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Top 10 Getting Smart Podcast Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Getting Smart Podcast episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Getting Smart Podcast for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Getting Smart Podcast episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
318- Up Close with Nevada Succeeds: Leading State Learning Transformation
Getting Smart Podcast
04/02/21 • 44 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 the founder and Executive Director of Nevada Succeeds; an Adjunct Faculty at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas; and the Founder and Principal at Reflect Forward. Dr. Marion Smith is the Superintendent of Summit School District, Colorado. His Racial Equity Adaptive Leadership framework (R.E.A.L) is key to the Nevada Succeeds fellowship program design. Dr. Kaleb Rashad is the Creative Director of the High Tech High Graduate School of Education. Eric Chagala is the founding principal of the Vista Innovation & Design Academy (VIDA). Together, Kaleb and Eric have been hard at work on a new initiative called Unlocked, a Black-led 501(c)3 education non-profit, where they have had an instrumental influence on the mindset and methodology of the Nevada Succeeds’ InspirED Fellowship.
In this episode, Jeanine, Dr. Smith, Dr. Rashad, and Eric discuss the future of leadership, preparation, and development, how they all connected and came to be collaborators with Nevada Succeeds, what human-centered and equity-focused design means to them, the importance of creative leadership, and their thoughts on how we can all become more thoughtful school and community leaders.
Key Takeaways:
[:04] About the Nevada Succeeds mini-series.
[1:22] About the third and final part of the series.
[2:10] Tom welcomes special guest, Jeanine Collins, back to the podcast!
[2:44] Jeanine introduces Dr. Marion Smith and shares how they originally connected.
[4:29] Dr. Marion Smith shares about his career journey and rich educational history!
[5:43] How did Dr. Marion Smith develop his racial equity adaptive leadership framework? What is it about and what does it aim to accomplish?
[8:58] Jeanine shares why the framework resonates so much with her and why she wanted to incorporate it into the Nevada Succeeds fellowship.
[11:04] Tom welcomes Dr. Kaleb Rashad and Eric Chagala to the podcast!
[11:51] Kaleb shares how he and Eric came together to create Unlocked, a Black-led 501(c)3 education non-profit.
[14:03] Jeanine shares what she loves about Eric and Kaleb and why she wanted to get them involved with Nevada Succeeds.
[16:24] Eric explains what human-centered and equity-focused design means when it comes to VIDA and Unlocked.
[18:32] Eric shares some practical examples of human-centered and equity-focused design and the results that it brings.
[20:48] Marion speaks about what human-centered and equity-focused design means at a system level.
[24:27] What is creative leadership? And why is it more important than ever?
[28:22] Jeanine elaborates on how they keep the spirit and message of equity and justice alive amongst the Nevada Succeeds fellows!
[30:08] On the Unlocked website, there is a quote about inviting kids to do work that really matters to them and their community. Eric elaborates on this and shares how, at VIDA, they are “tending to the souls of schools.”
[31:24] Dr. Smith speaks about the kinds of experiences that people would benefit the most from in terms of preparing them to be thoughtful school and community leaders.
[34:58] Kaleb shares about the ways in which we can prepare people to be thoughtful school and community leaders.
[39:35] Eric shares how he believes people can become more thoughtful school and community leaders.
[41:20] Jeanine shares what is on Nevada Succeeds’ roadmap and what she hopes to accomplish in the future.
[43:11] Tom thanks everyone for joining the podcast!
[43:40] Shawnee concludes the Nevada Succeeds three-part mini-series!
Mentioned in This Episode:
Josh Schachter on The Power of Participatory Storytelling
Getting Smart Podcast
02/14/24 • 28 min
Join your community March 4-7 in Austin, Texas for SXSW EDU 2024 to help create a new tomorrow for learners everywhere! Go to sxswedu.com/attend/ to learn more.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Mason Pashia is joined by Josh Schachter, Founder of CommunityShare and long-time storyteller of environment and community. CommunityShare is a platform that connects young people to local opportunities and mentors to grow their networks. Their website prompts visitors to “Imagine your community as a human library.”
Links:
241 - Beth Anderson on Learner Differences
Getting Smart Podcast
01/29/20 • 22 min
In today’s episode, Emily is speaking with Beth Anderson. Beth leads the Hill Learning Center, a K–12 non-profit based in Durham, North Carolina, that has an innovative approach to meeting the needs of students with learner differences. Their mission is to transform students who have learning differences through a variety of programs that are research-based and distinguished by being highly differentiated: direct, small group instruction in reading, writing, math, and executive function. In just the last year, they’ve reached about 1,000 students directly and have trained over 1,200 teachers in their methodologies.
Tune in to learn more about the Hill Learning Center and the amazing impact they’re having on students with learning differences and what Beth hopes to see in the future when it comes to working with these learners and their families.
Key Takeaways:
[:07] About today’s episode.
[:30] Emily welcomes Beth Anderson to the podcast.
[:41] Beth introduces herself, speaks about Hill Center, and explains why it is that she does what she does!
[2:03] Beth defines learning differences and explains how differentiation in Hill Center looks both similar and different from what she’s seeing in K–12 schools.
[4:11] Does Beth find that a lot of the research-based strategies and practices they’re using at Hill Center would also work well for all learners (whether or not they come to school settings with learning differences)?
[5:35] Beth shares some of the ways that they are innovating and pushing the boundaries when it comes to working with learners with differences.
[8:08] Does Beth think some of their success with working with learners with differences are attributable to the mastery-based approach?
[10:13] Has Beth found that learners at Hill have more agency over their learning both at Hill and in their mainstream classroom setting?
[11:28] How Hill’s educators and facilitators are working towards being more intentional in getting to know their learners better.
[14:42] Beth speaks about what they’re doing at Hill to create more access and opportunity for learners that cannot attend Hill.
[18:20] Beth shares her hopes and dreams for the learners and their families at Hill.
[20:55] Beth points listeners to where they can learn more about Hill and its resources.
[21:53] Emily and Jessica give their thanks to Beth for joining the podcast.
Mentioned in This Episode:
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253 - Lia McIntosh on Community Development
Getting Smart Podcast
04/08/20 • 40 min
Join the Getting Smart team today as they explore community development with community expert, Lia McIntosh!
Lia McIntosh is a marketer, organizer, pastor, and most recently, a grant-maker. She leads the Education Fellows Program at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation in Kansas City, Missouri. The program’s goal is cultivating community leaders who are advocates for education. It’s a nine-month opportunity for 37 civic and faith leaders to learn and travel together.
In the last year, the Getting Smart team has had the opportunity to plan and facilitate several site visits with Ed Fellows and Lia. During this, they visited a remarkable corporation where they learned all about the ‘Lawndale miracle’ — the transformation of a low-income community in West Chicago. It’s a great story of patient and persistent community development sparked by Wayne ‘Coach’ Gordon and the Lawndale Christian Development Corporation (LCDC). When Tom and Lia visited Coach in Lawndale they were fortunate enough to see what he’s building with the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA). And in today’s podcast, you’ll hear snippets from Coach himself from that visit!
Be sure to tune in to hear all of Lia and Coach’s invaluable insights on community development!
Key Takeaways:
[:10] About today’s episode!
[1:14] Tom welcomes Lia McIntosh to the podcast.
[1:21] Did Lia grow up in Missouri?
[1:29] Why did Lia decide to study business?
[2:04] Did Lia grow up Methodist?
[2:17] How did Lia get an internship at Procter & Gamble?
[3:33] Lia shares how her internship led to a job opportunity after college.
[3:47] Did Lia enjoy her time at P&G? What did the experience teach her?
[4:28] Why did Lia choose to go to a seminary?
[6:06] Did Lia find that this experience was well-aligned with her personal values?
[7:24] Lia shares her perspective on what it is like to lead a church.
[9:08] Wayne ‘Coach’ Gordon speaks about CCDA and community development.
[9:53] Tom and Lia continue their discussion.
[10:20] Would Lia agree with the idea that you’re always “on” as a community leader?
[11:18] After a decade of serving several congregations, Lia decided to join the Kauffman Foundation. What originally drew her to the foundation?
[13:02] Does Lia feel that all of her prior experience has really prepared her for her role at Kauffman? And how would she describe the work that they do at Kauffman?
[14:29] Lia explains what the Education Fellows Program at the Kauffman Foundation is all about!
[16:49] How many Ed Fellows are there this year? And when does the program start and wrap up?
[17:15] Lia details what the Ed Fellows Program looks like and what they’re advocating for.
[18:22] Is the fellowship model scalable?
[18:55] Tom speaks about the schools he, Lia, and a group of Ed Fellows have visited together.
[20:01] Lia gives an overview of what she saw at Lawndale.
[21:21] Jessica shares an important resource: Getting Through on GettingSmart.com.
[22:03] Tom provides some background about Lawndale and Lia gives her reflections.
[23:08] Lia gives her thoughts on one of the themes Coach talked about during their trip: loving in a holistic way.
255 - Dan Gohl on Leading in Crisis
Getting Smart Podcast
04/14/20 • 44 min
In this episode, Tom Vander Ark is speaking with Daniel Gohl. Dan is the Chief Academic Officer at Broward County Public Schools. The district serves the greater Fort Lauderdale area of South Florida and has nearly 270,000 students on 241 campuses. It’s the sixth-largest district in the country. Dan has been a learning leader in Austin, Texas; Washington, D.C.; and Houston, Texas. In his fifth year in Broward, as part of Superintendent Robert Runcie’s team, Dan oversaw the development of a great system of schools with well-developed personalized learning, the biggest speech and debate program, and the biggest computer science program in the country.
In this interview, Dan speaks about their crisis response program, Learning Never Closes. He reflects on leading through crises, including hurricanes and mass shootings, and talks about why this pandemic is far more challenging.
The Getting Smart team thinks that you’ll find Dan to be one of America’s most thoughtful education leaders — just as they do!
Key Takeaways:
[:10] About today’s episode.
[1:05] Tom welcomes Dan Gohl to the podcast!
[1:15] Dan tells the story of opening the McKinley Technology High School in Washington, D.C.
[2:35] Dan speaks about his background in science and involvement with the Science Academy of Austin (that led to an opportunity that took him to D.C.).
[4:25] Why did Dan end up in Austin in the fall of 1986? And what kept him there?
[7:27] Dan speaks about his stint in Zimbabwe.
[8:05] Dan shares more about his career after coming back to the States in 1990.
[8:52] Dan speaks about his time in Newark in 2010 where he was leading the change effort.
[11:28] Tom and Dan talk about when they connected again when Dan was CAO during the PowerUp Initiative in 2013 — America’s biggest move to 1:1 and blended learning.
[12:21] Dan shares what he ended up doing after leaving Newark.
[14:37] Now five years in as CAO at Broward County, Dan recaps some of the advances he has made thus far and what he’s proud of.
[21:45] Jessica chimes in to share an important resource: the Getting Through microsite!
[22:25] What happened when the governor closed the schools? What has Broward County Public Schools done to move their learning to digital?
[27:37] What advice has Dan given teachers about learning expectations, workloads, and the challenges they may face going forward? What have they employed to aid teachers to continue to teach their students?
[31:13] What does Dan mean by a ‘rhizomatic approach?’
[33:56] Dan takes time to remember those who were lost from tragedies in the past. He also shares how this crisis is different from past crises.
[39:06] Dan shares some of the lessons in leadership he has learned due to this crisis.
[43:03] Tom thanks Dan for joining the Getting Smart podcast!
Mentioned in This Episode:
306 - Stephanie Krauss on Readiness, Opportunity, and The Right to a Decent Life
Getting Smart Podcast
02/10/21 • 39 min
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 Kids Need for Tomorrow’s World, focuses on the rarely discussed but extremely important currencies required for kids today. During the discussion, Stephanie highlights the social and financial realities of kids, the inequities and injustices that exist in the education system, and how adults can equip young people with the competencies they need to survive.
Key Takeaways:
[:11] About today’s episode with Stephanie Krauss.
[:43] Tom Vander Ark welcomes Stephanie to the podcast!
[1:22] Stephanie chose to pursue social work to better understand the social and financial realities of kids.
[3:27] The “Readiness is a Right” philosophy.
[7:59] Stephanie’s book, Making It: What Today’s Kids Need for Tomorrow’s World, unpacks the complexity and explains the injustice of what is required for readiness.
[12:36] Stephanie describes the new currencies she focuses on in her book, Making It.
[20:11] Injustices and inequities in social capital and the role it plays in a child’s life.
[25:07] How young people can be discerning about choosing credentials and cash.
[27:32] Stephanie tackles the lack of access to capital/cash for students living in poverty.
[31:44] Specific ways educators and community leaders can be currency builders.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Making It: What Today’s Kids Need for Tomorrow’s World, by Stephanie Krauss
260 - Greg Shaw on Reprogramming the American Dream
Getting Smart Podcast
05/20/20 • 35 min
In this episode, you are welcome to join Tom Vander Ark and Greg Shaw for a discussion around reprogramming the American dream.
Greg Shaw is a writer from Bellevue, Washington. He has supported the policy and communication needs of Microsoft and the Gates Foundation for more than 25 years. Three years ago, Greg worked with Satya Nadella on Hit Refresh, a book on the remaking of Microsoft as a leader in cloud computing and artificial intelligence. For the last two years, Greg has been working alongside Kevin Scott on their newest book, Reprogramming the American Dream, which takes a look at the future landscape of AI and how it can be realistically used to promote equitable growth.
In Greg’s conversation with Tom, he discusses the challenges of producing beneficial AI that serves society equitably (from rural America to Silicon Valley); how he sees the future of AI as an open platform for creativity and productivity for anyone, anywhere; the need for local conversations around AI; and what his newest book with co-author, Kevin Scott, hopes to accomplish and add to the conversation.
Key Takeaways:
[:10] About today’s show with Greg Shaw.
[1:00] Tom welcomes Greg Shaw back to the Getting Smart podcast!
[1:39] Greg speaks about what his life has been like during the COVID-19 pandemic.
[3:40] Greg tells listeners about his co-author for his book, Reprogramming the American Dream, Kevin Scott, and how they came up with the idea for the book.
[6:04] Greg shares why he believes it was important for Kevin to tell his story in their newest book.
[8:53] Tom shares what he likes about the book.
[9:39] Greg speaks about what he and Kevin hoped the book would accomplish and what communities it would impact.
[10:31] Tom shares more of what he appreciates about the book.
[11:35] Greg gives his thoughts on the different ways he thinks AI needs to be on the public agenda.
[14:14] What Greg thinks is different about AI between now and five years ago.
[15:25] Does Greg envision AI as a set of open tools in the future?
[17:20] Jessica shares an important resource with listeners: the Getting Through microsite.
[18:00] Tom further explains the capabilities of AI and how the entire supply chain of every industry is rapidly being altered.
[18:51] Greg shares more about the way that he and Kevin addressed how they think the U.S. will share the wealth and benefits that come with AI in their new book.
[21:25] Greg speaks about how he’s seeing AI becoming an open platform for creativity and productivity beginning to happen.
[25:25] Does Greg think that this current crisis will bring more awareness to the lack of access to certain technologies in rural areas and schools?
[27:51] Greg speaks on the topic of preventing potential negative consequences of AI.
[29:44] Greg touches on the need for local conversations and who should be leading these sorts of conversations.
[32:30] What is Greg going to work on next? What other areas is he curious about?
[34:12] Tom thanks Greg for joining the podcast!
[34:24] Where to find Greg online!
Mentioned in This Episode:
263 - Kaleb Rashad on Race and Education in America
Getting Smart Podcast
06/05/20 • 33 min
In this special episode, Tom Vander Ark is speaking with Kaleb Rashad, a leading voice in education and the Director of Creative Leadership at the High Tech High Graduate School of Education.
Over the past 10 years, Kaleb has worked with diverse communities to co-create equity-driven, liberatory school cultures characterized by student-centered pedagogy, trust-rich relationships, and creative leadership practices. Prior to High Tech High, Kaleb taught middle school math and science and served as the site administrator in two middle schools and two elementary schools.
In their discussion together, Tom and Kaleb speak about race and education in America. They center their discussion around the current Black Lives Matter movement and the inequity many young black Americans face in regards to their education. Kaleb shares his thoughts around the racism problem in America, the inequality black people are facing in accessing health care and education, the power of place and the intersectionality of justice in education, current sources of inequity in education, and more. Kaleb and Tom also briefly touch on the important decisions education leaders will have to be making in the next 60 days with the schools opening up back in the fall.
Key Takeaways:
[:10] About today’s episode with Kaleb Rashad.
[:36] Tom welcomes Kaleb to the podcast and Kaleb shares his thoughts around the current goings-on and how he has been educating his children on these topics.
[2:35] Kaleb speaks about BLM, white supremacy, and the history of racism in America.
[9:05] The inherent and systematic racism in how we fund schools.
[11:47] How tech and AI are being used to further human racist biases and how, instead, they could be used to benefit everyone and eliminate these biases. Kaleb also highlights the importance of teaching a deeper sense of literacy skills and helping children build a deeper sense of purpose within a community.
[15:40] Kaleb and Tom briefly discuss the inequality for black people in accessing the health care system and the built-in economic disadvantage that they’re facing.
[16:28] Kaleb sheds some light on some of the current sources of inequity in education and what the work ahead may look like for education leaders. He also sheds light on an incredible author, Michelle Alexander, and how she is shedding light on how race was constructed in America and why.
[23:40] Kaleb discusses the power of place and the intersectionality of justice in education.
[26:55] Kaleb provides some closing thoughts on some of the important decisions education leaders will have to be making in the next 60 days in regards to what school will look like in the fall.
[30:05] Tom thanks Kaleb for joining the podcast!
Mentioned in This Episode:
259 - Eric Tucker on Reopening Schools with Equity in Mind
Getting Smart Podcast
05/13/20 • 55 min
In today’s discussion, Tom Vander Ark is speaking with Dr. Eric Tucker, the co-founder and Executive Director of the Brooklyn Laboratory Charter School. Brooklyn Labs is a next-generation college-preparatory 6–12 public charter school that prepares scholars with the academic foundation, digital literacy, and leadership skills necessary to succeed in college and professional life.
Recently, Eric created a 10-point plan based on insights and resources from practitioners and experts to help educators reimagine and strengthen education systems. In particular, it was created to encourage school and system leaders to consider how the needs of people of color and individuals with disabilities will be affected by re-entry.
In Tom and Eric’s discussion today, Eric recalls how debate changed his academic trajectory, as well as how he overcame learning disabilities and earned a doctorate at Oxford. They also discuss how Brooklyn Lab responded to the closure of schools and, of course, their 10-point plan for reopening schools with safety and equity in mind! (If you want to tune in specifically for the 10-point plan you can jump forward to minute twenty!)
Key Takeaways:
[:10] About today’s episode!
[:43] Tom welcomes Eric Tucker to the podcast.
[:50] Eric shares why he studied Africana studies at Brown University in ’98.
[2:22] Where did Eric’s appreciation for debate come from? And when did it start?
[5:30] How and when did Eric end up at Oxford getting his master’s in education research methodology and his doctorate in measurement?
[7:23] After leading the National Debate organization and doing a few other things, Eric had an idea of starting a new kind of school in the heart of Brooklyn. Eric tells the origin story of Brooklyn Lab.
[10:44] Now a well-known school, Brooklyn Lab serves a diverse group of students. Eric touches on this fact and elaborates on the unique needs of the student population.
[15:44] Eric speaks about how they make 1:1 and small group tutoring a priority at Brooklyn Lab.
[18:15] Jessica shares an important resource with listeners: the Getting Through microsite.
[18:55] Eric provides some reflections on what’s currently happening at Brooklyn Lab concerning the COVID-19 pandemic.
[25:50] Eric begins to speak about their 10-point plan for reopening schools with safety and equity in mind.
[30:14] Eric highlights some of the permutations that they’re looking at, at Brooklyn Labs, in terms of potential reopening scenarios.
[34:49] Eric summarizes their approach to budgeting and staffing when it comes to reopening schools.
[39:42] Eric speaks about what the first week back at school might look like and what he encourages school leaders to be thinking about.
[43:29] In the 7th and 8th point in the plan, they speak about using data to improve continuity as well as reimagining approaches to core services. Eric further elaborates on these points.
[47:52] In the last two points of their 10-point plan, Tom and Eric encourage school and system leaders to iterate and communicate and to consider the worst but model the best. Eric elaborates on what he meant by “consider the worst” and gives his thoughts on how we should think about future possibilities and factor them into our plans while continuing to forge ahead.
[52:40] Tom thanks Eric for taking the initiative to launch the 10-point plan and for joining the podcast!
[53:22] Eric signs off the podcast and shares his appreciation for Tom’s leadership and the Getting Through microsite.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Derek Wenmoth and Annette Thompson on The Agency Playbook
Getting Smart Podcast
01/17/24 • 39 min
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Nate McClennen is joined by Derek Wenmoth, Founder of Futuremakers, teacher, principal, distance educator and educational policy adviser in New Zealand and internationally. He’s also joined by Annette Thompson, Chief Executive Officer at Inquire Innovation and, previously, an elementary school teacher and principal for 37 years. She was named Arkansas Elementary Principal of the Year and an NAESP National Distinguished Principal in 2017. Together, Derek and Annette were two of the four co-authors of Agency By Design, a new playbook supported by the Aurora Institute, Future Makers and the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.
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FAQ
How many episodes does Getting Smart Podcast have?
Getting Smart Podcast currently has 665 episodes available.
What topics does Getting Smart Podcast cover?
The podcast is about Learning, Management, Leadership, Podcasts, Edtech, Education, Business and Teacher.
What is the most popular episode on Getting Smart Podcast?
The episode title '267 - Nichole Berg & Kimberly Howard on Educating on Climate Change' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Getting Smart Podcast?
The average episode length on Getting Smart Podcast is 34 minutes.
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Episodes of Getting Smart Podcast are typically released every 5 days.
When was the first episode of Getting Smart Podcast?
The first episode of Getting Smart Podcast was released on Jan 13, 2016.
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