Episodes
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Zoom, Masks, and Janus
The COVID pandemic has given us the opportunity to examine what is the real purpose of public education and what is necessary for us to teach students to know and do. I add racism as a 4th Accelerant to T. Friedman's previous three of globalization, climate change, and technology. How do we shape...
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How Real is Race
This podcast is like an audiobook production by reading the article "How Real is Race? Using Anthropology to Make Sense of Human Diversity" by Carol Mukhopadhyay and Rosemary C. Henze. The article addresses race as a social construct, not a scientifically proven biological fact. They offer ideas…
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Race, Achievement Gap, and Schools2
Race, The Achievement Gap and Schools is the first of two podcasts about education and racism. This podcast consisting of 4 parts of a discussion about what has happened currently because of the killing of George Floyd, how the idea of race is not biologically sound but is a social construct, how...
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COVID-19 Through the Eyes of an 18-yr-old Audrey Thibert
“COVID-19 Through the eyes of an 18-yr-old” by Audrey Thibert looks at how this pandemic affects one of our students on a very personal level. High School graduation, prom, etc are cultural and emotional markers of a transition from relative dependence to the next part of a young person’s life....
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COVID-19 Through the eyes of an 18-year-old audrey thibert
COVID-19 Through the eyes of an 18-year-old audrey thibert by Jane L. Sigford
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An 18 yr olds view on COVID-19 by Audrey Thibert
Audrey Thibert, an 18 yr old senior, reflects on the meaning of her life at this time. Educational milestones such as prom, graduation, saying goodbye to friends has changed. It's a reminder to all of us of the power of education and human connection.
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Dr. Joe Gothard, Superintendent of St. Paul Public Schools
Dr. Joe Gothard is superintendent of St. Paul Public Schools, the most diverse district in the state. Throughout our conversation one can hear his emphasis on achievement, relationships, communication, and trust. Under his leadership the district adopted a strategic plan entitled SPPS Achieves...
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Dr. Joe Gothard, Supt of St. Paul Public Schools
Dr. Joe Gothard is superintendent of St. Paul Public Schools, the most diverse district in the state. Throughout our conversation one can hear his emphasis on achievement, relationships, communication, and trust. Under his leadership the district adopted a strategic plan entitled SPPS Achieves...
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Gary Amoroso, Executive Director of MN Ass. of School Administrators
Gary Amoroso, Executive Director of MASA, MN Association of School Administrators, is retiring at the end of June. I asked him to reflect upon what he has learned during his tenure, and to suggest what he sees in the future for education and the role of superintendent. He talked about the…
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Amy Ernst, Special Education Director, Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose
Amy Ernst, special education director for the Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose School District, demonstrates the value of relational skills in being a positive school leader. Relationships are key to listening, building trust, and collaborating as professionals work together to design and implement...
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Changing the Conversation #2: Deeper Teaching
To change the conversation from an accountability mindset, we must focus on other fundamental aspects of education. First of all, education is about deeper learning for all which was the subject of the first podcast in this Changing the Conversation series. To have deeper learning, one must have...
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Curriculum & Instruction: Director CariJo Drewitz in West St. Paul Public Schools
CariJo Drewitz is the Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment for the West St. Paul Public Schools. In her role she wears many hats. You will hear how her job is partly defined by the accountability mentality as described by Michael Fullan. You will also hear of the efforts to…
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Changing the Conversation--Deeper learning
To redesign schools we must change the conversation. It isn't about accountability; it's about learning. We must refocus on effective pedagogy and deeper teaching. Deeper learning--deeper teaching--deeper leadership.
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Dr. Bernadeia Johnson African-American retired supt from Mpls.
Dr. Bernadeia Johnson, retired superintendent from Mpls and currently a professor at Minnesota State University, Mankato, has had a rich and varied career. She completed her dissertation on resiliency strategies of African-American women superintendents. As an African-American educator, she has a...
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Valerie Dosland, Lobbyist for MASA
Valerie Dosland is a lobbyist who works for MASA, and other educational organizations to continue to make our state a leader in education. The work of a lobbyist is built upon relationships, dialogue, gathering data, and being in tune with where we are and where we should go. Her work illustrates...
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Search Consultant, Retired Supt--Patty Phillips
Patty Phillips is a retired superintendent who currently is a consultant for a search firm. She uses the wisdom she gained in 30 years of experience to talk about the superintendency, to look at male and female leaders, and to give advice to those who aspire to become superintendents.
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Women superintendents of the North (Minnesota , that is)
There is a cluster of women superintendents in the northeastern part of Minnesota. Including the superintendent of ARCC, Arrowhead Region Computing Consortium, there are 8 women who serve over 8000 public school students over a large geographic region. In addition, ARCC serves over 30,000…
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Episode 25: Where are the women — superintendents, that is?
Where are the women—superintendents that is? Over 70% of teachers are female, but in Minnesota only 16% of our superintendents are women. This number has stayed the same for a number of years. Why aren’t there more women? Contained in MASA’s Strategic Directions is an action step in to examine…
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Episode 24: Steve Jones, Supt. of Little Falls --Personalized Learning, and Standards Based Grading
Steve Jones, Superintendent of Little Falls Community Schools, talks about their work toward personalized learning, standards-based grading, redesigning professional development, and offering different career pathways for students. In addition, Steve has a working relationship with community...
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Episode 23: Renee Corneille, Superintendent, St. Anthony-New Brighton School District
Renee Corneille is a first-year superintendent a St. Anthony Public Schools. She had had several positions in the district, including middle and high school principal, before being hired as superintendent. She shares her experience of what it was like to be an internal candidate. In Minnesota…
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Views and Voice: Above the Noise #22: Bill Adams - Personalized Learning in a Rural School District
Bill Adams, Superintendent of Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton or JWP, is spearheading the creation of a district which has incorporated personalized learning to meet the needs of all students. His work in a rural district is different from that of a large system. His leadership style of using...
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Views and Voice: Above the Noise #21: MN Senator Steve Cwodzinski
Senator Steve Cwodzinski, former Government teacher, is currently a Minnesota state senator, serving on the education committee. He shares thoughts about current and future issues with possible ideas as to what administrators and teachers can do to help legislators make informed decisions
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Views and Voice Above the Noise #20: Reconfiguring a High School
Shaping the learning of the 21st century high school student requires a change in the physical setting. Sartell-St Stephen high school has been in a several year process to design and build their new high school using some ideas from The Third Teacher. The school will open this fall. Kay Nelson,...
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Views and Voice: Above the Noise #19: Jen Hegna, Tech Director and Design Thinking
Jen Hegna is the Director of Information and Learning Technology for Byron Public schools. As she says, she "loves technology" particularly if it can facilitate learning. She brought a Design Thinking process to her district after attending and Innovation Conference. The work with students and...
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Views and Voice: Above the Noise #18: Danielle Theis, Dealing with student victims of trauma
Danielle Theis is a trainer in Life Space Crisis Intervention which is a method to disrupt the usual punitive pattern in dealing with students whose acting out behavior keeps them from being successful. The intervention is utilized when the crisis happens, not in retrospect so students learn…
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Views and Voice: Above the Noise #17: Dr. Neal Nickerson, U of M
Dr. Neal Nickerson has been a professor at the University of Minnesota since 1964. He is a "founding father" of the Educational Administration Program which has been replicated in surrounding states and provinces. In addition, he is known for his concerted effort to bring and support...
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Views and Voice: Above the Noise #16: John Thein Podcast
John Thein has had an interesting career as a superintendent. He was superintendent of Roseville Area Schools for the longest time, for a length of 17 years. However, he has had short term positions and interim positions in a variety of districts from rural, to suburban to integration districts…
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Views and Voice: Above the Noise #15: Chris Mills, Superintendent of Stephen-Argyle, MN
Chris Mills, Superintendent of Stephen-Argyle Public Schools in the northwestern corner of Minnesota, will tell you that being the superintendent of a small district has many advantages—getting hugs from kindergartners in the hallway, being a community leader, advocating at the legislature for...
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Views and Voice: Above the Noise #14: Superintendent Denise Pontrelli
Denise Pontrelli, Superintendent of Stillwater Area Public Schools, talked about the community collaboration process by which that area has designed a multi-faceted, multi-prong approach to providing mental health services to students and families.
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Views and Voice: Above the Noise #13: Jason Berg, H.S. Change and Strategic Plans
Jason Berg, Executive Director of Education Services for the Farmington Area Public Schools, shared thoughts about change in the schools and the dynamic use of their strategic plan. Teachers and students are given more flexibility, responsibility, and ownership of their learning and time.
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Views and Voice: Above the Noise #12: John Landgaard, Superintendent of Worthington Schols
John Langaard is Superintendent of Worthington Public Schools in southwestern Minnesota , one of the 27 districts in the state where white students are the minority. He sees this increasing diversity as a real asset to his community and to the rest of the state. In fact, he is establishing a…
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Views and Voice: Above the Noise #11: Superintendent Janey Blanchard
Superintendent Janey Blanchard has a unique perspective and experience set because she has worked had positions where she was working in a culture not her own. She has experience in working with Indian education and also as an outsider coming to the Iron Range of Minnesota. She talks about how to...
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Views and Voice: Above the Noise #10: Brenda Cassellius, Commissioner of Education of Minnesota
Dr. Brenda Cassellius is the Commissioner of Education in Minnesota. She talks about the accomplishments of the past 8 years and shares a wish for the future. She is the second longest serving state officer in the United States which has provided some continuity and stability in educational...
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Views and Voice: Above the Noise #9: Deb Henton, Superintendent of North Branch Public Schools
Deb Henton is superintendent of North Branch Public Schools. In addition, she was named as Superintendent of the Year and is currently president of the MASA Board. She shares her experience in dealing with a district with declining enrollment. In addition, she discusses the political nature of...
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Views and Voice: Above the Noise #8: Rob Reetz , Principal, Project-based learning
Views and Voice: Above the Noise #8: Rob Reetz , Principal, Project-based learning by Jane L. Sigford
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Views and Voice: Above the Noise #7: Supt Sandy Lewandowski - School Violence and Mental Health
Superintendent Sandy Lewandowski of Intermediate District 287 discusses the rise in mental health issues among children and discusses the increasing violence we see in schools. She talks about innovative practices that 287 is using to address these issues.
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Views and Voice: Above the Noise #6: Superintendent Matt Grose
Interview with Superintendent Matt Grose of Deer River Public Schools in MASA Region 7.
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Views and Voice: Above the Noise #5: School Shootings
Views and Voice: Above the Noise #5: School Shootings by Jane L. Sigford
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Views and Voice: Above the Noise #4: High School Proposal
Views and Voice: Above the Noise #4: High School Proposal by Jane L. Sigford
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Views and Voice: Above the Noise #3: Possible Vision of a High School
Views and Voice: Above the Noise #3: Possible Vision of a High School by Jane L. Sigford
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Views and Voice: Above the Noise #2: Education's Public Message
Views and Voice: Above the Noise #2: Education's Public Message by Jane L. Sigford
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Views and voice: Above the Noise #1
Podcast 1 on immigration