UnboundEd Podcast

For too long, receiving an education in the United States has been a dangerous and revolutionary act for African Americans. Becoming authentically literate in the written word, history, math and the sciences was a literal and psychological escape to freedom. Exploring who led these efforts, how they led these efforts, and what we can apply from them today is important and undervalued work that can...

What happens when classroom instruction is focused on building academic skills, while at the same time, teaching social justice? What's to gain when students are exposed to teaching that is student-driven and community-centered, but is also flexible, connected to other subjects, and deeply interactive? That's the work of author Lorena Escoto Germán who joins this episode to discuss her book Textur...

UnboundEd's goal is to instill the GLEAM™ (Grade-Level, Engaging, Affirming, and Meaningful) instructional framework into classrooms across the nation with professional development, curated programs, and now with a brand new podcast series, The LP: Literature in Practice. Join host, Brandon White, as he interviews the authors of today’s thought-provoking educational literature, and connects the te...

Episode 8 explores the power currently being harnessed by educators of color to provide an equitable and just education despite encountering unique challenges. It attends two of UnboundEd’s five charges by talking about race systematically and examining bias and its role in our work and learning. This episode’s B-side features an interview with one educator activist of color, Jason Epting, who giv...

This episode features candid conversations with education leaders about the push for excellence and equity and what role standards play in providing instruction that is grade-level, engaging, affirming, and meaningful. Side B features a conversation with Bradley Powless of the Onondaga Nation who discusses the importance of identity in education. Episode notes: The following scholars and texts are...

Episode 6, “Invisible Taxes,” brings us post-Brown v. Board, where we begin to see the foundations of a “new” system quickly revert to the regeneration of discriminatory practices that Black, Latino, and Indigenous educators continue to navigate today. It takes us through the roots of inequitable recruitment and professional development through a series of conversations between educators and resea...

Episode 6, “Invisible Taxes,” brings us post-Brown v. Board, where we begin to see the foundations of a “new” system quickly revert to the regeneration of discriminatory practices that Black, Latino, and Indigenous educators continue to navigate today. It takes us through the roots of inequitable recruitment and professional development through a series of conversations between educators and resea...

In episode five of “The Complexion of Teaching and Learning,” “Brown v. Board’s Double-Edged Sword,” host Brandon White continues to explore the untold impacts of the Brown v. Board court decision that declared segregation unconstitutional in schools and other institutions. This episode’s “B-side” features a conversation between White and Dr. Tanji Reed Marshall, Director of P-12 Practice at The E...

In part one of this episode, host Brandon White (Twitter: @ClassroomB) takes us through the early to mid 20th century, leading up to the pivotal Brown v. Board decision, as educators and communities of color grapple with the nation’s expansion and how it challenges their ways of teaching and learning. The conversation continues to the "B-side" as he gets close and personal perspectives from Dr. Ga...

Hosted by Brandon White (Twitter: @ClassroomB), ELA Specialist at UnboundEd, this episode of the series continues exploring the oppression, resilience, and contributions of Black, Asian, and Native American educators during a period of American segregation and expansion. It also features a b-side conversation with Lacey Robinson, president, and CEO of UnboundEd. The following scholars and texts ar...

“The Complexion of Teaching and Learning” is a podcast docu-series in which we explore the historical, political, and professional insights and experiences of educators of color. The series is hosted by Brandon White (@ClassroomB on Twitter), an ELA Specialist for UnboundEd and former middle school ELA teacher and Restorative Practices educator for the Rochester City School District. Episode 2 dis...

“The Complexion of Teaching and Learning” is a podcast docu-series in which we explore the historical, political, and professional insights and experiences of educators of color. The series is hosted by Brandon White (Twitter: @ClassroomB), an ELA Specialist for UnboundEd and former middle school ELA teacher and Restorative Practices educator for the Rochester City School District. Episode 1 highl...

The Revolution - Shakiela Richardson by UnboundEd

Sierah Tyson speaks with Sonja Bloetner, ESOL Supervisor at Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland, about equitable education for English learners. During her tenure as an educator, Sonja Bloetner taught a range of both Spanish and ESOL classes at the elementary and secondary levels. As an instructional specialist, she has also written curriculum for elementary ESOL students and developed pr...

Sierah Tyson of EducationNomad talks with Josh Parker on equity in education, committing oneself to the work, investigating what we as educators really believe about children, fostering equity and implementing rigorous aligned curricula in schools.

Sierah Tyson of EducationNomad talks with Mariama Sesay-St Paul on literacy education, teaching challenging texts to students, facilitating reading proficiency in the classroom, and more.

Crystal Gonzales discusses the state of instructional materials for English Language Learners and the intersection of language, culture and public education in America. Crystal Gonzales is is the executive director of the English Learner (EL) Success Forum. In this role, she partners with national experts, organizations, educators and content developers to increase the supply of quality of K-12 in...

Peter Coe talks with Andrew Chen about the math standards and shifts. Dr. Andrew Chen, president of EduTron, was on the Common Core Standards Development Team in Mathematics. Before founding EduTron he was a professor and a principal research scientist at MIT. He is on the Advisory Board of the National Council on Teacher Quality. He is on the Mathematics and Science Advisory Council for the Massa...

David Abel talks with Dr. Timothy Shanahan about the state of literacy in US schools, and what the research is telling us to do differently. Dr. Timothy Shanahan is Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and former director of reading for the Chicago Public Schools. He is author/editor of more than 200 publications, and served on the author team of the Common Co...

Dr. Aída Walqui discusses the state of English Language Learning pedagogy today, and what can be done to improve it. Dr Walqui is the Director of the Teacher Professional Development Program at WestEd, where she seeks to improve the learning opportunities of English language learners. She is also a founding member of the Stanford University Understanding Language Initiative, and co-author of a nat...

Former Education Secretary John King discusses the state of education in America today and what can be done to improve it. As Secretary of Education under President Barack Obama, John focused on increasing equity, improving educational outcomes for all students, and closing achievement gaps through the implementation of key administration priorities in areas including early learning, elementary an...

Kristen Ehlman interviews Doug Sovde about the role of mathematics knowledge in who acquires power in a democracy, and how it is incumbent upon us to widen the net of opportunity. Previously, Doug has worked in supporting multi-state consortia and school districts in developing mathematical content and instructional supports in education. Doug was also a member of the writing team of the Common Co...

With the adoption of the standards, the focus on supporting students who are behind grade level is more critical than ever. Yet, even with a clear roadmap of learning from grade to grade, students are still struggling and research shows us that there are huge, glaring inequities in the education system. On February 13, 2017, Kate Gerson, managing partner at UnboundEd gave a keynote presentation to...

UnboundEd presents Judith Hochman, Founder and Chief Academic Officer of the Writing Revolution. Judith talks about writing instruction in schools, including common misconceptions about writing and how it fits into an integrated model of literacy instruction.

UnboundEd presents Cheryl Dobbertin, Director of Learning and School Improvement at Monroe #1 BOCES. Cheryl explores the role of reading and writing, giving voice to all kids in the classroom, reading levels, and pushing the boundaries with rigorous and diverse reading and writing experiences post Common Core.