Dr. Shannon Wanless has written about psychological safety in education, and Tracy and Jim dig deep to find out what exactly it looks like.  Dr. Wanless explains that there is fear psychological safety could be overused or misunderstood in education and in general circles.  She stresses that our goal is not to create a safe space for everyone but to create a space where humanity is centered and where everyone has the opportunity to express their true feelings, whether they be unsafe, anxious, or fearful.  Tracy inquires about the course Dr. Wanless has created with her colleagues about attentional practices.  What are attentional practices?  Find out from this episode.  Finally, can school systems adapt to better represent a culture of safety and humanity?  Dr. Wanless thinks that may not be entirely necessary.  Get ready to be inspired!

littlethings1st.com

On today's podcast, Tracy and Jim interview Dr. Mara Tieken, a scholar of rural education. who has published a book called WHY RURAL SCHOOLS MATTER.  Here, Dr. Tieken discusses what she has learned about the topic and the little things that make a difference in rural settings.  A major misnomer of rural settings is that they are predominantly white; however, demographics are quickly changing and equity needs to be prioritized. Are you in an urban or suburban setting and think this podcast is not for you?  Find out why you should care about rural schools!

littlethings1st.com

Tracy and Jim re-interview Karin Chenoweth, one of our first podcast guests, to discuss her new book DISTRICTS THAT SUCCEED about the role that districts play in systemic change and sustainability.  Karin talks about some of the flatlining that has occurred across the nation especially in reading, except for recent rising scores in Mississippi.  She discusses some of the work Mississippi has specifically been doing with regard to the science of reading, a topic that Karin has explored on her podcast EXTRAORDINARY DISTRICTS.  

https://edtrust.org/extraordinary-districts/

How Principals Affect Students and Schools: A Systematic Synthesis of Two Decades of Research

CCSSO's A Nation of Readers

littlethings1st.com

This week, we interview award-winning middle school principal Jeremy LaCrosse, the principal of Altona Middle in Colorado.  In this episode, we discuss the school's move toward inquiry-based learning practices, providing choices to students in their own learning.  We also discuss the role of design thinking in making learning more personalized.  At Altona, Jeremy and his staff have made technology an amplifier of this learning process and have truly created an environment of risk-tasking, among the entire community, where innovation is celebrated.  

littlethings1st.com

Eric Sheninger is a national coach, author, and educational expert who talks about change in education and how to embrace an environment that might look different from that with which we are comfortable.  Tracy, Jim and Eric discuss everything from personalized learning, competency-based grading, cell phones in the classroom (bring your own device), and modeling the learning that we expect.  

littlethings1st.com

Joel Asiala is the award-winning Principal at Horizons Alternative High School in Michigan.  In this podcast, he shares how he is using a trauma-informed approach to change the trajectories of his students and how he is influencing the direction of high schools in his area.  Mr. Asiala discusses his team;'s student-first approach  that really focuses on the whole child.  Find out what little things Principal Asiala and Horizons are discovering make a difference for some of our harder-to-reach students.

littlethings1st.com

In January, controversy rocked the quiet school district of Murray Utah as a student asked his teacher to read one of his books to the class.  The book happened to be one of Kyle Luckoff's Max adventures featuring a child identifying as transgender.  The move sparked a controversy that threatened to challenge an equity book program in Murray School District.  Similar reactions have taken place elsewhere across the country, leaving Tracy and Jim to wonder, "What are the little things that educators ought to be doing to ensure that all voices are represented in the classroom?"  A former school librarian, Kyle Luckoff shares his perspectives and stories with "Little Things First."  

littlethings1st.com

Dr. Kevin Leichtman spent years teaching and collected many stories of impact through those years.  While many educators keep those stories locked away, Dr. Leichtman decided to use them for good.  He interviewed ten of his former students to discuss how schools made a difference for them.  In this journey, Dr. Leichtman discovered the importance of student voice and found out, from the students themselves, how school can do a better job of centering student voices for more equitable school environments.  He published these ten stories in THE PERFECT TEN, a book that just came out this month.  

littlethings1st.com