The fullstackeducator's Podcast

In this episode, Matt McGee and Michael Lomuscio had the privilege of speaking with Lawrence Alexander, the founding Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) at Carney Sandoe and Associates. Lawrence discusses what school leaders need to be thinking about when hiring a Director of DEI. You can access the full show notes with resources at FullstackEducator.com

Welcome to the Fullstack Educator Podcast!

Dr. Marshaé Newkirk is a career educator with over 20 years of experience serving public school students and families in New York and New Jersey. Her work as a teacher in the South Bronx, NY served as a springboard for a career in educational leadership and advocacy for children in historically marginalized and under-appreciated communities. She is the lead founder of an independent charter school in Newark, NJ, where she served as the School/Executive Director for 8 years. Marshaé provides leadership coaching and training for new and aspiring leaders through her work at New Leaders. In addition, she is an independent consultant offering leadership coaching with a focus on reimagining “best-practices” in schools in order to disrupt the status quo. Marshaé has earned Masters Degrees in Elementary Education and Administration and Supervision from Lehman College and Fordham University respectively, and holds a doctorate in Educational and Organizational Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Sarah Boulos Fye has served public school students in South Florida as a teacher and literacy specialist for over ten years and is currently supporting Somerset Academy, Inc., a charter school network based in Florida with over 75 schools in the US. Dr. Fye holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from the Florida State University, a Master of Science in Reading and Literacy Education from Florida International University and a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania. With experience ranging from classroom teacher to virtual school teacher to reading coach to literacy specialist to network strategic planning, Dr. Fye has led review teams working with schools and staff desiring improvement by observing faculty and administrators, mentoring educators, and creating plans of action for school improvement by working with site and district administrators through research-based data collection and analysis practices. Dr. Fye is a member of the International Literacy Association, a facilitator of coursework for the Penn Literacy Network at the University of Pennsylvania, and a RILE Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education. She is the co-host of the Big Ideas in Education podcast and focuses her research and life’s work on relationships and teacher retention.

Here are links to the resources mentioned in our conversation with Dr. Marshaé Newkirk and Dr. Sarah Fye about charter schools.

Connect with Dr. Marshaé Newkirk on LinkedIn, Instagram, and her forthcoming website.

Connect with Dr. Sarah Fye on Instagram and Twitter.

Book: Promoting Racial Literacy in Schools: Differences That Make a Difference by Dr. Howard Stevenson.

Book: How to Be An Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi.

Sarah’s Podcast: The Big Ideas in Education Podcast.

Podcast: Better Leaders Better Schools

Book: White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo

Book: We Want to Do More Than Survive: Abolitionist Teaching and the Pursuit of Educational Freedom by Bettina Love

You can connect with Matt McGee and Michael Lomuscio on LinkedIn.

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Episodes of this podcast are released bi-weekly.

Welcome to the Fullstack Educator Podcast!

Ayanna Hill-Gill, affectionately known as Yanni, is the Head of School at Atlanta Girls' School. Prior to AGS, Yanni worked at Purnell School, a boarding school for girls in New Jersey, where she was the Head of School since 2007. Yanni holds a bachelor’s degree in Biology and Chemistry from Dickinson College and a master’s degree from Columbia University Teacher’s College with an emphasis on Private School Leadership. She has been a yearlong Klingenstein Fellow and an EE Ford Fellow for NAIS’ Aspiring Heads Program. Prior to her tenure at Purnell, Yanni worked at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden building their community outreach program and developing curriculum for children's educational programs. In 1992, Yanni lived in Costa Rica while studying sustainable development and conducting independent research in water quality. It was these two experiences that led Yanni to teaching, particularly science. As a graduate of an all girls’ school in Philadelphia, Yanni has committed her career to creating opportunities for girls and young women to discover their voices, achieve success and become leaders in the fields of their choice.

Yanni currently serves on the Board of the Heads Network and the National Coalition of Girls’ Schools. She serves locally as a member of the Advisory Board of the Global Village Project, an all girls school for refugees in Decatur, GA. Yanni has served as a Trustee on the Board of Rutgers Prep School in New Brunswick, NJ, Far Hills Country Day School in Far Hills, NJ, Link Community School in Newark, NJ, New Jersey Association of Independent Schools (NJAIS), The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS), and Willowwood Arboretum.

Here are links to the resources mentioned in our conversation with Ayanna Hill-Gill about Girls’ Education.

Connect with Ayanna on LinkedIn and Twitter.

The National Coalition of Girls’ Schools

Book: American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins

Book: We Live for the We: The Political Power of Black Motherhood by Dani McClain

Podcast: Curious Minds by Gayle Allen

You can connect with Matt McGee and Michael Lomuscio on LinkedIn.

You can follow Fullstack Educator on Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.

If you enjoyed this podcast please subscribe, rate it, leave a review, and share it with a friend!

Episodes of this podcast are released bi-weekly.

Dr. Jennifer Stimpson is a chemist, Independent school educator and leader, and a recent graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education. She was named the IF/THEN ambassador by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She developed an all-girls initiative focused on leadership skills and academic success. The City of Dallas issued a proclamation lauding her work in developing a sustainable biofuel source for the school district’s transportation system. Dr. Stimpson has also been honored by O: The Oprah Magazine, The State of Texas, US Congress, Michael Jordan Foundation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Dallas County Community College District, which recently called her a role model for future STEM teachers, honoring her with an Exemplary Teaching Award. To recognize her efforts in the future of science, Jennifer received the Hidden Figures in STEM award from the National Society of Black Engineers.

Here are links to the resources mentioned in our conversation with Dr. Jennifer Stimpson about rethinking the scientist identity.

Connect with Jennifer on Instagram or Twitter

Learn more about the AAAS IF/THEN ambassador program here.

Book: The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein

Author: Ta-Nahisi Coates

Book: Dare to Lead by Brené Brown

You can connect with Matt McGee and Michael Lomuscio on LinkedIn.

You can follow Fullstack Educator on Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.

If you enjoyed this podcast please subscribe, rate it, leave a review, and share it with a friend!

Episodes of this podcast are released bi-weekly.

Welcome to the Fullstack Educator Podcast!

Dr. Deborah Dowling has been the Executive Director of CAIS since July 2020. Previously, Deborah held the roles of Assistant Head at Chadwick School, Upper School Director at Bridges Academy, and Director of Studies at Harvard-Westlake School. Originally from Melbourne, Australia, Deborah holds a bachelor's degree in physics and a doctorate in the history and philosophy of science. Deborah has taught a variety of subjects from kindergarten through undergraduate, including leadership training for independent school administrators.

Here are links to the resources mentioned in our conversation with Dr. Deborah Dowling about school leadership.

Learn more about the California Association of Independent Schools here.

Connect with Deborah at [email protected].

You can connect with Matt McGee and Michael Lomuscio on LinkedIn.

If you enjoyed this podcast please subscribe, rate it, leave a review, and share it with a friend!

Episodes of this podcast are released bi-weekly.

Welcome to the Fullstack Educator Podcast!

Julie Ray is the Chief Financial Officer for Mount Paran Christian School leading administrative services which includes the business office, human resources department, .information technology, and operations and facilities departments. Julie received her bachelor’s degree in liberal arts from the University of Texas at Austin and her master’s degree in business administration from George Mason University with an emphasis in management and organizational design and development. Julie has been with Mount Paran Christian School since 2003 and in her current role since 2006. For a period of eight years, Julie served as a board member and was the board chair at MISBO: an association of independent school professionals serving the business office, human resources, IT, and facilities.

Here are links to the resources mentioned in our conversation with Julie Ray about school finance.

Learn more about Mount Paran Christian School here.

Connect with Julie on Twitter @jboxray or email at [email protected].

Learn more about MISBO here.

Book: Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations by Alex and Brett Harris

Book: The Book of Nehemiah

Book: Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck

You can connect with Matt McGee and Michael Lomuscio on LinkedIn.

If you enjoyed this podcast please subscribe, rate it, leave a review, and share it with a friend!

Episodes of this podcast are released bi-weekly.

One of the largest subsets of independent schools are faith-based schools and schools that intentionally work to support students’ spiritual wellbeing and development. However, few ed leadership programs prepare individuals to effectively lead the faith component of their schools.

Stephanie Williams O’Brien is the Lead Pastor at Mill City Church in Northeast Minneapolis. She is also a professor of ministry at Bethel University and Seminary in St. Paul, MN. Stephanie is a sought after leadership coach and speaker. She is also the cohost of the Lead Stories podcast. Her first book Stay Curious: How Questions and Doubts Can Save Your Faith was released in the fall of 2019.

Access the full show notes with links to the resources mentioned in this episode at www.FullstackEducator.com

Independent schools are continually looking for innovative ways to make education more relevant and valuable to students. Some schools have decided to merge their english and history departments together to form a humanities department. The goal of a robust humanities curriculum is to break down the silos that separate the studies of history and english and to give students a deeper understanding of the cultural reality that exists within each moment of history.

We’re very excited to have our good friend Steve Nowack on the show today. Steve has spent his entire career teaching and leading within independent schools. He has served at both day and boarding schools in a variety of positions both academic and administrative. Currently, Steve is serving as the Chair of the Humanities department at Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School, an international boarding school nestled in the north GA mountains, where he has served for over a decade.

Access the full show notes with links to resources mentioned in this episode at www.FullstackEducator.com

Welcome to the Fullstack Educator Podcast!

The Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS) welcomed Debra Wilson as the new president of the association in 2019. Debra is an accomplished attorney and served as general counsel to the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) for nearly two decades. In this episode, we have a conversation with Debra about managing legal issues within independent schools. We also asked her about the impact of COVID-19 on independent schools and the decisions that SAIS schools will face in the coming years.

Here are links to the resources mentioned in our conversation with Debra Wilson.

You can connect with Debra via email at [email protected] and through the SAIS website.

Independent School Management (ISM)

NAIS Legal and Legislative Resources

NAIS Legal News

The Klingenstein Center at Teachers College Columbia University

Global Education Benchmark Group

Venable LLP COVID-19 Resources

SAIS Coronavirus Resource Page

The Enrollment Management Association COVID-19 Resources page

The Association of Technology Leaders in Independent Schools Coronavirus Resource Page for Technology Leaders

National Business Officers Association COVID-19 Resource page

Read something that has nothing to do with what is going on in the world right now. Your brain needs a break.

Book: Start with Why by Simon Sinek

Podcast: The Daily - a New York Times Podcast

Podcast: Future U with Jeff Selingo and Michael Horn

You can connect with Matt McGee and Michael Lomuscio on LinkedIn.

If you enjoyed this podcast please subscribe, rate it, leave a review, and share it with a friend!

Episodes of this podcast are released bi-weekly.

Learn more about this podcast at FullstackEducator.com

What skills do you feel like you are missing? Are some skills more important for teachers in private schools than they are for teachers in public schools?

Dr. Michael Q. McShane has researched this question. He is the director of national research at EdChoice. He is the editor of New and Better Schools, the author of Education and Opportunity and numerous other books, and is currently an opinion contributor to Forbes. McShane’s analysis and commentary have been published widely in the media, including USA Today, The Washington Post, and The Wallstreet Journal. He is a former high school teacher who went on to earn his Ph.D. in Education Policy. We asked Dr. McShane to tell us more about his research and help us better understand the skills that teachers need to succeed in private schools. You can access the full show notes with resources at FullstackEducator.com