Main Interview
Rebirth of the Great American School System
David Kirp, author of the new book, Improbable Scholars: The Rebirth of a Great American School System and a Strategy for America's Schools, joins us to talk about the remarkable success of the public school system in Union City, NJ and how that success can serve as a model for every school district to improve schools and close achievement gaps. Continue
The Multiplier Effect: Tapping the Genius Inside Our Schools
An interview with Liz Wiseman and Elise Foster
Why are some school leaders able to double their team’s effectiveness, while others seem to drain the energy right out of the room? To explore that question, and talk about how to bring out the best in your colleagues and staff, we’re joined this month by Liz Wiseman and Elise Foster, co-authors of the new book, The Multiplier Effect: Tapping the Genius Inside Our Schools. Continue
Cage-Busting Leadership
An interview with Frederick Hess
Frederick Hess, author of the new book, Cage-Busting Leadership, joins us this month to talk about how counterproductive rules and red tape act to constrain school leaders and why the traditional schoolhouse culture can "cage" leaders and hinder school reform efforts. Hess believes school leaders at all levels have a lot more leeway to make transformational changes than they may think, and in this interview he explains how leaders can take on the status quo to great effect. Continue
The Blind Advantage
An interview with Bill Henderson
“You should get out of education.” That's the advice Bill Henderson, a young teacher, received when he first learned he was going blind. Instead, Henderson persevered and became the principal of an inclusive elementary school. In this interview, Henderson describes how his blindness helped him to become a stronger school leader, and how the process of including children with disabilities helped his school to become a more effective learning community. Continue
The Quest for Educational Excellence
An interview with Andy Hargreaves and Dennis Shirley
Internationally recognized education experts Andy Hargreaves and Dennis Shirley join us to take a fresh look at what's working in the best school systems around the world and how those strategies can serve as a model for American educators. Continue
Envisioning Mass Customized Learning
An interview with Chuck Schwahn
Look around you outside of school and you will see a world that is already mass customized. When Amazon recommends products to you or Google provides you with search results, those are examples of mass customization. What if we could take these idea and apply them to our schools? That is the vision of Chuck Schwahn, who joins us to talk about why schools must eventually adopt a Mass Customized Learning model. Continue
How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity and the Hidden Power of Character
Why do some children succeed while others fail? Paul Tough, author of the fascinating new book, How Children Succeed, joins us to challenge the notion that a child's future success is predicated on IQ and performance on standardized tests. Researchers have recently discovered that cognitive skills matter a lot less than has been previously thought and as Paul Tough explains in this month's main interview, the very latest research is telling us that what matters most in determining a child's success or failure is very different from what the conventional wisdom tells us. Continue
Moving Education From Time to Competency
An interview with Fred Bramante
Fred Bramante, co-author of the new book, Off the Clock: Moving Education from Time to Competency, joins us this month. Fred is a past chairman and a long standing member of the New Hampshire State Board of Education, where he has led a full-scale redesign of public education. In this system, student achievement is based on mastering competencies not “seat time," and learning is not restricted to a school building or the traditional school calendar. Continue
Best Practices Are Stupid
An interview with Stephen Shapiro
School leaders face many challenges, of course, and responding to them with innovative solutions is essential to keeping our schools moving forward. But what if most conventional ideas about innovation are misguided or simply don’t work? That is the contention … Continue
What Kids Can Tell Us About Motivation & Mastery
An interview with Kathleen Cushman
Every young person has activities that get him or her excited. Not just excited, but motivated to achieve real mastery and excellence. Kids excel at all sorts of things, especially outside of school. But what does it take for kids … Continue
Raising High School Graduation Rates
Ben Levin, former Deputy Minister for Education in Ontario and author of the new book, More High School Graduates, joins us to talk about what it will take to raise our extremely low high school graduation rates and save more kids from dropping out. Only 72% of American students who enter high school currently graduate — a huge problem for the kids and for our economy. But the problem is not limited to the so-called dropout factories. Even in the best schools in the U.S. there are kids who should graduate, but don't. During Ben Levin's tenure as Deputy Minister for Education over the last decade, high schools in Ontario raised their graduation rate from 68% to 81%. It can be done in the U.S. as well and Ben Levin talks about what it will take in this fascinating interview. Continue
21st Century Fluencies for the Digital Age
An interview with Lee Crockett
Lee Crockett joins us this month to talk about digital learning and what schools must do to change their approach to instruction. The traditional school classroom is still locked in the past and we’re teaching as if it were fifty … Continue
Change Leader: Understanding the Core Practices of Effective Leadership
An interview with Michael Fullan
In his previous best-selling books, Michael Fullan, the internationally acclaimed expert on organizational change, has examined the concepts and processes of change. This month, Fullan joins us to talk about the core practices of leadership that are so critical in … Continue
The Manufactured Crisis Revisited
An interview with David Berliner
David Berliner, Regents Professor of Education at Arizona State University and author of the bestseller, The Manufactured Crisis, joins us this month for a provocative interview in which he reviews the latest test score data and challenges the common beliefs that student test scores are falling, American students do very poorly in international comparisons, charter schools are the answer to improving academic achievement, and high stakes testing is necessary for accountability. Continue
Deliverology 101: How to Implement School Reform
An interview with Michael Barber
Sir Michael Barber, a former senior education advisor to British Prime Minister Tony Blair and now head of McKinsey’s Global Education practice, joins us this month to discuss his new book, Deliverology 101. Knighted for his success in bringing positive change to the English school system, Barber says that most school reform efforts are unsuccessful for one primary reason: failed implementation. His book focuses on the steps needed for education leaders to successfully carry out their plans and to accomplish meaningful results, whether it’s on the state or local level. Continue
Developing and Retaining Effective Teachers and Principals
An interview with Harry Wong and Rosemary Wong
As schools struggle to raise student achievement while walking a budget tightrope, Dr. Harry Wong and his wife, Rosemary, join us and remind school leaders that teacher effectiveness is the single most important variable in determining student achievement. A district does not need Race to the Top funds to develop effective teachers and principals, either, the Wongs insist in this interview. Continue
Electronic Communications Devices and School Policies
An interview with Frank Kemerer
As the use of cell phones, computers and other electronic communications devices (ECDs) have become ubiquitous, educators are faced with the enormous challenge of incorporate these devices into teaching and communicating while, at the same time, developing policies to respond to cases where ECDs are used for cyber bullying and other abuses. How can school administrators impose discipline while respecting students' rights to free speech? To find out, this month we speak with Dr. Frank Kemerer, a national authority on educational policy and the law, and an expert on school district policies governing the use of ECDs. Continue
Forget, Borrow and Learn: How to Make Innovation Happen in Schools
An interview with Chris Trimble
Chris Trimble is one of the nation's foremost experts helping large organizations to make innovation happen. In this interview, he brings his experience to bear on the challenges facing school leaders, identifying the three keys to success that he believes school administrators must follow as they attempt to innovate. Continue
Bullying, Cyberbullying and the Schools
An interview with Susan Swearer
Bullying and how schools respond to it have become hot-button issues for administrators. To understand the realities of bullying and cyberbullying and to discuss what types of programs work to help schools reduce bullying and aggressive behavior, we speak with Dr. Susan Swearer, a leading authority on school bullying and intervention programs and a co-author of the best-selling reference book, Bullying Prevention and Intervention. Continue
Switch: How To Change Things When Change is Hard
An interview with Chip Heath
Why is it so hard to make lasting changes in organizations or in our own lives? Chip Heath, co-author of the bestselling book, Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard, explains how schools can learn to make effective changes once we understand that our minds are ruled by two conflicting systems — one rational and one emotional — that compete for control. Continue