The Best of Us

Chelsea Waite of the Center on Reinventing Public Education and Caitrin Wright of Silicon Schools Fund share what they learned from a cohort of educators who designed and piloted their own AI use cases — and why the most promising results had less to do with efficiency and more to do with strengthening human connection.

Sara Scribner shares how a rural New Hampshire district stopped waiting for special education teachers to arrive and built its own pipeline instead, covering tuition, providing housing, and keeping every graduate in the classroom.

How can districts design professional learning that treats teachers as the adult learners they are? In this episode, Allie Rodman—a former teacher, coach, assistant principal, school board member, and author of two books on professional learning—explains why the field has spent a decade building SEL programs for students but never did the same work for the adults in the building. She shares how si...

What if the key to better professional learning is asking more questions instead of giving more answers? In this episode, Nadira Singh shares how she uses curiosity, empathy interviews, and a scientist's mindset to help educators across 142 schools learn and grow.

When Katy Meyers' first-year teacher announced she was leaving education, Katy flipped the question: instead of asking why teachers quit, she researched what makes them stay. The answer—being heard matters more than being fixed—transformed how she leads, and it applies to students too.

What if admitting "I'm not sure I'm good enough for this" is actually the most powerful thing a leader can say? Elizabeth Dampf believes that self-doubt isn't a weakness to hide—it's a doorway to better leadership. In this episode, she challenges the myth of the "strong leader" and shares why vulnerability, curiosity, and honest reflection create more effective...

Why do most new superintendents feel overwhelmed by board relations, politics, and finance rather than instruction? In this episode of The Best of Us , Dr. Michael Hinojosa shares his Success Triangle framework for balancing stakeholder relationships, how he developed 50 future superintendents while leading six districts over 40 years, and why incrementalism is innovation's worst enemy in urba...

Over 15 years, Teresa Morales Young has built something rare in education: a teacher pipeline that actually works. As leader of the Department of Teacher Development at Fresno Unified—California's third-largest district—Teresa has created 12 interconnected pathways that guide educators from high school through their entire career, achieving retention rates that far exceed state averages.

Why does a student's educational experience depend more on which classroom door they walk through than which school they attend? Educational leader and author Michael McDowell explores how schools can move from tolerating isolated brilliance in individual classrooms to building collective instructional excellence through systematic implementation of high-impact practices.

What happens when professional learning moves from conference rooms into classrooms, with teachers, coaches, and principals learning together in real-time with actual students? In this episode, Elham Kazemi from the University of Washington and Jessica Calabrese, a former principal and district leader, share how Learning Labs revolutionize professional development by embedding it directly into cla...

What if the solution to teacher burnout isn't asking teachers to fix themselves, but building systems that lighten their load? In this episode, Laura Donnelly and Jill Hanley, co-authors of "What Can I Take Off Your Plate?", challenge the conventional approach to teacher burnout that places the burden on individual educators. Instead of telling overwhelmed teachers to practice more s...

What happens when you give teachers the power to identify their own problems and work together to solve them? In this episode, Joanna Burt-Kinderman and Adam Riazi from the Mountaineer Mathematics Master Teacher (M3T) network share how they've built a statewide system that puts teacher agency at the center of professional learning. Unlike traditional top-down professional development, M3T empowers...

How does a molecular biologist-turned-middle school teacher end up shaping national education policy from inside the Obama White House? In this episode, Steve Robinson—a former university professor, public school teacher, and White House education advisor—walks us through his untraditional journey into education and his evolving belief that every teacher deserves ongoing support. From navigating t...

How can a superintendent who teaches middle school weekly—and wears sneakers with suits—transform an entire school district? In this episode, Dr. Tiffany Anderson, Superintendent of Topeka Public Schools and a nationally recognized education leader, shares how embedding leadership within the lived realities of students, families, and teachers can reshape entire systems. As the first Black woman to...

How can district leaders use AI to deepen professional learning and reimagine instructional design? In this episode, Dyane Smokorowski, Coordinator of Digital Literacy at Wichita Public Schools, shares how her team supports over 40,000 students by empowering educators to become “learning experience designers.” She explores how AI can enhance clarity, creativity, and connection in both teaching and...

In this episode of The Best of Us, Superintendent of Lancaster ISD Dr. AK Perera shares her journey to educational leadership and the differences between male and female superintendents’ experience. Women make up nearly 75% of the country’s classroom teachers, but only 14% of superintendents. Dr. Perera leveraged her experience into the creation of the Sister Supes Network, an affinity group of fe...

In this episode of The Best of Us, Jennifer Ahn of Lead By Learning delves into collaborative inquiry and professional learning as a critical tool for improving educational outcomes in marginalized populations. The conversation focuses on equity-centered teacher evaluation, which assesses the impact of classroom practices on vulnerable students, and the four “equity traps” Ahn identifies as common...

In this episode of The Best of Us, we’re proud to host researcher and educator Dr. Danica Brown to discuss the "hidden half" of educators—non-teaching staff like counselors, instructional coaches, and paraprofessionals. Dr. Brown shares insights from her research on college-going culture in New Orleans high schools, emphasizing the crucial role of collaboration among all school staff to...

System-level leaders are charged with evaluating instructional quality and nurturing an environment where teachers can flourish in their careers. But those skills don’t come intuitively: they must be learned. In this episode of The Best of Us, Jeremy and Jen Cheatham delve into Jen's course "Leaders of Learning" at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Dr. Cheatham is an expert on fostering ad...

In this episode of "The Best of Us," we talk with National Teacher of the Year Missy Testerman, a master educator who gives us a look at teacher professional learning from the classroom perspective. Missy gives us a ground-level look at what makes for excellent teacher PD, sharing insights and telling stories of how school leadership can become courageous leaders for continuous improveme...

On this episode of The Best of Us, we’re honored to talk with Dr. Thomas Guskey, author of Instructional Feedback: The Power, the Promise, the Practice and nationally-renowned expert on education measurement and evaluation. Dr. Guskey’s evaluation framework is an adapted version of the Kirkpatrick four-level model of evaluation used in business fields. Early attempts to apply this model to teacher...

In this episode of The Best of Us , we’re joined by Paola Deliz Felix Encarnación, Vice President of the National Network for School Improvement at City Year and author of “ The Six Principles to Foster Voice and Belonging .” Paola walks us through the ins and outs of City Year’s partnership program, which works with schools on challenges to student success through continuous improvement principle...

In this episode of The Best of Us , we discuss transformational coaching as a key lever for momentum with all-star coach Elena Aguilar . Elena coaches us through exploring beliefs and strategies, connecting with the purpose of the work, and considering perspectives of those across your school district or organization. She also provides practical guidance on applying curiosity and listening skills...

In this episode of The Best of Us , principals Jennifer Martin and Jamie Jordan share how they’ve supported teacher professional learning through their roles as building leaders. They discuss practical strategies for empowering teachers through alignment and autonomy, the importance of differentiating professional learning for teacher needs, and providing voice and choice throughout the PL process...

We discuss " An Effective Workforce is a Diverse Workforce " with co-authors Sharif El-Mekki and Lisa Lachlan. These two scholars’ work centers on the critical need for diversity in K-12 and practical ways for education leaders to tackle the systemic issues impacting it.  The conversation covers the historical context of DEI, the impact of educator shortages on students of color, and the...