Upstream Podcast with Dr. Tracy White
by Dr. Tracy White
The Upstream Podcast invites listeners into a movement for educational equity and social change. Each episode features change agents and system builders working to expand access, opportunity, and excellence in education regardless of zip code. Together, we explore how education fuels social mobility, strengthens communities, and creates lasting, equitable impact. Like, follow, and subscribe!
Episodes
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We Know How to Teach Reading. So Why Aren’t We?
What happens when educators stop accepting the status quo and start building something better? In this episode of the Upstream Podcast, Dr. Tracy White sits down with Dr. Amy Murdoch of Mount St. Joseph University to explore how research, courageous leadership, and a commitment to children are...
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Are We Educating Children or Controlling Them?
What happens when schools become more focused on compliance than connection? In the Season 2 premiere of Upstream Podcast with Dr. Tracy White, Dr. White sits down with Dr. Ryan Lee James, Chief Academic Officer of the Atlanta Speech School and Director of the Rollins Center for Language and...
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Episode 9 - Preparing Future-Ready Kids: Why Science, Curiosity, and Character Matter
What happens when children are given the opportunity to explore, question, and discover? Dr. Tracy White welcomes Rosa Aristy of Bridges to Science for a conversation about expanding access to STEM, nurturing curiosity, and preparing young people for a rapidly changing world. From hands-on…
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Episode 8 - Beyond the Notes: How Music Shapes the Reading Brain
Can music do more than inspire? In this episode of Upstream Podcast, Dr. Tracy White sits down with Dr. Ana Trevino, Director of Prelude Music Foundation, to explore the powerful connection between music, brain development, literacy, and early childhood education. Together, they navigate the...
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Episode 7 - The Future Won’t Wait: Preparing the Next Generation for an AI Age
Dr. Tracy White welcomes Dorian Cockrell, Vice President of Global Philanthropy at JPMorgan Chase, for a thought-provoking conversation about opportunity, workforce development, philanthropy, artificial intelligence, and building generational wealth. Their discussion explores why education must...
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Episode 6 - Rewriting the Story: When Schools Call Children “Slow”
Dr. Tracy White sits down with literacy advocate and nonprofit leader Dr. Tracy Johnson Rockmore for a deeply personal conversation about dyslexia, faith, and the fight for literacy justice. After years of being labeled “slow” and struggling through school without proper support, Dr. Rockmore...
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Episode 5 - The Brain on Language: What Bilingualism, Dyslexia, and Literacy Research Reveal
In this episode of Upstream, Dr. Tracy White is joined by Dr. Ioulia Kovelman to examine the neuroscience of language and literacy. They dissect how children acquire language, what bilingualism reveals about the brain, and why applied literacy science is critical for long-term success. This...
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Episode 4 - The Great Equalizer: Why Public Education is Essential
Dr. Tracy White welcomes her spiritual sister and friend Dr. Martha Salazar-Zamora, 2023 Texas Superintendent of the Year and a national finalist, for an honest conversation about what it takes to lead public education in a polarized era. *This interview took place at the end of 2024, some events...
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Episode 3 - Black Literacy Matters: When a Child Can’t Read
Dr. Tracy White sits down with nationally recognized literacy advocate and dyslexia consultant Clarice Jackson for a deeply personal conversation about purpose, policy, and the fight for literacy as a human right. Clarice shares how her daughter’s educational suffering and eventual breakthrough...
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Episode 2 – From Prison to Purpose: Ameer Baraka’s Journey
Dr. Tracy White welcomes award winning actor and author Ameer Baraka for a powerful conversation on dyslexia, literacy, and redemption. Ameer shares how being undiagnosed in school shaped his self worth, led him toward the streets, and how learning to read in prison became the turning point that...
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Episode 1 - The Power of a Parent’s Vision
Dr. Tracy White opens the Upstream Podcast with a heartfelt conversation with her mother, Bessie Mae White. Together they explore resilience, literacy, faith, and the power of a parent’s vision to transform generations. This episode reminds us why educators matter and how one person’s belief can...
About this show
The Upstream Podcast invites listeners into a movement for educational equity and social change. Each episode features change agents and system builders working to expand access, opportunity, and excellence in education regardless of zip code. Together, we explore how education fuels social mobility, strengthens communities, and creates lasting, equitable impact. Like, follow, and subscribe!
Hosted by
Dr. Tracy White
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