Serving the whole child is taking on a whole new meaning in the post-pandemic school system. For years soft services have been the first to be cut during lean budgets. In this episode, we focus on a state that is making a bold move to prioritize student mental health and backing their commitment with unprecedented funding.

Follow on Twitter: @eduflack @bamradionetwork @jonHarper70bd

Patrick Riccards is the executive director of Best in the World Teachers and the founder of the Driving Force Institute for Public Engagement. He is also the author of the nationally recognized Eduflack blog and its companion Twitter feed. PR News named Pat the Not-for-Profit Communications Professional of the Year for his work in teacher preparation and higher education transformation (2015). A former local school board chairman, Patrick is also the author of the award-winning Dadprovement. Host of the Soul of Education. Former Host of TrumpED and Common Core Radio.

Despite the epic pandemic-driven effort to put devices and Internet access in the hands of every student, a Grand Canyon-sized gap still remains in the digital divide. In this episode, we unpack a new study that points to what’s still needed — from technology to human infrastructure.

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Michael H. Levine, Ph.D. is Senior Vice President of Learning and Impact for Noggin, Nickelodeon’s direct-to-consumer interactive learning platform for young children. An early learning and social policy expert, Dr. Levine is responsible for deepening Noggin’s value to children and families through dynamic content, partnerships, and interactive experiences developed for learning and impact. He previously spent 12 years at Sesame Workshop where he served as Chief Knowledge Officer, a member of the senior executive team responsible for driving organization-wide learning, educational partnerships, knowledge exchange, and policy leadership. He is also the Founding Executive Director of the Joan Ganz Cooney Center, a pioneering thought leader in the digital media and learning field. Previously he oversaw innovative grantmaking, strategic communications and program design and scaling strategies for Carnegie Corporation of New York, the New York City Department of Education, the Mayor’s Office and Asia Society. He serves on numerous non-profit and double-bottom line boards including the Cooney Center, JumpStart, We Are Family Foundation and Woot Math. He received his PhD in Social Policy from the Heller School at Brandeis University and his Bachelor’s degree from Cornell University.

It’s mind-boggling to grasp that school safety has become a point of contention in school districts around the country. Common sense should point to some clear and generally accepted options. So why are we hung up, and how can we resolve the conflicts that could lead our schools back to full lockdown?

Follow on Twitter: @eduflack @bamradionetwork @jonHarper70bd

Patrick Riccards is the executive director of Best in the World Teachers and the founder of the Driving Force Institute for Public Engagement. He is also the author of the nationally recognized Eduflack blog and its companion Twitter feed. PR News named Pat the Not-for-Profit Communications Professional of the Year for his work in teacher preparation and higher education transformation (2015). A former local school board chairman, Patrick is also the author of the award-winning Dadprovement. Host of the Soul of Education. Former Host of TrumpED and Common Core Radio.

During the pandemic, schools rushed to support teachers with tools, professional development, and moral support. How well did we provide what mattered most?

Follow on Twitter: @eduflack @bamradionetwork @jonHarper70bd

Patrick Riccards is the executive director of Best in the World Teachers and the founder of the Driving Force Institute for Public Engagement. He is also the author of the nationally recognized Eduflack blog and its companion Twitter feed. PR News named Pat the Not-for-Profit Communications Professional of the Year for his work in teacher preparation and higher education transformation (2015). A former local school board chairman, Patrick is also the author of the award-winning Dadprovement. Host of the Soul of Education. Former Host of TrumpED and Common Core Radio.

Now that unprecedented dollars are set aside for education, the question becomes how do we invest this money wisely?

Follow on Twitter: @eduflack @bamradionetwork @jonHarper70bd

Patrick Riccards is the executive director of Best in the World Teachers and the founder of the Driving Force Institute for Public Engagement. He is also the author of the nationally recognized Eduflack blog and its companion Twitter feed. PR News named Pat the Not-for-Profit Communications Professional of the Year for his work in teacher preparation and higher education transformation (2015). A former local school board chairman, Patrick is also the author of the award-winning Dadprovement. Host of the Soul of Education. Former Host of TrumpED and Common Core Radio.

I’m having second thoughts about the ten billion dollars set aside for COVID-19 testing in K12-schools. Are there better ways to spend those funds?

Follow on Twitter: @eduflack @bamradionetwork @jonHarper70bd

Patrick Riccards is the executive director of Best in the World Teachers and the founder of the Driving Force Institute for Public Engagement. He is also the author of the nationally recognized Eduflack blog and its companion Twitter feed. PR News named Pat the Not-for-Profit Communications Professional of the Year for his work in teacher preparation and higher education transformation (2015). A former local school board chairman, Patrick is also the author of the award-winning Dadprovement. Host of the Soul of Education. Former Host of TrumpED and Common Core Radio.

The list of things we'll need to restore the soul of education is long, complex, and overlapping. With a new education secretary confirmed and billions earmarked to help schools recover, how do we get ready for what's ahead?

Follow on Twitter: @eduflack @bamradionetwork @jonHarper70bd

Patrick Riccards is the executive director of Best in the World Teachers and the founder of the Driving Force Institute for Public Engagement. He is also the author of the nationally recognized Eduflack blog and its companion Twitter feed. PR News named Pat the Not-for-Profit Communications Professional of the Year for his work in teacher preparation and higher education transformation (2015). A former local school board chairman, Patrick is also the author of the award-winning Dadprovement. Host of the Soul of Education. Former Host of TrumpED and Common Core Radio.

The new administration surprised the education community with its early position on high-stakes testing.  Some are disappointed, which begs the question, how else will we know what students have learned this year and what they haven't?

Follow on Twitter: @eduflack @bamradionetwork @jonHarper70bd

Patrick Riccards is the executive director of Best in the World Teachers and the founder of the Driving Force Institute for Public Engagement. He is also the author of the nationally recognized Eduflack blog and its companion Twitter feed. PR News named Pat the Not-for-Profit Communications Professional of the Year for his work in teacher preparation and higher education transformation (2015). A former local school board chairman, Patrick is also the author of the award-winning Dadprovement. Host of the Soul of Education. Former Host of TrumpED and Common Core Radio.

As the new president begins working on his promise to restore the soul of America, we begin the journey of following how the administration’s priorities will impact the soul of education. In this first episode, we start with a look at the administration’s first priority — reopening schools in the first 100 days.

Follow on Twitter: @eduflack @bamradionetwork @jonHarper70bd

Patrick Riccards is the executive director of Best in the World Teachers and the founder of the Driving Force Institute for Public Engagement. He is also the author of the nationally recognized Eduflack blog and its companion Twitter feed. PR News named Pat the Not-for-Profit Communications Professional of the Year for his work in teacher preparation and higher education transformation (2015). A former local school board chairman, Patrick is also the author of the award-winning Dadprovement. He is also host of the Soul of Education. and former host of TrumpED and Common Core Radio.