The What School Could Be Podcast

Bulldog Manufacturing is a student-run light manufacturing company inside Alden High School 60 miles south by southwest of Rochester, New York. It is a real shop with real tools, real deadlines, and real customers, where teenagers do CAD and design, quoting and invoicing, marketing and sales, production planning, quality control, and shipping, with money and reputation on the line. Max Marzec and Lydia Wrest are two members of Bulldog’s leadership team, and they are my guests today. Max is Bulldog’s CEO, so he’s carrying operations and customer accountability in ways that will feel familiar to anyone who has ever had to deliver on a promise. Lydia is Bulldog’s design director, living in that space where creativity meets constraints, where an idea has to become a thing that works and then become a thing that ships. They’re also full time high school students, which means they are constantly crossing a border between two worlds: the traditional classroom and a purpose driven environment where the work does not care about your seat time, but about your choices you make, minute to minute.Here’s what’s coming, listeners. We’re going to start by dropping you into Bulldog Manufacturing on a busy day, a walk through the sights, sounds, and smells, the rhythm of a team moving with purpose, and the little decisions that make a shop either feel alive or feel like school pretending to be work. Then we’ll get specific about quality, what it means in their world, how they decide something is truly ready to ship, and what happens when the team splits on whether “good enough” is actually good enough. From there we’ll take on a transition most schools never name out loud: the switch from school mode to Bulldog mode. Picture them walking out of chemistry and then heading into customer driven work with real stakes. What changes in your body and brain as you make that switch? What do you start noticing that a typical class does not ask you to notice? We’ll go into leadership too, not titles, the moments when standards slip, a deadline gets missed, someone’s feelings are on the line, and you have to choose between being liked and being honest, and we’ll ask what principles Max and Lydia are trying to live by so Bulldog does not become school with a boss. We’ll also zoom in on each of them as individuals. With Max, whose family speaks both Polish and English, we’ll use his resume as an artifact, including the QR codes that link to websites he has built, and we’ll go deep on how an internship at a law office shaped the way he thinks about the path forward. With Lydia, we’ll talk about what it means to be trusted with real tools, real standards, and real consequences, and about moments when that trust became real through a decision, a mistake, or a standard she had to defend. We’ll talk about Lydia’s school trip to Italy and how it shaped the way she sees buildings now that she wants to become an architect, and we’ll also bring AI into Bulldog Manufacturing, where it can genuinely improve the work and where it introduces risk. And we’ll close by honoring the giants. Lydia will reflect on the trade lines in her family and what they taught her about real learning. Max will shout out Mr. Allen Turton and name one concrete way he wants to pay Allen’s coaching, guidance and mentorship forward to the next generation. Our audio engineer is the talented Evan Kurohara. Our theme music is provided by the master pianist, Michael Sloan. If you have insights or comments about this episode, email me at joshreppunproductions@gmail.com. 

Peter Gray, professor of psychology and neuroscience at Boston College, wrote the following in the Washington Post. “I began to look at research, which showed and documented that beginning as early as the 1960s until now, there has been a continuous, gradual but huge increase in anxiety, depression, and, most tragically, suicide among school-aged children and teens. Over that period of time, children have also been less and less free to do the things that make them happy and build the kind of character traits — of confidence, of internal locus of control, of agency — that allow them to feel like ‘the world is not too scary, because I can handle what life throws at me.’ This kind of attitude requires independent activity to develop, and we have been offering less and less of that activity.” Peter Gray’s powerful words are the perfect way to introduce today’s conversation with Pam Moran and Ira David Socol, two educators who have spent their careers pushing on a simple idea that feels obvious once you say it out loud: school should help young people find their voice, build real agency, and guide them as they learn how to influence their world and shape their futures. Pam led Albemarle County Public Schools in Virginia from 2006 to 2018, a long run in superintendent years, and she was named Virginia Superintendent of the Year by the Virginia Association of School Superintendents.Ira has lived an unusually wide-angle life in service, including work in New York City public safety and decades in public education as a technology and innovation leader, with a deep focus on Universal Design for Learning and environments that work for every kid. Together, they have written and edited books that refuse to treat school as a neutral machine. In Timeless Learning, with co author Chad Ratliff, they argue that we should stop mistaking “great teaching” for learning, and instead redesign learning experiences so kids have choices, purpose, and time to do work that matters. In Designed to Fail, Ira makes the tougher claim; a lot of what we call school was built to sort, to rank, and to protect comfort for adults and advantage for some kids. And in their newest book, an edited volume titled Real Learning, Real Accomplishment: Schools that Work for Kids, Pam and Ira gather stories from educators across the country who are moving from compliance to mastery, not by chasing one more initiative, but by changing the ecosystem, the expectations, the schedules, the spaces, the assessment, and the relationships that shape what kids actually experience. So that is where we are headed. We are going to talk about student voice as more than a slogan. We are going to talk about what it means to trust kids, and what it costs when we do not. And we are going to keep pulling the conversation back to the practical question that sits under everything they do: How do we design and create systems of learning that put the learning in the hands of the young learners, with the adults on the side as coaches, mentors, guides and sponsors? One of the answers you will hear in the next hour is that we adults must, must, must do this design and development with the learners. We must treat them as co-creators and co-designers. Truly, we must Just Say Yes.If you have thoughts or insights on this episode email me at joshreppunproductions@gmail.com. Our audio engineer is the talented Evan Kurohara. Our theme music is provided by the master pianist, Michael Sloan.

Courtney Joly-Lowdermilk is the founder and lead consultant of the Massachusetts based LLC, Bridge Educational Engineering, where she partners with schools, towns, and organizations to design cultures of belonging that strengthen engagement, performance, and retention. Her career sits at the intersection of education, disability access, and mental health—spanning classroom teaching, student support, and a decade leading college mental-health education. She helped design and build NITEO, a structured leave-and-return pathway for young adults navigating disability and mental-health challenges, and she’s authored practical guidance that makes pausing—and coming back—more humane. She’s partnered with more than 100 teams to shift programs, practices, and policies toward dignity and access. We begin by exploring where Courtney’s energy comes from, meaning that time during elementary school selling popcorn at her grandmother’s bingo hall, or later learning to read a room, and carrying that “be useful” through-line into a career built around people. From there, we head into the deep end: what it actually takes to make belonging operational. Courtney shares the design moves she’s seen turn compliance culture into places where people risk honesty, ask for help, and feel at home. Then we get into the radical idea hiding in plain sight: interruption. What happens when a young person needs to pause—and how do we build the return so it doesn’t become a cliff? Courtney draws from her work with leave-and-reentry pathways to name what makes a pause feel heavy versus what makes it a bridge back. In the second half, Courtney joins us as one of the featured voices in Ted Dintersmith’s new documentary, Multiple Choice. We talk about that simple sign on her office wall—“Work Hard And Be Nice To People”—and the not-so-simple question beneath it: how do families support ambition without becoming “college pushers” or shrinking a kid’s world into a single story of success? We widen the lens to a culture that’s drifted from “fix the schools” to “fix the kids,” and Courtney brings her REACH framework to the role confusion at the center of it. We even dip into the AI urgency narrative—what ticking-clock stories do to teen nervous systems—and what healthier, more human adult moves look like. We close with David Yeager’s 10 to 25 and the mentor mindset—high standards, high support—plus moments that reveal who Courtney is off the page: motherhood, a suitcase note that reads “good luck mommy,” and a shout-out that brings us back to her roots. It’s a conversation about agency, dignity, and designing the conditions for thriving. As always, this show is edited by the very talented Evan Kurohara.

If you visit WhatSchoolCouldBe.org, you’ll see The Innovation Playlist—a practical change model built on small steps that elevate learning and life outcomes by bringing communities together around a shared North Star, trusting teachers to lead, building on successes and best practices, and fueling the joyful, creative work of challenging students in ways that prepare them for life; the model includes five playlists aligned with the foundational themes of What School Could Be: mobilizing your community, student-driven learning, real-world challenges, assessments for deeper learning, and caring and connected communities. Remix #5 follows the familiar Remix format—an audio mosaic of short, potent moments from the archive that still vibrate with relevance—but this time my co-producer and I played a “favorite three” game, each choosing three guests who hadn’t been featured in a remix yet whose ideas stayed lodged in our minds and hearts; these aren’t necessarily the flashiest episodes or the ones with the most downloads, but the ones we kept referencing in side conversations, quietly sharing with friends, and returning to when we needed to remember why this work matters. If you’re new to the show, think of this as a curated highlight reel; if you’ve been with me awhile, it’s a year-end reunion with voices that helped shape where this podcast has gone. Across the hour, you’ll hear system leaders, classroom educators, builders, and families all wrestling with a shared question—what if school were truly organized around human flourishing, not just compliance and coverage?—with threads on student agency and durable learning, assessment that reflects what kids can actually do, youth mental health and the cultures we build at home and in classrooms, the power of community partnerships, and the courage to move beyond “this is the way we’ve always done it,” and together these six voices offer not a blueprint but a playlist for possibility you can carry back to your own context, whether that’s a classroom, a district office, a nonprofit, a campus, or a kitchen table where schooling is the topic of conversation. My co-producer, Mel Ching, who arranged the sequence, calls Remix #5 a Heart-Centered Arc—moving intentionally from the most intimate layer of learning (love, relationship, presence, and the stories that shape us) to broader frames of agency, trust, and system design, and finally to the visionary possibilities of imagination and investment in young people—like a circle of mentors: human first, then conceptual, then expansive—so settle in as we dive into Remix #5 of the What School Could Be podcast.As always, our episodes are edited by the amazing Evan Kurohara, with theme music by Michael Sloan.

There’s a moment in Roman Krznaric’s The Good Ancestor when he invites us to imagine the builders of medieval cathedrals: craftspeople who chiseled stone, hoisted beams, and shaped stained glass with the knowing certainty that they would never worship inside the completed structure. They worked not for immediate applause but for the generations they would never meet. Their legacy lived in the shadows cast by soaring buttresses, in the echoes of future choirs, in the possibility that one day, long after they were gone, someone would look up and feel awe. Krznaric calls this cathedral thinking: a way of acting that stretches our sense of responsibility far beyond the boundaries of our own lifetimes. It’s the discipline of slowing down enough to ask, “How will what I’m doing today ripple outward? What future am I shaping with the choices I make right now?” It’s a call to be not just good professionals or good leaders, but good ancestors. In education, this idea lands with particular force. So much of the work of learning—and of transforming systems of learning—has a delayed return on investment. Policies outlast policymakers. Classroom moments echo decades later in a student’s life. Innovations begun in one community can reshape what’s possible for learners across an entire generation. And the most courageous educators I know operate with an awareness that they are, in fact, building cathedrals: structures of opportunity, belonging, confidence, and human potential. That’s why, in my intake form, I ask a question about ancestor-work. I’m curious about the projects, commitments, or quiet acts of devotion that feel like cornerstones, things my guests are building that may not be fully realized until long after they’ve stepped away. And for this remix episode, I went back to six former guests who responded to that prompt with uncommon clarity, humility, and hope. Their answers were not just descriptions of work; they were expressions of purpose, of stewardship, of long-view leadership. What you’ll hear in the next hour is a mosaic of cathedral thinkers. People who are shaping systems and communities not for personal credit, but for the learners who will come long after any of us. Their voices remind us that the real measure of impact is time, not quarters, not school years, but generations. So if you are ready, I am ready. And if you have insights or questions, email me at MLTSinHawaii@Gmail.com, which is my podcast contact. As always, my gratitude to Mel Ching, the co-producer of these remixed episodes, Evan Kurohara, my talented editor, and Michael Sloan, the pianist whose music graces this show.

If you navigate to WhatSchoolCouldBe.org, you will find in the nav bar the words, The Innovation Playlist. What is this? The Innovation Playlist is a powerful change model based on small steps that elevate learning and life outcomes. It brings your community together to build consensus on your North Star. It trusts teachers to lead the way, build on successes, draw on best practices, and do what you take joy in, challenging your students in creative, distinctive ways that prepare them for life. One of the playlists is called student-driven learning. Imagine your children, your students, fueled by intrinsic curiosity and motivation, enthusiastically learning without your constant oversight? Student-driven learning gives educators the time to truly guide, inspire, and encourage deeper learning. When we empower students to do bold, creative work, they develop distinctive higher-order competencies. Yet, creative work demands different, more authentic assessments. In this 3rd 2025 remix my co-producer, Mel Ching and I focus on the voices of students I interviewed over the past few years. These are young learners who have struggled in traditional learning environments, but thrived when immersed in student-driven learning and the quest to be assessed deeply, and authentically. These are young people who refuse to be sorted and ranked by standardized test scores. They live and breathe relevant, authentic learning spaces, both inside and outside of this thing we call school. So if you are ready, I am ready. As always, if you have insights or questions, email me at MLTSinHawaii@Gmail.com, which is my podcast contact. The What School Could Be Podcast is edited by the very talented Evan Kurohara. Our theme music comes of the catalog of pianist, Michael Sloan.

If you navigate to WhatSchoolCouldBe.org, you will find in the nav bar the words, The Innovation Playlist. What is this? The Innovation Playlist is a powerful change model based on small steps that elevate learning and life outcomes. It brings your community together to build consensus on your North Star. It trusts teachers to lead the way, build on successes, draw on best practices, and do what you take joy in, challenging your students in creative, distinctive ways that prepare them for life. One of the playlists is called Caring and Connected Communities. What is this concept? In normal times, students can’t learn effectively without social and emotional support. During the COVID 19 pandemic, this support was imperative. Here is 2025, with the United States experiencing intense turmoil, the need for caring and connected communities is even more acute. Yet too often, social and emotional priorities get lost in the blur of curriculum, test scores, out-competing classmates, and being judged against standards of perfection. We can and must do better. In this episode, we hear segments from previous conversations that feature guests who live and breathe the concept of caring and connected communities. There are six segments in this episode and I will provide a short introduction to each one. So if you are ready, I am ready. And if you have insights or questions, email me at MLTSinHawaii@Gmail.com, which is my podcast contact. As always, editing is provided by the talented Evan Kurohara. Our theme music comes from the catalog of pianist, Michael Sloan.

Before I deliver my introduction to this episode, I want to acknowledge my co-creator and inspiration for what you are about to hear today. Her name is Mel Ching and she is amazing. Director of Community Engagement for What School Could Be and producer/host of our YouTube live series, "The Big Think," Mel and I have been co-creating on projects for almost four years. Thank you, Mel. Okay, listeners, if you navigate to WhatSchoolCouldBe.org, you will find in the nav bar the words, The Innovation Playlist. What is this? The Innovation Playlist is a powerful change model based on small steps that elevate learning and life outcomes. It brings your community together to build consensus on your North Star. It trusts teachers to lead the way, build on successes, draw on best practices, and do what you take joy in: challenging your students in creative, distinctive ways that prepare them for life.One of the playlists is called Real World Challenges. What is it? Imagine an educational landscape where students are not merely recipients of knowledge, but passionate investigators delving into the depths of authentic, engaging, and intricate questions, problems, and challenges. When you incorporate Real-World Challenges into your curriculum, students are empowered to actively engage with real-world complexities, become critical thinkers, problem solvers, and innovators. These students don’t just absorb information; they apply their learning in impactful ways and have the opportunity to make a tangible difference in the world around them, whether at an individual, community or organizational level.In this episode, we hear segments from previous conversations that feature guests who live and breathe the concept of real-world challenges. There are five segments in this episode and I will provide a short introduction to each one. So if you are ready, I am ready. And if you have insights or questions, email me at MLTSinHawaii@Gmail.com, which is my podcast contact. As always editing is provided by the very talented Evan Kurohara.

Dr. Carole Basile is the Dean and a professor at Arizona State University’s Mary Lou Fulton College for Teaching and Learning Innovation, the largest college of education in the nation. Since 2016, she has led efforts to redesign the educator workforce through team-based models that honor learner variance and expand the possibilities of teaching. Before ASU, she served as Dean of the College of Education at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, and held faculty and leadership positions at the University of Colorado Denver and the University of Houston. Carole is co-author of The Next Education Workforce: How Team-Based Staffing Models Can Support Equity and Improve Learning Outcomes, and has published widely on teacher preparation, systems change, and school–community partnerships. With a career that also includes 15 years in business management and organizational development, she brings a rare blend of entrepreneurial spirit and educational vision .Erin O’Reilly at the University of Montana, a previous podcast guest, wrote the following about Carole for this episode. “Her work in reimagining the teacher workforce is truly inspiring. Through innovative, team-based teaching models, she and her team are not only transforming how schools operate but also reshaping the future of education. As a teacher educator and researcher, I’ve been deeply influenced by her vision and dedication. Witnessing the tangible impact on teacher retention and job satisfaction has given me renewed hope and affirmation in my own work designing systems and curriculum to better support aspiring educators.”So listeners, let’s get to know Carole before we dive into the deep end of education, teaching in teams, and teacher training pathways. We start with music. Carole has been listening to A History of Rock in 500 Songs. It’s not just about riffs or hit singles—it’s about rock as a cultural movement, full of experimentation, disruption, and variance. When she listens, is she a fan? A learner? A dean leading one of the largest colleges of education in the country? Likely all of the above.Then we rewind to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where school came easily but wasn’t especially engaging. Her entrepreneurial father shaped her worldview—teaching her to manage people well and stay open to ideas. His influence still guides her leadership.Carole’s career is anything but conventional: student teaching in Philadelphia, a master’s in counseling, 15 years in business, then a doctorate that brought her back to education. Along the way, a boss once told her being interested in “a lot of things” was a flaw. But David Epstein’s Range would disagree—and Carole’s life proves it.From there, we’ll talk about variance. Not just as a math term or biblical one, but as a philosophy of education: every learner moves at their own pace, in their own way. ASU’s Next Education Workforce is putting that into practice—moving beyond the “one teacher, one classroom” model to teams of educators who bring diverse strengths.We’ll also touch on ideas like “loonshots” and “possibility thinking,” and ask Carole to paint a picture of what team-based classrooms feel like—for students, teachers, and families. And we’ll close with a shout out to those whose shoulders she stands on.So buckle up. From Jefferson Airplane to Jefferson County, from Harrisburg to Arizona, this conversation is about rock and roll, variance, teaching in teams, and the future of education itself.Post production editing provided by the talented Evan Kurohara. Our theme music is by pianist, Michael Sloan.

Listeners, if you are inclined to go to the Red Bridge school website, which I hope you are, and you click on Our Team in the NAV bar, you will find the following bio for Orly Friedman, Red Bridge’s founder: “When I began teaching in 2007, I wanted to expand real opportunity for kids, and since then both opportunity—and the skills to seize it—have shifted; technology lets more people create and connect, but it only matters when learners have the know-how and confidence to use it—that is, agency. Agency sits at the heart of Red Bridge: while traditional schools reward compliance, we reward initiative. Students don’t just receive information—they drive their own learning—and they show up eager, day after day. Designing for agency means reworking school systems and structures; the experience won’t mirror your K–8 memories, yet the essentials remain: caring teachers, hands-on projects, academic challenge, and the joys every child loves—field trips, the Halloween parade, and more. Our tactics are fresh, but our values are rooted in a long line of progressive educators—John Dewey, Maria Montessori, and Deborah Meier—and in the last fifty years of cognitive science and psychology, translated daily by a skilled team.” I will note here that before launching Red Bridge, Orly was an Entrepreneur-in-Residence with Transcend. She was a founding team member at the Khan Lab School and has degrees from Yale University, George Mason University and the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Mason Pashia, the producer of Getting Smart’s podcasts and page editor and producer for Getting Smart’s blogs (and by the way, I recommend reading everything and listening to everything that comes from Getting Smart), wrote the following for this episode: “When you step inside Red Bridge, a San Francisco-based K-8 microschool, you immediately recognize that you're in a place that LOVES learning. Imagine kindergarteners with the agency to shape their own days and their own curiosities. Picture a curriculum built around 'noticing'—empowering students to connect, find and solve problems in their community. Red Bridge is a place where personalized, competency-based and high-agency learning is so much more than a soup of buzzwords; it's a daily practice that's nurturing a new generation of changemakers. Schools like Red Bridge are signals from the future, showing us not only what school could be, but what school can be.” And finally, here is an excerpt from a letter written by a former student of Orly’s, before she founded Red Bridge, that I think is so beautiful: “Hi Ms. Friedman, I hope you're doing well! I wanted to reach out and thank you for being such an amazing third-grade teacher at Murch all those years ago, and to let you know that I'm now becoming a teacher. I'll be teaching fourth grade in Aurora, Colorado, and school starts next week (ahhhhh!). I wrote about your class (featuring the green pouf) on my application for Teach for America, and I'm planning to have a Funky-Monkey-style shared writing project in my class as well. I just wanted to send a quick note before the year starts to say thank you for being an inspiration to me. I would also appreciate any first-year-teacher tips you might have! Thanks for everything, Olivia.” Our episodes are edited by the talented Evan Kurohara. Our theme music comes from the catalog of pianist, Michael Sloan.

For this 150th celebration my guest on the 101st episode, Emma Reppun (married and now Emma Jean George) and I decided she would interview me. Fun! The following is how she described, on LinkedIn, the episode and her experience being the host of the show. "Today I had the immense honor and privilege of interviewing my dad, Josh Reppun, the Executive Director of What School Could Be, for this 150th 'Talk Story' edition of the What School Could Be Podcast. If you've ever tuned into his show, you know that my pop is a master of crafting thoughtful questions based on an incredible amount of research for each and every guest he sits down with. As someone who has never been in the host chair before, it was a formative experience for me to attempt to offer him the same level of structured inquiry, while balancing my giddy delight as his daughter to be behind the mic! As this day comes to a close, and I marvel at what a meaningful opportunity this has been, I want to say a wholehearted mahalo to all the previous guests on the pod; it was you who helped me shape and craft my approach as I listened and re-listened to your amazing conversations in preparation for this moment. And a special shout out and thanks to Parul Punjabi Jagdish, Jennifer Ahn, Steven Shapiro, Nancy Shapiro Rapport, and Roman Krznaric, whose episodes sparked some of my favorite questions. And lastly, but certainly not least, my hat is off to you Ted Dintersmith, the executive producer of the acclaimed film, Most Likely to Succeed and the catalytic driving force that launched my beloved father into the happiest and most fulfilling years of his life." Our episodes are edited by the peerless, Evan Kurohara. Our theme music is provided by the master pianist, Michael Sloan.

INSTALL THE OUR FAMILY CULTURE APP FROM YOUR FAVORITE APP STORE AND USE THE PROMO CODE: WSCB. Today my guests are Steve Shapiro and his sister, Nancy Rapport, veteran educators in the Great State of Ohio. During his 34 years as a public-school educator, Steven Shapiro emerged as a national thought leader in experiential learning. His acclaimed podcast, Experience Matters, featured national experts including Daniel Pink, Tony Wagner, and Father Greg Boyle. In addition to his work as a high school teacher/program director/district leader, Steve trained teachers at Ohio State University, provided professional learning for educators in emerging democracies (including Poland, Ukraine, and South Africa), and was a regular keynote and conference speaker. At all stages of his career, he has been committed to designing powerful experiential learning opportunities that transformed the lives of students and teachers alike. Steve’s most important work, however, was partnering with his wife Susan to raise their three (now adult) children.Nancy Rapport spent the majority of her 34-year public-education career as a school counselor, supporting students and parents in navigating the challenging “middle years.” Her leadership roles in professional development and crisis management showcased her ability to identify needs, empathize with various stakeholders, and deliver results. As a certified Hudson Institute coach, Nancy has extensive training in coaching and human development. She leads courses on learner mindset and question thinking for the Inquiry Institute, helping adults pursue a life of curiosity, inquiry, and possibility. Nancy brings a wealth of experience in both child and adult learning to her role as co-founder, with Steve, her brother, of Our Family Culture. Most importantly, she is the proud parent of two adult children, Emily and Jacob.Dr. Michelle Pledger is the Founder of Living for Liberation and Director of Liberation at the High Tech High Graduate School of Education, where she leads work at the intersection of equity, community, and student-centered learning. A nationally recognized educator, author, and freedom facilitator, Michelle has spent her career helping schools and systems reimagine learning as a liberatory act. She also serves on the advisory board for Our Family Culture, and knows Steve and Nancy well. She wrote the following just for this episode: Steve Shapiro is one of the most humble, helpful, human-centered people I have ever met. We first met during a podcast interview and became instant friends. He speaks truth in love and is intentional in his actions. More importantly, he has a heart for young people and their families. And all of that goodness must run in the family because his sister, Nancy is a treasure trove of empathy, humor and patience. And I trust anyone who is willing to Karaoke with me, no questions asked! I'm thrilled that the What School Could Be community will benefit from Steve and Nancy’s lived experience as educators, parents, and co-founders of Our Family Culture.Our episodes are edited by the peerless, Evan Kurohara. Our theme music is provided by the master pianist, Michael Sloan.

Listeners, imagine waking up to a school day with no bells, no rows of desks, no rigid timetable of subjects broken into 50-minute chunks. Instead, you open your laptop or step into a learning space that feels more like a studio, a lab, or a mission control center than a traditional classroom. Your day begins by checking in with your learning coach, not to be told what to memorize, but to map out the goals you set for yourself, goals tied to real-world challenges, not just assignments. Maybe you’ll spend the morning collaborating with peers from five continents on a project to design an accessible renewable energy solution for a community you’ve interviewed over video calls. After a break, you join a live session with an astrophysicist or a social entrepreneur—an expert whose job it is not to lecture, but to provoke questions and offer guidance. In the afternoon, you dive into a self-directed sprint: researching, prototyping, refining. You’ll log reflections, track your growth across competencies, and connect your work to global sustainable development goals. And all along the way, you’ll be developing not just knowledge, but the habits of curiosity, collaboration, and self-direction that define lifelong learners. This is a glimpse into the School of Humanity, an ambitious experiment in reimagining what learning can look like when it’s no longer bound by the old industrial model. My guest today, Raya Bidshahri, is its founder and CEO. Drawing on her background in neuroscience, her passion for human flourishing, and her conviction that education must be designed for the future—not the past—Raya has built a model that blends purpose, agency, and global connection. In this conversation, we explore what it takes to create a learning ecosystem that feels alive, human-centered, and relevant—and why she believes every learner deserves the chance to be the architect of their own education.Raya is an award-winning serial education entrepreneur. She is passionate about utilizing education as a tool for sustainable development and human progress. She has expansive experience in designing, facilitating and scaling innovative education programs. Among many other awards, Raya is listed by the BBC as one of the most inspiring and influential women on Planet Earth. As always our episodes are edited by the talented Evan Kurohara. Our theme music is by the master pianist, Michael Sloan. (NOTE: This episode was inspired by my viewing of the incredible PBS series, A Short History of the Future.)

No joke, listeners—today’s guest, Erin O’Reilly, grew up in Missoula, Montana and attended Mount Jumbo Elementary, Rattlesnake Middle, and Hellgate High. Hashtag best school names, ever. And now, full circle, Erin is shaping the future of education from right there in the heart of Big Sky Country. At the University of Montana Erin is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning where she prepares preservice teachers through courses like Ethics and Policy Issues, Educational Psychology, Social Studies Methods, and field experience seminars. She is also an Instructor for the Office of Student Success and TRiO teaching courses like You at UM - First Year seminar and College and Career Success, supporting students transitioning into college and leaving with their degree.She’s also a doctoral candidate pursuing her doctorate in Teaching and Learning.What brought Erin to this podcast, though, is her growing body of work around teaching in teams—a practice she’s researching, writing about, and living through a book she co-authored titled “team ED”. She’s posing powerful questions about how collaborative teaching models can strengthen schools, support teachers, and—maybe—keep more of them in the profession, which, by the way, will be the subject of her dissertation. In the classroom, Erin mentors and supports future educators, helping them prepare not just for their first field placement, but for the real, messy, beautiful work of teaching. Her vision is bold, meaning learning that is inclusive, personalized, and rooted in community. She’s helping to build ecosystems where innovation, equity, and shared practice can thrive.In preparing for this conversation, I read through several letters written on Erin’s behalf. One described her as “a reliable colleague known for her focus on preparing strong and adaptable classroom teachers.” Another spoke to “the creativity she pours into her preparation,” her ability to “create thoughtful and caring learning environments while also adhering to rigorous goals,” and her work to “address individual differences and reach diverse learners.” Another letter called out the “virtual library” she built for her students—complete with a personal avatar and curated DEI-aligned resources—as a reflection of her thoughtful innovation. Another letter noted, simply and powerfully: “She cares deeply about making the world a better place through education.” But the line that lingered with me was this: “She is highly professional in all her endeavors, and her work is invaluable to our department.” High praise indeed. Nick Salmon, one of Erin’s co-authors wrote the following for this episode: “When I first met Erin ten years ago, I knew she saw the future of learning differently. In a room of men talking about the bureaucracy of school, Erin was the only woman talking about the integration of technology, resilience, and integrated learning experiences. That first encounter led to collaborating on the educational vision of a small school, and then our article on furniture whispering. When the opportunity to create the book teamED emerged, Erin O’Reilly and Mar Cano were the obvious co-authors.” And finally there was this—from one of Erin’s students:“You’ve truly been an inspiration in my life and helped me feel human and worthy when I didn’t. I’ve had more than one bump in my journey to become a teacher, and all of the understanding, warm welcomes, and support helped me more than you know.”Our episodes are edited by the talented Evan Kurohara. Our theme music comes from the catalog of master pianist, Michael Sloan.

Listeners, buckle up. You’re about to meet a Virginia public school superintendent whose mother referred to him as Tom Sawyer, and for good reason. Dr. Jason Van Heukelum has been rallying people around bold visions since his earliest days in Rochester, New York. We can only imagine him convincing friends to join some backyard adventure, or today, getting entire communities to reimagine high school. Jason is someone who knows how to design and build—and bring others with him.He’s also the kind of educator, coach, guide and mentor who sees transformation not as a someday ideal, but as a here-and-now imperative. His 27-year journey includes teaching math, coaching sports, leading middle and high schools, and directing an American international school in La Paz, Bolivia. He brings deep systems experience, from classroom to central office, and a rock-solid belief that the secret to great schools lies in pairing high expectations with a deep connection to community, where so much of learning happens.Today, he’s the superintendent of Winchester Public Schools in Virginia and the driving force behind something extraordinary: the Emil and Grace Shihadeh Innovation Center, a cathedral to possibility and purpose that redefines what high school could be. No bells. Just young people walking through doors into real-world learning and a buffet of multiple choices.But before we get there, we’re heading to Algonquin, Canada, where a young Jason portaged a canoe across miles of wilderness. We’ll linger in Ecclesiastes, the Old Testament book that moves him, even on the hardest days, to rejoice in the work and find meaning in the mystery. We’ll talk about "The Speed of Trust," why relationships drive change, and what Jason means when he says, “The most important lessons we learn cannot be measured by standardized tests.” We’ll dive into the Shihadeh Center, his strategic vision for Winchester, and how his grad school capstone is becoming real through collaborative, school-based services.We’ll explore cathedral thinking, the future of public education, and the courage it takes to build innovation that lasts. And in the end, we’ll honor the wisdom of a mentor named Penny Hedrick, whose support Jason carries with him every day. To close these show notes I’ll quote from a letter written on Jason’s behalf: “The best leaders make everyone around them better. The best leaders improve the organization they lead, cultivate passionate and loyal followers who believe in their vision, and pave the way for future leaders to carry on their work when they are gone. Jason Van Heukelum is one of the best leaders I have had the opportunity to work with.”Our episodes are edited by the talented audio engineer, Evan Kurohara. Our theme music comes from the catalog of pianist, Michael Sloan.

Crystal Clark is a passionate and dedicated educator based in Kemmerer, Wyoming, with over two decades of experience in early childhood and elementary education. Currently serving as both a K–6 Instructional Facilitator and teacher in Lincoln County School District 1, she is a dynamic leader who thrives at the intersection of curriculum development, instructional coaching, and educator support. Crystal is deeply committed to hands-on, project-based learning and has played key roles in the RIDE initiative, the Rural Teacher Corps Program, and her district’s PLC and Building Leadership Teams. RIDE PD is supported by 2Revolutions. Crystal's work is rooted in meaningful collaboration, whether she’s mentoring new teachers, leading curriculum alignment efforts, or helping educators analyze data to drive classroom practice. Having received multiple professional educator certifications, she brings a research-informed approach to literacy and learning. Above all, she is known for cultivating warm, supportive environments where both students and teachers can thrive.And today, we’re going to stretch this story out across time and place—from Crystal’s childhood in a Wyoming town of 3,000 to her leadership in one of the state’s most ambitious education innovation efforts. Crystal and I talk about how the way we teach math can unintentionally create a sorting system, and why Crystal believes love of math starts in the earliest grades. We’ll explore what it truly means to coach teachers, how her deep roots in the Kemmerer community shape her impact, and why working side-by-side with educators—not above or outside—makes all the difference. Crystal will share how a single student helped define her “why,” and we’ll get a window into her vision for what Wyoming’s students could become when we remove barriers and build systems around relationships. You’ll also hear about a statewide showcase that puts hope on full display. You’ll hear about a children’s book manuscript Crystal wrote, a diamond-sized breakthrough in her professional practice, a new approach to SEL called BARR, and how it all comes back to mentorship and belonging. And when Crystal answers my final question with two names—Nikki Baldwin and her husband, Shane—you’ll understand exactly why I wanted to bring her voice to this podcast.What you are about to hear is not just the story of one educator—it is the story of what happens when roots run deep, when relationships guide the work, and when courage meets a commitment to community. Crystal Clark reminds us that transformation isn’t a theory. It’s a practice. It’s personal. And it’s happening—in Wyoming, and maybe, just maybe, in a school near you.The WSCB Podcast is edited by the talented Evan Kurohara. Our theme music is the pianist, Michael Sloan.

Jennifer Ahn is the executive director of Lead by Learning. She lives with her husband and children in northern California. The reason I asked Jennifer to be on this show is because I read an incredible book in 2024 titled Street Data. Carrie Wilson, the author of chapter 7 of Street Data and the former executive director of Lead by Learning wrote the following for this episode. “I remember over a decade ago, after Jennifer Ahn interviewed for a program associate position with us at Lead by Learning, I had this strong sense that there was nothing she couldn't do. So there are countless wonderful things to know about her. The first, which you are likely to detect in this conversation, is a combination of wicked intelligence and joyful spirit. There is a brilliant dynamism to her approach. She brings grounding, compassion, and clarity, which are much-needed qualities of leadership in these uncertain times. Showing up this way, she creates the conditions that allow for vulnerability, and also for an expansive sense of possibility and creativity. In working this way, Jennifer has made invaluable contributions to Lead by Learning and to public education. Jennifer designed and implemented the Lead by Learning Certificate Program, she built robust partnerships with Social and Emotional Learning departments and Expanded Learning teams, she pioneered Lead by Learning’s work with the Chicago Public Schools Fund, she created Lead by Learning’s Anti-racist Affinity Networks, and she developed a dynamic team of program leaders who are skilled at creating spaces that hold the complexity of what it means to lead, teach, and learn together. I am forever grateful for the way Jennifer continues to lead and develop Lead by Learning.” As you prepare to dive into this conversation, listeners, ask yourself if the true revolution in education isn’t happening in classrooms—but in the minds and hearts of the educators themselves. What if the way forward isn’t more training, more compliance, or more performance metrics—but a profound act of unlearning, re-seeing, and reconnecting? Jennifer Ahn believes that professional learning should be more than a box to check. For her, it’s about mending and reinforcing—yes, like sashiko stitching, which she is learning—and about letting art, dance, and story shape our understanding of what it means to grow, together. Most of all, Jennifer sees the deep value in being willing to be disturbed. Finally, listeners, Jennifer Ahn wrote the following words in an online article she shared with me: “In Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall Kimmerer writes that “It’s such a simple thing but we all know the power of gratitude to incite a cycle of reciprocity.” Ahn goes on to say, When educators appreciate one another’s perspectives and they see how their collective perspectives lead to action, they feel empowered to spread it across their system.” As always, our episodes are edited by the amazing Evan Kurohara. Our theme music comes from the catalog of pianist, Michael Sloan.

Emine Naz Can is a university student born and raised in Turkey who sees herself as citizen of the world. Emine is not simply studying industrial engineering—she’s actively engineering the future of education as one of the first students in a phenomenon called Nobel Navigators. Her journey is one of bold imagination and quiet courage, of bridges built between cultures, communities, and ideas. She’s the founder of Paridoc Academy, a reimagined learning experience that invites students to be seen, heard, and prepared for life beyond the classroom. And as I just mentioned, she has been an integral part of Nobel Navigators, where education transformation is not just a goal, but a daily practice. Nobel Navigators is a global social-learning community where youth come to learn, lead, and succeed. It emphasizes collaboration on local and international projects, helping students progress from learners to global leaders. By mastering technical, soft, and leadership skills, and cultivating cultural awareness and empathy, Nobel prepares students to thrive in the 21st-century global economy. This approach has aligned seamlessly with Emine’s passion for creating educational systems that are both equitable and relevant. Andrew Sachs, the founder of Nobel Navigators wrote the following for this episode: “Emine joined Nobel Navigators in 2021 as one of our first youth from Turkey. She was shy but deeply passionate about learning, connecting with others, and helping people. She believed she could achieve much more in the right learning environment, and over the next four years, she created that environment not only for herself but for thousands of other youths around the globe. Emine developed a wide range of skills, including sales, networking, marketing, negotiation, and promotion, while also growing into the action-oriented, empathetic leader our world needs. She stands as a role model for countless youth and as living proof of the incredible potential young people have to become compassionate, capable leaders.” In this conversation, we’ll step into Emine’s global perspective and explore how her upbringing has shaped a deep love for true teamwork—even through the surprising lens of American flag football, which she plays in Istanbul. We’ll travel through her values, her inspirations, and the questions that keep her moving forward. You’ll hear how James Clear’s "Atomic Habits" has guided her toward the power of small, consistent changes, and how these “tiny gains” have compounded into the leader she is today. We’ll examine the contours of equal access, the weight of purpose, and the fire of passion—unpacking what education could become when it is built to serve all learners, not just a select few. Emine reminds us that meaningful change often starts with the little things—a kind gesture, a word of encouragement, a coffee run, a teacher who listens. And from these moments, we can build a world where school is not a system of sorting, but a space of becoming. So join us for a conversation that lifts, challenges, and inspires—a conversation about education, identity, and the kind of future that doesn’t just happen, but is designed with care and intention. As always our episodes are edited by the talented Evan Kurohara, and our theme music is by the master pianist, Michael Sloan. 

Listeners, imagine a student who always loved school—not just for the grades or the gold stars, but for the challenge, the structure, the sense of accomplishment. A student who moved frequently as a kid, not worried about making friends, but determined to succeed academically. A student who “played school well,” but, looking back, remembers teachers more than lessons, relationships more than curriculum. That student was Rebecca Parks. Rebecca doesn’t just believe in education—she lives it. From a K-12 experience that set the stage for her passion to teach to the defining “failure moments” that forged her resilience in college, Rebecca’s journey has been one of learning, leading, and, most of all, reimagining what’s possible. And at the heart of her mission? A bold idea: that learning should be rooted in place, connected to the real world, and designed to spark curiosity and wonder. Her dissertation, The Impact of a Place-Based Environment on Elementary Students, is a call to action. It examines the power of place-based learning, where students don’t just sit at desks but engage with the world around them. She explored the country’s most innovative schools—Teton Science Schools in Wyoming, the Zoo Academy in Nebraska, Missouri’s WOLF Academy and many more—places where learning is hands-on, immersive, and deeply connected to the community. But she didn’t stop at research. As principal of Southview Elementary in southern Missouri, Rebecca led a school that became a state-recognized model for collaboration and professional learning. And in 2019, she took her vision even further, launching LENS—Learning and Exploring through Nature and Science—a groundbreaking school within a school, where a select group of third and fourth graders engaged in a non-traditional, science, nature-focused and archeology oriented curriculum while still meeting state standards. Her story is about breaking free from the factory model of education, embracing curiosity, and fostering a culture of learning that is real, meaningful, and alive. Today, we step into that story with her. So get ready; this is more than a conversation. It’s an invitation to rethink what’s possible in education. An invitation to consider what school could be, and what could be school. As always our episodes are edited by sound engineer, Evan Kurohara. Our theme music comes from the catalog of master pianist, Michael Sloan.

Imagine a school, not just built with bricks and mortar, but with hope. A place where students don’t just learn—they lead. A space where innovation isn’t a buzzword—it’s the foundation of every single day. Today on the What School Could Be Podcast, we step into the future of education with two visionary leaders who happen to live and work in the Great State of Rhode Island: Bryan Byerlee and Heather Breton. Heather grew up in Rhode Island, raised by a village—her grandparents, her teachers, and a community that shaped her into the educator she is today. She’s a believer in the power of connections, curiosity, and personalization—because no two students should or will ever walk the same path. Currently she is the principal at Rhodes Elementary in Rhode Island’s Cranston Public Schools. Bryan, also a Rhode Island native, found inspiration in the relationships he built while in school and on his life’s journey. I ask him to reflect on how hope, the state motto of Rhode Island and not just an abstract idea, is built from relationships, from moving at the speed of trust in a school culture where every voice matters. Bryan has been and continues to be the principal at Garden City Elementary, which is largely the focus of this episode. Together, they stand at the heart of Garden City Elementary, a groundbreaking school designed by Fielding International not just for students, but with the entire Garden City community. Imagine a place where learning spaces flex and shift, where nature meets design, and where education is reimagined through the lens of choice, autonomy, and well-being. In this episode, we’ll talk about what it means to design a school around students instead of fitting students into a school. We’ll explore the discomfort of change, the thrill of transformation, and the small, human moments that create lasting impact. We will address questions such as: How do learning environments contribute to deeper and collaborative learning? What does it look like when kids take charge of their own learning journeys? And how can the physical spaces we build today shape the communities of tomorrow? And if you think this episode is just about one school, think again. This conversation is about the future of education itself. Nathan Strenge, the Senior Learning Designer at Fielding International wrote the following for this episode: “I recommended Bryan and Heather for the What School Could Be Podcast because of their remarkable leadership during the launch of Garden City School. They embraced learner-centered teaching, empowering others to transform practices and shift from isolated classrooms to collaborative environments where student agency and joy flourish. Their lived experience exemplifies the heart of what school could be." So fasten your seatbelts, listeners; here is my conversation with Heather Breton and Bryan Byerlee. The show's audio is engineered by Evan Kurohara. Our theme music is provided by pianist, Michael Sloan.