Teaching Learning Leading K-12

Laura Levine - President & CEO - JumpStart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy. This is episode 775 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. Laura Levine has devoted her career to helping people of all ages better understand financial services through marketing and outreach, communications, and most recently, through education. In 2004, she became executive director of the Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy, a Washington DC-based nonprofit organization committed to “financial smarts for students,” and was named President and CEO in 2011.   Since taking over at Jump$tart, Laura has continued to raise awareness about the importance of financial literacy and the need for effective financial education. Under her leadership, Jump$tart launched the Jump$tart National Educator Conference, Jump$tart Financial Foundations for Educators and J$FFE Online, Project Groundswell/Check Your School and the Jump$tart Teen Teach-In, as well as the coalition’s social media efforts. Laura g

Jason McKenna - How A.I. and Robotics are Changing STEM Education. This is episode 774 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. Jason McKenna is V.P. of Global Educational Strategy for VEX Robotics and author of “What STEM Can Do for Your Classroom: Improving Student Problem Solving, Collaboration, and Engagement, Grade K-6.” His work specializes in curriculum development, global educational strategy, and engaging with educators and policymakers worldwide. Our focus today is "How A.I. and Robotics are Changing STEM Education." So much to think about. So much to learn. Thanks for listening! Thanks for sharing! Before you go... You could help support this podcast by Buying Me A Coffee. Not really buying me something to drink but clicking on the link on my home page at https://stevenmiletto.com for Buy Me a Coffee or by going to this link Buy Me a Coffee. This would allow you to donate to help the show address the costs associated with producing the podcast from upgrading gear to the fees associated

Hosho McCreesh - Psalms from the Badlands: 150 Psalms or Haiku Style Poems about the American Southwest. This is episode 773 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. Hosho McCreesh is currently writing & painting in the gypsum & caliche badlands of the  American Southwest. His work has appeared widely in print, audio, & online. Our focus today is his work…. Psalms from the Badlands. Awesome writing! Excellent conversation! So much to learn and think about. Thanks for listening! Thanks for sharing! Before you go... You could help support this podcast by Buying Me A Coffee. Not really buying me something to drink but clicking on the link on my home page at https://stevenmiletto.com for Buy Me a Coffee or by going to this link Buy Me a Coffee. This would allow you to donate to help the show address the costs associated with producing the podcast from upgrading gear to the fees associated with producing the show. That would be cool. Thanks for thinking about it.  Hey, I've got another favo

Annie Kessler - City Year New York and Student Success Coaches. This is episode 772 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. Annie Kessler is a dedicated leader committed to advancing educational equity. She started her career in education as a City Year New York AmeriCorps Member, serving in a 5th grade classroom at PS48X in the South Bronx after receiving a Bachelor of Arts in English at Loyola College in Baltimore, Maryland. Annie’s experiences as an AmeriCorps Member were transformative in her career journey and led her to become a Program Manager and then Director at City Year New York. A little about … City Year New York: City Year New York AmeriCorps members a.k.a Student Success Coaches (SSCs) serve full-time in 17 New York City public schools, reaching more than 7,000 students each day.  (They are basically an army of 20-somethings who come into community schools and serve as teacher helpers/caring adults.) Our focus today is …. New York City will need to hire almost 4,000 more educators

Lee Matthew Goldberg- Miles in Time - Book 1: Solve the Mystery, Save the Future. This is episode 771 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. Lee Matthew Goldberg is the Anthony, Lefty, and Prix du Polar nominated author of fifteen novels including THE ANCESTOR and THE MENTOR, and THE GREAT GIMMELMANS along with his five-book DESIRE CARD series and the RUNAWAY TRAIN trilogy.  MILES IN TIME came out May 2025.  After graduating with an MFA from the New School, he’s been published in multiple languages and his writing has also appeared as a contributor in CrimeReads, Pipeline Artists, LitHub, Chicago Quarterly Review, Electric Literature, The Los Angeles Review of Books, The Jewish Book Council, The Millions, Vol. 1 Brooklyn, LitReactor, Mystery Tribune, The Nerd Daily, Monkeybicycle, Fiction Writers Review, Cagibi, Necessary Fiction, the anthology Dirty Boulevard, The Montreal Review, The Adirondack Review, The New Plains Review, Maudlin House and others.  His pilots and screenplays have been fina

Joshua Ray - Finding Your Balance: Personal and Professional Wellness Strategies for Effective Educational Leadership. This is episode 770 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. Joshua Ray, EdD, is an educational speaker and author who has led the Professional Learning Communities (PLC) at Work® process at the elementary, secondary, and district level. He is passionate about building healthy school cultures, the work of collaborative teams, systems of support, and educator well-being. As assistant superintendent, Dr. Ray helped schools collaboratively build district common assessments, unite around common expectations, and improve teaching and learning. He worked alongside principals and instructional coaches to make the PLC at Work process practical and meaningful. Previously, Dr. Ray was principal at Greenwood High School and East Pointe Elementary School. Under his leadership, both campuses were selected by the Arkansas Department of Education to participate in the Arkansas PLC at Work proje

Theresa M. Callaghan, PhD - Help! I'm Covered in Adjectives - Cosmetic Claims & the Consumer: Navigating Science, Regulations, and Myths in the Beauty Industry, 2nd Ed. This is episode 769 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. Theresa M. Callaghan, Ph.D. is a leading biochemist and skincare scientist with over 35 years of experience in international corporate skincare research. She is the author of Help! I’m Covered in Adjectives: Cosmetic Claims & The Consumer – Navigating Science, Regulations, and myths in the Beauty Industry, 2nd Edition. She has also had more than 150 scientific and technical articles published.  She sits on the scientific editorial review board of the International Journal of Cosmetic Science and is an active member of a number of professional societies including the British Herbal Medical Association, & the Scandinavian Society of Cosmetic Scientists. She is also an advisor to TKS Science Publisher; (HPC Today Journal) is Scientific Editor at EuroCosmetics Ma

Ryan Gottfredson - Becoming Better: The Groundbreaking Science of Personal Transformation. This is episode 768 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. Ryan Gottfredson, Ph.D. is a cutting-edge leadership development author, researcher, and consultant. He helps organizations vertically develop their leaders primarily through a focus on mindsets. Ryan is the Wall Street Journal and USA Today best-selling author of Success Mindsets, The Elevated Leader, and Becoming Better. He is also a leadership professor at the College of Business and Economics at California State University-Fullerton. Our focus today is Ryan’s latest book - Becoming Better: The Groundbreaking Science of Personal Transformation So much to learn and understand. Great conversation! Thanks for listening! Thanks for sharing! Before you go... You could help support this podcast by Buying Me A Coffee. Not really buying me something to drink but clicking on the link on my home page at https://stevenmiletto.com for Buy Me a Coffee or by

Madelyn Simon - Writer & Artist: Poppy's Sweet Sibling Story. This is episode 767 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. Madelyn Simon is a proud native New Yorker who grew up with a love of nature… especially plants and animals. She loved it so much that in 1979 she started Madelyn Simon & Associates Inc. where they designed, installed, and maintained live plants both indoors and out. The company grew (forgive the pun) and serviced 700 corporate clients weekly until she retired in 2006. When her daughter was young, she would ask Madelyn to dream up stories to share each night before bed. Not one, not two, but three stories every night before they could turn off the light. Now, Madelyn wants to share these stories with the world. In 2006, after retirement, watercolor painting and oil painting became her passions, as well as a rekindling of her love of storytelling.  When her daughter was young, she would ask Madelyn to dream up stories to share each night before bed. Not one, not two, b

Clement Townsend - VideoPro Learning: Helping Educators Turn Classwork into Dynamic Multimedia Assignments. This is episode 766 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. Clement Townsend lives in Chicago and is the founder of the innovative Video Pro Learning platform.  This platform boosts student engagement, increases motivation, and develops creativity so students can be future ready.  Clement spent the last 7 years teaching more than 800 students digital media in Chicago.  This experience led him to create Video Pro Learning allowing teachers to seamlessly integrate video assignments in core subjects.   Clement is the author of the book How to Become a Broadcasting Star. Before working in education, Clement spent nearly 20 years as a Sports Broadcaster. He worked on local news, cable, and internet platforms in cities like San Angelo, Texas; Mobile, Alabama; Lynchburg, Virginia; and Chicago, Illinois. He covered major events like the Super Bowl, NBA All-Star Game, and several college football N

Mitch Weisburgh - Mindshifting: Stop Your Brain from Sabotaging Your Happiness and Success. This is episode 765 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. Mitch Weisburgh’s goal is to grow a critical mass of people who live happy, productive lives, who are resilient and resourceful in the face of obstacles, adversaries, and unintended outcomes. From 1981 through 2000, Mitch founded and ran Personal Computer Learning Centers of America, training adults in the use of computers, growing the company to over 130 employees. Mitch Weisburgh co-founded Academic Business Advisors in 2005, which helped organizations make a difference to reach more students in US schools and has started various nonprofit organizations in education such as Games4Ed and Edchat Interactive. Mitch’s book, MindShifting: Stop Your Brain from Sabotaging Your Happiness and Success came out in December 2024 and focuses on techniques to change from mindsets that hold us back to ones that propel us forward. Since 2018, Mitch has been cr

  Larry Ainsworth - Integrating Teaching and Learning: Timeless Essentials for Creating Integrated Units of Study. This is episode 764 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. Larry Ainsworth is the author or co-author of more than 20 books, including his most popular titles: Rigorous Curriculum Design; Common Formative Assessments 2.0; Prioritizing Common Core State Standards; Power Standards; “Unwrapping” Common Core State Standards, and “Unwrapping” the Standards. Larry’s comprehensive new book series, Integrating Teaching and Learning: “Timeless Essentials” for Creating Integrated Units of Study (2024), explains and illustrates in detail how PK-12 educators can develop quality units of study that intentionally align standards, assessments, instruction, and data analysis to positively impact student learning. Currently an independent author-consultant, Larry served as the Executive Director of Professional Development at The Leadership and Learning Center in Englewood, Colorado, from 1999 to 20

Kurt Baumeister - Twighlight of the Gods: A Novel. This is episode 763 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast.  Kurt Baumeister’s writing has appeared in Salon, Guernica, Electric Literature, Rain Taxi, The Brooklyn Rail, The Rumpus, Vol. 1 Brooklyn, The Nervous Breakdown, The Weeklings, and other outlets. An acquisitions editor with 7.13 Books, Baumeister holds an MFA in creative writing from Emerson College, and is a member of The National Book Critics Circle and The Authors Guild. Twilight of the Gods is his second novel. Our focus today is Kurt’s new novel - Twilight of the Gods. Great conversation! Thanks for listening! Thanks for sharing! Before you go... You could help support this podcast by Buying Me A Coffee. Not really buying me something to drink but clicking on the link on my home page at https://stevenmiletto.com for Buy Me a Coffee or by going to this link Buy Me a Coffee. This would allow you to donate to help the show address the costs associated with producing the podcast from u

Gavin Grift - Emerge: The 5 Most Common Challenges Faced by Middle Leaders and How to Overcome Them. This is episode 762 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast.  Gavin Grift is a globally recognized thought leader in leadership development, renowned for his deep work on the ‘inner game’ of leadership. As the founder and CEO of Grift Education, Gavin has spent decades helping school leaders develop the thinking skills necessary to lead successfully - both individually and in collaborative environments.  He is a champion of strategic reflection, self-awareness, and thinking-based leadership, ensuring that leaders not only achieve success but sustain it in dynamic and complex educational landscapes.  He is the author of nine books, including Emerge, Five Ways of Being, and Collaborative Teams That Work, which have helped leaders worldwide navigate challenges with clarity and confidence. His research-informed approaches are highly sought after, making him one of the leading voices in professional le

Kevin Stoller - Better Learning Podcast - talks with Steve about the 1984 movie: Teachers. This is episode 761 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. The Better Learning Podcast combines education and entertainment in a fresh, engaging format where guests share their favorite school-related movies. Host Kevin Stoller leads dynamic conversations, exploring memorable scenes, iconic characters, and timeless lessons through award-style categories like “The John Keating Award” for standout teachers and “Realistic or Ridiculous?” to dissect school life portrayals. With humor, analysis, and reflection, each episode celebrates the fun, flaws, and impact of these films while sparking nostalgia and insights. Whether you’re an educator, student, or movie buff, join us to relive the movies that shaped how we see school life, and share your favorites. Teachers is one of my all-time favorite movies. I was in undergraduate school, working on my degree so that I could teach high school history. Mr. Gower is my

Steve Haberlin - Calming Student Stress: Mindfulness, Meditation, and Other Strategies to Reduce Anxiety and Enhance Learning in K-12 Classrooms. This is episode 760 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. Steve Haberlin, PhD, is an assistant professor of curriculum and instruction in the College of Community Innovation and Education at the University of Central Florida.  Dr. Haberlin’s research focuses on the implementation of mind-body practices, including mindfulness, meditation interventions to address mental health concerns in educational settings and help students unfold their potential.  His research involves studying the impact of brief meditation, including the use of technology-assisted devices, to improve focus and reduce stress and anxiety. A life-long meditator, with more than 25 years’ experience, his work involves facilitating meditation professional development training and workshops for faculty.  Dr. Haberlin is the author of Meditation in the College Classroom: A Pedagogical To

Ben Tanzer - After Hours: Scorsese, Grief and the Grammar of Cinema. This is episode 759 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. Emmy-award winner Ben Tanzer's acclaimed work includes the novel - The Missing, the short story collection UPSTATE, the science fiction novel Orphans and the essay collections Lost in Space and Be Cool.  Ben is a Story South and Pushcart nominee, a finalist for the Annual National Indie Excellence and Eric Hoffer Book Awards, a winner of the Devil's Kitchen Literary Festival Nonfiction Prose Award and a Midwest Book Award. He also received an Honorable Mention at the Chicago Writers Association Book Awards for Traditional Non-Fiction and a Bronze Medal from the Independent Publisher Book Awards.  He's written for Hemispheres, Punk Planet, Men’s Health, and The Arrow, AARP’s GenX newsletter. He lives in Chicago with his family. Our focus today will be his latest work - After Hours: Scorsese, Grief and the Grammar of Cinema. Powerful writing. Engaging. Thought provoking.

Craig Gehring - MasteryPrep: Helping Students Improve Their SAT & ACT Scores. This is episode 758 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast.   Craig Gehring is the founder and CEO of MasteryPrep.  After he earned perfect scores on the ACT and SAT, Craig started tutoring to help students earn scholarships. He found that most students need more support than what traditional test prep programs provide. That was the genesis of MasteryPrep.  Each year, MasteryPrep partners with over 2,000 schools and school districts to help more than 400,000 students improve their ACT and SAT scores at no cost to the students or their families. MasteryPrep is licensed by ACT, Inc. to use official test questions in its material, and is proud to serve as the Council for Opportunity in Education’s preferred provider of ACT and SAT preparation.  Craig lives in Baton Rouge, Louisiana with his wife and three teenage daughters. Awesome talk! So much to learn! Please share. Thanks for listening! Before you go... You could

Adam Geller - Observation Copilot: Turning Classroom Observation Notes into Feedback for Teachers. This is episode 757 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. Adam Geller is the Founder & CEO of Edthena which harnesses the power of AI and video coaching to enhance professional learning, boost teacher retention, and improve student outcomes. He started his career in education as a science teacher in St. Louis, Missouri.  Since 2011, Adam has overseen the evolution of Edthena from a paper-based prototype into multiple research-informed platforms for streamlining feedback to teachers:  AI Coach by Edthena, an artificial intelligence-driven solution to guide teachers through coaching cycles.  Edthena VC3, a platform for classroom observation and collaboration using video coaching.  Edthena Organization Libraries, a platform for schools and districts to curate and share best-practice teaching videos. And today, our focus is on their newest tool for educators… Observation Copilot: Observation Co

  Lisa Gitelson - The Fresh Air Fund: Because a Summer Can Last a Lifetime. This is episode 756 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. Lisa Gitelson is the CEO of The Fresh Air Fund. Each year the nearly 148-year-old nonprofit invites about 3,000 low-income New York City-based children ages 8-18 to spend the summer swimming, rowing, hiking, and stargazing in Fresh Air Fund camps. Throughout Lisa’s career in public service, as an attorney and child welfare advocate, she has been dedicated to addressing the needs of underserved youth.  Prior to joining The Fund, she was Assistant Executive Director/Legal Counsel for The New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NYSPCC). She is also an Adjunct Professor at Silberman School of Social Work, Hunter College, CUNY, where she teaches the Policy & Practice of Child Welfare.  As Assistant Executive Director/Legal Counsel for NYSPCC, Lisa identified legislation and other public policy issues that impacted the organization’s work and d