In this episode, host Jethro Jones welcomes Derek Mitchell, CEO of Partners in School Innovation, to discuss the evolving role of schools post-pandemic, the importance of community partnerships, and innovative solutions to chronic challenges like truancy. Derek shares insights on leadership, the need for equity-centered school improvement, and practical strategies for principals to become transformative leaders.

• Hope coming out of the pandemic
• Hoped that role that schools play would be appreciated. 
• Schools have also made families feel less invited. 
• Think about how to expand schools beyond their four walls
• Partner with Parents
• Schools aren’t prepared for 
• Truancy epidemic - See Jethro’s TedX Talk about Absenteeism
• Partnered with a local laundromat to put laundry in the school
• Listen to the broader community. 
• 3 reasons why adults don’t do what they should to help kids learn. Skills, will, plan.
• How to be a transformative principal? Manage your time more strategically. 1. Plan space between things 2. Schedule blocks of time in classrooms

About Derek Mitchell

Derek Mitchell has been the CEO of Partners in School Innovation since 2009. Under Derek’s leadership of “Partners,” the organization has adapted to a dynamic educational landscape and grown to address an expanding need for equity-centered school improvement. Partners has joined with national funders such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and the W. Clement & Jessie V. Stone Foundation to help educators build their capacity to serve some of the most challenged communities in the United States. 

Along the way, Dr. Mitchell has published reflections about Partners’ work in a variety of journals and blogs such as Phi Delta Kappan, EdSource, and Leadership magazine.

In addition, Derek has recently been a fellow of The Gratitude Network and is currently a fellow of the Pahara Institute. He is also a member of the board of trustees for the California Academy of Sciences and for Pitzer College.

Before coming to Partners, he earned a Ph.D. in educational psychology from UCLA; served as the director of technology and student achievement for the Oakland Unified School District in California; supported district-wide reform across the country for the Stupski Foundation; and was the executive director of the Opportunity Zone in Prince George’s County in Maryland.

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