EnlightenEdD Practitioners

What if the problem with education isn't a lack of effort — but that we've been trying to fix the wrong thing? In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Chris Unger, professor at Northeastern University and author of A Revolution in Education: Scaling Agency and Opportunity for All, for an honest, hopeful, and sometimes sobering conversation about what school could look like if we actually built it for students. Dr. Unger has spent more than 30 years working alongside schools, districts, and education organizations asking one central question: what would it look like if schools actually worked for every student? From kids designing pedestrian bridges for city council to a shy teenager who raised $25,000 for her community after a windstorm — he's seen what becomes possible when young people are trusted with real work in the real world. We also dig into AI — not as a threat to learning, but as a co-intelligence tool that, when used well, can expand student agency, fuel creativity, and help educators build something better. If you're a parent, educator, school leader, or just someone who believes students deserve more, this conversation is for you.00:00 Introduction and Welcome02:18 The Broken Reality of K–12 Education Today07:12 What Learner-Centered Education Actually Looks Like08:03 Real Projects, Real Community, Real Learning16:35 Why Schools Stay Stuck: Fear, Standards & the Status Quo22:20 The Serendipity Problem: Why Change Is So Rare24:33 How to Start Moving Toward Learner-Centered Schools25:12 You Can't Turn a Moving Train — Build the Boat from Scratch35:46 Bringing AI Into the Conversation36:11 Using AI to Support and Suppement Iterations that Accelerate Educational Changes39:43 The Four Phases: Ideate, Plan, Execute, Assess46:14 AI as a Co-Intelligence Tool, Not a Crutch50:33 What Schools Should Do About Students Already Using AI54:38 AI as a Tool for Student Passion and Self-Direction58:40 Durable Skills: What We Actually Want Students to Leave With01:02:02 Final Advice: One Thing You Can Do Tomorrow01:08:43 Closing & Book Recommendation

Join Dr. Julie DiPilato and Dr. Jonathan Page for the inaugural episode of EnlightenEdD Practitioners, the podcast dedicated to illuminating the research, stories, and lived experiences transforming education from the inside out. In this foundational episode, “Why We’re Here: Belonging, Identity, and the Future of Education,” the hosts introduce themselves and lay out the core mission: to move beyond theoretical discussions of equity and explore the messy, human work of building intentional cultures where every student feels they belong. They discuss how belonging is the heartbeat of everything in education, explaining that when students feel a sense of belonging, they are empowered to engage more deeply and take academic risks. The episode emphasizes that belonging is not a "soft" concept but is powerful, academic, and transformative because it functions as an essential driver of identity affirmation and psychological safety. They also introduce the season's themes of identity affirmation, social capital, and creating future-focused systems that value students as emerging identities, not just data points.