Shows / The Best of Us
The Best of Us
On The Best of Us podcast, we highlight the stories, practices, and tactics of K-12 professional learning leaders working to enhance the educator experience. We speak with educators, researchers, and policy makers about what’s working to drive teacher engagement, practice, and retention and how we can all bring out the best of us.
Episodes
- The Best of Us
S4/E12: Alejandra Barbosa on Keeping Principals in the Job Past Year Three
Alejandra Barbosa of the Educator Collective shares how a Dallas-Fort Worth fellowship keeps principals in the job past the years when most leave, using…
- The Best of Us
S4/E11: Amber Chandler on Why Teacher Retention Starts With Relationships
Amber Chandler, a veteran teacher and longtime union president, explains why support for new teachers tends to disappear right after year one, and how she…
- The Best of Us
S4/E10: Sharron Helmke on the Real Work of Coaching and Mentoring Teachers
Sharron Helmke of Learning Forward shares what separates coaching that builds real capacity from coaching that just feels good in the moment, and why a teacher…
- The Best of Us
S4/E9: When You Give Educators the Space to Experiment with AI with Chelsea Waite & Caitrin Wright
Chelsea Waite of the Center on Reinventing Public Education and Caitrin Wright of Silicon Schools Fund share what they learned from a cohort of educators who…
- The Best of Us
S4/E8: Sara Scribner on Rethinking Teacher Prep from the Ground Up
Sara Scribner shares how a rural New Hampshire district stopped waiting for special education teachers to arrive and built its own pipeline instead, covering…
- The Best of Us
S4/E7: Allie's Rodman's Case for Personalized Professional Learning and Whole Educators
How can districts design professional learning that treats teachers as the adult learners they are? In this episode, Allie Rodman—a former teacher, coach…
- The Best of Us
S4/E6: From Lab Scientist to Learning Designer—How Curiosity and Stories Drive Adult Learning with Nadira Singh
What if the key to better professional learning is asking more questions instead of giving more answers? In this episode, Nadira Singh shares how she uses…
- The Best of Us
S4/E5: When Students Lead the Change—How Voice and Goals Drive Teacher Retention with Katy Meyers
When Katy Meyers' first-year teacher announced she was leaving education, Katy flipped the question: instead of asking why teachers quit, she researched what…
- The Best of Us
S4/E4: Leading with Vulnerability—Why Self-Doubt Makes Better Leaders with Elizabeth Dampf
What if admitting "I'm not sure I'm good enough for this" is actually the most powerful thing a leader can say? Elizabeth Dampf believes that self-doubt isn't…
- The Best of Us
S4/E3: The Success Triangle — 40 Years of Urban District Leadership with Dr. Michael Hinojosa
Why do most new superintendents feel overwhelmed by board relations, politics, and finance rather than instruction? In this episode of The Best of Us, Dr…
- The Best of Us
S4/E2: Teresa Morales-Young on How Fresno Unified Built a Teacher Pipeline That Actually Works
Over 15 years, Teresa Morales Young has built something rare in education: a teacher pipeline that actually works. As leader of the Department of Teacher…
- The Best of Us
S4/E1: Michael McDowell on How Leaders Can Build Collective Instructional Excellence
Why does a student's educational experience depend more on which classroom door they walk through than which school they attend? Educational leader and author…
- The Best of Us
S3/E12: Learning Labs — How Job-Embedded Professional Learning Transforms Teaching and Learning
What happens when professional learning moves from conference rooms into classrooms, with teachers, coaches, and principals learning together in real-time with…
- The Best of Us
S3/E11: Taking Things Off Teachers' Plates — How School Leaders Can Combat Burnout Before It Starts
What if the solution to teacher burnout isn't asking teachers to fix themselves, but building systems that lighten their load? In this episode, Laura Donnelly…
- The Best of Us
S3/E10: Teacher Agency at Scale — How M3T is Revolutionizing Professional Learning in West Virginia
What happens when you give teachers the power to identify their own problems and work together to solve them? In this episode, Joanna Burt-Kinderman and Adam…
- The Best of Us
S3/E9: From Lab Bench to White House — Why Steve Robinson Believes in Coaching as Policy
How does a molecular biologist-turned-middle school teacher end up shaping national education policy from inside the Obama White House? In this episode, Steve…
- The Best of Us
S3/E8: Sneakers on the Ground — How Dr. Tiffany Anderson Leads from the Classroom Up
How can a superintendent who teaches middle school weekly—and wears sneakers with suits—transform an entire school district? In this episode, Dr. Tiffany…
- The Best of Us
S3/E7: How AI Is Rewriting PD: A Conversation with Dyane Smokorowski
How can district leaders use AI to deepen professional learning and reimagine instructional design? In this episode, Dyane Smokorowski, Coordinator of Digital…
- The Best of Us
S3/E6: Women in Education Leadership, with Dr. AK Prerara
In this episode of The Best of Us, Superintendent of Lancaster ISD Dr. AK Perera shares her journey to educational leadership and the differences between male…
- The Best of Us
S3/E5 The Equity Trap, with Jennifer Ahn
In this episode of The Best of Us, Jennifer Ahn of Lead By Learning delves into collaborative inquiry and professional learning as a critical tool for…
- The Best of Us
S3/E4: Supporting Non-Teaching Educators, with Dr. Danica Brown
In this episode of The Best of Us, we’re proud to host researcher and educator Dr. Danica Brown to discuss the "hidden half" of educators—non-teaching staff…
- The Best of Us
S3/E3: Fostering Adult Learning Environments as a Leader, with Dr. Jen Cheatham
System-level leaders are charged with evaluating instructional quality and nurturing an environment where teachers can flourish in their careers. But those…
- The Best of Us
S3/E2: National Teacher of the Year Missy Testerman on Bottom-Up Educator Leadership
In this episode of "The Best of Us," we talk with National Teacher of the Year Missy Testerman, a master educator who gives us a look at teacher professional…
- The Best of Us
S3/E1: Dr. Thomas Guskey on Evaluating Professional Learning
On this episode of The Best of Us, we’re honored to talk with Dr. Thomas Guskey, author of Instructional Feedback: The Power, the Promise, the Practice and…
- The Best of Us
S2/E13: Using Continuous Improvement Science in Schools, with Paola Deliz Felix Encarnación
In this episode of The Best of Us, we’re joined by Paola Deliz Felix Encarnación, Vice President of the National Network for School Improvement at City Year…
- The Best of Us
S2/E12: Elena Aguilar on Transformational Coaching for Systemic Change
In this episode of The Best of Us, we discuss transformational coaching as a key lever for momentum with all-star coach Elena Aguilar. Elena coaches us through…
- The Best of Us
S2/E11: Supporting Teachers Through Building-Level Leadership, with Jen Martin and Jamie Jordan
In this episode of The Best of Us, principals Jennifer Martin and Jamie Jordan share how they’ve supported teacher professional learning through their roles as…
- The Best of Us
S2/E10: DEI and the Educator Workforce, with Sharif El-Mekki and Lisa Lachlan
We discuss "An Effective Workforce is a Diverse Workforce" with co-authors Sharif El-Mekki and Lisa Lachlan. These two scholars’ work centers on the critical…
- The Best of Us
S2/E9: Campus Leaders’ Role in Teacher Development, with Paul Offill and Christy Watley
In this episode of The Best of Us, building principals Christy Whatley and Paul Offill discuss school leadership strategy for professional learning and teacher…
- The Best of Us
S2/E8: Optimizing PLCs and Workshops for Success, with Dr. Magdalena Ganias
In this episode of The Best of Us, we talk with Dr. Magdalena Ganias of Worcester Public Schools about concrete strategies to set up PD efforts for success. As…
- The Best of Us
S2/E7: Quantifying Teacher Success, with Dr. Dan Goldhaber
In this episode of The Best of Us, we’re joined by Dr. Dan Goldhaber, director of University of Washington’s Center for Education Data & Research and AIR’s…
- The Best of Us
S2/E6: Superintendents’ Role in Teacher Support, with Kevin McGowan
In this episode of The Best of Us, we sit down with Dr. Kevin McGowan, Superintendent of Brighton Central School District and longest-tenured school leader in…
- The Best of Us
S2/E5: Principals or Peers: Who Should Evaluate Teachers?, with Drs. Alyson Lavigne & Tim Ford
In this episode of The Best of Us,we sit down with Dr. Alyson Lavigne and Dr. Tim Ford to cover the wide world of teacher evaluation. These two instructional…
- The Best of Us
S2/E4: Understanding Educators as a Workforce, with Dr. Tequilla Brownie
In this episode of The Best of Us, we talk with Dr. Tequilla Brownie, CEO of The New Teacher Project, about ways to understand and address the teacher shortage…
- The Best of Us
S2/E3: Research-Backed Strategies in Professional Learning, with Dr. Peter DeWitt
In this episode of The Best of Us, we talk with education researcher and author Dr. Peter DeWitt about research-backed concepts and strategies to make…
- The Best of Us
S2/E2: Building Long-Term Systems for Educator Growth, with Kaya Henderson
In this episode of The Best of Us, we talk with Kaya Henderson, former Chancellor of DC Public Schools, about the philosophy and tactics behind the district’s…
- The Best of Us
S2/E1: Preparing the Black Teachers of Tomorrow with Sharif El-Mekki
In this episode of The Best of Us, Center for Black Educator Development (CBED) founder Sharif El-Mekki talks us through rebuilding the Black teacher pipeline…
- The Best of Us
S1/E12: Helping Black and Brown Education Leaders Thrive, with Carmita Semaan
In this episode of The Best of Us, Surge Institute founder Carmita Semaan takes us through the ins and outs of investing in Black, brown, and Asian talent…
- The Best of Us
S1/E11: Collaborative Instructional Rounds for Real-Time Classroom Growth, with Matt Griesinger
It’s inarguable that teachers are experts on what their students need. So how can school administrators leverage that expertise to make professional learning…
- The Best of Us
S1/E10: Preparing Pre-K - 12 Educators to Teach Climate Change Without the Doom and Gloom with Stephanie Sisk-Hilton
86% of teachers (and 80% of parents) believe that climate science needs to be taught in schools, yet fewer than 50% of teachers do — and less than one-quarter…
- The Best of Us
S1/E9: Solving State-Wide Teacher Shortage with Paraprofessional-to-Teacher Pipelines
Heading into fall 2022, nearly 7% of teaching positions in North Dakota were unfilled. Between attracting young talent and retaining career professionals, a…
- The Best of Us
S1/E8: Applying Universal Design for Learning to Teacher PD with Katie Novak
Internationally renowed education consultant Katie Novak works across the world to help education systems incorporate Universal Design for Learning (UDL) so…
- The Best of Us
S1/E7: Creating Sustainable Leadership Development Pipelines with David Pinder of D.C. Public Schools
In 2021, Chancellor of DC Public Schools Lewis Ferebee identified sustainable leadership pipelines as a critical challenge to the district’s operations. DCPS’s…
- The Best of Us
S1/E6: Designing High Impact Teacher Preparation Programs with Dr. Karen DeMoss of Prepared to Teach
In this episode of The Best Of Us, we sat down with Dr. Karen Demoss, Executive Director of Prepared To Teach. We started out discussing the barriers to high…
- The Best of Us
S1/E5: Teacher Mindsets for Serving All Students with Lacey Robinson of UnboundEd
How can school leaders demonstrate their belief in their teachers? What support do educators need to feel good in the day-to-day, and stay in the profession?…
- The Best of Us
S1/E4: How to Build and Sustain an Impactful Instructional Coaching Program with Fairfax County Public Schools
How do you align strategy, activities and reporting for over 100 coaches across 89 schools? Where do principals fit into the success of a district-wide…
- The Best of Us
S1/E3: Starting and Evolving a Comprehensive New Teacher Induction Program
What is the impact of early-career support on overall teacher retention? What considerations go into pairing veteran mentors with new-to-the-classroom mentees?…
- The Best of Us
S1/E2: Getting Instructional Coaches to Think Like Scientists with Dr. Jim Knight
How has the role of the instructional coach changed in the last couple of years? What can we learn from thinking about the concept of task conflict vs…
The Best of UsS1/E1: Elevating School-based Professional Learning with Joellen Killion
Why is it important to engage school-based educators in solving the problems they face? How do we honor the expertise of our teachers, and shift the mindset…