Before she led a charter school, directed a political organization, and ran for lieutenant governor, Robyn Bagley was a mom who wanted her four children to have a great educational experience. Since those days, she has worked with thousands of

How can direct instruction help kids learn?

Mar 6th, 2018 41m 44s

Thales Academy is a fast-growing private school in North Carolina, and part of its success is the direct instruction learning model. It's not popular in education circles, but direct instruction has been proven by research to help young kids le

What does it mean to have high expectations of students?

Feb 21st, 2018 38m 9s

Blair Mishleau has worked with innovative charter schools all over the U.S. He is recognized as a leader in blended learning, with a specialty of using technology in fundamentally human ways. In this episode, Blair reflects on his past teaching

What is Silicon Valley doing to improve education?

Feb 13th, 2018 47m 50s

Karen Lien is Director of the Education vertical at Y Combinator, a tech incubator in Mt View California that has become synonymous with Silicon Valley startups. Karen has a passion for education, classroom teaching experience, and a strong com

Bonus

Prenda School Update - Part 2

Jan 30th, 2018 24m 5s

School is in session! Finishing up week #3 of the pilot semester of Prenda School, Kelly talks about structure and details. What do the kids do at school? How is learning happening? How does it compare to a traditional school, or alternatives l

Bonus

Prenda School Update - Part 1

Jan 22nd, 2018 18m 17s

In this episode, Prenda founder Kelly Smith takes a break from interviewing guests to share about the pilot school he is starting this semester. Seven students, one adult, and (hopefully) a LOT of learning. Kelly explains how the idea for the m

Does school prepare people to succeed in life?

Dec 20th, 2017 46m 49s

Karen Arnold has followed a group of high school valedictorians throughout their lives, and in the process she has learned what type of person gets good grades in school, and how that school success translates to the real world. In this episode

How is blended learning helping kids take ownership of their own learning?

Dec 14th, 2017 36m 49s

As the founder of Ready to Blend, Heather Staker travels the country helping teachers use technology in their classrooms - not as a sideshow or gimmick, but as a central part of the learning process - an innovative approach called blended learn

What mental blocks are we accidentally placing on our children?

Dec 13th, 2017 46m 59s

Jody Moore has helped thousands of moms through her life coaching and her popular podcast, Bold New Mom. In this episode, Jody applies the framework and concepts she uses with moms to the challenge of innovating in education. She discusses limi

How can education be tailored to help the children of immigrants?

Nov 13th, 2017 39m 38s

Nearly a quarter of students in U.S. schools are immigrants, refugees, or their children. These students face unique challenges, and "business as usual" is often falling short. In this episode, Eva Masadiego Perez shares her own experience as c

What innovations in school are happening in Arizona?

Oct 20th, 2017 47m 9s

Andrew Collins has seen a lot of innovative school ideas, from his experience in the classroom to the AZ Charter Association to launching a tech-focused private school, to his current role as President and CEO of New Learning Ventures. In this

How can education be personalized?

Oct 16th, 2017 34m 43s

15-year-old Malaina Kapoor has tried many versions of school, from a traditional model to Montessori, to an experimental private school launched by Sal Khan, and she is currently designing her own high school experience. In this conversation, M

How can projects help kids learn?

Oct 4th, 2017 51m 10s

It's one thing to remember facts about a topic, but you don't really understand until you can synthesize all of your learning into an original creation. That's the main idea behind project-based learning, an educational approach that has become

What are the new ideas coming out of education research?

Sep 21st, 2017 48m 41s

Daniel Allen is currently Director of School Transformation in the Santa Ana Unified School District. He has been a principal and a teacher, as well as earning education degrees from top schools. In this episode, he dives into the cutting edge

How can technology help kids want to learn?

Sep 15th, 2017 38m 47s

Research has shown that kids are happy to learn under the right conditions. And game designers have perfected the art of engaging the human brain. In this episode, Earl Aguilera from the Arizona State University Center for Games and Impact expl

What are the attributes of a really good educator?

Sep 11th, 2017 38m 7s

In this episode, Kelly Smith interviews Michelle Gardner about her son's educational journey. Like most parents these days, Michelle has looked at all the options. She has tried multiple schools, including public school, specialists, homeschool

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