Officer at Battelle for Kids. This initiative is reshaping how schools define student success, moving beyond grades and test scores to include durable skills like communication, collaboration, and critical thinking—skills that are essential for thriving in the...

What if education worked for every child, no matter where they lived or how they learned? In this episode of Learning Unboxed, we welcome Carmela Fleury, the creator of the Global Education Meetup Retreat and host of the Global Nomad Parent Podcast. Carmela is on a mission to reimagine education on a global scale with the launch of the Common Global School Diploma, an ambitious initiative that bri...

In this episode of Learning Unboxed, we’re joined by Dave Hersh, the CEO of InTandem, a groundbreaking organization connecting youth voices with industries to improve products, programs, and services. Dave’s work centers on reducing the barriers that prevent young people from participating in the design of the very systems and tools that impact their lives. By removing logistical, regulatory, and...

In this episode of Learning Unboxed, we have the privilege of delving into the personal journey of Kapono Ciotti, CEO of the Pacific American Foundation and co-author of the Landscape Model of Learning. His story, inspired by his parents and his own empowering school experiences, resonates with our shared commitment to reimagining education as a space where students are the protagonists of their l...

In this episode of Learning Unboxed, we’re joined by Alan Tang, co-founder of Collaboration Laboratory (CoLab), an award-winning online program that teaches kids life skills through immersive, game-based learning. CoLab combines elements of Pokemon and Sherlock Holmes, using interactive challenges to help kids develop confidence, leadership, and critical thinking—all while having fun. Alan shares...

Dr. Maggie Broderick is the Dissertation Chair in the Department of Teacher Education at National University. National University has doctoral students all over the world and credentials the most PK-12 teachers in the state of California.  Because of her position, Maggie has an incredible view of the latest research in teacher education. Today, she joins the show to share the latest trends in doct...

Amber Humm Patnode has spent over a decade researching the root causes of chronic absenteeism and how to address them effectively. She joins us today to explain what the data shows. Amber is the Acting Director of the Proving Ground program, part of Harvard University’s Center for Education Policy Research. She helps school districts assess the data they have related to chronic absenteeism, analyz...

What if instead of pushing every high schooler into Algebra 2, we let them choose a math route that focused more on data science and computers? That’s what Chris Orban and the Math Pathways project are working to make happen in the state of Ohio. On the show today, Chris describes how he’s helping increase access to computer science education for kids across the state through math course offerings...

Kasondra Wilson was a first generation college student and now works at one of the top consulting firms in the world, Deloitte. She knows firsthand what boost students need in order to thrive in the professional environment. Kasondra is one of our industry partners here at the PAST foundation, and we’re thrilled to have her on the show today. Kasondra walks our listeners through how to attract and...

Welcome back for the third episode of our four-part series all about our Portable Innovation Labs (PILs). Today, we have a conversation with two community partners who use PILs for their workforce development missions. Iddrisu Seidu from Makerspace Central and Rich Granger from DriveOhio explain how they team up with our rocket-focused PIL. By using 3D-printing, the PIL allows children to immerse...

If assessments measured how a student is smart, not if a student is smart, our education system would be in a better place. That’s the future Sonn Sam and Big Picture Learning are building towards. And they already have examples of it working. In this conversation, we do a deep dive into learner-centered assessment. We talk about the resistance to it, but also about where it’s finding support with...

Imagine if instead of having to cram for tests and sit through lessons, high schoolers could graduate by navigating six “passages” that prove their practical, creative, and logical skills. Fifty years ago in Jefferson County, Colorado, a group of parents and educators created a school just like that and it’s still thriving today. Melyssa Dominguez and Jenny Long from the Open School join us today...

When Jessica Fields carries a PAST Foundation Portable Innovation Lab (PILs) box into a school, kids’ eyes light up. They know they’re about to do something cool and fun. What they probably don’t realize is that they’re also going to be learning standard-aligned content that keeps them on-track with their curriculum. Jessica is a 21st Century Learning Coach for Grandview Heights Schools and she is...

Microschools are positive disruptors of our modern education ecosystem. Today, CEO of Changemaker Microschools, David K. Richards, joins the show to help us dig a little deeper into the phenomenon. We discuss the ingredients to starting and sustaining a microschool: finding the right teachers; navigating facility and funding options; and deeply engaging student families. We also talk about microsc...

The most important part of a child’s education is developing a love of learning. That’s Amir Nathoo’s motto and what led him to co-found OutSchool. Amir joins the show today to talk about future-proofing education by allowing students to engage with what they are most interested in. OutSchool is a marketplace for live online classes for K-12 learners. It has helped over a million students explore...

Welcome to our new mini-series on our Portable Innovation Labs (PILs). Here at the PAST Foundation, we’ve been working hard to make this offering a reality. Now we want to tell you all about it! Our own Brianna Agomessou joins the show today to give an overview of our PIL program. The PIL program is made up of over 40 labs that educators can borrow for 2-3 weeks for free. The labs come with equipm...

Dr. Keeanna Warren, CEO of Purdue Polytechnic High School, says her school is a school without walls. She means that metaphorically of course, but it did physically come to fruition through a student project at one point. Dr. Keeanna Warren joins us on the show today to explain. Purdue Polytechnic High School is a school without walls in the sense that it has strong relationships with industry par...

There are lots of conversations today about AI’s role in education. To help us more deeply discuss it, we have invited Ian Zhu on the show today. Ian is the co-founder and CEO of SchoolJoy. We have a conversation about SchoolJoy, an AI-powered education management platform that provides dynamically updated personal learning preference plans, as well as a comprehensive extended learning program man...

There’s a good chance your state’s policies actually allow for more innovative and student-centered learning than you think. Sonn Sam is the National Director of Partnerships at Big Picture Learning and he’s our guest on the show today. He explains how they have been able to create more space for innovative student-centered over the last 30 years. Big Picture Learning’s mission is to activate the...

Andrea Vescelius is a Ohio public school teacher who has eliminated homework and limited grades to just quarterly marks for her students. In this episode, we ask her how she pulled this off and what impact it has had on her students. Andrea takes us on her 24-year teaching journey. She notes when and why her thoughts on homework and grades changed. She also describes the small steps she took, and...

Laksh Dhir’s goal is to revolutionize how informal education is being done in classrooms around the world. Laksh is the CEO and Chairman of Youth for STEM Equity, and he is our guest on the show today. Laksh explains that informal education has three main strengths. It helps students imagine themselves in the professional field they are learning about. It deeply engages students in key educational...

Usually, one-on-one coaching is reserved for business executives, but Joel Nicholson’s mission is to bring it to students. Joel is the co-founder of Youthfully, a coaching and development platform for students. He’s our guest on the show today. Joel explains Youthfully’s holistic and non-directive coaching philosophy. He walks us through their process, starting with an intake assessment all the wa...

Dr. Tyler Thigpen co-founded The Forest School in Fayetteville, GA and from there he also co-founded the Institute for Self Directed Learning. Tyler is our guest on the show today and shares with us key practices he has researched and used to nurture student-led environments. We talk about the concept of mastery and how to measure it with single point rubrics, with an emphasis on longitudinal grow...