What Students Want

From where do contemporary, resilient changes begin - from a top-down mandate, or from a bottom-up, tech-driven evolution? Today’s guest, Matt Greenfield, is an investor in entrepreneurial companies that drive transformative social outcomes through the power of using technology in education. 

He sifts through fascinating trends and prophetic scenarios as we discuss everything from the Common Core to cloud-based platforms, bullying to virtual reality, and pedagogy to washing machines. If you are curious about how technology will continue to impact education, have a listen to the man who searches the horizon for innovation so that he can invest in change for the educational ecosystem.

Quotes:

12:39 “There is a whole range of needs that children have that have to be addressed one way or another if they are to have even the slightest chance of getting a decent education and carving out a place for themselves in the workforce of the 21st-century.”

28:28 “Unlocking the passions and the creativity of the students is the key; the first thing you have to do is to ask them what they are passionately interested in or curious about. Everything has to start with that.”

Here are some resources mentioned in our discussion:

Rethink - https://rethink.vc/

NoRedInk - https://www.noredink.com/

Bright Hive - https://brighthive.io/

Burning Glass Technologies - https://www.burning-glass.com/

Outschool - https://outschool.com/

Keith Rabois - https://podcastnotes.org/2019/03/05/rabois-5/

GoNoodle - https://www.gonoodle.com/

Most Likely to Succeed - https://teddintersmith.com/mltsfilm/

Naviance - https://www.naviance.com/services/professional-development

Where to learn more about the guest:

Matt at Rethink - https://rethink.vc/people/matt-greenfield/

Matt on Twitter - https://twitter.com/mattgreenfield

Matt on Linkedin - linkedin.com/in/matt-greenfield-07b96815

Matt at EdSurge - https://www.edsurge.com/writers/matt-greenfield

Where to learn more about Enrollhand:

Website: www.enrollhand.com

Our training on how to grow your school: https://webinar-replay.enrollhand.com

Our free Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolgrowth/

You can always reach out by emailing [email protected]

If you had to pick your moniker, being called a 'guru' by Fortune Magazine and a 'maverick' by CNN would not be a bad place to start. Our guest today, Clark Aldrich, is on the frontline of the learning revolution. He is the author of five books and is known for award-winning projects building custom “Short Sims” using a methodology he has pioneered. Clark’s work pedigree uniquely positions him to take on the role of education technology thought leader, and it is from this position that he joins our podcast today.

If your school is interested in finding an entry-level place to join the conversation about how to make education more relevant, this podcast will inspire you and offer first-steps towards innovation.

Quotes:

05:35 “We are now at a time when interactive documents are as cheap (maybe cheaper) to produce as non-interactive documents - and that changes everything.”

38:22 “How do you find people’s raw talents, how do you find what they care most about, and how do you connect the two in a meaningful and sustaining way? When that becomes the shared vision of schools, then it is preparing them for a lot more different kinds of lives including the ones that we’re seeing students have to deal with now.”

Here are some resources mentioned in our discussion:

Clark’s Books:

Short Sims: A Game Changer - Preorder at Amazon for March 2020 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Short-Sims-Changer-Clark-Aldrich/dp/0367857421/ref=sr_1_8?keywords=clark+aldrich&qid=1575381554&sr=8-8

Unschooling Rules - https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=unschooling+rules&hvadid=80127002599272&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvqmt=e&tag=mh0a9-21&ref=pd_sl_7zp4fmv3sj_e

Learning Online with Games, Simulations, and Virtual Worlds: Strategies for Online Instruction - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Learning-Online-Simulations-Virtual-Worlds-ebook/dp/B002RMSZ4W/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=clark+aldrich&qid=1575381554&sr=8-5

Acton Academy - http://www.actonacademy.org/

Where to learn more about the guest:

Clark’s Personal Website - http://www.clarkaldrich.com/

Clark on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/clark_aldrich/

Short Sims - https://www.shortsims.com/clarkaldrich

Clark on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taFU4WfGkEc

BranchTrackAmericas - https://www.branchtrackamericas.com/our-perspective

Unschooling on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Unschooling/

Where to learn more about Enrollhand:

Website: www.enrollhand.com

Our webinar: https://webinar-replay.enrollhand.com

Our free Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolgrowth/

You can always reach out by emailing [email protected]

Summary:

Having connected her clients to over $200 million in grants through the work done by her company - EnvisionEdPlus, Michele Timmons is the right person to go to for an in-depth look at the funding panorama. She is passionate about helping schools support young people to thrive in school and beyond. 

Today, she walks us through the “Three Buckets of Money” available, the trends in funding, how to think strategically about approaching funders, how to build partnerships in the community to improve the chances of scoring a grant, and MORE!

Listen and take notes on the best simple steps to enter the funding conversation. 

Quotes: 

10:25 “We really want to see schools and nonprofits think strategically about how these (grant) funds will give you the political capital to solve your problem, and (then) hold people accountable for that work to be successful.”

17:15 “A well-written grant proposal is actually a strategic plan for how you are going to do the work, and how you’re going to know if the work is successful.” 

38:38 “(Strategic partnerships are) really about identifying your needs, and (finding) some mission overlaps that people are going to get excited about.”

42:50 “Think long-term and act short-term.”

Here are some resources mentioned in our discussion:

Ohio’s Straight A Fund Governing Board - https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/straight-update-ohios-innovation-funds-michele-timmons/

Where to learn more about the guest:

Michele on Linkedin - linkedin.com/in/micheletimmons

EnvisionEdPlus website: www.envisionedplus.com

EnvisionEdPlus on Twitter: @envisionedplus

EnvisionEdPlus on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EnvisionEdPlus

Where to learn more about Enrollhand:

Our website: www.enrollhand.com

Our training on how to grow your school: https://webinar-replay.enrollhand.com

Our free Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolgrowth/

You can always reach out by emailing [email protected]

AVI CHAI has invested over $300 million to benefit Jewish education through a wide variety of programs. As Executive Director of the North Ameria branch of AVI CHAI, Yossi Prager brings to the table a wealth of insight into philanthropy and wide-ranging experience with education. A graduate of Yeshiva College and Yale Law School, Yossi serves on the boards of communal and public policy organizations. He is a noted speaker, writer, and editor.

Sharing with us how foundations view their role in social change, Yossi delves into the differences between funding for private schools and public schools, and the differences between private philanthropy and foundation philanthropy. Yossi shares four steps through which a school can begin to build relationships with foundations and seek to establish an interface that is more than “transactional.”

If you have considered philanthropic support for your school, but wondered how to start, this podcast gives you practical steps for initiating your journey.

Quotes:

07:37 “More and more big foundations are thinking of themselves as investors seeking a social return on investment.” 

25:20 “What we have learned is that the world changes as you work. You are always flying a plane that you are also building. The world evolves, and the philanthropic community needs to evolve in turn.”

Here are some resources mentioned in our discussion:

Summit School - http://www.summitqueens.com/

Speedboats of change and the future of work - https://www.axios.com/seattle-high-school-future-of-work-88d89dbf-d958-4961-a396-b605d6971859.html

Where to learn more about the guest:

Yossi at Linkedin - linkedin.com/in/yossi-prager-8b943911

Yossi at Avi Chai - https://avichai.org/person/yossi-prager/

Where to learn more about Enrollhand:

Our website: www.enrollhand.com

Our training on how to grow your school: https://webinar-replay.enrollhand.com

Our free Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolgrowth/

You can always reach out by emailing [email protected]

“All of that student-directed theory is great, but how does it play out in real life?” you might ask. What if we told you that a 12-year-old boy decided that his school needed a playground upgrade, polled the students and the community to determine needs, gathered support for his project, wrote a grant proposal, and scored a $180K grant from Great Outdoors Colorado? 

This is the story that Sohne Van Selus, principal at North Arvada Middle School, shares with us as we explore the reality of what happens when the adults in education genuinely believe that their students can and must own their learning, have a voice in their process, develop critical thinking skills, self-direction, collaboration, communication competency, and personal responsibility. 

Sohne and Andrew discuss the ways that a school can design and define it’s “brand,” and get the whole community in-sync and talking about it so that “cascading” results will follow. Join us to marvel at and applaud a clear-cut example of how the “rubber meets the road” when the steering wheel of ideology is put into action by a young man with a vision of where he wants to go. Adult backseat drivers are not welcome or needed here!

Quotes:

05:30 “As leaders, we have to decide what are our core values and what do we believe that learners in our building need (in order) to be ultimately successful in their lives.”

17:17 “When you actually get to witness students taking charge of their own learning and that cascading effect (in the community), it’s super powerful.” 

18:30 “If we believe in our young people, give them a platform for their voice, and put tools in their hands, truly they can accomplish whatever they set their sites on.” 

25:18 “I believe that wherever we put our thoughts and focus our thoughts is where our energy goes, and therefore, that is what will grow. If we focus our thoughts on the vision and believe in abundance, then that’s what’s going to grow. Start small. Have a bias towards action. Believe in the kids.”

Here are some resources mentioned in our discussion:

School Retool - http://schoolretool.org/

Deeper Learning - https://deeperlearning4all.org/

Where to learn more about the guest:

Sohne at Linkedin - linkedin.com/in/sohnevs

Sohne’s Website - edcsd.org

Sohne’s Blog - sohnespeak.blogspot.com/

Sohne on Twitter - SohneVS

Where to learn more about Enrollhand:

Our website: www.enrollhand.com

Our training on how to grow your school: https://webinar-replay.enrollhand.com

Our free Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolgrowth/

You can always reach out by emailing [email protected]

Did you ever sit at your desk, engaged in a daytime fantasy in which all of the stakeholders in your school were cheering you on, passing along their positive experience to others, and looking for ways to more deeply engage with the education community centered around your school? It doesn’t have to be a dream…

Jethro Jones, a school principal for nine years, and host of the Transformative Principal Podcasts intends to impact 100 million kids by 2027 by improving their educational experiences. Through his podcasts and Leadership Summits, he is reaching thousands of people in the education community. Jethro holds the secrets of empowering your entire group of stakeholders with simple solutions to the complex problems you face every day - and he is sharing them with us today.

Listen as we explore principles of design applied to school, organizational leadership, the power of social media to tell your school’s story, more effective discipline in the school, feedback loops, and more.

Quotes: 

09:00 “If you are in a school, and you hear complaints about something, you have got to go research that and figure out what the real issue is.” 

14:55 “Start by experiencing what a family or student would experience the first time they come to your school. You will be able to see for yourself whether or not what you are doing will be effective for helping those people have a good experience.”

18:15 “There are things we are doing before anybody ever sets foot inside the door that say (to the parent), ‘You are not valued, and your opinion doesn’t matter,’ and we’ve got to change that.” 

19:25 “Having an outside voice that is both critical and supportive... is a really powerful thing (for principals).”

27:15 “Think about the size of your school. If every single one of those families... thought that your school was the best school in the world, what could you do with that many fans? If you try to serve that core group of people, you’re going to get amazing results.”

Here are some resources mentioned in our discussion:

Seth Godin - https://www.sethgodin.com

Kevin Kelley - 1,000 True Fans - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wlg3808gDic

Where to learn more about the guest:

Jethro’s Blog - http://www.jethrojones.com

http://mrjonesed.blogspot.com/

Transformative Principal - http://www.transformativeprincipal.org/

Transformative Principal Leadership Summit - http://transformativeleadershipsummit.com/

Survey of impact created - http://www.transformativeprincipal.org/impact

Jethro at Linkedin - linkedin.com/in/jethrojones

Jethro at Twitter - https://twitter.com/jethrojones

Where to learn more about Enrollhand:

Website: www.enrollhand.com

Our webinar: https://webinar-replay.enrollhand.com

Our free Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolgrowth/

You can always reach out by emailing [email protected]

Outschool is a community marketplace of live online classes for K-12. Today, we have the great pleasure of hearing from Amir Nathoo - one of the founding partners of Outschool. As an innovative learning platform that is social, interactive, and online, Outschool is uniquely positioned to meet the exploding need for learner-directed education. In fact, Outschool has currently reached nearly 40,000 families and 57,000 learners with 10,000 classes.

The endless possibilities for new partnerships in education between schools and online platforms are only starting to emerge, and Amir shares with us some of the intriguing cooperative pathways that glisten on the horizon. Schools that are looking for ways to tighten up, freshen up, and liven up their offering will benefit from hearing the discussion with Amir. 

Listen and consider how Outschool might interface with your programs and curriculum - without ever leaving the comfort of the classroom.

Quotes:

02:00 “The quality of the first class experience that you have on Outschool is really, really important to us and is where we are focused in our current product cycle. With a new type of learning interaction, it’s really important that your first experience is good - and then, that drives growth with referrals.”

08:30 “The decision to enroll in a class is a shared decision between the parent and the learner.”  

13:50 “Every kid is different, and they change with time. What that means is that it’s not possible with a single mode of education to satisfy all of any one kid’s needs or every kid. A network of services needs to exist in order to make the system more personalized, meet kids’ needs, and inspire them.”

18:50 “Part of the value of the interactive format is this idea that - there’s no single best math teacher in the world. If there were, we would just record them and broadcast them to everyone. Great teachers can come from a variety of different backgrounds and come in with a variety of different goals.” 

26:38 “I think it’s really important to test changes and to iterate before rolling them out in a high-stakes environment. One of the benefits of technology...is that we’ve been able to create this fast iteration which reduces risk and creates better results. If Outschool can be a tool to enable that faster iteration for schools, we’d be absolutely delighted to talk with them about that.”

31:20 “We do believe that there’s a need and an opportunity to reinvent learning experiences outside of school. So much pressure is put on teachers and schools, and it’s unrealistic.”

Here are some resources mentioned in our discussion:

Amy Anderson at ReSchool Colorado - reschoolcolorado.org

Transcend - www.transcendeducation.org

Where to learn more about the guest:

Amir at Linkedin - linkedin.com/in/amirnathoo

Amir at Outschool - outschool.com

[email protected]

Amir’s Blog - amir.io

Amir on Twitter - amirnathoo

Where to learn more about Enrollhand:

Website: www.enrollhand.com

Our webinar: https://webinar-replay.enrollhand.com

Our free Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolgrowth/

You can always reach out by emailing [email protected]

Change is daunting. Change to entrenched systems and institutions can feel impossible. Even thinking about where to begin can be exhausting. For schools that are interested in remaining healthy and relevant in the 21st-century, Transcend brings resources, experience, energy, optimism, and support to the design process. We are joined today by Sujata Bhatt and Anirban Bhattacharyya from Transcend - a national nonprofit dedicated to accelerating innovation in the core design of “school.” They have a vision for creating extraordinary, equitable learning environments. 

Listen as our guests unpack the design process and share their belief that schools interested in innovative change are not alone, and are in fact, a part of a revolutionary movement that is accelerating in education.

Quotes:

12:00 “Another advantage of a holistic blueprint is that not only are the pieces sometimes going in different directions and suffer from each other, they’re often not even in the same place, and so you can’t even go and learn (from each other), and so, a lot of times, there are messy sub-systems where you can see that, manage that, and create a plan to get them in sync.” Sujata

Here are some resources mentioned in our discussion:

How Edtech Can Help Build a Blueprint for Real Change in K-12 -https://www.edsurge.com/news/2019-08-21-how-edtech-can-help-build-a-blueprint-for-real-change-in-k-12

KIPP Houston Public Schools https://kipphouston.org/

New Tech High School - https://www.newtechhigh.org/

Big Picture Learning - https://www.bigpicture.org/

Intrinsic Schools - https://intrinsicschools.org/

Van Ness Elementary School -  https://www.vannesselementary.org/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2YwTbyJW34&=&feature=youtu.be

Ted Fujimoto at Landmark Consulting - consultlandmark.com

Where to learn more about the guest:

Transcend - www.transcendeducation.org

Transcend Blog - http://www.transcendeducation.org/blog-and-news#blog-news

Sujata at Linkedin - linkedin.com/in/sujatabhatt

Sujata’s linked websites -

incubatorschoolplaybook.org/

sites.google.com/bostonpublicschools.org/innovate/home?authuser=0

Sujata at Twitter - SujataBhatt

Anirban’s at Linkedin - linkedin.com/in/anirban-bhattacharyya-a785b667

Where to learn more about Enrollhand:

Website: www.enrollhand.com

Our webinar: https://webinar-replay.enrollhand.com

Our free Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolgrowth/

You can always reach out by emailing [email protected]

Nina Rees is the president and chief executive officer of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. After working for more than 20 years in Washington, D.C., including at Knowledge Universe, the U.S. Department of Education, and working as a deputy assistant for domestic policy to Vice President Dick Cheney, she needs no introduction in the education sector. She is passionate about the ultimate goal of charter schools to provide options for families who want an innovative public school education for their child. 

Nina offers a forthright talk with us about the accomplishments of the charter school movement, the challenges it faces, and the future that it aspires to shape. Whether your school is public or private, there is much to be learned from what charter schools have done, where they are headed, and how they see their value proposition.

Listen as Nina shares her vision of the future of the charter movement.

Quotes:

08:13 “Ultimately, what we’re trying to do in most places is to take low-income families and get them to and through college in order for them to move out of poverty.”

16:45 “I do think the future is going to be more personalized; our (charter) schools are well-equipped to fit into this future because we are nimble and we don’t have to coordinate with a centralized bureaucracy before we make a change.” 

21:40 “I think it’s important for policymakers to bridge the gap and create ‘convenings’ where the two sectors (traditional system and charter system) have to sit down together.”

Here are some resources mentioned in our discussion:

The B.A. Breakthrough by Richard Whitmire https://breakthrough.the74million.org/

The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools - https://www.publiccharters.org/

Prenda Schools - https://prendaschool.com/

Valor Collegiate Academies - https://valorcollegiate.org

Summit Public Schools - https://summitps.org

New Tech High School - https://www.newtechhigh.org/

Big Picture Learning - https://www.bigpicture.org/

How The Other Half Learns: Equality, Excellence, and the Battle over School Choice by Robert Pondiscio

Tom Vander Ark - www.tomvanderark.com

Transcend - www.transcendeducation.org

KinderCare - https://www.kindercare.com

Where to learn more about the guest:

Nina at Linkedin - linkedin.com/in/nina-rees-76911111

Nina on Twitter - Ninacharters

Where to learn more about Enrollhand:

Website: www.enrollhand.com

Our webinar: https://webinar-replay.enrollhand.com

Our free Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolgrowth/

After a few years of incubating the idea inside the Denver-based Donnell-Kay Foundation, ReSchool launched as a non-profit in 2018. Their goal is to create an entirely new state public education system in Colorado. Working directly with parents and learners, they try to help families create learning experiences inside and outside of school. Amy Anderson is the Director of ReSchool Colorado. Today, she talks with us about the innovative ideas happening at ReSchool. You will enjoy hearing about how any school could partner with and leverage the local community to share in the enormous task of helping young people gain experiences that align with their aspirations, passions, and goals in life. 

Amy likes to pose the question - School AND….? with a recognition that learning happens everywhere. She is quick to propose that the burden (and joy) of education is best shared throughout our communities, rather than saddled to the back of the school system alone. Our conversation with Amy is the very definition of “thinking beyond constraints.” Join us to consider what could happen within and beyond your school.

Quotes:

08:38 “What is realistic and the right thing for kids during the hours and the time of year that they’re in school that the system can handle and wants to engage in, and what are the kinds of things that we could look beyond school (for) in terms of assets that already exist?” 

12:55 “This idea of having a system where every family had access to learner advocates who can provide in different contexts is a part of the Reschool vision. How do we catalyze that at a system level? How do we leverage organizations that already work with families in various contexts and equip them with the skills and tools and resources they need to meet the demands and needs of the families in their communities?”

15:40 “We raise a variety of private dollars at Reschool to help offset some of the costs of accessing learning that happens outside of school and for things like transportation.”

Here are some resources mentioned in our discussion:

Education Week - Tom Vander Ark / Amy Anderson: https://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/on_innovation/2014/05/whats_next_in_education_a_new_education_system.html

Community Share - Josh Schachter - https://hundred.org/en/innovations/communityshare

Blueprint4summer - https://blueprint4.com/co/

Where to learn more about the guest:

Amy at Linkedin - linkedin.com/in/amy-anderson-7b139a12

The Donnell-Kay Foundation - dkfoundation.org

ReSchool Colorado - reschoolcolorado.org

Twitter - ReSchool_CO

Where to learn more about Enrollhand:

Website: www.enrollhand.com

Our webinar: https://webinar-replay.enrollhand.com

Our free Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolgrowth/