In this episode, Ron Berger, co-author of We Are Crew: A Teamwork Approach to School Culture, shares insights on creating a positive school culture through a crew spirit that places an emphasis on team building and working together for positive change. Berger also talks about his role as Chief Education Officer for EL Education, a network of over 150 schools in 30 states, that takes Deeper Learning to the next level with the concept of "Deeper Instruction" as every lesson is designed to push students deeper through the three dimensions of classroom instruction that makes learning challenging, engaging and empowering for kids. Berger also offers praise for teachers and school leaders, calling them "heroic" in their efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic and offers sound advice on how to have challenging conversations in schools about race and social inequity. Twitter: @RonBergerEL. Websites: https://www.eleducation.org.

Meet Ron Berger

Ron Berger is Chief Academic Officer for EL Education. EL Education guides a network of over 150 public schools in more than 30 states – an organization that partners with districts and charter boards to found public schools in low-income communities that send all graduates to college, and transforms existing public schools K – 12 toward high student achievement, character and citizenship. EL Education’s core work is building teacher capacity in schools and districts through professional coaching, resources and open-source curriculum.

Ron works closely with the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where he did his graduate work and teaches a course that uses exemplary student project work to illuminate standards. With Harvard colleague Steve Seidel, he founded Models of Excellence: The Center for HighQuality Student Work, an open-source collection of the nation’s best K-12 student project work and writing. He is an Annenberg Foundation Teacher Scholar, and received the Autodesk Foundation National Teacher of the Year award. He is the author of six books: An Ethic of Excellence and A Culture of Quality; more recent works include Leaders of Their Own Learning, Transformational Literacy, Management in the Active Classroom, and Learning that Lasts."

Ron was a public school teacher and master carpenter in rural Massachusetts for over 25 years. His writing and speaking center on inspiring quality and character in students, specifically through project-based learning, original scientific and historical research, service learning, and the infusion of arts. He works with the national character education movement to embed character values into the core of academic work.

About Dr. Greg Goins

As the Founder/Host of the Reimagine Schools Podcast, Dr. Greg Goins has emerged as one of the nation's leading voices on visionary leadership and the path to transforming our schools. He currently serves as the Director of the Educational Leadership Program at Georgetown College (KY) and previously spent 15 years as a school district superintendent in Illinois. Dr. Goins is a passionate keynote speaker and is available to speak at your next education conference or school PD day. To book Dr. Goins, please send inquiries to drgreggoins@gmail.com.  Twitter: @DrGregGoins. Website: www.reimagineschools.net.

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