There's Power in Teaching

Host: Kathleen Vail, editor, Kappan Guest: John Wilson, educator, advocate, and former executive director of the National Education Association and 2025 Educators Rising Champion In this episode, Kappan editor Kathleen Vail sits down with John Wilson — a teacher, union leader, policy advocate, and one of Educators Rising’s 2025 Champions — for a wide-ranging conversation about what it means to spe...

In this episode, Kathleen Vail interviews Elizabeth Bennett, Associate Vice President for Career and Technical Education at Northern Essex Community College and former Associate Commissioner for College, Career, and Technical Education for the state of Massachusetts. Bennett shares how her career journey — from classroom teacher to state leadership and now higher education — has been driven by one...

Hawaii is one of the most geographically isolated places on Earth — and one of the most complex when it comes to recruiting and retaining teachers. In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Janet Kim, a tenure-track faculty member at the University of Hawaii at Manoa whose job is one of a kind: recruiting the next generation of educators into the profession full-time. Janet traces her own winding path...

In this episode, Kappan editor Kathleen Vail sits down with Dr. Gladys Cruz, Superintendent of Questar III BOCES and past president of AASA, to discuss the personal experiences, leadership strategies, and innovative programs shaping the future of education. Dr. Cruz reflects on the educators who changed the course of her life and explains how those moments of encouragement ultimately led her from...

Alabama faces one of the nation's most severe teacher shortages — over 800 vacancies in early childhood and elementary alone. In this webinar, PDK International sits down with Alabama State Coordinator Suzanne Clemons and three standout teacher leaders — Becky Tomaso, Moriah Miller, and Stephanie Cody — to share how Educators Rising is turning today's high school students into tomorrow's educators...

Tracy Kern has spent more than two decades at Harrisburg High School in Harrisburg, South Dakota — a district that has grown from 750 students to more than 5,000 since she arrived in 2000. A Family and Consumer Science educator and longtime CTE pathway teacher, Kern was honored as a 2025 Educators Rising Champion at the national conference, recognized for her role in building one of the largest an...

In this episode of There's Power in Teaching, host Kathleen Vail speaks with Karley Picou, a school administrator from Lake Charles, Louisiana, and lead advisor for the school's Educators Rising program. Picou was honored as an Educators Rising Champion at the 2025 Educators Rising National Conference — part of PDK's annual recognition program celebrating the school leaders, teacher leaders, state...

In this episode, we hear from three voices driving one of the most dynamic Educators Rising programs in the country. Brynne Massie, Kentucky's state coordinator, is joined by Leah Jefferson, veteran teacher leader and adjunct professor at Northern Kentucky University, and Alyssa Pollard, a high school senior, chapter president, and state officer who has become a passionate advocate for the profess...

Part 2: Growing the Pipeline—How Community and Leadership Sustain Renton’s Teacher Academy In Part 2 of our conversation with Carla Smith and her colleagues from Renton Public Schools in Washington, we take a deeper look at how their Teacher Academy evolved from a small cohort into a thriving, district-wide pipeline preparing the next generation of educators. What began as a simple effort to inspi...

This is part 1 of a three-part series of a conversation with the Teacher Academy team at Renton Public Schools (Washington) who have a mature pre-educator CTE pathway in their district, bolstered by a strong relationship with Central Washington University. Part 1: From Curiosity to Calling: Building Renton’s Teacher Pipeline How do you turn high school students into future teachers—and bring them...

Why Teaching Needs the Next Generation: A Conversation with PDK’s New Chief Executive In this episode of There’s Power in Teaching , host John Hendron sits down with PDK International’s new CEO, Jeanie Lee , for a candid conversation about the future of the teaching profession — and why the next generation of educators matters more than ever. Drawing from her journey as a classroom teacher, system...

Episode Overview In this episode of There’s Power in Teaching, we’re joined by longtime Phi Delta Kappa leaders Patricia Williams and Lidia Zatopek. Together, they share practical insights and hard-earned wisdom on how to build, sustain, and energize a thriving professional chapter—while staying relevant to the future of the education profession. Listeners will hear how intentional programming, me...

In this episode, Dr. Scott McLeod, PDK Distinguished Educator Fellow and Professor of Educational Leadership at the University of Colorado Denver, sits down with Owen Elsasser, National Vice President of Communications for Educators Rising. Owen shares his journey from high school leadership roles to college, and why he’s passionate about increasing male representation in education—especially in e...

Host: Kathleen Vail Guest: John Hendron In our third and final episode dedicated to the topic of gamification, John Hendron chats with Kathleen Vail on the potential for hard fun in our pursuit of learner engagement with gamification. We explore user stories, the unique needs of adult learners, and share examples of how others are using gamification in fields both inclusive and exclusive of educat...

Host: Kathleen Vail Guest: John Hendron In this episode of There’s Power in Teaching , Dr. John Hendron continues his conversation with Kathleen Vail on gamification, moving beyond surface-level mechanics to explore the psychology that actually drives motivation. Rather than treating gamification as a set of tools, the discussion focuses on why certain game-inspired strategies resonate with learne...

In this kickoff conversation, host Kathleen Vail talks with John Hendron about the foundations of gamification —what it is, what it isn’t, and why educators and learning designers should care. John traces his path from instructional technology leadership to researching how elements from games—like motivation loops, points, badges, social play, and competition—can improve adult professional learnin...

Host: John Hendron; Guest: Starr Sackstein – Author, educator, assessment expert, columnist, and Massachusetts State Coordinator for Educators Rising. “Your voice, your story is what makes it important.” ⸻ Overview In this episode, John sits down with veteran educator and prolific author Starr Sackstein to explore her writing journey, her unexpected career shifts, and her work supporting future ed...

Host: John Hendron. Guest: Dr. Damon Christopher Lewis, Principal, Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy, Norwalk, CT In this episode, we talk with Damon Lewis , 2025 NASSP Principal of the Year , about his leadership journey and the transformative work happening at Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy. Damon shares how his school’s commitment to Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM) weaves through ev...

In this special episode of There’s Power in Teaching , PDK Emerging Leader Fellow Dr. Ryan Tauriainen , executive director of Teach For America (Washington, D.C. and Virginia), and Haylie Johnson , national vice president of engagement for Educators Rising, sit down with Dr. John B. King Jr. — former U.S. Secretary of Education and current Chancellor of the State University of New York. Together,...

Interviewers John Hendron and Kathleen Vail recently sat down with our very own, Starr Sackstein, a well-known author and educator, about her past year authoring the Career Confidential column in Kappan magazine. Sackstein received National Board Certification in 2012 and was recognized as an outstanding educator by Education Update. She is also a certified Master Journalism educator through the J...

Host: Dr. John Hendron, Director of Public Relations . Guest: Faith Gonder, National Vice President of Service, Educators Rising In this episode, we meet Faith Gonder , a senior from Perry High School in Massillon, Ohio, and one of Educators Rising’s national officers. Faith shares how her community, career-tech education program, and inspiring teachers shaped her journey toward becoming an educat...

In this episode of There’s Power in Teaching , we sit down with Haylie Johnson , National Vice President of Engagement for Educators Rising and a student at Central Connecticut State University. Haley shares her journey from joining a small high school chapter of Educators Rising to becoming a national leader inspiring thousands of students across the country. Key Topics: •Starting Small, Growing...

PDK International has polled the American public for the 57th time this year with its annual poll focused on attitudes about public education in America. In this edition, Kathleen Vail, editor in chief of Kappan Magazine, interviews PDK International’s director of public relations, Dr. John Hendron about this year’s poll. Highlights of this conversation and this year’s poll include: Attitudes abou...

In this follow-up conversation, Kaplan editor-in-chief Kathleen Vail sits down with professors Rick Ginsberg and Yong Zhao —authors of a recent Kappan article and the book Duck and Cover (Teachers College Press, 2023)—to explore how schools can embrace new definitions of literacy and meaningful innovation in the age of AI. Drawing on their work with the Center for Reimagining Education , Ginsburg...

In Part 1 of a two-part interview, host Kathleen Vail sits down with Dr. Rick Ginsberg and Dr. Yong Zhao—professors at the University of Kansas and frequent Kappan contributors—to discuss their provocative article on America’s obsession with reading instruction and why it may be time to broaden our definition of literacy for today’s world. The episode tackles critical questions: • Why is the U.S....