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 Development at Fresno Unified—California's third-largest district—Teresa has created 12 interconnected pathways that guide educators from high school through their entire career, achieving retention rates that far exceed state averages.
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 Michael McDowell explores how schools can move from tolerating isolated brilliance in individual classrooms to building collective instructional excellence through systematic implementation of high-impact practices.
What happens when professional learning moves from conference rooms into classrooms, with teachers, coaches, and principals learning together in real-time with actual students?
In this episode, Elham Kazemi from the University of Washington and Jessica Calabrese, a former principal and district leader, share how Learning Labs revolutionize professional development by embedding it directly into classroom practice. Unlike traditional PD that separates learning from teaching, their approach brings teams of educators into classrooms together to collaboratively plan, teach, observe, and reflect—all while working with real students on authentic problems of practice.
Drawing from their partnership that began in a federally-designated "persistently low-performing" school in South Seattle, Elham and Jessica reveal how this model shifts principals from evaluators to lead learners, transforms isolated teaching into collaborative inquiry, and positions students as the most important teachers of all. They discuss how focusing on student thinking rather than test scores creates the conditions for both academic growth and teacher retention.
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 and Jill Hanley, co-authors of "What Can I Take Off Your Plate?", challenge the conventional approach to teacher burnout that places the burden on individual educators. Instead of telling overwhelmed teachers to practice more self-care, they argue that school leaders must create intentional systems that remove unnecessary weight from what's already on teachers' plates.
Drawing from their experience transforming a high-need elementary school with 82% free and reduced lunch and 44% English language learners, Laura and Jill share practical strategies for building sustainable systems. From crafting master schedules that prioritize collaboration to establishing consistent behavior support protocols, they reveal how thoughtful operational decisions become powerful cultural statements about what a school truly values.
Through the story of "Mrs. Wilson" and other composite teacher experiences, they demonstrate how common pain points—unclear communication, inconsistent feedback, and lack of behavior support—can be systematically addressed through better leadership practices, not individual teacher resilience.
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 Riazi from the Mountaineer Mathematics Master Teacher (M3T) network share how they've built a statewide system that puts teacher agency at the center of professional learning. Unlike traditional top-down professional development, M3T empowers 32 teacher leaders across 27 West Virginia districts to form local improvement teams, identify classroom "bugs" that frustrate them, and test solutions collaboratively.
From addressing students' "first step questions" to building productive struggle, Joanna and Adam reveal how small, teacher-driven changes can have outsized impact when supported by a network of peers. They discuss the challenges of scaling teacher leadership, the importance of compensating educators for their expertise, and why this approach is fundamentally about retention—keeping brilliant teachers in the classroom where they belong.
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 Robinson—a former university professor, public school teacher, and White House education advisor—walks us through his untraditional journey into education and his evolving belief that every teacher deserves ongoing support. From navigating the culture shock of his first middle school classroom to pushing for the STEM Master Teacher Corps at the federal level, Steve shares the moments that taught him that good teaching is a craft, and improvement requires trust, coaching, and real-time feedback.
Now back in the classroom, Steve reflects on how he became a better teacher after leaving the White House—and what it will take to build systems that support teacher growth nationwide.
How can a superintendent who teaches middle school weekly—and wears sneakers with suits—transform an entire school district?
In this episode, Dr. Tiffany Anderson, Superintendent of Topeka Public Schools and a nationally recognized education leader, shares how embedding leadership within the lived realities of students, families, and teachers can reshape entire systems. As the first Black woman to lead the historic Topeka district, Dr. Anderson has built a blueprint for sustainable transformation—one rooted in equity, proximity, and purpose.
From establishing trauma-informed schools and wraparound services to developing teacher pipelines that begin in high school, Dr. Anderson demonstrates how leadership that stays grounded—literally—builds trust, raises achievement, and reimagines professional learning.
How can district leaders use AI to deepen professional learning and reimagine instructional design?
In this episode, Dyane Smokorowski, Coordinator of Digital Literacy at Wichita Public Schools, shares how her team supports over 40,000 students by empowering educators to become “learning experience designers.” She explores how AI can enhance clarity, creativity, and connection in both teaching and PD—without losing sight of pedagogy or equity.
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 and female superintendents’ experience. Women make up nearly 75% of the country’s classroom teachers, but only 14% of superintendents. Dr. Perera leveraged her experience into the creation of the Sister Supes Network, an affinity group of female superintendents that aims to provide support with a culture of trust and confidentiality.
As we delve into the specific challenges women face in educational leadership, Dr. Perera also digs deep on empowering women into leadership roles, introvert/extrovert challenges, and the surprising ways superintendency is like a gumbo.
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 improving educational outcomes in marginalized populations. The conversation focuses on equity-centered teacher evaluation, which assesses the impact of classroom practices on vulnerable students, and the four “equity traps” Ahn identifies as common organizational pitfalls.
We also talk over the case of Bayview High, exploring specific challenges that one campus faced when it came to tackling disproportionate outcomes. Other key topics include overcoming equity traps, fostering a culture of reflection, and engaging BIPOC students and families to create a more equitable educational environment.
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 like counselors, instructional coaches, and paraprofessionals. Dr. Brown shares insights from her research on college-going culture in New Orleans high schools, emphasizing the crucial role of collaboration among all school staff to support students' higher education pursuits.
We also talk over addressing the unique challenges faced by counselors, building organizational structures to support whole-building growth, and professional development for non-teaching staff to foster equitable educational opportunities.
System-level leaders are charged with evaluating instructional quality and nurturing an environment where teachers can flourish in their careers. But those skills don’t come intuitively: they must be learned.
In this episode of The Best of Us, Jeremy and Jen Cheatham delve into Jen's course "Leaders of Learning" at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Dr. Cheatham is an expert on fostering adult learning and mindset change in educational settings, and shares a wealth of practical tips for education leaders seeking to transform their practice.
Join us as we navigate the ins and outs of helping educators see themselves as change agents. We also explore avenues of growth, personal reflection techniques, specific practices for creating adult learning conditions, and much more.
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 learning from the classroom perspective.
Missy gives us a ground-level look at what makes for excellent teacher PD, sharing insights and telling stories of how school leadership can become courageous leaders for continuous improvement. We go also go through the art of DIY professional learning, why two weeks is too darn long for lesson planning, and ways to save educators that most precious resource: time.
Her story is also a testament to the power of educator voice, with examples and tips for successful advocacy from the principal’s office to the Senate. (Step 1: Always come with a solution.)
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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 nationally-renowned expert on education measurement and evaluation.
Dr. Guskey’s evaluation framework is an adapted version of the Kirkpatrick four-level model of evaluation used in business fields. Early attempts to apply this model to teacher PD were unsuccessful, leading him to create a model specifically for education settings that considers systemic support and change.
Dr. Guskey takes us through the why’s and how’s of his five-level model for professional learning evaluation, plus what the research says on PD’s impact on students. We also talk about managing learning versus managing learners, overcoming organizational barriers to PD success, and the surprising lessons Pac-Man can bring to the classroom.
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 and author of “The Six Principles to Foster Voice and Belonging.” Paola walks us through the ins and outs of City Year’s partnership program, which works with schools on challenges to student success through continuous improvement principles.
Paola also covers how to co-create curriculum materials with educators, why intentional reflection is crucial for sustained progress, the unlikely connection of Swedish Fish to school improvement, and much more.
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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 exploring beliefs and strategies, connecting with the purpose of the work, and considering perspectives of those across your school district or organization.
She also provides practical guidance on applying curiosity and listening skills to education teams, enhancing leaders’ ability to understand motivations and gather their feedback.
Looking for more resources on transformational coaching strategies for systemic change? Check out Elena's book "Arise: The Art of Transformational Coaching,” out in July.
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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 building leaders. They discuss practical strategies for empowering teachers through alignment and autonomy, the importance of differentiating professional learning for teacher needs, and providing voice and choice throughout the PL process.
Jen and Jamie also talk through the nitty-gritty of strategically aligning professional learning with school improvement plans, creating space for brainstorming, and the four standard questions for any PLC.
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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 need for diversity in K-12 and practical ways for education leaders to tackle the systemic issues impacting it.
The conversation covers the historical context of DEI, the impact of educator shortages on students of color, and the proven benefits of a racially diverse teaching staff. Sharif and Lisa strategize on integrated approaches to recruitment, retention, and professional development, highlighting successful ways to attract teachers of color by respecting their lived experiences and reducing barriers to entry.
We also cover multi-level systemic change, DEI-focused professional learning, and everyday ways to create a more equitable school environment through diverse leadership.
In this episode of The Best of Us, building principals Christy Whatley and Paul Offill discuss school leadership strategy for professional learning and teacher support. They give us the nitty-gritty on implementing a CHAMPS program district-wide, plus tips for consistent follow-through and using data to demonstrate the program's effectiveness.
Christy and Paul also address the challenges of teacher evaluation from a building leader’s perspective, supporting educators from non-traditional backgrounds, setting a campus tone, and much more.
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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 Worcester’s Manager of Curriculum & Professional Learning, Magdalena is no stranger to the challenge of balancing multiple support structures like PLCs, coaching, and workshops without overwhelming teachers. She takes us through Worcester’s system for building specific short-term PLC goals, creating and analyzing common assessments to assess student progress, and reflecting on instructional practices.
The conversation also covers different roles within PLCs beyond the facilitator, how teachers can use journey mapping to reflect on their own practice, and much more.