Today Tom is speaking with Stephanie Krauss; an educator, social worker, researcher, and writer. Her work focuses on what young people need in the first quarter of life for them to thrive and be ready for adulthood. She is a senior advisor to JFF and a staff consultant for the Youth Transition Funders Group. In this episode, Tom and Stephanie discuss the ways her childhood ultimately led her to follow up her teaching career with an education in social work. Her new book, Making It: What Today’s ...
Feb 10, 2021•39 min
Today Tom is speaking with Navid Nathoo; an innovator, entrepreneur, and creator of the new program and platform, The Knowledge Society. The Knowledge Society is an after-school program that helps learners navigate interests and encourages them to contribute to their communities as well as the global community with a series of projects. In this episode, Tom and Navid talk about what the future of education could be and how to get learners to find their spark and lean into difference-making. Navi...
Feb 03, 2021•34 min
Today, Tom is virtually sitting down with Trace Pickering, the Executive Director of Iowa BIG — one of Getting Smart’s favorite learning programs in the country! Trace has a background in community building, has served as the Associate Superintendent of Cedar Rapids Community School District, and has also served as the Associate Director of Education Reimagined. Trace has a legacy of empowering people to pursue interesting and important projects while bringing together an entire community. In th...
Jan 27, 2021•31 min
In this episode, Tom is joined by Kelly Young, President of Education Reimagined, to chat with Randy Ziegenfuss, podcast host and former Superintendent, about his multi-decade influence in the education space. Randy recently retired from the role of Superintendent in the Salisbury Township School District where he served for the past 15 years. Currently, he teaches as a Clinical Adjunct Professor of Education at Moravian College and Delaware Valley University. You can read his blog at WorkingAtT...
Jan 20, 2021•41 min
In this week’s episode, Tom virtually sits down with Kim Smith, founder of the Pahara Institute and co-founder of NewSchools Venture Fund and Bellwether Education Partners. Kim Smith is widely recognized as an innovative and entrepreneurial leader in education and has been featured in Newsweek ’s report, “Women of the 21st Century,” as the kind of woman who will shape America’s new century. Kim was also a founding team member at Teach for America, created and led an Americorps program for commun...
Jan 13, 2021•35 min•Ep. 302
This week, Tom is speaking with Joe Erpelding, a passionate educator and leader who is in the business of transforming schools and students’ lives. Joe served as the Principal at the Poway Unified School District for a number of years before making his way to Design39Campus where he was able to create a magical, one-of-a-kind school experience for every learner. Now, he is transitioning to support the team at Thrively, a tool for helping learners understand their strengths, purpose, and passion....
Jan 06, 2021•33 min•Ep. 301
Today, Tom is talking with journalist and author, Jeff Selingo, about his new book, Who Gets In and Why: A Year Inside College Admissions . This book was published in September 2020 and was named an Editor’s Choice by the New York Times book review. Jeff has written about higher education for more than two decades and is a New York Times best-selling author of three books. He is also a regular contributor to The Atlantic and is a special advisor for innovation and professor of practice at Arizon...
Dec 30, 2020•37 min•Ep. 300
This week, Tom is joined by special guest, Maya Ajmera, the President and CEO of the Society for Science & the Public and Publisher of its award-winning magazine, Science News . In 1993, Maya founded The Global Fund for Children (GFC), a non-profit organization that invests in innovative, community-based organizations working with some of the world’s most vulnerable children and youth. She is also a celebrated children’s book author with more than twenty books under her belt. Recently, Maya ...
Dec 23, 2020•38 min•Ep. 299
Today, Tom is joined by a powerful panel of ed leaders to discuss the future of learning. You will hear from Dr. Pamela Moran, Byron Sanders, and Ed Hess. Dr. Pamela Moran is recognized internally as a leading advocate for contemporary education. She currently serves as Executive Director of the Virginia School Consortium for Learning and routinely consults with higher education, non-profits, and school districts. Byron Sanders is the President and CEO of Big Thought; an organization that serves...
Dec 16, 2020•55 min•Ep. 298
This week, Tom is sitting down with author and advisor, Michelle Weise, to discuss her new book, Long Life Learning: Preparing for Jobs that Don't Even Exist Yet. Michelle is currently serving as an entrepreneur-in-residence and Senior Advisor at Imaginable Futures, a venture of The Omidyar Group. Michelle was formerly the Chief Innovation Officer at Strada Education Network’s Institute for the Future of Work, and Sandbox Collaborative, the innovation center of Southern New Hampshire University....
Dec 09, 2020•49 min•Ep. 297
Joining the podcast in this episode is Marni Baker Stein, Provost and Chief Academic Officer at the Western Governors University (WGU). For over 25 years, Marni has been designing and scaling programs to improve access, affordability, and student success. Prior to joining WGU, she worked for educational institutions in the United States and abroad on the development and administration of pioneering high school, undergraduate, graduate, continuing, and professional programming models delivered th...
Dec 02, 2020•38 min•Ep. 296
Today’s episode features a conversation with Dr. Donna Housman. Dr. Housman is a clinical psychologist and founder of the Housman Institute, a Boston-based, early childhood training, research, and advocacy organization. This institute also features its own lab school, Beginnings. In these challenging times, Dr. Donna Housman has been providing insights to parents who are having to not only adjust to the stress of having to self-quarantine and social distance but also become full-time teachers an...
Nov 27, 2020•19 min•Ep. 295
Today the Getting Smart team is joined by Donna McDaniel to discuss professional learning and real-world learning. Donna is a longtime educator who has bridged the world of business and education. Through her experience and numerous school settings, Donna has invaluable experience for knowing the ins and outs of what qualifies as real-world skills. She has taken this knowledge to create the CAPS program in the Blue Valley School District, which has gone on to create a network of more than 70 pro...
Nov 25, 2020•44 min•Ep. 294
In this week’s episode, Tom is talking with Dr. Beth Rabbitt and Dr. Asaf Bitton about the state of global health, how it relates to schools, and a new initiative called the Parabola Project, which offers education leaders tools and strategies to minimize health risks while maximizing learning when reopening schools. Dr. Beth Rabbitt is the CEO of The Learning Accelerator, a national non-profit that is working to make the “potential” possible and practical for every teacher and learner. Underpin...
Nov 20, 2020•38 min•Ep. 293
In this week’s episode, Tom is talking with author and thought leader, David Price, on the power of us. David is an author, educator, consultant, and public speaker based in North Yorkshire, UK. He has written two Amazon best-selling books, the latest titled, The Power of Us: How We Connect, Act, and Innovate Together. David has led innovation in education projects around the world for the past twenty years, following leadership roles in community, adult, further, and higher education. David is ...
Nov 18, 2020•39 min•Ep. 292
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast we are giving you a look at a new conversation series led by Getting Smart team member Rebecca Midles. She has been having informative and inspiring conversations with leaders in the field of competency-based education and they are all available to you at GettingSmart.com/CBE . On this episode, she is speaking with Claudette Trujillo Principal of Metropolitan Arts Academy, a PK-8 Arts innovation school in Westminster Public Schools and a longtime advo...
Nov 13, 2020•50 min•Ep. 291
In this week’s episode, Tom is speaking with Karen Cator and Vic Vuchic. Karen Cator began her career in Alaska as a teacher and a special assistant for telecommunications for the governor of Alaska. This led to Apple, where she directed their leadership and advocacy efforts in education. She then was appointed to lead the office of ed-tech in the Obama administration which culminated in her joining the Digital Promise effort as CEO in 2013. Vic Vuchic is the Chief Innovation Officer at Digital ...
Nov 11, 2020•46 min•Ep. 290
In this week’s episode, Tom is speaking with a father-daughter duo, Mark and Alex Milliron. Mark Milliron serves as Senior Vice President and Executive Dean of the Teachers College at Western Governors University (WGU). In addition to his work with WGU, Mark helps catalyze positive change in education through his Catalytic Conversations blog and podcast series, and through service on boards and advisory councils of leading-edge education organizations. Alex Milliron is a rising senior in the Col...
Nov 06, 2020•24 min•Ep. 289
On today’s episode of the Getting Smart podcast, Rebecca Midles sits down with Tom Vander Ark to discuss the new book co-authored by him and Dr. Emily Liebtag: Difference Making at the Heart of Learning . This book stemmed out of our multi-year Future of Work campaign when our team realized that one of the hallmarks of the future of work is purposeful work contributing to communities. Through hundreds of school visits and powerful conversations with inspirational organizations across the globe, ...
Nov 04, 2020•35 min•Ep. 288
Today on the podcast, Tom Vander Ark is speaking with Deanna Mulligan on the topics of talent, leadership, and the opportunity gap. Deanna grew up in a small town in Nebraska, earned an MBA from Stanford, and became the Principal Engagement Manager at McKinsey & Company. After working there for eight years, Deanna launched a career in insurance where, after a two-year sabbatical, she became the CEO of Guardian Life Insurance, one of the ten largest life insurance companies in America. Additi...
Oct 28, 2020•29 min•Ep. 287
This week, Tom is sitting down with the president and CEO of Lumina Foundation, Jamie Merisotis. Jamie is a globally-recognized leader in philanthropy, education, and public policy. Jamie’s foundation, Lumina Foundation, is committed to making opportunities for learning beyond high school available to all. They envision a system that is easy to navigate, delivers fair results, and meets the nation’s need for talent through a broad range of credentials. In this episode, Jamie discusses his newest...
Oct 21, 2020•36 min•Ep. 286
Today, Tom is speaking with Amy Klement , Managing Partner of Imaginable Futures , a global philanthropic investment firm that believes learning has the power to unlock human potential and aspires to provide every learner with the opportunity and the tools they need to imagine, and to realize, a brighter future. Amy formerly worked for eBay where she served as vice president of relationship marketing and as vice president of product strategy and operations. Joining as one of its earliest employe...
Oct 14, 2020•40 min•Ep. 285
This month on Getting Smart, the podcasts will be focused on the theme of difference-making — which is also the subject of a new book launched just this week by Tom Vander Ark and Emily Liebtag, Difference Making at the Heart of Learning: Students, Schools, and Communities Alive With Possibility. To kick things off, Joanne McEachen is joining the podcast to have a conversation with Tom about her newest book, The Depthvale Detectives and the Great Education Crisis: A Guide to Contributive Learnin...
Oct 07, 2020•30 min•Ep. 284
Today, Tom Vander Ark is joined by Ed Hess to talk hyper-learning — one of the new demands of the 21st-Century workforce. After 20 years in business, Ed Hess has spent nearly two decades in academia teaching leadership. He is a professor of business administration and Batten Faculty Fellow at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business. He is the author of eleven books, over sixty articles, and over 60 Darden cases. His new book, Hyper-Learning: How to Adapt to the Speed of Change , sug...
Sep 30, 2020•34 min•Ep. 283
In this episode, Tom is talking education venture funding with Shauntel Garvey! Shauntel is a partner and co-founder of Reach Capital, an impact-focused edtech venture fund that was spun out of non-profit NewSchools Venture Fund, in 2015. Since then, they have deployed about $95 million in 61 investments, including some well-known startups such as ClassDojo, Ellevation, NearPod, and Newsela — all while maintaining a focus on education and workplace innovations. Join the conversation to learn mor...
Sep 23, 2020•39 min•Ep. 282
Today Tom is speaking with gaming and esports expert, Mike Sepso. Mike is widely considered the godfather of esports and has been at the heart of esports for nearly 20 years. In 2002, Mike launched Major League Gaming, a professional esports organization. He later sold MLG to game-maker, Activision, in 2015. Last year, Mike launched Vindex to provide infrastructure to the esports industry. And just recently, Vindex acquired Belong Gaming Arenas and plans to open more than 500 Belong locations in...
Sep 18, 2020•47 min•Ep. 281
In today’s episode, Tom is joined by Julia Freeland Fisher and Dr. Mahnaz Charania. Julia is the Director of Education Research at the Clayton Christensen Institute and the author of the important 2018 book, Who You Know: Unlocking Innovations That Expand Students’ Networks. Dr. Mahnaz Charania is a Senior Research Fellow, also at the Clayton Christensen Institute. Recently, Julia Freeland Fisher and Dr. Mahnaz Charania co-authored an incredibly important new paper together called, “The Missing ...
Sep 16, 2020•42 min•Ep. 280
Today’s episode is featuring an interview with Dr. Helene Gayle. Dr. Gayle is the CEO of the Chicago Community Trust; one of the nation’s leading community foundations. The trust works with donors, non-profits, community leaders, and residents to lead and inspire philanthropic efforts that improve the quality of life for the residents of the Chicago region. For 30 years, Dr. Gayle was one of the world’s leading experts on infectious diseases, leading global efforts at the CDC, the Gates Foundati...
Sep 11, 2020•31 min•Ep. 279
In today’s episode, Tom Vander Ark is joined by Gary Funk and Haley Richardson for a discussion on rural schools and rural teachers! Gary Funk has spent 30 years serving and advocating for America’s rural schools. For the last four years, he has served as the Director of the Rural Schools Collaborative. Currently, he’s running a campaign called “I Am a Rural Teacher,” which is a national advocacy campaign that gives voice to rural teachers. Recently, Gary and the “I Am a Rural Teacher” campaign ...
Sep 09, 2020•36 min•Ep. 278
Today, the Getting Smart team is bringing you an episode on leading in a culture of change with Michael Fullan. Michael has been the world’s most persistent and persuasive advocate for powerful learning experiences. He is encouraged by the global momentum he sees with whole systems adopting deep learning strategies and policies. Twenty years after his best-selling book, Leading in a Culture of Change, Jossey-Bass released the second edition — certainly a timely resource! In this episode, Tom and...
Sep 02, 2020•40 min•Ep. 277
