How do we keep students' voices in the center of our instruction? Even when educators know how to, they often operate in environments that discourage this practice. I got a chance to talk with Ann Marie Baines to discuss her book, Amplify Student Voices: Equitable Practices to Build Confidence in the Classroom. Join us as we discuss what it means t…

How do we navigate the challenges of turning the science of reading into the reality of daily instruction? Educators across the country are committed to research-backed literacy nstruction, but sometimes the process can lead to more questions, or misconceptions. I got a chance to talk with Melissa Loftus and Lori Sappington to discuss their book, T…

How do we create a process were humanizing education leaders works in harmony with humanizing the students they serve? It's hard for an educator to tend to the intellectual and emotional development of students if they don't see how it's inevitably connected to their own intellectual and emotional development. Join the discussion with Carlos Moreno…

Too often, the bridges of grade-level, engaging, affirming, and meaningful instruction are limited and the barriers of misconceptions arise. These misconceptions about English Language Learners often hold educators back from properly serving these students. I got a chance to talk with educator Barbara Gottschalk to discuss her book, Dispelling Misc…

In the education profession, equity work can get deeply deffered, or get really messy, really fast. This is because it can reveal so much about professional and personal beliefs that are consequential to our students receiving grade-level, engaging, affirming, and meaningful instruction. And these problematic perceptions can be emboldened by polici…

If a table won't stand without well-distributed legs, a bridge won't hold weight without well-distributed force, and a car can't run without a well-distributed frame, what makes us think that we can accomplish goals in our school buildings without well-distributed leadership? Even in most dysfunctional school systems, distributive leadership can pr…

Our food choices can impact our physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual well-being. So, while it can be challenging, it is important to be strategic about the food we ingest. Much like food, the ideas and practices we consume in education also shape our well-being and the well-being of those we serve. In this episode, Dr. Sonya Murray-Dard…

A truth that remains in the United States is that teaching is one of the most underappreciated professions in the country, financially and intellectually, as teachers are often cut out of decisions about what to teach and how to teach on a larger scale. As we advocate to reclaim the power taken, it’s important to analyze the power given, which can …

Teachers in the Movement with Derrick P. Alridge | The LP: EP 13 by UnboundEdBy UnboundEd

At UnboundEd, we pride ourselves on working to find justice in the details of teaching and learning. Instructional choices made in classrooms are included in those details, and it's important to see how policy choices impact those choices in instruction. Policy choices take place at our local level, our state level, and our national level. Dependin…

We live in a country where calls to address racism in education have been responded to with book bans, parent shaming, and instructional witch-hunts, and also where these calls have prompted institutions to invest in DEI, which stands for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Despite intentions, this isn’t always effective because it isn’t backed by an…

Everyday choices and systems, both obvious and covert, hold truths about how we educate our children. Recognizing these truths allows us to course-correct and expand opportunities for students to receive grade-level, engaging, affirming, and meaningful instruction. Author, speaker, and leader Lacey Robinson is a walking, talking testimony of this p…

The Power of Dignity in Education with Charles Payne | The LP: EP 9 by UnboundEdBy UnboundEd

The term "teachers of color" refers to educators who do not identify as white, encompassing diverse racial and ethnic groups. Despite their unique backgrounds, teachers of color share the experience of underrepresentation. With only 20% of teachers being teachers of color, they face challenges like invisibility and pressure to conform to racist edu…

One of Frederick Douglass’ famous sayings is, “Once you learn to read, you’ll be forever free.”As someone who was explicitly forbidden from reading, there was inherent freedom in learning to read and the access it provided during chattel slavery in America. But what about those who are completely literate but are still psychologically jailed? When …

Inequities in public schools today didn’t start during the pandemic. Until we understand the complex legacy of people, perspectives, policies, and practices that inform today's people, perspectives, policies, and practices, it will be challenging to understand inequities in our systems and expand opportunities for educational justice. Dr. Camika Ro…

We are in an era where excitement, fear, promise, and paranoia about the capabilities of artificial intelligence are now a part of everyday conversation in our society as we are steadily integrating AI into essential elements of our lives. What does this mean for how we teach, learn, and do school? Will the inequities that exist in analog instructi…

To many, the numbers, procedures, and concepts covered in the average mathematics course are completely neutral and require no cultural considerations. But if you ask somebody like Dr. Pamela Seda, she would say that that conclusion just doesn't add up. Dr. Seda takes some time to discuss her book Choosing to See: A Framework For Equity in the Math…

The beliefs, practices, and policies common in the United States school system are cultivating inequities in classrooms across the country. Activist, professor, and author Zachary Wright has thoughts about how to recognize, repudiate, and reverse these inequities. He shares these insights as we discuss his book Dismantling a Broken System: Actions …

For too long, receiving an education in the United States has been a dangerous and revolutionary act for African Americans. Becoming authentically literate in the written word, history, math and the sciences was a literal and psychological escape to freedom. Exploring who led these efforts, how they led these efforts, and what we can apply from the…

What happens when classroom instruction is focused on building academic skills, while at the same time, teaching social justice? What's to gain when students are exposed to teaching that is student-driven and community-centered, but is also flexible, connected to other subjects, and deeply interactive? That's the work of author Lorena Escoto Germán…

UnboundEd's goal is to instill the GLEAM™ (Grade-Level, Engaging, Affirming, and Meaningful) instructional framework into classrooms across the nation with professional development, curated programs, and now with a brand new podcast series, The LP: Literature in Practice. Join host, Brandon White, as he interviews the authors of today’s thought-pro…

Episode 8 explores the power currently being harnessed by educators of color to provide an equitable and just education despite encountering unique challenges. It attends two of UnboundEd’s five charges by talking about race systematically and examining bias and its role in our work and learning. This episode’s B-side features an interview with one…

This episode features candid conversations with education leaders about the push for excellence and equity and what role standards play in providing instruction that is grade-level, engaging, affirming, and meaningful. Side B features a conversation with Bradley Powless of the Onondaga Nation who discusses the importance of identity in education.Ep…

Episode 6, “Invisible Taxes,” brings us post-Brown v. Board, where we begin to see the foundations of a “new” system quickly revert to the regeneration of discriminatory practices that Black, Latino, and Indigenous educators continue to navigate today. It takes us through the roots of inequitable recruitment and professional development through a s…

Episode 6, “Invisible Taxes,” brings us post-Brown v. Board, where we begin to see the foundations of a “new” system quickly revert to the regeneration of discriminatory practices that Black, Latino, and Indigenous educators continue to navigate today. It takes us through the roots of inequitable recruitment and professional development through a s…

In episode five of “The Complexion of Teaching and Learning,” “Brown v. Board’s Double-Edged Sword,” host Brandon White continues to explore the untold impacts of the Brown v. Board court decision that declared segregation unconstitutional in schools and other institutions. This episode’s “B-side” features a conversation between White and Dr. Tanji…

In part one of this episode, host Brandon White (Twitter: @ClassroomB) takes us through the early to mid 20th century, leading up to the pivotal Brown v. Board decision, as educators and communities of color grapple with the nation’s expansion and how it challenges their ways of teaching and learning. The conversation continues to the "B-side" as h…

Hosted by Brandon White (Twitter: @ClassroomB), ELA Specialist at UnboundEd, this episode of the series continues exploring the oppression, resilience, and contributions of Black, Asian, and Native American educators during a period of American segregation and expansion. It also features a b-side conversation with Lacey Robinson, president, and CEO…

“The Complexion of Teaching and Learning” is a podcast docu-series in which we explore the historical, political, and professional insights and experiences of educators of color. The series is hosted by Brandon White (@ClassroomB on Twitter), an ELA Specialist for UnboundEd and former middle school ELA teacher and Restorative Practices educator for…

“The Complexion of Teaching and Learning” is a podcast docu-series in which we explore the historical, political, and professional insights and experiences of educators of color. The series is hosted by Brandon White (Twitter: @ClassroomB), an ELA Specialist for UnboundEd and former middle school ELA teacher and Restorative Practices educator for t…

The Revolution - Shakiela Richardson by UnboundEdBy UnboundEd

Sierah Tyson speaks with Sonja Bloetner, ESOL Supervisor at Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland, about equitable education for English learners.During her tenure as an educator, Sonja Bloetner taught a range of both Spanish and ESOL classes at the elementary and secondary levels. As an instructional specialist, she has also written curricu…

Sierah Tyson of EducationNomad talks with Josh Parker on equity in education, committing oneself to the work, investigating what we as educators really believe about children, fostering equity and implementing rigorous aligned curricula in schools.By UnboundEd

Sierah Tyson of EducationNomad talks with Mariama Sesay-St Paul on literacy education, teaching challenging texts to students, facilitating reading proficiency in the classroom, and more.By UnboundEd

Crystal Gonzales discusses the state of instructional materials for English Language Learners and the intersection of language, culture and public education in America. Crystal Gonzales is is the executive director of the English Learner (EL) Success Forum. In this role, she partners with national experts, organizations, educators and content devel…

Peter Coe talks with Andrew Chen about the math standards and shifts. Dr. Andrew Chen, president of EduTron, was on the Common Core Standards Development Team in Mathematics. Before founding EduTron he was a professor and a principal research scientist at MIT. He is on the Advisory Board of the National Council on Teacher Quality. He is on the Math…

David Abel talks with Dr. Timothy Shanahan about the state of literacy in US schools, and what the research is telling us to do differently. Dr. Timothy Shanahan is Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and former director of reading for the Chicago Public Schools. He is author/editor of more than 200 publicatio…

Dr. Aída Walqui discusses the state of English Language Learning pedagogy today, and what can be done to improve it. Dr Walqui is the Director of the Teacher Professional Development Program at WestEd, where she seeks to improve the learning opportunities of English language learners. She is also a founding member of the Stanford University Underst…

Former Education Secretary John King discusses the state of education in America today and what can be done to improve it. As Secretary of Education under President Barack Obama, John focused on increasing equity, improving educational outcomes for all students, and closing achievement gaps through the implementation of key administration prioritie…

Kristen Ehlman interviews Doug Sovde about the role of mathematics knowledge in who acquires power in a democracy, and how it is incumbent upon us to widen the net of opportunity. Previously, Doug has worked in supporting multi-state consortia and school districts in developing mathematical content and instructional supports in education. Doug was …

With the adoption of the standards, the focus on supporting students who are behind grade level is more critical than ever. Yet, even with a clear roadmap of learning from grade to grade, students are still struggling and research shows us that there are huge, glaring inequities in the education system. On February 13, 2017, Kate Gerson, managing p…

UnboundEd presents Judith Hochman, Founder and Chief Academic Officer of the Writing Revolution. Judith talks about writing instruction in schools, including common misconceptions about writing and how it fits into an integrated model of literacy instruction.By UnboundEd

UnboundEd presents Cheryl Dobbertin, Director of Learning and School Improvement at Monroe #1 BOCES. Cheryl explores the role of reading and writing, giving voice to all kids in the classroom, reading levels, and pushing the boundaries with rigorous and diverse reading and writing experiences post Common Core.…

Unbounded presents Bill McCallum, professor of mathematics and lead author of the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics. Bill discusses in detail what some selected Standards for Mathematical Practice look like across elementary, middle, and high school grades, in addition to a few of the more interesting clusters and domains from the Standar…

UnboundEd presents Lindsay Tomlinson and Chris Hayes, veteran educators in Nevada Schools. Lindsay and Chris discuss the impact of the Common Core State Standards on administrative and instructional decisions, respectively, and the progressive role the standards have played in elevating teacher expectations, advancing student knowledge, and shiftin…

UnboundEd presents a conversation with Judson Odell, CEO of Odell Education, and Diana Leddy, Co-founder of the Vermont Writing Collaborative. In this discussion, Judson and Diana explore the vital role of research from Kindergarten through grade 12 and the skills students build and take away through the inquiry process.…

Diana Leddy and Amy Rudat discuss close reading and research packs.UnboundEd presents Diana Leddy, co-founder of the Vermont Writing Project. Diana explains how close reading benefits all early elementary students, and how the Read Aloud Project and Research Packs engage students in topic-based inquiry through multiple reads of complex text.…

UnboundEd presents David Liben, one of the lead authors of the Common Core State Standards Appendix A, as well as a former teacher and administrator. David discusses the ways in which new standards are succeeding in advancing knowledge, changes in students’ comprehension of pivotal moments in a text since implementation of CCSS, and several differe…

UnboundEd presents Judson Odell, Chief Executive Officer of Odell Education. Judson discusses the unique place of argumentation in the Common Core State Standards, the demand for critical thinking in our world and workplace, and the challenges that accompany implementing rigorous curriculum that pushes students’ thinking in the new era of education…