In this episode of Build Momentum, Sarah and Katie are joined by Tom Vander Ark, an advocate for innovations in learning. He is the CEO of Getting Smart, a design learning firm that helps education organizations increase their impact with innovations for a better learning experience. Tom is also a prolific writer and speaker who has authored or co-authored eight books, including “The Power of Place: Authentic Learning Through Place-Based Education” and “Smart Parents: Parenting for Powerful Learning,” and he’s working on a new one. He has also been a content contributor for Forbes, LinkedIn, and Getting Smart. In his free time, Tom enjoys cycling and making vegan creations.
 
Some Questions We Ask:

•  What career experiences led you to launch Getting Smart? (00:44)
• What trends and challenges are districts facing now? (01:50)
• What’s your take on the evolution of AI? (03:31)
• Can you tell us more about your new book? (11:39)
• What are your thoughts on developing an entrepreneurial mindset among students? (15:17)
• Looking ahead, what are your hopes in education? (18:14)
• What advice and insights do you have for other organizations hoping to follow the path you’ve taken? (20:03)

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• All about Tom Vander Ark and Getting Smart (00:53)
• The top challenges school districts face today (02:06)
• Tom’s perspective about AI (03:48)
• About Tom’s new book (11:58)
• His thoughts regarding entrepreneurial mindset (15:42)
• How to create more opportunities and environments where young people can succeed (18:24)
• His advice for other organizations to follow his path to success (20:34)

Quotes:

“The key to education today is helping students develop a sense of identity and agency, understand their strengths and interests, and then understand how and where they can act on the world, spot opportunities to make a difference, design solutions, and deliver impact to a community.”

“That the rise of the platform economy has created many new ramps for people to step into employment or create a new business or campaign. It has enabled a new wave of entrepreneurship.”

“We can create environments where students are experiencing success in what's next. They're actually doing work that matters. That's project-based learning. That's work-based learning. That's enterprise.”

Connect with Tom:
Getting Smart Website
Tom's Twitter
Tom’s LinkedIn
Tom's Instagram
Tom's Epic Veggie Creation Instagram

Resources Mentioned:
Human Work In the Age of Smart Machine by Jamie Merisotis
Tom Vander Ark Books

Stay in touch with Sarah Williamson:
SWPR GROUP Website
LinkedIn

Stay in touch with Chad Bolser:
LinkedIn

About "The Secret to Transformational Leadership," which Sarah co-authored with Dr. Quintin Shepherd:
Transformational Leadership Secret website
Purchase the print or ebook

In this episode of Build Momentum, Sarah and Katie are joined by Ken Eisner. Ken is currently a Consulting Advisor with Avathon Capital, a Special Partner at Good Harbor Partners, and a Senior Advisor at New Markets Venture Partners. He is the former Director of Business Development for Amazon Web Services’ Global Learning Systems.

Some Questions We Ask:

• What have you been up to since leaving Amazon earlier this year? (00:56)
• What do you think about the shifts in higher education? (03:23)
• What is the most effective way to evaluate microcredentials? (09:05)
• How can you apply the lessons you’ve learned through working in education with the government and private sectors? (16:21)
• What tips can you share for those who want to secure investments? 
• What is your advice for those who want to elevate their profile and establish their platform within the education sphere? 
• What are your predictions for education in the future? 

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• About Ken’s life after Amazon (01:00)
• His thoughts about higher education (03:57)
• To evaluate microcredentials (09:23)
• How Ken applied the lessons he learned in education (16:51)
• His advice and tips for securing funds 
• His advice for those who want to establish a platform in education 
• Ken’s thoughts and predictions for education in the future 

Quotes:

“There are two systems of learning: Education from elementary school to middle school to secondary school to higher ed, and then there's corporate training, which really should be the lifelong learning path. Higher ed traditionally focuses on civic mindedness and an elite education—at least, that's the roots of it— while corporate training puts the round peg of learning into the square hole of people who are selling widgets or services.”

“We know that the ‘sage on the stage’ is a foregone educational experiment. It worked for a period of time, for various reasons, but it needs to evolve.” 

“‘Have backbone, disagree, and commit’ is one of my favorite leadership principles. As a leader, how are you encouraging debate within your organization? How are you reaching out to every person in your organization and ensuring their voice is heard?”

Connect with Ken:
Ken Eisner's LinkedIn
[email protected]

Stay in touch with Sarah Williamson:
SWPR GROUP Website
LinkedIn

Stay in touch with Chad Bolser:
LinkedIn

About "The Secret to Transformational Leadership," which Sarah co-authored with Dr. Quintin Shepherd:
Transformational Leadership Secret website
Purchase the print or ebook

In this episode of Build Momentum, Sarah and Katie are joined by edtech pioneer Michael Horn. Michael is the co-founder of and a distinguished fellow at the Clayton Christensen Institute, a nonprofit think tank dedicated to Disruptive Innovation, and an adjunct lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Michael has won numerous awards for his insightful work, serves on a range of advisory boards, and is the author of books such as “From Reopen to Reinvent: (Re)creating School for Every Child,” ”Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns,” “Blended: Using Disruptive Innovation to Improve Schools,” “Choosing College: How to Make Better Learning Decisions Throughout Your Life,” and “Goodnight Box.”

Some Questions We Ask:

• Describe your journey in education. (00:47)
• What do you think about this current moment in education? (02:07)
• What is your opinion on incorporating AI in education? (05:15)
• Please tell us about your book “From Reopen to Reinvent” (08:05)
• We're seeing a shift in what students are doing post high school. New pathways are developing. What are your thoughts on that? (16:12)
• What are you most hopeful about in the direction education is headed? (19:28)
• What insights can you share for listeners who are looking to build their own profiles? (24:31)

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• About Michael’s journey in education (00:58)
• His thoughts on AI in education (03:11)
• How  schooling can best coexist with technology (06:37)
• The key message of his book “From Reopen to Reinvent” (08:20)
• The importance of choosing the right pathways that are accessible and that suit the student (16:36)
• Michael’s thoughts on building your leadership profile (24:31)

Quotes:

“Know your expertise. Lean into that expertise. And make insights out of that expertise. That’s number 1. Second, be humble. You have a lot to learn from everyone you connect with. Third, be authentic. If a theory on which you’re drawing doesn’t have a perspective on something, say that. Know your limits.”

“I think the biggest regret in that book is that we named it “Choosing College” as opposed to something a little catchy and more encompassing—but lesson learned, right? The idea was like, ‘Hey, step back and think about what progress you're trying to make. What's the outcome you're really seeking?’ And if you can understand that, then all of a sudden, you realize college isn't the only pathway anymore to get from A to B. ”

“We're seeing more pathways open up that empower students. It's really positive. It's putting kids at the center. It's giving families more options. I think AI tools are going to create more pathways, and I think we're going to see more districts create their own pathways and portfolios of different school types that power students to learn whatever they want and to chase their dreams in exciting ways.”

Connect with Michael:
LinkedIn
Website
Books

Stay in touch with Sarah Williamson:
SWPR GROUP Website
LinkedIn

Stay in touch with Chad Bolser:
LinkedIn

About "The Secret to Transformational Leadership," which Sarah co-authored with Dr. Quintin Shepherd:
Transformational Leadership Secret website
Purchase the print or ebook

In this episode of Build Momentum, Sarah and Katie are joined by Bart Epstein,a Research Associate Professor in the School of Education and Human Development at the University of Virginia. The education entrepreneur was named one of the 30 K-12 IT Influencers to Follow by EdTech Magazine in 2022. He is the founder of the EdTech Evidence Exchange, a board member at ISTE+ASCD,  and a civil test pilot for NASA.

Some Questions We Ask:

• Tell us about your background and journey in education. (00:32)
  What are your thoughts about the ASU+GSV conference? (01:55)
  Could you share your research about the EdTech Genome Project and the EdTech Evidence Exchange? (05:31)
  What are the challenges and opportunities for ISTE+ASCD in relation to AI? (13:38)
  How do you evaluate tech solutions and recommend them to district leaders? (19:22)
  How did you build and elevate your own profile, and what are your suggestions for other leaders? (27:09)
  What are you most hopeful about in the coming year? (34:18)

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• Bart Epstein’s background and journey in education (00:43)
• His thoughts about ASU+GSV and AI (02:38)
• All about EdTech Evidence Exchange and the EdTech Genome Project (05:55)
• Challenges and opportunities for ISTE+ASCD (13:59)
• Tech solution evaluations and recommendations (19:36)
• His process for building his own profile and suggestions for other leaders (27:37)
• His hopes and expectations for the coming year (34:25)

Quotes:

“I think we're most likely in the coming years to see AI teaching assistants help reduce variability in classrooms in a way that makes whole class lessons more effective for all students.”

“At ISTE and ASCD, we are focused on providing educators with the tools and support, and community that they need as they lead this recovery. Quite frankly, they are exhausted, and many of them are working environments in environments where there are teacher shortages. They are heroes who can only operate on fumes for so long. And so we need to collectively find ways to make it as easy as possible for them to get the support that they need.”

“AI, when it's done right, like other technologies, should save you a lot of time. And it should free you up to do the things that are most human and most impactful.”

“Stay laser-focused on the wants and needs of your intended audience. In a world of endless boring press releases and webinars, the way to stand out, in my experience, is to understand what people want and then give it to them. And if you don't know, ask them! People love to talk about their problems. Ask them what frustrates them, what else have they tried, what would fix their problem, what evidence they'd want to see what change they care about in the world.”

“Remember, it's never about you. It's always about them.”

“I'm most hopeful that we'll continue to make progress towards learning how to use technology to better support students and teachers. We really need it to perform.”

Connect with Bart:
LinkedIn
Twitter

Stay in touch with Sarah Williamson:
SWPR GROUP Website
LinkedIn

Stay in touch with Chad Bolser:
LinkedIn

About "The Secret to Transformational Leadership," which Sarah co-authored with Dr. Quintin Shepherd:
Transformational Leadership Secret website
Purchase the print or ebook

In this episode of Build Momentum, Sarah and Katie are joined by AJ Crabill. AJ is a Conservator at DeSoto ISD in DeSoto, Texas, and as a Director of Governance at the Council of the Great City Schools. The education reform advocate and public speaker also served as a Deputy Commissioner at the Texas Education Agency and as Board Chair of Kansas City Public Schools. He is the author of the best-selling book “Great on Their Behalf: Why School Boards Fail, How Yours Can Become Effective.”

Some Questions We Ask:

• Tell us more about your journey in education. (01:07)
  What educational path led to where you are today? (02:31)
  What advice can you give to education leaders on how to elevate their roles? (06:15)
  Tell us more about your book. (10:13)
  As an education reformer, what are your thoughts about our system and its impact on our country? (12:06)
  What is the difference between being focused on student outcomes versus adult inputs? (16:26)
  What is your final advice for all educators? (20:18)

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• About AJ’s educational journey and what he does as a student outcomes evangelist (01:18)
  About AJ’s past classroom experiences and his current leadership roles (02:50)
  AJ’s advice to education leaders (06:40)
  All about his book, Great on Their Behalf: Why School Boards Fail, How Yours Can Become Effective” (10:33)
  His thoughts about the education system and its impact (12:24)
  His thoughts on student outcomes versus adult inputs (16:40)
  The key to being a fantastic educator (20:38)

Quotes:

“It's not actually a change in what happened [in the past] that is driving my behavior, it's a change in how I see what happened and how I view it and what meaning I assigned to it—that is driving my response.”

“If there's any magic in public education, it's in the classroom—it's definitely not in the boardroom. And so the thing that matters most is the quality of instruction that students are experiencing day in and day out. If everything else is wrong and that's right, children are blessed. If everything else was right and that's wrong, children aren't going to get the blessings that they deserve.”

“The job of school boards is to represent the vision and values of the community. Their job is to constantly be listening for the community's vision of what they want students to know and be able to do, adopting goals that describe what the community expects to see out of their school system, and then monitoring progress toward those goals, constantly trying to figure out, ‘Are we actually producing the community's vision for our children?’ Nobody else in the organization has that role of saying, ‘What is the community's vision and how are we making sure that it is happening?’”

Connect with AJ:
AJ's Website
AJ’s LinkedIn
Great on Their Behalf Website
Purchase the Great on Their Behalf  by AJ Crabi

Stay in touch with Sarah Williamson:
SWPR GROUP Website
LinkedIn

Stay in touch with Chad Bolser:
LinkedIn

About "The Secret to Transformational Leadership," which Sarah co-authored with Dr. Quintin Shepherd:
Transformational Leadership Secret website
Purchase the print or ebook

In this episode of Build Momentum, Sarah and Katie are joined by Oliver James. Oliver is one of social media’s rising stars and an influencer on TikTok, where he was able to learn how to read through his fans’ support and encouragement.

Some Questions We Ask:

• What is your story? (00:52)
• When did you realize you needed to tell the TikTok community and your fans about your situation? (02:06)
• Did people around you know you were struggling? (04:51)
• Tell us about a teacher who changed your life as a student. (30:10)
• Do you associate behavior with reading? (36:33)

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• About Oliver James’ humble beginnings. (01:04)
  The buildup of life and emotions that prompted him to share his situation. (02:39)
  How Oliver struggled, what the people around him knew of those struggles, and how he was able to cope. (06:08)
  How teachers helped him change his student life. (30:31)
  The associations between reading and behavior. (36:47)

Quotes:

“There's this destination I'm trying to get to as a speaker. But this reading journey has to happen first. I need to become a better reader so then I can become that better speaker.”

“I would say  for teachers out there, [if] a kid is struggling, just let him be himself and then entertain his world.”

“One of my main goals is to try to make people understand the value of choice. Not just the simple value of choice, I'm talking about digging deep into the choice and being like, “I could choose to be happy, even when I'm sad,” and you be like, “Oh, if you want to give it a try, it's gonna be hard.” But if you break that barrier to pull yourself out of sadness into the smiling joy of laughter, you will be the most joyful person on earth, because you have learned how to overcome things that are way beyond people's comprehension.”


Connect with Oliver:
Oliver James' TikTok
Oliver James' Instagram
[email protected]

Stay in touch with Sarah Williamson:
SWPR GROUP Website
LinkedIn

Stay in touch with Chad Bolser:
LinkedIn

About "The Secret to Transformational Leadership," which Sarah co-authored with Dr. Quintin Shepherd:
Transformational Leadership Secret website
Purchase the print or ebook

In this episode of Build Momentum, Sarah and Katie are joined by Lina Eroh, Communications Director for the Overdeck Family Foundation. Lina leads both internal and external communications efforts, working closely with grantees and the Foundation team. She has also provided her specialties in corporate communication for iconic consumer brands such as eBay. She is the President of the Rye Free Reading Room Auxiliary Board and spends her weekends with her three daughters, husband, and giant schnauzer.

Some Questions We Ask:

• Please share with us your background—including how you ended up in philanthropy. (00:46)
• How does Overdeck prioritize recipients? How do you decide whether you're going to take on a project? (03:18)
• What are appropriate ways for an organization that is interested in pursuing funding to reach out? (06:10)
• As a communications leader, how do you help folks tell stories about their projects? (10:13)
• What role do you think philanthropy plays in supporting nonprofits? (12:16)
• Can you share more of your powerful case studies? (23:38) 

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• Lina’s background and her philanthropic journey (00:53)
• About Overdeck Family Foundation, its recipients, and its projects (03:52)
• Strategies for connecting with potential funders (6:24)
• Tips for collaboration around messaging (10:38)
• Overdeck’s philosophy of philanthropy for evidence building, innovation, and growth (12:38)
• Examples of Overdeck’s work in education and health care (18:34) 
• About its family engagement work and the Learning Heroes program (23:48)

Quotes:

“Overdeck Family Foundation's philosophy is to fund what we know the government struggles to fund or is not as interested in funding. So we know that the Department of Education spends less than one tenth of 1% of its budget on R&D. So that is a big reason why we designed our funding in these three pillars: evidence building, innovation, and growth.”

“You don't [want to] have an intervention in 2023 relying on evidence from like 2013, when nobody had Chromebooks. You really [want to] have timely evidence that a nonprofit can take to a district and say, ‘This works in this context, and this context is very similar to your context. Therefore, there's a real reason for you to try this product to meet the challenges that your system has.’”

“Kids should love learning. It's one of the amazing opportunities of being a human—and one of the real privileges we have of living in a country with a public education system. I'm really hopeful that coming out of the pandemic, some of this innovation that philanthropy has funded really does start to move the needle for kids, both in immediate outcomes and long-term results.”

“There's so much funding out there right now that is looking to be put to work for great things that really move the needle for kids.”

Connect with Lina:
Overdeck website
Lina Eroh’s LinkedIn
Email: [email protected]

Stay in touch with Sarah Williamson:
SWPR GROUP Website
LinkedIn

Stay in touch with Chad Bolser:
LinkedIn

About "The Secret to Transformational Leadership," which Sarah co-authored with Dr. Quintin Shepherd:
Transformational Leadership Secret website
Purchase the print or ebook

On this episode of Build Momentum, Sarah and Katie are joined by Ben Farrell, the Assistant Head of School and Director of the Upper School at the New England Innovation Academy. Prior to joining NEIA, Ben was the Principal and Head of School at The International Montessori School of Beijing. Ben received his M.A. in higher and post-secondary education from Teachers College, Columbia University in New York, and completed graduate coursework in cross cultural conflict transformation and reconciliation at the School for International Training in Vermont.

Some Questions We Ask:

• How can teachers effectively use artificial intelligence in the classroom? (00:43)
• What are some of the challenges utilizing AI and how can they be addressed in the classroom? (03:37)
• What are some ways that you see projects being managed with AI? (05:14)
• How do you think administrators (maybe even PR firm owners!) can take advantage of AI? (8:07)
• What other ways do you see generative AI integrating into the curriculum? (11:17)
• How can teachers and school leaders navigate AI conversations with their communities? (14:10)

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• About the use of AI in classrooms (00:50)
• Challenges of utilizing AI (03:45)
• Ideas for differentiated learning with generative AI (05:44)
• AI use beyond education (08:24)
• Other integration of generative AI into the curriculum (12:13)
• Tips for having AI conversations in the community (14:51)

Quotes:

“All the information in the world is just out there waiting for us to find it and to utilize it..”

“This is going to be with us in the future. So I think we have to find ways to not only live with it but utilize it in an ethical, thoughtful way that our students can grab onto because they're going to be using this or some more advanced version of this the rest of their lives now.”

“For the first time in my career, I had the ability to sort of sit with my Upper School students and say, ‘What should we do? What do you think we should do?’ And I think they were taken aback by that.”

Connect with Tom:
NEIA website
Ben Farrell’s LinkedIn

Stay in touch with Sarah Williamson:
SWPR GROUP Website
LinkedIn

Stay in touch with Chad Bolser:
LinkedIn

About "The Secret to Transformational Leadership," which Sarah co-authored with Dr. Quintin Shepherd:
Transformational Leadership Secret website
Purchase the print or ebook

In this episode of Build Momentum, Sarah and Katie are joined by Tom Vander Ark, an advocate for innovations in learning. He is the CEO of Getting Smart, a design learning firm that helps education organizations increase their impact with innovations for a better learning experience. Tom is also a prolific writer and speaker who has authored or co-authored eight books, including “The Power of Place: Authentic Learning Through Place-Based Education” and “Smart Parents: Parenting for Powerful Learning,” and he’s working on a new one. He has also been a content contributor for Forbes, LinkedIn, and Getting Smart. In his free time, Tom enjoys cycling and making vegan creations.
 
Some Questions We Ask:

•  What career experiences led you to launch Getting Smart? (00:44)
• What trends and challenges are districts facing now? (01:50)
• What’s your take on the evolution of AI? (03:31)
• Can you tell us more about your new book? (11:27)
• What are your thoughts on developing an entrepreneurial mindset among students? (15:04)
• Looking ahead, what are your hopes in education? (18:04)
• What advice and insights do you have for other organizations hoping to follow the path you’ve taken? (19:51

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• All about Tom Vander Ark and Getting Smart (00:53)
• The top challenges school districts face today (02:06)
• Tom’s perspective about AI (03:48)
• About Tom’s new book (11:46)
• His thoughts regarding entrepreneurial mindset (15:30)
• How to create more opportunities and environments where young people can succeed (18:11)
• His advice for other organizations to follow his path to success (20:22)

Quotes:

“The key to education today is helping students develop a sense of identity and agency, understand their strengths and interests, and then understand how and where they can act on the world, spot opportunities to make a difference, design solutions, and deliver impact to a community.”

“That the rise of the platform economy has created many new on ramps for people to step into employment or create a new business or campaign. It has has enabled a new wave of entrepreneurship.”

“We can create environments where students are experiencing success in what's next. They're actually doing work that matters. That's project-based learning. That's work-based learning. That's enterprise.”

Connect with Tom:
Getting Smart Website
Tom's Twitter
Tom’s LinkedIn
Tom's Instagram
Tom's Epic Veggie Creation Instagram

Resources Mentioned:
Human Work In the Age of Smart Machine by Jamie Merisotis
Tom Vander Ark Books

Stay in touch with Sarah Williamson:
SWPR GROUP Website
LinkedIn

Stay in touch with Chad Bolser:
LinkedIn

About "The Secret to Transformational Leadership," which Sarah co-authored with Dr. Quintin Shepherd:
Transformational Leadership Secret website
Purchase the print or ebook

In this episode of Build Momentum, Sarah and Katie will be diving into sending marketing emails and making phone calls to superintendents and district leaders and figuring out what strategies are working and what don't.

Some Questions Sarah Asks:

• Katie, could you give us a glimpse into your daily life with emails? (2:48)
• What are some of the worst experiences you've ever had with regards to receiving emails and what made them so bad? (6:10) 
• What do you think is a reasonable number of times for someone to pester you if they haven't heard back from you? (10:07)
• Are there any more follow-up strategies they could use? (11:01)
• What are some descriptions or phrases that are not effective but that vendors think are effective? (17:30)
• Any other words or thoughts or things to avoid? (20:19)
• What are some good examples of emails you've received? (21:32)
• Beyond emails, what is the best way people can connect with district leaders to actually build connections and sell products? What do you think is the most effective way? (27:06)
   

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• Katie’s current email situation (3:11)
• Marketing email horrors (6:25)
• Email and phone call follow-up frequency (10:12)
• Other strategies that can work in sending emails or making phone calls (11:17)
• Ineffective phrases not to say in phone calls or emails (17:43)
• Samples of  marketing emails that can catch attention (21:53)
• Best and most effective ways to build connections and sell products (27:20)

Quotes:

“Some of them, I actually might want to [respond to], but they came in at the same time that I needed to respond to someone else and were just a low priority for the moment. And for that reason, I totally expect people to follow up with me.”

“I hesitate to say name-dropping [is effective] because then I could see somebody really latching on to that and going overboard. But if somebody genuinely is like, ‘Hey, I know so and so….’ I also notice if their message is personal, but with the volume of people they're trying to sell to they don't have time to make it personal. But if you really want my attention, you will."

“Relationships matter. Something identifiable, whether that's a salesperson you've worked with at a different school and you bring them to your new school because you know them, or it’s a relationship of trust because you've shown me a product that has helped my life.”

Stay in touch with Sarah Williamson:
SWPR GROUP Website
LinkedIn

Stay in touch with Chad Bolser:
LinkedIn

About "The Secret to Transformational Leadership," which Sarah co-authored with Dr. Quintin Shepherd:
Transformational Leadership Secret website
Purchase the print or ebook