Listen to this podcast, which features students, parents, teachers, coaches, and district administrators from Madison Metropolitan School District. Learn from their experience as they speak to the daunting process of change management in view of the 3 Dimensions of Student Achievement.

Thank you to all our guests who took us on this journey in Madison:

Dr. Shanta Lightfoot, Cindy Green, Becky Kundert, Kate Jorgensen, and Sue Ablanalp

Thanks to Black Hawk Middle students and teacher:

Mah’lana, Taraji, Kiki, Jack, and Stephanie Mouser

Thanks to Madison parents:

Thomasina and Allyssa

Special thanks:

Katie Schneider Gumiran, Marcus Hung, Nate Martz, and Monica Noa

If you’d like to learn more about partnership opportunities with EL Education, visit eleducation.org/partner-with-us, or send an email to [email protected] 

To learn more about EL Education’s use of the Curriculum Implementation Change Framework (CICF), a research-backed, field-tested resource developed by the Center for Public Research and Leadership (CPRL) at Columbia University, visit: https://eleducation.org/news-and-events/press-releases/el-education-to-begin-using-research-backed-tool-from-columbia-universitys-cprl-to-enhance-k-8-professional-learning/

Listen to this podcast that features student voice as well as teacher, coach, and district administrators all speaking to the impact of doing systems-level work in view of the 3 Dimensions of Student Achievement.

Thank you to all our guests who took us on this journey–
Pam Betton, Jamilah Sanchez, Sarah Larson, Alexis Watt, and Trina Jones.

Thanks to our host, Katie Schneider Gumiran.

And special thanks to Marcus Hung, Shanta Lightfoot, and Nate Martz. And to EL staff supporting district and school leaders in order to scale Three-dimensional and equitable student outcomes.

If you'd like to learn more about partnership opportunities with EL Education, visit www.ELeducation.org/partner-with-us. Or, send an email to [email protected]

This episode dives into the practice of Crew: structures, strategies, behaviors, and mindsets that support  a school community and the individuals within it. Host Roel Mason-Vivit  meets with Ron Berger for a conversation that echoes a typical Crew meeting structure: greeting, reading, activity, debrief. 

In Part 1, Ron and Roel share their advice and reflections on the practice of Crew, and share their personal journeys of learning to teach, lead, and live with their whole selves. 

In Part 2, Ron and Roel speak to students and teachers practicing Crew across the country across all grade bands. The complete episode can be found in EL Education's Crew Navigator, an interactive course that will give you tools and strategies to understand, prepare for, practice and improve Crew at your school. Find it at https://eleducation.org/what-we-offer/curriculum-services/online-courses  

Ron Berger is the Senior Advisor at EL Education and is the author of 8 educational books, with his latest focused on Crew. Ron speaks nationally and internationally about student character, teaches at Harvard Graduate School of Education, and most importantly, has spent over 25 years leading Crew himself as a public school teacher. Roel Mason-Vivit is EL Education's Director of Partnerships for the Midwest region, and the co-founder of Polaris Charter Academy in Chicago, IL.

Original music, audio engineering and mixing on Crew, not passengers is by Sean Brennan.

Produced and edited by Rosa Gaia 

Thumbnail Artwork by Jada Walters, a high school student and Crew member at Metropolitan Expeditionary Learning School in Queens, NY. 

In this introductory episode, Host Roel Mason-Vivit will dive into the question, "What is Crew?" He  shares some of his own perspectives on Crew structure and culture and offers us a window into what Crew sounds and feels like.

Roel's guest is a media producer, Rosa Gaia, who has visited and made multimedia work about over 30 schools practicing Crew across the country. She presents an original song-essay that gives an overview of Crew that uses audio illustrations, verbal explanations, samples of real Crew recordings, and instrumental performances from middle school Crew members . Rosa visits Escalante school in Colorado, and hears from a Crew leader and teacher of 30-years of teaching experience, John Hise. We also talk to his students, Canyon and Dallen, and hear recordings of their Crew meetings.

Roel then connects with the school he helped open in Chicago, Polaris Charter Academy. We visit a daily crew session and a special yearly Crew Community event.  Roel reunites with a former student, Mikael, who speaks of the impact of Crew on his life.

Original music, audio engineering and mixing on Crew Not Passengers is by Sean Brennan.

Produced and edited by Rosa Gaia.

Thumbnail Artwork by Jada Walters, a high school student and Crew member at Metropolitan Expeditionary Learning School in Queens, NY.

Audio clips featured in the heartbeat song and throughout the episode include:
- Conway Elementary School in Escondido, California,
- Metropolitan Expeditionary Learning School in Queens, New York,
- Fox Creek Elementary School in Littleton, Colorado.
- Meadow Glen middle school in Lexington, Kentucky.
- River Bluff High School in Lexington, Kentucky.
- Capital City Charter School in Washington, DC.
- Casco Bay high school in Portland, Maine.
- Launch Expeditionary Learning School in Brooklyn, New York.
- Hollis Innovation Academy in Atlanta, Georgia.
- Springfield Renaissance in Springfield, Massachusetts.
- Amana Academy in Alpharetta, Georgia
- Polaris Charter Academy in Chicago, Illinois.

The Crew heartbeat song featured instrumental performances by Adeline, Gianna, Destiny, Tomeh, Malia and Lizzie at the Expeditionary Learning Middle School ELMS in Syracuse, New York. ELMS musicians were directed and recorded by their teacher, Megan Hirsch.

To learn more about our organization and to find additional crew resources, please visit eleducation.org and to hear additional episodes of the podcast and learn more about implementing Crew, check out EL Education's Crew Navigator. This interactive course will give you tools and strategies to understand, prepare for, practice and improve Crew at your school. Find it at https://eleducation.org/what-we-offer/curriculum-services/online-courses