Teaching Matters

Dr. Cynthia Wise has developed a career-long track record of turning low-performing schools into schools of distinction. Currently the Principal and Chief Academic Officer of the Transformation Waco Charter Schools in Waco, TX, Dr. Wise discusses the Culture Conscious Campus Model that she has developed as a proven model for school transformation. As she narrates her story, you will learn key take...

Sam Torres is a bilingual case manager for VocoVision, a company that provides teletherapy services for students across multiple specialties. Sam discusses specific strategies for promoting success for English Language Learners, the fastest growing student population in the U. S. Sam explains unique needs facing ELL students, including the intersection of speech disorders and language learning, as...

Theo Mayer is a self-proclaimed history nerd who is also passionate about the relevance of technology for learning. Working as the Chief Technologist for the Doughboy Foundation, Tayo and a team of developers created a mobile app that employs AR/VR concepts and narrative to help students in middle and high school grade levels learn about WWI. In addition to discussing the app and other resources p...

Faculty, staff, and students’ safety is of paramount concern for all educational systems. Although high-profile threats to safety capture national media attention, daily threats to safety such as altercations, vandalism, health incidents, and other issues must be part of a holistic safety strategy. Stacy Locke, Deputy Superintendent of Yakima (WA) Schools, discusses how personal safety buttons fro...

In special education, as well as the larger teaching field, there exists significant needs for ongoing professional development where teachers can orient with affinity groups that provide support and feedback that extends beyond local school districts. Dr. Jen Newton, an Associate Professor in the Patton College of Education at Ohio University and co-creator of Teaching is Intellectual, discusses...

Since the time of Sputnik, national education reform initiatives have made the case for integrating science, technology, engineering, and math into education at greater levels. Dr. Whitney Dove, CEO of Ellipsis Education, suggests that even greater attention should be given to computer science instruction. Dr. Dove discuses the need for holistic computer science curriculum as well as intentional p...

Randi Economou is a former educator and current CEO of Capstone, an educational technology and publishing company dedicated to equitable access to education. In this discussion, Randi narrates her journey from the classroom to being an industry leader and also explains her perspectives on the need for high quality educational resources to empower teaching and learning.

Internships are commonly identified as a high-impact learning opportunity for students attending higher education institutions. Less frequently are internships discussed as a valuable learning tool for high school students. In this episode, Peter Harris, an Assistant Superintendent at the Ulster County (NY) Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES), discusses the benefits of the engaging s...

Following the release of ChatGPT, artificial intelligence has rapidly become one of the most disruptive technology innovations in education. Though still early in adoption, the near-future impact of AI on teaching and learning is apparent. Dana Mortenson, CEO of the education non-profit World Savvy, discusses how AI technology can be facilitative in promoting global competence, inclusivity, and ac...

The use of online synchronous communication tools in education has dramatically increased because of ubiquitous access to technology as well as external pressures such as the Pandemic. Remind is an online platform that facilitates easy communication between teachers, students, and families. Recently, Remind expanded its services to include online Tutoring. In this episode, Remind President and CEO...

Don Berg is an education researcher and practitioner who has focused his career on understanding how to better enact authentic pedagogy that equitably serves students. He has authored multiple books, the most recent of which is the 2022 publication, Schooling for Holistic Equity: How to Manage the Hidden Curriculum for K-12. In this discussion, Don explains his perspective on authentic pedagogy as...

As we navigate to post-pandemic normalcy, schools are seeking ways to address achievement gaps heightened by the pandemic while also addressing the wellbeing of students, faculty, and families. Dr. JuDonn DeShields, Chief Program and Strategy Officer from the education nonprofit PowerMyLearning, discusses a case study of how Socio-Emotional Learning (SEL) was integrated into Meadows Elementary in...

Ample evidence shows that reading proficiency is one of the most important skills developed by students. Our guest, Tyson Smith, is the CEO of Reading Horizons, a publishing and technology company that specializes in reading instruction. Tyson discusses his passion for eradicating illiteracy, the vital confidence cultivated through robust reading instruction, and new trends in technology that empo...

Since the winter of 2020, students across the globe have experienced significant disruption to learning because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Remote learning, anxiety, economic instability, and a host of other social and cultural factors have negatively impacted students’ experiences. A recently released report titled, How Kids are Performing: A Snapshot of K-12 Academic Performance and Growth, analyz...

Pew Research reports that 46% of teens report using the Internet “almost constantly.” Because of such rampant consumption of media, our students, and in fact, all of us, need robust tools for critically analyzing media. We are joined by two authors of a 2022 book titled, The Media and Me: A guide to critical media literacy for young people. Allison Butler and Nolan Higdon discuss multiple areas of...

Both K-12 and Higher Education are built on the idea of credentials. Students matriculate from academic programs and use transcripts to demonstrate completion of specific credentials, such as the completion of a degree. These traditional credentials potentially conceal specific, high demand skills that could be pivotal for employment. Territorium is a Texas-based Ed-Tech firm that helps students t...

Learning math is hard, but could it be made easier if we had better ways to introduce math to students? Nigel Nisbet is a math expert and Vice President of Content Creation for the MIND Research Institute, an organization focused on teaching math the way children learn. Nigel discusses the challenges of traditional pedagogy as well as Spatial-Temporal approach taken by the MIND Institute to help c...

Despite the desire for increasing students in STEM fields, educators still face challenges in keeping students engaged as they learn concepts like math, biology, physics, and other topics. Louise Krmpotic, Vice President for Enterprise Services at DigitalEd, discusses strategies for keeping students engaged, even in remote learning environments, as well as benefits of authentic assessments for tea...

Digital transformation increasingly shapes how students interact with schools and universities. Ardis Kadiu is a computer scientist who is also founder and CEO of Element451, a company specializing in using artificial intelligence, user experience, and digital transformation in colligate admissions. Our discussion provides an excellent overview for understanding what artificial intelligence is, ho...

Dr. Julia Olayanju is a research geneticist who has become a disruptor in the food industry. Her most recent project, FoodNiche-ED, is a platform that empowers teachers to make science education applicable to students, particularly in support of improved health. Dr. Olayanju discusses the FoodNiche-ED platform and various health issues facing students.

For our new season of Teaching Matters, we begin with a discussion of how data sciences can be used by school districts to promote teaching effectiveness and student success. LaToya Blackshear is Director of Planning and Evaluation for Jackson (MS) public schools and Dr. Joy Smithson is Director of the Data Science Research Group for SchoolStatus. They discuss how data science has been implemented...

The Smithsonian Education program is the largest museum-based education program in the world. Providing students and faculty of all ages with access to content experts and primary source materials, the Smithsonian is a tremendous resource for learning in any content area. Dr. Monique Chism, Undersecretary for Education at the Smithsonian, discusses how the education program can be used to enrich l...

As students prepare for state testing in math, finding ways to help students re-engage previously learned material is essential. In this episode we explore a pilot-project in New York where students created short TikTok videos explaining how they used distributive properties to solve problems. Our guest, Elly Blanco-Rowe, is an educational consultant for Teaching Matters, a New York non-profit foc...

Student wellbeing is rapidly emerging as a critical area of concern for educators at all levels. Dr. James Mazza, Professor of Education at the University of Washington, and Anne Brown, President and CEO of the Cook Center for Human Connection, discuss the importance of student wellbeing and describe a new animated series called, “My Life is Worth Living.” The series uses storytelling, with lesson...

This is the second episode in a two-part series exploring how faculty at Excelsior College, based in Albany NY, are using gamified simulations to teach course concepts. Dr. Anna Zendell, who is the Senior Faculty Program Director in Health Sciences, discusses how she has created gamified simulations to teach students about health concepts related to every-day decisions like purchasing groceries.