Brad Smith never intended to enter the education realm.  He was a lawyer by trade, albeit a concerned citizen.  Mr. Smith talks about how he got roped into educational politics and how this took him on a multi-year journey to the Superintendency of Ogden School District in Utah and eventually to the highest position in the state--State Superintendent of Schools.  Mr. Smith talks about what he learned from this journey that can help others make some I'm portent steps to lasting educational reform.  

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Stay tuned until the end of this episode for a special invitation from Tracy and Jim!

Social Studies has taken a backseat in recent years to subject areas that are core tested.  This has been detrimental to our commitment to raise worldly young people ready to tackle the challenges of the world in proactive ways.  Dr. Ruchi Rangnath has written three books that take a close look at social studies as an instrument for social justice teaching in classrooms and schools.  Social studies has the potential to engage students in powerful ways, most noteworthy by inspiring their sense of purpose and fairness.  Find out the little things we can start doing now to reenergize social studies for social justice!

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Tracy and Jim read THE PROGRESS PRINCIPLE by Teresa Amibile and Steven Kramer and talk about its implications for educational reform.  It seems Tracy and Jim's theory about little things first comes with some empirical evidence.  In this case, the evidence is out of the business and management world but with incredible ties to the work educators do every day.  Find out how Tracy and Jim interpret key points from the book!  Join the discussion by at the Little Things First Facebook page or by submitting a message!

www.littlethingsfirst.com

Stay tuned until the end of this episode for a special invitation from Tracy and Jim!  

Social Studies has taken a backseat in recent years to subject areas that are core tested.  This has been detrimental to our commitment to raise worldly young people ready to tackle the challenges of the world in proactive ways.  Dr. Ruchi Rangnath has written three books that take a close look at social studies as an instrument for social justice teaching in classrooms and schools.  Social studies has the potential to engage students in powerful ways, most noteworthy by inspiring their sense of purpose and fairness.  Find out the little things we can start doing now to reenergize social studies for social justice!

www.littlethings1st.com

Jessica Vidal claims Utah as her home, but in working for Ed Direction, she has had the opportunity to glimpse the inner workings of school systems across the United States.  In particular, Jessica described some of the little things she has seen successful in professional learning community (PLC) meetings.  Jessica talks about her experiences and learnings and shares some protocols for success that can be replicated elsewhere.  

Tracy and Jim are back at it--another chat and chew.  If you loved our episode on rigor, you are going to relish our discussion about accountability, which has really gotten a bad rap in education circles.  We unpack the concept in hopes that accountability can help us take the next positive steps in education reform.  Who is your accountability partner?  Who can we turn to when we need a little dose of accountability?  How do we build up our own ability to hold ourselves accountable?  We explore all of these issues.  We would love to hear YOUR take on accountability!  Send us a message.  

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What are the little things that make a difference in coaching?  There are things that coaches, principals, district personnel, and teachers can do to maximize the coaching impact.  Dr. Amy Illingworth has documented this in her book THE COACH ADVENTURE that takes readers literally on a journey through a coach's potential impact in schools.  

Dr. Emily Hodge talks with Tracy and Jim about tracking in schools and the ways that tracks serving struggling students undermine their progress.  Dr. Hodge shares ways to incorporate high expectations into all tracks.  What is the difference between tracking and differentiation?  Dr. Hodge explains it all.

Teacher stress is at an all-time high.  Teachers are particularly subject to high stress levels in urban schools and districts.  Yes, it is a stressful job, but at what cost?  Dr. Chris McCarthy of the University of Texas at Austin has been studying about the topic for years and talks with Tracy and Jim about possible ways to address it proactively.  

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Tracy and Jim interview the creator of The Daily STEM and The Stem Everyday Podcast Chris Woods about the national in STEM teaching.  What are the little things that schools and teachers can do to embrace STEM teaching?  How do educators build on student interest to generate engagement?  Mr. Woods shares some off his approaches as a classroom teacher and what he has learned about STEM to take it to the next level in your school.