Author: BelieveAgain

Dr. Jeff Duncan-Andrade is a Professor of Ethnic Studies at San Francisco State University and he’s the author of Equality or Equity: Toward a Model of Community-Responsive Education. He joins host Mike Palmer in a conversation about shifting the foundations of our educational system to focus on the wellness of our most wounded and vulnerable students. We begin by hearing Jeff’s origins as a community member, a father, an academic/researcher, and a practitioner in education in Oakland, California. We trace the failed history of desegregation in the US dating back to Brown vs the Board of Ed in Topeka, Kansas,…

Hasan Ali is the Founder and CEO of AirTutors, an EdTech company delivering high-dosage online tutoring at scale. He joins host Mike Palmer to talk about emerging trends in tutoring, AI, catching up on “learning loss,” and more. We begin by hearing of Hasan’s roots in Stockton, California, before he headed to Cal Berkeley and then Los Angeles with an initial goal of becoming a doctor. Despite his mother’s concerns about not pursuing a medical degree, Hasan founded AirTutors after tapping into the tutoring market in private schools around LA. From there, we learn how he and team have crossed…

Adam Dalton is the Founder and CEO of Imagine Robotify, a company that helps kids learn to code using virtual robots. He rejoins host Mike Palmer in a conversation about STEM education, the future of work, and the massive shifts we’ve seen in AI since we first met Adam last August. We hear how Adam got to this point in his career, founding, growing, and ultimately selling Robotify to Imagine Learning when he was 23. Then he shares his concerns about using AI with young learners before exploring its potential upsides. Adam reflects on what resonates with the rising generations…

Miriam Plotinsky is a writer and instructional specialist who recently wrote the book Lead Like a Teacher: How to Elevate Expertise in Your School. She rejoins host Mike Palmer in a discussion about lessons in leadership by embracing empathy with what it’s like to teach and openness to the critical input that teachers can provide in a flourishing school culture. We begin by welcoming Miriam back to the podcast with a nod to her previous appearance to discuss Teach More, Hover Less, her first book. From there, we dive into lessons for school leaders and for all of us on…

Time is running out for school districts to spend their remaining federal COVID-relief dollars—unless districts successfully get approval to take a little longer.Districts must still commit all their funds from the last, and largest, round of aid to specific expenses by Sept. 30. Under current law, they have an additional five months to “liquidate,” or spend, that money—transferring it from a district account to a vendor or employee by Jan. 31, 2025.For each of the three rounds of pandemic-relief, or ESSER, funding from the federal government, the U.S. Department of Education has also opened an opportunity for “late liquidation” of…

Jeremy C. Young is the Program Director of Freedom to Learn at PEN America where he focuses on defending academic freedom in schools and on campuses across America. He joins host Mike Palmer in a conversation about the unprecedented assaults on the New College of Florida and what we all can do about it. We begin with Jeremy’s origin story as a US History Professor who grew increasingly involved in defending academic freedom during his time with the American Historical Association before joining PEN America to lead Freedom to Learn. Jeremy touches on the work PEN America is doing fighting…

Dr. Monique Chism is the Under Secretary for Education at Smithsonian Institution. She joins host Mike Palmer to share what it’s like to lead education efforts for the Nation’s Museum and the thinking that’s gone into designing their National Education Summit that’s happening later this summer. We begin with Monique’s origin story starting in a classroom teaching for 8 years before moving on to work at a nonprofit organization focused on closing achievement gaps and culturally proficient instruction. She then worked in the Department of Education before and at American Institute for Research focusing on taking education research into practice.…

Anthony Salcito is the Chief Institutional Officer at Varsity Tutors where he’s been focused on bringing high-quality tutoring to teachers and schools across the country. He joins host Mike Palmer in a conversation that digs into the power of using tutoring and emerging AI to empower teachers to drive student learning around the globe. We begin with Anthony’s origin story which culminated as Vice President of Worldwide Education at Microsoft before joining Nerdy to establish its school-facing offerings with Varsity Tutors. Then we explore his unique combination of AI and Tutoring expertise to understand his vision for increased personalized instruction…

The recent criminal convictions of the parents of the student who killed four students at Oxford High School in Michigan in 2021 were groundbreaking—the first time for parents of a mass school shooter. The convictions have cast fresh light on efforts to hold a variety of other parties legally responsible for mass school shootings.Jennifer and James Crumbley, who were convicted of manslaughter in separate trials earlier this year, were each sentenced on April 9 to 10 to 15 years in prison. Their son, Ethan Crumbley, who was a 15-year-old sophomore at the time, pulled a 9-millimeter semiautomatic handgun out of…

Dr. Steve Joordens returns to the show with Lilaani Thangavadivelu to join host Mike Palmer in a conversation about their recent research into collaborative project-based learning approaches that enable transformative learning experiences at scale. Mike welcomes Steve back as we hear how Lilaani first experienced Steve’s Intro to Psychology course back in the Fall of 2019. Then she and Steve share the findings of their research into a new study of 450 teams of students working with Swab the World to create public service announcements to share the importance of stem cell research in non-Caucasian communities in Toronto and around…