Getting Smart Podcast

In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Nate McClennen sits down with Dr. Adel DiOrio to explore how school leaders can move from fragmented initiatives to real coherence through knowledge management, transformational leadership, and coaching. Drawing on her research in rural school systems and insights from The Coach's Playbook, Adel shares why documenting what works, building strong relationships, and leading with intention are essential to sustaining improvement over time. From the power of "if you think it, ink it" to the life-changing influence of coaches and leaders, this conversation offers practical wisdom for principals, superintendents, teachers, and anyone working to build stronger, more human-centered schools.

• (0:00) Introduction & Guest Welcome
• (5:56) Adel's Background & Career Path
• (12:05) Leadership & Building Cohesive Teams
• (19:07) Knowledge Management Research
• (24:08) Dissertation Findings & Practical Takeaways
• (37:51) The Coach's Playbook
• (47:06) Wrap-Up & Key Takeaways

• Watch the full video here
• Read the full blog here
• LinkedIn

Why do so many promising ideas in education stay stuck in individual classrooms? In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Nate McClennen talks with Rebecca Wolfe about what it takes to turn innovation into lasting system change. From teacher agency and school leadership to accountability and knowledge-sharing, they explore how schools can create the conditions for ideas to spread, scale, and ultimately support learner thriving.

• (00:00) Intro & The Problem
• (12:46) Learning From AVID
• (24:42) School Leadership & Culture
• (34:15) The Macro Challenge
• (41:40) Hope & A Bias Toward Action

• Read the full blog here
• Watch the full video here
• LinkedIn

Every school that has tried to change and failed has done so for the same reason: the system kept producing exactly the results it was designed to produce, and nobody changed the system. What Lake City Area Schools discovered — through honest self-examination, disciplined sequencing, and a refusal to mistake movement for progress — is that real transformation requires a different kind of courage than most improvement efforts demand. Not the courage to launch something new, but the courage to admit that the old system was working perfectly: producing disengagement on schedule, graduating students unprepared on time, and generating just enough compliance to keep the lights on. This is the story of what happens when a district decides that is not enough.

Join Rebecca Midles, Tim Hejnal and Meghan Utech to learn more.

In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark speaks with Stephanie Reisner and Steph Loeck of GPS Education Partners about how work-based learning can transform student engagement, career readiness, and economic mobility. Drawing on 25 years of experience and their new book, Make School Work, they explore what makes work-based learning truly high quality, why employer preparation matters as much as student preparation, and how regional ecosystems can scale meaningful career-connected learning opportunities for more young people.

• (00:00) Introduction
• (08:53) Defining High-Quality Work-Based Learning
• (11:26) Make School Work: The Book & Framework
• (21:58) Employer Partnerships & Regional Ecosystems
• (29:28) Metrics & Advice for Ed Leaders

• Watch the full video here
• Stephanie Reisner
• Steph Loeck
• GPS Education Partners
• Make School Work

In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Nate McClennen sits down with Vriti Saraf, CEO of Ed3, to explore a timely and essential question: How do we move from using AI for efficiency to using AI for human flourishing in education? Drawing on Ed3's new research, The Emerging Role of Teachers in the Age of AI, the conversation examines how artificial intelligence is already reshaping teaching, why the future of education must center human relationships, and what new teacher personas—like learning architect, life navigator, and community connector—might emerge in more adaptive, student-centered systems. Together, Nate and Vriti unpack the risks of automation, the promise of redesigned educator roles, and why this moment demands not just better tools, but a bold rethinking of teaching, learning, and equity.

• (0:00) Introduction & Topic Overview
• (4:19) Genesis of the Portrait of a Teacher Project
• (14:57) AI's Impact on Human Connection & Teacher Relationships
• (22:23) Future Teacher Personas & Role Specialization
• (39:30) Hopes for the Future of Education

• LinkedIn
• Ed3
• The Emerging Role of Teachers in the Age of AI

In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Nate McClennen sits down with Gianna Biaggi, founder and executive director of the Magnolia Project, to explore how schools can treat the community as campus. Together, they discuss how Magnolia Project connects middle and high school students with local mentors through immersive, hands-on learning experiences that build agency, engagement, and career awareness. From rural partnerships to durable skills to the power of reflection, this conversation highlights a compelling model for expanding real-world learning and helping every student imagine a future that fits who they are.

• (00:00) Introduction & Expanded Learning
• (02:01) Gianna's Story: From Teacher to Founder
• (05:59) Building the Magnolia Project
• (12:00) The Program Model
• (21:18) Durable Skills & Student Outcomes
• (34:06) Lessons Learned & What's Next

• Watch the full video here
• LinkedIn
• Magnolia Project
• Magnolia Project's programs in Tomales
• Dream BIG: The Power of On-Campus Career Exploration
• Middle School Visit Day Teacher and Student Panel

Students at Wellesley High School are helping imagine what learning could look like in 2040. In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Mason Pashia talks with Alty and Anaya, two learners from the school's Evolutions (EVOLS) program, about designing future-ready classrooms, visiting innovative schools, and building skills through hands-on, project-based experiences. From CTE-inspired spaces and collaborative learning environments to student voice and public speaking, this conversation offers a powerful look at what happens when young people are invited to help shape the future of education.

• (0:00) Introduction
• (3:28) What Is Evolutions?
• (6:54) School Visits & Inspiration
• (8:40) Designing the Future of Education
• (23:31) Student Voice & Changing Education

• Watch the full video here
• Read the full blog here
• Wellesley High School
• Student Presentation

In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark speaks with Dr. Deborah Kenny, founder of Harlem Village Academies and author of The Well-Educated Child, about what it means to educate for depth, agency, and purpose in the age of AI. Their conversation explores deeper learning, Montessori, International Baccalaureate, Socratic dialogue, and the kind of rigorous, student-centered experiences that help young people become thoughtful, capable contributors to the world.

• (00:00) Introduction
• (00:39) Meet Dr. Deborah Kenny & Harlem Village Academies
• (03:17) Redefining Achievement & Key Influences
• (09:22) Free Inquiry, Humility & Education's Purpose
• (12:07) Deeper Learning: Montessori, IB & Low-Tech Schools
• (28:09) Socratic Dialogue, Agency & Hopes for the Book

• Watch the full video here
• Read the full blog here
• LinkedIn
• Book Site
• Harlem Village Academies

Nate McClennen and Mason Pashia unpack a wide-ranging set of ideas shaping the future of learning, from AI "hive minds" and youth relationships with AI to portraits of a graduate, durable skills, and real-world learning. They explore what it means to prepare students for a non-routine economy where judgment, collaboration, agency, and ownership matter more than ever. Along the way, they highlight innovative school models, reflect on new research and reports, and consider how education systems can better connect technical skills, human development, and future-ready experiences.

• (0:00) Intro
• (13:13) School Spotlights
• (20:52) Preparing Students for the Non-Routine Economy
• (31:34) Durable Skills & Experience Matters Report
• (37:20) Human Expression
• (40:56) What's That Song?

• Watch the full video here
• Artificial Hivemind: The Open-Ended Homogeneity of Language Models (and Beyond)
• Youth, AI, and the Relationships That Shape Them
• Good Riddance to Regents Exams? Or Will Ending Them Leave a Void for N.Y. Grads?
• The Academies Of Hampton
• Amp Lab at Electric Works
• The Pearl Arts Innovation Institute
• Amp Lab at The Refinery
• 3Rivers Federal Credit Union Banking Internship
• Humanist Essay
• Harvard Medical School

In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark talks with Jean-Claude Brizard, CEO of Digital Promise, about the launch of the Center for Learner Pathway Innovations and what it will take to build New Pathways that are truly "unbounded." They dig into the barriers that keep learners from seeing and accessing opportunity (visibility, value, and recognition gaps), why pathways must be co-created with learners and communities, and how credentialing and learner records can better capture skills and verified experiences—from work-based learning to out-of-school learning. The conversation also highlights regional pathway design (including an Alabama cybersecurity example), lessons from P-TECH, and how emerging technologies like AI can support powerful learning grounded in agency, purpose, curiosity, and connection.

• (00:00) Introduction
• (2:30) Barriers & Unbounded Pathways
• (5:39) Co-Creation & Credentialing
• (13:58) Cybersecurity Pathway & Alabama
• (16:07) Powerful Learning & Emerging Technology

• Read the full blog here
• Watch the full video here
• TNTP
• Jean-Claude Brizard
• Digital Promise