Education Evolution

Research and experiences allow us to consistently develop new best practices for teaching and learning. What worked last year may not work this year, for a multitude of reasons. And what we thought worked years ago clearly isn't what's best for our kids. So we get to shift what we're doing to ensure we're giving all our students what they need in order to flourish. (If only all educational decision-makers would get on board!)

Jon Bergmann, this week's podcast guest, is fully on board and leading the charge. You heard him all the way back in episode 3 talking about flipped learning. And this week he's back to talk about how to make the most of flipped learning. And that's mastery learning.

Jon is back in the trenches, teaching in a high school classroom, which I think lends even more credibility to what he's sharing. Because he's trying things out with real students in a real learning environment.

In this episode, Jon defines some important educational terms so we can all be on the same page. And he discusses why "mastery" doesn't need to mean the same thing for every student. He even shares exactly how teachers can plan out lessons to help students achieve the level of mastery they're on board with. It's such a refreshing idea that I know will help support students for years to come.

Jon Bergmann is one of the pioneers of the Flipped Classroom. He has helped schools, universities, organizations, and governments all over the world introduce active and flipped learning into their contexts. He is a frequent keynote speaker who challenges and inspires audiences with stories and real-life examples from his classroom.

He has taught at urban, suburban, rural, and private schools. He spent twenty-four years as a classroom teacher in Colorado before becoming a technology facilitator in the Chicago suburbs. When Flip Your Classroom became an international bestseller, he traveled the world for eight years, helping schools and universities move from passive to active learning. In 2019, he returned to the classroom to further develop Flipped and Mastery Learning. This has amplified Jon's voice with teachers and professors. They now see him as a fellow teacher working through the complexities and challenges of teaching today because his presentations include struggles and successes as he works every day with students.

Jon believes the two most important things that make good teaching good are active learning and relationships. Too much education is received passively, and Jon knows from both research and experience that students learn best when they are active participants. Students don't care what you know until they know that you care, and Jon tries every day to connect with his students.

Jon has written and co-authored ten books that have been translated into thirteen languages. In 2002, Jon received the Presidential Award for Excellence for Math and Science Teaching; and in 2010, he was a Semi-Finalist for Colorado Teacher of the Year. He serves on the advisory board for TED Education. He teaches full-time science and assists with staff development at Houston Christian High School in Houston, Texas. Find out more about Jon at JonBergmann.com and find book resources at TheMasteryLearningHandbook.com.

• [1:38] - Defining some educational terms
• [9:37] - Why Jon is switching focus to mastery learning
• [11:59] - Education can no longer be one size fits all
• [13:12] - This is THE answer to what ails the education system
• [14:50] - From international consultant back to the classroom
• [17:02] - What teachers need to learn about mastery
• [22:02] - 3 steps educators can take to create mastery learning in their classrooms
• [24:10] - Rethink how you do planning
• [28:08] - Turbo Time
• [31:53] - Jon's Magic Wand
• [34:35] - Maureen's Takeaways

• Benjamin Bloom's Double Sigma study
• The Mastery Learning Handbook
• Understanding by Design
• Jon's podcast
• Episode 3: Flipped Learning Mastery to Reach Every Student (even remotely!) with Jon Bergmann
• Email Maureen

• Maureen's TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution
• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective
• Maureen's book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America
• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

Teachers are taught to differentiate their instruction to meet the needs of all students. But what does that even mean? It's not about lowering standards and expectations so one person's mastery is different from another's. Instead it's about adding more supports for students who need it while keeping targets the same.

The only way to do this is to be more intentional about teaching, more learner-centered. We need to talk to our students more and truly listen to the feedback we receive from them. And then act on that feedback.

This week on the podcast I'm talking to author and instructional specialist Miriam Plotinsky about the challenges that exist in classrooms today and how we can navigate this new high-tech, post-Covid world our youth are coming of age in.

Listen in as we discuss the importance of leading schools from a teacher's perspective, how to make student interactions more valuable, what's going on with youth mental health, how to give students voice, and so much more.

Miriam Plotinsky is an author and instructional specialist who addresses challenges in both teaching and leading across schools with a wide range of differentiated needs. A strong advocate for student-centered learning, she provides coaching and professional development for teachers and administrators. She has written Teach More, Hover Less: How to Stop Micromanaging Your Secondary Classroom and Lead Like a Teacher: How to Elevate Expertise in Your School (W.W. Norton, 2022 & 2023). Miriam is widely published in education publications such as Education Week, Edutopia, ASCD Express, Middleweb, The Teaching Channel, EdSurge, K-12 Talk and Education World and is a frequent guest on education podcasts internationally. She is also a National Board-Certified Teacher with additional certification in administration and supervision. She can be found on her website or on Twitter: @MirPloMCPS.

• [1:40] - Evolving school transformation for Miriam
• [3:04] - Where in the world can you start with differentiating learning and teaching
• [4:49] - It's not about lowering expectations; it's about giving students the supports they need
• [5:30] - How to let learning be more learner-centered
• [7:15] - Where do we have structure to offer more choice
• [8:46] - Why student voice is more than choice
• [9:30] - Student voice is something we need to empower them to express by building a level of trust that goes beyond personal relationships
• [11:20] - What to focus on to help kids develop a sense of identity
• [14:55] - Youth mental health: what's going on and what can we do about it in our schools
• [18:35] - Student learning and voice are important tools in supporting well being of youth
• [19:01] - Safe classroom space is even more important
• [20:07] - Grades should be based on how they are in relation to a learning outcome
• [22:40] - Lead schools from a teacher perspective
• [24:08] - Turbo Time
• [26:32] - What people need to know about how teens learn
• [27:38] - Something positive that's come out of Covid
• [29:34] - Miriam's Magic Wand
• [31:01] - Maureen's Takeaways

• Miriam Plotinsky's website
• Connect with Miriam on LinkedIn
• Follow Miriam on Facebook and Twitter
• Teach More, Hover Less: How to Stop Micromanaging Your Secondary Classroom by Miriam Plotinsky
• Lead Like a Teacher: How to Elevate Expertise in Your School by Miriam Plotinsky
• The Power of Belief Mindset
• Email Maureen

• Maureen's TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution
• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective
• Maureen's book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America
• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

We know the importance of literacy and music and the importance of getting children involved in learning through movement. What if we paired the two together, no matter the age of the students?

That's what Susan Chodakiewitz is doing through Booksicals, creating musicals from picture books for some fully immersed learning. And what she's discovered as a result is more confidence and more engagement from children of all levels.

Educational professionals have long tried to encourage children to build their literacy skills while getting the community involved in education. The idea that a picture book can be acted out helps children explore characters, plot, and backstory, and it allows both pre-readers and older students to work together on a common end goal. And who doesn't love the idea of hiding some of the learning during a fun and interactive lesson?

Listen in to Susan talk about how to bring any picture book into an interactive classroom, why improvisation and acting is such a powerful way to learn, and how to bring literacy into the community. We also talk a bit about the benefits of being multilingual and how Susan got to where she is. I love the idea of Booksicles so much that I've invited Susan to work with us at my micro-school, LEADPrep.

Susan Chodakiewitz is an author, composer, and producer. She is the founder of Booksicals children's books and Picture Book Musicals. Her passion for igniting a love of reading in children has led her to create the Booksicals Literacy Through the Arts program, an interactive performing arts curriculum where theater and the arts become a teaching tool for literacy and social-emotional learning.

Susan is the author of seven children's picture books: The Alphabet Thief, Selah the Peach, Master Davey and the Magic Tea House, Wobegon and Mildred, Mr. Snoozle's Exquisite Eggs, Too Many Visitors for One Little House and soon-to-be-released Mother Nature ABC verses.

Susan partners with brands and businesses to promote literacy and a love of reading and has created books and literacy projects for brands such as the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Westin Hotels Kids Club, and the Gap Kids.

Susan Chodakiewitz is a frequent author presenter at schools, museums, book fairs, and libraries and has presented both in the U.S. and around the world. She is a graduate of the Academy for New Musical Theater and a member of the New Musical Inc, advisory board.

Susan holds a degree from the University of Miami in chemistry and French and a pharmacy degree from the University of Florida. She was born in Havana Cuba, raised in New York and has lived in Florida, North Carolina, Toronto, Israel, and southern California. She speaks fluent Spanish, Hebrew, and French. All her books are available in Spanish. Susan currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband and is blessed to have three sons, a daughter, and three amazing daughters-in-law.

• [1:29] - The power of picture books for children's love of reading
• [2:50] - Thinking about literacy alongside performance
• [4:15] - Hiding the learning in play and creating
• [4:38] - Books are a challenge these days
• [7:04] - Why picture books work so well with theater
• [8:50] - Creating a whole project gives everyone for a chance for critical thinking and collaboration
• [11:22] - Learning personality traits vs. character traits
• [12:41] - Bringing literacy into community through working with families
• [15:46] - How to inspire youth to become readers
• [17:44] - Becoming multilingual
• [20:28] - Inspiring creativity in the classroom
• [22:20] - Susan's Magic Wand
• [23:58] - Maureen's Takeaways

• Booksicals
• Email Susan
• Follow Booksicals on Instagram
• Subscribe to Susan's YouTube channel
• Follow Booksicals on Facebook
• Follow Susan on Twitter
• Master Davey and the Magic Teahouse by Susan Chodakiewitz
• Email Maureen

• Maureen's TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution
• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective
• Maureen's book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America
• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

Parents have dreams for their kids. Maybe it's that the child earns that sports scholarship that the parent didn't get. Or that the child gets into the big four-year college that the parent couldn't afford. Or that the child excels on the stage that the parent was too afraid to get on.

There's nothing wrong with dreaming of all our children can achieve, except if we're pushing them into something that is our dream and not their dream or even wishes.

There's a cost associated with pushing our kids, and usually that cost is our children's self worth and self esteem. Too often it's our own egos as parents that get in the way of our child's success.

Success looks different for everyone, and we need to let go of our expectations for our children and do what's best for them.

Listen in to this week's podcast and hear more from our guest, Komal Shah, about what this looks like and what the cost is of pushing our kids to meet our own expectations.

Komal Shah is an educational consultant and thought leader on a mission to transform the world through conscious education.

After Komal spent five years in the Teach For America program as a middle school educator, she was left wanting more. She wanted more for her kids, all kids. To pursue this dream, she attended USC Marshall School of Business where she received her MBA.

Today she leverages her passion for education, business expertise, and her personal conscious living practices. Her plan is to shift outdated educational paradigms and transform the educational system for the betterment of all children.

• [1:30] - Why Komal is in educational transformation
• [3:05] - Deconstructing what success is; is this good for all kids
• [3:38] - What is success
• [5:12] - Bringing consciousness to education - where to begin
• [6:28] - Education is really personal for people
• [7:15] - If your ego is connected to your child's success
• [10:30] - What's the cost of putting your kids down a linear path?
• [13:31] - Fear and scarcity mindsets
• [14:11] - What does success actually mean
• [15:15] - It's not that the kid is doing well in the system; it's that the system isn't serving your kid
• [21:15] - Komal's Magic Wand
• [22:14] - Maureen's takeaways

• Raise Your Hand: A Call for Consciousness in Education by Komal Shah
• Atomic Habits by James Clear
• The Conscious Parent by Shefali Tsabry
• Every Kid Needs a Champion: Rita Pierson TED Talk
• Connect with Komal on LinkedIn
• Follow Komal on Instagram
• Follow Komal on Twitter
• Email Maureen

• Maureen's TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution
• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective
• Maureen's book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America
• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

Teachers continue to leave the profession in droves and I don't see an end in sight. That means larger classes and teachers who don't always have the expertise they need to support our youth in the way they deserve.

This week on the podcast, I'm calling you to action! I'm sharing some of the current events and challenges around our present teacher shortage--how it's impacting schools and children, why it's happening, and what we can do to prevent it.

It's time for teachers across the country (and globe!) to stand up for what they know is best: more autonomy in the classroom, fair pay, and the expectation of excellence…not excess and constantly going above and beyond.

Are you on board?

• [1:08] - Schools aren't working for students OR teachers
• [1:41] - We're not acknowledging we have a shortage
• [2:57] - Seattle school teacher strikes delayed the school year
• [3:49] - Unpacking the crisis
• [5:00] - No certified math teachers in Bullock County public middle schools
• [5:30] - We can't rely on willpower and pushing through
• [6:06] - Teachers don't get to intentionally design their environment
• [6:32] - Work and play need to be optimized in separate spaces
• [6:55] - Limit the things that make reaching goals more difficult
• [7:48] - Teachers work too many hours
• [8:40] - Teachers as heroes myth
• [10:22] - Question why we go above and beyond
• [11:09] - Where can we start

• Willpower Doesn't Work by Benjamin Hardy
• The Report: A newsletter from The Hechinger Report
• CNN: Seattle teachers vote to officially end strike that had delayed start of the school year
• CNN: Teachers are leaving and few want to join the field. Experts are sounding the alarm
• Email Maureen

• Maureen's TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution
• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective
• Maureen's book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America
• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

Everyone should be working to ensure our kids are okay; it's not the sole responsibility of parents or teachers or mental health professionals. If we want to make sure our kids are ready to be tomorrow's leaders, making sure our kids are okay needs to be a collective responsibility and priority.

This week on the podcast, I'm talking to Jordan Posamentier of the Committee for Children, an organization that helps support youth mental health and wellbeing through policy and advocacy for change.

In this episode, we talk about the challenge of supporting children's mental health, how parents and community members can help, and why the onus isn't just on mental health providers.

I hope you'll tune in and take the action that Jordan suggests toward the end of the episode. We're all in this together!

Jordan Posamentier, Esq., is the Vice President of Policy & Advocacy at Committee for Children, an over-forty-year-old non-profit missioned to foster the safety and well-being of children through social-emotional learning and development. Previously, Jordan was Deputy Policy Director at the University of Washington's Center on Reinventing Public Education, Director of Legislative Analysis at StudentsFirst, Legislative Counsel to the California Judges Association, and a teacher in New York City public schools. Jordan earned his JD from the University of Houston, MS in education from Queens College within the City University of New York, and BA in human ecology from College of the Atlantic in Maine. He lives in Shoreline, Washington. Connect with him on LinkedIn and follow him on Twitter.

• [1:40] - Jordan's genesis story in advocacy for change
• [3:15] - What does well-being look like? What are we aspiring to?
• [4:53] - Focusing on youth mental well being
• [6:29] - Misfire in mental health
• [8:14] - How the pandemic changed Committee for Children's work
• [12:28] - Committee for Children national campaign
• [13:43] - How to support the campaign
• [14:40] - Connecting the right way with the right people
• [16:18] - What the day in a life of a policymaker looks like
• [17:42] - Roadblocks for policy
• [19:07] - Other steps changemakers can take
• [22:12] - Turbo Time
• [23:56] - What people should know about children's wellbeing
• [25:56] - Jordan's Magic Wand
• [27:26] -Maureen's takeaways

• Committee for Children
• Follow Committee for Children on Twitter
• Follow the #MoreThanJustOkay hashtag
• Rita Pierson TED Talk: Every Kid Needs a Champion
• Email Maureen

• Maureen's TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution
• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective
• Maureen's book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America
• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

We know that storytelling is a sure way to engage learners and hook them. Students need to want to learn if they're going to retain the information. And immersing them in stories is a vital tool to humanize experiences, especially now as technology has changed and distanced many aspects of life and learning.

Building on technology and immersive learning is creating cutting edge opportunities for learning and engagement. This week on the podcast, we learn from an expert in storytelling and extended reality, the umbrella term that includes virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality.

Wesley Della Volla is sharing his expertise as a National Geographic storyteller and adjunct lecturer in encouraging learning, engaging with audiences, making VR more accessible, and creating an environment where it's okay to make mistakes.

This episode is a refreshing conversation that supports the idea that technology is just one piece of the puzzle.

The founder of Meridian Treehouse, Wes is a visionary, educator, and master dot connector. Whether transforming National Geographic's Grosvenor Auditorium into the largest, permanent virtual reality theater in the world or winning Emmy, National Press Photographers Association, and Webby awards for his innovative storytelling, Wesley pushes the boundaries of what is possible. He also shares his expertise at the intersection of education and entertainment as an adjunct lecturer in Georgetown University's Environmental Studies Department and Resident Immersive Experience Innovator at the Harvard University Innovation Lab.

• [2:15] - Who is Wes Della Volla
• [3:36] - What brought Wes to use his expertise in education
• [5:45] - When you see 450 people get excited, that's when you know immersive learning is something special
• [6:24] - Immersive learning 101 and how it ties into schools
• [7:58] - Where is learning going with VR learning
• [11:03] - So much potential to add to the richness of the world around you
• [12:37] - Immersive learning shouldn't exist in vacuum
• [13:35] - What issues do we need to consider as XR learning becomes more available so it's accessible and inclusive for everyone
• [18:18] - Stop using $5 words when a $2 works just fine
• [19:37] - There's science misunderstanding because it's been so closed off
• [20:58] - Humans have been trying to share our stories for as long as we've been around and it's evolved over time
• [23:22] - It's our responsibility as educators to remember we don't need the most expensive technology
• [26:43] - How to be part of the tide
• [28:00] - It's okay to not be the smartest person in the room
• [29:25] - Students and teachers should learn from one another
• [30:27] - Turbo Time
• [36:29] - Learning happens when you're comfortable making mistakes
• [37:08] - Wes's Magic Wand
• [41:57] - Maureen's Takeaways

• Meridian Treehouse
• Virtual Moonwalk
• Expedition Palau
• "Introduction to Learning in the Metaverse"
• Email Maureen

• Maureen's TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution
• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective
• Maureen's book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America
• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

We know the importance of bringing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics to children, but sometimes it's difficult to find connections that make sense to our kids. And, let's face it, that is easy for teachers to implement.

That's why organizations like Bricks 4 Kidz are so important.

This week on the podcast, we're getting a look behind the scenes to find out what this organization does for teaching and learning and how it can save time and money for teachers across the globe. It's already working in 40 countries and has been exposed to more than a million children…and has resources for corporations too!

Christopher Rego is an accomplished Corporate Strategist and Entrepreneur. He was the CEO of Creative Learning Corporation, a public company, for two years. He held various management and architect roles to contribute to the success of rapidly growing technology companies such as Oracle, Yahoo!, Tapjoy, and Intuit. He has extensive knowledge about the franchised business model in both the domestic and international marketplace. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Andhra Loyola College in Andhra Pradesh India and an MBA in Marketing and Finance from Acharya Nagarjuna University Andhra Pradesh, India. Connect with Christopher on LinkedIn.

• [1:42] - The importance of STEM training to make sure our kids are future ready
• [3:02] - When to start with STEM learning
• [3:55] - STEM, STEAM, STREAM–does it matter which label you use?
• [6:36] - Bricks for kids - largest provider of STEM education
• [14:47] - First steps in learning more about providing STEM to kids
• [16:14] - Turbo Time
• [20:45] - Chris's Magic Wand
• [22:28] - Maureen's Takeaways

• Bricks 4 Kidz®
• Email Maureen

• Maureen's TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution
• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective
• Maureen's book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America
• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

Community schools are a big asset to communities whose schools struggle to meet the needs of all its youth. But it takes time and effort to start to see change. A lot of time and effort.

This week on the podcast, I'm talking with Emily Woods, the head of education for the Richard K. Lubin Family Foundation and long-time policy advocate. She shares what it really looks like to start and grow an effort to grow a community school and how to get policy makers involved.

As a former private school turned public school teacher, Emily saw the disparity that exists between the resources available. But she was able to take her private school knowledge into the public schools, then eventually into advocacy, to really make an impact.

In this episode, she shares how leaders need to shift their thinking about how they address student needs, why your community effort may not work, where the support needs to come from, and more. She even shares a breakdown of action steps to help communities mobilize. Have a notepad handy!

Emily Woods currently serves as Head of Education for the Richard K. Lubin Family Foundation. Previously, she taught as Adjunct Lecturer in Education at the University of Massachusetts Boston and was a Boston Public School teacher and Senior Co-Trainer in the BPS New Teacher Development Program. She has a PhD in education policy and leadership from the University of Massachusetts, Boston, an MEd in elementary education from Boston University, and a BA from Bowdoin College. Her research focuses on school districts that have addressed the adoption of community school policy, and her professional focus is on helping urban districts move beyond a site-by-site community school strategy to a citywide, community-owned initiative.

• [2:05] - Where the path began for Emily
• [3:00] - Community school label - what it is and its importance
• [4:13] - How community schools are like smartphones
• [6:59] - Even before pandemic there was big disparity between school types
• [7:50] - Schools can't exist in a vacuum
• [8:36] - Elements we need to make school reform sustainable on a big scale
• [11:15] - There are different ways to get things moving
• [12:05] - We need the right lens and a groundswell
• [12:30] - How data comes into the picture
• [14:35] - Groundswell can only happen if community members are in support of initiative
• [15:01] - How to help communities to mobilize
• [17:52] - Action steps to start with
• [21:00] - Turbo Time
• [23:58] - It takes a long time to start to see change
• [24:35] - Emily's magic wand
• [26:17] - Maureen's Takeaways

Links & Resources

• Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
• Joy Dryfoos on Community Schools
• Linda Darling-Hammond
• Jeannie Oakes
• Email Maureen

• Maureen's TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution
• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective
• Maureen's book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America
• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

We ask so much of teachers, from customizing learning to being that trusted adult some children don't have at home to advocating for individual children. And yet we also still ask them to start from square one at the beginning of every school year, gathering data about their students so they can serve them best.

The added challenge is that many of our teachers aren't skilled in digging into data and using it effectively. Why aren't school districts and states creating resources for our teachers so they can focus on the art of teaching? The technology is there, but we're not using it wisely.

This week on the podcast, I'm talking with Dr. Matthew Courtney, an educator, researcher, and policy maker who helps to build more capacity in teachers and leaders through deep analyses of learning. Matthew is also an experienced advocate who shares with us how educators can put on their own advocate hats without getting burned out.

I feel so strongly about Matthew's work that I've asked him to join us on our next EdActive Collective meeting in September so our members can further their own important advocacy work.

Be sure to tune in.

Dr. Matthew Courtney specializes in using data and research to support schools and teachers as they work to improve teaching and learning. As an educator, researcher, and policy maker, he focuses his efforts on building capacity in teachers and leaders to perform deep analyses of learning. When educators are faced with persistent problems of practice, he shows them how to tap into the existing research literature to solve their problem and to apply research methodologies to rigorously test their solutions. Dr. Courtney is dedicated to helping the education profession fully self actualize into an evidence-based profession that relies on deep thinking, collaboration, and a joint commitment towards advancing scientific knowledge of teaching and learning in the field.

• [1:21] - Data and policy to make learning better - unpacking them
• [1:43] - what started matthew on school transformation journey
• [3:38] - Why busy teachers need to educate themselves about data
• [5:27] - Data driven decision an elementary school teacher might make
• [6:22] - We use data indirectly more than we realize
• [7:40] - Overcoming the learning curve
• [10:01] - Exploratory data analysis - having a conversation with your data
• [13:03] - Build a team of evidence informed practitioners
• [13:20] - The importance of doing advocacy work
• [15:08] - Policy change on mental health and wellbeing
• [16:42] - Visit state board of education websites to find out what they're working on
• [17:55] - Once you've listened to a few meetings, advocate early and often
• [18:28] - You need to learn how to advocate before you speak out about things that are level 10 issues for you
• [19:47] - Policy starts in state legislature with regulations
• [22:10] - Turbo Time
• [26:14] - What people need to know about data driven school improvement
• [28:58] - To be an activist, just start
• [30:59] - Matthew's Magic Wand
• [32:20] - Maureen's Takeaways

• Follow Matthew on Twitter
• Connect with Matthew on LinkedIn
• Visit Matthew's website
• Exploratory Data Analysis in the Classroom by Matthew B. Courtney, EdD
• The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together by Heather McGhee
• Email Maureen

• Maureen's TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution
• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective
• Maureen's book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America
• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep