What does it mean to lead with inquiry? And what does that actually look like in a classroom or when working with other adults? Today, we begin a four-part series exploring those questions and more about leading with inquiry. 3Ps host Paula Watkins and Jessica Vance, the author of Leading With a Lens of Inquiry, will lead us through this exploration, setting the stage in our first episodes about what inquiry is and how to integrate it into leadership. In the final two episodes, you’ll hear Jessica and Paula engage in an inquiry-focused coaching conversation as an example of how others can use a lens of inquiry in their coaching and leading.

In this first episode of this series, Jessica shares about her background and current work as an inquiry leader. She makes clear that being an inquiry leader is not exclusionary of being a managerial leader but that leaders can use both approaches in tandem and when most appropriate.

Jessica details the need for inquiry leaders to understand their values and for a critical friend to help keep your inquiry leadership focused. She also suggests having the sentence frames “What would happen if…” and “How may/can I…” ready to use in an inquiry process. 

Throughout the episode, Jessica and Paula reference the work of Trevor MacKenzie, who you can listen to in previous 3Ps in a Pod episodes on “Cultivating Inquiry,” “Creating a Culture of Inquiry with Kass Minor and Trevor MacKenzie,” and “Diving into Inquiry.” Jessica also mentions these additional resources:

• “The Inquiry Leader” sketchnote, “Managerial Leader, Inquiry Leader” sketchnote, and “The Ripple Effect” sketchnote can be found at leadingwithinquiry.com/sketchnotes

• Elena Aguilar’s work with the core values of leaders, such as “How Core Values Foster Resilience in Educators,” and other resources available at brightmorningteam.com 

• Brene Brown and her Daring Leadership Assessment at brenebrown.com/hubs/dare-to-lead/

• Kimberly Mitchell’s book Experience Inquiry and other resources at inquirypartners.com

• Jessica Vance’s website at leadingwithinquiry.com

• Jessica Vance’s Instagram at instagram.com/jess_vanceedu

• Jessica Vance’s Twitter at  twitter.com/jess_vanceedu

Learn more about the Arizona K12 Center at azk12.org.

Today we welcome Danielle Brown, NBCT, a former host of 3Ps in a Pod, and now the senior manager of candidate experience at the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. She and host Donnie Dicus discuss the changing landscape of education and how the National Board is approaching some of that change. 

Brown first shares how her role at the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards combines her passion for National Board Certification with what her work had been at the Arizona K12 Center supporting new teachers before talking about how early career educators can now pursue National Board Certification.

The National Board has updated its policy as the teacher landscape has changed, Brown explains. Allowing new teachers to pursue National Board Certification provides an opportunity for those teachers to reflect on their practice earlier than they may have, rather than getting set in routines that may need to be shifted.

Brown talks about the importance of supporting newer teachers in pursuing National Board Certification both for the benefit to their own practice and impact but also as they more quickly become veteran teachers and leaders.

Learn more about how the Arizona K12 Center can support you in pursuing National Board Certification at azk12.org.

3Ps in a Pod is back, and we’re kicking off our 13th season by exploring the Arizona Education Progress Meter. Connected with that progress meter is the Achieve 60 AZ Action Plan, which sets the goal of having 60 percent educational attainment in Arizona by 2030. That means 60% of the state’s population of working adults will have a certificate, license, or degree. 

Host Paula Watkins welcomes Rich Nickel, president of Education Forward Arizona, and Donna Davis, CEO of Education Forward Arizona. Nickel and Davis share how multiple Arizona stakeholders came together to create the Progress Meter and Action Plan. The Progress Meter includes eight indicators to assess the state of Arizona education:

• Quality early learning
• Third grade reading
• Eighth grade math
• High school graduation
• Opportunity youth
• Post-high school enrollment
• Attainment
• Teacher pay

Nickel and Davis share about where Arizona stands on several of these metrics and the progress made recently, especially since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and how the eight different metrics interlock. They then dive into the recently released data on Arizona’s journey toward the Achieve 60 AZ Action Plan goal and continued steps toward that goal. They also discuss the importance of support and advocacy from groups outside of education to work toward improving education.

Here are links to resources and references made in today’s episode:

• Education Forward Arizona
• Arizona Education Progress Meter
• Achieve 60 AZ Action Plan
• Read On Arizona
• The 3Ps in a Pod episode Donna Davis mentions, featuring Tom Rademacher

Paula also mentions this summer’s 18th Annual Teacher Leadership Institute. You can learn more and register to attend at azk12.org/TLI2023.

Learn more about the Arizona K12 Center at azk12.org.

Today, we welcome author and Minnesota’s 2014 Teacher of the Year Tom Rademacher to the podcast. 

Hosts Donnie and Kathleen talk with Rademacher about his two loves of teaching and writing. His books, It Won’t Be Easy, An Exceedingly Honest (and Slightly Unprofessional) Love Letter to Teaching and Raising Ollie: How My Nonbinary Art-Nerd Kid Changed (Nearly) Everything I Know, combine both those aspects of Rademacher’s work.

Rademacher shares his reflections about the teacher shortage and what has and hasn’t changed for today’s new teachers compared to when he entered the classroom.  

He also discusses how he approaches diversity, equity, and inclusion in his practice as a white male and the need to continue learning. That learning often comes directly from students, he notes. He also mentions how he has learned to give space for others’ sharing and to recognize the amount of time he is the one speaking.

In closing today’s episode, Rademacher talks about how diverse great teachers are and how they don’t all fit the same make or model, but shares a vision for how joy, flexibility, and passion can combine to make a dynamic teacher.

Learn more about the Arizona K12 Center at azk12.org.

This week of Veterans Day, we’re revisiting an episode from November 11, 2020, when hosts Angelia and Danielle welcomed Dr. Nancy Pratt to 3Ps in a Pod to share about her military experience and how that has carried into her education career.

Then the Director of Instruction and Innovation at Cave Creek Unified School District, Pratt is now the Director of Instruction at Buckeye Elementary School District. But before realizing her interest in teaching, Pratt was a young woman in a Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) military briefing class at Arizona State University, realizing she had something special to offer.

Pratt became a transportation officer stationed at Fort Lewis near Tacoma, Washington. She shares in this episode about the direction she received from her experiences in the military, how her military experience has shaped her education career, and the direct connections between training military officers and working in education with both students and adult learners.

Enjoy this episode on the intersections of military service and educational leadership in this week’s 3Ps in a Pod.

Learn more about the Arizona K12 Center by visiting azk12.org.

One year ago, the Arizona Department of Education and Northern Arizona University came together to announce the creation of the Arizona Teacher Residency. Housed within the Arizona K12 Center, the Arizona Teacher Residency now has its first cohort of residents working in the classrooms of supervising teachers in Osborn, Roosevelt, and Tempe Elementary school districts. Today, you’ll hear from one resident and supervising teacher pair about their experience with the program so far.

3Ps in a Pod host Kathy Wiebke welcomes Arizona Teacher Residency Director Dr. Victoria Theisen-Homer to the podcast to talk about the creation and envision of this new program. Hector Campos, one of the members of the first Arizona Teacher Residency cohort, shares about what excited him about this program and how delighted he was to find out that his supervising teacher would be Edgar Ochoa, the middle school social studies teacher who inspired him to become a middle school social studies teacher. Campos now works with Ochoa in his classes at Pastor Elementary School in the Roosevelt School District.

Theisen-Homer shares about some of the unique structures of the program and how those structures support residents and their supervising teachers, while Ochoa and Campos, as a supervising teacher and resident pair, share how they have experienced the residency program so far. Campos also shares about what he has learned through the Arizona Teacher Residency and why he recommends the program to others interested in becoming a teacher.

The application is now open to join the second cohort of the Arizona Teacher Residency. Learn more about the Arizona Teacher Residency and apply at aztr.org.

Learn more about the Arizona K12 Center at azk12.org.

Just three days after being named the 2023 Arizona Teacher of the Year, chemistry teacher Ty White joined us for a conversation about what brought him into teaching, how he approaches his practice, and about receiving this exciting honor. 

3Ps in a Pod host Josh Meibos welcomes Ty White to the podcast, who talks through the evening he was named the Arizona Educational Foundation’s 2023 Arizona Teacher of the Year and shares about the significance of having two of his elementary school teachers join him at the Teacher of the Year celebration.

White also shares about some of the larger projects he has coordinated with students, including a partnership with SARSEF, an electric go-cart project, and an aerospace project with Biosphere 2. He also shares about what he is thinking about focusing on in his next year as Arizona Teacher of the Year, including STEM literacy and accessibility for all. 

Here are links to some of the STEM organizations White mentioned:

• SARSEF at sarsef.org
• InSimEducation at insimeducation.com

Learn more about the Arizona K12 Center at azk12.org.

Arizona has been in a teacher shortage for years, and today we explore this issue with Dr. Richard Ingersoll, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania and expert on the K-12 teaching force, about what he sees as the foundational issues of this shortage and what steps may help us move forward.

Ingersoll is recognized for his research in teacher turnover and workplace trends and the impact of beginning teacher induction and mentoring. In this episode, he shares with hosts Kathleen and Kathy about what he sees leading to the teacher shortage seen in Arizona and across the country. He reflects on what changes to the profession could reverse this shortage. Ingersoll especially focuses on the impact of induction and mentoring and the need to professionalize teaching as a career.

Ingersoll will be sharing Arizona-based data and reflections at the 1st Annual Arizona Induction Symposium: The True Cost of Teacher Turnover on October 28. 

Learn more about the Arizona K12 Center at azk12.org.

Today, we’re focusing in on special area teachers and classes by welcoming an art teacher, music teacher, and physical education teacher to the podcast to discuss the importance of these special areas and what they’d like other educators to know.

Hosts Josh and Donnie welcome to the podcast Kyle Bragg, an elementary physical education in Scottsdale Unified School District, Rusty Carle-Ogren, a middle school band in Sahuarita Unified District, and Jen Pulbratek, a high school ceramics teacher in Peoria Unified School District.

Bragg, Carle-Ogren, and Pulbratek share about the unique opportunities their classes offer students. They talk about what they would like other teachers to know about their classes and why they so enjoy teaching special-area subjects. They also discuss the standards their classes address and how what they teach fits into the Whole Child Approach to Education.

Learn more about the Arizona K12 Center at azk12.org.

Be inspired by the five teacher leaders on today’s episode of 3Ps in a Pod. The five semifinalists from the Arizona Educational Foundation’s 2023 Teacher of the Year consideration join us to share about their teaching journeys, the affirmation they’ve received through this recognition, and what they hope to do with their platform.

The 2023 Teacher of the Year semifinalists are Jaime Camero, who teaches at Douglas Elementary in Flowing Wells Unified School District; Zel Fowler, who teaches at Emerson Elementary in Phoenix Elementary School District; Erin Henderson, who teaches at North High School in Phoenix Union High School District; Christina Musselman, who teaches at Starline Elementary in Lake Havasu Unified School District, and Robyn Yewell, who teaches at Winifred Harelson Elementary in Amphitheater Public Schools.

These five outstanding Arizona teachers share about the unique vision they bring to their practice and how the Teacher of the Year process has helped them feel affirmed and celebrated for the work they do. They also share what they hope to do with their new platform as Arizona Teacher of the Year Semifinalists and how they want to elevate the teaching profession.

Learn more about the Arizona Educational Foundation’s Teacher of the Year program at azedfoundation.org, and look forward to hearing from the Teacher of the Year Finalists and the 2023 Teacher of the Year in upcoming episodes!

Learn more about the Arizona K12 Center at azk12.org.