I’m so pleased that my good friend and longtime collaborator, Grace Magley, outgoing Director of Digital & Personalized Learning in Natick Public Schools, is conversation #50! Grace has incredible vision for what technology should do to support good pedagogy and she builds partnerships as well as anyone in the space. “For much of my career,…

In the winter of 2018, Brian Greenberg gave me a tour of sites that Silicon Schools Fund was supporting. We visited Navigator Schools, and I can remember their nascent middle school model sparking big ideas. Conversation #49 gave me a chance to check in seven years later with now CEO & Superintendent Caprice Young. It’s…

When Jonathan Vander Els connects you with someone you just know it’s going to be an incredible conversation. I really enjoyed hearing George Philhower, Superintendent of Eastern Hancock Schools speak about the ways his district is “re-professionalizing teaching”. This is conversation number #48 of our #100DistrictConversations initiative – we are almost halfway there! “Our district…

Incredibly excited that conversation #47 highlights a truly inspirational Executive Director who is absolutely beloved by her students, families, and school community. Watching Jessica Waters move through the hallways of Nowell Academy is powerful – seeing student faces light up as she greets each by name. “Nowell was founded in 2013 to provide pregnant and…

My conversation with Laurie Regan, Assistant Superintendent of the Attleboro School District in Massachusetts was wide-ranging. The district is making a lot of exciting moves collectively by empowering leaders and educators to leverage their expertise and share in the decision-making process. “Our current professional learning focus is on ensuring students actively hold the cognitive load…

In conversation #45, Dr. Erick Pruitt, Superintendent of Ankeny Community School District in Iowa shares how principal empowerment and accountability drives all professional learning decisions in his district. When superintendents hold a clear vision, commitment to operationalizing that vision, and a track record of implementation experience, great things can happen! “I believe every school needs…

Conversation #44 with Steven Morrone, Assistant Superintendent of Westerly Public Schools has some great examples of a district braiding its professional learning funding to increase coaching capacity. It was also a chance to reminisce and remember legendary Rhode Island Superintendent, Barry Ricci, who passed way too early, but whose sage advice still lives on. “I…

Wow! You know how some conversations tend to stick with you for days? Well, conversation #43 with Michael Barnes, Superintendent of Mayfield City School District was just that. If you’re curious to hear more from Michael he has several published books. His new book, Winning: Lessons on Life, Learning, and Leadership will be out soon….

It’s incredibly fitting that conversation #42 with Dr. Dr. Tom Kenworthy and Dr. Dr. Liz Viveiros is going live the day after the announcement of our Fuse AI network and offerings. They lead the Portsmouth School Department in Rhode Island and you’ll see how our original Fuse RI Fellowship led them to design an incredible…

I am late to the game, but clearly there’s a ton happening in North Dakota with personalized and competency-based learning! Thank you Cory Steiner for the connection to Anna Sell, Superintendent of Oakes School District 41 for conversation #41. I was particularly impressed by Anna’s faith in teacher expertise and agency when adopting high-quality instructional…

Conversation #40 with Donna Lucy-Lender, Chief of Secondary Schools in Rochester City School District in New York really drove home the power of consistent messaging from leadership regarding professional learning objectives as a key driver of school improvement. When that alignment is not there from district to classroom, or when leadership transitions cause delays in…

I’ve known Yanaiza Gallant to be an incredibly thoughtful, innovative, and transparent leader. I got to work closely with her when she was a principal, and we even profiled her work in the introduction to our Pathways to Personalization book because her work at Orlo Avenue Elementary School was so transformative. Yanaiza is currently the…

Conversation #38 digs into the power of teacher leaders as a scaling mechanism for strong professional learning. I really enjoyed hearing Candace Morell, Director of Teaching and Learning for Mansfield Public Schools in Connecticut talk about the nuance of marrying high-quality instructional materials with student-centered learning opportunities. She believes that students must have an active…

There are so many incredible quotes, strategies, and nuggets of inspiration in this short #100DistrictConversations post from conversation #37 with Michelle Miller, Superintendent of South Fayette Township in Pennsylvania. This summary barely scratches the surface of the initiatives Michelle is building for students in her district, but you can watch this video from a recent…

Conversation #36 with Piper Bognar, the Superintendent of Van Dyke Schools in Michigan covered a lot of ground. Superintendent Bognar is all about engaging partners and networking to build team and district capacity. When I asked about the educator role, she pointed to all of the additional highly-trained adults that her teachers have as “layers”…

Coming in at conversation #35, Michael Sollitto, is the Superintendent of the Burrillville School District in Rhode Island. It was great to catch up and learn how Mike is making professional learning work through strategic fundraising and regional collaboration. “We want to provide every student the best possible education, preparing them for whatever comes next…

Conversation #34 was with a long-time partner in the work. I have know Michael Comella, the Assistant Superintendent for Chariho Regional School District, since he was a building principal working to bring new classroom models into Providence schools. Mike is as real as they get. He does the work without ego, focusing on how his…

Conversation #33 with Cory Steiner, Superintendent of Northern Cass School District 97 was complete fire! Achieving a fully competency-based and personalized model at scale is impressive, and doing it with teachers in the driver seat makes it sticky – a fantastic strategy blending partner expertise with homegrown talent. “Our journey toward a competency-based, personalized learning…

“Listening, observing, and collaborating are key elements in our professional development design.” This quote from Jennifer Norman, Executive Director of Pupil Services for Rocky River City Schools in Ohio encapsulates the innovative professional learning theory and design Jennifer shared with me during conversation #32. “Rethinking professional learning means ensuring it is accessible, impactful, and truly…

Conversation #31 with Patrick Gittisriboongul, Assistant Superintendent of Technology & Innovation for Lynwood Unified School District was fascinating from an AI integration and innovation standpoint. Patrick is part of The AI School Teams Collaborative with The Learning Accelerator and Leading Educators. Thank you Jin-Soo Huh for making the connection! I love Patrick’s “why” behind this…