Getting Smart Podcast

Today, Tom is speaking with Dr. Christina Theokas, Chief of Applied Science at Turnaround for Children, about the whole-child design movement and the new Toolbox from Turnaround for Children.

The Turnaround for Children Toolbox is an online hub created by educators, for educators — and is backed by science, research, and passion. With this tool, educators will be able to create a supportive environment, cultivate developmental relationships, and build students' knowledge, skills, and mindsets. Prior to her role with Turnaround, Christina was the Director of Research at the National Center for Urban School Transformation (NCUST) where she studied the teaching practices, systems and structures, and leadership of high-performing urban schools; and worked with educators to implement those strategies in their schools.

Join Tom and Christina for this fascinating conversation around why whole-child education matters now more than ever before, how to use the Turnaround for Children Toolbox, and how educators and ed-leaders can get started with implementing these mindsets and approaches in their strategies.

Key Takeaways:

[:08] About today's episode with Christina Theokas.

[:52] Tom welcomes Christina Theokasto to the podcast.

[1:22] Christina shares about her original introduction to whole-child learning and development.

[3:59] What is whole-child learning and development?

[6:25] Is social-emotional learning (SEL) a subset of whole-child learning and development?

[8:38] As the Chief Applied Science Officer at Turnaround for Children, Christina elaborates on why the team has worked on a toolbox that summarizes the science of learning and development for educators.

[12:42] About the tiered support resources within the Toolbox.

[14:42] About the Well-Being index that is a part of the Turnaround for Children Toolbox.

[16:24] Is there a secondary version and an elementary version of the Well-Being Index?

[16:47] How often does Christina recommend that teachers use the Well-Being Index?

[18:20] Is the Toolbox for teachers, school leaders, policymakers, parents, or everybody involved with education?

[21:21] How will this dynamic resource change over time?

[23:32] About Turnaround for Children's Building Blocks for Learning resources.

[25:32] The importance of student agency.

[26:27] Christina's parting words of advice for teachers and school leaders in getting started on their whole-child journey.

[27:58] How Christina stays focused and productive as an individual learner.

[29:23] Where to learn more about the Turnaround for Children Toolbox.

[30:00] Tom thanks Christina for joining the podcast.

Mentioned in This Episode:

Christina Theokas

Turnaround for Children Toolbox

Well-Being Index | Turnaround for Children Toolbox

Building Blocks for Learning | Turnaround for Children

Getting Smart Podcast Ep. 217: "How Educators Can Positively Impact a Child's Cognitive Development with Dr. Pamela Cantor"

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Today. Tom is sitting down with author and entrepreneur, Suneel Gupta, to discuss his new book, BACKABLE: The Surprising Truth Behind What Makes People Take a Chance on You.

Suneel is the co-founder of Rise Labs, Inc. and teaches innovation on faculty at Harvard University. Using the seven steps inside BACKABLE, Suneel went from being the face of failure for the New York Times to being the "New Face of Innovation" for the New York Stock Exchange. His ideas have been backed by firms like Greylock and Google Ventures, and he has invested in startups including Airbnb, Calm, and SpaceX. Suneel also serves as an emissary for Gross National Happiness between the United States and the Kingdom of Bhutan.

Tune in for today's fascinating discussion as Tom and Suneel discuss how the "it" factor can be learned, what makes someone "backable," failure, Gross National Happiness, and some of the biggest lessons and key concepts from his book, BACKABLE.

Key Takeaways:

[:08] About today's episode with Suneel Gupta.

[:52] Tom welcomes Suneel to the podcast.

[1:06] About Suneel's rich career background.

[2:22] Suneel talks about why surveying for Gross National Happiness is important, what initially got him interested in better measurement for societal progress, and key lessons he learned in speaking directly to the researchers in Bhutan who collect the GNH data.

[6:05] What Suneel learned about the art of pitching in writing his book, BACKABLE.

[9:10] What makes someone "backable."

[10:47] Suneel unpacks the second concept of what makes someone backable: "Put yourself in a story that makes your case memorable."

[14:41] Suneel elaborates on the sixth concept of what makes someone backable: "You can't just wing it. You have to practice and you have to adjust based on feedback from practice." [17:27] How high school and college could do a better job in helping people develop the skills necessary in order to become more backable.

[21:48] Why everyone can benefit from reading BACKABLE.

[22:29] About Screencastify, the leading K-12 screen recording solution.

[23:15] How Suneel continues to learn.

[25:45] Tom congratulates Suneel for his new book and thanks him for joining the podcast!

Mentioned in This Episode:

Suneel Gupta

BACKABLE: The Surprising Truth Behind What Makes People Take a Chance on You, by Suneel Gupta with Carlye Adler

Rise Labs, Inc.

Gross National Happiness

TED Talk "Do Schools Kill Creativity?" by Sir Ken Robinson

Screencastify.com/GettingSmart

Getting Smart Podcast Ep. 302: "Kim Smith on Creating Schools, Companies and the Pahara Institute"

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Today, Tom talks with Nate Kellogg of The Learning Accelerator and Gwen Baker of Bellwether Education Partners about the Strategy Lab — a project of the Always Ready for Learning initiative.

The Strategy Lab is a networked learning community from The Learning Accelerator, in partnership with Bellwether Education Partners, working to accelerate the development of a more resilient and equitable education future. This work culminated in the Real-Time Redesign toolkit, an actionable resource for helping districts apply the key learnings and processes from the Strategy Lab work.

Listen in as Tom speaks with Nate and Gwen about this important collaborative work within a network of schools and districts. And be sure to stay tuned until the end to hear from some of the participants themselves!

Key Takeaways:

[:08] About today's episode with Nate Kellogg and Gwen Baker.

[:52] Tom welcomes Nate and Gwen to the podcast.

[1:09] Nate tells the origin story of the Always Ready for Learning initiative as well its three projects: the Parabola Project, the Coaching Network, and the Strategy Lab.

[2:34] Gwen shares how she and Bellwether get involved in this project and why they were personally compelled by it.

[4:25] Nate shares about the districts they originally focused on when beginning this project.

[6:02] Which services to Gwen try to quickly mobilize and offer to these partner districts with the Strategy Lab?

[7:33] Was there any learning between these districts? Were they learning together about shifting their education to remote and when/how they might go hybrid or in-person?

[8:32] Gwen elaborates on how the networking between districts was one of the most powerful tools for learning and growth.

[10:34] Nate explains the Real-Time Redesign toolkit.

[11:46] Would Gwen say that the toolkit is still highly useful for not only the participating districts but other districts as well right now?

[12:57] Nate shares his predictions and hopes for what may be better or different in the fall with their partnered districts as a result of the work they're doing.

[15:22] Gwen shares her hopes and predictions for the fall as a result of the work that they've done with their partnered districts.

[16:56] Does this COVID-19 era mark the end of the individual practitioner and the beginning of teaching teams and embracing new strategies and tools around personalized and competency-based learning? And if so, does Gwen see this as a permanent shift going forward?

[18:40] Does Nate think that many of the districts that they've worked with will continue to have an online or virtual learning program post-pandemic?

[19:49] Does Nate believe we will continue to see enriched online programs that incorporate more project-based learning and more community connections, as well as more hybrid programs that stick around long-term, post-pandemic?

[21:04] Does Gwen have any predictions for new models that she thinks we'll see in the fall or beyond?

[21:58] Where to find more information about the Strategy Lab and the Real-Time Redesign toolkit.

[22:44] Gwen shares some parting words to districts and leaders curious about the projects.

[23:02] Tom thanks Gwen and Nate for joining the podcast!

[23:19] The districts that participated in the Strategy Lab share their thoughts on the process and answer the questions: 1. What was the most powerful part of the Strategy Lab cohort? 2. What are they piloting as a result of the Strategy Lab and the Real-Time Redesign process?

[23:34] The Chief Academic Officer of Indianapolis Public Schools, Dr. Warren Morgan, shares his thoughts on the Strategy Lab cohort.

[26:55] The Director of Academics at the Austin Independent School District, Suzanne Newell, shares her thoughts on the Strategy Lab cohort.

[30:42] The Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment at Renton School District, Bob Ettinger, shares his thoughts on the Strategy Lab cohort.

Mentioned in This Episode:

Nate Kellogg

The Learning Accelerator

Gwen Baker

Bellwether Education Partners

Strategy Lab

Real-Time Redesign

Monterey Peninsula Unified School District

Indianapolis Public Schools

Austin ISD

Mastery Charter

Phoenix Charter Academy

Cedar Rapids Community School District

Warren Morgan

Suzanne Newell

Balance With Blended Learning: Partner With Your Students to Reimagine Learning and Reclaim Your Life, by Catlin R. Tucker

Getting Smart Podcast Ep.293: "Beth Rabbit and Asaf Bitton on the State of Health and the Parabola Project"

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Today, Tom is sitting down with Thomas Homer-Dixon, the author of the new book, Commanding Hope: The Power We Have to Renew a World in Peril. Thomas is also the author of the well-received book, The Ingenuity Gap, and, the Director of the Cascade Institute at Royal Roads University in Victoria, BC, Canada. Additionally, he also holds a University Research Chair in the Faculty of Environment at the University of Waterloo.

In this conversation, Tom and Thomas discuss why and how the world is getting more complex, the role of complexity scientists, the focus of the Cascade Institute, the importance of young people developing a sense of agency, what schools can do to educate their students about climate change, and about his book, Commanding Hope.

Key Takeaways:

[:08] About today's episode with Thomas Homer-Dixon.

[:38] Tom welcomes Thomas to the podcast.

[:55] What is a complexity scientist? And what do they do?

[3:51] The observations and systems that led Thomas to spot the ingenuity gap that he wrote about 20 years ago in The Ingenuity Gap. And is it worse today than it was 20 years ago?

[7:17] Observations from Getting Smart's "20 Invention Opportunities in Learning & Development" report.

[9:37] Tom highlights how, increasingly, innovation in the public space requires a combination of public, private, and philanthropic funding.

[10:17] Thomas highlights an advantage we have today: our capacity to ramp up combinatorial innovation.

[11:48] What the Cascade Institute is, what they do, and its mission.

[15:00] Tom congratulates Thomas on his new book and reads the opening passage.

[16:13] Who is Stephanie May and why was she an inspiration for Thomas's new book, Commanding Hope?

[21:28] How important is helping students develop a sense of agency and knowing that they can have an impact on the world? How do students achieve a sense of agency?

[24:29] How and where students should learn about climate change.

[26:06] How schools and system heads should engage young people in solutions around climate change.

[28:28] Simple cultural efforts schools can make to help create more awareness among their students on their environmental footprint.

[29:35] The importance of creating space for young people to take on their own passion projects and go deep with them.

[30:04] Thomas shares how he continuously learns.

[32:38] Has Thomas read Bill's new book, How to Avoid a Climate Disaster?

[32:57] Tom thanks Thomas for joining the podcast!

Mentioned in This Episode:

Thomas Homer-Dixon

Commanding Hope: The Power We Have to Renew a World in Peril, by Thomas Homer-Dixon

The Ingenuity Gap: Facing the Economic, Environmental, and Other Challenges of an Increasingly Complex and Unpredictable Future, by Thomas Homer-Dixon

Cascade Institute

University of Waterloo

"20 Invention Opportunities in Learning & Development," by Getting Smart Staff

Stephanie Middleton May

Elizabeth May

Greta Thunberg

Difference Making at the Heart of Learning: Students, Schools, and Communities Alive With Possibility, by Tom Vander Ark and Emily Liebtag

How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need, by Bill Gates

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This week, the Getting Smart team is speaking with Gregg Behr and Ryan Rydzewski about their new book, When You Wonder, You're Learning: Mister Rogers' Enduring Lessons for Raising Creative, Curious, Caring Kids.

Gregg Behr is the Executive Director of The Grable Foundation, a father, and a children's advocate whose work is inspired by the legacy of his hero, Fred Rogers. His co-author, Ryan Rydzewski, is an award-winning author, reporter, and speechwriter whose science and education stories span everything from schools to space travel to Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.

Listen in as they discuss their new book and the themes of community, collaboration, and the enduring lessons of Mister Rogers.

"Not only was [Mister Rogers] that loving grandfatherly figure who made us feel loved and capable of loving, but he was also a remarkable learning scientist." — Gregg Behr

Key Takeaways:

[:10] About today's episode with Gregg Behr and Ryan Rydzewski.

[:46] Tom welcomes Gregg and Ryan to the podcast.

[1:08] Gregg speaks about his educational background and the thread of ethics and character formation that run through his work.

[1:57] How and when did Gregg discover the power of active learning that is behind Remake Learning? What is the origin story of Remake Learning?

[5:44] Ryan shares why he decided to teach at East Baton Rouge Parish School System back in 2009 after receiving his Bachelor's degree in Creative Writing at the University of Pittsburgh.

[6:23] Did Ryan have any classes in the Cathedral of Learning at the University of Pittsburgh?

[7:01] Gregg shares when and how Mister Rogers entered the picture in his world.

[8:28] Ryan speaks about his connection to Mister Rogers growing up and why he found him so inspiring.

[9:21] Gregg shares about Fred Rogers' presence across the Pittsburgh community.

[10:39] Ryan elaborates on how the environment of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood was highly engineered to enrich lives and future growth and how every script, song, and story was created in alignment with proven research that benefited children.

[12:13] Why warmth and safety are so important in creating space for curiosity, and the ways in which Fred Rogers embodied warmth and safety that unlocked learning for children.

[14:19] Gregg highlights other points of intentionality in Mister Rogers' Neighborhood that they uncovered while writing their book, When You Wonder, You're Learning.

[15:04] Why they incorporated many song lyrics into their book.

[16:22] Gregg shares what he believes Mister Roger was trying to evoke when he asked, "What might you do?" on his show.

[17:54] Mister Roger has said, "Listening is where love begins." What did Ryan learn about listening in writing the book?

[19:33] Gregg shares what he thinks Fred Rogers' advice would be today about working together and collaboration.

[21:35] As a writer, did Ryan find this book easy or hard to write?

[22:51] Gregg shares the main mission of their book, who they tried to address, and what they hoped to accomplish by writing it.

[24:58] About a powerful new tool that every teacher should be using with their students: The Well-Being Index by Turnaround for Children.

[25:50] Ryan shared what he learned about himself from working on this project and how he continues to learn going forward.

[27:44] What Ryan is doing to make himself a better writer and his advice for young writers.

[28:48] Gregg shared what he learned about himself from working on the book and how he continues to learn about the practice of philanthropy.

[30:50] Tom and Jessica thank Ryan and Gregg for joining the podcast!

Mentioned in This Episode:

When You Wonder, You're Learning: Mister Rogers' Enduring Lessons for Raising Creative, Curious, Caring Kids, by Gregg Behr and Ryan Rydzewski

Mister Rogers' Neighborhood

Gregg Behr's LinkedIn

Ryan Rydzewski's LinkedIn

The Grable Foundation

Remake Learning Teach for America

The Pittsburgh Foundation

Turnaround for Children

The Well-Being Index by Turnaround for Children

Getting Smart Podcast Ep. 208: "How to Raise Successful People with Esther Wojcicki"

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Today Tom is sitting down with Dr. Trish Scanlon, CEO and founder of SoapBox Labs. Dr. Scanlon is one of the foremost leaders in voice technology — especially with regards to children's voices. She has over 20 years of experience working in speech recognition technology, including Bell Laboratories and IBM. In 2018, Dr. Scanlon was named one of Forbes' top 50 "Women in Tech." In 2020, she was ranked sixth of seventeen global visionaries in voice by industry-leading publication, Voicebot.ai.

Listen in as Tom and Dr. Scanlon discuss the possibilities of voice technologies, why children pose a unique challenge in the field, and how tech can be keeping ethics and well-being at the center. Don't miss out on this A.I. deep-dive on learning, voice tech, and creating more access for learners with differences.

Key Takeaways:

[:08] About today's episode.

[:54] Tom welcomes Dr. Scanlon to the podcast.

[1:12] How did Dr. Scanlon become interested in voice technology?

[2:32] Was Dr. Scanlon able to find advisors 20 years ago in voice technology?

[3:50] Which machine learning tools are most useful in speech recognition?

[5:24] When did Dr. Scanlon recognize that speech recognition was particularly challenging for children?

[8:20] The origin story of Dr. Scanlon's company, SoapBox Labs.

[10:35] Dr. Scanlon explains the service that SoapBox Labs offers its clients.

[12:37] About the Turnaround for Children Toolbox.

[13:17] The current and planned applications for voice recognition, speech therapy, and voice tech in learning and development in the classroom.

[15:53] How they manage varying accents in speech technology.

[19:06] Discussing the challenges around the biases in voice recognition technology.

[21:45] Other categories of assisted tech that Dr. Scanlon is excited about with regards to how they can better serve and create more access for learners with differences.

[23:53] Is the next generation growing up as voice technology natives? How should we be managing or navigating this next generation of youth growing up as voice natives?

[27:04] What Dr. Scanlon thinks students and teachers should know about machine learning today, as well as how and where we should be introducing this topic in school.

[28:53] Why is Dublin a hot spot for ed-tech startups? Why have they become a world leader in technology?

[31:13] How does Dr. Scanlon continue her learning?

[32:26] Tom thanks Dr. Scanlon for joining the podcast.

Mentioned in This Episode:

SoapBox Labs

Dr. Trish Scanlon

Voicebot.ai

Toolbox | Turnaround for Children

TechCrunch

EdSurge

Getting Smart Podcast Ep. 258: "Flynn Coleman on a Human Algorithm"

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This week, Tom Vander Ark is joined by a group of young change-makers and Dr. Erin Raab, Chief Strategy Impact Officer of the Choice-filled Lives Network. Together, they discuss the "100 Days of Conversations" project, a collaborative project organized to catalyze conversations in communities across the country on each of the first 100 days of the new administration.

Alongside Erin, three young men are setting the stage for impactful and life-changing conversations in Minnesota. These young men are Jose Perez, Cole Stevens, and Walter Cortina. And together they run an organization called Bridgemakers.

Erin, Jose, Cole, and Walter share about the "100 Days of Conversations" project, Bridgemakers, and how it has impacted them, their communities, and the youth, parents, and system heads alike. The Getting Smart team loves the energy and urgency of this conversation as well as the continued emphasis on student voice. You will not want to miss out on this one!

Key Takeaways:

[:08] About today's episode.

[:53] Tom welcomes Dr. Erin Raab and the three young men to the podcast.

[1:11] Dr. Erin Raab speaks about her career and how reimagining education became a central part of her mission.

[2:43] Dr. Raab speaks about where the insight that community conversations are key to unlocking potential comes from.

[4:18] Dr. Raab shares about how she ran into the three young gentlemen accompanying her on the podcast today and what led them to work together.

[6:00] Walter introduces himself and explains what Bridgemakers is all about.

[6:49] Cole introduces himself and continues to share about what they do with Bridgemakers, the achievements they've had over the year, and how they tie in with the "100 Days of Conversations" project.

[10:40] Jose introduces himself and shares how he connected with Bridgemakers.

[12:58] Walter speaks about the other goals Bridgemaker is setting out to achieve.

[15:03] Walter shares how he got involved with this work.

[15:30] Walter shares how the High School for the Recording Arts (HSRA) has helped him do what he does today.

[16:22] Cole speaks about his high school experience and why it has driven a lot of his passion for school.

[17:57] Where did Cole's passion for difference-making and reimagining education come from?

[21:17] Dr. Raab shares more about the ins and outs of the "100 Days of Conversations" project.

[24:30] Walter shares more about his experience with being both a participant and host with the "100 Days of Conversations" project.

[25:42] Jose shares his own experience with the "100 Days of Conversations" project.

[28:03] Cole shares his own experience with the "100 Days of Conversations" project and how Bridgemakers helped him with his agency and confidence.

[29:28] Walter speaks about how both the youth and the adults come away from these conversations feeling enlightened and empowered.

[30:31] Are school administrators and system heads generally sponsoring these conversations? How are they involved and what are the hoped-for outcomes for them as well as the students and parents involved?

[33:19] How being a conversation host has changed Walter and the way he thinks about his path forward. Walter also shares what's next on his roadmap.

[35:00] Dr. Raab shares what's next for the "100 Days of Conversations" project. She also shares what she's learned through this initiative and the aspirations for change that she hopes will come as a result of it.

[38:32] Cole shares about his next steps and how he is going to take his Bridgemakers experience forward.

[42:05] Tom thanks all three young men for their leadership at Bridgemakers.

[42:17] Tom thanks Dr. Erin Raab for her work and she shares where to learn more about the "100 Days of Conversations" project.

Mentioned in This Episode:

Bridgemakers

Choice-filled Lives Network

Dr. Erin Raab | Choice-filled Lives Network

"100 Days of Conversations" Project | Choice-filled Lives Network

REENVISIONED

Human Restoration Project

Local Voices Network

Youthprise

High School for the Recording Arts (HSRA)

Difference Making at the Heart of Learning: Students, Schools, and Communities Alive With Possibility, by Tom Vander Ark and Emily Liebtag

Get Involved:

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Welcome back to the Nevada Succeeds mini-series! This three-part series is all about leadership, innovation, and education opportunities within Nevada Succeeds — a Las Vegas-based education non-profit focused on empowering systems transformation through educator impact, policy, and design-thinking.

This third part with Nevada Succeeds marks the finale of the series. Tom is joined by return guest Jeanine Collins, as well as Dr. Marion Smith, Dr. Kaleb Rashad, and Eric Chagala.

Jeanine Collins is the founder and Executive Director of Nevada Succeeds; an Adjunct Faculty at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas; and the Founder and Principal at Reflect Forward. Dr. Marion Smith is the Superintendent of Summit School District, Colorado. His Racial Equity Adaptive Leadership framework (R.E.A.L) is key to the Nevada Succeeds fellowship program design. Dr. Kaleb Rashad is the Creative Director of the High Tech High Graduate School of Education. Eric Chagala is the founding principal of the Vista Innovation & Design Academy (VIDA). Together, Kaleb and Eric have been hard at work on a new initiative called Unlocked, a Black-led 501(c)3 education non-profit, where they have had an instrumental influence on the mindset and methodology of the Nevada Succeeds' InspirED Fellowship.

In this episode, Jeanine, Dr. Smith, Dr. Rashad, and Eric discuss the future of leadership, preparation, and development, how they all connected and came to be collaborators with Nevada Succeeds, what human-centered and equity-focused design means to them, the importance of creative leadership, and their thoughts on how we can all become more thoughtful school and community leaders.

Key Takeaways:

[:04] About the Nevada Succeeds mini-series.

[1:22] About the third and final part of the series.

[2:10] Tom welcomes special guest, Jeanine Collins, back to the podcast!

[2:44] Jeanine introduces Dr. Marion Smith and shares how they originally connected.

[4:29] Dr. Marion Smith shares about his career journey and rich educational history!

[5:43] How did Dr. Marion Smith develop his racial equity adaptive leadership framework? What is it about and what does it aim to accomplish?

[8:58] Jeanine shares why the framework resonates so much with her and why she wanted to incorporate it into the Nevada Succeeds fellowship.

[11:04] Tom welcomes Dr. Kaleb Rashad and Eric Chagala to the podcast!

[11:51] Kaleb shares how he and Eric came together to create Unlocked, a Black-led 501(c)3 education non-profit.

[14:03] Jeanine shares what she loves about Eric and Kaleb and why she wanted to get them involved with Nevada Succeeds.

[16:24] Eric explains what human-centered and equity-focused design means when it comes to VIDA and Unlocked.

[18:32] Eric shares some practical examples of human-centered and equity-focused design and the results that it brings.

[20:48] Marion speaks about what human-centered and equity-focused design means at a system level.

[24:27] What is creative leadership? And why is it more important than ever?

[28:22] Jeanine elaborates on how they keep the spirit and message of equity and justice alive amongst the Nevada Succeeds fellows!

[30:08] On the Unlocked website, there is a quote about inviting kids to do work that really matters to them and their community. Eric elaborates on this and shares how, at VIDA, they are "tending to the souls of schools."

[31:24] Dr. Smith speaks about the kinds of experiences that people would benefit the most from in terms of preparing them to be thoughtful school and community leaders.

[34:58] Kaleb shares about the ways in which we can prepare people to be thoughtful school and community leaders.

[39:35] Eric shares how he believes people can become more thoughtful school and community leaders.

[41:20] Jeanine shares what is on Nevada Succeeds' roadmap and what she hopes to accomplish in the future.

[43:11] Tom thanks everyone for joining the podcast!

[43:40] Shawnee concludes the Nevada Succeeds three-part mini-series!

Mentioned in This Episode:

Rashawn "Shawnee" Caruthers | Getting Smart

Nevada Succeeds

Nevada Succeeds InspirED Global Fellowship

Jeanine Collins' LinkedIn

Dr. Marion Smith Jr.'s LinkedIn

Summit School District, Colorado

Educate to Liberate Consulting

Dr. Kaleb Rashad's Website

High Tech High (HTH)Eric Chagala's Website

Vista Innovation & Design Academy (VIDA)

Unlocked

Getting Smart Podcast Ep. 263: "Kaleb Rashad on Race and Education in America"

Difference Making at the Heart of Learning: Students, Schools, and Communities Alive With Possibility, by Tom Vander Ark and Emily Liebtag

Getting Smart Podcast Ep. 314: "Up Close with Nevada Succeeds: Origins of the InspirED Fellowship" (Part 1)

Getting Smart Podcast Ep. 316: "Up Close with Nevada Succeeds: Leading State Learning Transformation" (Part 2)

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In this week's episode, Tom is sitting down once again with special guest, Pavel Luksha.

Pavel Luksha is a leading education futurist. He's a Professor of Practice at Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO, the Director and founder of Global Education Futures, and serves on the advisory board for Whittle School and Studios. What drives Pavel forward is creating a world that works for everyone. He's a global thinker and change catalyst focused on creating the discipline of social ecosystem gardening.

Recently, Pavel contributed to a new future of skills report that is one of the best that the Getting Smart team has seen on the subject! The report was a collaboration between Global Education Future, WorldSkills Russia, and WorldSkills International and is titled, "Future Skills for the 2020s: A New Hope." It summarizes interviews that Pavel conducted with leaders and experts all over the world and focuses on the three overarching skills that are needed to build a thriving future for all. These skills are: 1) Collaborate, adapt, and transform 2) Embrace future-orientations and technological tools, and 3) Embody well-being of people and planet as our primary purpose.

Listen in as Tom and Pavel discuss what learners need to know and why we live in a VUCA place. If you're working on a new portrait of a graduate (or a graduate profile) and are thinking about the skills that your learners will need in the 2020s, this is a must-listen-to episode!

Key Takeaways:

[:10] About today's episode with Pavel Luksha.

[:45] Tom welcomes Pavel back to the Getting Smart Podcast!

[1:42] As a world traveler, how has the last year been for Pavel without any international travel?

[2:52] How were GEF, WorldSkills, and Pavel able to conduct this study during a global pandemic?

[4:05] Pavel talks about the volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) world and how 2020 gave people the experience of a pandemic, one of the aspects of the VUCA world.

[4:47] Tom outlines the three overarching skills that the report covers and Pavel speaks about the first of the three, "Collaborate, adapt, and transform," and why it is so critical.

[8:25] Pavel speaks about the increasing mutuality towards embracing well-being, as well as some of the counter-trends that they are seeing during the pandemic.

[10:52] Pavel shares about the megatrends in the report that are transforming the nature of the global economy: Digitalization, Globalization, and Environmentalization.

[15:03] Pavel elaborates on this idea of life-centered, transformative, regenerative, and circular economies — and why experts see this as a likely scenario.

[17:00] Pavel gives advice to education leaders and highlights the factors that they should be thinking about in the 2020s.

[20:05] Pavel elaborates on how education leaders should lean into artificial intelligence, big data, and exponential technologies.

[22:12] Why Tom loves "Future Skills for the 2020s" report.

[23:12] Pavel shares why they went sector-by-sector in the report.

[24:12] Pavel has also released an in-depth report on learning ecosystems titled, "Learning Ecosystems: An Emerging Praxis for the Future of Education." Pavel elaborates on what a learning ecosystem is and why they are worth studying.

[30:38] Pavel provides some examples of what a healthy learning ecosystem looks like.

[34:30] How does Pavel keep productive and stay focused on his learning even in the midst of a global pandemic?

[36:46] Tom thanks Pavel for joining the podcast once again!

Mentioned in This Episode:

Pavel Luksha (LinkedIn)

Getting Smart Podcast Ep. 223: "Pavel Luksha on Educating for Purpose, Potential, and the Planet"

Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO

"Future Skills for the 2020s," Report by GEF, WorldSkills Russia, and WorldSkills International

Global Education Futures

WorldSkills Russia

WorldSkills International

"Learning Ecosystems: An Emerging Praxis for the Future of Education," Report by GEF and Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO

Dream a Dream

Get Involved:

Check out the blog at GettingSmart.com.

Find the Getting Smart Podcast on iTunes, leave a review, and subscribe.

Is There Somebody You've Been Wanting to Learn From or a Topic You'd Like Covered?

To get in contact: Email Editor@GettingSmart.com and include 'Podcast' in the subject line.

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Welcome back to the Nevada Succeeds mini-series with your hosts, Rashawn "Shawnee" Caruthers and Tom Vander Ark! This three-part series is all about leadership, innovation, and education opportunities within Nevada Succeeds — a Las Vegas-based education non-profit focused on empowering systems transformation through educator impact, policy, and design-thinking.

In this second part of the three-part series with Nevada Succeeds, Shawnee Caruthers and Tom Vander Ark welcome Nevada State Superintendent, Jhone Ebert; Nevada Succeeds Executive Director, Jeanine Collins; as well as two teachers and InspirED Global fellows, Mike Lang and Jordana McCudden.

Jhone Ebert is the Superintendent of Public Instruction at the Nevada Department of Education. Previously, she was the Senior Deputy Commissioner for Education Policy of the New York State Education Department and the Chief Innovation and Productivity Officer at Clark County School District. Jeanine Collins is the Executive Director of Nevada Succeeds; an Adjunct Faculty at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas; and the founder and Principal at Reflect Forward. Mike Lang is a Technology Teacher at Clark County School District who prides himself on innovation and teaching the whole student. Jordana McCudden is a teacher, instructional coach, and project facilitator at the Clark County School District. She has worked in education for 20-plus years and strives to have a positive impact on classrooms across the state.

Together, they discuss Nevada Succeeds's InspireED Global Fellowship, why they find it so valuable as educators and leaders, how it has impacted their future plans and outlook on education, and how it has helped aid their journeys (especially during a global pandemic).

Be sure to tune in (and stay tuned for part three of the series coming next week)!

Key Takeaways:

[:04] About the Nevada Succeeds mini-series.

[1:23] About the second part of the three-part mini-series.

[1:38] Tom welcomes special guests, Jhone Ebert, Jeanine Collins, Michael Lane, and Jordana McCudden.

[2:21] Jhone Ebert gives the lay of the land in Nevada and speaks about how many students and schools there are.

[3:11] The state of affairs of education in Nevada, particularly in Clark County.

[6:53] In addition to the pandemic, what other priorities has Jhone Ebert set for her department as Superintendent?

[11:04] Jeanine speaks about Nevada Succeeds and how she and Superintendent Ebert connected.

[13:38] Mike shares how he learned about the InspireED Global Fellowship, what he did in it, and why he found it valuable.

[16:15] What it has been like for Mike to teach during a pandemic, how he has helped other teachers adjust their practice this year, and important lessons he thinks we should take with us, post-pandemic.

[19:04] Jordanna speaks about her role in Clark County, how she became an InspireED Global fellow, and how it has impacted the way she is thinking about her future plans.

[23:22] Has helping to shape education policies statewide been a byproduct of some of Jordanna's leadership activities?

[25:01] Jhone Ebert shares her excitement and gratefulness for sharing space with incredible educators and leaders.

[26:17] Jeanine speaks more about the incredible Nevada Succeeds InspirED Global Fellowship and why it is so important — especially right now.

[28:20] Mike speaks about his week going forward as an educator.

[29:28] Tom thanks everyone for joining the podcast.

Mentioned in This Episode:

Rashawn "Shawnee" Caruthers | Getting Smart

Nevada Succeeds

Nevada Succeeds InspirED Global Fellowship

Jeanine Collins' LinkedIn

Jhone Ebert's LinkedIn

Mike Lang's LinkedIn

Jordana McCudden's LinkedIn

Las Vegas Sands

Getting Smart's Newest Report: "20 Invention Opportunities in Learning & Development"

Get Involved:

Check out the blog at GettingSmart.com.

Find the Getting Smart Podcast on iTunes, leave a review, and subscribe.

Is There Somebody You've Been Wanting to Learn From or a Topic You'd Like Covered?

To get in contact: Email Editor@GettingSmart.com and include "Podcast" in the subject line.

The Getting Smart team will be sure to add them to their list!