By Sarah Williamson and Chad Bolser
Build Momentum explores thought leadership in education through interviews and insights with influencers and education leaders, and we have some exciting news for the listeners of Season 4!
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The podcast currently has 98 episodes available.
In this replay episode of Build Momentum, we are joined by Jessica Morrison, the Executive Director of Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative, one of the partners in the newly established Career Launch Southwest initiative, which serves as a vital link between employers and the workforce of the future. She was previously the Director of Career and College Counseling at Animas High School in Durango for six years. In June 2021, the school won the Individual Career and Academic Plan (ICAP) Award from the Colorado Department of Education for its Sophomore Inspire Week program.
This episode concludes our series focusing on rural collaboratives that are developing opportunities for students in specialized career pathways.
This is the final episode in a four-part series focusing on rural collaboratives that are developing opportunities for students in specialized career pathways.
Some Questions I Ask:
In This Episode, You Will Learn:
Quotes:
“I want all of your listeners to understand that these pieces take time—this is not for a school district that is faint of heart. I've worked in K-12 institutions as well as on the federal government side, and I know how important data is. What are the numbers? How many students are earning industry credentials? But laying the groundwork takes years, so it's looking at all of the different components to then determine what are the steps that need to be put in place along the way.”
“As you're building out this dream of consolidating resources in order to do more or bring more to a region, you can also be doing some more low-hanging fruit like priming students to be ready, which pushes your partners to get to the place of shared courses.”
Stay in touch with Jobs for the Future:
Career Launch Southwest Website
Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative Website
Email: [email protected]
Stay in touch with Sarah Williamson:
Free Case Study Guide
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 replay episode of Build Momentum, we are joined by Aaron Black. He is currently the Superintendent at Randolph Eastern School Corporation in Union City, Indiana, and is spearheading the Rural Alliance Zone 32. Aaron was named a semifinalist for the Yass Innovation Prize 2023 from the Yass Center for Education (formerly the Center for Education Reform). The prize recognizes leaders in sustainable, transformational, outstanding, and permissionless education.
This is the third episode in a four-part series focusing on rural collaboratives that are developing opportunities for students in specialized career pathways.
Some Questions I Ask:
In This Episode, You Will Learn:
Quotes:
“We start with kindergarteners, taking career exploration trips and being very intentional about getting them out in front of employers and learning how the world works. We do that with every grade level, and it culminates at the high school.”
“We know [students] have their skills and interests, right? We know what their passions are. But we're not telling them, ‘Hey, you're going to be a nurse your entire life.’ We're saying, ‘Hey, check out this health care pathway. It may be a perfect fit for you.’”
“Success looks like student participation and access. … The win is in five years if the numbers multiply five times by student participation and if we continue to attract schools to help us figure out this access issue.“
Stay in touch with Aaron:
LinkedIn
Twitter
The UC Experience Podcast
Website
Stay in touch with Sarah Williamson:
Free Case Study Guide
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, we are joined by Lauren Marie Hall Riggins, a senior manager at Empower Schools, a national nonprofit that partners with communities and educators to reimagine local education systems. Lauren is currently the Director of Youth Poet Laureate at VOICES Corporation, an organization offering culturally sustaining programs for young people, where she also serves as a board member and consultant. She is an experienced educator, researcher, and nonprofit leader with many notable achievements.
This is the second episode in a four-part series focusing on rural collaboratives that are developing opportunities for students in specialized career pathways.
Some Questions I Ask:
In This Episode, You Will Learn:
Quotes:
“I joke with my friends in the education innovation scene—excuse my language if we can't use this term—but someone needs to make transportation sexy. Why is no one innovating transportation?.”
“We've created a situation where we have thousands and thousands of students across the country who have insane amounts of post-secondary debt and no real career prospects. … Post-secondary is important, but let's marry it with very intentional academic supports and a clear path that kids have explored and feel good about—and that leads to a family-sustaining wage.”
“Rural collaboratives are a really unique way of maintaining community identity and collective efficacy, the sense that a group of people feel like they can do something well together, take care of their kids, [and] create a really strong regional economy.”
Stay in touch with Lauren:
LinkedIn
Email: [email protected]
Stay in touch with Sarah Williamson:
Free Case Study Guide
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 replay episode of Build Momentum, we are joined by Michael Gonzalez, executive director of the Rural Schools Innovation Zone out of Premont,Texas. He was also a former principal at Premont Collegiate High School. This is the first episode in a four-part series focusing on rural collaboratives that are developing opportunities for students in specialized career pathways.
Some Questions I Ask:
In This Episode, You Will Learn:
Quotes:
“Be a champion for your community. Be a champion for the kids that are there that are underserved for a wide variety of reasons, whether it be resources or parity or scarcity, whatever the right word is. The local champions need to come to the forefront [and] advocate for the right things to do for kids. Start with your local school boards, your principals, your students, your superintendents, and then take it to the next step from there.”
“You can live in your community and take advantage of other resources and other programs away from your community but come back and still have community pride.”
“I’m trying to get to those organizations that reach the older members of the community that don’t have kids in school so they can understand what we’re doing, because they’re the ones going out and voting.”
Stay in touch with Michael:
RSISZ Website
LinkedIn
Email: [email protected]
Text: (361)-522-0261
Stay in touch with Sarah Williamson:
Free Case Study Guide
SWPR GROUP Website
LinkedIn
Stay in touch with Sarah Williamson:
Free Case Study Guide
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 we have a special group with us from the Sturm Collaboration Campus in Castle Rock, Colorado: Jill Garber, the Director of the CSU Collaboration Campuses; Dr. Stephanie Fuji, the President of Arapahoe Community College; and Danny Winsor, the Assistant Superintendent of Douglas County Schools. We explore the Big Blur and how they have brought individuals, partners, and education institutions together to do what's best for students.
Some Questions I Ask:
In This Episode, You Will Learn:
Quotes:
“If you truly, truly want to blur the lines between K through 12, post-secondary education, and the world of work, you have to have partnerships in which folks are willing to do work that's messy.”
“It's important to seek the input of industry, involve them in the process, and have relationships with them … and to also have wraparound services for students — things like advising, career counseling, and especially transfer admissions. Our internal minutiae can make it weird for students sometimes and impact their success.”
Stay in touch with:
D. Winsor:
Douglas County School District
Dr. Fujii:
Arapahoe Community College
J. Garber:
Colorado State University
Email
Resources Mentioned:
The 74 Million Survey
Stay in touch with Sarah Williamson:
Free Case Study Guide
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, we are joined by Tim Taylor, who is a co-founder and the president of America Succeeds, a nonprofit organization committed to engaging business leaders in modernizing the education system. He also served as the founding president of Colorado Succeeds. One of the America Succeeds initiatives Tim highlights is Durable Skills, which includes a combination of how you use what you know – skills like critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity – and character skills like fortitude, growth mindset, and leadership.
Some Questions I Ask:
In This Episode, You Will Learn:
Quotes:
“The challenge everywhere is how do we make a student's day look different or a classroom look different to practice these skills when we're asking so much of teachers already. And one of the things we discovered in working on this project is that it's not doing more, necessarily, it's just doing what you do a little differently.”
“It's rare that I have talked this long about durable skills without talking about one of our big drivers: economic mobility and equity. … There's been a lot of inequity.”
“The Association for Talent Development did a study, and 83% of employers complained about a skills gap. The largest two in the workforce are critical thinking and communication skills. We're hearing this over and over again; this is not an isolated problem.”
Stay in touch with America Succeeds:
Tim Taylor LinkedIn
America Succeeds Website
Durable Skills by America Succeeds Website
Email:[email protected]
Stay in touch with Sarah Williamson:
Free Case Study Guide
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, we are joined by Marina Parr, Director for Workforce System Advancement at Washington’s Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board and Stephanie Davidsmeyer, a Director of Communications for the Washington State Board of Education. Stephanie has 10 years of experience in nonprofit, corporate, and government outreach media relations.
Some Questions I Ask:
In This Episode, You Will Learn:
Quotes:
“We know that businesses are busy. Probably the biggest challenge in workforce development is getting businesses to the table, because they're really trying to run their businesses. So you need to make effective use of their time.”
“I've talked to students that are making canoes and then talking with advisors and building reports about how much it would cost to open their own business in boat making. They have all this math and all these figures that go into it. These kids will just blow you away.”
“Our state has had something called industry skill panels that bring together similar businesses so they can discuss common skill gaps, hiring challenges, difficulties that their employees face finding housing and other support. And the interesting thing is that these businesses are typically competitors.”
“Chronic absenteeism is an issue. It really did start with the pandemic [when] kids kind of checked out, and then they never really checked back in. So we have to figure out how to re-engage students and really get them to be present. And we know that populations that have struggled the most had the widest gap.”
Stay in touch with the Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board:
Website
Stay in touch with Sarah Williamson:
Free Case Study Guide
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, we are joined by Joel Vargas of Jobs for the Future, a nonprofit that focuses on strategies to transform education and workforce systems. Vargas is vice president of JFF’s Education practice, which supports systems change in the education ecosystem, influences policies that promote diverse pathways, and identifies and applies data-informed, learner-centered solutions. Before joining JFF, Vargas directed, initiated, and studied programs designed to help students from populations underrepresented in post-secondary education enter and complete college.
Some Questions I Ask:
In This Episode, You Will Learn:
Quotes:
“We really think we need the ‘power of us’ in this day and age—and frankly, in this political climate—to get some of these things done. So we're going to have an explicit focus on policy.
“Young people have to start working earlier, out of necessity. And our systems don't support learning and working at the same time. So we said, ‘What we need to do is blur all the systems.’”
“Our Pathways to Prosperity network just celebrated 10 years. We've worked with well over 30 communities, states, and regions over the last 10 years to advance these kinds of college and career pathways.”
Stay in touch with Jobs for the Future:
Website
Email: [email protected]
Stay in touch with Sarah Williamson:
Free Case Study Guide
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, we are joined by Jessica Morrison, the Executive Director of Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative, one of the partners in the newly established Career Launch Southwest initiative, which serves as a vital link between employers and the workforce of the future. She was previously the Director of Career and College Counseling at Animas High School in Durango for six years. In June 2021, the school won the Individual Career and Academic Plan (ICAP) Award from the Colorado Department of Education for its Sophomore Inspire Week program.
This episode concludes our series focusing on rural collaboratives that are developing opportunities for students in specialized career pathways.
This is the final episode in a four-part series focusing on rural collaboratives that are developing opportunities for students in specialized career pathways.
Some Questions I Ask:
In This Episode, You Will Learn:
Quotes:
“I want all of your listeners to understand that these pieces take time—this is not for a school district that is faint of heart. I've worked in K-12 institutions as well as on the federal government side, and I know how important data is. What are the numbers? How many students are earning industry credentials? But laying the groundwork takes years, so it's looking at all of the different components to then determine what are the steps that need to be put in place along the way.”
“As you're building out this dream of consolidating resources in order to do more or bring more to a region, you can also be doing some more low-hanging fruit like priming students to be ready, which pushes your partners to get to the place of shared courses.”
Stay in touch with Jobs for the Future:
Career Launch Southwest Website
Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative Website
Email: [email protected]
Stay in touch with Sarah Williamson:
Free Case Study Guide
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, we are joined by Aaron Black. He is currently the Superintendent at Randolph Eastern School Corporation in Union City, Indiana, and is spearheading the Rural Alliance Zone 32. Aaron was named a semifinalist for the Yass Innovation Prize 2023 from the Yass Center for Education (formerly the Center for Education Reform). The prize recognizes leaders in sustainable, transformational, outstanding, and permissionless education.
This is the third episode in a four-part series focusing on rural collaboratives that are developing opportunities for students in specialized career pathways.
Some Questions I Ask:
In This Episode, You Will Learn:
Quotes:
“We start with kindergarteners, taking career exploration trips and being very intentional about getting them out in front of employers and learning how the world works. We do that with every grade level, and it culminates at the high school.”
“We know [students] have their skills and interests, right? We know what their passions are. But we're not telling them, ‘Hey, you're going to be a nurse your entire life.’ We're saying, ‘Hey, check out this health care pathway. It may be a perfect fit for you.’”
“Success looks like student participation and access. … The win is in five years if the numbers multiply five times by student participation and if we continue to attract schools to help us figure out this access issue.“
Stay in touch with Aaron:
LinkedIn
Twitter
The UC Experience Podcast
Website
Stay in touch with Sarah Williamson:
Free Case Study Guide
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
The podcast currently has 98 episodes available.
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