Mosaic Days: An Educational Leadership Podcast

In the next episode of Mosaic Days, Allison and Leonard review the new legislation that has hit some states requiring schools to install surveillance cameras in classrooms with students with special needs. Is it an invasion of student privacy or does it provide additional safety and protections for some of our most vulnerable students? Tune in to hear our thoughts on this new requirement in some states.

“The Great Math Divide! Are we looking at inquiry based learning? Or are we looking at explicit direct instruction in math? Or perhaps we need to have both in the classroom.”Join us on this episode of Mosaic Days as Allison and Leonard have a discussion on the great math debate! What is the best way to instruct students in math? Do we need to focus on just direct explicit instruction, or could students successfully show growth through learning that is based on inquiry tasks and developing problem solving skills? Tune in to hear our thoughts.

“Follow up! Follow up! Follow up! In many ways, this is the most overlooked. We do our planning and hold the meeting but there is still some follow up and if we don’t do it appropriately, this can get us in a lot of legal trouble.”Now that the meeting is over, Allison and Leonard discuss what should be done after the meeting, including post-meeting debrief to review strengths and concerns, creating a follow up list with who is responsible as well as Alternative Dispute Resolution.

“We have to remember that our families are advocates for their children, even when the advocacy manifests as antagonistic. Keeping the focus on the student and the data are integral to a successful meeting.”Now that we have prepared for our meeting, it is the big day! Join us as we give teams tips on how to navigate those difficult IEP meetings, including managing paperwork, dealing with conflict and maintaining relationships with families.

“The better prepared you are as a team, the better supported the parent is and the smoother the process is going to be as we navigate the IEP.”Planning and preparation should always be at the forefront when teams are tasked with challenging meetings. Join us on Mosaic Days where we discuss how administrators can provide additional support and training to prepare for meetings so that we can meaningfully engage in informed decision making.

While in office, former California State Senate Member Portantino introduced SB 98, which requested the Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) to research the change in student count methodology of California’s funding formula from average daily attendance (ADA) to student enrollment. With this change, would California schools benefit or would they lose out on key fiscal resources for students?Join us on the next episode of Mosaic Days where we review the LAO report, debate the challenges of the current ADA model for funding, and discuss the overall impact that enrollment based funding would have on California schools.

With a new budget proposal released for California, Governor Newsom has made a recommendation to change the structure of governance of education in the state, moving control of the department of education under his watch. While most education advocacy groups support the recommendation, Tony Thurmond, the current Superintendent of Public Instruction, is in opposition of this new plan as he feels it will take power away from voters. Join us as we discuss the impact that this update will have on the state of education in California and whether or not there will be an impact on our current work at the district or school site level.

“With all the stressors at work and home, it is vital for staff to identify what re-energizes them and make explicit connections to understand that these activities are restorative, lest we see staff burnout that may impact staff retention.”On Episode 20, in celebration of the New Year, Allison and Leonard discuss staff mental health and the importance of identifying ways to recharge.

“No matter what happens, find a way to restore the relationship, no matter who thinks they’re right, no matter who thinks they’ve won. If we can’t move forward, then everyone loses. We need to remain student-focused with student-driven discussions.”On Episode 19, Allison and Leonard discuss tips for keeping your cool, making data informed decisions and ensuring the conversation stays student-focused.

“Communication is the key to trust. Once it erodes, conflict quickly replaces it.”Our parents should be our partners in education until they feel like they’re not. On Episode 18, Allison and Leonard discuss the basis for potential conflict with staff in part two of dealing with school - parent conflict.

As Educational Partners, parents play a vital role in education but what happens when there is disagreement between staff and parents? How do we navigate those discussions? How do we listen with an open mind, with an open heart in order to support our families?On Episode 17, Allison and Leonard discuss their own personal challenges as parents with the educational system in part one of dealing with school - parent conflict.

The California School Dashboard was rolled out during the 2017-2018 school year to provide parents and school districts meaningful information on schools and district progress so they can make decisions that improve and impact student learning.On Episode 16, Leonard and Allison discuss the purpose of the California School Dashboard, its intricacies and whether or not it effectively measures student achievement and outcomes. Join us for Episode 16!

IDEA was a landmark law that enabled all students to access public education and introduced the concept of Least Restrictive Environment and FAPE, Free Appropriate Public Education, which are the hallmarks of special education today.In Episode 15, Allison and Leonard look back at the creation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act as they celebrate its 50th Anniversary on November 29th. While the impact that this law has had on all students in our country is cause for celebration, there is still so much more work to be done for students with disabilities!

Episode #14 has officially dropped! Have a listen!Episode 14 was recorded at UCLA for the Autism Speaks Empower 5K Run/ Walk as Allison and Leonard discuss their educational experiences as it relates to serving students with Autism and their families over the past twenty years.

Episode #13 has officially dropped! Have a listen!“Sometimes our emotions get the best of us. We are advocates for students, we are advocates for our community, and sometimes the ways in which we advocate clash with one another.”In Episode 13, Allison and Leonard discuss ways in which leaders can successfully navigate disagreements with staff members in a supportive way that prevents damage to the school community and continues to ensure positive learning outcomes for all students.

In Episode 12, Allison and Leonard discuss the top 7 mental puddles to avoid if you want to be a successful leader. Put on those rainboots if you want to traverse the path to student achievement!

HOT TOPIC ALERT! Listen to Episode #11“The science of reading has changed from decade to decade…when you look at the history of it, we have vacillated between the two camps - phonics vs whole language instruction- I think this new bill is trying to bring it all together.”In Episode 11, Allison and Leonard discuss the recently approved AB 1454 that focuses on student literacy and how it will affect instruction throughout the state of California.

HOT TOPIC ALERT! Have a listen to Episode #10!“Every single class is different. I don’t know how they are going to be able to make such a statement….. it really depends on who is in that classroom , what the level of needs are, whether or not health and nursing is needed, whether or not there is behavioral support needed.”In Episode 10, Allison and Leonard discuss the recently approved AB 560 and how it will affect Special Education classrooms as well as its potential fiscal impact.

HOT TOPIC ALERT!Episode 9 is now available.“If there is no oversight at the federal level, then we have to self monitor, we have to self regulate. With the potential lack of federal monitoring, it is a founded fear that districts are going to try to reduce costs by reducing services.”In Episode 9, Allison and Leonard discuss the latest blow to education as the Office of Special Education Programs has been all but eliminated.

Episode 8 is now available and ready for you to have a listen! “Let’s be thoughtful. Let's be intentional. Let's make sure that we are putting systems in place that everyone is going to be involved in, and let’s implement this together”In Episode 8, Allison and Leonard continue the discussion on how best to support student social emotional learning through an intentional three pronged structured support system focused on prevention, intervention and postvention strategies.

Check out the latest episode of Mosaic Days! Now streaming on Spotify and iTunes!The affective domain can either severely impact or positively impact the learning process for our students in schools.In episode 7, Allison and Leonard discuss the ways in which student emotions can impact student learning and achievement. They examine some of the causes and how teachers can transform student experiences into student gains to build community.

Tune in for Episode 6!“This is what we’re here for right? Teaching, instruction. This is the primary purpose for our existence as educators. We’re here to teach content to a variety of learners with a variety of experiences and backgrounds.”In episode 6, Allison and Leonard discuss the basics for creating lesson plans that engage all students.

Tune in for Episode 5!“Funding for special education has never been what it should be.”In episode 5, Allison and Leonard discuss the biggest challenges facing special education including rising costs related to higher rates of incidence to staffing shortages and everything in between.

“We want that new teacher to feel a part of the community because if they feel a sense of belonging, much like we talk about with our students, they will be more apt to return that next day, that next week, that next year”In episode 4, Allison and Leonard talk about the struggles of a first year special education teacher and how leadership can provide critical support for teacher retention.

“Today is going to be a great day!” Students know that each day is a fresh day when they feel welcomed and supported.In episode 3, Allison and Leonard talk about building community and promoting positive behaviors by implementing consistent practices throughout the school as well as into the classroom.

“Building strong relationships with families, students and staff is so crucial within the first few weeks of school for both administrators and teachers.”In episode 2, Allison and Leonard talk about developing relationships on campus during the first weeks of school.

“As teachers and administrators, those first few days of new school year are filled with unexpected surprises. Nothing ever goes as planned.” In the first episode of Mosaic Days, Allison Smith and Leonard Martinez discuss Back to School tips for teachers and administrators.