EdVance

What does it take to keep education going when a country faces conflict? How do school leaders stay steady, support their teams and protect learning when nothing feels certain?In this episode, Zoya Lytvyn, Founder of Osvitoria and a leading education voice in Ukraine, shares her journey and the work that has helped millions of children and teachers continue learning during the war.

Zoya speaks about leadership in crisis, the courage shown by teachers across Ukraine, and the focus that has kept schools operating. She reflects on the mindset needed to lead through fear and uncertainty, the value of community, and the need to protect your own energy so you can support others. This conversation also looks at the future of education in Ukraine, the reforms already underway, and the lessons school leaders around the world can draw from Ukraine’s resilience.

What helps some education systems improve while others fall behind? In this new EdVance episode, Professor Fernando M. Reimers from the Harvard Graduate School of Education explains how high performing systems plan for the future through futures thinking, balance global citizenship with national identity, and use AI to support teachers and reduce workload. He shares how collaboration between governments, schools, and communities builds trust and drives steady improvement. From empowering teachers to creating flexible curricula, Prof. Fernando sets out what makes lasting progress possible.

Key takeaways from this episode:

• Futures thinking for system leadership
• Balancing national identity with global citizenship
• AI that supports teachers
• Collaboration across education systems

If you want to learn what strong systems do well, this episode is for you.

How do schools close persistent learning gaps and raise student outcomes year after year?In this episode of the EdVance Podcast, Chancey Anderson Tauer, Co-Founder and CEO of Prodeo Academy in Minnesota.

She explains how her schools improve results for underserved students through data-driven decisions, consistent expectations and coaching that strengthens teaching practice. Chancey shows how evidence shapes every choice, from lesson planning to recruitment, and how clear routines and feedback sustain progress across classrooms. She also discusses the realities of leading charter schools with limited funding and how her team maintains performance under pressure.

In this episode, Lil Bremermann Richard, Group CEO of Oxford International Education Group, shares about how universities can stay useful in a time shaped by technology and new expectations from students.

Lil shares her own journey in leadership, including the challenges of working in male-dominated spaces and what she has learnt about perseverance, equality, and the importance of building strong networks.

For Lil, institutions must be willing to embrace change, adopt new tools, and prepare learners for a world where strengths like creativity, teamwork, and emotional intelligence matter more than ever.

When Leticia Lyle opened Camino School in São Paulo, she was not just starting a school. She was building a path - one where relationships, values and learning all held equal weight.

In this episode of the EdVance Podcast, Leticia reflects on what the world can learn from Brazil’s classrooms. Her story is as much about courage as it is about design. From opening Camino just days before the pandemic to shaping a curriculum where social-emotional learning sits alongside academic rigour, she shows that education can be both deeply human and highly practical.

She also speaks about the hard choices leaders must make. It looks at what it means to hold on to your principles when the model is tested, how to balance the demands of budgets and rules with the deeper work of care and connection, and how to ensure that everyone feels seen. This episode provides answers to some of the hardest questions school leaders face today.

What does it take to build a movement that opens the school gates for millions of girls?

In this episode, we are joined by Lucy Lake, Director of Global Engagement, Yidan Prize Foundation. For more than 30 years, Lucy has worked to remove the barriers that keep girls out of school and to support young women to step into leadership.

She shares her journey from starting as a volunteer in Zimbabwe to leading an organisation that has helped over 7 million young people through education. Along the way, she speaks openly about the difficult choices she faced, the risks she took, and the lessons she learned about resilience and leadership. Lucy also talks about fundraising as something deeper than raising money.

For her, it is about fairness, sharing resources, and staying true to the girls whose futures depend on education. She shows how a culture of accountability and trust can make change possible even in the hardest of times.This is a conversation for leaders who want to understand what lasting impact really looks like.

What does real inclusion look like in schools, beyond slogans and surface changes?

In this episode of the EdVance Podcast, we are honoured to host Vijita Patel, Executive Director for Special Educational Needs at the Qatar Foundation and one of the UK’s most respected voices on neurodiversity. With more than 20 years of experience in education, including leading the Swiss Cottage School in London to seven consecutive “outstanding” Ofsted ratings, Vijita knows what it takes to build schools where every learner can succeed.

She explains how schools can move from tolerance to true celebration of difference: valuing every child, supporting teachers, involving families, and rethinking what success means by including social and cultural capital. From using technology to strengthen student voice, to building a culture of high expectations for all, her reflections offer both insights and guidance. She reminds us that inclusion is not an extra, but the heart of real school improvement.

What does it take to build schools that work for every child, not just a few? In this episode, Vikas speaks with Stacey Brewer, the founder and chair of SPARK Schools in South Africa. She started with one school in 2013.

Today, SPARK Schools has grown to 26 schools, serving over 17,000 children. It’s a story of persistence, strong values, and the belief that every child can succeed.Stacey shares how her team built a model that keeps school fees affordable, supports teachers with over 200 hours of training each year, and puts families at the centre of the learning journey. She also reflects on their proudest moment - when SPARK Soweto won the World’s Best School Prize for Community Collaboration in 2022.This is a thoughtful and honest conversation for anyone who wants to understand how strong leadership, clear purpose, and trust in people can transform education and communities.

In this episode of The EdVance Podcast, we’re joined by Rebecca Winthrop, Director of the Center for Universal Education at Brookings.

Rebecca challenges us to rethink how we lead in education reminding us that we can’t keep doing the same things and expect different results. Real change takes reflection, bold choices, and approaches that truly serve students and communities. She highlights the power of community in shaping education and the need to stay rooted in purpose so our efforts never lose direction.

A must‑listen for leaders ready to shape education with clarity, care, and courage.

Leadership can be deeply rewarding, but it can also be exhausting, especially when you are aiming high, supporting others, and trying to stay grounded all at once. So, how do you keep showing up with clarity and care, without burning out along the way?In this episode of the EdVance Podcast, we welcome Dr Nina Rawal, Partner and Co-Head, Ventures at Trill Impact. She speaks about what it means to lead with purpose and how to stay steady when the pressure to perform never seems to let up.

Dr Nina reminds us that ambitious goals matter, not to impress others, but because playing it safe can quietly limit our growth. She also highlights the importance of trust in building strong teams. Once you have hired the right people, trust them to do their work until they give you a reason not to. Trust should be the starting point, not something they have to earn over and over again .She closes with a quiet but powerful reminder that when the work begins to feel heavy, return to your reason for starting. That simple reflection often gives you and your team the strength to carry on. This episode is for leaders who care deeply, carry their responsibilities with quiet strength, and want to keep growing without losing themselves.