Alexander Dawson School Podcast

In this episode, Dawson welcomes Sanje Ratnavale, founder and president of Online Education Strategies for Independent Schools (OESIS), to the podcast! In conversation with Assistant Head of School Andrew Bishop, Sanje discusses the opportunities presented by distance education in the past year, the capacity of schools to change, and project-based learning. Topics also include thinking creatively about time and space, competency-based education, assessing for skills versus content, and more. adsrm.org/podcast

In this episode, Dawson welcomes Dean of UNLV's Honors College Dr. Andrew Hanson to the show! In conversation with Assistant Head of School Andrew Bishop, Dr. Hanson discusses the similarities between higher education and independent school education. Topics include active listening in the classroom, the future of standardized education, and the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion work. They also talk about the future of education and the long-term changes in the post-pandemic classroom. adsrm.org/podcast

Dawson is proud to be Nevada's first and only school to partner with Challenge Success, which is affiliated with Stanford University and focuses on student wellbeing and engagement. In this episode, Assistant Head of School Andrew Bishop is joined by Challenge Success co-founder Dr. Denise Pope, Director of EC-Grade 1 Amanda Murray-Musgrave, teacher Matt Reynolds, and sixth-grade student Aarti. You'll learn how Dawson aligns with and uses the Challenge Success framework to live its Mission and Vision, the benefit of joining a partner school as a family, and more!

adsrm.org/podcast

Assistant Head of School Andrew Bishop and Head of School Roxanne Stansbury are joined by Dr. Mary Choi Kelly in a conversation about instilling empathy in our children. Dr. Kelly is the parent of a current Dawson student and an alumnus and manages MCK Leadership Talent Group, an organization that works with leaders in global companies and diverse industries to help individuals develop courage, drive change, and build culture. Following Dr. Kelly's Parent University presentation on the Empathy Advantage, they elaborate on how empathetic behaviors can help grow our children into more resilient, healthy, and successful adults, and share practical tools for parents. They also reference the book UnSelfie: Why Empathetic Kids Succeed in Our All-About-Me World by Michele Borba, Ed.D.

In this episode, New York Times bestselling author and speaker Dr. Michael Thompson joins Head of School Roxanne Stansbury and Assistant Head of School Andrew Bishop. Following a Parent University virtual session with our Dawson community, Dr. Thompson elaborates on the nuances of parenting during the pandemic and in an election year. The discussion includes the resilience of children and treating one another with respect, civility, community, and dignity.

Assistant Head of School Andrew Bishop is joined by Head of School Roxanne Stansbury and special guest Dr. Douglas Harris, a senior fellow in the Brown Center on Education Policy at Brookings and professor of economics at Tulane University. They discuss Dr. Harris' recent article, "When should schools reopen fully in-person?". Topics include Dawson's reopening plan in comparison to others around the country; navigating the decision-making process as a team; the direct and indirect effects of reopening; advice for parents making decisions about school; the things that may change because of the pandemic; and how the competencies that we're looking for in students continue to evolve.

Dawson's Chief of Security & Campus Facilities Dennis Johnson in conversation with Assistant Head of School for Advancement Andrew Bishop about caring for our campus. From the logistics of afternoon carpool to the intentionality behind the landscape and design of our campus, Dennis works to keep our school and facilities both beautiful and functional. They also discuss the process of planning, designing and building our new middle school playground, a project led by Dennis in partnership with administration and faculty that was completed in fall 2019.

Director of Innovation Hubert Ham in conversation with Assistant Head of School for Advancement Andrew Bishop about innovation at independent schools, ways in which Dawson improves, and using esports as a gateway to curriculum, community, and STEM skills. They also discuss partnerships with UNLV, Blackfire Innovation, and Allied Esports, Dawson's esports EDU lab, an esports league for independent schools. Learn how Dawson is sharing its experiences, resources, and information with other schools.

Three Dawson parents join Assistant Heads of School Roxanne Stansbury and Andrew Bishop in conversation about Dawson's Parent University series and Parent Education Pieces. The Alexander Dawson School hosts and facilitates Parent University workshops to provide current research in parenting and child development, as well as Parent Education Piece curriculum sessions as a means to more deeply involve each parent in their child's educational experiences. Julio Melendez, Susan Perry, Susan Archibald reflect on the impact of the presentations in their daily lives as parents and therefore their children's lives. They also discuss the feeling of community and support at Dawson, including the sense of belonging they gain as parents.

Following episode 14 on measuring things that matter, Director of K-8 Chris Estrella and Director of Student Life & Diversity Meg Aumann discuss how Dawson utilizes intentionally diverse focus groups and surveys to make student-centered decisions. In this episode, you'll learn more about their presentation from the NWAIS regional conference on Using Data to Make Student-Centered Decisions. They discuss what this looks like at Dawson—how we gather information, what we do with the data, who we share it with, and how we set strategic goals. In addition, topics include Dawson's mission and vision on campus, the climate of care in our School, maintaining a culture of sustainability, and our value of professional development.