Building Our Super School Podcast

At Academica Media, we believe that education must go beyond the curriculum. Lily has two new guests this week. From Thelma Louise Gibson Charter School comes Jennifer DeSousa and Yaneisy Abreu to talk about how to use diagnostic data to create action plans for students and using a standards-aligned curriculum while allowing your staff enough time during the school day to collaborate on lesson plans to help turn around a school, in an underprivileged neighborhood. The Gibson turnaround is a 3 part series, so stay tuned in, for the final segment of this amazing story. Host: Lily Salazar

Don't just listen, join the conversation! Tweet us at @AcademicaMedia or with the hashtag #BigIdeasinEducation with questions or new topics you want to see discussed. This week Mike and Ryan have two exciting education topics for you, while Sarah runs the show! Ryan's big idea is about, you guessed it. podcasting! An elementary school teacher, uses podcasting, in order to help her students express themselves. Mike's topic this week deals with taking the anxiety out of grueling exams in STEM by using simple exercises that can be done in the classroom. Hosts: Sarah Boulos Fye (@readwithfye); Michael Hernandez (@edtechmichael); Ryan Kairalla (@ryankair)

At Academica Media, we believe that education must go beyond the curriculum. Lily has two new guests this week. From Thelma Louise Gibson Charter School comes Jennifer DeSousa and Yaneisy Abreu to talk about their "boots on the ground' approach to turning around a school, in an underprivileged neighborhood. The Gibson turnaround is a 3 part series, so stay tuned in, for parts 2 and 3 of this incredible story. Host: Lily Salazar

This week, Ryan sits down with principal Wendy Shirey of Pinecrest Academy Horizon charter school in Henderson, Nevada. Back in December, Principal Shirey won the prestigious Milken Educator Award, an honor frequently referred to as the "Oscars of Teaching." Ryan talks to Wendy about what the award means to her, how she uses data and stakeholder engagement to effect school turnarounds, her strategies for effective grant writing, and how her background in special education influences her leadership philosophy. You can find out more about our guest's school by visiting www.pinecresthorizon.org and find out more about her award by visiting www.milkeneducatorawards.org. Host: Ryan Kairalla (@ryankair)

Don't just listen, join the conversation! Tweet us at @AcademicaMedia or with the hashtag #WWJD with questions or new topics for Judy Marty. In this month's episode, Judy and Lily share their experiences with turning low-performance schools around. Judy uses her knowledge as a former high-school principal to explain what does it take to affect meaningful change, and positive encouragement, with both faculty and students. Hosts: Liliana Salazar (@SalazarLilly)

This week, Ryan sits down with charter school teacher Ralph Krauss (Pinecrest Academy of Nevada) and charter school support administrator Michael Smythers. This year, Ralph and Michael built a competitive e-sports league featuring charter schools from Florida and Nevada. Students are competing as teams and representing their schools in the league featuring the "Rocket League" video game, and the program has garnered incredible interest from the competing schools. Ralph and Michael talk about why e-sports programs are good investments for schools and why they are valuable for students. Our guests also talk about their league, what the future holds for their program, and how other schools can create e-sports programs at their campuses. Host: Ryan Kairalla (@ryankair)

Don't just listen, join the conversation! Tweet us at @AcademicaMedia or with the hashtag #BigIdeasinEducation with questions or new topics you want to see discussed. This week, Sarah, Mike, and Ryan have two exciting education topics for you! First, the BIIE crew discuss Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood and the lessons it can teach us as educators. This beloved children's program excelled at talking to kids about weighty concepts in a way that was neither condescending nor confusing for its audience. Educator's can learn a lot from this show's approach. Mike (our Information Security expert) also shares with us three things that all schools should be doing to protect their data from hacking and phishing attempts. Multi-factor identification, server segmentation, and firewalls are discussed. Hosts: Sarah Boulos Fye (@readwithfye); Michael Hernandez (@edtechmichael); Ryan Kairalla (@ryankair)

This week, we are joined by four very special guests, high school seniors Santiago, Nathaniel, Pedro, and Juliette at the Doral Academy Charter High School. These four excellent students talk about their experience attending their Blue Ribbon-winning charter school and how their charter school education has helped them receive admission at prestigious colleges around the country. Host: Ryan Kairalla (@ryankair) Producer: Michael Hernandez (@edtechmichael)

Don't just listen, join the conversation! Tweet us at @AcademicaMedia or with the hashtag #BigIdeasinEducation with questions or new topics you want to see discussed. With Sarah and Ryan bringing the stories this week, Mike has a little fun with the intro. Sarah shares her insight on where schools should draw the line on personalized learning. While Ryan discusses how enrichment for all levels of students can prove to have surprising results. Want to read more about the big ideas discussed in today's show? Click on the links below: Sarah: https://bit.ly/2FYXxT5 chttps://bit.ly/2CTZwVF Ryan: https://edut.to/2UFcQp8

This week, Charter School Superstars is recording on-location at the Blue Ribbon-winning Doral Academy Charter High School in Doral, Florida to talk to high-performing teachers Michael Hunter and Domingo Montenegro. Mr. Hunter and Mr. Montenegro are the science and English department chairs respectively at Doral Academy and have championed an AP program that has achieved incredible results while embracing open enrollment throughout the student body. These two wonderful teachers offer insight on how schools can foster a college prep curriculum that embraces both high enrollment and academic quality. Our guests also have some great stories to tell on how they were able to work directly with their administration to implement school-wide initiatives to help Doral Academy enjoy continued success. Give CSS a listen this week and get inspired! If you would like to speak with our guests to find out more about their programs, visit www.doralacademyprep.org. Host: Ryan Kairalla (@ryankair) Producer: Michael Hernande

At Academica Media, we believe that education must go beyond the curriculum. That's why this week, Lily has on Major William Tagle to discuss school safety and get his take on: "The Seven Strategies to Keeping Schools Safer" by Bill Ziegler, and posted by the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) This is part 2 of a 3 part series. School Safety is a core tenant to Academica and all of its supported schools. In the wake of the upcoming anniversary of the MSD tragedy, we would like to share our experts with you in this subject, so that we can be safer together. Host: Liliana Salazar (@SalazarLilly)

At Academica Media, we believe that education must go beyond the curriculum. That's why this week, Lily has on Major William Tagle to discuss school safety and get his take on: "The Seven Strategies to Keeping Schools Safer" by Bill Ziegler, and posted by the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) This is part 3 of a 3 part series. School Safety is a core tenant to Academica and all of its supported schools. In the wake of the upcoming anniversary of the MSD tragedy, we would like to share our experts with you in this subject, so that we can be safer together. Host: Liliana Salazar (@SalazarLilly)

At Academica Media, we believe that education must go beyond the curriculum. That's why this week, Lily has on Major William Tagle to discuss school safety and get his take on: "The Seven Strategies to Keeping Schools Safer" by Bill Ziegler, and posted by the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) School Safety is a core tenant to Academica and all of its supported schools. In the wake of the upcoming anniversary of the MSD tragedy, we would like to share our experts with you in this subject, so that we can be safer together. Host: Liliana Salazar (@SalazarLilly)

This week on Big Ideas of Education, we change the format and discuss two big ideas. Tweet us your feedback on this format at @AcademicaMedia or use #BigIdeasinEducation. On this week of Big Ideas in Education, Ryan and Mike present their big ideas while Sarah provides her educational opinion. Ryan talks about using inquiry-based learning approach in the classroom. Mike speaks about the increase of misuse of technology when it comes to student assessment. Want to read more about the big ideas discussed in today's show, click on the links below: Ryan - https://bit.ly/2SZZpig Michael - https://bit.ly/2qgHWYM Ryan: Mike: Hosts: Sarah Fye (@readwithfye), Ryan Kairalla (@ryankair), Mike Hernandez (@edtechmichael) Producer: Frankie Mestre (@frankiemestre14)

Hello Education Lovers! This week, the Big Ideas team has a new slate of stories for you. Ryan talks about a seventh grade teacher's interesting approach to teaching his students compassionate behaviors. Sarah discusses the most in-demand skill from employers in 2019 (creativity!) and how schools can encourage it in their students. Mike talks about Utah's recent innovations in tech education and how they can serve as a model for schools around the country. Hosts: Sarah Boulos Fye (@readwithfye); Mike Hernandez (@edtechmichael); Ryan Kairalla (@ryankair) Sources: https://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2018/12/18/want-your-students-to-be-kinder-try.html https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2019/01/07/the-most-in-demand-skill-of-2019-according-to-linkedin.html https://venturebeat.com/2019/01/09/heartland-tech-weekly-utahs-approach-to-tech-education-could-be-a-model-for-the-nation/

This week, Ryan sits down with education consultant and policy expert Liza McFadden of Liza & Partners. A big policy focus for Liza is adult education, and particularly the role that charter schools can play in expanding adult education opportunities. She tells us about some successful adult education charter programs in the U.S. and also discusses what policymakers and advocates need to do to allow these programs to expand and serve more people. Host: Ryan Kairalla (@ryankair)

Don't just listen, join the conversation! Tweet us at @AcademicaMedia or with the hashtag #BigIdeasinEducation with questions or new topics you want to see discussed. The team is back for the new year! This week, Ryan shares the story of GlassLab and its efforts to prove that games can assess learning. Sarah brings in her perspective on reducing stereotype threats in the classroom, and Michael brings in research on SEL initiatives with digital tools for the classroom https://bit.ly/2Aa3jgV - Michael https://bit.ly/2NC26HV - Sarah https://bit.ly/2Lh5aoE - Ryan Hosts: Sarah Boulos Fye (@readwithfye), Mike Hernandez (@edtechmichael), Ryan Kairalla (@ryankair)

At Academica Media, we believe that education must go beyond the curriculum. Lily is continuing her interview with two amazing principals from the Academica Network: Carlos Alvarez from the City of Hialeah Educational Academy and Idalia Suarez from Somerset City Arts Conservatory. Carlos and Idalia share their experiences with how they have transformed from using a fixed mindset to a growth mindset along with how a school should create a safe culture which promotes the benefits and sacrifices that comes with grit. Host: Lily Salazar Producer: Frankie Mestre

This week, Ryan sits down with teacher and sports radio personality Larry Milian. Larry is the director of the SLAM Radio program at the SLAM Academy charter high school in Miami, Florida. SLAM Radio is a SiriusXM satellite station and is the first such radio station run by high school students. Larry talks to Ryan about this groundbreaking initiative and provides some insight on what motivates students and the value of project-based learning. You can check out SLAM Radio by tuning in to SiriusXM channel 145 and you can find out more about the station by visiting https://www.siriusxm.com/slamradio. Host: Ryan Kairalla (@ryankair)

This week, Ryan sits down with the Chair and Vice Chair of the Kamalani Academy Charter School in Wahiawa, Hawai'i. Operating charter schools in our 50th state presents unique challenges and opportunities, and our guests have some great insights to share. They also talk about some of Kamalani's innovative programs, including its focus on Hawaiian culture across the curriculum, its arts integration programs, and its leadership initiatives. Our guests also discuss the charter school movement in Hawai'i generally and the challenges in recruiting and retaining teachers in the state. Find out more about Kamalani Academy by visiting www.kamalaniacademy.org. Host: Ryan Kairalla (@ryankair)