What does it actually take to support the adults who shape our youngest learners? Nicol Russell, chief academic officer at Teaching Strategies, argues that early educators deserve the same intentional investment as engineers, not treatment as replaceable hires. Dr. Nneka McGee, founder of Muon Global, brings that same philosophy to how five year olds encounter AI, starting with conversation instead of screens. Both guests land on the same idea from different angles: good tools fail without good follow-through.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

• Nicol Russell points to a study out of NIEER at Rutgers that found teacher retention increased 23 percentage points when curriculum, assessment, and coaching functioned as one connected system rather than separate tools.
• Russell draws a line between teacher exhaustion and burnout, and she recommends that program leaders protect a set block of time each week where teachers have complete control over how it is used.
• Dr. Nneka McGee led a session at ISTELive that pairs Play-Doh with generative AI, using the activity to teach young learners about anthropomorphism while building creative thinking and questioning skills.
• McGee recommends introducing AI to young children through conversation rather than devices, citing both her own research on early learner readiness and guardrails like COPPA that already limit generative AI use for this age group.

STORIES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Story 1

We Talk About Whole Children. What About Whole Educators? by Nicol Russell

Story 2

AI for Young Learners (Jump Start Guide) by Nneka McGee

STAY CONNECTED

• Subscribe to EdSurge newsletters at edsurge.com.
• Find the latest education news at edsurge.com/news.
• Follow EdSurge on LinkedIn, X, Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram.

HOST AND CONTRIBUTORS

Host: Ira Apfel

Featuring:

• Nicol Russell, Chief Academic Officer, Teaching Strategies
• Dr. Nneka McGee, Founder, Muon Global

Helping Students Find Work They'll Love: Career Readiness in the Real World

As industries evolve and the skills gap widens, the question remains: How can we better connect education to employment? 

In this episode of The Idea Spark, host Carl Hooker welcomes Jennifer Wilkerson, VP of Innovations and Advancements at NCCER (National Center for Construction Education and Research), and Andy Dunaway, Product Manager, Career Connected Learning at Pearson. Together, they explore how credentialing, industry alignment, and strong partnerships help students move from the classroom to meaningful careers. Using construction as a lens, this conversation highlights scalable strategies for building career-ready pathways across CTE programs and beyond.

This week's episode of The Idea Spark is brought to you by Pearson, NCCER, and the EdSurge Solutions Studio team.

Carl Hooker brings us a live podcast from the ISTE+ASCD conference in San Antonio, Texas. He connects with conference attendees, friends old and new, asking each to share a problem they're working to solve in their corner of the education world — or, as Carl puts it: “Tell me your idea spark."

Carl sits down with Lexi Daly, Learning Innovation Coordinator and Reading Teacher at Trinity Episcopal School in New Orleans. Find out how this self-proclaimed non-coder creates her own mini-games using AI.

This episode of The Idea Spark is brought to you by EdSurge Solutions Studio.

Carl Hooker brings us a live podcast from the ISTE+ASCD conference in San Antonio, Texas. He connects with conference attendees, friends old and new, asking each to share a problem they're working to solve in their corner of the education world — or, as Carl puts it: “Tell me your idea spark."

In this episode, Carl sits down with Heather Brantley, Events and Community Specialist at Curipod. Listen to find out how Curipod replaces an expected AI bot with a human!

This episode of The Idea Spark is brought to you by EdSurge Solutions Studio.

Carl Hooker brings us a live podcast from the ISTE+ASCD conference in San Antonio, Texas. He connects with conference attendees, friends old and new, asking each to share a problem they're working to solve in their corner of the education world — or, as Carl puts it: “Tell me your idea spark."

Carl sits down with Bria Jones. Her title is Customer Success, Wakelet & bulb, and in this role she is focusing on the curation space for both educators and learners. Find out how Bria defines an “unexpected idea spark."

This episode of The Idea Spark is brought to you by EdSurge Solutions Studio.

Carl Hooker brings us a live podcast from the ISTE+ASCD conference in San Antonio, Texas. He connects with conference attendees, friends old and new, asking each to share a problem they're working to solve in their corner of the education world — or, as Carl puts it: “Tell me your idea spark."

Carl sits down with Leonardo Ortiz Villacorta (aka Leo). Leo is a leader in communications, global social impact, and public affairs at Pokemon. Find out which Pokemon character Leo would choose to be!

This episode of The Idea Spark is brought to you by EdSurge Solutions Studio.

Carl Hooker brings us a live podcast from the ISTE+ASCD conference in San Antonio, Texas. He connects with conference attendees, friends old and new, asking each to share a problem they're working to solve in their corner of the education world — or, as Carl puts it: “Tell me your idea spark."

Carl sits down with Victoria Andrews. She’s Partner, Professional Learning at Getting Smart, focusing on closing the gap in AI media literacy. Next time you’re in Texas, find out what this San Antonio native considers her don’t-miss-place-to-eat!

This episode of The Idea Spark is brought to you by EdSurge Solutions Studio.

Carl Hooker brings us a live podcast from the ISTE+ASCD conference in San Antonio, Texas. He connects with conference attendees, friends old and new, asking each to share a problem they're working to solve in their corner of the education world — or, as Carl puts it: “Tell me your idea spark."

In this episode, Carl sits down with Jerod Wright, a teacher and former coach who now teaches business and technology in the Frenship Independent School District in Lubbock, Texas. Find out Jerod’s secret to getting kids to go from “ugh!” to “yes!”.

This episode of The Idea Spark is brought to you by EdSurge Solutions Studio.

Carl Hooker brings us a live podcast from the ISTE+ASCD conference in San Antonio, Texas. He connects with conference attendees, friends old and new, asking each to share a problem they're working to solve in their corner of the education world — or, as Carl puts it: “Tell me your idea spark."

In this episode, Carl sits down with Peggy Hammond. She teaches technical theater at the Alabama School of Fine Arts.She has an innovative idea for a live podcast of her own! 

This episode of The Idea Spark is brought to you by EdSurge Solutions Studio.

Carl Hooker brings us a live podcast from the ISTE+ASCD conference in San Antonio, Texas. He connects with conference attendees, friends old and new, asking each to share a problem they're working to solve in their corner of the education world — or, as Carl puts it: “Tell me your idea spark."

In this episode, Carl sits down with Barbara Bray, an author, speaker, podcaster, coach, story weaver, and difference-maker who is passionate about transforming teaching and learning. 

This episode of The Idea Spark is brought to you by EdSurge Solutions Studio.