PODCAST · education
Opportunity Thrives
by Olamide banky
How can we better support students who struggle? We know that addressing the needs of struggling students strengthens our schools, creates stronger communities, brighter futures and a more equitable world. The average student who starts below grade level has just a 1 in 4 chance of catching up. This means a tremendous number of students are struggling nationwide. Through interviews with students, teachers, administrators, technologists and education influencers, we want to understand what’s working in our schools today, what’s not and how we can impact positive, lasting change.
Episodes
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Radical Transparency, Compassionate Leadership, and Embracing Failure: An Interview with Superintendent Dr. Quintin Shepherd
In this episode of Opportunity Thrives, Jason Mitchell sits down with Dr. Quintin Shepherd, a true visionary for the future of education, and the Superintendent at Victoria Independent School District in Victoria, Texas. Throughout this fascinating conversation, Dr. Shepherd shares his views on...
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Tapping into Teacher Expertise to Inform the Future of Education
Jean Sharp had another opportunity to speak with John Watson, the founder of Evergreen Education Group and the Digital Learning Annual Conference in this episode. They discuss the role of the Digital Learning Collaborative had in contributing to the Biden/Harris leadership transition, the role...
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How Districts are Supporting SEL Needs Right Now
In this episode, we reconnect with Debra Giacolone, the Director of Student Services for Sarasota County School District in Sarasota, Florida, and Dr. Crystal Ladwig the Director of Research and Development for Suite360, a social-emotional learning provider that partners with districts across the...
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Putting PD into Practice through Virtual Learning
On the show today, we have the pleasure of speaking with Stepan Mekhitarian, the Interim Director for Innovation, Instruction, Assessment & Accountability at Glendale Unified School District in Glendale, California. Stepan is passionate about supporting teachers in the blended and virtual…
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Addressing the Digital Divide: Interview with Beaverton School District
When the COVID-19 pandemic thrust students and teachers into virtual learning (literally overnight), existing digital inequities were quickly exposed. Matthew Hiefield, a teacher for Beaverton School District, and a member of their Digital Equity and Inclusion Team, shares how their district is...
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The Future is Now for Digital Learning
If 2020 taught us anything, it’s that change is inevitable in every aspect of our lives. This couldn’t be more apparent than what we experienced in education and the evolution and mainstreaming of virtual learning this year. We put together a culmination of some of the most powerful…
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The Blueprint for Success with District-wide Virtual Learning
On today’s episode, we have the opportunity to speak with district leaders from Tucson Unified School District who are navigating the challenges and opportunities that a district-wide shift to online learning can bring. James Butler, the senior director of instructional technology and online...
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A New Center Tunes in to Equity and Innovation
At the new Center for Inclusive Innovation, educators like Kimberly Smith are gathering creative ingenuity from communities across the country so it can more easily be shared among school leaders. They’re motivated by a radical commitment to equity in education for Black, Brown, and Indigenous...
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Reimagining Education in 2021
In this episode, we talk with Ariana Flewelling, an Education Strategist who provides collaboration and consulting on the use of Educational Technology and Transforming Education. She specializes in pedagogy-first technology integration to enhance practice and student achievement. Her passion is...
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The Whole Child Approach: A Conversation with ASCD's Sean Slade
In this episode, we have the pleasure of speaking with Sean Slade, a global education leader, speaker, author, and policymaker with over 25 years of experience spanning five countries and four continents. He currently serves as the Senior Director of Global Outreach at the Association for...
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Finding the Magic in Virtual Learning: One District Shares their Keys to Success
In this episode, we focus on education innovation in New Jersey, and we have the pleasure of chatting with Lisa Rowbotham, the Secondary ELA Supervisor for Passaic Public Schools who also runs the AVID program for the district. Throughout the episode Lisa shares their district's strategies for...
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Strategies for the Path Forward with Online Learning
In our latest podcast episode, we talk with Carl Hooker about his desire to see K-12 education become more like the 1989 movie Dead Poet’s Society. He believes we have the potential engage students to learn in unorthodox ways and to inspire them to pursue their dreams – right now more than ever...
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Streamlining District-wide Communication: Best Practices from Tucson Unified School District
In our latest podcast episode of Opportunity Thrives, we had a chance to chat with Leslie Lenhart, the Communications Director for Tucson Unified School District in Tucson, Arizona. Leslie shares the district’s strategies to be very intentional and responsive during the pandemic, including many...
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Nonprofit Spotlight: Communities in Schools
On today's episode, we have the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Shaunna Finley, an education expert, strategic partner and a curriculum developer and facilitator for Communities in Schools. Working directly in 2,500 schools in 25 states and the District of Columbia, Communities In Schools builds...
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With Challenge Comes Opportunity: Dr. Adam Phyall Shares His Silver Linings
Dr. Adam Phyall, the Director of Technology and Media Services for Newton County School System in Newton, Georgia, joins us to share how his team is addressing this unusual time in education. He was recently recognized as one of the top 30 K-12 IT influencers worth a follow in 2020 according to...
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Lessons Learned During the Pandemic
On today's episode, we chat with Dr. Monica Burns, a former New York City school district teacher, Apple Distinguished Educator, and the Founder of ClassTechTips.com. Monica was part of her school’s leadership team and was a vocal advocate for bringing one-to-one technology into her classroom....
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Insights into the future of education technology: A Chat with Kevin Hogan
On this episode, Jean Sharp has the pleasure of speaking with Kevin Hogan, the host of a new Marketscale podcast. On his new show, Remove Possibilities, Kevin dives into the technology that is revolutionizing the education industry with educators, startups, and thought leaders providing…
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Communicating with Students and families: Finding the right balance
In our 19th episode of Opportunity Thrives, we explore the extraordinary pressure on education leaders to provide effective, informative, accurate and timely communication to students, staff, families and the larger school community right now. It has certainly never been easy to be an educator…
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What Should District Leaders Be Asking from Their Partners Right Now?
In our latest episode of Opportunity Thrives, we talk with two superintendents about how they are evaluating their partners and how their relationships with vendors has changed since the pandemic. This is a special joint episode where we partnered with Talk Supes, a podcast hosted by Doug…
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Is it possible to build meaningful relationships with students (from a distance)?
In our 17th episode of Opportunity Thrives, a podcast committed to better supporting the needs of today’s secondary students, we explore this very question. We know that education leaders are doing all they can to ensure the safety of students, teachers, and staff for this fall. For many…
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The Parent Perspective: New norms in education
Clearly district leaders are up against undeniable odds this school year as they navigate how to keep students safe, but still learning. This episode will be helpful for district leaders to gain first-hand perspective on what parents are thinking, how they are feeling about the recent challenges...
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Social-Emotional Learning in Practice: What really works?
Understanding how to support the health and well-being of students through social-emotional learning (SEL) is more important than ever as we enter this unusual school year. We know this episode is going to be helpful to district leaders who are looking for research-backed practices and practical...
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A Virtual School Success Story
Join us for a special episode with Tim Buckingham, the Virtual School Mentor at Big Rapids Public Schools, in Big Rapids, Michigan. Tim shares the district’s process of launching, refining and eventually hitting their stride with their virtual school. We discuss how to integrate a virtual…
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Equity in Education: Are we at the tipping point of an education transformation?
Providing a safe place for students to learn with the challenges of COVID-19, in addition to the recent civil unrest, has fueled an examination of equitable policies, curriculum, and considerations for how we can ensure all students have an equal opportunity to succeed. In this podcast, we had a...
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Student Voices: A Conversation with High School Students About What's Next in Education
Discussions about the fall are continuing to evolve with districts evaluating potential back to school scenarios to keep students safe, but still learning. We all seem to be talking about our students these days, but few are talking to the students themselves. On this episode, we have an...
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Supporting Our Most Vulnerable Students: Addressing COVID-19 Learning Loss
Summer slide is a common issue in education. What’s not fully known is the impact summer slide will have in the fall when compounded by learning loss from COVID-19 this spring. In this podcast we address the potential for a large number of students to fall behind or develop significant gaps in...
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How to achieve equity of opportunity when access isn’t equal
COVID-19 has transformed discussions about equity and supporting our nation’s most vulnerable students. With the large-scale shift to online learning, educators have had many questions, but one that has frequently risen to the top is equity and providing equitable access to all students. This…
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Creating a Virtual Program: Considerations and Consternations
In the rush to keep students learning amidst school closures, education leaders utilized whatever resources were available. This often translated to working with different programs for every subject, requiring students and educator to quickly adjust to new platforms. While schools and districts...
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Teaching in the Time of a Pandemic
In our eighth episode of Opportunity Thrives, we discuss tools, tips, and best practices to help support teachers who are new to online learning. As online learning has been thrust into the forefront of the COVID-19 pandemic, we recognize that many districts and educators have questions about how...
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CTE: Creating Career Pathways for Success
On today’s episode, we explore CTE, career technical education, available throughout schools nationwide. An increasing number of districts across the county recognize the value of career and technical education and are expanding their CTE programs by creating programs of study that are rigorous…
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How Districts Can Support Families in the Transition to Remote Learning
This is an unprecedented time and one that has been particularly difficult on district leaders, students, and parents. While districts navigate how to manage the transition to virtual learning and shifting federal and state guidelines, families are tasked with entertaining and educating their...
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Optimize Your Digital Learning Program
On this episode of Opportunity Thrives, we explore how to not only implement a digital curriculum program within your district but also how to ensure it meets your district goals and supports student success. The use of online curriculum is often lumped into a single category of ‘digital…
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Technology and the Gender Gap: Strategies to Inspire Young Women to Explore STEM
On the fourth episode of Opportunity Thrives, we take a closer look at technology and the gender gap. We discuss the challenges of engaging more females in computer science and some of the strategies that can be implemented to inspire these young learners to explore computer science and…
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What about the teachers: How are administrators supporting teachers with digital curriculum adoption?
Online learning has given rise to a spectrum of instructional models that redefine teaching and learning in the classroom. At one end, teachers use digital content to enhance teacher-led instruction and provide remediation. At the other, the digital curriculum is leveraged to transform primary...
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Cheating isn’t new: Managing an age-old problem with 21st century tools
In this episode of Opportunity Thrives, we discuss a topic that certainly isn’t new, but has evolved with the digital age: cheating, and how to maintain digital integrity when implementing an online curriculum program for today’s middle and high school students. For as long as students have sat…
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Blending Teachers and Technology to help Struggling Students Thrive
In first episode of Opportunity Thrives, Kim Loomis, the former Director of Digital Learning at Nevada’s Clark County School District, the 5th largest district in the nation, shares her strategies for how, when and where to support struggling students and make the biggest impact using digital...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
How can we better support students who struggle? We know that addressing the needs of struggling students strengthens our schools, creates stronger communities, brighter futures and a more equitable world. The average student who starts below grade level has just a 1 in 4 chance of catching up. This means a tremendous number of students are struggling nationwide. Through interviews with students, teachers, administrators, technologists and education influencers, we want to understand what’s working in our schools today, what’s not and how we can impact positive, lasting change.
HOSTED BY
Olamide banky
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Opportunity Thrives have?
Opportunity Thrives currently has 36 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Opportunity Thrives about?
How can we better support students who struggle? We know that addressing the needs of struggling students strengthens our schools, creates stronger communities, brighter futures and a more equitable world. The average student who starts below grade level has just a 1 in 4 chance of catching up....
How often does Opportunity Thrives release new episodes?
Opportunity Thrives has 36 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Opportunity Thrives?
You can listen to Opportunity Thrives on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Opportunity Thrives?
Opportunity Thrives is created and hosted by Olamide banky.
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