The Authority Podcast — Expert Insights and Fresh Ideas for Education Leaders

Today’s guest is global credibility expert Mitchell Levy, who joins to discuss his book Credibility Nation. 

We discuss:

• Definition of credibility: accurate, known and liked
• What Mitchell learned in interviewing 500 thought leaders on credibility
• Why he says credibility starts with clarity
• What jeopardizes one’s credibility?
• What is the relationship between credibility, expertise, authenticity, and genuineness?
• Making a LinkedIn profile credible
• Being seen and heard as a thought leader

More resources:

• Find the book at https://getbook.at/CredibilityNation. 
• Watch Mitchell’s TEDx Talk “We are losing our humanity and I’m tired of watching it happen”: https://AHA.pub/CredibilityTEDtalk 
• Watch Mitchell’s second TEDx Talk: “BEing Seen and BEing Heard as a Thought Leader”: https://AHA.pub/TEDtalk 

About today’s guest

Global Credibility Expert Mitchell Levy is a 2x TEDx speaker (including the 28th most popular in 2021), an international bestselling author of over 60 books, a Certified Stakeholder Centered Coach, and an executive coach at Marshall Goldsmith’s 100 Coaches.

As an Executive Coach, Mitchell is a sounding board, a thinking partner, and someone who can hold the mirror to generate insights for personal change. This impact has earned him a place among the world’s Top 200 Leadership Voices by LeadersHum (#16 in 2023), and as the #1 Thought Leader in Ecosystems and Top 100 Thought Leader Overall by Thinkers360.

About the host

Ross Romano is a co-founder of the Be Podcast Network and CEO of September Strategies, a coaching and consulting firm that helps organizations and high-performing leaders in the K-12 education industry communicate their vision and make strategic decisions that lead to long-term success. Connect on Twitter @RossBRomano or LinkedIn 

Learn more about today's sponsor, Playworks:

We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.

If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. 

These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. 

Micah Miner is the District Instructional Technology & Social Studies Coordinator at Maywood-Melrose Park-Broadview School District 89 in Illinois. 

He was an Excellence in Equity Award winner from the American Consortium for Equity in Education, he’s also an ACE-Ed.org Contributing Writer, Ryze AI Advisor, and ISTE Community Leader.

Micah is author of the new book AI Goes to School: How to Harness Artificial Intelligence in Education to Prepare Students for the Future (And make you an even better teacher).

We discuss:

• AI's impact on instruction
• What should stay the same and what should change instructionally as AI tools become integrated into K-12 education?
• Identifying the sources of AI resistance
• Reasonable concerns about access and use
• How technoskepticism and digital citizenship can be helpful to equipping teachers, administrators, parents, and other stakeholders to deal with AI
• Identifying goals so we appropriately embrace AI and then choose the right tools.
• How AI tools can be connected to pedagogies and learning philosophies such as constructivism
• What needs to happen in the next year?

Find AI Goes to School from Times 10 Publications or wherever you get your books.   

About today’s guest

Micah Miner, MA, MEd, EdS has over two decades of experience including time as a teacher in K–12 settings for both regular classrooms and alternative schools, a social studies department chair, an instructional technology coach, an adjunct professor in social studies and instructional technology, and a school and district administrator. He currently serves as the District Instructional Technology & Social Studies Coordinator at Maywood-Melrose Park-Broadview School District 89 near Chicago. Connect at https://micahminer.com, LinkedIn, or @minerclass on X, BlueSky and Mastodon. 

About the host

Ross Romano is a co-founder of the Be Podcast Network and CEO of September Strategies, a coaching and consulting firm that helps organizations and high-performing leaders in the K-12 education industry communicate their vision and make strategic decisions that lead to long-term success. Connect on Twitter @RossBRomano or LinkedIn 

Learn more about today's sponsor, Playworks:

We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.

If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. 

These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. 

Today I'm pleased to share an episode of Building a Culture of Collaboration, another podcast on the Be Podcast Network. Each episode of the show features simple tips, ideas, and strategies to take your organization's collaborative efforts to the next level. Listen to more episodes and subscribe here: https://cultureofcollaboration.transistor.fm

In this episode, host Kurtis Hewson is joined by Peter DeWitt and Michael Nelson, two leaders dedicated to supporting other educational leaders through their individual efforts, as well as their latest joint endeavor, establishing the Instructional Leadership Collective.  Hear about the work Peter and Michael do through the Instructional Leadership Collective, how to build and sustain cultures of collaboration in organizations, and the impact of human interconnectedness. 

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Access the FREE PDF article Five Planning Considerations to Transform Your Team Meetings - https://bit.ly/5planningteams 

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Related Resources

Leading with Intention - May 2024

https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/deep-leading/book287548

Join the Instructional Leadership Collective - https://instructionalleadershipcollective.com/

How to Deepen Collaboration with Your Teams - access the conversation between Peter and Michael on the Leaders Coaching Leaders Podcast - https://youtu.be/pxJp57DoRBM?si=iZaQF1r1Mk_k3TjI 

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Learn more about Collaborative Response https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tbgetTdAiA&t=0s 

Access the FREE Overview of Collaborative Response Article 

https://bit.ly/CR-overview 

Explore the book Collaborative Response by downloading the introduction for FREE 

https://bit.ly/CR-intro - if interested in ordering the book, use the code JLPodcast10 to receive 10% off!

Learn more about WeCollab and access a FREE three month trial

https://jigsawlearning.ca/wecollab.ca 

Become a JL Insider to receive access to newly added resources and video content, advance notice for sessions/workshops, discounts for learning events and resources, plus so much more! 

https://bit.ly/JLinsider 

Join the Facebook Group “The Collaborative Leader”, to engage in further conversations and resource sharing with others dedicated to ensuring effective teams and collaborative structures - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thecollaborativeleader

🔔 Don't forget to subscribe and click the little bell icon to be notified when @jigsaw_learning posts a new video! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3U_RKp7yxQhckpKaQur7ow

Website https://jigsawlearning.ca

Email [email protected]

X https://www.twitter.com/Jigsaw_Learning

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/JigsawLearningAB/

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/jigsaw-learning-inc

Music: “Culture of Collaboration” has been composed, recorded, and produced by Trent Ferguson for Building a Culture of Collaboration.

Images: Visuals included in this video not generated under agreement with Jigsaw Learning Inc. have been carefully selected under Creative Commons for their permissions.

Learn more about today's sponsor, Playworks:

We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.

If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. 

These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. 

Jen Schwanke, Ed.D., is a longtime educator who currently serves as a Deputy Superintendent in Ohio, as well as an instructor in educational administration at Miami University of Ohio.

Her latest book is The Principal’s Guide to Conflict Management.

We discuss:

• Is all conflict bad?
• The opportunities conflict can present
• Long-term risks of conflict
• Did Jen receive training before becoming a leader?
• Process: Anticipate, Analyze, Act
• Is there conflict that doesn’t require action?
• Common sources of conflict to eliminate

Get The Principal’s Guide to Conflict Management from ASCD or wherever you get your books. 

Hear more from Jen on the Principal Matters Podcast.

About today’s guest

Jen Schwanke, Ed.D., is a longtime educator, teaching and leading at all levels. She is the author of four ASCD books and has published hundreds of articles for various educational publishers. She has written and presented for multiple state and local education organizations, and has provided professional development to various districts in the areas of school climate, personnel, and instructional leadership. An instructor in educational administration at Miami University of Ohio, Dr. Schwanke currently serves as a Deputy Superintendent in Ohio. You can find her at https://jenschwanke.com.  

About the host

Ross Romano is a co-founder of the Be Podcast Network and CEO of September Strategies, a coaching and consulting firm that helps organizations and high-performing leaders in the K-12 education industry communicate their vision and make strategic decisions that lead to long-term success. Connect on Twitter @RossBRomano or LinkedIn 

Learn more about today's sponsor, Playworks:

We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.

If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. 

These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. 

Today I'm excited to share an episode of Make It Mindful, one of the newest shows in the Be Podcast Network. This wonderful show peels back the layers on today's educational challenges with mindfulness and compassion. Hosts Seth, Lauren, and Komal tap research and insights from innovators, psychologists and teachers to understand what’s really going on for students and educators. Subscribe to Make It Mindful here: https://makeitmindful.transistor.fm

About the episode:
In this episode of Make It Mindful, host Seth Fleischauer engages with Justin Reich, an MIT faculty member who critically examines the rapid evolution of AI and its implications in the educational landscape. Reich provides a nuanced perspective, challenging the prevailing excitement around AI's exponential growth and its integration into educational settings. He discusses the historical context of AI development, notably the shift from GPT-3 to GPT-3.5, and raises concerns about the sustainability of improvements in AI technologies given the finite nature of data sources. Reich also explores the classification of technologies as either adoption or arrival technologies, with AI posing unique challenges due to its sudden and pervasive emergence. Throughout the discussion, Reich emphasizes the importance of understanding AI's operational mechanics and advocates for a thoughtful and informed approach to integrating AI in educational practices, highlighting potential risks and the need for a critical assessment of new tools. His insights urge educators to consider both the immediate and long-term effects of AI on teaching and learning dynamics.

Guest Links:

1. Justin Reich's podcast, the Teach Lab Podcast: Teach Lab Podcast
2. Justin Reich's professional group at MIT, the Teaching Systems Lab: Teaching Systems Lab
3. A specific subsection for AI-related content on the Teaching Systems Lab website: TSL MIT AI

Co-Host Links:
Seth Fleischauer
Founder and President of Banyan Global Learning
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seth-fleischauer/
Website: https://banyangloballearning.com/

Lauren Pinto
Cofounder of Ambitious Ed, Educational Technology Specialist
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-s-pinto/
Website: https://www.ambitioused.com/

Learn more about today's sponsor, Playworks:

We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.

If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. 

These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. 

Today, we’re joined by Lisa Carey and Alexis Reid for a discussion centered around their book, Supporting Executive Functions: Insights & Strategies for Educators.

We talk about:

• The most important thing to know about executive functions
• How they generally develop over the PreK-12 years
• Signs that learners are struggling with executive functions
• What makes UDL an effective strategy?
• Most meaningful supports at different stages from elementary through high school
• How teachers can “go smaller” with their adjustments
• Metacognition and reflection at different stages
• Learning climate and class agreements

Find Supporting Executive Functions: Insights & Strategies for Educators from CAST Publishing or wherever you get your books.   

About today’s guests

Dr. Lisa Beth Carey is a teacher educator and researcher with a focus on improving educational experiences and outcomes for students with neurodevelopmental disabilities. Alexis Reid is an educator, educational therapist and learning consultant in private practice (Reid Connect, LLC) in Boston & Falmouth (Cape Cod) MA, USA, adjunct professor, educator, author, and CAST UDL Faculty member. Learn more about them:

• Listen to the Reid Connect-ED Podcast
• Visit www.ReidConnect.com
• Follow @AlexisAnnReid on Instagram and Twitter
• Follow @dr.lisa_b_carey on Instagram and @EquitableAccess on Twitter

About the host

Ross Romano is a co-founder of the Be Podcast Network and CEO of September Strategies, a coaching and consulting firm that helps organizations and high-performing leaders in the K-12 education industry communicate their vision and make strategic decisions that lead to long-term success. Connect on Twitter @RossBRomano or LinkedIn 

Learn more about today's sponsor, Playworks:

We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.

If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. 

These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. 

Enjoying The Authority? Please leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. It really helps new listeners to find the show!

My guest today is Lauren Wells, Ph.D., an educator, researcher, and community organizer whose work centers on comprehensive, systemic, culturally responsive, and collaborative approaches to educational and social change. 

She is author of There Are No Deficits Here: Disrupting Anti-Blackness in Education.

We talk about:

• Background of Anti-Blackness in education
• “The fixes that characterize many school improvement initiatives hinge on deficit beliefs”
• “Cognitive and neuroscience substantiate that we are all wired with the innate propensity for the development of strengths and high intellectual performances, the imperative for self-actualization, and the desire to make contributions.” – Yvette Jackson
• New insights Lauren has gained from her research
• Describing the new educational paradigm she proposes
• “Ecosystem within an ecosystem” and the nature of ecosystems
• What it looks like in practice: Central High School and the Newark Global Village School Zone

Get There Are No Deficits Here from Corwin or wherever you get your books. 

About today’s guest

Lauren Wells, Ph.D. is an educator, researcher, and community organizer whose work centers on comprehensive, systemic, culturally responsive, and collaborative approaches to educational and social change. She is currently an Assistant Professor at Kean University and founder of Creed Strategies, a community of consultants whose core mission is to use their knowledge, experience, and resources to work alongside educators and communities to ignite conditions for equity and justice. Learn more about Dr. Wells and her work at http://www.creedstrategies.com and follow her on X and Instagram @docwellsthatsme 

About the host

Ross Romano is a co-founder of the Be Podcast Network and CEO of September Strategies, a coaching and consulting firm that helps organizations and high-performing leaders in the K-12 education industry communicate their vision and make strategic decisions that lead to long-term success. Connect on Twitter @RossBRomano or LinkedIn 

Learn more about today's sponsor, Playworks:

We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.

If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. 

These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. 

Dr. Joshua Barnett is CEO of the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching (NIET), a national nonprofit based in Phoenix, AZ which has trained over 35,000 teacher leaders across the country. Josh's research work throughout his career has explored how to improve educator quality in all schools for all students by addressing two related issues: examining how teachers and principals are evaluated and how resources are distributed to and used within schools.

He is author of Unleashing Teacher Leadership: A Toolkit for Ensuring Effective Instruction in Every Classroom, a co-publication of ASCD and NIET.

We talk about:

• The current state of teacher leadership
• Know-how, will, and perceived capacity – how they relate to leadership opportunities
• What are the problems teacher leadership is designed to solve?
• Formal vs. informal – whether it matters and why
• Key competencies of an effective teacher leader
• Components of effective teacher leader development
• How a strong teacher leadership structure benefits school leaders, teachers, and students
• What changes will we see in education with better teacher leadership?

Get Unleashing Teacher Leadership from ASCD or wherever you get your books. 

About today’s guest

Joshua H. Barnett is chief executive officer of the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching (NIET), a not-for-profit organization that has trained and supported more than 30,000 teacher leaders over 20 years. He works with NIET partner districts, states, and higher education institutions to improve educator effectiveness and student learning by investing in teacher leadership as a lever for change and creating the systems and structures that enable teacher leaders to be successful.

His work supports teachers to develop leadership skills, take on new leadership roles, and contribute to the improvement of teaching and learning in their school and district. Barnett earned his doctorate in education at the University of Arkansas. Follow him @NIETjbarnett and learn more about NIET at https://www.niet.org 

About the host

Ross Romano is a co-founder of the Be Podcast Network and CEO of September Strategies, a coaching and consulting firm that helps organizations and high-performing leaders in the K-12 education industry communicate their vision and make strategic decisions that lead to long-term success. Connect on Twitter @RossBRomano or LinkedIn 

I also host Sideline Sessions, a podcast for coaches and parents of student-athletes. The show features conversations with coaches and performance experts in the NFL, NBA, NCAA, Olympics, and more. Listen here: https://bit.ly/3Rp0QGt 

Learn more about today's sponsor, Playworks:

We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.

If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. 

These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. 

In this "Best Of" episode, we revisit our conversation with scientist-educator Dr. Kimberly Nix Berens. Kimberly is Founder of Fit Learning and author of Blind Spots: Why students fail and the science that can save them. 

We talk about:

• We must know about and make an effort to truly see the blind spots
• The beliefs and traditions that shape education in the US create blind spots
• 60% of students graduate below proficiency. But what does this statistic mean?
• Examples of blind spots in action
• How behavioral science supports effective teaching
• How parents and educators can advocate for their children

Learn more about the book Blind Spots at www.drkimberlyberens.com. Find it at bookshop.org, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble. Learn about Fit Learning at www.fitlearning.com. 

About today’s guest

Kimberly Nix Berens, Ph.D., is a scientist-educator and Founder of Fit Learning. She co-created a powerful system of instruction based in behavioral science and the Technology of Teaching, which has transformed the learning abilities of thousands of children worldwide, including those who are struggling, average, gifted, or learning disabled. For more than 20 years, her system of instruction has produced one year’s worth of academic growth in only 40 hours of training. Her learning programs effectively target such essential areas as early learning skills, basic classroom readiness, phonemic awareness, reading fluency, comprehension, inferential language, basic and advanced mathematics, logical problem solving, grammar, and expressive writing. From her early beginnings in a broom closet at the University of Nevada – Reno, Dr. Berens has helped grow Fit Learning to an organization with more than 30 locations worldwide. 

About the host

Ross Romano is a co-founder of the Be Podcast Network and CEO of September Strategies, a coaching and consulting firm that helps organizations and high-performing leaders in the K-12 education industry communicate their vision and make strategic decisions that lead to long-term success. Connect on Twitter @RossBRomano or LinkedIn

Learn more about today's sponsor, Playworks:

We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.

If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. 

These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. 

Randy Laist is Chair of the English Department at the University of Bridgeport in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He has taught in middle schools, high schools, and colleges, and his writing has appeared in The New York Times, Salon, and The Chronicle of Higher Education.

We discuss his book Rethinking Writing Instruction in the Age of AI.

The episode covers:

• Coming up with a modern definition of writing
• The fears around artificial intelligence and writing
• Why it’s necessary to rethink writing 
• Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Universal Design for Writing
• Engagement, Representation, Action and Expression
• Risks to consider
• Writing activities using AI

Find Rethinking Writing Instruction in the Age of AI from CAST Publishing. 

About today’s guest

Randy Laist is Chair of the English Department at the University of Bridgeport in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He is the author of Rethinking Writing Instruction in the Age of AI, The Twin Towers in Film: A Cinematic History of the World Trade Center, Cinema of Simulation: Hyperreal Hollywood in the Long 1990s, and Technology and Postmodern Subjectivity in Don DeLillo's Novels. He has also edited volumes of essays on college movies, plant studies, Indiana Jones, retro-representations of the 1980s, and inclusive educational design. He lives in New Haven with his wife, two kids, and Sigmund the cat.

About the host

Ross Romano is a co-founder of the Be Podcast Network and CEO of September Strategies, a coaching and consulting firm that helps organizations and high-performing leaders in the K-12 education industry communicate their vision and make strategic decisions that lead to long-term success. Connect on Twitter @RossBRomano or https://www.linkedin.com/in/rossromano 

I also host Sideline Sessions, a podcast for coaches and parents of student-athletes. The show features conversations with coaches and performance experts in the NFL, NBA, NCAA, Olympics, and more. Listen here: https://bit.ly/3Rp0QGt 

Learn more about today's sponsor, Playworks:

We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.

If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. 

These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation.