Schoolutions: Curious Educators. Evidence-Based Strategies. Classrooms Where Every Child Thrives.

Епизоде

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  The Step-by-Step Process to Build Your Own Integrated Curriculum 24.07.2026 39мин

  Leah Mermelstein returns to Schoolutions for S2E35 to make the case for bending curriculum instead of buying a new one for literacy instruction every few years. She walks me through the exact process she uses with school districts to build integrated units of study, work that pulls reading, writing, vocabulary, and grammar together around real content like a kindergarten animal unit or a fourth-grade historical fiction study tied to local history. The conversation covers: 💫What teaching with...
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  We Need Human Stories Tied to Data About Teaching (Writing Wednesday) 22.07.2026

  Research alone won't move a teacher to change what they do tomorrow. A story will. In this Writing Wednesday, I break down the method I use in my own writing: for every piece of research I include, I pair it with a real classroom moment, either something I lived through myself or something I watched happen in another teacher's room. The story is what makes a reader trust you. The research is what backs up the claim. Put them together and you get writing that actually sticks with the teachers...
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  Relationships Before Correction: The Strategy That Changes Student Behavior 20.07.2026 51мин

  In S3E11 of Schoolutions, I sat down with school counselor Zack "Coach Kasabo" to talk about self- and co-regulation mental health strategies that actually work, not quick fixes teachers try once and abandon. Zack told me about his own struggles with anxiety and depression as a teen, and how that experience now shapes his work on classroom belonging, classroom behavior, and student engagement. His core belief: relationships come before punishment. That's what drives real student motivat...
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  Identity-Affirming Classrooms: What's Actually Working? 17.07.2026 36мин

  You will learn practical strategies and frameworks to create inclusive, identity-affirming spaces throughout this S4E24 conversation with Kwame Sarfo-Mensah. This episode highlights Kwame’s book, Learning to Relearn: Supporting Identity in a Culturally-Affirming Classroom. This conversation is officially one of our top 20 most-listened-to episodes. Culturally responsive teaching and identity awareness are the foundation for becoming a better human to the young people in your life ...
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  Four Brain Shifts That Happen When You Walk (Writing Wednesday) 15.07.2026

  Stop staring at your screen and start walking for a mental reset. This Writing Wednesday covers four science-backed reasons walking resets your brain and improves cognitive function before you sit back down to write. Movement is a powerful tool to regulate your nervous system and flush out stress hormones like cortisol. By increasing dopamine and serotonin, a short walk stabilizes your brain chemistry and restores your ability to focus on complex tasks. If you need to break through a creativ...
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  The Outline I Almost Skipped Became My Lifeline (Writing Wednesday) 14.07.2026

  I'm starting a new weekly series called Writing Wednesday. My book manuscript is due end of August, and I'm holding myself accountable by posting every week about the process. Here are two lessons from my editor, Kassia: First: build an outline before you write. I didn't get why she pushed me on this until I was three chapters in and kept losing the thread. Now I reread that outline constantly. It keeps the structure consistent for readers while still leaving room to cut and rearrange as ...
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  Transform Your Classroom With Intentional Vocabulary Instruction 13.07.2026 49мин

  Dr. Tanya S. Wright, an Associate Professor at Michigan State University and former kindergarten teacher, explains how to move beyond static word lists. This S2E26 Schoolutions episodeffocuses on the mechanics of building rich language environments during everyday classroom routines. Whether you are managing transitions or facilitating morning meetings, you will see how minor adjustments to your existing flow can yield significant gains in student literacy strategies. Tanya is the author of ...
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  The Case for Bringing Play Back to School 10.07.2026 47мин

  Global changemakers Renée Dinnerstein and Larry Leaven have a shared commitment to children when it comes to reviving choice time, inquiry, exploration, and play in schools around the world. Their inspiring anecdotes and creative out-of-the-box solutions through this S2E36 Schoolutions conversation, will help listeners immediately put choice time into action. Episode Mentions: Vivian Gussin PaleyDeborah MeierPS 321NAEYSLoris MalaguzziFanny RomanWhy Every Kindergarten and First-Grade School Da...
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  PLC at Work® Is Being Reignited by Leaders Like This 06.07.2026 43мин

  I sat down with Dr. Anthony Muhammad for Schoolutions S3E37 to talk about his book The Way Forward: PLC at Work and the Bright Future of Education, and this conversation just landed in the top 20 most listened-to episodes in our summer series re-release. Anthony spent nearly twenty years as a teacher, assistant principal, and high school principal before becoming one of the most respected voices in school leadership and instructional leadership today. We get into the three big ideas behind r...
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  Science of Reading & The PreK Years (NYSED Literacy Brief 4) 03.07.2026 24мин

  You're about to hear one of the most downloaded episodes from the last five years of this podcast. The audio may be rougher than what you hear now, but I'm not going back to clean it up. You're hearing exactly where I started, and I trust that the growth shows on its own, the same way I hope my work as an educator does. ___________________________ I continue my conversation with Dr. Wendy Bunker around the recently released Science of Reading Literacy Briefs by the New York State Education De...
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  Counting Down the Top 20 Schoolutions⁩ Episodes This Summer 01.07.2026

  There's a magic to the 1980s and 90s childhood memories that just doesn't exist anymore. Did you grow up waiting by the radio on Sunday mornings for Casey Kasem's American Top 40? My sister and I would sit next to a clock radio for four hours, waiting for the number-one song in America. That kind of countdown is worth reviving. I’m taking a trip back to the era of analog weekend rituals, from the anticipation of the weekly Top 40 countdown to the chaotic energy of watching American Gladiator...
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  Season 5 Finale: Truths About Teaching in Uncertain Times 29.06.2026 14мин

  How do we approach parenting advice and teaching children when the world keeps changing? After over 40 conversations with experts during Season 5 of Schoolutions, I am summarizing the key ideas for supporting children during uncertain times. You will learn the surprising answer that nearly every expert discussed as the foundation for modern child development and the throughline every expert kept returning to: the expertise isn't out there in the next program or framework. It's already withi...
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  Teaching Fiercely: Why Teachers Need Autonomy to Transform Schools 26.06.2026 38мин

  What does it look like to lead with both ferocity and grace, and why do so many teachers forget that admitting your feelings isn't the same as admitting defeat? In Part 2 of my S5E43 Schoolutions conversation, I continue my conversation with Cornelius Minor⁩ (author of We Got This) and Dr. Kass Minor (author of Teaching Fiercely), co-founders of The Minor Collective. We discuss why grace and ferocity are twin concepts and how embracing emotional vulnerability is actually a mark of true...
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  Teachers Don't Have to Go It Alone 24.06.2026

  At the heart of the refreshed Minor Collective site is one belief: people come before ideas, ideology, or frameworks. As conversations about student growth and teacher effectiveness quietly shift toward kid obedience and teacher compliance, going it alone can feel scary. In this short but powerful clip from my S5E43 Schoolutions conversation with Cornelius and Dr. Kass Minor, The Minor Collective's message is simple: you're not alone, and we're meant to go together...moving where teac...
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  Reclaiming Joy: The Blueprint Resilient Educators Follow 22.06.2026 19мин

  What does it look like when education is built around the full humanity of every child and every teacher? In Part 1 of my S5E43 Schoolutions conversation, I sit down with Cornelius Minor⁩ (author of We Got This) and Dr. Kass Minor (author of Teaching Fiercely), co-founders of The Minor Collective. Together, they unpack what it really means to build a pro-kid mindset, reclaim teacher personhood, and find beauty in the mess of modern schooling. You'll learn: → How curriculum audits cent...
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  Rebuilding Math Confidence: Practical Tips for Families 19.06.2026 22мин

  What if rebuilding your child's math confidence this summer started not with worksheets, but with a mirror? In Part 2 of my S5E42 Schoolutions conversation, Wendy Ward Hoffer (All Minds on Mathematics: Math Workshop for Every Learner) gets practical and personal. If your child had a hard year in math, this is your playbook. Wendy walks families and educators through exactly what to do and what to stop saying so that children walk into September with agency, curiosity, and the belief that the...
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  The Truth About Being "Good" at Math 17.06.2026

  What does it really mean to be "good at math"? In this short but powerful clip from my S5E42 Schoolutions conversation with Wendy Ward Hoffer, of PEBC, we challenge the old myth that math identity is built on speed and being right and explore how families and teachers can work together to nurture every child's confidence and curiosity in math. True mathematical thinking isn't about quick answers. It's about dwelling with ideas, pondering, and reflecting deeply. These are qualities shared b...
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  The Secret to Student-Centered Math Instruction 15.06.2026 18мин

  What if the most powerful thing you could do for your child's math future this summer had nothing to do with worksheets or tutoring? In Part 1 of this week's S5E42 Schoolutions conversation, Wendy Ward Hoffer, author of All Minds on Mathematics: Math Workshop for Every Learner, shares a simple but radical idea: math identity is built in the everyday moments most of us are already living. In this episode you'll learn: • Why being good at math is not about speed or correct answers • What a chil...
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  Summer Boredom? Try These Movement Ideas for Every Age 12.06.2026 18мин

  🏃 What if the secret to student engagement this summer was free, fun, and made by a P.E. teacher with nearly 15 million views? In Part 2 of my Schoolutions conversation with @CoachGelardi⁩ (The PhysEdZone), we get completely practical. Tom gives age-by-age movement tips for summer, shares exactly which videos to start with, and explains why co-creating movement WITH kids, not just directing them, is the real driver of student motivation and active learning. 🎯 You'll Learn: • How the PhysEdZ...
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  Building Emotionally Safe P.E. Classrooms with Evidence-Based Strategies 10.06.2026

  What if the most powerful thing you could do for student engagement wasn't a new lesson plan, but making sure every kid feels safe enough to try? In this clip from my S5E41 Schoolutions conversation, I sit down with @CoachGelardi where he emphasizes the critical role of physical safety in the P.E. classroom, but also highlights that an emotional connection with students encourages them to try new things without fear of making mistakes. It underscores how acknowledging the uniqueness of ...