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.