EDU Café

What happens when a district creates a clear, human-centered framework to guide teaching and learning?

In this conversation, Dr. Brian Troop, Superintendent of Ephrata Area School District (PA), and Dan Mahlandt dive into the district’s Tools, Targets, and Techniques instructional model, and how it’s helping educators prepare students not just for graduation, but for life.

💡 They explore:

• How Ephrata’s Life Ready Graduate framework reframes success around essential skills and dispositions
• The balance between technology and human connection in modern classrooms
• Lessons for leaders who want to spark meaningful, sustainable change in their districts

#EDUCafé #FutureReady #EducationInnovation #LifeReadyGraduate #InstructionalDesign #EdLeadership #Learning2025 #DigitalPromise #CTE #K12Education

In this conversation, we explore the powerful intersection of AI, equity, and the instructional core with Dr. Ed Dieterle, Founder of Education Research Partners.

Ed breaks down the five interconnected divides that shape how AI impacts education - from algorithms and data to agency and interpretation. More importantly, he challenges us to ask:

👉 Are we just using AI to do things better (automation, efficiency)?
👉 Or are we leveraging it to do better things, such as strengthening relationships between students, teachers, and curriculum?

This episode is a call to educators, leaders, and innovators to center human agency in the algorithmic age.

How are states navigating the evolving digital learning landscape in 2025, and what does it mean for school and district leaders on the ground?

In this conversation, Julia Fallon, Executive Director of SETDA, and Dorann Avey, Digital Learning Director at the Nebraska Department of Education, join us to explore insights from SETDA’s newly released 2025 State EdTech Trends Report.

🎙️ They dive into:
 ✨ The biggest challenges and opportunities in advancing digital access
 ✨ Emerging technologies, especially AI, and their impact on teaching and learning
 ✨ The shifting policy and funding landscape for edtech
 ✨ Building educator capacity and professional development
 ✨ Addressing cybersecurity and data privacy concerns
 ✨ Opportunities for collaboration across national, state, and local levels

For the first time, AI has risen to the top as a state edtech priority. But what does “taking action on AI” actually look like in education? Julia and Dorann share what’s happening in states like Nebraska and what’s next for education leaders preparing for the future.

🌍♻️ New EDU Café Episode 🎙️

What if every technology purchase your district made could tell a story about sustainability, stewardship, and smarter investments for students?

In this episode of EDU Café, we sit down with Louis McDonald, Project Manager for CoSN and retired CTO from Fauquier County Public Schools in Virginia, to discuss the recently released Sustainable Procurement Guidelines, developed by CoSN in partnership with SETDA and UDT.

Louis shares why sustainability isn’t just about being “green”; it’s about being smart with resources, extending device lifespans, reducing e-waste, and saving districts millions of dollars. He talks about practical strategies, vendor partnerships, and how district leaders can take small, meaningful steps toward big impact.

💡 Key topics:

• Balancing financial, device, and environmental sustainability
• Six focus areas for measurable change
• How procurement language shapes vendor accountability
• Building collaboration across IT, finance, procurement, and facilities

Every purchase tells a story. What story is your district writing?

#Sustainability #EdTech #Procurement #K12 #EDUCafé #CoSN #SETDA #UDT #CTO 

We’re diving into “The Future Is Female: How Women Are Shaping Unconventional Education - and Why” with three powerful voices in education innovation:

 ✨ Mickey Revenaugh – Co-founder of Connections Academy, author of School’s Out
 ✨ Manisha Snoyer – CEO and Co-Founder of Modulo
 ✨ Shiren Rattigan – Founder of Colossal Academy & Colossal Academy Online

Together, they share how women are reimagining learning through micro-schools, homeschooling platforms, and new models that prioritize connection, relevance, and purpose. 🌱

This episode is a celebration of women leading the charge in education as well as an invitation to rethink what’s possible for learners everywhere.

🌿 Wrapping up a powerful series on the EDU Café Podcast 🌿

We’ve reached the final episode of our Promising Practices for Teachers three-part series with Kelly Murphy, exploring the transformative impact of art therapy and active meditation in classrooms.

In this episode, Kelly shares examples, impact, resources, and challenges that come with integrating these practices into real learning environments. It’s an honest and inspiring look at how creativity and mindfulness can support both students and teachers.

If you’ve been following along, this conversation ties it all together. And if you’re just joining, now’s the perfect time to catch the full series.

#EDUCafé #PromisingPractices #TeacherSupport #ArtTherapy #ActiveMeditation #EducationInnovation #TeacherWellbeing

🎙️ New EDU Café Episode Alert!

This week, we’re joined by Dr. Mary Rice and Joaquín Argüello De Jesús, who bring their unique journeys as educator and social worker into a powerful conversation about what sustains teachers and students.

They share stories of growing up and working in schools that often overlooked well-being—and how those experiences now shape the way they prepare future teachers. From honoring Indigenous and local literacies in New Mexico to practicing possiblementando (turning possibilities into action), Mary and Joaquín remind us that education at its best is rooted in relationships, care, and community.

💡 If you care about teacher well-being, relational classrooms, and reimagining what literacy means, you’ll want to tune in.

✨ Episode 2 in our Promising Practices for Teachers series is here! ✨

We continue the three-part conversation with Kelly Murphy on bringing art therapy and active meditation into classrooms.

This episode "Art Therapy and Active Meditation in Action" dives deeper into how these practices look when they come alive with students and teachers. From creative expression to mindful movement, Kelly shares real-world ways educators can foster calm, focus, and resilience in their learning spaces.

Stay with us for the final episode in this inspiring series!

#EDUCafé #PromisingPractices #TeacherSupport #ArtTherapy #ActiveMeditation #EducationInnovation

Leadership in education can be deeply rewarding, but also isolating, exhausting, and overwhelming. In this new episode of the EDU Café Podcast, we sit down with Jeff Simmons, Superintendent of IDLA, and Mike Caldwell, Founder of LinkedLeaders, to explore a challenge that too often goes unspoken: leadership wellness.

Jeff and Mike talk about why wellness is not a “nice-to-have” for school leaders, but a critical part of sustaining strong, thriving schools. From building personal routines to fostering cultures of wellness in our organizations, this conversation is about leading with clarity, balance, and connection.

If you’re a principal, superintendent, or anyone supporting leaders in education, this episode is for you.

🌟 New on the EDU Café Podcast! 🌟

We’re kicking off our Promising Practices for Teachers series with the first of three conversations featuring Kelly Murphy.

Across these conversations, Kelly shares how art therapy and active meditation can be powerful tools for both students and teachers to support wellbeing, foster creativity, and create space for resilience in the classroom.

This first episode dives into defining art therapy and active meditation.

Stay tuned for the next two episodes in this three-part journey with Kelly!

#EDUCafé #PromisingPractices #TeacherSupport #ArtTherapy #ActiveMeditation #EducationInnovation