Square Pizza

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"Remain in a learning stance and be aware of your bias" Denise Watts
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Welcome back to another episode of the #squarepizzapod - a podcast about making the good things about school - even better. 
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Today's episode is from our interview with Denise Watts. Denise has been a teacher, Principal, and also an Executive Director of Project LIFT, a $55M school turnaround initiative. She now works at the University of Virginia Darden/Curry Partnership for Leaders in Education where she advises school districts across the country. 
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In this episode, we covered:
- Why she's on TikTok
- Growing up in rural North Carolina
- Her advice to educators on how to navigate COVID
- Lessons learned from leading Project LIFT - a $55M school turnaround initiative in Charlotte, NC
- Advice she'd give to others leading change across the country
- How race and gender have played a factor in her career
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Also - this is the first episode we recorded on Zoom and you can check out the video at our Youtube page - @SchermCo

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We hope you'll give this a listen, leave us your thoughts, and share it with a friend.

Support the show

GIVEAWAY - send us a message and let us know your favorite thing about the Square Pizza Pod. We are giving away SchermCo swag to the first three people that send us a note!

Welcome back to another episode of the square pizza podcast, a podcast about making the good things about school, even better

Today's episode features our interview with Sherrell Dorsey, the Founder of The Plug & BLKTECHCLT.

In this episode, we cover:

• Sherrell's favorite movie
• her experience working in the Connecticut public education system
• growing up in Seattle 
• why she doesn't own a car 
• the founding of BLKTECHCLT & creating a space to celebrate black technologists and entrepreneurs 
• and so much more

We hope you'll take some time to learn more about Sherrell and her work supporting black entrepreneurs and her passion for education. Follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Sherrell_Dorsey

Thanks to everyone that has taken a moment to rank the podcast and leave a review. 

To support Sherrell and her passions:

• visit Intechcamp.org for people to support kids of color in STEM. 
• If you are looking for talent, please have them email us at [email protected]

Support the show

GIVEAWAY - send us a message and let us know your favorite thing about the Square Pizza Pod. We are giving away SchermCo swag to the first three people that send us a note!

Welcome back to another episode of the square pizza podcast - a podcast about making the good things about school - even better. 

Today's episode is from our interview with Jason Terrell, Co-Founder of Profound Gentlemen (PG). PG is building community for male educators of color who provide profound additional impact on boys of color. 

They are working to retain and develop male educators of color across the country. According to the national average, only 2% of teachers identify as male educators of color and this is a disservice to all students and schools across the country. 

This was another great episode. We covered:

• How Jason navigated the varying socioeconomic classes in college
• How Jason broke the news to his parents about switching careers
• The inner workings of PG
• Why Charlotte is better than Atlanta
• Jason's unique experience with square pizza

Links to information referenced from this episode:

• Profound Gentlemen
• Support PG

Support the show

GIVEAWAY - send us a message and let us know your favorite thing about the Square Pizza Pod. We are giving away SchermCo swag to the first three people that send us a note!

We're continuing to focus on national leaders doing amazing work in public education.

In this episode, we interviewed Sarah Carpenter of Memphis LIFT and John Little - who was instrumental in the launch of Memphis LIFT and similar organizations across the country.

Memphis LIFT is an organization that is built and lead by parents. Their focus is to educate, engage, and empower families through there Fellowship program, outreach team, and school counseling options.

This episode covers everything from the best BBQ in Memphis to what it's like talking politics with a number of the Democratic Presidential Candidates.

Leave us a review and let us know what you think.

Additional information below:
https://memphislift.org/

Support the show

GIVEAWAY - send us a message and let us know your favorite thing about the Square Pizza Pod. We are giving away SchermCo swag to the first three people that send us a note!

We had a lot of fun connecting with Dr. Steve Perry, currently the CEO of Capital Preparatory Schools, CNN Contributor, Speaker, and Author. We covered everything from school improvement plans to the Democratic candidates for the upcoming presidential election. We hope you'll listen to Dr. Perry's insights and leave us a review.
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*There are times when the audio is challenging to hear as we recorded this interview via phone but stick with it - it's worth the listen.
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Biography
Steve Perry is one of the most sought after top speakers in education and advocacy in
America. Widely respected by grassroots community members and internationally renowned leaders, Dr. Steve Perry's charismatic and compelling voice is an inspiration. He is the educator upon whom Oprah Winfrey, Sean "P-Diddy" Combs, Bishop T. D. Jakes, and Steve Harvey call to offer insight to parents and children. A diverse array of politicians and groups, from the National Urban League to ALEC, have reached out to Dr. Perry to better understand what matters to parents.
Within the last 24 months, Dr. Perry has opened his fourth Capital Preparatory Schools in CT & NY, as well as assisted Steve Harvey in penning his new book, "Jump", has spoken in over seventy-nine communities and completed his sixth book, "Transparenting". Most recently, premiering his new daytime talk show "Breakthrough with Dr. Steve Perry". As no stranger to television — Dr. Perry hosted another TVONE drama hit show “Save My Son,” a reality show that featured parents who wanted to keep their sons from becoming another disheartening statistic.
His impact is profound and varied and displays no signs of slowing down. The word often used to describe Dr. Perry is "passionate". His authenticity is a welcomed addition to any discussion rooted in improving the lives of youths and the community. His skills are hard-fought and have been bestowed by his difficult childhood all the way through his Ivy League school graduation. There is a richness in his concepts that foster an intriguing point of view on the modern American family.
Dr. Perry's unique and powerful voice is respected and has been featured on multiple networks: MSNBC, Fox, CNN, Al Jazeera, TV One, BET, and NBC as well as the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). His courage and piercing insights provide a fascinating perspective that is seldom found in public discourse. Dr. Perry fearlessly speaks from the heart, which births unpredictability. He's the voice of a generation, a people's champion who has been fighting for disadvantaged children and families for thirty years. Passionate and surprisingly funny, Dr. Steve Perry is a man who is worthy of a listen.

Support the show

GIVEAWAY - send us a message and let us know your favorite thing about the Square Pizza Pod. We are giving away SchermCo swag to the first three people that send us a note!

Our team was incredibly honored to host Dr. Howard Fuller on our first official episode of the #squarepizzapod.

Dr. Fuller has immense experience in community organizing, education reform, and working to ensure all families have access to quality educational options. We cover many topics including school choice, student integration, college basketball, and so much more. He's a living legend and we hope you take time to listen to this episode.

See below for more about Dr. Fuller:
Website
Twitter
Dr. Howard Fuller Collegiate Academy
No Struggle No Progress (book) 

HOWARD FULLER, PH.D.

[email protected]

Howard Fuller’s career includes many years in both public service positions and the field of education.  Dr. Fuller is a Distinguished Professor of Education, and Founder/Director of the Institute for the Transformation of Learning at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  The mission of the Institute is to support exemplary education options that transform learning for children, while empowering families, particularly low-income families, to choose the best options for their children.  

Immediately before his appointment at Marquette University, Dr. Fuller served as the Superintendent of Milwaukee Public Schools June 1991 - June 1995.  Dr. Fuller became nationally known for his unending support for fundamental educational reform.

His prior positions included: Director of the Milwaukee County Department of Health and Human Services 1988 -1991; Dean of General Education at the Milwaukee Area Technical College 1986 - 1988; Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Employment Relations 1983 - 1986; and Associate Director of the Educational Opportunity Program at Marquette University 1979 - 1983.  He was also A Senior Fellow with the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University 1995 - 1997.

Dr. Fuller received his B.S. degree in Sociology from Carroll College in Waukesha, Wisconsin, in 1962; M.S.A. degree in Social Administration from Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1964, and his Ph.D. in Sociological Foundations of Education from Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1986.

He has received numerous awards and recognition over the years, including four Honorary Doctorate Degrees: Doctorate of Humane Letters from Carroll College in 1987; Doctorate of Laws from Marian College, Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin in 1992; Doctorate of Business and Economics from Milwaukee School of Engineering in 1995. Doctorate of Humane Letters from Edgewood College, Edgewood College, Madison WI.

He is the Chair of the Board of Milwaukee Collegiate Academy. He also serves on the Board of The Black Alliance for Educational Options, Milwaukee Region Board of Teach for America, Milwaukee Charter School Advocates and Education Cities. He is an Advisory Board member of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools and the National Association for Charter School Authorizers.

Support the show

GIVEAWAY - send us a message and let us know your favorite thing about the Square Pizza Pod. We are giving away SchermCo swag to the first three people that send us a note!

Hi - welcome to the Square Pizza podcast, a podcast about making the good things about school - even better. 

This podcast will be interview-based and feature leaders from the education and social-impact space. Conversations will focus on the intersection of education, innovation, and diversity. 

The Square Pizza podcast is hosted by Greg Schermbeck and Kelsey Van Dyke of SchermCo, a social-impact implementation firm that offers strategic planning and project management services to education-focused organizations. 

Feel free to check us on out social media (@schermco) and let us know what you think. You can also use #squarepizzapod to share your thoughts.  Leave us a review so more people can listen. We hope you enjoy the first episode. 

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