Classroom Conversations

In Part 2 of our "Leading Adolescent Literacy" mini-series, literacy leaps across content areas. With content literacy, content area teachers (our content experts) employ the science of reading instructional routines to teach their curriculum. Marietta City Schools' Director of Structured Literacy Mary Hannah Gaddis returns to the podcast to unpack content literacy strategies that support students from class to class. When no teacher opts out of strengthening literacy, content literacy offers consistency, becoming a valuable ally and reliable vehicle through which students gain all knowledge. 

Season 9 launches with a timely three-part mini-series, Leading Adolescent Literacy. In Episode 1, explore how schools can support the statewide focus on improving literacy outcomes by better understanding the needs of students in grades 4–8. The Birth-5 and Grades K-3 cohorts are great starting points for building a strong foundation in literacy. But what happens when students enter the upper elementary and middle grades needing additional support to become proficient readers?

We recruited motivating expert and Director of Structured Literacy Mary Hannah Gaddis, who “loves literacy all day long” at Marietta City Schools. Learn from Mary Hannah how to ignite a movement that enlists every educator in the building to solve basic literacy deficits for struggling adolescents who "deserve the right to read."

In the Season 8 finale, core and elective English teacher Rionda Bell visits the podcast from Hillgrove High School in Cobb County School District to tout a vital component to student attendance. Getting students in seats is not just a metric of student presence at school, but also of student engagement in the classroom. Bell reveals her personal "song and dance" for fostering a desire to come to class, which combines high-energy instruction, supportive relationships, and real-world course applications.

Tune in for an update from Teach in the Peach, the State's teacher recruitment engine. With the support of a $3.9 million U.S. Department of Labor grant, an exciting new pathway to the teaching profession is gaining speed. The Georgia Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Program provides a unique approach to certification, wherein teachers-to-be who are enrolled in college classes can work in the classroom right away as paid paraprofessionals. From rural district Crisp County Schools, Teaching as a Profession Teacher Amber Ward and Paraprofessional Jerardy Castro share the ins and outs of the para-to-teacher pathway.

Preventing chronic absenteeism requires that we understand the inner workings of habitual student absence. In this episode, we go straight to the source with Osborne High School senior Oscar Segoviano. Oscar details his attendance journey in his own words, vis-à-vis his teacher advocate, Osborne High's Work-Based Learning Coordinator Katy Hunt. Katy's refusal to accept excuses and her commitment to grasp Oscar's pattern lit the fire that ultimately brought him back to school.

Part 2 of Georgia DOE’s December 2025 Attendance Summit “Georgia Goes to School” continues with state leaders on a mission to help cut Georgia's chronic absenteeism by 50% in 5 years. Attendance Works, a national partner in reducing poor attendance, joins GaDOE’s Deputy Superintendent Justin Hill, and the Director of Children in Need of Services (CHINS) for Georgia’s juvenile court judges to explore the problem, the progress, and potential future solutions.

Chronic absenteeism: what is it, how do we fix it, and who can help? In a two-part special field recording from the 2nd annual Georgia DOE Attendance Summit "Georgia Goes to School," we examine contributing factors to the attendance struggle from various agencies' vantage points. Representatives from UGA’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government, DBHDD, and GaDOE School Nutrition illuminate their organization's role in supporting student attendance in Part 1.

Scanning the horizon for a way to help educators work hard, and work well? Look no further than College Park Elementary, where care, connection among colleagues, and coordinated initiatives uplift educator wellness. Principal Maisha Otway and Wellness Ambassador Jetanne Dugger share the positive impacts of Georgia DOE and local RESA "Wellness in Action" sessions, noting that prioritized educator wellness keeps teachers and staff fit for the challenge of educating students across the 180-day school year.

What can educators and districts do to improve their absentee data? Hear Forsyth County Schools' successful vertical model for getting students into the school building, "safe, connected, and thriving." Forsyth's Director of Student Support Sarah Von Esh and Little Mill Middle School Principal Molly Lavin reveal the beautiful choreography between schools and the district that's making big strides for student attendance.

In the Season 8 premiere, meet Georgia's Teacher of the Year from Morgan County. Rachel Kinsaul grew up on a beef cattle farm as a rodeo kid. Today, she lassoes that lived experience into teaching agricultural science with an added mission of community service. Learn about Rachel's innovative CTAE courses, her push for an upcoming Georgia public schools "Day of Service," and her take on getting students to want to come to school.