This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is sponsored by Screencastify . On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom speaks with Dr. Rhoda Mhiripiri-Reed, superintendent of Hopkins Public Schools in southwest Minneapolis and famous school architect Randy Fielding, who is focused on pathfinding efforts and making Hopkins a more collaborative space. Let’s listen in as Tom, Randy and Dr. Mihiripiri-Reed discuss transformation, pillars of innovation, reimagining learner experience and environ...
Jun 30, 2021•41 min
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast we’re joined by three esteemed guests to discuss the new AASA Report issued by the Learning 2025 Commission, which makes a commitment and a recommendation for whole child design. Joining us today is Dr. Luvelle Brown who is currently serving as the Superintendent of the Ithaca City School District (ICSD) in Ithaca, New York. We’re also joined by Dr. Pamela Cantor, founder of Turnaround for Children and currently a governing partner of the Science of L...
Jun 23, 2021•31 min
In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom speaks with Anthony and Chelsea Craig, leaders in the state of Washington and advocates for indigenous ways of life and leading. Dr. Anthony Craig has served as a teacher, teacher leader, principal, and central office administrator in suburban and reservation settings in Washington state. He is a Professor of Practice, Educational Leadership & Policy Studies at the University of Washington’s College of Education where he directs the Leadershi...
Jun 16, 2021•43 min
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Rebecca Midles is talking with Randy Weiner and James Bailey about their new book The Daily SEL Leader: A Guided Journal . Aside from being an author, Randy Weiner co-founded and served as the first Chairman of the Board at Urban Montessori Charter School (UMCS) in Oakland, CA—the nation’s first public Montessori, Arts Integration and Design Thinking school. He is also a co-founder and the CEO at BrainQuake, a two-time U.S. Department of Education Sma...
Jun 09, 2021•32 min
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom is joined by Dr. Pedro Noguera and Dr. Frederick (Rick) Hess, co-authors of the new book A Search for Common Ground: Conversations About the Toughest Questions in K-12 . Pedro Noguera is the Emery Stoops and Joyce King Stoops Dean of the Rossier School of Education and a Distinguished Professor of Education at the University of Southern California. Frederick M. Hess is a resident scholar and the director of education policy studies at the America...
Jun 04, 2021•40 min
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is brought to you by a new Getting Smart campaign called "What If?" On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Rebecca Midles talks with Antonia Rudenstine about RedesignU and a new approach to k-12 content mapping. Antonia Rudenstine is a former high school teacher, is now the director of reDesign, LLC, a consulting group that focuses on creating new school designs and program models, in addition to supporting leaders and teachers in the work of inst...
Jun 02, 2021•38 min
Today, Shawnee Caruthers, the Director of Learner Experience at Getting Smart, is sitting down with Dr. Debbie Silver. Dr. Silver is an award-winning educator with 30 years of experience as a classroom teacher, staff development instructor, and university professor. As a former Louisiana State Teacher of the Year, Debbie is one of the nation’s most popular keynote speakers and professional development presenters, having given presentations around the world (including 49 states, Canada, Mexico, E...
May 26, 2021•31 min
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom sits down with Dr. Fernande Raine, a social entrepreneur who works towards re-imagining how we talk about, teach and use history as well as bringing civics education to the forefront. She currently heads Got history and The Learning Collaborative , two organizations that work to change the way we teach and think about history. Let’s listen in as Fernande and Tom talk about new approaches to history, democracy and changemaking. This episode of the...
May 21, 2021•44 min
This week, Tom Vander Ark is sitting down with Justina Nixon-Saintil, the Vice President and Global Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at IBM. Justina drives strategic, socially responsible programmatic investments that enable IBM’s technology and talent to address some of society’s biggest challenges worldwide. She also leads initiatives like P-TECH and SkillsBuilds and uses multi-sector partnerships to help create more inclusive and innovative schools and workforces. Justina was also Veri...
May 19, 2021•26 min
Today the Getting Smart team is sitting down with Mark White, an award-winning teacher, Principal, and Superintendent, as well as Dwight Carter, a nationally recognized school leader and Director of Student Support Services at Eastland-Fairfield Career Center in Groveport, Ohio. Recently, Mark and Dwight published the second edition of their book, Leading Schools in Disruptive Times: How To Survive Hyper-Change . With school leaders facing unprecedented disruption, Mark and Dwight draw the bluep...
May 14, 2021•35 min
Today Tom is joined by Fred Dust; the author of the new book, Making Conversation: Seven Essential Elements of Meaningful Communication . Fred is a former Senior Partner and Global Managing Director of the legendary design firm, IDEO. And in his new book, he shows how to design conversations and meetings that are both creative and impactful. Join the conversation as Tom and Fred discuss the four pillars of conversation, where conversation interconnects with design, and how we can do a better job...
May 12, 2021•43 min
Today, Tom is speaking with Dr. Christina Theokas, Chief of Applied Science at Turnaround for Children, about the whole-child design movement and the new Toolbox from Turnaround for Children. The Turnaround for Children Toolbox is an online hub created by educators, for educators — and is backed by science, research, and passion. With this tool, educators will be able to create a supportive environment, cultivate developmental relationships, and build students’ knowledge, skills, and mindsets. P...
May 07, 2021•31 min
Today. Tom is sitting down with author and entrepreneur, Suneel Gupta, to discuss his new book, BACKABLE: The Surprising Truth Behind What Makes People Take a Chance on You. Suneel is the co-founder of Rise Labs, Inc. and teaches innovation on faculty at Harvard University. Using the seven steps inside BACKABLE , Suneel went from being the face of failure for the New York Times to being the “New Face of Innovation” for the New York Stock Exchange. His ideas have been backed by firms like Greyloc...
May 05, 2021•27 min
Today, Tom talks with Nate Kellogg of The Learning Accelerator and Gwen Baker of Bellwether Education Partners about the Strategy Lab — a project of the Always Ready for Learning initiative. The Strategy Lab is a networked learning community from The Learning Accelerator, in partnership with Bellwether Education Partners, working to accelerate the development of a more resilient and equitable education future. This work culminated in the Real-Time Redesign toolkit, an actionable resource for hel...
Apr 30, 2021•34 min
Today, Tom is sitting down with Thomas Homer-Dixon, the author of the new book, Commanding Hope: The Power We Have to Renew a World in Peril. Thomas is also the author of the well-received book, The Ingenuity Gap, and, the Director of the Cascade Institute at Royal Roads University in Victoria, BC, Canada. Additionally, he also holds a University Research Chair in the Faculty of Environment at the University of Waterloo. In this conversation, Tom and Thomas discuss why and how the world is getti...
Apr 28, 2021•34 min
This week, the Getting Smart team is speaking with Gregg Behr and Ryan Rydzewski about their new book, When You Wonder, You're Learning: Mister Rogers’ Enduring Lessons for Raising Creative, Curious, Caring Kids . Gregg Behr is the Executive Director of The Grable Foundation, a father, and a children’s advocate whose work is inspired by the legacy of his hero, Fred Rogers. His co-author, Ryan Rydzewski, is an award-winning author, reporter, and speechwriter whose science and education stories sp...
Apr 21, 2021•32 min
Today Tom is sitting down with Dr. Trish Scanlon, CEO and founder of SoapBox Labs. Dr. Scanlon is one of the foremost leaders in voice technology — especially with regards to children’s voices. She has over 20 years of experience working in speech recognition technology, including Bell Laboratories and IBM. In 2018, Dr. Scanlon was named one of Forbes ’ top 50 “Women in Tech.” In 2020, she was ranked sixth of seventeen global visionaries in voice by industry-leading publication, Voicebot.ai. Lis...
Apr 14, 2021•33 min
This week, Tom Vander Ark is joined by a group of young change-makers and Dr. Erin Raab, Chief Strategy Impact Officer of the Choice-filled Lives Network. Together, they discuss the “100 Days of Conversations” project, a collaborative project organized to catalyze conversations in communities across the country on each of the first 100 days of the new administration. Alongside Erin, three young men are setting the stage for impactful and life-changing conversations in Minnesota. These young men ...
Apr 07, 2021•45 min
Welcome back to the Nevada Succeeds mini-series! This three-part series is all about leadership, innovation, and education opportunities within Nevada Succeeds — a Las Vegas-based education non-profit focused on empowering systems transformation through educator impact, policy, and design-thinking. This third part with Nevada Succeeds marks the finale of the series. Tom is joined by return guest Jeanine Collins, as well as Dr. Marion Smith, Dr. Kaleb Rashad, and Eric Chagala. Jeanine Collins is ...
Apr 02, 2021•44 min
In this week’s episode, Tom is sitting down once again with special guest, Pavel Luksha. Pavel Luksha is a leading education futurist. He’s a Professor of Practice at Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO, the Director and founder of Global Education Futures, and serves on the advisory board for Whittle School and Studios. What drives Pavel forward is creating a world that works for everyone. He’s a global thinker and change catalyst focused on creating the discipline of social ecosystem gardenin...
Mar 31, 2021•37 min
Welcome back to the Nevada Succeeds mini-series with your hosts, Rashawn “Shawnee” Caruthers and Tom Vander Ark! This three-part series is all about leadership, innovation, and education opportunities within Nevada Succeeds — a Las Vegas-based education non-profit focused on empowering systems transformation through educator impact, policy, and design-thinking. In this second part of the three-part series with Nevada Succeeds, Shawnee Caruthers and Tom Vander Ark welcome Nevada State Superintend...
Mar 26, 2021•30 min
Today, Tom is sitting down with three outstanding learners who are passionate about difference-making, innovation, and making the world a better place. All three students — Sofia Sanchez, Naila Moloo, and Aaryan Harshith — are a part of The Knowledge Society (TKS); one of Getting Smart’s favorite afterschool programs! Sofia Sanchez is passionate about synthetic biology, biotechnology, and innovation. Currently, she’s attending the Tecnológico de Monterrey high school in Mexico and focuses her st...
Mar 24, 2021•33 min
Join hosts Rashawn “Shawnee” Caruthers and Tom Vander Ark in this special Getting Smart Podcast mini-series about the Nevada Succeeds InspirED Global Fellowship! This will be a three-part series all about leadership, innovation, and education opportunities within Nevada Succeeds — a Las Vegas-based education non-profit focused on empowering systems transformation through educator impact, policy, and design-thinking. Dedicated to building a state-wide ecosystem, Nevada Succeeds launched InspireED...
Mar 19, 2021•40 min
Today, Getting Smart team member Rashawn “Shawnee” Caruthers is sitting down with Margarita Geleske of Uncharted Learning and Tom Leonard, the Superintendent of Texas’s Eanes Independent School District. Margarita worked with the founding Uncharted Learning to create INCubatoredu, which helps students develop future-ready skills as they build real businesses. She also served as chairperson and trustee for the Barrington 220 Educational Foundation and as well as a trustee for Barrington Youth &am...
Mar 17, 2021•41 min
Today, Getting Smart team member, Rebecca Midles, is virtually sitting down with Kelley Munger and Megan Marcus of FuelEd. Kelley and Megan are both professional development consultants that specialize in social-emotional learning and relationship building. Megan is the founder of FuelEd. She started her career in research and helped lead the research efforts for the book, The Social Neuroscience of Education: Optimizing Attachment and Learning in the Classroom , by Louis Cozolino. Kelley comple...
Mar 12, 2021•37 min
Today Tom is sitting down virtually to speak with Jeremy Keeshin, about his new book, Read Write Code: A Friendly Introduction to the World of Coding and Why It’s the New Literacy . Jeremy has been an innovator from an early age and co-founded CodeHS back in 2012 when he was just graduating from Stanford University with a BS in Computer Science. CodeHS is an online coding education platform that helps schools teach computer science to high school students. Jeremy is an advocate for continuous le...
Mar 10, 2021•29 min
Today Tom is speaking with Dr. Ron Crutcher, President and Professor of Music at the University of Richmond. He’s also the author of the new book, I Had No Idea You Were Black: Navigating Race on the Road to Leadership . Dr. Crutcher was a founding co-chair of Liberal Education and America’s Promise (LEAP) and a former member of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. His new book, I Had No Idea You Were Black, outlines his success as a Black intellectual navigating highly-charged social issues, his ...
Mar 03, 2021•43 min
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast , Tom Vander Ark is speaking with Summer Stephens and Nate Waite about district change in the Churchill County School District. Summer Stephens is a longtime educator and superintendent that has successfully implemented systems of blended and online learning, voice and choice, self-paced learning, project-based learning, and design thinking. A specific focus of her work includes bridging the gap between courses traditionally identified as core and CTE...
Feb 24, 2021•34 min
In this episode, Getting Smart team member, Rashawn Caruthers, talks with two educators from Phoenix Charter Academy about their Primary Person Model. This model is a one-on-one advisory system that puts mental health and wellness at the forefront of student progress, which now — more than ever — is so important. Phoenix Charter Academy is a member of the Strategy Lab cohort, which is part of the Always Ready for Learning Network; a project from The Learning Accelerator. As storytelling partners...
Feb 19, 2021•34 min
Joining Tom today is Thomas Hatch, a professor at the Teachers College Columbia University and the Director of the National Center for Restructuring Education, Schools, and Teaching (NCREST). Thomas’s research includes studies of school improvement, district, and national levels. His latest book, The Education We Need for a Future We Can’t Predict , focuses on efforts to create more powerful learning experiences both inside and outside schools in developed and developing contexts. In Thomas and ...
Feb 17, 2021•35 min
