AUHSD Future Talks

In this episode of AUHSD Future Talks, Superintendent Matsuda interviews Professor Avram Noam Chomsky. Mr. Chomsky was born on December 7, 1928 and he is one of the most cited public intellectuals of the 21st century: a linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, historian, social critic, and political activist. He is a Laureate Professor of Linguistics at the University of Arizona starting in 2017 and was an Institute Professor Emeritus at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) from 2001 to 2017. He has authored more than 150 books on topics on linguistics, war, politics, and mass media. Considered to be "the father of modern linguistics", for such reasons as working on the concept of "Universal Grammar" he continues to investigate language with the concept and theory of Transformational-Generative Grammar.

He not only has written numerous books but he has engaged in philosophical debates with intellectuals and modern philosophers. Some noteworthy intellectuals and philosophers he debated were Michel Foucault, Tyler Burge, Donald Davidson, Michael Dummett, Saul Kripke, Thomas Nagel, Hilary Putnam, Willard Van Orman Quine, and John Searle. During the talk with Superintendent Matsuda, Professor Chomsky discusses his educational experience, mass public education, "banking" form of education, three existential threats that face humanity, the connection between his linguistic work and education, the way forward for young people, democracy and education, and his message to young people.

In this episode of AUHSD Future Talks, Superintendent Matsuda interviews Karen Cowe, CEO of Ten Strands and an education-industry executive with over 30 years of experience in sales and fund development, marketing, program design, professional learning, business development, and operations. Ten Strands’ goal is to raise environmental literacy by providing high-quality environment-based learning and hands-on education to all California K–12 students. Prior to joining Ten Strands, she was president and chief executive officer of Key Curriculum Press, an innovative and award-winning K–12 STEM publisher.  During the talk, Karen discusses her drivers and the Environmental and Climate Change Literacy Projects (ECCLPs, pronounced “eclipse”), which is a collaborative effort to educate the more than 400,000+ graduating high school students per year in California to become literate in climate change and environmental justice issues and solutions

In this episode of AUHSD Future Talks, Superintendent Matsuda interviews Michael Fullan. Mr. Fullan is the Global Leadership Director of New Pedagogies for Deep Learning (NPDL) and a worldwide authority on educational reform with a mandate of helping to achieve the moral purpose of all children learning.

A former Dean of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) of the University of Toronto, Mr. Fullan advises policymakers and local leaders around the world to provide leadership in education. He received the Order of Canada in December 2012 and holds honorary doctorates from several universities in North America and abroad.

During the talk, Mr. Fullan discusses his most recent article regarding change in education, well-being and learning, the 6Cs, learning loss, quiet quitting, education policy, moving the needle, reform, and his advice for young people.

In this episode of AUHSD Future Talks Superintendent Matsuda interviews Walker Junior High School teachers Tina Alvahuante and Valerie Armijo along with co-host AUHSD's English Curriculum Specialist, Michael Switzer. During the interview, the group discusses the Capstone process, Walker's Student Think Tank, possible Capstone examples, the Civics Core class experience, and next steps.

In this episode of AUHSD Future Talks, Superintendent Matsuda interviews the CEO of the OC Jewish Federation Erik Ludwig and Chief Impact Officer Lisa Armony. 

Mr. Ludwig has served as a Jewish communal professional for the past 20 years and brings a wealth of experience, strategic vision, and deep communal relationships to this role. He is recognized as one of the Jewish community’s most innovative and entrepreneurial leaders with a strong record of spearheading organizational change within mature organizations. His strengths were most recently demonstrated during his seven-year tenure as Director of the Zelikow School of Jewish Nonprofit Management at Hebrew Union College where he oversaw the school’s revitalization and growth. Among his numerous accomplishments, he tripled student enrollment by redesigning core academic programs to meet the needs of students in a rapidly changing Jewish professional ecosystem, and significantly grew the school’s organizational capacity through increased philanthropy. Prior to his role at HUC, Mr. Ludwig served as Chief Operating Officer at Upstart Bay Area. He currently serves on the advisory council of IsraAID US and on the advisory board of Jewish Interactive. 
 
Ms. Armony served in strategic planning, educational and communications positions for Jewish organizations in Toronto, Canada and the U.S.  As Rose Project Director, she has been instrumental in implementing strategies that create a more civil campus climate for Jewish students on Orange County college campuses, spearheading efforts that create learning opportunities about Israel, empower Jewish student leaders, and support Jewish campus organizations. In 2015, she launched an experiential learning journey to Israel and the Palestinian Authority for diverse student leaders seeking to explore the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  That program has been scaled to dozens of college campuses throughout the U.S. and Europe. She has also developed a variety of community education programs on Jewish identity, Israel and antisemitism, including an educational platform for teens that supports leadership development and counters bigotry and antisemitism in the greater Orange County community. As Chief Impact Officer, she oversees Federation’s strategic planning and granting and works closely with Community Partners to support community development and growth.

In this episode of AUHSD Future Talks, Superintendent Matsuda interviews Samueli Family Philanthropies President, Lindsey Spindle.  During the talk, Ms. Spindle discusses her story and drivers, food insecurity, food deserts, her work in the "truth" campaign, food as medicine, the connection to AUHSD's Magnolia Agriscience Community Center/Biotechnology Pathway/iLab, and advice to students.

With a career singularly motivated by achieving social impact, Ms. Spindle brings a depth and breadth of experience spanning philanthropy, business, not-for-profits, impact investing, entertainment, brand management, government relations, and communications.

The common thread in Spindle’s career is her dedication to shaping organizations and campaigns that improve people’s lives, particularly women and children. She was the first-ever Chief Communications and Brand Officer of Share Our Strength, a national nonprofit focused on ending childhood hunger in America through its groundbreaking No Kid Hungry campaign. Under her leadership, The No Kid Hungry campaign won PR Week’s prestigious Non-Profit Campaign of the Year in 2015, increased participation in federal meal programs by several million children year over year, and helped elevate childhood hunger to being a top 10 issue the public identified as “solvable.”

Before focusing on domestic hunger eradication, Ms. Spindle spent nearly 20 years in health care communications, policy, and government relations working for some of the nation’s most respected commercial and non-profit organizations. These include Georgetown University, Brookings, Avalere Health, and Porter Novelli. Throughout her career, Spindle has shaped major national campaigns such as the groundbreaking ‘truth’ campaign that curbed youth smoking by 30% in one year; increased patient safety through reduced medical errors; and secured bipartisan Congressional funding for improving health care safety and quality.

In this episode of AUHSD Future Talks, Superintendent Matsuda interviews Dr. Amra Sabic-El-Rayess, associate professor of practice at Teachers College, Columbia University. During their talk, Dr. Sabic-El-Rayess discusses her story, storytelling, radicalization, the importance of student and teacher relationships, identity, and her message to students.

Dr. Sabic-El-Rayess has taught, researched, and published on a range of issues in education, including mixed methods, quantitative and qualitative methodologies, teaching quality, development, inclusion, radicalization, othering, educational displacement, storytelling, marginalization, social transformation, social disintegration, social norm formation, social mobility, higher education policy, transitional justice, Islam, financial inclusion of women, and corruption. Dr. Sabic-El-Rayess’ most recent work on radicalization and building resilience to hate, othering, and exclusion has sparked significant international interest and Dr. Sabic-El-Rayess has delivered 50+ invited lectures in the U.S., South Korea, China, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, Australia, Germany, Austria, Indonesia, Jordan, Turkey, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Italy, the United Kingdom, Qatar, and India.

More than twenty-five years ago, Dr. Sabic-El-Rayess first became a teacher as a young teen during the Bosnian Genocide. Her lived experience of being an object of hate and ethnic persecution has informed her scholarship on building resilience to othering and extremism via education. She was awarded a 2021 Finalist Medal for Excellence in Young Adult Nonfiction by the American Library Association and Best Book recognition by School Library Journal, Malala Fund, Capitol Choices, and Children’s Center for Literature for her nonfiction work exploring resilience to exclusion, othering, and hate. Dr. Sabic-El-Rayess obtained her PhD (2012) in Comparative and International Education with a specialization in Economics at Columbia University. Her doctoral research employed mixed methods to examine the intricacies of favor reciprocation and corruption in education, providing empirical evidence on how such phenomena usurped merited social mobility in education and triggered displacement. Dr. Sabic-El-Rayess holds a Master of Philosophy (2010) from Columbia University’s Teachers College and Masters in Economic and Political Development with a specialization in the Persian Gulf from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (2004), as well as a B.A. in Economics from Brown University (2000). She is a recipient of multiple awards, including grants from the Smith Richardson Foundation; the U.S. State Department; Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and Kennan Institute; International Research and Exchange Board; Harriman Institute for Russian, Eurasian, and Eastern European Studies; and others.

During the talk Professor Berry discusses his drivers, teachers as the most significant asset at schools, moving beyond test scores, the joy of learning, innovation within the classroom and school districts, community schools, the Magnolia Agriscience Community Center (MACC), and scaling up successful models.

Professor Berry's work in the 1990s with the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future led to his founding of the Center for Teaching Quality in 1999, a non-profit that focused on igniting teacher leadership to transform public education for more equitable outcomes for students. Professor Berry is author of over 150 peer review articles, book chapters, and trade journal publications focused on teaching policy, teacher leadership, and systemic change in education. His two books, TEACHING 2030 and Teacherpreneurs: Innovative Teachers Who Lead But Don't Leave, frame a bold vision for the profession's future. Professor Berry also serves as a Senior Research Fellow for the Learning Policy Institute, which seeks to advance evidence-based policies that support empowering and equitable learning for each and every child. In 2021, he was honored with the James A. Kelly Award for Advancing Accomplished Teaching by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.

In this episode of AUHSD Future Talks, Superintendent Matsuda interviews AUHSD's Director of Community Schools Mr. Carlos Hernandez and ASTA President Mr. Grant Schuster. During the interview Mr. Hernandez and Mr. Schuster define what a community school is, describe AUHSD's model of community schools, and discuss the idea of building trust in public schools.

Byron D. Clift Breland, chancellor of North Orange County Community College District (NOCCCD).  Dr. Breland has more than 25 years of administrative and teaching experience in higher education and served as chancellor of the San Jose – Evergreen Community College District (SJECCD) located in Silicon Valley. During the interview, Dr. Breland discusses his journey, the importance of dual credit opportunities for students, and the advantages of community college.

Dr. Breland has worked to develop innovative partnerships that provide meaningful educational and job training experiences for the diverse student populations of San Jose City College, Evergreen Valley College, the Community College Extension Center in Milpitas, and the Center for Economic Mobility. Prior to being promoted to the SJECCD chancellor position, Dr. Breland served as the president of San Jose City College (SJCC), where under his leadership, SJCC became positioned among the top institutions in the nation in career education and workforce preparation. In addition, Dr. Breland has overseen the opening of a college extension center in the city of Milpitas with a focus on dual enrollment for high school students. He was also instrumental in assisting with launching the San Jose Promise, which provides up to two years of cost-free education and breaks down financial barriers for students in the city of San Jose. Previously, Dr. Clift Breland served as associate vice president/provost at Long Beach City College’s Pacific Coast Campus; associate dean of student development at Santa Ana College; and assistant dean, director of judicial affairs at the University of California, Irvine, serving both the undergraduate and medical school campuses. In addition, he has held administrative positions at University of Southern California and University of Maryland at College Park.