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Placement into accelerated mathematics courses can open doors for students, paving the way toward advanced high school coursework, college readiness, and future career opportunities. But ensuring students are placed accurately requires a rigorous, evidence-based approach. In this episode of the Leading Voices podcast, host Danny Torres talks with Scott Firkins, Director of Assessment Content at WestEd, and leaders from the Palo Alto Unified School District in California, Dr. Guillermo López, Associate Superintendent of Educational Services, and Janine Penney, Manager of Assessment. They discuss how the district collaborated with WestEd to transform its placement process for accelerated mathematics in middle school. The result is a fair and evidence-based mathematics validation process designed to accurately place students in the right course in the mathematics pathway. Their conversation covers the following topics: Why Palo Alto Unified School District sought to redesign its validation assessment The role of high-quality assessment development and psychometric validation in the redesign How ensuring transparency builds trust within the community What early results are revealing about the new process and student readiness and success Transcript Additional Resources PAUSD Validation Test Research Brief (PDF) Palo Alto Unified School District Mathematics Program (Website) Designing High-Quality Assessment Solutions with WestEd (Website) Comprehensive Assessment Solutions (Website)
Gun violence is now a leading cause of death in many demographics but how do you intervene when many of the underlying causes don't have anything to do with guns in the first place?In this episode of the Public Health Insight Podcast, Lori Toscano, Director of Justice Technical Assistance at WestEd, discusses using data analytics and machine learning to identify and address risk and protective factors for community violence. The conversation covers a new framework, the Violence Prevention Navigation Framework (VPNF), that leverages 70 community-level indicators to guide deeper root cause analysis and to prioritize interventions. Lori emphasizes intersectoral collaboration, historical community disinvestment, and primary prevention strategies to create systemic change. The episode showcases innovative tools to drive better understanding and actionable recommendations for improving community safety.References for Our Discussion◼️WestEd◼️Violence Prevention Navigation Framework (VPNF)Guest◼️Lori ToscanoHost(s) & Producer(s)◼️ Gordon Thane, BMSc, MPH, PMP®Production Notes◼️ Music from Johnny Harris x Tom Fox: The Music RoomSubscribe to the NewsletterSubscribe to The Insight newsletter so you don't miss out on the latest podcast episodes, live events, job skills, learning opportunities, and other engaging professional development content here.Leave Us Some FeedbackIf you enjoy our podcasts, be sure to subscribe and leave us a rating on Apple Podcast or Spotify, and spread the word to your friends to help us get discovered by more people. You can also interact directly with the podcast episodes on Spotify using the new “comment” feature! We'd love to hear what you think.Send us a Text Message to let us know what you think.
Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) have expanded across the United States in recent years. These accounts provide state education funds, originally allocated for students to attend public school, to be redirected to families to use for educational services of their choice. These programs enable parents to use these funds for a wide range of educational services, such as private school tuition, tutoring, distance learning options, and more. In this episode of the Leading Voices podcast, host Danny Torres talks with William Berry, Research Associate with WestEd's Charter and School Choice team, and Robin Chait Project Director with our School Choice team. They discuss how ESAs work, three primary accountability mechanisms, and the need for research on student outcomes. Their conversation covers the following topics: The growth or popularity of ESAs over time Variation and flexibility among state ESA programs Three types of accountability mechanisms Transcript Resources Mentioned in this Episode Education Savings Accounts and Accountability: A Landscape Analysis Across States (Report) Charters and School Choice (Website)
What does a meticulous career in criminal justice and violence prevention look like? Look no further than Lori Toscano. In this episode of the Public Health Insight Podcast, Lori joins to share her initial ambition to become a grade 5 teacher to now a devoted career in community violence intervention. The conversation dives into the importance of data, community involvement, and the challenges Lori faced while trying to balance enforcement and support. The episode concludes with insights into her role at WestEd, her approaches to technical assistance, and her passion for violence prevention.References for Our Discussion◼️WestEdGuest◼️Lori ToscanoHost(s) & Producer(s)◼️ Gordon Thane, BMSc, MPH, PMP®Production Notes◼️ Music from Johnny Harris x Tom Fox: The Music RoomSubscribe to the NewsletterSubscribe to The Insight newsletter so you don't miss out on the latest podcast episodes, live events, job skills, learning opportunities, and other engaging professional development content here.Leave Us Some FeedbackIf you enjoy our podcasts, be sure to subscribe and leave us a rating on Apple Podcast or Spotify, and spread the word to your friends to help us get discovered by more people. You can also interact directly with the podcast episodes on Spotify using the new “comment” feature! We'd love to hear what you think.Send us a Text Message to let us know what you think.
Drew Nucci (dnucci@wested.org) from WestEd discusses his article, "The role of an online learning environment in teacher care for secondary mathematics students," published in Educational Studies in Mathematics, Volume 117. We also discuss Colleague.AI, which is a curriculum and assessment tool for teachers. WestEd's website Article URL: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10649-024-10350-4 Colleague.AI: https://www.colleague.ai/ List of episodes
This episode is a special episode from UDL-Con, powered by CAST. CAST just released the Guidelines for (Universal Design for Learning) UDL 3.0, which you can find here. If you don't know what UDL is, it's a way to make learning accessible for everyone! You can check out more about the webinars here.Enjoy this special episode.Jethro Jones is joined by Alex Dang-Lozano from WestEd. They discuss the concept of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), the UDL Jam session and Joy Room, and the importance of unstructured interaction spaces at conferences. Alex shares insights into creating adaptable conference spaces and highlights the broad applications of UDL beyond the classroom. The episode concludes with information about WestEd and ways to connect with Alex and his team.Get in touch with Alex: Alozano@wested.org00:00 Introduction03:08 The Importance of Unstructured Spaces05:48 Designing an Adaptable Conference Room10:00 About WestEd11:45 Closing Remarks and Contact Information For more information about UDL, visit cast.org
How can district and state leaders identify signs of school distress long before they are designated as in need of improvement by state accountability systems? In 2020, WestEd partnered with the National Charter School Resource Center (NCSRC) to develop and conduct a portfolio of research (listed below) that identified signs of early distress in schools, or "indicators of distress," and described an approach to support school improvement efforts. When states and education decision-makers wanted to take the work further into implementation, what emerged is WestEd's Indicators of Distress, an evidence-based early detection system that can help charter and traditional schools meet and surpass accountability standards while fostering positive learning experiences for students. In this episode of the Leading Voices podcast, host Danny Torres talks with Aimee Evan, Senior Research Associate and School Improvement Specialist with the School Choice team at WestEd and co-author of the NCSRC reports, and two state education agency leaders, John Carwell Jr., Education Associate at the Delaware Department of Education, and David Frank, Chief of Staff and Assistant Commissioner, Education Policy, at the New York State Education Department. They discuss the Indicators of Distress approach and how the Delaware Department of Education and the New York State Education Department worked with WestEd to identify needed systemic improvements and implement processes and procedures that helped lead to sustained success. Their conversation covers the following topics: Implementing the Indicators of Distress approach in Delaware and New York Using data to inform decision-making Building a reliable model for school improvement Resources Mentioned in this Episode Indicators of Distress (Webpage) Indicators of Distress: A Proactive Approach to Identifying and Supporting Schools in Need of Improvement (Blog) Identifying Indicators of Distress in Charter Schools: Part 1 – The Role and Perspective of Charter School Authorizers (PDF) Identifying Indicators of Distress in Charter Schools, Part 2: The Roles and Perspectives of Charter School Leaders and Board Members (PDF) Identifying Indicators of Distress in Charter Schools: Tools to Support Authorizer Data Collection (PDF)
Gun violence impacts families, first responders, and communities in profound and lasting ways. In 2023, more than 18,000 persons died by homicide in the United States. And on June 26th, 2024, the U.S. Surgeon General declared gun violence a public health crisis. In this episode of the Leading Voices podcast, host Danny Torres talks with experts from WestEd's Justice and Prevention Team and developers of the Violence Prevention Navigation Framework (VPNF): Lori Toscano, Shaun Ali, and Kerwin Henderson. Together, they help state and local leaders better understand the factors that contribute to or prevent violence within their communities—helping promote safe and equitable futures for all children, youth, and adults. Their conversation covers the following topics: Identifying the underlying factors that give rise to or mitigate gun violence Leveraging big and local data to prioritize, assess, and develop appropriate strategies to reduce and prevent gun violence Working with community and state leaders and to improve violence prevention efforts across systems Promoting equity and fostering growth Transcript Resources Mentioned in this Episode Justice and Prevention Research Center at WestEd (Website) Violence Prevention Navigation Framework (VPNF) (Website) A Comprehensive, Data-Driven Approach to Reducing Gun Violence (Blog) Q&A With the JPRC Violence Prevention Team: Lori Toscano, Shaun Ali, and Kerwin Henderson (Blog) The Social-Ecological Model: A Framework for Prevention (Website) Gun Violence Disproportionately and Overwhelmingly Hurts Communities of Color (Fact Sheet) U.S. Surgeon General Issues Advisory on the Public Health Crisis of Firearm Violence in the United States (Press Release) Homicides Are Plummeting in American Cities (News Article)
TalkErie.com - The Joel Natalie Show - Erie Pennsylvania Daily Podcast
The three top leaders of Erie's Public Schools joined the Joel Natalie Show Wednesday for a rare comprehensive conversation on the state the region's largest school district and its over 11,000 students. Our guests were Superintendent Brian Polito, and Assistant Superintendents Neil Brockman and Teresa Szumigala. Topics ranged from building projects, to state test scores, and the utilization of WestEd consultant firm at Erie High and East Middle Schools.
Early childhood practitioners face various challenges in the field, including staffing, shortages, lack of funding for programs and professional development, and insufficient cultural representation in the workforce. In this episode of the Leading Voices podcast, host Grace Westermann talks with Monica Mathur-Kalluri, Project Director within WestEd's Early Childhood Intervention, Mental Health, and Inclusion team. As a Project Director, Monica engages with practitioners, parents, and state and community leaders to enhance the well-being of infants and toddlers and early childhood professionals. Together, they discuss the transformative power of reflective practice spaces for Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) practitioners and how these spaces help prevent burnout and create a more sustainable and supportive environment for those dedicated to early childhood care. Listeners will also hear from early childhood practitioners from California and Virginia and what they had to say about their experience participating in the Revolutionary Reflective Practice retreat hosted in August 2023 for BIPOC practitioners. Their conversation covers the following topics: Reflective practices for BIPOC practitioners The essential elements for creating a sense of belonging and inclusion in professional learning settings The value of creating welcoming BIPOC-only spaces for practitioners Learnings from the Revolutionary Reflective Practice retreat held in August 2023 Transcript Resources Mentioned in this Episode Revolutionary Reflective Practice for BIPOC Healing and Libration (Website) Real Self-Care: A Transformative Program for Redefining Wellness (Book)
In this episode of the Leading Voices podcast, host Danny Torres talks with Angela McGuire, Project Director within WestEd's Early Childhood Intervention, Mental Health, and Inclusion team under Early Childhood Development and Learning. Angela leads the Comprehensive Early Intervention Technical Assistance Network (CEITAN), which has supported the professional growth of early childhood intervention professionals for more than 30 years. Together, they discuss the critical role of early intervention in improving outcomes for our youngest children with disabilities and how state agency leaders can best support early intervention professionals in their work. Their conversation covers the following topics: What state leaders need to know to best support early intervention professionals The Comprehensive Early Intervention Technical Assistance Network (CEITAN) work in California The relationships between parents or caregivers and professionals in early intervention work How early intervention professionals help prepare families as their children move into the K-12 system Workforce development and capacity building for early intervention professionals Transcript Additional Resources Transforming Early Intervention and Improving Outcomes for Children—Q&A with Angela McGuire (Blog Post) Cultural Humility Series (Webpage) Early Childhood Development, Learning, and Well-Being (Webpage) California Early Start (Webpage)
This focused episode is about advocating for a child with a disability or who is neurodivergent. It features a panel of three distinguished parent advocates. The panelists share their experiences, stories, and professional knowledge. They talk about building meaningful relationships with IEP and IFSP team members, advocating when, from a parental perspective the district data isn't sufficient, continuity between classrooms, schools, and district policies, and influencing changes in culture and policy through meaningful relationships. The advocacy panel was recorded as a launch event for my memoir Love Is a Classroom. The topics discussed come from experiences I shared in the memoir. About the panelists: Kimberly Travers is dedicated to enhancing the lives of families and their children with disabilities along with the professionals who serve them by focusing on Early Intervention policy, practice, and research. Kimberly's professional and personal experience and expertise are critical elements that she brings to many classrooms, councils, boards, and workgroups, as well as professional development activities. Her passion for family-centered, natural environments, and evidence-based practices can be seen during her presentations and advisory work, inspiring families and professionals to team more successfully. Kimberly has extensive experience at the local, state, and national levels in the field of early intervention. Kimberly's work experience includes service provision and service coordination to infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families, training and technical assistance, and policy recommendations. Kimberly's journey as a parent of a child with a disability elevated her understanding of the importance of the family voice and informed decision-making at all levels. Sarah Davidon has over 30 years of experience in the field of policy, health promotion and prevention, early childhood models of impact, and children's mental health. She is a passionate and dedicated advocate for improving access to children's mental health care and creating effective public policies. As the Deputy Ombudsman at Colorado Ombudsman for Behavioral Health Access to Care (BHOCO), I provide leadership and co-create strategies to help those who are seeking care or providing care navigate complicated systems, investigate concerns and complaints, and assess recommendations for reform. In addition to my role as the Deputy Ombudsman, I am also the Principal and Owner of Davidon Consulting, LLC, a consulting firm that focuses on children's mental health and the intersection of mental health and educational systems. I have provided keynotes, presentations, facilitated dialogue, and policy strategy to various clients, including the Colorado School Medicaid Consortium, the Office of the Behavioral Health Ombudsman of Colorado, Georgetown Center for Child and Human Development, Community First Foundation (now Colorado Gives Foundation) and the Mental Health Center of Denver. I serve as an Assistant Professor at Georgetown University, where I advise multiple states on funding and policies related to early childhood systems and mental health consultation. Beth Cole has worked in early intervention since 1996. I began as a parent advocate after my son was diagnosed with autism at the age of 2-1/2. I worked as a paraeducator for 6 years in the same K-8 school where my son was. I also worked at the local and state level in Colorado's early intervention Part C program for children birth – 3 with developmental delays and disabilities. I was very involved in helping to develop Colorado's Part C early intervention provider training and the telehealth training. I've now been working at WestEd since 2021, providing TA to state Part C programs on their fiscal systems and I'm a part of the team working on an OSEP-funded demonstration project that focuses on screening and referral to Part C or other early childhood programs. I received my masters in Nonprofit Management in 2004 and my Ed.D. in Educational Leadership and Equity in 2019. If you have a story you want to share, go to Loveisaclassroom.com/contact Cover art by Josie Filippelli https://www.linkedin.com/in/josie-filippelli/
This episode we're bringing attention to an important but still under-examined subject: the need for schools and school systems to better attend to the intersection of language and disability for young multilingual learners. Focusing on multilingualism and disability offers insight into a larger and more persistent question we've dug into throughout this series—that is, how can district leaders, including superintendents and school business officials, make decisions and take actions that more effectively identify and meet the needs of all their students?Host Jason Willis is joined by two WestEd colleagues, Jamey Burho and Elizabeth Burr. Both have worked extensively on policies and practices that support the needs of multilingual learners, particularly those with disabilities. In the past couple of years, Jamey and Elizabeth have co-authored key studies, including a 2022 report, “Resourcing Supports for Young Multilingual Learners with Suspected Disabilities in California,” and in Dec. 2023, "Pre-Referral Processes in California State Preschool Programs: How Practitioners Decide to Refer Multilingual Children for Special Education Evaluation" along with Alyssa Perez.More About Our Guests As a Senior Research Associate on the Research-Practice Partnerships team at WestEd, Elizabeth Burr coordinates research projects, including policy analyses, literature reviews, and syntheses with the Regional Educational Laboratory West. She authored Guidance Manuals for Educators of English Learners with Disabilities: Ideas and Lessons from the Field, and was a lead author of California Practitioners' Guide for Educating English Learners with Disabilities. Currently she is working on a comprehensive toolkit for educators of English learners with disabilities. Prior to joining WestEd in 2007, Elizabeth was a Project Director at the John W. Gardner Center for Youth and Their Communities at Stanford University, and a Project Director at Policy Analysis for California Education.Jamey Burho is a Senior Research Associate with the English Learners Services and Migrant Education (ELMES) team and the Special Education Policy & Practice (SEPP) team at WestEd. Her expertise focuses on students identified as English Learners with disabilities, or dually identified students. As part of WestEd's Quality Teaching for English Learners (QTEL) program, Jamey routinely leads professional development sessions across the country for educators on how to support multilingual students. Prior to joining WestEd, Burho was a postdoctoral fellow at Oregon State University. She began her education career in Washington, D.C. as a special education teacher. She holds a BS in international relations from Georgetown University, an MA in teaching (special education) from Trinity Washington University, and a Ph.D. in special education from University of Maryland.Jason Willis serves as Director of Strategic Resource Planning and Implementation for WestEd, and he is a former chief business official in several California school districts.Budgeting for Educational Equity is presented by CASBO and WestEd. The series is written and produced by Paul Richman and Jason Willis. Original music and sound by Tommy Dunbar. Alyssa Perez and Hannah Jarmolowski at WestEd provides research and develop the written briefs that go along with episodes.
The Equity Multiplier -- a new $300 million component to California's Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) -- is rolling out this school year. Guests Natalie Wheatfall-Lum and Sara Pietrowski join Jason Willis to describe how the Equity Multiplier works, how it came about, and related changes to the state's accountability system, including what districts must now report in their Local Control and Accountability Plans (LCAPs). Along the way, they consider broader policy issues and implications for targeting LCFF funds directly to the school sites whose student populations generate them; helping LEAs better identify and address the needs of all of their students; and the importance of focusing on Black student achievement in particular. The Equity Multiplier is one piece of a larger set of changes to California's accountability system that were enacted as part of the 2023-24 state budget. Eligibility for the additional funding is based on two indicators at school sites: prior year non-stability rates of greater than 25 percent and prior year socioeconomically disadvantaged pupil rates greater than 70 percent. Similar to LCFF, the funds flow from the state to school districts or other local education agencies; however, in a shift from LCFF, Equity Multiplier funds are required to be used at the school sites that generate them. About Our GuestsNatalie Wheatfall-Lum, J.D., serves as Director of TK-12 Policy at The Education Trust-West, where since 2014 she has supported the organization's policy research, analysis, and position development, primarily in K-12 equitable funding and accountability. Before working in education policy, Natalie practiced law, gaining experience in various civil rights issues, including LGBTQ equal rights, fair housing, and immigration. Sara Pietrowski serves as Policy Director for the California State Board of Education, where she has supported the board's work of developing an accountability and continuous improvement system for more than six years, including the LCAP, California School Dashboard, and Statewide System of Support. She previously served in Sacramento City USD where she led development of the district's data dashboard and coordinated LCAP and improvement science efforts. About Our HostJason Willis serves as Director of Strategic Resource Planning and Implementation for WestEd, and he is a former chief business official in several California school districts.Related ResourcessEquity Multiplier page, CDE website and 2023-24 First Principal Apportionment of EM fundsSupporting the African-American Learner: Guide for Transforming Beliefs, Systems and Practices for Black Students Evaluation of California's Differentiated Assistance, WestEd More To Be Done: California's LCFF After A Decade, Education Trust-WestBudgeting for Educational Equity is presented by CASBO and WestEd. The series is written and produced by Paul Richman and Jason Willis. Original music and sound by Tommy Dunbar. Alyssa Perez and Hannah Jarmolowski at WestEd provides research and develop the written briefs that go along with each episode.
Closing or consolidating neighborhood schools is a painful decision that no school district or community ever wishes to face, but increasingly it may be on the table due to declining enrollment trends and budgetary pressures. In this episode, host Jason Willis and school finance and policy veteran Carrie Hahnel deepen our understanding about school closures and consolidations. They delve into current factors that could lead to more closures and data showing how closures have disproportionately impacted different student populations. They pinpoint the tension schools and communities must try to resolve between difficult and necessary budget decisions on one hand and the enormous potential equity effects of those decisions on the other.Carrie serves as a senior associate partner for policy and evaluation at Bellwether and a senior policy and research fellow with Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE). She and colleagues Max Marchitello and Dr. Francis Pearman co-authored a series of recent research for PACE related to declining enrollment, equity, and closures.Jason and Carrie further explore how district and school leaders can proactively approach considerations about school closures while centering equity, and: The extent to which closures or consolidations achieved expected savings for districts, Connections between demographic trends, housing, segregation and other local issues to resource disparities, How the State of California has started to weigh in on the issue of school closures, andThe importance for districts of pairing a school closure process with an affirmative strategy to provide students that will be displaced with high quality educational opportunities.“It's hard not to be paying attention to school closures if you're paying attention to what's happening in schools."About Our GuestCarrie Hahnel currently serves as a senior associate partner on the policy team at Bellwether, a national nonprofit. Previously, she focused on equitable school funding as an advocate at the Education Trust West, and as a policy director at the Opportunity Institute. She has worked extensively with the statewide research organization PACE. Her research has focused on school funding formulas, equity, tax policies and local budgeting practices and decisions, among other areas.About Our HostJason Willis serves as Director of Strategic Resource Planning and Implementation for WestEd, and he is a former chief business official in several California school districts.Key ResourcesCentering Equity in the School Closure Process in California – ReportDeclining Enrollment, School Closures, and Equity Considerations – Policy brief and related PACE Webinar.Examining Racial (In)equity in School-Closure Patterns in California – Working PaperBudgeting for Educational Equity is presented by CASBO and WestEd. The series is written and produced by Paul Richman and Jason Willis. Original music and sound by Tommy Dunbar. Alyssa Perez and Hannah Jarmolowski at WestEd provides research and develops the written briefs that go along with each episode.
With national literacy scores in decline and with the loss of instruction time during the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for effective literacy professional learning for teachers and engaging students equitably is more important than ever. For over 25 years, Reading Apprenticeship at WestEd has improved teaching practice and helped thousands of students achieve high levels of academic literacy across multiple disciplines. In this episode, host Marley Arechiga talks with Linda Friedrich, Director of Literacy at WestEd, and Cynthia Greenleaf, Senior Research Scientist in Literacy at WestEd, about what more than 25 years of Reading Apprenticeship research shows about what works in developing academic literacy, what has changed since its inception in the 1990s, and what is changing in literacy education today as students rebound from the pandemic. Their conversation covers the following topics: the Reading Apprenticeship approach and its impact on teaching and learning national literacy scores and the need to accelerate literacy learning digital literacy and generative artificial intelligence the Reading Apprenticeship seminal publication, Reading for Understanding, now in its third edition Transcript Learn more about Reading Apprenticeship at WestEd. Additional Resources Average ACT Score For the High School Class of 2022 Declines to Lowest Level in More Than 30 Years (Website) NAEP Reading: National Student Group Scores and Score Gaps (Website) Reading Apprenticeship Evidence Base (Website) Reflections on the Evolution of the Literacy Education Field—A Q&A with Cynthia Greenleaf (Blog) Professional Development Opportunities Calendar (Website)
I speak with Dr. Anthony Petrosino, Director of WestEd's Justice and Prevention Research Center. I ask him about his career studying violence prevention, the effectiveness of Scared Straight programs, how to best prevent youth violence, and his favorite cop movie.
States are working to build and modernize integrated data systems to help public agencies better understand and respond to the needs of students, families, and communities, which is critical in the post COVID-19 era. To integrate data from across sectors effectively, states need to consider many legal and technical challenges as well as data privacy concerns and system security. In this episode, host Danny Torres talks with Baron Rodriguez, Executive Director for WestEd's Data Integration Support Center (DISC), and Sean Cottrell, Director of Operations for DISC, about the Center's comprehensive services and why integrating data from across sectors—including education, workforce, social services, and criminal justice—can help state leaders and policymakers address the needs of the whole child, the whole person, and the whole community. Their conversation covers the following topics: How DISC services can support public agencies, often at no cost Why integrated data systems are important in the post-COVID era DISC's five areas of support: planning and user-centered design, legislative analysis, external legal supports, privacy, and system security Learn more about the WestEd Data Integration Support Center. Episode Transcript Additional Resources Building and Modernizing Integrated Data Systems to Support the Whole Person (Blog) Privacy Within Data Integration Systems: Q&A With DISC's Laia Tiderman and Sean Cottrell (Blog) DISC Website Resources (Website)
Teachers are leaving the educator workforce at alarming rates, and the trend has intensified in recent years. Why are teachers leaving and what are some ways state education leaders can help districts retain them and attract new teachers? In this episode, host Marley Arechiga talks with Caitlin Beatson, Deputy Director of the Region 2 Comprehensive Center at WestEd, and Kate Wright, Director of the Region 15 Comprehensive Center, about the importance of sustaining the educator workforce and how the federally funded Comprehensive Centers partner with states to address challenges and implement evidence-based and actionable solutions. Their conversation covers the following topics: The state's role in supporting districts to recruit and sustain teachers The 4Cs—a construct that represents four ways that state education agencies, in partnership with WestEd Regional Comprehensive Centers, are conceptualizing how to help their school districts strengthen educator workforces Teacher residency programs Differentiated staffing in the classroom and distributed leadership Learn more about WestEd's Region 2 Comprehensive Center and Region 15 Comprehensive Center. Resources Mentioned in This Episode K–12 Teachers Are Quitting. What Would Make Them Stay? (McKinsey & Company Article) The State of the Teacher Workforce (Learning Policy Institute) The Case for Differentiated Staffing in the Classroom How States Are Building District Capacity to Overcome Teacher Shortages (Part I) How States Are Building District Capacity to Overcome Teacher Shortages (Part II) How States Are Building District Capacity to Overcome Teacher Shortages (Part III) How States Play a Key Role in Strengthening the Teacher Workforce Arizona State University's Next Education Workforce Website Equitable & Inclusive Hiring Practices: A Reference Guide of Strategies to Grow & Diversify the Educator Workforce Going Beyond the Data in Diversifying the Teacher Workforce Teacher Compensation Reform Decision Guide
California's Local Control Funding Formula or LCFF took a major step towards advancing equity. But as LCFF was coming into existence 10 years ago, education and community leaders in the state's largest school district, Los Angeles Unified, recognized this new formula might not go far enough in helping to address deeply rooted inequities within its student population. Through a unique partnership between the local community and school district, the groundbreaking Student Equity Need Index (SENI) was born. In 2024, the SENI turns ten. It's an example of a powerful partnership between students, parents, community advocates and school district leaders to drive resource equity. SENI is a research-based index that uses comprehensive academic and community-based indicators to rank schools from highest to lowest according to student need. With these rankings, LAUSD can more accurately understand the needs of its schools and equitably distribute funds to address them. In many ways, the SENI is a more robust precursor to the state's new Equity Multiplier, adopted in the 2023 Budget Act, which will target some additional funding directly to schools.In this episode, Pedro Salcido, Deputy Superintendent of Business Services and Operations for Los Angeles Unified School District, and Jessenia Reyes, Associate Director of K-12 Policy for the Equity Team at Catalyst California, take us deep inside the SENI. They share with host Jason Willis how SENI was developed and how it evolved, the impact it has had to date, and how the district and community groups worked together and through some difficult tensions to build the system. While the SENI originated in California's largest school district, it's an exciting homegrown model that districts around the state can learn from and potentially customize to better address their communities' unique needs.About Our GuestsJessenia Reyes is the Associate Director of K-12 Policy at Catalyst California, a systems change nonprofit organization, and part of the Equity Alliance for L.A.'s Kids that includes Community Coalition in South LA, Inner-City Struggle in East LA, and the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools, which advocated for the SENI.Pedro Salcido is the Deputy Superintendent of Business Services and Operations for Los Angeles USD, the state's largest school district and the second-largest in the nation. Prior to his current role, Pedro served as Chief of Staff managing all District academic and nonacademic operations, activities and initiatives, as well as serving as the Superintendent's principal liaison to the Board of Education. Among many other roles and accomplishments, he served as the leading staff member who developed and implemented the District's SENI, an equity-based funding allocation that today has grown to distribute nearly $700 million to the neediest schools in the district..LinksCatalyst California SENI page LAUSD SENI pageBudgeting for Educational Equity podcast is presented by CASBO and WestEd. We are grateful to the Sobrato Family Foundation for additional support. Our series is written and produced by Paul Richman and Jason Willis. Music and editing by Tommy Dunbar. Alyssa Perez and Hannah Jarmolowski at WestEd provide research and develop written briefs that go along with many episodes.
Matt J. Navo - Executive Director of the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE): Intensive Assistance Model & Community Engagement Initiative. This is episode 612 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. Matt J. Navo serves as the Executive Director for the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE). His knowledge and expertise in systems improvement comes from over three decades of experience as a K-12 educator and leader. Matt served as the Superintendent of Sanger Unified School District. Before assuming the role of Superintendent, he was a special education teacher, secondary instructor, counselor, resource teacher, junior high learning director, high school assistant principal, elementary and alternative education principal, director of special education, and area administrator. Prior to his current role, he served as the Director of Systems Transformation with the Special Education Policy and Practice Division (SEPPD) at WestEd. Matt's expertise lies in aligning systems, building capacity for continuous improvement, fostering collaborative cultures and collective efficacy among teams, and establishing coherent and efficient models for districts and schools. He is the author of Collective Efficacy in a PLC at Work (2021) and Demystifying MTSS, A school and District Framework for meeting students' academic and social-emotional needs. Matt received his bachelor's degree in education and his master's degree in special education from California State University, Fresno. Our focus is the Intensive Assistance Model and the Community Engagement Initiative. Awesome talk! So much to learn! Before you go... Could you do me a favor? Please go to my website at https://www.stevenmiletto.com/reviews/ or open the podcast app that you are listening to me on, and would you rate and review the podcast? That would be so cool. Thanks! If you are listening on Apple Podcasts on your phone, go to the logo - click so that you are on the main page with a listing of the episodes for my podcast and scroll to the bottom. There you will see a place to rate and review. Could you review me? That would be so cool. Thank you! Hey, I've got another favor...could you share the podcast with one of your friends, colleagues, and family members? Hmmm? What do you think? Thank you! Thanks for sharing! Thanks for listening! Connect & Learn More: https://ccee-ca.org/ https://twitter.com/CCEECA https://www.facebook.com/CCEECA/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0YDmNn0pXdDYrt0BmRDZOw https://www.linkedin.com/company/california-collaborative-for-educational-excellence/ mnavo@ccee-ca.org Length - 50:24
In this episode, Danny Torres talks with WestEd's new Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Jannelle Kubinec, and former CEO Glen Harvey, who stepped down in 2023 after 26 years at the helm. Jannelle Kubinec brings over 24 years of experience transforming outcomes for children, youth, and their families through research, policy, and technical assistance. Her insights on WestEd's whole-person approach and her steadfast commitment to equity and excellence are a testament to her leadership and vision for WestEd. Glen Harvey laid a solid foundation for WestEd. Over the past two decades, she led the agency's incredible transformation to an expansive, mission-driven, quality- and impact-focused agency. Under Glen's leadership, WestEd emphasized high-quality research-based work to improve outcomes for children, youth, and adults, focusing on addressing the needs of traditionally underserved and marginalized communities. Their conversation covers a range of topics, including: WestEd's history, mission and values, and impact Whole child, whole person, whole community The role of artificial intelligence in education The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic Closing opportunity gaps and improving outcomes for every learner Transcript Related News Jannelle Kubinec Named Next CEO of WestEd Glen Harvey to Step Down as CEO of WestEd
Tatia Davenport, CEO of the California Association of School Business Officials (CASBO) sits down with Jason for a compelling discussion about the size, scope and future of school business in California. Tatia shares what was learned from the first comprehensive survey of California school business executives in nearly 25 years, including where professional development is headed, the changing face and vital voice of CBOs, and how school business leaders can work more to advance equity. She offers timely perspectives about some of the persistent challenges California faces in maintaining an effective and efficient public education system -- one that delivers on the promise of high-quality education for all. About our guestTatia Davenport is the CEO of CASBO. Founded in 1928, CASBO is a nonprofit membership organization representing more than 25,000 professionals across 1,100 school districts and 58 counties statewide. CASBO members drive and support facilities and management of approximately 125,000 acres, 475 million square feet of real estate, an estimated 630 million student meals and snacks served annually at 22,000 sites, 115 million miles of busing and student transportation annually, technology services, and more. With an estimated $108 billion annual budget, California school business officials represent a statewide public education system that serves millions of K-12 students, teachers in classrooms and communities.Tatia has built a reputation as a respected leader in the field and has a proven track record of success in improving the financial, operational and management systems of California schools. Previously she served as CASBO's chief operations officer and held executive roles with Vision Service Plan (VSP) and E*TRADE Financial.Key LinksCalifornia Chief Business Officials Survey -- Summary of ResponsesAbout our hostJason Willis serves as Director of Strategic Resource Planning and Implementation for WestEd, and he is a former chief business official in several California school districts.About our seriesBudgeting for Educational Equity is presented by the California Association of School Business Official (CASBO) and WestEd. We are grateful to the Sobrato Family Foundation for additional support. Our series is written and produced by Paul Richman and Jason Willis. Original music, mixing and sound by Tommy Dunbar. Alyssa Perez and Hannah Jarmolowski at WestEd provide research and develop the written briefs that go along with many episodes.Follow Budgeting for Educational Equity on Twitter/X: @budget4edequity
In this episode, Danny Torres talks with Dr. Katie Drummond, Director of the Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Northwest, and Dr. John Rice, Director of the Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) West. Their conversation covers a range of topics, including: Addressing effects of the pandemic in the REL West and REL Northwest regions Partnering with community-based organizations and state and local education agencies Advancing research and evidence in state and district programs Supporting the whole child and closing opportunity gaps in education Accelerating learning in mathematics and language arts Reducing chronic absence and disparities in disciplinary actions Improving teacher retention Transcript Since 1966, the Regional Educational Laboratories (RELs) have partnered with school districts, state departments of education, and others to help improve educational effectiveness and improve learner outcomes. WestEd operates REL Northwest, which serves Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington, and REL West, which services Arizona, California, Nevada, and Utah. By leveraging research-based practices and evidence, WestEd's RELs aim to improve education outcomes for all students in the regions they serve. Related REL Northwest Resources Accelerating Literacy Outcomes in Montana Through Evidence and Data Use (Blog Post) Using Technology to Support Postsecondary Student Learning (Practice Guide) REL Northwest Website Subscribe to the REL Northwest email newsletter Related REL West Resources Supporting California's English Learner Students Who Have the Most Significant Cognitive Disabilities (Blog Post) Self-Affirmation: A Powerful Tool for Addressing Stereotype Threat (Infographic) The Foundation for Education Equity Systems Change (Infographic) About REL West (Video) REL West Website Subscribe to the REL West email newsletter
In this episode, we dig into ways schools can advance equity by expanding "whole child" services that are available to students at sites. Dr. Chaun Powell, Senior Chief of Student Services for the Alameda County Office of Education, helps identify key approaches for maximizing funding sources for these services -- with a particular focus on behavioral and mental health supports -- and seizing new opportunities to partner with other agencies that serve children. California is in the throes of rolling out major initiatives that create greater access for students to a range of vital services to better support all areas of children's development and learning, including the:California Community Schools Partnership ProgramCalifornia's Children and Youth Behavioral Health InitiativeExtended Learning Opportunities Program, andFamily First Prevention Services Act.These initiatives present a new era of possibility for school districts and county offices to blend and braid funding to increase and sustain services. Chaun leads us through this new landscape of programs and policies that promote interagency collaboration. With insight and curiosity, she helps to explore questions around innovative funding, strengthening collaboration across systems, and centering equity.Other ResourcesStatewide Multi-Payer School-Linked Fee Schedule overview video"Improving Student Wellness With A Multi-Tiered System of Support," WestEd AudioCast featuring Santa Clara COEAbout Our Guest Dr. Chaun Powell, Senior Chief of Student Services, Alameda COE, is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW), school social worker, educational leader, writer and adjunct faculty member at San José State University & California State University East Bay. Her unique background in education, community based work and child welfare helps her bring a cross systems lens and experience to serving children, youth and families in schools and the community. Her work has included the development of policy and spearheading and implementing School Based Health & Wellness, Attendance and Behavior Response Initiatives at the school site, district, county and state levels. Prior to joining Alameda COE, she served as a site level Dean of Students, and as Executive Director, Youth Health & Wellness for Santa Clara COE, where she also led a statewide Professional Learning Network for educators on school-based billing. About our hostJason Willis serves as Director of Strategic Resource Planning and Implementation for WestEd, and he is a former chief business official in several California school districtsAbout our seriesBudgeting for Educational Equity is presented by the California Association of School Business Official (CASBO) and WestEd. We are grateful to the Sobrato Family Foundation for additional support.
Education is the great equalizer it eliminates the gaps between opportunities and advancement its fully intended to place students hopefully on an equal path towards prosperity and growth. However, in America there is sadly still more work to do to make sure American kids can participate in competing on a global stage. According to statistics from Research.com Overall, American students placed 24th in reading, 38th in mathematics, and 25th in science. The total average of the students' performance was 470. The OECD average was 490, putting the U.S. students' academic achievement way below many of the high academic achievement of their OECD peers. Matt J. Navo serves as the Executive Director for the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE). Navo's knowledge and expertise in systems improvement comes from over three decades of experience as a K-12 educator and leader. Navo served as the Superintendent of Sanger Unified School District. Before assuming the role of Superintendent, he was a special education teacher, secondary instructor, counselor, resource teacher, junior high learning director, high school assistant principal, elementary and alternative education principal, director of special education, and area administrator. Prior to his current role, Navo served as the Director of Systems Transformation with the Special Education Policy and Practice Division (SEPPD) at WestEd. He has experience working with districts and schools to guide systems transformation by developing strategies, structures, policies, and practices, aligned with the Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) at the state, county, and local levels, to close the achievement gap for all students. Navo's expertise lies in aligning systems, building capacity for continuous improvement, fostering collaborative cultures and collective efficacy among teams, and establishing coherent and efficient models for districts and schools. Navo has sat on various state-level committees, boards, and work groups. Navo has been a Governor appointee to the California State Board of Education (SBE) since 2019 and has served on the CCEE Governing Board, first as the Governor appointee from 2015 to 2017, and later as the Governing Board Chair from 2019 to 2021, appointed by the president of the State Board of Education. He also served on the California Practitioners Advisory Group (CPAG) and the Advisory Commission for Special Education, in which he served as committee chair for the California Special Education Task Force (Evidence-Based Practices). Navo has been a keynote speaker and trainer for systems improvement across the state, and has presented at over 100 different conferences on special education and school reform. He is the author of Collective Efficacy in a PLC at Work (2021) and Demystifying MTSS, A school and District Framework for meeting students' academic and social-emotional needs. Navo has contributed to various articles on school reform, systems improvement, Response to Intervention (RTI), Professional Learning Communities (PLC), and Explicit Direct Instruction (EDI), including ONE SYSTEM: Reforming Education to Serve All Students, Report of California's Statewide Task Force on Special Education (2015). He joined me this week to tell me more. For more information: https://ccee-ca.org/
What does it take to implement major new initiatives in our school systems? In Part Two of our episode about implementing initiatives such as Universal Transitional Kindergarten (UTK) and Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK), we dive into this question with lots of hands-on, practical advice from a local school district perspective with Maria Ceballos, executive director of the early learning department at Fresno USD. Maria shares how her district, Fresno Unified, has been working to expand access to early learning for all children and families. In Part One, we gained a statewide perspective about this historic moment for early education in California from Sarah Neville-Morgan, Deputy Superintendent at the California Department of Education. In this episode, Maria takes us inside some of Fresno USD's planning and approaches for expanding access to early education. Two keys, she says, were being concrete about the work and having the right people at the table. Maria says her district's leadership and all departments were clear on the value of early learning, and shared both a sense of urgency and a sense of opportunity for their community to serve more children through high quality programs. Their efforts have included not only the early education team, but facilities, purchasing, finance, HR, teacher development, special education, local and county partners, the Fresno County Superinendent of Schools, and more. Maria also describes how building strong relationships enabled the district to pivot quickly when some things didn't go as planned or projected .Fresno's early learner support also has included a unique focus on dual language learner professional development for teachers. About Fresno USDFresno USD is the third largest district in the state with nearly 73,000 students, preK-12. Approximately 17.5% are English learners, and 85% are socioeconomically disadvantaged. The district includes 66 elementary schools, 14 middle schools, 10 high schools, alternative schools, and of course – early education programs. Currently, Fresno USD has six year-round, full-day child development centers serving infant, toddler and preschool aged children; they also have 72 part-day preschool programs, and 127 transitional kindergarten programs including special education – all serving about 5,000 children. About our hostJason Willis serves as Director of Strategic Resource Planning and Implementation for WestEd, and he is a former chief business official in several California school districtsAbout our seriesBudgeting for Educational Equity is presented by the California Association of School Business Official (CASBO) and WestEd. We are grateful to the Sobrato Family Foundation for additional support. Recorded in spring, 2023
Two years ago, California's state budget agreement included an ambitious new initiative to fund and implement Universal Transitional Kindergarten (or UTK), so that all 4-year-olds in the state have access to it by 2025-26. It's part of a larger long-term goal the state and school districts have been working towards to expand early education and also provide access to Universal Pre-Kindergarten, or UPK, for all students. In this first of a two-part episode, Sarah Neville Morgan, Deputy Superintendent at the California Department of Education and longtime early education policy leader, describes this historic moment we're in when it comes to early education and fulfilling the promise of public education. Sarah discusses the why and how of UPK and UTK implementation, including work the state has been doing to support local efforts, resources, challenges, and implications and strategies for advancing equity. The goal, she says, is for all children to hit kindergarten and first- third grades not just ready to learn, but ready to soar.Sarah and Jason also explore more generally how systems can approach planning for and implementing major new initiatives. Resources & Research "How Are California School Districts Planning for Universal Prekindergarten? Results From a 2022 Survey" -- April 2023 report by the Learning Policy InstituteUniversal PreKindergarten FAQs from the CDETransitional Kindergarten FAQs from the CDECDE Early Education Resources page21CSLA Learning Brief, Preparing California School Leaders for Young Learners in the UTK InitiativeAbout Our Guest Sarah Neville-Morgan has served in many key leadership and policy positions at the state level. She was previously the Director of the CDE Early Learning and Care Division; Deputy Director of Program Management at First 5 California; Deputy Executive Director of the Governor's Early Learning Advisory Council during the Schwarzenegger and Brown administrations; and she currently serves as a Deputy Superintendent at the California Department of Education, overseeing the Opportunities for All branch. Previously she also served as an Academic Child Development Specialist at the University of California, Davis Center for Child and Family Studies.About our hostJason Willis serves as Director of Strategic Resource Planning and Implementation for WestEd, and he is a former chief business official in several California school districtsAbout our seriesBudgeting for Educational Equity is presented by the California Association of School Business Official (CASBO) and WestEd. We are grateful to the Sobrato Family Foundation for additional support. Follow on Twitter: @budget4edequityRecorded in spring, 2023
Join Paul W. Reeves, Ed.D - a longtime teacher and school principal, and the father of three children - and his guests, as they discuss the world of parenting your children, from birth through age 100! Also included are excerpts and discussions of Paul's parenting book, "A PRINCIPAL'S FAMILY PRINCIPLES - Raising Your Kids to Be Happy and Healthy, While Enjoying Them to the Fullest". On today's show, in addition to reading the chapter, "What Does 'Sissy' Want?" from his book, sharing wisdom from others, and a bit of humor, Paul played Part 2 of his interview with AIMEE EVAN, Ph.D. AIMEE EVAN, Ph.D, a Senior Research Associate and School Improvement Specialist at West-ed, will join us to discuss the world of education, as well as her new book, "Student Centered School Improvement". FROM HER BIO at WestEd.org "Aimee Evan is committed to equity in education for all students. As a Senior Research Associate and School Improvement Specialist at WestEd, Evan works at the intersection of research, evaluation, and technical assistance. Evan designs and leads evaluations, program reviews, and successful technical assistance projects with schools, districts, authorizers, and states to expand their capacity to use data and research to improve outcomes. She developed a series of technical assistance solutions for teachers and leaders, including an onsite learning lab for effective data use, with training and coaching, for teachers and administrators. Evan has co-authored the adaptation of the federally funded Center on School Turnaround's Four Domains for Rapid School Improvement to the charter sector and, through the National Charter School Resource Center, leads a portfolio of research to identify early indicators of charter school distress. Recently, Evan led a case study on the impact of best practices leading to school improvement efforts in charter schools, creating a video and toolkit for practitioners to learn about the practices found to be effective in improving school and student outcomes. Partnering with state leaders in the Mid-Atlantic region, Evan guided teams in articulating vision and goals for college and career readiness and determine related milestones and progress indicators. Evan received her Ph.D. in K–12 administration, master's in Teaching, and bachelor's in political science. She started her career in education as a middle school special education teacher." www.wested.org
Join Paul W. Reeves, Ed.D - a longtime teacher and school principal, and the father of three children - and his guests, as they discuss the world of parenting your children, from birth through age 100! Also included are excerpts and discussions of Paul's parenting book, "A PRINCIPAL'S FAMILY PRINCIPLES - Raising Your Kids to Be Happy and Healthy, While Enjoying Them to the Fullest". On today's show, in addition to reading the chapter, "What Does 'Sissy' Want?" from his book, sharing wisdom from others, and a bit of humor, Paul played Part 2 of his interview with AIMEE EVAN, Ph.D. AIMEE EVAN, Ph.D, a Senior Research Associate and School Improvement Specialist at West-ed, will join us to discuss the world of education, as well as her new book, "Student Centered School Improvement". FROM HER BIO at WestEd.org "Aimee Evan is committed to equity in education for all students. As a Senior Research Associate and School Improvement Specialist at WestEd, Evan works at the intersection of research, evaluation, and technical assistance. Evan designs and leads evaluations, program reviews, and successful technical assistance projects with schools, districts, authorizers, and states to expand their capacity to use data and research to improve outcomes. She developed a series of technical assistance solutions for teachers and leaders, including an onsite learning lab for effective data use, with training and coaching, for teachers and administrators. Evan has co-authored the adaptation of the federally funded Center on School Turnaround's Four Domains for Rapid School Improvement to the charter sector and, through the National Charter School Resource Center, leads a portfolio of research to identify early indicators of charter school distress. Recently, Evan led a case study on the impact of best practices leading to school improvement efforts in charter schools, creating a video and toolkit for practitioners to learn about the practices found to be effective in improving school and student outcomes. Partnering with state leaders in the Mid-Atlantic region, Evan guided teams in articulating vision and goals for college and career readiness and determine related milestones and progress indicators. Evan received her Ph.D. in K–12 administration, master's in Teaching, and bachelor's in political science. She started her career in education as a middle school special education teacher." www.wested.org
Join Paul W. Reeves, Ed.D - a longtime teacher and school principal, and the father of three children - and his guests, as they discuss the world of parenting your children, from birth through age 100! Also included are excerpts and discussions of Paul's parenting book, "A PRINCIPAL'S FAMILY PRINCIPLES - Raising Your Kids to Be Happy and Healthy, While Enjoying Them to the Fullest". On today's show, in addition to reading the chapter, "Weekends and 'Dadhood'" from his book, sharing wisdom from others, and a bit of humor, Paul played Part 1 of his interview with AIMEE EVAN, Ph.D. AIMEE EVAN, Ph.D, a Senior Research Associate and School Improvement Specialist at West-ed, will join us to discuss the world of education, as well as her new book, "Student Centered School Improvement". FROM HER BIO at WestEd.org "Aimee Evan is committed to equity in education for all students. As a Senior Research Associate and School Improvement Specialist at WestEd, Evan works at the intersection of research, evaluation, and technical assistance. Evan designs and leads evaluations, program reviews, and successful technical assistance projects with schools, districts, authorizers, and states to expand their capacity to use data and research to improve outcomes. She developed a series of technical assistance solutions for teachers and leaders, including an onsite learning lab for effective data use, with training and coaching, for teachers and administrators. Evan has co-authored the adaptation of the federally funded Center on School Turnaround's Four Domains for Rapid School Improvement to the charter sector and, through the National Charter School Resource Center, leads a portfolio of research to identify early indicators of charter school distress. Recently, Evan led a case study on the impact of best practices leading to school improvement efforts in charter schools, creating a video and toolkit for practitioners to learn about the practices found to be effective in improving school and student outcomes. Partnering with state leaders in the Mid-Atlantic region, Evan guided teams in articulating vision and goals for college and career readiness and determine related milestones and progress indicators. Evan received her Ph.D. in K–12 administration, master's in Teaching, and bachelor's in political science. She started her career in education as a middle school special education teacher." www.wested.org
Join Paul W. Reeves, Ed.D - a longtime teacher and school principal, and the father of three children - and his guests, as they discuss the world of parenting your children, from birth through age 100! Also included are excerpts and discussions of Paul's parenting book, "A PRINCIPAL'S FAMILY PRINCIPLES - Raising Your Kids to Be Happy and Healthy, While Enjoying Them to the Fullest". On today's show, in addition to reading the chapter, "Weekends and 'Dadhood'" from his book, sharing wisdom from others, and a bit of humor, Paul played Part 1 of his interview with AIMEE EVAN, Ph.D. AIMEE EVAN, Ph.D, a Senior Research Associate and School Improvement Specialist at West-ed, will join us to discuss the world of education, as well as her new book, "Student Centered School Improvement". FROM HER BIO at WestEd.org "Aimee Evan is committed to equity in education for all students. As a Senior Research Associate and School Improvement Specialist at WestEd, Evan works at the intersection of research, evaluation, and technical assistance. Evan designs and leads evaluations, program reviews, and successful technical assistance projects with schools, districts, authorizers, and states to expand their capacity to use data and research to improve outcomes. She developed a series of technical assistance solutions for teachers and leaders, including an onsite learning lab for effective data use, with training and coaching, for teachers and administrators. Evan has co-authored the adaptation of the federally funded Center on School Turnaround's Four Domains for Rapid School Improvement to the charter sector and, through the National Charter School Resource Center, leads a portfolio of research to identify early indicators of charter school distress. Recently, Evan led a case study on the impact of best practices leading to school improvement efforts in charter schools, creating a video and toolkit for practitioners to learn about the practices found to be effective in improving school and student outcomes. Partnering with state leaders in the Mid-Atlantic region, Evan guided teams in articulating vision and goals for college and career readiness and determine related milestones and progress indicators. Evan received her Ph.D. in K–12 administration, master's in Teaching, and bachelor's in political science. She started her career in education as a middle school special education teacher." www.wested.org
Lindsay Unified School District in California's Central Valley reinvented its approach to education by launching a Performance Based System in 2007, following an extensive community engagement process. It's an approach that fundamentally changed experiences for the community's learners, families and educators -- and led to impressive outcomes that have been highlighted in multiple studies and reports.Two dynamic leaders from Lindsey USD – Grant Schimelpfening, Assistant Superintendent of Administrative Services, and Cheri Doria, Early Childhood Education Director – provide an “under the hood” look at the systems and culture their district has built to help advance equity through a personalized learning plan for each student.We explore how Lindsay USD – whose 4,000-plus students are approximately 90% socio-economically disadvantaged and 37% English Learners – creates alignment and coherence to serve students with multiple needs, including early learners, multi-language learners, and students with disabilities. Grant and Cheri discuss how the district: Uses data to weigh resource investment decisions;Gets to know students, even from the time they are born;Tries to begin its program design process with an ambitious vision, versus building programs around currently available funding;Systematizes processes and practices to further support alignment with its overall strategic design.; and more.Plus, Grant shares his top three list for Chief Business Officials for driving collaboration, alignment and coherence in their systems.Key Links:Lindsay USD's Strategic Design Articles and research about Lindsay's USD's work"Putting Students in Charge of Their Learning Transforms A Small Rural District," via EdSource "Online Learning in Lindsay," via Inside California EducationCalifornia Department of Education Updated Guidance on Identification of Early Education Dual Language Learners (and links to survey instruments) About Our Guests:Cheri Doria has served as Director of Preschools in Lindsay USD since 2014. Prior to that she was an elementary school teacher in the district for 10 years. Grant Schimelpfening has served as a school business executive for nearly 20 years, including for Lindsay USD as CBO and now Assistant Superintendent of Administrative Services since January 2014. Previously he served in Modesto City Schools and Farmersville School District.(Host) Jason Willis serves as Director of Strategic Resource Planning and Implementation for WestEd, and he is a former chief business official in several California school districtsBudgeting for Educational Equity is presented by the California Association of School Business Official (CASBO) and WestEd. We are grateful to the Sobrato Family Foundation for additional support. Recorded: Spring, 2023
Is California doing a better job of getting resources that turn into opportunities and access for students into the right places? Are major investments in new initiatives helping to move the needle for those furthest from opportunity? How are schools navigating the current climate of rising divisiveness? For this first episode of our new season, we wanted to gain the perspective of someone who has had her finger on the pulse of school business and resource equity for a long time, both from a local and a statewide perspective – and that led us to none other than Nina Boyd. Nina is a school business official, administrator and statewide leader who has seen a lot transpire during her nearly 40 years in public education – and she is still on the frontlines impacting change. Nina shares insight and perspectives related to:How she sees us having gone both forward and backward with regard to advancing equity, including recent pushback about what is taught in schools;The importance of educational administrators and leaders continuing to be authentic in the spaces they serve and using their voices to correct misinformation; The evolving role of Chief Business Officers in inviting more diverse perspectives into the dialogue about school issues; and more. About our guestNina Boyd currently serves as Deputy Superintendent for Operations, Government and Community Partnerships, for the Orange County Department of Education (OCDE), which supports supports 28 Public School Districts and 23 board-approved Public Charter Schools. Orange County public schools serve nearly 200,000 students; about 80 percent of whom are students of color.Nina began her career in education as a temporary account clerk in Santa Ana Unified School District. She had planned to become a school psychologist but instead went on to a distinguished career serving in multiple administrative leadership roles at the OCDE, including as Administrator, Purchasing Contracts & Operations; Executive Director of Facilities and Operations; Assistant Superintendent Human Resources and Support Services; and Associate Superintendent Alternative Education. At the statewide level, Nina has been a key advocate and leader, including serving for many years on the CASBO Board of Directors and as CASBO President in 2017-18. She also served an eight-year term on the Coalition for Adequate School Housing (CASH) state board and held a variety of positions to support facility and maintenance issues primarily in the areas of regulatory, advocacy, and legislation. Nina has facilitated and provided trainings and workshops at both the local and state level, including a focus on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion when she was a leader at CASBO. She also teaches in CASBO's Business Executive Leadership program.About our hostJason Willis serves as Director of Strategic Resource Planning and Implementation for WestEd, and he is a former chief business official in several California school districtsAbout our seriesBudgeting for Educational Equity is presented by the California Association of School Business Official (CASBO) and WestEd. We are grateful to the Sobrato Family Foundation for additional support. Our series is written and produced by Paul Richman and Jason Willis. Original music, mixing and sound by Tommy Dunbar. Alyssa Perez at WestEd provides research and develops the written briefs that go along with each episode.
Host Jason Willis provides a quick update on our upcoming new season. Plus, we replay our initial episode featuring several guests as a way to re-establish the context for the new episodes and help you get your "resource equity bearings."Guests on the replay include:Christopher Edley, Jr., J.D., interim dean, U.C. Berkeley Graduate School of Education; co-founder and president emeritus of The Opportunity Institute; professor and dean emeritus, U.C. Berkeley School of Law; former professor, Harvard Law School; and co-chair, National Commission on K-12 Excellence & EquityMaria Echaveste, J.D., president and CEO, The Opportunity Institute; and former White House deputy chief of staffMichael Kirst, Ph.D., professor emeritus, Graduate School of Education, Stanford University; and past president, California State Board of EducationJayne Christakos, former chief business officer, San Bernardino City Unified School DistrictMarguerite Williams, Ed.D., chief business official, Inglewood Unified School District;; and former senior director of equity and diversity, Association of California School AdministratorsAdela Madrigal Jones, (retired) superintendent, Sanger Unified School DistrictJason Willis (host), director of strategic resource planning and implementation for WestEd and a former chief business official in several California school districtsDownload the Interactive Companion Brief for this episode.Budgeting for Educational Equity is presented by the California Association of School Business Official (CASBO) in partnership with WestEd.We are grateful to the Sobrato Family Foundation for providing additional support.
Join us for a conversation with Dr. Aimee Evan! Aimee is a sought-after researcher and educational leader. After teaching in, researching, building leadership capacity to sustain efforts, and supporting schools in improvement, she wondered why we wait so long to help schools and, therefore, help students. As a Senior Research Associate and School Improvement Specialist at WestEd, Aimee has an inside and outside perspective on underperforming schools. Growing up on the Southside of Chicago, she attended Chicago Public Schools when CPS was the "worst school system in the U.S." even though no one in her community knew so. Witnessing the lifelong impacts of the quality of education our students receive, Aimee has spent over 20 years working shoulder-to-shoulder with school, district, and state leaders to improve the quality of education for all students. *RESOURCES* WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE: https://youtube.com/@educatoraide Buy Dr. Evan's Book: https://a.co/d/7cGWJMp Twitter: @AimeeEvan LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/aimee-evan-phd-9b30675 Aimee's Professional Website: https://www.wested.org/personnel/aimee-evan/ Official Educator Aide, Inc. Website: https://www.educatoraide.com/ DONATE to the EducateME Foundation: https://www.educatemefoundation.org/donate/ *Educate ME Foundation, Inc. is a social enterprise determined to increase the number of men and women of color in the field of education. Justine Gonzalez volunteers as a board member for the organization. #culturalawareness #emotionalintelligence #culturalintelligence #culturalpsychology #communication #interculturalcommunication #socialcapital #adaptiveleadership #leadership #retention #millennials #humanresources #neuroscience #selflove #culture #gratitude #liberation #healing #inclusion #belonging #immigration #diversity #equity #gardening #books #authors #publishing #education #k12education #podcasts #antiracism #bias #psychologicalsafety --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/educatoraide/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/educatoraide/support
Cultivating high-quality teachers of color doesn't begin and end with recruitment. From revisiting credentialing practices to creating spaces for BIPOC teachers to pursue National Board Certification, the effort to diversify the teaching profession is complex and ongoing. This week we explore such efforts with Dr. Christopher Davis, a Teacher Representative on the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing who also works in the National Board Resource Center at Stanford University as a support facilitator for teachers pursuing National Board certification. He brings a whole lotta dopeness to the conversation around diversifying the teaching profession! But first, Jeff and Manuel take a look at recent headlines in education including one study attempting to quantify the impact of positive teacher-student relationships and another study examining the impact of economic integration on students' decision to pursue elite degrees. → Get your Teach the Truth T-Shirt here! → View this episode on YouTube! AGENDA 0:00 - Welcome! 5:55 - School mentors boost college-going 17:13 - New look at impact of integrated classrooms 30:55 - Dr. Christopher Davis on National Board Certification 1:08:55 - 400 years of education funding DO-NOW STORIES: How important was your favorite teacher to your success? Researchers have done the math How Informal Mentoring by Teachers, Counselors, and Coaches Supports Students' Long-Run Academic Success Mixing with better educated families improves life chances of lower income children SEMINAR: The National Board Resource Center at Stanford University Grant Funded Programs - The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing Become a Teacher - California Department of Education Addressing the Teacher Shortage: Recruiting and Retaining Teachers—Q&A with WestEd's Gretchen Weber Dr. Christopher Davis on Twitter CLASS DISMISSED: School funding limits get huge boost from Evers' veto pen Get MORE All of the Above: - Website - Podcast on multiple platforms via Anchor - Podcast via Apple Podcast - Podcast via Spotify - Twitter - Facebook Page Theme Music by its tajonthabeat --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/aota/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/aota/support
AIMEE EVAN, Ph.D, a Senior Research Associate and School Improvement Specialist at West-ed, will join us to discuss the world of education, as well as her new book, "Student Centered School Improvement". FROM HER BIO at WestEd.org "Aimee Evan is committed to equity in education for all students. As a Senior Research Associate and School Improvement Specialist at WestEd, Evan works at the intersection of research, evaluation, and technical assistance. Evan designs and leads evaluations, program reviews, and successful technical assistance projects with schools, districts, authorizers, and states to expand their capacity to use data and research to improve outcomes. She developed a series of technical assistance solutions for teachers and leaders, including an onsite learning lab for effective data use, with training and coaching, for teachers and administrators. Evan has co-authored the adaptation of the federally funded Center on School Turnaround's Four Domains for Rapid School Improvement to the charter sector and, through the National Charter School Resource Center, leads a portfolio of research to identify early indicators of charter school distress. Recently, Evan led a case study on the impact of best practices leading to school improvement efforts in charter schools, creating a video and toolkit for practitioners to learn about the practices found to be effective in improving school and student outcomes. Partnering with state leaders in the Mid-Atlantic region, Evan guided teams in articulating vision and goals for college and career readiness and determine related milestones and progress indicators. Evan received her Ph.D. in K–12 administration, master's in Teaching, and bachelor's in political science. She started her career in education as a middle school special education teacher." www.wested.org
AIMEE EVAN, Ph.D, a Senior Research Associate and School Improvement Specialist at West-ed, will join us to discuss the world of education, as well as her new book, "Student Centered School Improvement". FROM HER BIO at WestEd.org "Aimee Evan is committed to equity in education for all students. As a Senior Research Associate and School Improvement Specialist at WestEd, Evan works at the intersection of research, evaluation, and technical assistance. Evan designs and leads evaluations, program reviews, and successful technical assistance projects with schools, districts, authorizers, and states to expand their capacity to use data and research to improve outcomes. She developed a series of technical assistance solutions for teachers and leaders, including an onsite learning lab for effective data use, with training and coaching, for teachers and administrators. Evan has co-authored the adaptation of the federally funded Center on School Turnaround's Four Domains for Rapid School Improvement to the charter sector and, through the National Charter School Resource Center, leads a portfolio of research to identify early indicators of charter school distress. Recently, Evan led a case study on the impact of best practices leading to school improvement efforts in charter schools, creating a video and toolkit for practitioners to learn about the practices found to be effective in improving school and student outcomes. Partnering with state leaders in the Mid-Atlantic region, Evan guided teams in articulating vision and goals for college and career readiness and determine related milestones and progress indicators. Evan received her Ph.D. in K–12 administration, master's in Teaching, and bachelor's in political science. She started her career in education as a middle school special education teacher." www.wested.org
“We've essentially created a blueprint for these state education agencies to get a sense of how they could improve their data systems, how they could think through changing or modifying their current accountability frameworks, and how by identifying particular student groups who have been historically underserved and getting a better sense of their experiences and their outcomes in schools, all those things can really team to improve the system.” – Dr. Raifu Durodoye In this episode, host Danny Torres and Dr. Raifu Durodoye, Senior Research Associate at WestEd, discuss the REMIQS project, a multi-state, mixed-methods investigation designed to explore how we can best serve our most vulnerable learners. Their conversation focuses on expanding measures of school quality and reframing (remixing) accountability systems in ways that can support all learners. Dr. Durodoye is an educational researcher and practitioner whose work primarily consists of experimental and quasi-experimental evaluations of education programs and interventions. Durodoye also provides technical assistance to school districts and state education agencies and conducts studies of state education finance systems. The thrust of his research and work with school districts and states has been to foster meaningful research-practice partnerships with the aim of improving outcomes for historically marginalized students and currently underserved communities. To learn more about the REMIQS project, visit REMIQS.org. You can find Dr. Durodoye on LinkedIn or send a message online at WestEd.org/personnel/raifu-durodoye-jr. Additional Resources for this Episode REMIQS Qualitative Filtering Technical Report Four Recommendations for States to Optimize State Longitudinal Data Systems in the Era of COVID-19 (Blog) Lighting Candles: Finding and Studying Schools That Are Achieving Equity (Blog) Robust & Equitable Measures to Inspire Quality Schools (REMIQS): School Identification Phase (Infographic) KnowledgeWorks + JFF (Infographic)
The Drive Hour 1 "You've Been Richard Wested" 6.26.23 by FOX Sports Knoxville
Hey y'all, some reason I have to think that all of us got into this work is because there's something about telling our story or being on the other side of listening to someone else's story that connects us. And it's not just the pain that connects us, it's the goodness that brings us together when we can be with another person in their pain and the story of their people and the pain of their people. And when we joined them in that, when we witnessed them in that story, there's a sense of love, a sense of healing, a sense of like, you're not alone anymore. A sense of we can be together on this and move forward. And so the past weekend, we weren't together. I felt that rupture. So what does it mean to tell a truer story? What does it mean to engage collective trauma, but also collective healing?I mean, when we think about collective trauma, it's a traumatic experience. Like here's the, like by the book Play of Collective Trauma, it's a traumatic experience that affects entire people, groups, communities, or societies. The size and scope of which shatter the very fabric of the communities impacted. I think about Uvalde, I think about Buffalo. I think about the Atlanta massacre. There's a number of examples we have in our communities of collective trauma. It not only brings distress and negative feelings and consequences to individuals, but it also changes the very fabric of our communities. A sense of life, like before the event, and a sense of life after the cataclysmic event. When I think about collective trauma and the Latinx story, it's like, how do we even define Latinx, right? Like, I'm Mexican. My mom's mostly indigenous, and her family came over from Mexico. Then I know there's those of us that come from other countries in Latin America that are often forgotten.There's Puerto Rico, there's Afro-Latinos, there's the indigenous Latinos, there's fair-skinned Latinos. There's really dark-skinned Latinos that aren't black. So we have this wide variety of what it is that's come to be called commonly as Latinx. So when we talk about telling, uh, a truer story, we're engaging all of these ethnicities at once under the Latinx umbrella, which actually isn't very fair. We're talking about memories. We have these collective traumas. We didn't really talk about collective resilience, but let's be real. We have collective ways of being resilient and surviving and thriving. We're not just surviving. Many of our communities are thriving in our own ways. But let's go back to collective memory. So we remember these historical accounts, and there's facts and events, but how do we make meaning of those facts? Or the memory is how we make meaning. What are the stories we tell about the events?It lives beyond the lives that are directly impacted. So there will be stories told about Uvalde, the stories told about the teachers, the stories told about the students, the parents who were waiting and fighting to get into the school. They will tell their own stories now. And in a generation, people will be telling stories about what they remember from the stories they were told. Collective memory is remembered by a group members that may be far removed from the original traumatic events in time and space. There's three things I want us to think about from a Latinx, and I'm, I know it's very general. I want us to think about [inaudible] heart to heart listening. I want us to think about testimonial like a testimony technically in English, but it's a sharing, telling or expressing these events in the presence of a collective community. It's a strategy for survival resistance, and it's a refusal rooted in indigenous traditions and the Latin American social movements.Speaker 2 (05:06):So I think that, that, that might be the sense of heart to heart listening, right? Like there's something that happens where, right, that, that's a part of the alignment is I can read with my eyes the, the space, right? And then this thing about testimonial, what comes to my mind is that the phraseology keeping it real, right? This idea that with there, like the story that is being told needs to be a true story. Mm-hmm. , we have lots of, you know, when you hear the snaps and all this, but the sense that something has resonated in my body, w with the sense of like, now what you just said is that that's the truth, right? Mm-hmm. and, and, and a problem. If that, if that's not what happens, right? To the point, that is a compliment. Oh, he keeps it real. She keeps it real. He keeps it 100, right? It's the basic sense. You're, you are telling, you're, you're saying the story that you're giving is the truer or truest version of what happened. Um, and probably for the last one, in terms of trust or confidence or inclusion, My, I I will probably say, um, the, the sense when I be like, oh, that's my girl and we're here, right? Mm-hmm. , that's, and again, with the eyes, it's something like these two things. If the first two things happen that leaves the door open for a sense of, there, there is a trust and a confidence in the sense that we are in alignment together, right? Right. And, um, if one of those three things is not legit, then you are out. We are like, we not here. Mm-hmm. , do you know what I'm saying? I mean, that's very, uh, colloquial in the language, but I think the, the, the dynamic is true nonetheless. Right? What's the version? And so there is a sense even that my whole body has to be engaged in the process for me to feel this kind of alignment. I need to see it, touch it, taste it, hear it. Like all of my senses need to be engaged before I feel like I could say, right? And if I, if I don't have that, I don't know. I don't know. You , right? Like, I don't know. You like that?Speaker 1 (07:32):Mm-hmm. ? Mm, mm-hmm. . Tj, any thoughts or anything to add or comments? Not yet that I'm enjoying this conversation. I think one thing I wanted to add, Brooklyn is like, trust is something that happened at my daughter's quinceanera. Now my fam, no, they're not my family, but I'm calling them my family. They all came and chow and Corte, it's their, um, their daughter and their, and their son-in-law came, the son-in-law's white. He's, and he's, he's joined the family. And, uh, they're always telling me like, Hey, he didn't say hi to so-and-so, can you help him out? You know? So he didn't speak.Speaker 2 (08:14):Yeah.Speaker 1 (08:15):Didn't speak. So, uh, that's a big thing, right? To say hi to everybody. I'm all say, Hey, did you say hi to them? He is like, I think I did. I'm like, brother, like, you better go do it again. They don't feel like you really said hi. He's like, I waved. I'm like, no. They wanna like, no, thatSpeaker 2 (08:29):Ain't no,Speaker 1 (08:30):No. They, you gotta like shake your hand. And so they're giving him, they're giving him hands, right? But they, they're keeping him. They're not, they're not, they're not pushing him out. And so at, at the point where the dancing was on and the dj, they requested a song and they're like, Sam, Sam, get out there and dance. And Sam was like, okay. And it's this, it's this, basically it's this Mexican line dance. And he was right on it. He had the whole dance down and everybody cheered for him. They were like, you're in, you're in. And they were going nuts. And afterwards he was glowing. He was so happy. And it, it wasn't a sense of like, if he didn't do it right, he was gonna be ridiculed. It was just like, you're part of us, you know? Mm-hmm. . And so that's kind of what I think too about trust and inclusion, like the trust to share moments like that with someone mm-hmm. even in fun times, you know? Mm-hmm. . Yeah. Does that make sense? ItSpeaker 2 (09:33):Makes perfect sense.Speaker 1 (09:35):I wish you could see this guideline dance. ItSpeaker 2 (09:38):Makes perfect sense.Speaker 1 (09:40):. And by the way, Mexicans do a lot of line dancing. And that's,Speaker 2 (09:44):I mean, you know, black people know a little bit, just a little bit, just a little bit about mine.Speaker 1 (09:50):So we have [inaudible] testimonial and za, these are the three elements that I believe are essential when bringing our voices, when bringing our stories, when living inside of the collective story of Latinx peoples. What happens when that story is fragmented or edited? When we just take out a little piece of history when we say, oh yeah, there were three cops at Uvalde. What happens to the story? What happens to the memory of that story? And how is that passed on from generation to degeneration?Speaker 2 (10:29):And by the time they get off the ship, it is, it is the creation of a new people group,(10:36):Which is, it's, it's mildly controversial, but not really. Cuz nobody, even though, even though there's a whole sort of back to Africa and I wanna do the 23 and me thing and find out like what tribe from Ghana I came from, it, it isn't really about that kind of fracturing, right? Mm-hmm. and I and so there wasn't people, there's something about what she said that resonates with people enough that you didn't hear any real pushback on, on that ideology. So I'm wondering Right, if I'm wondering about that, I'm wondering about that felt experience and lived reality and if the invitation, even in the Latinx experience, is to not, not, not fracture it that much, right? Is there some invitation in the text and in the lived experience that is about, we we're not going back to EdenSpeaker 1 (11:26):Mm-hmm.Speaker 2 (11:27):We're we like, we are pressing forward to, to the city of God and when we get there, your, you are, you will be able to hold and there's absolute invitation from Jesus to hold Mexican AmericanSpeaker 1 (11:44):Mm-hmm. mm-hmm. ,Speaker 2 (11:49):Right? In a way that would allow you to note the Asian ancestry and the African ancestry, whatever else in the indigenous ancestry with all the honor and celebration it deserves, and not have that be a fracture. But African American, it is, is a term of respect. And it, and it's also a notation that you are an outsider cuz we don't call each other that mm-hmm. , you know what I mean? So, and, and to me, whenever I say like Asian American, I feel stupid. Like I be, I feel like I'm un I'm entering into the conversation in a way that is unintelligent because I, I, I think it's a dishonor to, to slap that name when what I really wanna know is what country are you from? And is it better for me to identify you as Japanese-American or Chinese-American or Taiwanese than it is for me to say Asian American. You know what I mean? Like, I, I just feel the awkwardness of how's this gonna read a a again, I think because I'm aware none of these are self named monikers. Mm-hmm. , they're all imposed, but, um, by whiteness. And so it always feels awkward.Speaker 1 (13:09):And I mean, the additional con conversation for Latinx, even Latinx, I hate that word, but even the additional conversation is how have people of all these various backgrounds had to rally together to fight western intervention in their cities, in their countries, you know? Mm-hmm. . Mm-hmm. . Yeah. So they have to rally around that. But even that gets confusing because with the infusion of like money and power from the United States or other outside interests, it even splits. It splits people even more. But I think when people get to the United States, they say stuff like, I'm Cuban. Mm-hmm. , you know, or I'm Mexican. There's not, there's a way of surviving in that. Right?Speaker 2 (13:56):Right. Plus what do you do with the, because like where I grew up, if you were Puerto Rican on the west coast, that made you Mexican, but if you're Puerto Rican on the east coast, you are black like end of story, end of conversation. And so even, even that is like mm-hmm. . Yeah. Like all, yeah, all those, all those lines, it is different.Speaker 1 (14:25):So trauma decontextualized over time in a family can look like family trait and trauma decontextualized in a people can look like culture. Yeah. SMA MEK had a lot of good points there. As I say that, what do you notice in your body? Are you numb? Are you angry? Are you frustrated? Why is intergenerational story important to you? Why do you think it's important to La Latinx peoples, Mexicans, Puerto Ricans folks from El Salvador, Argentina? Why does collective story matter? And what happens when that story is fragmented or edited? If we just take out a piece of the story like in Alde, what was going on for you when you believed that there were only three police officers there when there were 10, when there was a possibility that the police didn't arrive until after the shooting started, that the door was locked to the school? What happens when we edit the story of a people group, or the traumas that a people group's experienced, or what happens when we edit the healing power that a culture has within itself? When we forget about Tika, when we forget about testimonial, when we forget about the idea of za, and that at the root of our culture perhaps was inclusion and trust,Speaker 2 (15:59):I think in some ways we've been asserting that the, the whole, this whole time, right? This idea that like, if you're black, you need to lean fully in into that and fully into the ways in which your culture, that culture has made you, made, made pathways towards healing for you mm-hmm. , right? And the way that your culture has understood and made meaning out of your story, um, and, and, and therefore created avenues of, of, of, of, of healing for you, right? In, in a sense, you're asking what archetypes right? Ha has, has your culture created for you? Um, and, and, and, and that the more that we do that, the less dissonance we have, right? Mm-hmm. mm-hmm. . Um, and in some ways the very creation of sort of the identity of the oppressed, right? Is the, the, the, the very identity that gets created under the force and weight of oppression is that is what healing looks like, right?(17:04):I mean the, like, the meaning that gets made out of the identity of the hyphenated existence is to define the harm and then define what it looks like could be healed from it mm-hmm. in a way that is unique to the story that you have, right? And then the truth is the same is true for the majority culture, right? I mean, and the, and the work that will have to be done on behalf of our white brothers and sisters is what does it look like to tell a true story? And what does healing look like? Mm-hmm. , right? And, and I think the, the pitfall is if the invitation at a majority culture is to not tell the true story, if the invitation out of the perpetrator culture is to be dismissive and to live in a level of denial for what the true story is, you never get to those pathways or architects of healing because you, you can't admit that harm has actually been done.Speaker 1 (17:57):I actually have a frame in my body that's working towards healing. I have been created that way. And that is good.Speaker 2 (18:06):And that is resiliency, right? It is the God given capacity to navigate the harm that is embedded in your story, right? And, and it is this sense that Jesus knew in this world you will have trouble. Like, like it's, it's, it, trauma is going to hit you, right? But, but I have embedded in, in, in, in your collective story, a a sense of what healing looks like and redemption looks like for you, right? And, and, and resiliency is your, is really in some ways the capacity to tap into that mm-hmm. and to leverage it.Speaker 1 (18:47):I'm gonna jump into something a little more heady, even though it's about the body. So this chart's gonna pop up and you're gonna look at it and you're gonna be like, what the heck? Well, the chart is made by my friend Jenny McGrath, and she has, uh, worked it from Ruby j Walker, and so it's been adapted. So we have a number of citations here, and I want you to notice that's very important, and this is my take on this chart. Our different cultures allow us to be in these different states and, and kind of like what we've talked about before. And that's not wrong. And, and I think, I think what's hard about this is that some of our resiliency has been pathologized.Speaker 2 (19:32):Yes. Mm-hmm. , very much so, right? And the, the simple argument that, uh, uh, because our, our whatever reaction we took in the moment was in fact a reaction to something traumatic is the thing that pathologizes it, right? And, and I, I think that's a mistake. It's like to say that we were kicked out of the garden, and because of that, we built, we built a response to that severing that the response itself is pathological. Because our goal is to be back where we were in the garden before sin entered it. That that's not how the story go. That's not how it works. Mm-hmm. , right? I mean, yes, we were excised from the garden, right? And what's pathological is that she ate the damn apple when you kind said don't do it, that that part is a problem. But, but, but, but the capacity that we developed to live life outside of the garden is not itself pathological simply because it is in reaction to the fact that we no longer live in the garden, right?(20:37):That the, like, there will be a reaction and there's good reaction and healthy reaction that is, that is in fact resiliency. Mm-hmm. . And then there are other reactions that are pathological that are problematic and that we do need to address, right? Mm-hmm. . But the simple factor that something is a reaction to a traumatic event does not itself pathologize it. Mm-hmm. , right? And this is the part where I, I, I, tide Trit has a song, um, and there's a line in the song where he says, um, something of like, the devil's gonna wish he never messed with me because I, like, I came back stronger and better than I would if, if he would've left me alone in the first place. Right? And so there, there's, there's something I think we're missing in the theological frame that that is like, um, the, there's something that happens in the WestEd and for evil, God moves for good. There's something in whatever that switch is that rotation, that flip that is of significant valueSpeaker 1 (21:46):Mm-hmm.Speaker 2 (21:47):, right? And if we simply pathologize it, because it is a reaction to a move of evil, we have missed the, like, the mystery of God in that moment to take a thing that was meant to be our downfall, and not only caused us to survive it, but to, but it is that thing that actually makes us better, stronger, more like him, right? And so, so that in and of itself is good. Does that make sense? Mm-hmm. , I, and so there's something of the ability to move up and down this chart that is, that is freaking brilliantSpeaker 1 (22:23):Mm-hmm. . So, so I think I wanna go back to that story in Genesis. And when, you know, they ate the apple and then God came walking through, he, he asked them where they were, and, and through the conversation he says to them, you know, he finds out that they ate this apple and that that's why they were, you know, wearing, had sewed these fig leaves and made this, this, um, made these like coverings, right? I'm assuming for their body. But that's not, they weren't in trouble for their shame about their body. Mm-hmm. , you know, that's not why he, he kicked them out of Eden. It was for what they did, right? And then actually when they were out of Eden, he honored that shame. He made them close out of animals. So God actually didn't take them, didn't take their shame and move them through this polyvagal chart and force them to be calm in their body in a certain way.Speaker 3 (23:24):I think that's a really important thing to say. Mm-hmm. ,Speaker 2 (23:30):Right? And, and I think there's also a sense in which(23:36):That what, what you're, what that means then is that something was fundamentally altered in Adam and Eve, and they never got to go back to the state in which they were in Eden as if it had never happened. Right? And, and, and I think there's something about the gospel that is, um, that that isn't what, that's not what you're meant for, right? There's a kind of naivete before she eats the apple mm-hmm. , right? That we, we don't get to go back to mm-hmm. . And, and there might be some loss there, right. Of, of, of innocence, right? But there's also something to be gained in the process of having God honor the shame and re reshape it and reimagine it for us, right? Mm-hmm. . And, and it, um, there's a quote on my Facebook page, something of like, uh, um, a gratitude that I have for my struggle because in it, I stumbled across my own strength mm-hmm.(24:42):. And, and so there's something, I think, uh, there's something that we gain in the wrestling and the struggling and the coming out in a place of God honoring where we've been, including the shame that we have felt that that, so you don't ever really get to go back home again, right? Like, you never get to go back to life before the apple, but you do know the grief of having ate the apple, the agony of having eaten the apple and the sweetness of God having restored your relationship to him even after you ate the apple, right? That, and so there's a different depth to your relationship with Jesus.Speaker 1 (25:25):So the polyvagal chart, I think some people are like, what the heck is a polyvagal? And it, it's this nerve and it's got like this bowl of like nerve endings in your gut, and you have all of these neurons around there. So when people think they say, well, I'm thinking with my gut. Yeah, you are. You literally are. And when you feel, feel like I have a gut feeling or my stomach's upset, or I can't breathe, what's going on for your body, you're likely somewhere on this chart, or the way perhaps our cultures have been pathologized for staying in different places in this right cycle. And therefore, as a practitioner working in a cross-cultural environment, we have to come in with an attitude of first alignment and then willingness. Yes. To be curious and receive, you know what Ernest said, that criticiz ability,Speaker 2 (26:23):Right? Right. That plus I think, like I said, I think there's a time and a place for every single thing on here. So some of the pathologizing of communities of color is like, sometimes vigilance is not hypervigilance, sometimes it's just situationally appropriate vigilance, right? . And, and the problem is that the majority culture is isn't isn't paying attention to the power dynamics in the room. So they are misreading the need for vigilance in the room, right? And so and so then I'm not actually in this pathological space of hypervigilance, right? I'm not in this space of PTSDs where I'm actually not on the battlefield. And so my vigilance doesn't make any sense. I actually am, and my body is rightfully reading some sense of threat in the room. The problem is that in your not reading the room, well, as you know, as a, as a member of the culture that happens to be in power in that moment, you, you're, you're, you're not, you're not being honest about what the dynamics in the room really are.Speaker 1 (27:32):So thinking about the dorsal vagal system, dorsal vagal, sorry, it's freeze and appease. So in freeze we have some categories. Now these are categories that can be defined within each culture. They're not gonna look the same for me as they look for you. And this is something that we have to engage one another in curiosity and kindness. And as a therapist, I don't make assumptions about you, um, where you might be on this polyvagal chart, I chart, I can notice with you where you might be or what I'm experiencing. And then it's a collaborative effort for us to kind of decode what language comes between us. So I'm saying those, these words with that caveat in mind. So we have freeze, which is dissociation, depression, um, raised pain threshold, um, helplessness, shame. We have appease lack of boundaries, overcompensating, victimization, acquiescing. When you are in freeze and appease, that's gonna look different based on your individual story and your collective story.(28:38):And boundaries are defined differently. Overcompensating is defined different differently, victimization, acquiescing, all these things. So that's why it's important that you're in community when you're experiencing. You may feel like, Hey, I, I'm in this trauma state and, and I can tell you honestly, I was a little bit depressed this weekend and dissociated, uh, and what I experienced, just kind of being zoned out around my family, not able to focus after not being able to be together this weekend. We also have the sympathetic activation, which is fight flight. So fight again. Now, uh, western psychology has pathologized many of these words. So I want you to take these words with the caveat that I'm speaking from a particular location, from a particular education, which is largely a European white lens. And I am additionally adding on this lens of my Latinx culture and history and how I'm raising my kids.(29:33):So you're gonna hear all of that mixed together. So fight is rage, anger, irritation, and honestly, a lot of those I've needed to make change. Um, I'm gonna think about flight, panic, fear, anxiety, worry, concern. And again, have you been in those states? Cuz I have been, I've been worried, like, how's the group gonna be? How am I gonna be? Um, are we gonna be able to hang together? What's this gonna cost one another? Um, then I wanna think about ventral vagal, and that's called rest and digest. So you have words like centered, grounded, settled, curiosity and openness, compassionate and mindful of the present moment. It's possible you may be going up and down this chart, like what is Danielle gonna say? Mm-hmm. , what is Rebecca gonna say? What will happen in this moment mm-hmm. and, and to, for us to honor those bodily experiences. And maybe, you know, how we did with Jenny, just slow down and ask mm-hmm. , because I will be going up and down this chart during the talk because, you know, there's performance pressure. There's the idea of I wanna honor my culture. There's the idea of how do I interpret myself mm-hmm. . So I think it's fair to name that.Speaker 2 (30:59):Yeah. And that there are really good reasons why Right. That that, you know, and, and how do you step into a sense of self-evaluation about how much,(31:14):What, where's the line for me between like, this is a, a, a resilient response that I need to honor. And where there are places where there's some hyper vigilance, right? I mean, not that you wouldn't honor all of it, but to help them start to understand like there, there are resilient reactions and then there are reactions that are more about like being resigned to, to the weight o of our collective stories. Right? And the, the text doesn't ask us to be resigned. Right? Right. It it, it asks us, uh, to, to fight and to persevere, right? Um, and to press on towards the mark.Speaker 1 (31:51):And in in fact, that's what, you know, that's where we can come back to. Like, God didn't ask Adam to get on with it to like stay naked, right? And he didn't even call it out as a problem. He's just like, here man, here's some nicer clothes. Right?Speaker 2 (32:11):Right. And right. And, and, and you can almost hear in that a sense of like, like, Eden is where you started, but it isn't where you're gonna end up. And, and, and, and there is a journey that we will be on together, right? And so like, there's some things you're gonna need for the journey, including some clothes.Speaker 1 (32:33):And so you're gonna say, well, maybe I've been there this weekend too, but maybe you had trauma. So what is normal? It is normal to go through these different areas on the chart with some fluidity to move between them. And it's also normal for you to be a part of a collective that may be feeling a collective response to a trauma or to even a good moment. And for you also to have your own individual experience. So it's far more complex than either or. It's likely both. And.
Kelly Stuart serves as President and Chief Executive Officer at Collaborative Classroom. In earlier roles at Collaborative Classroom, Stuart worked as Chief Operating Officer, Vice President of Dissemination and Implementation, and Assistant Director of Dissemination. Previously, she served as the senior research associate at WestEd, where she led dissemination for the Doing What Works (DWW) website, which developed practical tools and videos to support educators in their understanding and use of proven research-based practices based on IES Practice Guides. Also while at WestEd, Dr. Stuart launched the U.S. Department of Education's School Turnaround Learning Community (STLC), an online community for states, districts, and schools involved in turnaround efforts. Prior to WestEd, she was the director of special programs at the Success for All Foundation. Since beginning her career as an elementary school teacher, Stuart has worked with educators in schools and after-school sites in every state. Join us for this conversation about the integration of literacy and social emotional learning, how it helps students build social skills, increases their collaboration, and supports their autonomy. IN THIS EPISODE, WE DISCUSS: Kelly's journey with Collaborative Classroom and the work they do The connection between literacy and social emotional learning Developing curriculum that supports neurodiverse learning and student autonomy Creating tools and systems to support teachers when introducing new curriculum RESOURCES AND LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Connect with Kelly on LinkedIn Visit collaborativeclassroom.org to learn more about their work Learn more about Rebel Educator, explore our professional development opportunities for educators and students, and check out our project library Visit us at UP Academy to learn more about our personalized and inclusive learning environment Connect with Tanya and UP Academy on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram and learn more about her journey here Check out my book Rebel Educator: Create Classrooms Where Impact and Imagination Meet: amzn.to/3AcwlfF Enjoying the show? Leave us a rating and review and help more people find us! bit.ly/RebelEducatorApplePodcasts We'd love it if you could take a few minutes to fill out this survey to let us know how we can bring you the best possible content: forms.gle/JcKHf9DHTZnYUmQr6 Interested in being on the Rebel Educator podcast? Fill out this form and we'll reach out to you if we think you'd be a great fit for an upcoming episode. forms.gle/zXR2KGPK3WEmbrRZ6 Want to learn more about opening your own UP Academy? Check out the Rebel Educator Accelerator: www.rebeleducator.com/courses/the-accelerator MORE ABOUT THE REBEL EDUCATOR PODCAST: In each episode of the Rebel Educator podcast, I deconstruct world-class educators, students, and thought leaders in education to extract the tactics, tools, and routines that you can use as teachers and parents. Join me as we discuss how to shift the classroom, the learning environment, the mindset, and the pedagogy, to resist tradition, reignite wonder, and re-imagine the future of education. This podcast is dedicated to all of the educators who work thankless hours to make our next generation the best it can be. It was designed to begin conversations on how we can redesign education for the future of work and the success of our students. It is meant for teachers, students, administrators, homeschoolers and anyone who interacts with and teaches youth.
“I hope that after engaging in this conversation, folks are thinking about the systemic work that needs to be done. It is not just left to the principal to figure out how she can decompress and do self-care. There are real systemic gaps and challenges that will continuously make her job unbearable. And so, what can we do to lighten that load to mitigate some of those barriers?” – Dr. Erin Browder Research shows effective and supported education leaders, particularly principals, can have a significant impact on student achievement outcomes. Their impact is schoolwide. How can we best support them? In this episode, host Danny Torres and Dr. Erin Browder, Senior Program Associate at WestEd, discuss the pressing and enduring needs of leaders of color and the work the education community must do to address the systemic inequities that threaten leaders' health and well-being. Their conversation touches upon the following topics: The important difference between retaining and sustaining leaders of color Common inequities leaders of color face every day What is necessary to create equitable systems accountability and change Why everyone benefits from addressing systemic inequities The significance of culturally affirming environments Dr. Browder provides technical assistance and project design for K–12 initiatives. Her work focuses on trauma-informed topics, school improvement, systems change, leadership development, social-emotional learning, and culturally responsive and equity-centered approaches to promote safe and supportive schools. Dr. Browder also provides technical assistance for the national Center to Improve Social and Emotional Learning and School Safety, federally funded comprehensive centers (Region 2 and Region 15), and regional educational laboratories (REL West and REL-NEI). WestEd works with schools, districts, and states to build capacity to develop and implement anti-racist, equity-focused policies and practices that lead to transformative, systemwide change. Learn more about our Systemic Equity Review work. Transcript Resources Mentioned in This Episode Center for Black Educator Development Leading Voices: Creating Safe and Supportive Learning Environments – Dr. Christina Pate in Conversation with State and District Leaders You can find Dr. Browder on Twitter at @erintheeducator or send a message online at Wested.org/personnel/erin-browder.
“At the heart of formative assessment is a belief in the students and the communities that we partner with and their ability as a system to learn and grow. This idea that learning is for all of us is something that's central to our belief system. That learning is something that we share as humanity — a desire to learn, a desire to grow, and a desire to learn from one another.” In this episode, Nancy Gerzon, Franchesca Warren, and Cali Kaminsky, all experts with WestEd's Formative Insights, discuss how schools and districts can amplify student agency and identity through formative assessment policies and practices. Nancy Gerzon is Project Director for WestEd's Formative Insights team. She has been at the forefront of developing scalable approaches to teacher-led learning and formative assessment. Professional Learning Specialist Franchesca Warren leads work that builds teacher and student capacity for strategic impact and increased agency. Senior Program Associate Cali Kaminsky supports large-scale projects that grow teacher and leader agency through formative assessment. With host Danny Torres, they explore: What is formative assessment and how it relates to student agency The research behind formative assessment policies and practices How formative assessment looks in the classroom The importance of diversity of thought in the learning process Implementation barriers The crucial role of education leaders The importance of culturally responsive and sustainable education Learn more about WestEd's Formative Insights services. Resources Formative Insights Website and Video Collection Ambitious Teaching and Equitable Assessment: A Vision for Prioritizing Learning, Not Testing By Lorrie A. Shepard (American Educator, Fall 2021) Defining Formative Assessment (Brief) The Power of Evidence Use in Formative Assessment (Brief) Amplifying Student Agency Through Formative Assessment (Blog) Formative Insights Named a Top Education Innovation in Formative Assessment (News) Follow the Formative Insights Team on Twitter: @FormativInsight
In recent years, educators have faced unprecedented upheaval and stress. While ensuring student well-being, self-care often becomes less of a priority. However, self-care is critical for educators. In this episode, Dr. Christina Pate, Deputy Director of the U.S. Department of Education's Center to Improve Social and Emotional Learning and School Safety, and host Danny Torres share a rich discussion about the importance of educator self-care for improved well-being and better student outcomes. Sr. Pate is also Director of Safe and Supportive Learning Environments (SSLE) services at WestEd. As a leading voice in the field, Dr. Pate works to foster adult well-being, promotes trauma-informed practice and resilience, and improves cross-sector collaboration in ways that help improve outcomes for individuals and systems. “We don't have to be in perfect condition to be helpful,” Dr. Pate says, “but we certainly can't be in a debilitating condition or under so much stress that we can't really show up for other people…. To be helpful to others, we have to be helping ourselves first.” Dr. Pate describes her personal experience of burnout and offers a framework for addressing educator well-being. Find out why self-care doesn't mean spa days, learn practical strategies to support well-being, and much more. Learn more about WestEd's Safe and Supportive Learning Environments services. Transcript Resources Mentioned in This Episode Self-Care Strategies for Educators During the Coronavirus Crisis: Supporting Personal Social and Emotional Well-Being (PDF) Beyond SEL Audiocast Leading Voices: Creating Safe and Supportive Learning Environments – Dr. Christina Pate in Conversation with State and District Leaders (Archived Webinar)
Van Ton-Quinlivan, CEO of Futuro Health and host of the show, is also author of the best-selling book, WorkforceRx: Agile and Inclusive Strategies for Employers, Educators and Workers in Unsettled Times. In this episode, Van welcomes leading workforce and economic development experts to discuss the strategies and insights from Chapters Nine and Ten that resonated most with them. Check out their lively discussion about freeing and sharing data within an organization to guide improvements; building infrastructure to help gig workers thrive; the role of labor unions in scaling solutions to workforce challenges; adopting a shared ownership model to overcome inequality in income and assets, and much more from this powerful new playbook for the future of work. Joining Van are: Omid Pourzanjani, Superintendent and President of San Joaquin Delta College; Anthony Dalton, Vice President & Chief Data Scientist at Futuro Health; Kathy Booth, Project Director at WESTED; Ann Volk, Senior Director at Alvarez & Marsal; Sara Skvirsky, Research Director at the Institute for the Future; Dave Regan, President of SEIU-UHW; Howard Brodsky, CEO of CCA Global and Lenny Mendonca, Former Chief Economic and Business Advisor for the State of California.
Van Ton-Quinlivan, CEO of Futuro Health and host of the show, is also author of the best-selling book, WorkforceRx: Agile and Inclusive Strategies for Employers, Educators and Workers in Unsettled Times. In this episode, Van welcomes leading workforce and economic development experts to discuss the strategies and insights from Chapters Nine and Ten that resonated most with them. Check out their lively discussion about freeing and sharing data within an organization to guide improvements; building infrastructure to help gig workers thrive; the role of labor unions in scaling solutions to workforce challenges; adopting a shared ownership model to overcome inequality in income and assets, and much more from this powerful new playbook for the future of work. Joining Van are: Omid Pourzanjani, Superintendent and President of San Joaquin Delta College; Anthony Dalton, Vice President & Chief Data Scientist at Futuro Health; Kathy Booth, Project Director at WESTED; Ann Volk, Senior Director at Alvarez & Marsal; Sara Skvirsky, Research Director at the Institute for the Future; Dave Regan, President of SEIU-UHW; Howard Brodsky, CEO of CCA Global and Lenny Mendonca, Former Chief Economic and Business Advisor for the State of California.
Welcome to Episode 94 of the Autism Parenting Secrets. Our guest this week is Kim Lear, Director of Education & Communications for Greenwave International. Greenwave offers products and tips for reducing dirty electricity and other types of unhealthy EMF pollution in homes, schools, and businesses. Their mission is to create healthier spaces for living, learning, work, and more.Kim has a Berkeley grad with a master's degree from Stanford. And she's currently pursuing certification as an Electromagnetic Radiation Specialist through the Building Biology Institute.This conversation is a deep dive into the dangers of dirty electricity, also known as Electromagnetic Interference or EMI.The good news is that there are simple, practical ways you can protect your family from this invisible toxin.The secret this week is... Take Out The Electrical Trash You'll Discover:What's Dirty Electricity Is Why It Matters (02:32)How Did It Get in Your Home (04:08)Why Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) Might Be A Better Term (11:38)Health Issues From Excessive EMF Exposure (13:20)The Biggest Sources of EMI (22:02)The First Type of Lighting to Get Rid Of (25:19)The Level of EMI That is Is Unacceptable (40:05)The Most Important Room To Focus On (46:41) About Our GuestKim O'Neill Lear is Director of Education & Communications for Greenwave International. She has primary responsibility for Greenwave communications and messaging, including developing website content, press releases, and a variety of written materials and articles related to EMF pollution, Greenwave products, and more. She brings to Greenwave two decades of experience in research, writing, and education. Prior to joining Greenwave, Kim worked as a Senior Research Associate for WestEd, a leading educational consulting firm in San Francisco, CA.Kim has a bachelor's degree (with honors) in International Political Economy from the University of California at Berkeley and a master's degree in Education from Stanford University. She is currently pursuing certification as an Electromagnetic Radiation Specialist through the Building Biology Institute. References in This Episode:Greenwave InternationalGreenwave Dirty Electricity Test Kit (Use code WARRIORPARENT for 5% off)Autism Parenting Secrets Episode 26 - The Body Is Electric And Dirty Electricity Harms with Dr. Sam MilhamThe Invisible Rainbow by Arthur FirstenbergAdditional Resources:Free Resource: 33 Mistakes Most Autism Parents Make and How To Avoid ThemTo learn more about Cass & Len's All-In Warrior Parent Tribe, click hereGot a Picky Eater? - this can helpTo learn more about Cass & Len, visit us at www.autismparentingsecrets.comBe sure to follow Cass & Len on InstagramIf you enjoyed this episode, share it with your friends.Don't forget to subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates for our "Autism Parenting Secrets!"And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on Apple Podcasts. They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and we read every single one of the reviews we get. Thanks for listening!