SuperSpeaks

School leaders charged with increasing equitable education in their schools are well-positioned to glean invaluable insights from disrupted education systems around the world. Join us as we talk with a global education leader who shares insights from his work in 145 countries. Follow on Twitter: @RobertG_Jenkins @sparvell @MicrosoftEDU @bamradionetwork @Jonharper70bd @UNICEFEducation Related Resources – MicrosoftEDU: Education Reimagined: Remote to Hybrid Learning Robert Jenkins is the global director of education for UNICEF. Robert joined the organization in 1995. He brings over 20 years of experience in international development and humanitarian programming in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Prior to his current appointment, Mr. Jenkins served as the UNICEF Deputy Director, Division of Policy and Strategy in UNICEF Headquarters from 2009-2014. Mr. Jenkins earned a Doctor of Education Degree from the University of Bath and a Master’s Degree from the London School of Economics in the United Kingdom.

This episode is part of a series on the exceptionally creative and resourceful ways educators around the world are teaching during the pandemic and getting students back on track. Follow on Twitter:  @sparvell @MicrosoftEDU @bamradionetwork @Jonharper70bd Related Resources – MicrosoftEDU: Education Reimagined: Remote to Hybrid Learning Alain Pascua is a proud product of public elementary education, having studied in Gerona North Central School in Tarlac. Raised by academicians, both his parents were public school teachers, who spent all their working years teaching in various public schools until their retirement. He then went to Mary Help of Christians Seminary in Binmaley, Pangasinan, where he studied classic secondary education. He has served the government in different capacities — as Executive Assistant in the Employees Compensation Commission, as Assistant Secretary of the National Anti-Poverty Commission or NAPC, and as Chief Political Affairs Officer of Senator Ping Lacson. Upon the recommendation of Secretary Briones, then newly appointed head of DepEd – President Rodrigo Roa Duterte appointed him Undersecretary of the Department of Education, where he now supervises three major services with 8 divisions, one bureau with 3 divisions, and three other major divisions. These offices are: the Administrative Service with the Asset Management, Cash, Records and general Services Divisions under it; the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Service; the Information and Communications Technology Service with the Solutions Development, Technology Infrastructure, and User Support Divisions and the newly created Educational Technology Unit, under it; the Bureau of Learner Support Services with the School Health, School Sports, and Youth Formation Divisions under it; the Education Facilities Division, the Baguio Teachers Camp, and the Central Security and Safety Office in its operational aspect. When the COVID-19 pandemic engulfed the nation and the whole world, he and the entire Administration Strand—in cooperation and coordination with other offices outside his strand—were able to handle the DepEd Task Force Covid-19, the DepEd Commons, DepEd TV, DepEd Radio, DepEd TV Facebook, DepEd TV YouTube Channel and the DepEd Learning Management System, among others. These undertakings earned DepEd the citation Policymaker EdTech Champion. Unknown to DepEd, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) nominated it to the prestigious EdTech-centered non-government organization that is focused on the sustainable and evidence-driven role of technology in advancing quality education. In addition, DepEd TV was one of the Honorable Mentions under the Crisis and Conflict Response category at the same awards event.

'This school year is actually a primary opportunity for learning,' says Jody Spiro, director of education leadership at the Wallace Foundation. In this episode, she explains why and walks us through the new mindset required to effectively lead schools this school term. Follow on Twitter: @wallacefdn @sparvell @MicrosoftEDU @bamradionetwork @Jonharper70bd Related Resources – MicrosoftEDU: Education Reimagined: Remote to Hybrid Learning Jody Spiro, director of education leadership at the Wallace Foundation. Jody began working at the foundation as a senior program officer in 2002. Her career as a senior educator and manager of education programs has spanned the private, public, nonprofit and international sectors. Her areas of specialization include leadership, facilitating active learning and systemic change processes. She is the author of Leading Change Step-by-Step: Tactics, Tools, and Tales and High-Payoff Strategies: How Education Leaders Get Results.

Daniel Domenech is executive director of the American Association of School Administrators. A native of Cuba who moved to the U.S. at the age of nine, Domenech has more than 36 years of experience in public education. Prior to joining AASA, Domenech served as senior vice president of the Urban Advisory Resource for McGraw-Hill Education and served for six years as superintendent of the Fairfax County, Virginia. Host of AASA Radio.

Unlike many schools and school districts, Greenwood Academies was well ahead of the curve technologically. In this episode, we talk with the academy’s school administrator who discovered that the most vulnerable populations in his school system included himself. Follow on Twitter: @graham_feek @sparvell @MicrosoftEDU @bamradionetwork @Jonharper70bd Related Resources – MicrosoftEDU: Education Reimagined: Remote to Hybrid Learning Graham Feek is Deputy Chief Executive of Greenwood Academies Trust, who run 36 academies across the East Midlands, and also Executive Director of Our Learning Cloud, who provide cloud computing services to schools. Graham is passionate about supporting young people to be able to succeed in life and has led the establishment of many large-scale programs to support pupil development and skills, many focussing on physical and mental wellbeing. This is what particularly drew him to get involved with Active Notts initially. Graham is a qualified accountant by profession and previously occupied a number of senior roles in local government, including in Children's Services. Graham has a wide experience of delivering services to schools and also leading major capital programs such as Building Schools for the Future. Graham enjoys the outdoors, and running in particular, and has been an enthusiastic badminton player for nearly 40 years.

In this episode, we look at some of the strategies a very diverse school district used to quickly come up to speed and thrive during the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn how equity scans and a pedagogical help desk provided essential data to allocate resources where they were most needed. Follow on Twitter: @p_gartland @Coquitlam_IntEd @sparvell @MicrosoftEDU @bamradionetwork @Jonharper70bd Related Resources – MicrosoftEDU: Education Reimagined: Remote to Hybrid Learning Ms. Patricia Gartland has been Superintendent of Schools for School District No. 43 (Coquitlam) since 2015 and is responsible for overseeing B.C.'s third largest school district with 32,000 students and 4,000 employees in over 70 schools and facilities. During her career, Patricia has filled a variety of roles as French Immersion teacher, Teacher-Librarian, Program Coordinator, K-12 School Administrator, District Principal, and Director of Instruction, among several other senior leadership positions leading to her present role as Superintendent. Ms. Gartland holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts in French Language and Literature from UBC, a Master of Arts in Educational Administration from SFU, and is proficient in several languages. She has earned the accolades of her many colleagues and peers including being presented with the BCCIE Distinguished Leadership Award in 2012.

2020 opened our eyes to the gaping holes in our capacity to ensure learning continuity under all conditions.  In this episode, we speak with the superintendent of Duval County School system, one of the largest in the country about how they responded to their wake-up call. Follow on Twitter: @DuvalSchools @DrDianaGreene  @sparvell    @MicrosoftEDU @bamradionetwork @Jonharper70bd Related Resources - MicrosoftEDU: Education Reimagined: Remote to Hybrid Learning  | Duval school leaders share tips for transitioning to remote learning  Dr. Diana L. Greene began her tenure as Superintendent of Duval County Public Schools (DCPS), the 20th largest school district in the nation, on July 1, 2018. She arrived to this role with extensive classroom and leadership experience, beginning with her first elementary teaching position at Mamie Agnes Jones in Baldwin, Florida. Prior to becoming a superintendent in Duval County, Dr. Greene served as Superintendent and Deputy Superintendent of Instructional Services in Manatee County. During her 33-year career as an educator, she has spent time as a teacher, assistant principal, and principal as well as in curriculum development, staff development and in senior executive leadership.

In this episode, we talk with the assistant superintendent at a large school district in Florida about how they navigated pandemic learning. Join us as we zero in on the ways the experience has changed how their school system is approaching learning, learning loss, and working with faculty. Follow on Twitter: @1SLPS @sparvell @MicrosoftEDU @bamradionetwork @jonHarper70bd Related Resources – MicrosoftEDU: St. Lucie Public Schools Education Reimagined: Remote to Hybrid Learning In the summer of 2015, Dr. Jonathan Prince accepted the position of Deputy Superintendent of St. Lucie Public Schools. Leaning on his proven track record and experience of turning around struggling schools as a school principal, he has assisted with orchestrating the Superintendent’s vision of accountability, high standards and rigor in St. Lucie Public Schools. Dr. Prince is a proud advocate for public education, believing that equity and access to accelerated coursework will create a thriving community in St. Lucie County.

Many of us are still struggling with the challenges of teaching during the pandemic. Join us as we talk with the superintendent of one of the largest school districts in the US about the four creative ways they resolved their biggest barrier to remote teaching and learning. Follow on Twitter: @RajAdusumilli @sparvell @MicrosoftEDU @bamradionetwork @jonHarper70bd Related Resources – MicrosoftEDU- Arlington School District Education Reimagined: Remote to Hybrid Learning Raj Adusumilli is the Assistant Superintendent for Technology / Information Services in Arlington Public Schools since December 2012. Mr. Adusumilli joined APS in 2008, and has served as assistant director of information systems and director of enterprise solutions. Before joining APS, Adusumilli spent 11 years at Oracle Corporation and has a combined 20 years in the technology industry before joining APS. Adusumilli has a Bachelor’s Degree in technology from Nagarjuna University in India. He also holds a Master’s in Business Administration from Duke University and a Masters in Computer Science from George Mason University. While at APS, Adusumilli has been responsible for the operations of all information systems including design, development, deployment, training and operations of all information technology solutions for APS business and instructional users. He has significant experience in grant writing for technology, conducting workshops and training on the use of technology, as well as leading technology initiatives K through 12.

Two thousand twenty may be the most challenging year in our school’s 150-year history, but it was also one of the best as our school administrators moved from being managers to leaders. Join us as we discuss how we’re totally reinventing a whole lot of what we’ve been doing for a century and a half. Follow on Twitter: @AThompson259 @sparvell @MicrosoftEDU @jonHarper70bd @bamradionetwork Dr. Alicia Thompson’s tenure as superintendent of Wichita Public Schools began formally on July 1, 2017. Being a native of Wichita, Kansas, Dr. Thompson is no stranger to its community or school district. Beginning her educational journey at Carter Elementary School, Dr. Thompson went on to attend Chisholm Trail Elementary School, Brooks Middle School, and graduated from Heights High School as a proud Falcon. She obtained her post-secondary education from Langston University, Newman University, and is a very proud Shocker having received her Doctorate of Educational Leadership from Wichita State.

In this episode, our guest superintendent shares how her school district is dealing with students who simply disappeared when school shifted to remote learning,  teachers who are stressed,  and the uncertainty of not knowing is they are doing hybrid teaching well. Follow on Twitter: @FrenshipSuper @sparvell @MicrosoftEDU @bamradionetwork Related Resources - MicrosoftEDU: Education Reimagined: Remote to Hybrid Learning Frenship Unified puts heart in Texan’s remote Learning Dr. Michelle McCord was named Superintendent of Frenship ISD in November of 2015. She previously served as Frenship's Deputy Superintendent for a short time after serving as Assistant Superintendent of Administrative Services beginning in May 2010. She began her career at Archer City High School in 1989, and after several years in the classroom she transitioned into private counseling. Dr. McCord began managing the operations and business activities of a large mental health care organization in Wichita Falls and the surrounding area. Realizing the impact on clients was the most fulfilling aspect of her profession, Dr. McCord moved back into education and served as a school counselor in Wichita Falls ISD, Pearland ISD, and Iowa Park CISD. She joined the administrative team at Iowa Park High School as an Assistant Principal in 2007 and then the central office team at Allen ISD as the Assessment Coordinator in 2008.