Start with Questions

In this episode of "Start with Questions,"  host Ann Marsh Rutledge and guest Matt Nealon from the Mount Vernon School discuss their winter R&D report, "A New Kind of Leader: Managing Talent and Experience for a New World of Work." They discuss the evolving workplace and the importance of managing talent post-COVID. They highlight strategies for nurturing a regenerative work culture, emphasizing the need for a compelling vision, agility, and effective storytelling in leadership. 

In this episode of "Start with Questions," we're sharing curated episodes of our most popular and enlightening conversations from 2023. Join Ann Marsh Rutledge, the Executive Director of MV Ventures, as we take you on a journey through the standout episodes of the year that are sure to ignite your excitement, inspire new ideas, and help you anticipate the opportunities in 2024!

During this episode of Start with Questions, the Ventures team answers the question, “How can schools leverage their communities to fuel innovation?” and discusses their recent Council on Innovation event. Listen as Ann Marsh Rutledge, Executive Director of MV Ventures, interviews Brad Droke, Dean of Students for the Upper Campus at The Mount Vernon School, and Herris Fentress, Innovation Diploma student class of 2025 at The Mount Vernon School, about the impact of Council on Innovation and ways that schools can leverage their own communities to spark innovation.

During this episode of Start with Questions the Ventures team answers the question “How do we foster total health within our organization?” and discusses their new R&D Report, Total Health: The Wholeness of People in an Age of Technology, which was just released in early October. Listen as Ann Marsh Rutledge, Executive Director of MV Ventures, interviews Jared Colley, Head of Learning and Innovation for the Upper Campus at The Mount Vernon School and editor of the Ventures R&D reports, Ben Potter, Dean of Students for Mount Vernon Online and lead write for this fall R&D report, and Hiro Kariya, Head Athletic Trainer at The Mount Vernon School, about this new research, its importance for organizations, and how to leverage new technologies for total health within your organization.

During this episode of Start with Questions the Ventures team answers the question “How does maker education benefit students and schools in today’s context?” and discusses their new book, Leveling Up Maker Education, scheduled to be released in late September. Listen as Brett Jacobsen, CEO of The Mount Vernon Organization, interviews Bo Adams, Chief Learning and Innovation Officer at The Mount Vernon School, and Ann Marsh Rutledge, Executive Director of Ventures, about the evolution of the maker program at The Mount Vernon School and benefits for students, the why behind releasing a maker book now, and advice for schools considering implementing or leveling up their maker programs. 

During this episode of Start with Questions the Ventures team celebrates the launch of a new toolkit, Little Learners with Big Ideas: A Field Guide for Design Thinking. Listen as Ann Marsh Rutledge, Ventures’ Head of Learning and Innovation, interviews Molly Hudson, Director of Lower School, and Kevin Day, Impact Design Lab Coordinator, about why Design Thinking, especially with young learners, how Design Thinking benefits students and schools, and strategies for how to implement Design Thinking.

Ventures welcomes Bradley James Davies to the pod to discuss his latest book. Bradley is a celebrated school leader and after a two-decade career in education that included teaching, coaching, and leading across all grade levels, he founded Falkor, a leadership and life consultancy dedicated to helping clients lead better and live better.
 
In 2022 he fulfilled his long-held dream of writing a book. That book is School Leadership from A to Z: How to Lead Well Without Losing Your Way. It’s a book about the ups, downs, and all-arounds of school life and leadership.

We’re excited to kick-off Season 2 of the Start with Questions podcast with the celebration of Ventures’ launch of Activate Agency: Empower Your Students to Own Their Learning, a curriculum guide that takes a deep-dive into Mount Vernon’s Innovation Diploma, our school-within-a-school model. Listen as Ventures’ Executive Director, Kalen Curtis, interviews Brad Droke, Upper School Dean of Student Life and Experience, as he details the why behind the creation of the iD program and this book.

Are you AI ready? In this episode Jared Colley, Upper Campus Learning & Innovation, and Dr. Brett Jacobsen, CEO, at Mount Vernon sit down to discuss the recent acceleration of artificial intelligence and the profound implications for an organization’s people, protection, and programs. As leaders, how might we take inventory of the myriad implications we should anticipate in order to steward and support our schools in a moment when there are no prefigurative frameworks to fall back on?

Ventures is honored to welcome Will Richardson to the Start with Questions Podcast. Will is a former public school educator of 22 years. He has spent the last 15 years developing an international reputation as a leading thinker and writer about the intersection of social online learning networks, education, and systemic change. Most recently, Will is a co-founder of The Big Questions Institute which was created to help educators use "fearless inquiry" to make sense of this complex moment and an uncertain future.

Dr. Brett Jacobsen, CEO, sits down with Will to discuss his article, Five Themes for Educators in 2023.