What does it really mean for a student to belong?

In this episode of Beyond The Margins, Dr. Sohn A. Butts sits down with educator, author, speaker, and Leading Equity founder Dr. Sheldon Eakins for a powerful conversation about belonging, identity, equity, and the conditions that shape student engagement.

Dr. Eakins challenges educators to look beyond compliance and reconsider how our expectations, biases, classroom practices, and definitions of the "ideal student" influence the experiences of young people, particularly Black boys and students who have historically been pushed to the margins.

Together, they explore the difference between managing students and engaging them, why relevance and cultural context matter in instruction, how student voice creates ownership, and why relationships must be built intentionally rather than left to chance.

The conversation also examines subtle exclusionary practices, the importance of understanding the story behind student behavior, balancing individual and collaborative approaches to learning, and what happens when educators are willing to learn from their students.

Dr. Eakins introduces the idea of the "mood tax," challenging educators to consider whether the same student behavior receives a different adult response depending on the educator's own stress, fatigue, or emotional state. He also offers a powerful reminder about affirmation: Black boys too often receive correction after correction when what they also need are consistent, specific deposits reminding them that they are capable, valued, and seen.

This conversation asks educators to move beyond simply asking, "How do I manage this behavior?" and toward a more important question:

What might this student be communicating, and what conditions can I create that make belonging and engagement more likely?

Because students should not have to become someone else to belong in our classrooms.

They should experience learning environments intentionally designed to recognize who they already are.

This is Beyond The Margins.

What happens when we stop seeing the charge and start seeing the student?

In this episode of Beyond the Margins, Dr. Sohn A. Butts sits down with Byron Goodwin, President and CEO of Travis Hill NOLA, an organization providing education inside juvenile and adult correctional facilities in New Orleans.

Their conversation goes beyond the walls of juvenile justice to examine what makes student engagement possible when young people are navigating incarceration, trauma, disrupted education, family instability, and experiences that have often taught them not to trust the adults or systems around them.

Mr. Goodwin shares his deeply personal connection to this work, including how his family's legacy in education and his younger brother's wrongful incarceration shaped his commitment to reaching young people before they reach what he describes as the "last stop."

Together, Dr. Butts and Mr. Goodwin explore the power of relationships, consistency, student voice, restorative education, hands-on learning, transition support, family engagement, identity, purpose, and the responsibility educators have to see potential even when systems see problems.

One of the most powerful ideas in this conversation is simple: They're still kids. They're still students. They're still somebody's future.

For educators, juvenile justice professionals, school leaders, and anyone committed to transforming outcomes for students pushed to the margins, this conversation offers both a challenge and a reminder: engagement doesn't always begin with compliance. Sometimes it begins with a student believing that you will show up. Sometimes it begins with consistency. Sometimes it begins with someone finally seeing the student before seeing the charge.

Because a student's worst moment does not have to define their future.

Black boys grow up. And some Black men become educators.

In Season 2 of Beyond the Margins, we are putting Black men in education at the center of the conversation.

What happens when the Black boys who once navigated our schools become the men standing at the front of classrooms, leading schools, teaching in colleges, developing programs, mentoring students, and transforming educational systems?

This season explores the experiences, expertise, perspectives, and purpose of Black men who have chosen education as their profession and their platform for impact.

We will explore the journey from student to educator, the experiences that shaped their educational perspectives, the challenges they have encountered, the communities they serve, and the work they are doing to create more responsive, relevant, and transformative learning environments.

These conversations are not simply about representation. They are about understanding what Black men bring to education, what education has asked of them, and what becomes possible when their voices, experiences, and expertise are centered in the conversation.

This is Beyond the Margins.

Where we engage. Educate. Empower. And Elevate.

Join us for Season 2 as we move beyond assumptions and into the stories behind the work.

Because Black boys grow up and become Black men.

And some Black men become educators.

Keep teaching. Keep learning. Keep leading. And keep pushing beyond the margins.

As Beyond The Margins: The Podcast concludes its inaugural season, Dr. Sohn A. Butts reflects on the conversations, lessons, and community that have defined the journey. In this heartfelt season finale, he expresses gratitude to the educators, school leaders, researchers, advocates, and listeners who have helped make the podcast more than a series of conversations—it has become a movement committed to transforming educational experiences for students who have been historically marginalized.

Dr. Butts revisits the central theme woven throughout every episode: student engagement is not accidental—it is intentionally cultivated. Drawing on insights shared by guests from across the educational landscape, he underscores the importance of creating learning environments where students feel connected, challenged, valued, and empowered to succeed.

The episode also explores the work that extends beyond the podcast. Dr. Butts shares the vision behind his book, Unlocking Student Engagement: Insights for Urban, Alternative, and Non-Traditional Educators, and discusses how its evidence-based strategies provide educators with practical tools for fostering meaningful engagement in every learning environment.

Listeners are also introduced to the mission of Beyond The Margins Educational Consulting and Solutions, where professional learning experiences move beyond inspiration to deliver practical, research-informed strategies that schools, districts, colleges, universities, and educational organizations can implement immediately to strengthen teaching, leadership, and student outcomes.

Finally, Dr. Butts offers an exciting preview of Season Two, returning this September with new guests, deeper conversations, and fresh ideas designed to equip educators and leaders to continue transforming schools and unlocking student engagement.

Whether you've been with us since Episode One or are just discovering the podcast, this finale is both a celebration of what we've accomplished together and an invitation to continue the journey.

Because together, we're not simply talking about education—we're transforming it.

In this compelling and deeply human conversation, Dr. Sohn A. Butts sits with educator, professor, and prison higher education scholar Dr. Mark Cornelius Booker to examine the transformative power of education beyond prison walls. Drawing on decades of teaching in correctional institutions, Booker challenges listeners to move beyond public perceptions of incarceration and instead view incarcerated individuals as students first—human beings whose capacity for growth, learning, and contribution does not disappear because of a criminal conviction. Together, Butts and Booker argue that the purpose of education is not to relitigate a person's past but to cultivate human development, dignity, and possibility.

Throughout the conversation, Booker dismantles common misconceptions surrounding higher education in prison, illustrating how rigorous academic expectations, meaningful relationships, and culturally responsive teaching create environments where scholarship flourishes. He reflects on the unique challenges of teaching inside correctional institutions, the importance of extending grace to both students and correctional staff, and the often-overlooked role that HBCUs can play in expanding educational opportunity for incarcerated learners. Booker argues that prisons should not be viewed as places where education ends, but as spaces where authentic learning, accountability, and personal transformation can begin.

The discussion broadens into a powerful conversation about restorative justice, public policy, and the long-term impact of higher education on individuals and communities. Booker contends that investing in prison education is not merely a question of reducing recidivism—it is an investment in safer communities, healthier institutions, and restored human potential. Calling for policymakers, educators, and the public to witness prison education firsthand, he reminds listeners that transformation cannot be fully understood from a distance. The episode ultimately reframes prison education as an act of hope, scholarship, and justice, affirming that education retains its power to change lives regardless of where learning takes place.

In this inspiring and practical conversation, Dr. Sohn A. Butts sits with educational leader, author, and mentor Tyrone Richardson to explore how authentic leadership transforms schools, classrooms, and communities. Reflecting on his journey from a challenging childhood in Hartford, Connecticut—marked by poverty, educational setbacks, and the absence of his father—to serving as a teacher, principal, executive director, and district academic leader, Richardson shares how pivotal mentors, meaningful relationships, and unwavering perseverance shaped both his identity and his purpose in education.

At the heart of the conversation is a vision of leadership grounded in relationships, relevance, and modeling. Richardson argues that educators cannot expect engagement without first understanding the students and communities they serve. Rather than relying on compliance or control, he demonstrates how curiosity, cultural responsiveness, and meaningful connections create classrooms where students ask questions, make connections, and become active participants in their own learning. He also emphasizes that effective leaders must model the practices they expect from teachers, creating coherent systems where engagement begins with leadership and cascades throughout the organization.

The discussion expands into the importance of representation, educational entrepreneurship, and sustaining a lifelong career in education. Richardson reflects on the unique responsibility Black male educators carry as visible role models, the need to recruit and retain more educators of color, and the value of creating positive educational spaces through books, publishing, mentoring, and podcasting. He challenges educators to think strategically about career longevity, leadership development, and service beyond the classroom while advocating for equitable school funding as one of the profession's most urgent priorities. Throughout the episode, Richardson reminds listeners that leadership is measured not by titles but by the cultures we build, the people we develop, and the futures we help shape.

What happens when students finally see themselves reflected in the educators who teach them, the leaders who guide them, and the advocates who believe in them?

In this episode of Beyond the Margins, Dr. Sohn A. Butts sits down with educator and multilingual learning advocate Nitza Rivera for a powerful conversation about representation, identity, belonging, and the conditions that make authentic student engagement possible.

Drawing from her own lived experience as a multilingual learner, Rivera challenges deficit-based thinking and offers a compelling vision for schools where students' languages, cultures, and experiences are recognized as strengths—not barriers. Together, they explore why representation matters, how belonging fuels engagement, the critical role of trust and relationships, and what educators can do to create learning environments where every student feels seen, valued, and empowered to succeed.

Whether you're a teacher, school leader, counselor, or anyone committed to educational equity, this conversation will challenge your thinking and inspire your practice.

Because before students can fully engage, they must first believe they belong. And when they do, everything changes.

In this episode of Beyond the Margins, Dr. Sohn A. Butts sits down with veteran educator and Pupil Personnel Worker Gary Hughes for an honest conversation about chronic absenteeism, student disengagement, and the importance of rebuilding trust between schools, families, and communities.

Drawing on more than 25 years of educational experience, Hughes shares powerful insights into the barriers that prevent students from attending school consistently, including generational distrust of education, housing instability, academic struggles, and a lack of relevance in the classroom. Together, he and Dr. Butts explore why relationship-building, empathy, family engagement, and student voice are essential components of meaningful educational reform.

This thought-provoking discussion challenges traditional approaches to attendance and accountability while offering practical, human-centered strategies for supporting students both inside and outside the classroom. Whether you're an educator, administrator, counselor, parent, or community advocate, this episode serves as a powerful reminder that student success is never achieved in isolation—it truly takes a village.

In this episode of Beyond the Margins, Dr. Sohn A. Butts sits down with nationally recognized educator, speaker, and trainer Stephen Boyd to explore one of education's most pressing challenges: student engagement. Drawing on more than 25 years of experience, Boyd shares why engagement is not about compliance or control, but about creating learning experiences that students genuinely want to be part of.

At the center of the conversation is Boyd's Contagious Teaching Framework, built around four essential elements: Connection, Context, Content, and Containment. Together, Dr. Butts and Boyd unpack practical strategies for increasing engagement, reducing behavioral challenges, fostering stronger relationships, and designing classrooms where students feel seen, valued, and motivated to learn.

This episode challenges educators to rethink traditional approaches to classroom management and instruction. Whether you're a teacher, school leader, instructional coach, or education advocate, you'll leave with actionable insights and a renewed understanding that when engagement increases, achievement follows.

What happens when we stop viewing student support as an add-on and start treating it as the foundation of student success?

In this powerful episode of Beyond the Margins, Dr. Sohn A. Butts sits down with educator, school leader, social worker, and systems architect Sherann Alkins to explore what meaningful student support looks like in today's schools.

Drawing from decades of experience in alternative education, counseling, and school leadership, Alkins challenges educators to move beyond individual interventions and focus on building systems that truly serve students. Together, they discuss the critical role of family and community partnerships, restorative practices, student voice, educator belief systems, and the need to create learning environments where every student feels seen, valued, and supported.

The conversation also explores the future of education, including the impact of artificial intelligence, the importance of literacy and global citizenship, and why schools must prepare students not only for careers, but for life in an increasingly interconnected world.

Whether you're an educator, counselor, school leader, parent, or advocate, this episode offers a compelling reminder that student success is not determined by potential alone—it is shaped by the support systems we build around young people every day.