Keystone Education Radio

Latest Episodes:

Summer Learning Loss and the Long-term Impact Aug 06, 2019

Show notes

Storybook summers depict kids swimming, biking and climbing trees with friends, but how does this fit into the topic of summer learning loss and the opportunity gap?
Creating meaningful and productive summer months for youth does not automatically equate to the traditional summer school model with kids confined to classrooms. This episode’s discussion with Rachel Gwaltney, director of policy and partnerships for the National Summer Learning Association highlights how schools can plan for flexible and engaging summer learning options that can not only help lessen achievement gap issues, but also reduce the stigma affiliated with summer school. Skip to: 01:07 What is summer learning loss and how does it relate to the achievement gap?

Summer learning loss is what happens to all children who don’t have access to stimulating and enriching activities during the summer months.

Skip to: 02:14 What are some of the detrimental outcomes for students, from spending summers without learning?

Skip to: 03:49 How does the data convey to us?

Skip to: 05:50 Do socioeconomic factors play a role in the data?

Skip to: 07:15 How does a balanced summer look in an ideal world?

Summer offers an opportunity to learn in ways that you just cannot do during the school year or in a school-based environment.

Skip to: 12:07 If a district is looking to launch a program, what are some challenges they might face?

Planning for the next summer starts immediately when the summer ends.

Skip to: 14:10 Is there a stigma involved in summer learning programs and how can that be mitigated?

Skip to: 16:50 Is it important for schools to connect with their legislators to express the needs of their community as it pertains to summer programming?

Rachel Gwaltney, Director of Policy & Partnerships at NSLA

As Director of Policy & Partnerships at NSLA, Rachel Gwaltney leads the research, development, and implementation of services, resources, and partnerships that improve and sustain policy conditions for summer learning. This includes educating and mobilizing the national network of summer learning advocates to make the case for summer to policymakers. Rachel also oversees NSLA’s efforts to grow and promote the research on summer gaps, opportunities, and best practices.
Prior to joining NSLA in 2015, Rachel held roles at District of Columbia Public Schools, Data Quality Campaign, and Horizons National. She previously served as Chief of Programs for Higher Achievement, leading expansion, program quality, evaluation, advocacy, curriculum, and training efforts.
Rachel holds a Master of Public Policy and Administration degree from Northwestern University. She completed the Education Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP) at IEL in 2012.

For more information about the National Summer Learning Association, visit: https://www.summerlearning.org/

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An Education Vision Plan for Pennsylvania Jul 09, 2019

Show notes

The Pennsylvania School Boards Association, in collaboration with numerous other public education stakeholder groups came together to form a visionary roadmap for public education going forward. The Commonwealth Education Blueprint is the result and it’s in phase 2 development slated for completion in early 2020. In this episode, Heather Masshardt, project facilitator for the Commonwealth Education Blueprint, joins us to discuss the history and future of the project. Skip to: 01:15 What is the Commonwealth Education Blueprint (CEB)?
Skip to: 03:55 Does it include different aspects of the educational equation?

It’s meant to address multiple strategic subject areas that make up the foundation of education.

Skip to: 06:29 How does the CEB differ from policy?

The Commonwealth Education Blueprint is really a vision statement.

Skip to: 07:56 How will the CEB guide districts with different needs, different demographics, and unique criteria?

In working on phase 2, we recognize that there is no one-size-fits-all approach for school districts.

Skip to: 12:11 What are the objectives of phase 2?

For more information on the Commonwealth Education Blueprint, visit: https://www.edblueprintpa.org/

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Foundation Growth: From the Ground Up Jun 12, 2019

Show notes

An education foundation can supplement a schools’ programs and new initiatives, where constrained school district budgets have little room to expand or absorb new expenses. Starting up a foundation may seem daunting. This episode focuses on the startup and growth of Warrior Run Education Foundation, founded six years ago in support of rural school district, Warrior Run. Jean Hormell, president of the foundation, joins the podcast to share tips and insights, and to explain how their foundation involves students in philanthropic efforts.

Skip to: 04:27 Youth and Philanthropy

We are independent but we are involved with the school district so we really rely on the goals of the school districts, the needs that they identify, the ideas that are brought to us by staff and we certainly want to collaborate with them as much as possible.

Skip to: 09:35 Community awareness of funding for school districts
Skip to: 14:00 Tips for starting a foundation

Jean Hormell, chairperson for Warrior Run Education Foundation

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Progression Towards Equity May 30, 2019

Show notes

How does equity become the lens through which all aspects of the educational experience are filtered? And why is this essential for the K-12 education system? Addressing the gaps of opportunity and supports for students goes beyond a checklist and may seem insurmountable. Tune-in for insights from guests, Dr. Terrance Green (University of Texas at Austin) and Dr. Sonya Horsford (Columbia University) who are part of today’s discussion with guest host, Dr. Heather Bennett.

Equity is not like a program, it’s not an initiative, it’s not like a toolbox or a checklist that I’m doing. Equity is like a system, it has to inform everything in the school district.

Skip to: 01:55 What is equity?
Skip to: 09:57 “Equity Sprinkles”

I think for other communities, the question of equity is really about fairness, it’s about freedom from discrimination and it’s about having the access to the same abilities, resources and experiences of other students.

Skip to: 14:19 Equity in school districts without extreme demographic changes or diverse populations
Skip to: 18:03 Steps districts can do/take to move towards equity

Dr. Terrance Green

Terrance L. Green is an assistant professor at the University of Texas at Austin in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy. Dr. Green’s research examines the relationship between educational leadership, schools, and neighborhood-communities, with a focus on racial and educational equity. His work centers on three related research strands: 1) the role of educational leaders in equity-focused school-family-community partnerships, 2) the intersection of school reform and equitable community development, with a focus on the impacts of neighborhood gentrification on schools, and 3) institutional change approaches to racial and educational equity in school districts and schools. His research has been published in several journals including Teaches College Record, Educational Administration Quarterly, Journal of School Leadership, The Urban Review, and Urban Education.

Dr. Sonya Horsford

Sonya Douglass Horsford, Ed.D. is Associate Professor of Education Leadership at Teachers College, Columbia University, where she serves as Senior Research Associate at the Institute of Urban and Minority Education (IUME) and Co-Director of the Urban Education Leaders Program (UELP) – an Ed.D. program for aspiring and practicing urban school superintendents. Her research focuses on the social and political contexts of school leadership, school segregation, critical race theory, Black education and the superintendency.

Horsford (2014) – When Race Enters the Room: Improving Leadership and Learning Through Racial Literacy
Horsford et all (2011) – Pegagogy of the Personal and Professional: Toward a Framework for Culturally Relevant Leadership

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The 2020 U.S. Census, and Why It’s so Important to Ensure Accuracy May 14, 2019

Show notes

The 2020 U.S. Census will mark the first-ever to be conducted online to a large degree. Great attention will be paid to accumulating an accurate representation of the entire U.S. population, and the planning has been underway for the past ten years. Keystone Counts, Coalition Manager, Jo Lin joins us for this episode for a conversation around the upcoming census, and the importance of including the historically undercounted and underserved populations. Skip to: 02:00 How can we ensure an accurate census?
Skip to: 08:08 How does a census impact education?

Historically, populations of immigrants and communities of color and children under 18 are the most undercounted but because this upcoming census is moving online, it also raises concerns that rural communities that don’t have access to broadband or populations that may not be as digitally literate, let’s say low income households or seniors, are also facing these more systematic barriers for the first time.

Skip to: 12:39 What efforts are being made to ensure accuracy and completeness in this 2020 census?
Skip to: 17:58 What can school leaders and educators be doing across the state to help support this?

Jo Li, coalition manager for Keystone Counts

Resource link: https://www.keystonecounts.org/

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Brown v. Board of Education: 65 years later Apr 26, 2019

Show notes

A landmark 1954 Supreme Court case, now 65 years since—what have been the impacts and progress? The case and surrounding events are considered to be one of the cornerstones of the civil rights movement that helped establish the precedent that separate-but-equal education and other services were not in fact equal. Tune in for this episode to hear a discussion between guest host, Dr. Heather Bennett, director of equity services for PSBA, and Dr. Erica Frankenberg, associate professor of education for Penn State.

The composition of students is a critical part of the educational experience and the important role that public schools play in preparing future adults to carry out our basic democracy.

Skip to: 06:25 Why is this case so significant?
Skip to: 11:33 What is the aftermath of the Brown decision?
Skip to: 22:18 What can we do about the current resegregation of school districts across the nation?

Dr. Erica Frankenberg, associate professor of education for Penn State

Erica Frankenberg (Ed.D., Harvard University) is a professor of education and demography in the College of Education at the Pennsylvania State University. Her research interests focus on racial desegregation and inequality in K-12 schools, and the connections between school segregation and other metropolitan policies. At Penn State, Dr. Frankenberg teaches classes on education policy and politics. In 2014, she coordinated the Civil Rights and Education conference at Penn State, and is co-editor of a 2016 book from this conference. With Liliana Garces, Dr. Frankenberg directs a civil rights and education center at Penn State.

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Operating the Board and Going Digital Apr 17, 2019

Show notes

Does going digital in board governance sound like more work? Tune in, to hear about how document digitization results in multiple benefits: time-saved, transparency, and building trust in the communities. Diligent Corporation’s Vice President of Thought Leadership, Dottie Schindlinger joins us on this episode to discuss digital best practices for board business.

Moving everything digital and having boards communicate in more digital ways makes that transparency equation much simpler and it helps build trust with the community.

Skip to: 02:14How the traditional board governance scenario historically and today typically operates
Skip to: 06:05How digital technology has changed the ways a board might govern
Skip to: 25:50Building a resilient board

Dottie Schindlinger, Vice President of Thought Leadership for Diligent Corporation

https://diligent.com/

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Agriculture in PA: An Interview with Sen. Bartolotta & The Freight Farm at Trinity Area School District Apr 03, 2019

Show notes

Agriculture as the leading industry in Pennsylvania provides viable career options for students who have wide-ranging aptitudes and interests. Senator Bartolotta (part one) and leaders of Trinity Area School District (part two) with their Freight Farm provide perspective around how it can be introduced to students focused on different post-graduation paths.

Anyone with almost any degree can focus on Agriculture and make a career of it.

Skip to: 01:36 How are we introducing the students of PA to the careers that exist in Agriculture?
Skip to: 06:50 Introduction of Trinity Area School District
Skip to: 07:50 Overview of Trinity Area School District’s Freight Farm Program