Today I'm launching MarylandBlueprint.com — and opening it to just 25 education leaders.

In this episode, I’m joined by two Baltimore leaders advancing career readiness at scale, Brady Wheeler, Senior Program Manager for the Baltimore City Career Coach Initiative at the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development, and Eric Roberts, Director of Post-Secondary Success at Baltimore City Public Schools.

Together, we dive into Maryland Blueprint Pillar 3 (college & career readiness) and what it takes to implement career coaching for students in grades 6–12, including the state’s ambitious goal that 45% of graduates will complete a registered apprenticeship or earn an industry-recognized credential by 2030–2031.

Baltimore City’s approach has scaled quickly now supporting 115 schools with 46 career coaches, reaching 73% of middle schoolers and 55% of high school students. Last year, coaches facilitated 2,000+ events and engaged 500+ employer partners to expand access to real career exploration opportunities.

Top 3 Insights: 

We close with what’s next: stronger shared systems, aligned professional learning, and better data visibility so every team member can support students more seamlessly.

Government for Good: Why Implementation Matters Now More Than Ever

I once sat in Baltimore City Hall watching Mayor O'Malley review data dashboards tracking everything from potholes to crime stats. "Show me your data," he'd demand of department heads. This wasn't political theater—it was government using evidence to serve people effectively.

As we face critical challenges in governance today, the question isn't about right vs. left politics. It's about whether we'll use evidence to lift all people, with targeted support for those who need it most.

At EdScale, we're committed to this vision in education—focusing on implementation, the critical space between plans and results. We help leaders ask: What are our priorities? What does evidence say works? How do we track progress and course correct?

The stakes are our children's futures. The choice is between evidence-based governance that serves all people or power-based governance that serves itself.

Kicking off the new year with highlights in our end-of-year podcast compilation featuring incredible education leaders and practitioners. 🎉

Throughout the second half of the year, we had the pleasure of recording conversations with leaders who are doing the hard, real work of implementing change across education systems—and this episode brings together some of the moments that resonated most with our listeners.

Key insights from this compilation include:

A huge thank you to Laura Weeldreyer, Derek Mitchell, Joanna Staib, Jon Wickert, and Dr. Maria Navarro for sharing their insights, experience, and leadership.

As we head into the new year, we’re grateful for these conversations—and excited to keep learning alongside leaders committed to improving outcomes for students, educators, and communities.

In this episode, I’m joined by two of Delaware’s workforce and CTE leaders — Joanna Staib, Statewide Coordinator of Delaware’s new Office of Workforce Development, and Dr. Jon Wickert, Director of Career & Technical Education at the Delaware Department of Education.

Top 3 Insights: 

Links mentioned for show notes:

In this special episode, I celebrate the two-year anniversary of my book How to Implement (Just About) Anything, now available as an audiobook on Audible!

I share reflections on what has changed and what still holds true about implementation since the book’s release, and introduce a short excerpt from one of the book’s most practical insights for leaders driving change in real-world systems.

Links mentioned from show notes:

Listen to the audiobook: How to Implement (Just About) Anything – Audible

Explore all episodes: EdScale Podcast

Go See the Work: What Delaware's Early Literacy Site Visits Revealed

Delaware is tackling early literacy with purpose and precision. In this episode, we explore what happened when Secretary of Education Cindy Marten and her team visited the work in action across five schools.

NEW EPISODE: Where High-Quality & Diverse Teachers Drive Student Success

Top 3 Insights:

The Blueprint reforms aren't just policy—they're changing how educators work together while keeping excellent teachers in classrooms through meaningful career advancement.

For Father's Day, I was given a family-friendly cooking class from my wife and boys (3rd and 6th grade). The experience reminded me of how cooking and education have quite a bit in common. Including cuts and burns!