The Perkins Platform

Raising boys to men is a formidable challenge.  Add discrimination, poverty, inequality and institutionalized racism and you have considerable higher walls to scale.  In Baltimore, a group of educators are defying the odds and despite overwhelming obstacles making a difference in the lives of black boys.  This broadcast features the head of school, Archie Tyson, who will describe his journey to le...

Recent US events have catapulted a long-standing crisis in America to the forefront.  Black men in America have long been the target of unfair educational, judicial and social practices.  This reality reached fever pitch when George Floyd was brutally murdered at the hands of police officers in Minneapolis, MN.  Now, around the clock coverage has begun on the other american experience suffered by...

Across the US, parents and adult caretakers have been catapulted into roles as primary educators in ways not seen or anticipated.  This has caused a great deal of stress in homes particularly around the interactions between adults and children around school assignments and academic performance.  With the best intentions, adults are attempting to provide feedback to learners, but it doesn't al...

There are a number of longitudnal studies on the impact summer break has on learning and content retention.  Today's broadcast features one of the foremost experts on the topic from the Northweast Evaluation Association, Dr. Megan Kuhfeld. Megan Kuhfeld seeks to understand students’ trajectories of academic and social-emotional learning and the school and neighborhood influences that promote...

There is no crystal ball to predict what the future is for our public schools in the coming year.  There are some who have extrapolated the previous data related to summer slide and applied it to what's happening now with the Corona virus crisis.  Today's guest, Dr. Paul von Hippel,  is an expert researcher on the topic and has some predictions for when school resumes in the fall (if it...

While there is no federal mandate for public education, each state has codified a system and process to provide education to their citizens.  Each state also has a chief state school officer who presides over public education to fulfil that committment.  Our guest in this broadcast is Supertintendent Jillian Balow (Wyoming) who is the current president of the Council of Chief State School Officers...

Conflicting stories about the seriousness of the COVID-19 pandemic have left many adults anxious, confused and upset.  What about the children?  Many will take cues from their adult caretakers while many others are left wondering about the current conditions and future.  Proms, graduations and other rites of passage have been suspended with no real plan to address the impact on the mental well-bei...

For the past two weeks, we have focused on the COVID-19 Pandemic from the perspective of adults - teachers, parents, school and district leaders and community members.  This broadcast features a number of children from elementary school to high school who have been engaged to different extents in distance learning and virtual learning environments.  Join us to hear what they have to say about this...

While it may be hard to imagine at this point a world without COVID-19 restrictions, the day will come when we will try to resume our lives and routines before this all happened.  In addition to making up for lost academic programming, schools will have the challenging responsibility to deal with the emotional and psychological well-being of students in their care.  This responsibility falls large...

Parents all over the US have suddenly been thrust into the role of teacher, parent, custodian, cafeteria worker, aide, curriculum specialist and principal.  After two weeks, resources and patience are wearing thin and parents are experiencing a range of success.  Today's show will feature parents from different cities across the US to discuss their own experiences and what they are doing to k...

School and district leaders were given as little as 48 hours notice in some areas to prepare staff and communities to be part of a whole-scale transition to on-line learning all over the United States.  On this broadcast, you will hear from some leaders from around the country describe what life has been like for them over the past 10 days.  Join us at 2pm EST for this dynamic discussion!

All over the US, teachers and principals were hit with the mandate to implement on-line learning procedures to keep students engaged in the learning process almost overnight.  With little time for preparation, instructional staff members stayed home with little time to prepare and certainly little opportunity to take many files or progress notes.  Today's show features a number of educators f...

Governments around the globe have ordered the wholesale closing of schools and educational institutions.  Today's panel of educators confirmed from Brazil, China, Taiwan, France, Romania and South Africa to share what they are experiencing in their country.  Join us at 9am EST for this informative show!

Parents and Educators are searching for ways to keep children engaged at their homes during Shelter-In-Place and Stay-Home Orders.  Today's show will highlight some of the things suggested by some award-winning educators from around the nation.  Join us at 2pm EST on Tuesday, March 24.

The global pandemic surrounding COVID-19 has shaken our world society at its core.  In the world of education, professionals are struggling to deal with feelings of anxiety, depression, stress and uncertainty.  Our guests are educators from around the United States who will talk to us about their emotional well-being and that of their colleagues in this time of social isolation.  Join us at 2pm ES...

Join us on Wednesday, August 14 at 2pm EST for an exciting discussion about the leadership for challenging urban contexts.  Our guest, Kimberly Neal is the founder of Believe Schools in Indianapolis, Indiana. Kimberly was most recently the Managing Director of Secondary Education at KIPP DC. She worked closely with Turnaround for Children to ensure all schools at KIPP DC redesigned their systems t...

This month's show is about recognizing the indicators of insitutional racism in schools and helping students to succeed in spite of the challenges.   Our guest, Jill Berkowicz, Ed. D. has spent her thirty - year career in education focusing on issues of equity and best practices in curriculum, instruction, assessment, and technology, as they affect the development of all learners in the K-12...

Trauma-informed practice in schools has recently gained international attention.  Today's guest, Julie Beem,  is an advocate for increasing the number of education professionals and schools that address the needs of students and families in need of support. Julie Beem been the Executive Director of the Attachment & Trauma Network since 2009, and over the last decade has watched ATN grow f...

Join us at 2pm EST with our special guest Ms. Helen Westmoreland as she discusses the challenges schools around the U.S. face engaging families and adult caretakers and some innovative strategies they use to overcome those challenges. Helen Westmoreland is the Director of National Parent Teacher Association's Center for Family Engagement, where she leads PTA’s efforts to empower parent leader...

Join us with our special guest Dr. Jeff Roth for a conversation on how to initiate and lead crisis response teams in the urban school districts. Dr. Jeff Roth joined the Brandywine School District in Delaware where he initiated Operation Cooperation — a school-wide approach to conflict resolution, helped initiate and lead the district Crisis Response Team, and was named School Psychologist of the...

For April's show, we are delighted to announce Dr. Ted Thornhill's presence. Dr. Ted Thornhill is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, FL. Prior to joining FGCU, he taught at Earlham College in Richmond, IN and St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN. He holds a BA in Sociology and Ethnic Studies from Florida Atlantic University, an MS in Applied...

Join us for a conversation on topics of introverted students in the classroom with Dr. Kathy Schultz. Dr. Schultz is Dean and Professor of Education at the University of Colorado Boulder School of Education. Prior to this appointment, she was Dean of the School of Education at Mills College in Oakland, California from 2010-2016. She served as professor and director of the teacher education program...

On March 7, join us with Mr. Thomas Whitby to hear his work on how connectedness empowers learning. Mr. Whitby is the author of The Relevant Educator: How Connectedness Empowers Learning, and The Educator's Guide To Creating Connections. He is @tomwhitby on Twitter with 81,000+ followers. Tom retired from Public Education after serving 34 years as a secondary English teacher and spent an addi...

Join us with our special guest Dr. Ellie Drago-Severson for a conversation on giving feedback to educators. Dr. Ellie Drago-Severson is Professor of Education Leadership and Adult Learning & Leadership at Teachers College, Columbia University.  A developmental psychologist, Ellie teaches, conducts research, and consults to school and district leaders, teacher leaders, coaches and organizations...

Welcome to our February episode. This month, we are delighted to have Dr. David Levy to share his insights on how to bring a balance to our digital lives. Dr. Levy is Professor at the Information School, University of Washington in Seattle. He earned his Ph. D. in computer science at Stanford University and a diploma in Calligraphy and Bookbinding from the Roehampton Institute in London. For over...