Lisa Gitelson - The Fresh Air Fund: Because a Summer Can Last a Lifetime. This is episode 756 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast.

Lisa Gitelson is the CEO of The Fresh Air Fund.

Each year the nearly 148-year-old nonprofit invites about 3,000 low-income New York City-based children ages 8-18 to spend the summer swimming, rowing, hiking, and stargazing in Fresh Air Fund camps.

Throughout Lisa’s career in public service, as an attorney and child welfare advocate, she has been dedicated to addressing the needs of underserved youth.  Prior to joining The Fund, she was Assistant Executive Director/Legal Counsel for The New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NYSPCC). She is also an Adjunct Professor at Silberman School of Social Work, Hunter College, CUNY, where she teaches the Policy & Practice of Child Welfare. 

As Assistant Executive Director/Legal Counsel for NYSPCC, Lisa identified legislation and other public policy issues that impacted the organization’s work and developed an advocacy agenda to move public policy efforts forward.  Previously, she served as Associate Executive Director, Downstate, at the Council of Family and Child Caring Agencies (COFCCA) where she was responsible for bringing private foster care, juvenile justice, residential care and prevention services agencies together to coordinate advocacy efforts for the child welfare and juvenile justice systems. In this role, Lisa represented COFCCA member agencies in discussions with the Administration for Children’s Services, the New York City Council and the New York State Office of Children and Family Services.   

Prior to COFCCA, Lisa was the Director of Foster Care and Adoption Services at Sheltering Arms Children and Family Services. She began her career as an attorney representing foster care agencies before serving in multiple leadership and supervisory roles at the New York City Administration for Children’s Services, Family Court Legal Services. Lisa is a graduate of Colgate University and has a JD from Washington University School of Law.

Our focus today is The Fresh Air Fund.

Awesome talk!

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https://freshair.org/

https://x.com/FreshAirFund

https://www.instagram.com/thefreshairfund/?hl=en

https://www.facebook.com/freshairfund

LGitelson@freshair.org

Length - 32:10

Sandra Jin - Bridging the Gap Between AI Optimism and Action Through PD. This is episode 755 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast.

Sandra Jin is the Director of Innovation at Leading Educators, driven by her belief in self-determination as a fundamental right for every child. A former teacher inspired by her classroom experiences, she designs programs at the intersection of pedagogy, student agency, and technology.

Sandra leads strategic initiatives that integrate AI-enabled practices to foster inclusive, equity-centered education. Her expertise spans national projects, including the AI Schools Collaborative and AI tool building design sprints. She is a 2025 EDSAFE Women in AI fellow. Previously, she led ELA professional learning in district-facing partnerships and coordinated national professional development programs. Sandra brings classroom experience from seven years teaching in Washington, DC.

Sandra holds an M.Ed. from George Mason University. She resides in New Hampshire with her husband and three children, and outside of work, actively advocates for arts education in her local community. 

Our focus today is Bridging the Gap Between AI Optimism and Action through PD.

Connect & Learn More:

Great conversation!

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Please share.

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This would allow you to donate to help the show address the costs associated with producing the podcast from upgrading gear to the fees associated with producing the show. That would be cool. Thanks for thinking about it. 

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https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandra-jin-7bb202118/

https://leadingeducators.org/team/sandra-jin/

https://leadingeducators.org/

sjin@leadingeducators.org

Length - 40:44

Marianne Richmond - If You Were My Daughter: A Memoir of Healing an Unmothered Heart. This is episode 754 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast.

Bestselling children's author Marianne Richmond has touched the lives of millions through her children's books that put into the world messages of love and belonging! She is now telling her own story through the release of her memoir, IF YOU WERE MY DAUGHTER, that offers the why behind her life's work and invites people to step into their bravest, brightest self!

Our focus today is Marianne’s book - If You Were My Daughter: A Memoir of Healing an Unmothered Heart.

Powerful book!

Awesome discussion!

Thanks for listening!

Please share.

Before you go...

You could help support this podcast by Buying Me A Coffee. Not really buying me something to drink but clicking on the link on my home page at https://stevenmiletto.com for Buy Me a Coffee or by going to this link Buy Me a Coffee.

This would allow you to donate to help the show address the costs associated with producing the podcast from upgrading gear to the fees associated with producing the show. That would be cool. Thanks for thinking about it. 

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Connect & Learn More:

http://www.mariannerichmond.com

https://www.instagram.com/mariannerichmondwriter/

https://www.facebook.com/richmond.marianne/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/marianne-richmond/

Length - 40:26

Laura Lipton - Groups at Work: Strategies and Structures for Professional Learning. This is episode 753 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast.

Laura Lipton, EdD, has been a featured speaker at international, national, and state conferences since 1984. She shares her expertise with thousands of educators throughout North America, Central America, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. As an international consultant, her writing, research, and seminars focus on effective and innovative instructional practices and on building professional and organizational capacities for enhanced learning.

Laura engages with schools and school districts, designing and conducting workshops on learning-focused instruction, literacy development, and strategies to support beginning teachers. She facilitates organizational adaptivity and learning through training and development in data-driven dialogue, group development, action research, and learning-focused collaborations.

Her authored and co-authored publications relate to organizational and professional development, learning-focused schools, and literacy development. Laura’s recent books include Groups at Work, More Than 100 Ways to Learner-Centered Literacy, Data-Driven Dialogue, Making Mentoring Work, Mentoring Matters, and Pathways to Understanding.

Our focus today is Laura’s book written with Bruce Wellman -Groups at Work: Strategies and Structures for Professional Learning.

Excellent conversation.

So much to learn.

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Thanks for listening!

Before you go...

You could help support this podcast by Buying Me A Coffee. Not really buying me something to drink but clicking on the link on my home page at https://stevenmiletto.com for Buy Me a Coffee or by going to this link Buy Me a Coffee.

This would allow you to donate to help the show address the costs associated with producing the podcast from upgrading gear to the fees associated with producing the show. That would be cool. Thanks for thinking about it. 

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Connect & Learn More:

https://www.solutiontree.com/laura-lipton.html

https://www.solutiontree.com/groups-at-work.html

https://miravia.education/

lelipton@miravia.education

Length - 41:19

Ran D. Anbar, MD - The Life Guide for Teens: Harnessing Your Inner Power to be Healthy, Happy, and Confident. This is episode 752 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast.

Ran D. Anbar, MD, FAAP, is board certified in both pediatric pulmonology and general pediatrics. He offers counseling and hypnosis services at Center Point Medicine in La Jolla, California, and in Syracuse, New York. Dr. Anbar is the author of the acclaimed Changing Children’s Lives with Hypnosis: A Journey to the Center (Rowman & Littlefield, 2021), as well as a regular columnist for Psychology Today Online. Dr. Anbar is the founder of Center Point Medicine, serving the mission of making mental health care more accessible for children. He lives in La Jolla, California.

Our focus today is Dr. Anbar’s book -The Life Guide for Teens: Harnessing Your Inner Power to be Healthy, Happy, and Confident.

So much to learn.

Awesome conversation.

Please share.

Thanks for listening!

Before you go...

You could help support this podcast by Buying Me A Coffee. Not really buying me something to drink but clicking on the link on my home page at https://stevenmiletto.com for Buy Me a Coffee or by going to this link Buy Me a Coffee.

This would allow you to donate to help the show address the costs associated with producing the podcast from upgrading gear to the fees associated with producing the show. That would be cool. Thanks for thinking about it. 

Hey, I've got another favor...could you share the podcast with one of your friends, colleagues, and family members? Hmmm? What do you think? Thank you!

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Connect & Learn More:

The Life Guide for Teens | Ran Anbar

https://www.amazon.com/Life-Guide-Teens-Harnessing-Confident/dp/1538191415

CPM Radio Show | Ran Anbar

Blog | Ran Anbar

Length - 48:03

Rev. Kathi Lockwood - Bridging Tough Conversations About Adoption and Addiction. This is episode 751 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast.

Rev. Kathi Lockwood, M.Ed., is an Interfaith Minister, Reiki Master, spiritual optimist, and a children’s book author.

She is the founder and CEO of the Heart Self Speaks Collective, a virtual home for those on spiritual journeys.

In addition to The King and the Monster, she is the author of An Adoption Made in Heaven: Amy Angel Goes Home, a paradigm-shifting story informing children that their journey to their parents was divinely guided. A Christmas Eve Adventure: Finding the Light of the World, is an interfaith narrative illustrating that we all carry the light.

She has her master's in art education from Penn State University and is also an ordained Interfaith Minister from One Spirit Learning Alliance in New York City.

She was the recipient of the Bob Dorough Award for the Arts, serves on the board of her local YMCA, and has served on the Stroudsburg Borough Council.

You can find her in the Pocono Mountains writing, meditating or sipping coffee with her poodle, Monet, at her side. Rev. Lockwood is available for speaking engagements, podcasts, and book clubs, and can be contacted at www.booksbykathi.com.

Our focus today is “Bridging Tough Conversations About Adoption and Addiction.”

So much to learn!

Please share.

Thanks for listening!

Before you go...

You could help support this podcast by Buying Me A Coffee. Not really buying me something to drink but clicking on the link on my home page at https://stevenmiletto.com for Buy Me a Coffee or by going to this link Buy Me a Coffee.

This would allow you to donate to help the show address the costs associated with producing the podcast from upgrading gear to the fees associated with producing the show. That would be cool. Thanks for thinking about it. 

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Connect & Learn More:

http://www.booksbykathi.com

https://www.instagram.com/booksbykathi/v

https://www.facebook.com/booksbykathi/

Length - 37:04

David Adams - CEO of The Urban Assembly - Improving the Craft of Teaching with AI. This is episode 750 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast.

David is the Chief Executive Officer of The Urban Assembly. He started with the UA in 2014 as the Director of Social-Emotional Learning, where he created the Resilient Scholars Program (RSP), a unique approach to integrating SEL into curriculum and classroom practices across the UA network. RSP has grown into a national program, serving schools and districts in Los Angeles, Houston, Syracuse, and other cities. As the Senior Director of Strategy, David led the expansion of the organization into a model provider of school support, with an emphasis on innovation and equity in public education. In 2022, David was named one of Crain’s 40 Under 40 honorees and in 2021 he received the Champion of Equity Award from the American Consortium for Equity in Education. David sits on the board of CASEL and is an author of The Educator’s Practical Guide to Emotional Intelligence, and a co-author of the textbook Challenges to Integrating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Programs in Organizations. He is a Civil Affairs Officer in the Army Reserve and holds an M.Ed. in Educational Psychology from Fordham University.

Our focus today is “How is AI being used to improve the craft of teaching itself and How can AI help teachers become better teachers?”

So much to learn!

Please share.

Thanks for listening!

Before you go...

You could help support this podcast by Buying Me A Coffee. Not really buying me something to drink but clicking on the link on my home page at https://stevenmiletto.com for Buy Me a Coffee or by going to this link Buy Me a Coffee.

This would allow you to donate to help the show address the costs associated with producing the podcast from upgrading gear to the fees associated with producing the show. That would be cool. Thanks for thinking about it. 

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Connect & Learn More:

https://www.urbanassembly.org/

Length - 42:04

Frank Lad is a mathematician, author, and an educator. Perhaps he was destined to have a full career in mathematics and science. His parents met as postdocs at the University of Chicago while working on The Manhattan Project, his mother collaborating with James Franck there. His specialty in mathematical probability took him to France and Italy, where he has worked with followers of Bruno de Finetti’s ideas. Personal travels in India, Africa, Europe, Brazil, and some far East, have allowed him to deeply explore culture, history, and philosophy.  

For the past 26 years and currently, Lad has served as a research associate in mathematics and statistics at University of Canterbury in New Zealand, having lectured there previously for ten years. He had started his career teaching economics at the University of Utah, and spent a year in the Special Studies section of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, Washington, D.C.  He has been a visiting scholar at the State University of New York (Albany) in Mathematics and Economics, and at the Institute for Advanced Study at the University of Bologna in Statistics. He had been a research assistant at the Center for Studies in Population Planning, University of Michigan School of Public Health during graduate studies.

He is the author of two published books, JUST PLAIN WRONG: The dalliance of quantum theory with the defiance of Bell’s inequality (Austin Macauley, 2024) and Operational Subjective Statistical Methods: a mathematical, philosophical, and historical introduction (John Wiley, 1996).

Lad speaks four languages: English, French, Italian, and Hindustani. Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio into a large family of nine children, he is a dual citizen of the United States and New Zealand.  He currently resides in NZ, tending his garden and tutoring neighborhood children in arithmetic.

Our focus today is Frank’s book - Just Plain Wrong: The Dalliance of Quantum Theory with the Defiance of Bell's Inequality.

Great information!

So much to learn!

Please share.

Before you go...

You could help support this podcast by Buying Me A Coffee. Not really buying me something to drink but clicking on the link on my home page at https://stevenmiletto.com for Buy Me a Coffee or by going to this link Buy Me a Coffee.

This would allow you to donate to help the show address the costs associated with producing the podcast from upgrading gear to the fees associated with producing the show. That would be cool. Thanks for thinking about it. 

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Connect & Learn More:

Just Plain Wrong - Amazon

Length - 59:10

Toby J. Karten - The ADMIRE Framework for Inclusion: Positive Strategies that Pave the Way for Students of All Abilities. This is episode 748 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast.

Toby J. Karten is an experienced educator who has worked in the field of special education since 1976. As an accomplished author and researcher, she has presented successful staff development to local, national, and international audiences. Toby is an adjunct professor and graduate instructor at Monmouth University and the Regional Training Center, which is affiliated with The College of New Jersey, and LaSalle University. She has been a resource teacher, staff developer, adult educator, and inclusion consultant in New York, New Jersey, and Texas schools and in many other districts nationally and globally for students and educators in grades PreK–12 and beyond.

Toby has authored several books and resources about inclusion practices, which are currently used for instruction on many college and university campuses and in schools throughout the world.

She earned an undergraduate degree in special education from Brooklyn College, a Master of Science in special education from the College of Staten Island, a supervisory degree from Georgian Court University, and an honorary doctorate from Gratz College.

Our focus today is Toby’s book - The ADMIRE Framework for Inclusion: Positive Strategies that Pave the Way for Students of All Abilities.

Awesome conversation!

So much to learn!

Please share.

Before you go...

You could help support this podcast by Buying Me A Coffee. Not really buying me something to drink but clicking on the link on my home page at https://stevenmiletto.com for Buy Me a Coffee or by going to this link Buy Me a Coffee.

This would allow you to donate to help the show address the costs associated with producing the podcast from upgrading gear to the fees associated with producing the show. That would be cool. Thanks for thinking about it. 

Hey, I've got another favor...could you share the podcast with one of your friends, colleagues, and family members? Hmmm? What do you think? Thank you!

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Connect & Learn More:

toby@inclusionworkshops.com

https://www.solutiontree.com/admire-framework-for-inclusion.html

https://inclusionworkshops.com/

http://pinterest.com/tkarten/inclusive-education

https://www.amazon.com/Toby-J.-Karten/e/B001JS3KEA

https://www.facebook.com/people/Inclusion-Education-Services/100063640386653/#

https://x.com/TJK2INCLUDE

https://www.linkedin.com/in/toby-karten-2022a621/

https://inclusionworkshops.com/kic-podcasts-by-toby-j-karten/

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2183580   

https://childmind.org/

https://thearc.org/

https://www.parentcenterhub.org/

https://www.cast.org/

https://exceptionalchildren.org/

https://www.understood.org/

https://www.nami.org/

https://www.autismspeaks.org/

https://ncld.org/

Length - 35:23

Barbara R. Blackburn - Rigor Is Not a Four-Letter Word: Strategies for Success, 4th Ed. This is episode 747 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast.

Ranked in the Top 20 Global Gurus in Education, Barbara has dedicated her life to raising the level of rigor and motivation for professional educators and students alike. What differentiates Barbara’s over 30 books are her easily executable concrete examples based on decades of experience as a teacher, professor, and consultant. Barbara’s dedication to education was inspired in her early years by her parents, Bob and Rose. Her father’s doctorate and lifetime career as a professor taught her the importance of professional training. Her mother’s career as school secretary shaped Barbara’s appreciation of the effort all staff play in the education of every child.

Barbara has taught early childhood, elementary, middle, and high school students and has served as an educational consultant for three publishing companies. She holds a master’s degree in school administration and was certified as both a teacher and a school principal in North Carolina. She received her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Teaching from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. In 2006, she received the award for Outstanding Junior Professor at Winthrop University. She left her position at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte to write and speak full-time.

In addition to speaking at state, national, and international conferences, she also regularly presents virtual and on-site workshops for teachers and administrators in elementary, middle, and high schools. Her workshops are lively and engaging and filled with practical information. Here are a few of her most popular topics:

Rigorous Schools and Classrooms: Leading the Way

Rigorous Assessments

Rigor and Differentiation in the Classroom

Rigor for Students with Special Needs

Motivation + Engagement + Rigor = Student Success

Research-Based Engaging Instruction Leads to Higher Achievement

High Expectations and Increased Support Lead to Success

Scaffolding for Success: Helping Learners Meet Rigorous Expectations Across the Curriculum

Our focus today is her most recent book - Rigor Is Not a Four-letter Word: Strategies for Success, 4th Edition.

Awesome tools for you to use!

Great discussion as always with Barbara!

So much to learn!

Please share.

Before you go...

You could help support this podcast by Buying Me A Coffee. Not really buying me something to drink but clicking on the link on my home page at https://stevenmiletto.com for Buy Me a Coffee or by going to this link Buy Me a Coffee.

This would allow you to donate to help the show address the costs associated with producing the podcast from upgrading gear to the fees associated with producing the show. That would be cool. Thanks for thinking about it. 

Hey, I've got another favor...could you share the podcast with one of your friends, colleagues, and family members? Hmmm? What do you think? Thank you!

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Connect & Learn More:

https://www.barbarablackburnonline.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbarablackburnonline/

https://www.facebook.com/Barbarablackburneducation/

https://www.instagram.com/barbararblackburn/

https://twitter.com/BarbBlackburn

https://www.routledge.com/Rigor-Is-NOT-a-Four-Letter-Word-Strategies-for-Success/Blackburn/p/book/9781032857534

Length - 45:37