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…

My conversation with Tamara Allen-Thomas, Superintendent of Clairton City School District outside of Pittsburgh, PA marks conversation #30! Today we explore a data-driven social emotional learning initiative focused on key indicators of student success. “Our commitment to Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is a core priority in our district’s comprehensive plan. Following Maslow’s hierarchy of needs,…

I thoroughly enjoyed meeting Greg Wyman, Superintendent of J.O. Combs Unified School District during conversation #29. Greg is no stranger to sharing his unique and thoughtful perspective with a broad audience. His Substack contains a wealth of insightful writing, and dives even deeper into some of the important themes that we touched upon during our…

Conversation #28 explores a district strategy for leveraging foundation relationships to fund partnerships with innovative professional learning organizations. Julie Moore is an energized and thoughtful district leader who has launched incredible programming with funding from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and others. As Assistant Superintendent of Innovation & Learning at Liberty Public Schools, outside of…

Conversation #27 is great example of a district leader building trust with partners and committing to a long term professional learning strategy that is both complex and paced for scale. Angela Holt, is the incredible Director of Curriculum & Development in Woonsocket, RI. “What does student-centered learning actually look like? It’s not just about putting…

Conversation #26 with Sean McKenna, Superintendent of Griswold Public Schools was fast paced and highly energetic. I love when leaders get so excited by the work that my typing fingers can’t keep up. Sean believes in the power of leaders at the district and building levels co-designing professional learning in teams to build buy-in and…

Today’s conversation marks 1/4 of the way to our goal of #100DistrictConversations! I had so much fun talking with and learning from Baninder Goomer, Chief Academic Officer of Elementary Education at Edison Township Public Schools in New Jersey. Conversation #25 centered on the power of stability and collaboration. When district leaders stick around, trust in…

Conversation #24 allowed me to catch up with Mario Andrade, Superintendent of Schools for Nashua School District in New Hampshire. I’ve known Mario since he was a Superintendent in Rhode Island during our Fuse RI Fellowship days. I’ve always appreciated his emphasis on adult mindsets and beliefs as critical drivers of school and district improvement. …

Conversation #23 shows the power of professional learning frameworks and strategic partnerships when supporting teachers to scale deeper learning practices and AI innovation. I really appreciated hearing about the great work happening in Roanoke County Schools in Virginia from Michael Riley, Executive Director of Secondary Instruction. “Our Professional Learning Community (PLC) model, established in 2013,…

The role of Chief Financial Officer (CFO) is a critical district position when it comes to professional learning procurement through contracts and partnerships. Conversation #22 with Caitlin Richard, CFO for Hartford Public Schools in Connecticut explores some complex challenges that district finance leaders face as they plan for scalable and sustainable professional learning in 2025….