Intersections - Conversations at the Intersections of Mobility. Education. Equity. Tech

Boy 2021 has gone by quickly!  Even in the midst of a pandemic, Go Together is busy having conversations with schools and school districts to continues on the journey of providing CarpooltoSchool the best transportation option in the suite of options available to parents. We were recently featured in the Wall Street Journal discussing how parents are facing a pandemic of their own getting their kids safely to and from schools and how CarpooltoSchool helps them reduce the stress of driving every day and to do it with a trusted community. Schools and districts save on costs for routes and buses plus embrace the reality that most parents want to and will continue to drive their kids to and from school cause it works best for them. 

We'll kick of Season 3 with a conversation with Elizabeth Stocks, a K-12 Transportation leader, Program Manager at a private school in CA and an ecosystem leader leading conversations with her peers around the opportunities and frustrations of safely getting kids to and from school. 

I'll also end the year with Keith Byrd, my Executive Coach to discuss what happened with me in 2021! Did I achieve what we talked about? What's left to do.  

It's going to be a great season!  Can't wait for you to listen in! 

Kimberly Moore interviews Jason B. Allen, a Special Education teacher in Atlanta, Georgia. Jason has worked in Education for over fifteen (15) years as a teacher and leader servicing students, families and communities. He uses the platform to empower Black male educators to advocate for social justice through his work with Profound Gentlemen. As an education activist and blogger (EdLanta), Jason actively speaks and writes on ways to improve educational outcomes. He is a member of the Association of American Educators (AAE) and an AAE Foundation Advocacy Fellow.

Kimberly Moore speaks with Carl Allen, CEO at 4Mativ about school transportation pre-COVID, during COVID and the return to in-person learning. Carl is President & COO of 4Mativ.  Carl previously served COO/CFO for the Harvest Network of Schools in Minneapolis and Boston Public School’s Director of Transportation. 

During COVID, schools are needing their services to do different things than what their services had done previously. We talk about how school districts  will need to rethink school transportation.  Part of 4Mativ's theory is that schools need school transportation departments and school districts need to be more variable cost organizations and be less beholden to a set of fixed costs that are over capacitated, or not fully utilized. 4Mativ works to minimize the reliance on fixed costs and try to help districts identify other variable or diverse options to better meet their flexible needs as well as simultaneously looking at their fixed assets and how do they best utilize them.

We kick off this week's podcast with Garrison Grow, Go Together's Safe Passage Team Lead continuing our conversation with Phillip Burgoyne-Allen about school transportation and equity.  School Choice is a 21st Century solution to education options for students to be in the education setting where they will thrive. What's key is getting there.  Is it really School Choice if the student can't there?  Listen in as Phillip shares some of the dynamics that complicate achieving true equity. 

Phillip Burgoyne-Allen is a former policy analyst at Bellwether Education Partners.  During his time at Bellwether, he worked on education policy with a frequent emphasis on transportation efficiency and environmental impact. Currently, he works at AASHTO, the nonprofit association representing the departments of transportation in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. At AASHTO, his work focuses on transportation and environment policy.

Garrison Grow joined the Go Together team after his recent graduation from the University of Virginia, where he achieved Highest Distinction and degrees in English and Public Policy & Leadership. While at the University, Garrison was a steadfast advocate for survivors of gender-based violence and lead several peer education organizations, earning the honor of Lawn Resident during his fourth year. He also served the City of Charlottesville as a Biking and Pedestrian Intern, where he leveraged data, research, grassroots organizing, and stakeholder relationships to create Safe Routes to School strategies and equitable bike ped policy. His interest in the intersection of education policy, equity, and transportation makes him a great fit for Go Together’s mission. 

In this episode of  Intersections, Kimberly Moore, CEO and Garrison Grow, Safe Passage Team Lead interviewed Phillip Burgoyne-Allen for two-part interview series. Burgoyne-Allen is a former policy analyst at Bellwether Education Partner.  A partner with Bellwether Education, Jennifer joined us recently to discuss the school transportation landscape. Phillip co-authored Intersection Ahead: School Transportation, School Integration, and School Choice and Miles to Go: Bringing School Transportation into the 21st Century with Jennifer. 

During his time at Bellwether, Phillip worked on education policy with a frequent emphasis on transportation efficiency and environmental impact. Currently, he works at AASHTO, the nonprofit association representing the departments of transportation in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. At AASHTO, his work focuses on transportation and environment policy.

Garrison Grow joined the Go Together team after his recent graduation from the University of Virginia, where he achieved Highest Distinction and degrees in English and Public Policy & Leadership. While at the University, Garrison was a steadfast advocate for survivors of gender-based violence and lead several peer education organizations, earning the honor of Lawn Resident during his fourth year. He also served the City of Charlottesville as a Biking and Pedestrian Intern, where he leveraged data, research, grassroots organizing, and stakeholder relationships to create Safe Routes to School strategies and equitable bike ped policy. His interest in the intersection of education policy, equity, and transportation makes him a great fit for Go Together’s mission.

Listen in as Phillip gives us an expert’s insight on equity in transportation. 

School Choice is creating education options that really seek to educate children uniquely to their interests, learning styles and robust curriculum. But is it a choice if students can't get there?   Jennifer Schiess, partner with Bellwether Education Partners leading the Policy and Evaluation team, joins us today to talk about how today's school transportation is a 20th century transportation solution to 21st century education. Yes, there have been technology innovation for buses. Parents demand more transparency and accountability for how their children get to and from school and where they are on the journey.  Candidly I do a little leading of the witness to highlight the need for innovation and what are the obstacles that make it tough.  Bellwether Education's report - The Challenges and Opportunities in School Transportation Today- states that "America’s fleet of school buses is more than twice the size of all other forms of mass transit combined, including bus, rail, and airline transportation."  It's a $24B industry serving only 33% of children attending K12 schools.  Parents have spoken - 54% drive their children to and from school and 13% either walk or take public transportation.  

This is the second episode with Keith Byrd, Kimberly Moore's Performance Coach.  In episode one, Keith and Kimberly talk about their work together that put Kimberly on the path of knowing her superpowers and having the energy to optimize the business and herself.  His multi-discipline approach started with sleep to today includes meditation, breathing exercises and more.  Listen in today as Keith and Kimberly talk about 2021, preparing for a good year and why it's important to have your own VisionKeeper. 

To reach Keith Byrd, you can reach him at 888.288.1546 Downtown DC Hypnosis and Executive Coaching.

We're closing out 2020 with a conversation with Keith Byrd, Kimberly Moore's Performance Coach.  Keith and Kimberly have worked together since 2017 with a focus on helping her have the energy (physical, emotional and mental), gain the mindset needed to discover and work from her SUPERPOWER.  They talked about the power of sleep, how hard it is to change old patterns and the importance of gratitude in reflecting back on 2020.  Listen and hear Keith's unique approach to guiding me through the adventure of my life as CEO of Go Together.  If you want to connect with Keith Byrd, you can reach him at 888.288.1546 Downtown DC Hypnosis and Executive Coaching.

Join us for episode 2 of this conversation where we discuss 2021.  Who's your VisionKeeper? 

Thanks for listening! 

Now more than ever, it’s important to show our gratitude for school administrators, staff, and faculty. With the pandemic, our educators are being asked to take on even more than what is normally asked of them. They’ve had to be flexible, adaptable, and resilient. Here are some ways we can thank them. To learn more about supporting teachers as well as managing education and transportation during COVID-19, visit www.carpooltoschool.com

In a world where we have been consumed with the elections, reopening of schools, what's happening with our families and staying safe during the Coronavirus, it seemed like a good time to pause from it all.  Some recently asked me how we - Go Together, Inc. - were doing and how we were navigating these turbulent times.  I take a few moments to share my initial thoughts and how we made our path forward.