Anchored in Education

I started this podcast 73 episodes ago with a main goal of providing on high-quality episodes. Due to the circumstances surrounding the global pandemic and trying to navigate the reopening of schools, I feel that pushing on right now with Anchored in Education only jeopardizes the quality for my listeners. Not willing to do that, I am putting this podcast in hiatus until proper time can be given. It is not a goodbye; it is an until next time.

What do you do when you find the research showing that your elementary students do not benefits whatsoever from homework, but yet, you are mandated by your school to assign homework daily? Well. You get creative. This is exactly what Alex Valencic did when he was teaching fourth grade. Required to assign homework, he brainstormed how he could meet the school requirement but yet give students a voice and choice in what and how they complete it. And this is how the homework menu was born. Join us today as Alex walks us through the concept and creation. He is yet another reason why educators are simply rock stars. After listening, head over to www.escottengland.com to find the show resources and read more about Alex as well as find a link to his blog and the homework menu.

Back in February, I had the Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction on the podcast as the first elected official. Today, we are fortunate enough to have Joy Hofmeister, the Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Instruction join us on Anchored in Education. Joy has been instrumental in helping lead Oklahoma through several positive changes in the education environment. In today's episode, we talk about standards, assessment, how to best support educators, and of course, remote learning. After listening, head over to www.escottengland.com to find the show resources and read more about Joy.

Speech Language Pathologists are simply rock stars in the world of education. So why is it we have such a struggle in including them in planning for the needs of students? Maybe it is because we don't realize just what it is they do. Kelly Gosch, CCC-SLP is our guest today on Anchored in Education talking about Speech Language Pathology. She gives us the down low that speech services are much, much more than working on articulation disorders. Their work is truly amazing. After listening, head over to www.escottengland.com to read more about Kelly.

We've all been there. We've either made a snap decision (knee-jerk) or hesitated to make the decision at all (wishy-washy). But why do we do this? Well, of course, there is research behind it. Follow me on an adventure of decision making as I use examples and hypotheticals both in and out of education. Of course, we explore how to make better decisions using a simple model to test out the decisions we've made. Several books are mentioned throughout this podcast, so make sure to head to www.escottengland.com to find the titles in the resource section of today's episode.

Last week on Anchored in Education, we spoke to Dr. Ken Wallace from Maine Township High School District #207 about Getting it "Right" for Every Student. It was an amazing episode that was well received because of the fascinating and forward-thinking approach they are taking to education. This week, we are visiting briefly with Ken again to talk about the business partners that Maine Township has to better serve their students and provide meaningful experiences. After listening, head over to www.escottengland.com to read more about Ken. You will also find a link to several articles and videos we discussed in the resource section.

How many times have students heard that they need to be preparing for college when they are in high school? Get good grades, study habits, attendance, and so forth. Colleges will look at all of it. But, what if college is not for everyone? True statement: College is not for everyone. In fact, a good portion of college graduates are in professions in which they are overqualified. And most carry unnecessary debt. Thankfully we have an amazing leader named Dr. Ken Wallace. Ken leads Maine Township High School District #207. And they are doing amazing things in preparing their high school students. Join us today as Ken talks more about how we need to be getting it right for every student. After listening, head over to www.escottengland.com to read more about Ken. You will also find a link to several articles and videos we discussed in the resource section.

Good decision making is a skill that we all need. Selecting the profession in which we will be the happiest. Our car, our homes, even our diets. Decisions are all around us. It is no different in education. Decisions are made daily that impact the finances, the curriculum, and every other moving part that make education work. Typically, we see the adults making the decisions. But who are we here for? That's right—students. Kristen Vogel, an educator from Canada, is also a co-developer of Guts vs. Heads, a decision-making tool designed to help students make better choices. She joins us today to talk about how powerful it is to empower students to make well-informed decisions. After listening, head over to www.escottengland.com to read more about Kristen. You will also find a link to the website we discussed in the resource section.

Bella Trupiano is an 8th grader at St. Joe Catholic School in Olney, Illinois. About a month into the shutdown, Bella penned a powerful post about doing things differently had she known she wouldn't be returning to school. We have heard many stories during these odd COVID-19 pandemic times, but we're giving the day to hear from a student. Listen to Anchored in Education today to hear more from Bella. Because of students like her, we can all work to make education stronger. After listening, head over to www.escottengland.com to read more about Bella. You will also find a link to her blog in the resource section.

A leader is more than the person who holds the leadership title or has taken a step into administration. A leader is someone who recognizes their role and value and steps up to become a foundation. Teacher leaders do not wait until others solve problems for them; they see a problem and take initiative to to find a solution. Joe Fatheree and Rebecca Mieliwocki co-authored the book Adventures in Teachers Leadership. A book that explores the pathways, strategies, and inspiration for every teacher. Joe joins Anchored in Education for a two part series on teacher leadership. This week we continue the conversation, including now professional development, advocacy, and getting started in your school district. After listening, head over to www.escottengland.com to read more about Joe. You will also find a link to his book in the resource section.

A leader is more than the person who holds the leadership title or has taken a step into administration. A leader is someone who recognizes their role and value and steps up to become a foundation. Teacher leaders do not wait until others solve problems for them; they see a problem and take initiative to to find a solution. Joe Fatheree and Rebecca Mieliwocki co-authored the book Adventures in Teachers Leadership. A book that explores the pathways, strategies, and inspiration for every teacher. Joe joins Anchored in Education for a two part series on teacher leadership. After listening, head over to www.escottengland.com to read more about Joe. You will also find a link to his book in the resource section.

Charley Cass is back on Anchored in Education to talk this time about the value of school social workers and counselors. Charley, a three time podcast guest and I agree that too often social workers and counselors are overlooked for everything they do for students and families. This isn't intentional, but we must make sure to get better at recognizing the value they bring to a school environment. After listening, head over to www.escottengland.com to read more about Charley. You will also find a link to his blog in the resource section which is more than worth your time.

What do you do when you see a six foot eight human dressed in a giraffe costume to tell students to hang in there and that they're missed? You invite him onto the podcast. Nathaniel Lackey is a first-year math teacher who first dressed as a giraffe to say hi to students and give words of encouragement. In the days that followed, Nathaniel dressed up as Spiderman, T-Rex, Bob Ross, and an alien to help engage students in his math lessons. He does this to help maintain a sense of normalcy for his students as well as showing them it is okay to be yourself and have fun. Since this episode, Nathaniel has also delivered a Star Wars themed math lesson. After listening, head over to www.escottengland.com to read more about Nathaniel.

I recently read a re-print of a popular comic strip. Inspired by the message, I wrote today's episode with that strip in mind. In this episode I talk about the importance of being in the present—not dwelling in the past or living only for the future. In my opinion, this is an all-to-important message for educators. As always, the intent is not to offend, just looking to spark reflection. 

This podcast was recorded from the Anchored in Education Live Show hosted on Sunday, April 19. Our topic was seven factors leading to increased anxiety and stress as well as seven science-backed strategies to reduce stress. Our guest was Julie Adams and she takes us through a journey of neuroscience.

Ever notice how some are quick to point out when it's not their fault? Or how quick someone will distance themselves from a failure—refusing to accept that they more than likely are part of the problem? In today's brief episode we're going to explore this a little more.

This podcast was recorded from the Anchored in Education Live Show hosted on Sunday, April 5. Guests this episode were Jodi England, art teacher; Nixie Hnetkovsky, higher education instructor; and Ben Landers, elementary PE teacher.

This podcast was recorded from the Anchored in Education Live Show hosted on Sunday, March 29. This recording has been edited, but all interviews were left in their entirety.

This podcast was recorded from the Anchored in Education Live Show hosted on Sunday, March 22. This recording has been edited, but all interviews and calls were left in their entirety.

On December 4, 2019, Dr. Drew Gitomer and three colleagues published an article in the American Educational Research Journal. It was titled "Assessing the Assessment: Evidence of Reliability and Validity in the edTPA." By December 5, the article had nearly gone viral on Twitter by opponents of edTPA. Drew joins us today on Anchored in Education to talk more about this article and why we should be concerned with edTPA being used as a tool to decide if teacher candidates should receive a teaching license. Drew and his colleagues make valid arguments for why a moratorium should be issued on the high-stakes use of edTPA. After listening, head over to www.escottengland.com to read more about Drew. You will also find a link to his article in the resource section.

Prior to this episode there has been 52 brand new Anchored in Education episodes every Monday. What began as just solo episodes where I briefly shared thoughts and reflections quickly blossomed into an exciting and fresh look into a different area of education each week. And it would never have been possible without the amazing guests who agreed to join me. Forty-five out of the 52 episodes in year one featured one or more guests with 10 guests joining me for multiple episodes. To help celebrate a complete year of Anchored in Education, I have decided to put together an anniversary episode featuring a little snippet from every guest who has joined us. Of course this is great for those who are new to the podcast, but I quickly realized as I was going through past shows that there is a lot of good content. I promise this episode will be worth the listen. Thanks for joining me on this journey. I'm looking forward to what Year 2 will bring. We already have a good line-up of guests and continue to add more every week. Don't forget to visit www.escottengland.com to find all the episodes with resources and links for every show. And don't forget to subscribe to Anchored in Education on whatever platform you get your podcasts.

You don't have to be in education for long to see many ideas and suggestions for improving schools. Most of the ideas promoted a flashy, borderline gimmicky, and come with a hefty price tag. Now, I'm not arguing that all of these ideas don't work, but what if instead of investing in yet one more thing, we could turn a school around with what we have, investing in our already established resources? That is what Dr. Josh Martin proposes in his book Turning a School Around: Key Considerations for Real Success. Those key considerations are finding good principals, instruction, formative assessment, getting into classrooms, and becoming data storytellers. Josh navigates our way through the book providing insight into each chapter showing just how attainable higher achievement truly is. After listening, head over to www.escottengland.com to read more about Josh. You will also find a link to his book in the resource section.

Educator burnout. It's a real thing. There has been countless studies on burnout. There are a wide variety of books detailing burnout including why we should avoid burnout because we're needed in this profession. Duh.  If avoiding burnout was as easy as saying, Today I will choose not to get burned out, then we don't really have a conversation on our hands. And a good bet would be that an educator already knows how valuable they are to students, so reading another book about being there for students and not letting stress burn us out isn't going to help. So why are we talking about the book The Burnout Cure today? Because it is not a book of fluff detailing why we need to stay. No, this is a book that author Chase Mielke wrote to help struggling educators understand how to leverage positive psychology to help find their way out of the dark areas we sometimes find ourselves. Chase joins Anchored in Education today to talk more about his book. He shares with us where he was at during one point in his career and how he used some of the very things he wrote about to help he through the days.  After listening, head over to www.escottengland.com to find the show resources and read more about Chase. You will also find a link to his website, his book, and some of his hit videos he has created for education.

What is your reaction when someone calls you biased? If you are like most people, including myself, you probably immediately go on the defensive exclaiming how you are in no way a biased person. Don't worry, you are not alone. In fact, that is exactly how I felt when I watched a TEDx of the same title of today's episode. The speaker was Megan Fuciarelli, and she said, "All of us in this room are biased." I thought it was a bold statement, but as I continued listening to Megan's talk, I realized just how important her topic was. Not only did I begin understanding that biases were normal, I also began to understand how letting my implicit bias become explicit could have a negative impact on those I serve. Megan Fuciarelli has graciously agreed to come onto Anchored in Education to feature an episode on bias. She allowed the use of her TEDx title to be featured on today's episode because it has such a profound message.  Megan is leading the way in creating a more united society by promoting understanding, knowledge, and awareness in social justice issues. After listening, head over to www.escottengland.com to find the show resources and read more about Megan. You will also find a link to her website and her TEDx talk that made this episode possible. 

It is no secret that I am often critical of elected officials and the meddling they do in education. They often pitch their work as helpful to all, but it is more often than not just a small group in their region or district they are trying to appease. What happens is punishment for all. Or let's talk education funding. Of course I'm bias, but I believe education is the most important line item on any state budget. What do we most often see? Cuts. Cuts. And more cuts. But I was on Twitter when today's guest, Dr. Jennifer McCormick caught my attention. She holds the elected position of State of Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction. What got my attention is that she was giving a hard time to legislators from both sides of the aisle as she stood up for what she knows is right for education. Though I haven't had much luck getting an elected official to join me on Anchored in Education, Jennifer immediately agreed. After listening, head over to www.escottengland.com to find the show resources and read more about Jennifer. 

Have you ever stopped and considered the language we use everyday? Most of what we say or do becomes such second nature that we never give it a second thought. But maybe we should. That's what retired submarine Captain L. David Marquet proposes we do in his new book Leadership is Language. He points out that the language we use comes from the Industrial Revolution era. In a time in which work was separated between those who think and those who do. In his new book, Leadership is Language, Marquet proposes a new playbook and six new plays that completely changes how we approach what we do and how we do it. After listening, head over to www.escottengland.com to find the show resources and read more about David. I'll also include a link to his book, Leadership is Language.

We've talked about time management in a recent episode. One thing we established is that we have only a finite amount of time. Regardless of how efficient or effective we may be, nothing changes the fact that we are all given the same 24 hours in a day. Our guest today is Allison Rodman. You may remember her from an earlier episode of Anchored in Education when she was a guest talking about her amazing book Personalized Professional Learning. But Allison can also be found giving keynotes and workshops on how we can bend time and space in order to make room for teachers to be learners. After listening, head over to www.escottengland.com to find the show resources and read more about Allison. I'll also include a link to her book, Personalized Professional Learning.

I remember my first year of teaching all too well. It was an amazing year, but one that was regularly filled with questions, fear, and second guesses. And, to be completely truthful, there were times when I thought maybe I'd made a career mistake. Times when I doubted my effectiveness as an educator because a lesson didn't go as planned or the overall behavior in my class was less than pleasing. Turns out, I was an effective educator. Also, I'm not the only one that feels those same first year thoughts. Educators entering the profession now have another resource to through in their toolkit. It is a book titled Your First Year: How to Survive and Thrive as a New Teacher. It was co-authored by Todd Whitaker, Madeline Good, and Katherine Whitaker. Today on Anchored in Education, Katherine Whitaker has graciously agree to join us to talk more about this amazing book. Don't think that since you are past your first year that this can't help you out. I've read Your First Year multiple times throughout my career and never during my actual first year—it wasn't available then.  After listening, head over to www.escottengland.com to find the show resources and read more about Katherine and find a link to her book, Your First Year.

Julie Adams is back this week on Anchored in Education for part 2 of #FullyCharged. Last week we spent time talking about meeting even the most basic of our students. We also went a step further and talked about meeting the needs of parents and staff as well. In essence, you can say we tended to our Maslow last week in order to prepare to Bloom this week. Julie is back to talk about how we can Bloom our students, parents, and staff. But we're not just giving you off the cuff ideas, #FullyCharged is full of research-backed strategies. Most importantly, Julie shares with us how we can inspire a culture where everyone understands, applies, analyzes, evaluates, and creates. After listening, head over to www.escottengland.com to find the show resources and read more about Julie and find a link to her website as well as a link to #FullyCharged.

Have you ever said, "I'm running on empty?" Did you ever stop and think that maybe this was literal when you were using it in a figurative way? Science has shown that we have a finite amount of cognitive capacity each day. In other words, we essentially have a battery that keeps us going.  Thankfully, it's rechargeable. But it is up to us to make sure that we are starting each day with a fully charged battery. And as educators, our role goes beyond making sure our battery is charged. We must make sure that our students and parents are working with a fully charged battery as well. That's the foundation to the best-selling book #FullyCharged. In the book, co-authors Julie Adams, PJ Caposey, and Rosa Isiah offer over 140 Battery Charging Maslow & Bloom Strategies for Students, Parents, and Staff. The book is divided into two sections: Maslow and Bloom, so it only makes sense to offer this episode in two parts. Today Julie Adams joins Anchored in Education to talk more about how we can better meet the Maslow needs of students, parents, and staff. After listening, head over to www.escottengland.com to find the show resources and read more about Julie and find a link to her website as well as a link to #FullyCharged.

I don't think I would be alone in saying that at some point managing time has been a struggle. Too often though we just say that time management is our issue. But have we ever thought about what exactly time management issues truly are? What if time management didn't really exist; and instead it was just the symptom of a larger issue? That is exactly what Dr. PJ Caposey proposed in his amazing book Manage Your Time or Time Will Manage You. PJ gives us eight potential root causes that could result in what we often refer to as just time management.  The perfect way to say goodbye to 2019 and hello to a brand new year is to have PJ join Anchored in Education to help us better understand how we can fully utilize our time. After listening, head over to www.escottengland.com to find the show resources and read more about PJ and find a link to his book.

Being comfortable in our position is not a bad thing. I remember how different year two felt teaching first grade compared to year one. By year four though, I was beginning to feel the need for something different. Changing grades or subject levels can sometimes feel like starting over, but it also gives us the opportunity to hone our craft at multiple levels making us versatile, well-rounded educator. And my guest today is an amazing example of how changing the area or content of your teaching can keep you on top of your game. Amie Reed has been teaching for 15 years, and in that time, she has made several moves. In fact, this year Amie is teaching a subject she has never taught before and a grade level she has never taught. Amie is going to share with us today why changing is not such a bad thing as well as give us tips to having a successful transition. After listening, head over to www.escottengland.com to find the show resources and read more about Amie.

What do you truly love to do? That single question put educator Trevor MacKenzie and a struggling student on an unintended and life-changing journey of inquiry, discovery, and meaningful learning.  It was a journey that completely reshaped the way Trevor leads his classroom. With the belief that all students deserve a chance to dig into their passions and curiosities, Trevor has created a scaffolded approach to personalized learning by identifying the Types of Student Inquiry: Structured, Controlled, Guided, and Free Inquiry.  Each type requires students take progressively more control over their own learning, this inquiry-based learning model equips students to become lifelong learners. And we're lucky because Trevor joins us on Anchored in Education today to talk more about inquiry-based learning and his book, Dive Into Inquiry. After listening, head over to www.escottengland.com to find the show notes, read more about Trevor, and find links to his books and other resources.

Week after week on Anchored in Education we sit down for a conversation with educators who are doing something unique or have something unique to contribute to the profession. Every now and then though we like to introduce you to a teacher you may not have heard of yet but is making a huge impact in our profession. This week we introduce you to Brandon Thornton. Brandon is a teacher at Bloomington High School in Bloomington, Illinois.  Brandon was featured in a sidebar column in Illinois State University's alumni journal. In this column he stated his views on the profession, what he'd like to see more of in education, and emotionally overloaded children.  After listening, head over to www.escottengland.com to find the show notes and to read more about Brandon.

Classroom management—probably the single most important aspect to education. Almost every educator had to take a course in college that was on classroom management. I know I did. I felt pretty confident that I could develop a seating chart, engage my class, create procedures that were fair and consistent.  And then the day came. The day when it was no longer a class, no longer was it an assignment I would be graded on; it was a day when actual students came into my classroom. There was no safety net (i.e., another teacher)—it was me and me alone with 25 six and seven-year old students. It's when I realized how important classroom management truly was. There are many great resources for honing classroom management skills. But one of my favorites is Classroom Management from the Ground Up. This book takes us through the various stages of classroom management using an easy to visualize house metaphor. And I'm thankful today for co-author Madeline Good taking time out of her busy day to sit down with us and talk more about the book she co-authored with her dad and sister. After listening, head over to www.escottengland.com to find the show notes and to read more about Madeline.

Much of what we do is either made or ruined by our mindset. Think about it, how often do we convince ourselves that what we're doing is a waste of time? That we aren't making progress. Or that we are only capable of failing. Or quite possibly we are quick to take credit when things go right but point at others when things go wrong. This is what our mentality does to us if we don't have it aligned with positivity. Thankfully, my guest today recognizes how people are and has been working at getting them to change their mentality. In fact, that is what Kyle Greene calls his book: The Mentality Changer. Kyle wants people to change their mindset so they can begin changing the world. And he is going to share with us today how easy this is to get started. After listening, head over to www.escottengland.com to find the show notes and to read more about Kyle.

This profession is demanding. That's just one of the reasons why it irritates when someone outside the profession tells me that teachers have it easy. Ha! We all know that 9 out of 10 people who say that wouldn't last a week in our shoes. But I digress. A major problem with the high demand in this profession is that it becomes to easy to lose sight of what matters most: our health. I'm not just talking physical health, I'm also talking mental health, emotional health, and spiritual health. We must find what we hear people so often talk about called work-life balance. Work-life balance is hammered into new administrators, but I fell into a major imbalance when I taught first grade. I learned valuable lessons that I still carry with me today. I also make it a mission of mine to make sure other educators are taking care of themselves as well. To help spread the message this week, I've invited Dr. Jon Bartelt onto Anchored in Education to talk more about educator self-care. Jon is an amazing example of someone who takes care of himself and makes sure that his work life and personal life remain in harmony. I do believe you will find a lot of insight and information by listening to what Jon has to say today. After listening, head over to www.escottengland.com to find the show notes and to read more about Jon.

When you hear the word GRAMMY, you probably think of the giant music awards ceremony that happens every January. The GRAMMYs are presented by The Recording Academy. And you probably figured this out already, but The Recording Academy cares a lot of promoting music education. And I mean a lot! How much? Enough that The Recording Academy executives realized they needed something more to promote music education. Conversations began and what grew from that idea is now known as the GRAMMY Music Education Coalition. Today on Anchored in Education, the inaugural executive director, Dr. Lee Whitmore joins us to talk more about the Coalition. Lee's history and background makes him the perfect candidate to lead the Coalition, as well as share more with all of us. After listening, head over to www.escottengland.com to find the show notes and to read more about Lee.  

The first day of my first year of teaching was exciting. The night before I couldn't sleep as I waited with such high anticipation of what it would be like on that first day. It did not disappoint. And neither did the next day, the next week, the next month. Then came my second year—same thing! I loved the excitement of being an educator. Fast forward to my time in administration. I still get that same feeling on the first day. And I have never rolled out of bed dreading the day. I truly get excited every chance I get. And I'm not afraid to hide my enthusiasm, but I've never met anyone that I felt shared my same level of excitement. Then I met Bhavna Sharma-Lewis. I first talked to Bhavna in mid-August as I was finishing up my first day of the new school year, and she was still a few weeks from her start. But she was pumped. And I said, why don't we celebrate the one hundred fifteenth day like we celebrate the first day? She agreed. And then we scheduled a time for her to join me on Anchored in Education to talk about celebrating schools. Every. Single. Day. After listening, head over to www.escottengland.com to find the show notes and to read more about Bhavna Sharma-Lewis.

Every school district I have been employed with has had a partnership with the American Heart Association. Every year, typically in the spring, students work to raise money for the AHA with a culminating activity of jumping rope or shooting hoops. Even with a name change in the recent years, the Kids Heart Challenge as it is known now has a stronger than ever partnership with schools districts across America is stronger than ever. But I've always wondered: what is the Kids Heart Challenge really about? Where does all the money raised really go? What other kind of supports and resources are available for classroom teachers? What is this partnership with OPEN all about? And what kind of magical moments are being created with students? These were all questions I had for this episode of Anchored in Education. My guest this week is Jennifer Chaney, Director of the Youth Market in Southern Illinois and Southeast Missouri for the American Heart Association. Jennifer gives us the inside scoop on Kids Heart Challenge. After listening, head over to www.escottengland.com to find the to read more about Jennifer Chaney as well as find links to the Kids Heart Challenge and the American Heart Association.

Students are the heart of education. Of course that seems to be stating the obvious. Yet, for decades now we have made changes and improvements to education based upon what we as adults felt was needed. Sure, along the way we have said we are going to do what is in the best interest of students. But has anyone ever asked students what their interests even are? That is what authors Mike Lubelfeld, Nick Polyak, and PJ Caposey set out to do in their book Student Voice: From Invisible to Invaluable. The authors explored including student voice in everything from major construction and renovation projects, to curriculum and policy changes, and even seating student representatives on the Board of Education in an advisory, non-voting role. This week on Anchored in Education, Mike and PJ join us to talk more about their experiences with including student voice in their districts. We examine key thoughts from the book as we work towards seeing just how simple, yet crucial, adding student voice is to the education process. After listening, head over to www.escottengland.com to find the to read more about Mike Lubelfeld and PJ Caposey as well as find a link to their book.

Last week David Marquet joined me on Anchored in Education to talk about intent-based leadership. This is the leadership model David used when he took over the USS Santa Fe, which at the time was the worst performing submarine in the entire Navy fleet. David said when he implemented this empowerment among his crew, there was an immediate change in climate. In just a couple of years, the Santa Fe went on to receive the highest inspection grade the Navy has ever given. I've read David's book Turn the Ship Around, and now I've had the chance to talk to him. I have no doubt that his leader-leader model works much better than a leader-follower model. But I got to thinking, how do we understand more about the positive effects of intent-based leadership? How about taking to some men who served with David on the Santa Fe. That's exactly what we have this week. Chuck Dunphy and Andy Worshek had the distinct honor of serving on the Santa Fe with David. Andy brings the unique perspective of an officer who served on the Santa Fe before David arrived. He can attest to how bad it really was. Chuck and Andy talk with us this week on how intent-based leadership is for real, it's empowering, and it's refreshing. They talk about how it not only changed their lives aboard a submarine, but how it has continued to impact their personal and professional lives. After listening, head over to www.escottengland.com to find the to read more about Chuck Dunphy and Andy Worshek as well as find a link to David's book.

L. David Marquet was set to become a captain in the Navy's Pacific submarine fleet. He was assigned to takeover the USS Olympia. He spent nearly a year learning the ins and outs of that submarine. With just weeks before the takeover, he was informed that he would instead take over for the USS Santa Fe—the worst performing submarine in the entire Navy's fleet. In addition to the Santa Fe being the laughing stock of the fleet, the actual submarine was different than what David had been preparing for. Not even six months into the command he gave an order that was impossible to achieve with the set up the Santa Fe had. But that didn't stop the officer from still ordering the crew member to act. Upon failure to act because it was an impossible command, David realized something: his men had been trained to do whatever he said—even if it was the wrong thing to do. He needed his crew to lead instead of follow. What came of this was intent-based leadership. And it is for that reason David joins us on Anchored in Education today. If we apply to our schools what David applied to the Santa Fe, we could see magic happen. Sort of like what happened when David created a submarine full of leaders. Listen to today's episode to find out what happened on the Santa Fe. After listening, head over to www.escottengland.com to find the show notes and to read more about David Marquet.

A couple of months ago Coach Jim Johnson joined Anchored in Education to talk about that miracle night back in 2006 when J-Mac, a senior basketball manager diagnosed with autism, dressed for action and took the floor for Senior Night, proceeding to put on a four minute tutorial on the court finishing the game with 20 points. After the interview, I had the opportunity to talk to Jim for about 30 minutes about his career in the classroom and on the court. I quickly realized over his 30-plus years in education, he had picked up a lot of useful leadership skills and tools that would benefit educators at all levels. Jim joins us again today to talk about Leadership Lessons from Half Court. We discuss the many valuable lessons including clarifying vision, building trust, creating the edge, effective communication, leading by example, leaving a profit, and servant leadership. We also discuss what he has found to be the six keys to success—keys that he used to structure his book A Coach and A Miracle. After listening to this week's Anchored in Education episode, head over to www.escottengland.com to find the show notes and to read more about Coach Jim Johnson.

Several years ago the father of an autistic student approached an area art teacher with a plan. His son, a talented artist, found a way to express himself through art. Now the family wanted to offer the same opportunity to teens and adults with special needs in a special evening arts program. They call the program Our Voice Through Art. The six-week classes are held three different times throughout the year for an hour in the evenings. The art teacher is my sister, Jodi England. Jodi has joined us on Anchored in Education before to talk about the importance of art in schools and classrooms. Today she joins us to talk to us about accommodating for students with special needs in the classrooms. She also shares more about the one-of-a-kind organization Our Voice Through Art. After listening to this week's Anchored in Education episode, head over to www.escottengland.com to find the show notes and to read more about Jodi.

Have you ever heard someone talk about your school and you think, "That's not even close!" I'm guessing you have. But the crucial question is: did you set them straight? My guess is that doesn't often happen. Here is the deal though, it's up to us to change the narrative. From custodians, to teachers, to admin, to the board of education, we are all a part of a larger picture with a singular focus: educating kids. To do this we need to make sure that everyone, and I mean everyone knows what we are setting out to do each and every day. And I've got the perfect guest to talk more about this. I'm not quite sure anyone can bring as much energy to everything they do as Joe Sanfelippo. To say Joe is kind of passionate about education is like saying Popeye kind of liked spinach. Joe is PASSIONATE about education, and he wants you to be too. I can't really explain it any better than that. You're just going to have to listen. After listening to this week's Anchored in Education episode, head over to www.escottengland.com to find the show notes and to read more about Joe.

In the last regular episode of Anchored in Education, Dr. Tony Frontier joined us to discuss his book Five Levers to Improve Learning. Tony's book gives thought-provoking insights into how we often make try to find solutions to problems using the wrong lever of change. I had the opportunity to talk more to Tony about how the five levers came to be. We also discussed different kinds of change and why some change is so difficult. Give a listen to this BONUS feature of Anchored in Education.

How many times have you heard the word change in education? Okay, too many to count. Let's just go with how many times you've heard change so far this year. Probably still a lot. It is no secret that change is a constant in education. But are we changing the right components to achieve the results we're actually looking for? That is the question co-author Dr. Tony Frontier poses in his book The Five Levers to Improve Learning. In a tongue-in-cheek type example, we say that you don't improve student achievement by changing the bus routes. Of course we know this, but often times we try to improve learning by pulling levers completely unrelated to the problem. Tony will take us through the five levers and how they should be properly pulled to bring about change. He also talks about leverage errors, which is the result when we pull one lever expecting change to happen in a different area. After listening to this week's Anchored in Education episode, head over to www.escottengland.com to find the show notes and to read more about Tony. 

The Titanic is still one of the most recognized maritime disasters. Historians often point out that the loss of so many lives could have been avoided had the White Star Line put the proper amount of life boats on the ship. Something that would not have kept the doomed ship afloat would have been rearranging the furniture into a different configuration. Now let's think about our schools and classrooms. How often are we met with a problem where our solution is simply the problem in a rearranged fashion? I'm guessing more often than we care to admit.  In this episode, I am going to talk more about the differences between rearranging and restructuring. One simply moves pieces without addressing the problem while the other actually looks at change. Take a listen and decide for yourself what you'd rather see happen. After listening to this week's Anchored in Education episode, head over to www.escottengland.com to find the show notes.

One of the most crucial aspects of education is involvement from families.  Research even shows how valuable it is on students.  Increased family engagement leads to higher grades, better attendance, and more likely that a student will have a successful post-secondary career.   I honestly believe schools all over are getting a better grasp on this as they look at ways to positively engage families.  Good News Call of the Day is one popular way.  Many schools lean on social media to connect with their families.  The key is knowing where, how, and when to connect so you reach as many as you can.   For today's Anchored in Education, I've invited Charley Cass back to talk more on family engagement.  Charley has some creative ways to connect with families at his school.  Plus, he shares other ideas that are inexpensive and invaluable at the same time. You might remember the last Charley was on we talked about the stress awards can have on students.  Click here to listen to that episode. After listening to this week's Anchored in Education episode, head over to www.escottengland.com to find the show notes and to read more about Charley.

The United States has been at war on poverty since 1964. However, with the Economic Opportunity Act was signed, it was primarily addressing the lack of financial means. Fast forward to today—we are still talking about how we can best address poverty. Only poverty today goes well beyond the lack of money. Poverty can be the lack of resources which does include financial, but also includes language, emotional, mental, spiritual, physical, support systems, relationships, and the knowledge of hidden rules. So to help us out, our guest today is Sherry Slankard. Sherry is a school counselor, currently working in a rural elementary school. Prior to this she was in a middle school setting for 15 years. More importantly, as we hear from Sherry, she grew up in rural, generational poverty. She uses her incredible personal story and her formal training to help educators all over better understand where their students may be coming from and how best to reach them. After listening to this week's Anchored in Education episode, head over to www.escottengland.com to find the show notes and to read more about Sherry.