Episode #366: Kurtis Hewson
https://outofthetrenches.podbean.com/e/episode-366-kurtis-hewson/
Kurtis Hewson: As Lead Leader and Co-Founder of Jigsaw Learning, Kurtis has championed the call for collaborative structures in schools to ensure success for all students and enhance the collective efficacy of those dedicated educators working in classrooms. Kurtis works to establish responsive relationships with districts and system level leaders to design collaborative frameworks for educators and develop leadership capacity at all levels. He has over 25 years of experience in the classroom, including over a decade as an award-winning school administrator.
An engaging speaker and facilitator, Kurtis interacts with thousands of educators and educational stakeholders annually to ensure Collaborative Response is foundational to how schools work together to ensure success for all students.
Trench story: convo he’s had several x’s about a beginning admin standpoint. As a young admin he tried to be there for everything “yes” man. It put everything on him. He realized he didn’t have all the expertise. Didn’t build the capacity he needed to. Felt overwhelmed. How to leverage all the expertise in the building.
Jigsaw Learning history: Organization History | Jigsaw Learning His wife & he started in 2013, went FT in 2016. Wasn’t a planned path. Was a principal and needed to engage in a process of how to address students’ needs. Prior to going FT, there was no preconceived notion to do anything outside the school. There were isolated islands of excellence. They support as many organizations as possible.
Collaborative Response: Started in his school mid-2010’s. He tried to explain many complicated pieces. Key elements framing the work. 3 foundational components that are simple in design. It’s more of a mindset than a model. It’s a framework, leveraging PLC’s insights & leveraging w/ MTSS. He’ll share graphic for the show notes that explains it. Used to describe it as blending PLCs & RTI. They’re trying to merge the 2 teams. W/ U.S. audience they talk about bridging b/w sped & general edu. They work off a 4 tier model. They want more coherence about how to respond to ALL st’s through systems & structures. How to leverage supports.
Jigsaw Learning team goes into schools to provide PD or does webinars: usually working w/ leaders, model meeting structures, also work w/ school leadership teams & district level. Have online workshops. Different ways to support schools. Many districts want a common way of talking across schools. Typically the work is a 3 yr process. It’s about every few months. Over time, there’s a shift in a system as to how it responds to st needs.
As the author of Collaborative Response, came out through Corwin in 2022. It’s an anchor text that explains the process. It describes setting up collaborative structures & processes, utilizing data & evidence, developing continuums to articulate tiers of supports.There are multiple vignettes & a companion website. They have online resources, podcast, etc to address the issue. They work w/ all sizes, demographics, locations. Framework is applicable in every school. It’s about leveraging adults in an effective way. Honor & empower the most precious resource- the adults.
Podcasts Building a Culture of Collaboration & Collaborative Response it’s about establishing conditions for collaboration (talk w/ many diff. leaders) & Leading Collaborative Response it’s got 53 episodes. They bring on guests who share the lessons they’ve learned going through the process. They’ve had guests on from other industries.
Conferences- they’ve hosted some in Edmonton in AB. Started in 2017. At largest, was 600 participants. They felt they lost connections/networking though. They’ve moved to more of a retreat now (since 2022). They go to a smaller location in May, capped @ 150 attendees. LaCombe, AB. They share stories about what works. They’ve had several ppl from intl. location. Registration opens late Jan. will until April.
Out of everything: underlying mantra. They believe every child deserves a team. TedX by Rita Pearson “Every Child Deserves a Champion” (insert link). Doesn’t have to be a recipe for burnout. You can put champions in teams & how do we structure our schools to achieve it.
Where can ppl find you online:
http://jigsawlearning.ca/ https://www.facebook.com/JigsawLearningAB/
https://www.twitter.com/Jigsaw_Learning
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3U_RKp7yxQhckpKaQur7ow
https://www.linkedin.com/company/jigsaw-learning-inc/?viewAsMember=true
https://www.instagram.com/jigsawlearningab/
View this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/VjG2hHuLRp4
Episode #367: Jessica Lee Haxhi
https://outofthetrenches.podbean.com/e/episode-367-jessica-lee-haxhi/
Jessica Haxhi has been the Supervisor of World Languages for New Haven Public Schools in Connecticut since 2013, overseeing 85 teachers of Arabic, ASL, Chinese, French, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Pashto, and Spanish. She also teaches one Japanese class at James Hillhouse High School. Jessica was President of ACTFL in 2021 and is a past President of the American Association of Teachers of Japanese. She served on the Northeast Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Board from 2006-2010, the ACTFL-NCSSFL Can-Do Statements Committee, and the original National Standards Committee for Japanese. Previously, Jessica taught Japanese for 20 years in a PreK-5 program and has taught world language methods as an adjunct instructor at local universities in CT. She has received the Milken Family Foundation National Teacher Award (2002), the U.S.-Japan Foundation Elgin Heinz Outstanding Japanese Teacher Award (2008), and the International Women’s Day New Haven Award for Outstanding Public Service (2019).
Trench story: early in her career, thought Japanese / had a good schedule set up. 1st grade teacher decided it was too much time for kids to have for WL. Jessica was resistant- it was going to be 1x/week for 20 min. Said “it’s not really our decision”. The state had financed their magnet school and the Japanese school was one. They asked the State. Jessica & teachers presented to them about how much st’s were getting out of their classes.
Has been a supervisor in New Haven P.S. but still teaches Japanese 1 in HS (3rd year). We can talk about what it was like to go back to the classroom after 7 years, she didn’t teach HS before (taught preK-5). 85 WL t’s in the district. Coaches them, supports curriculum, instruction, assessment. Spends a lot of time w/ new t’s. There are new ones who come every year. 9 languages. When she got there, they had 6 languages through Foreign Language Assessment Grants. 20K students, they are near Yale. She has added a few languages. Arabic, Italian, ASL, Pashto (is spoken in Afghan), her city is a sanctuary city. They collaborated w/ local funding to get WL credit for this class. She was able to add Japanese when a Latin teacher left. She has always said “yes”. She felt she had to make herself indispensable, the WL program in particular. Started teaching again b/c she felt like she was losing her “street cred”. It’s 1st period 7:30-9. The Japanese teachers presented @ ACTFL- “Everything you need to teach, you learned teaching kindergarten”.
Advocacy- did that as part of Japanese t’s org. Does it day-to-day. She was part of a committee to get the Seal of Biliteracy. This was a grass roots type of movement. They learned so much about when the legislature meets, when bills go through, how to do public comment at state level. She’s felt more empowered to follow things in CT that are related to education. The State Board approved WL standards last week. It’s a big deal when senators hear from you. Participates on JNCL- Joint Natl Committee
Talk about 2 impactful learnings you’ve recently done: did session on “Baking in the Learning by Planning in Cycles” at ACTFL-it grew out out the desire to simplify WL proficiency-based instruction for t’s. Many teachers she supports have L2 in English. It’s focused on activity/task you want kids to do w/ pre-teaching, post-teaching (‘bakes’ it in). Example: can do it for interpretive task: you found an infographic. Pre-work- gather what the kids need to interact w/ it successfully. Gather a “hook” to get them excited about it. 2nd step: mixing ingredients together- best done in pairs. Brain-based learning is worth is even if they’re not speaking in target language. It’s easy to go on to the next thing. Next, assess the skills needed to do another type of task “baking in the learning”.
MAGIC acronym-t’s in her district did a book club around brain-based learning. Culturally Responsive Teaching & the Brain. Realized it spelled MAGIC. Almost a checklist. The point is you can do this while you’re lesson planning, take 1 from each letter. M-music, movement, manipulatives. A-authentic texts G-gaming/guessing and got it I-interaction C-chunking/creativity. Pick 1 strategy from each letter. She asks t’s to choose 1 think & what they can include in their planning. She’ll give a link to that. They had $ to do after-school academies in district so she used it w/ them.
She presents at NE & Connecticut.
President of ACTFL (insert link for board members nomination) (ppl will be more familiar w/ that): anyone can apply, there’s a nomination process. AATJ nominated her. The committee produced a slate. 2021- tricky. Usually you’d travel to all the regional conf but she didn’t that year. They made a high quality online experience. Had a tea ceremony at the Japanese consulate in D.C. She drove how meetings went, drove her thinking process. Helps her in current role. It’s a 3 year term- president-elect. president, past president.
Out of everything: love kids. As she has watched many t’s come & go. She wants to ask t’s if they love kids. You need to learn a lot in the job but you have to love kids.
Where can ppl find you online: @jhaxhi on Bluesky, X, LinkedIn district webpage: https://sites.google.com/a/nhps.net/nhpswl/home
View this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/bSXVwq8itG0
Episode #268: Dr. John Chacana
https://outofthetrenches.podbean.com/e/episode-368/
Dr. John Chanaca is the founder of MJChanacapublishing LLC, a family-owned publishing company dedicated to creating heartwarming, educational stories that emphasize positive family values and parenting. He is the author of several children’s books, including The Keymaker, Annie’s Flutterflies, Color Your Own Story Books, and the Humor & Heart collection, which earned a Silver Medal in the Global Book Awards 2024. Dr. Chanaca has devoted his career to inspiring and educating both young readers and parents through literature.
A Licensed Professional Family Counselor since 1985, Dr. Chanaca has supported countless families and individuals in navigating life’s challenges. This experience led him to author the three-part series A Survival Guide for Parents: Nurturing Super Students in a Modern World, with a follow-up book, Power Parenting: Nurturing Successful Students in the Modern World, soon to be released.
With over 42 years of experience in teaching (grades K–8) and counseling in elementary public schools across Pennsylvania and South Carolina, Dr. Chanaca holds a Doctorate in Education with a focus on curriculum and instruction. His international work as a Fulbright Memorial Fund Scholar studying Japan’s educational system also inspired his Super Student Program, blending global insight with practical strategies for student success.
Trench story: reinventing himself- being adaptable, flexible in public schools. Moved to different grades in different school settings. Taking strengths & skills & giving everything you have. Got tired, moved from jobs, invented curriculum programs that kept interests involved. It speaks to longevity & adaptability. Unless you grow as a teacher, you will be caught up in admin survival mode, and it will burn you out. Your business is providing a service to children & families. You have a lot of things that can get in your way. When he became a counselor, he had a different look, K-6/K-4. Looked at programs throughout the school system. Published “peer pals” to have older kids help younger ones. Did his study on it for dissertation. Published the program through Youth Light Guidance materials.
What inspired you to start MJChanacapublishing LLC, and how did the idea come about during the COVID period? When he retired his wife & him traveled & MIL lives with them. They had to reinvent themselves. They took stories from raising their sons.
Can you tell us more about the Family Values Series? What themes do you explore in these books: during the last 8 yrs his wife & him have been reinventing themselves. Started a publishing company when his MIL came to live w/ them and they couldn’t travel anymore (she’s now FT at a hospice center). 12 books which contain ethical & moral values-honesty, generosity, kindness (secular). His son Joel got involved in it too.
Also wrote “Power Parenting, Nurturing Successful Students in the Modern World” which will be turned into a Parenting course soon.
Could you describe the process of creating your books, from the initial concept to the final product? Could you share your experiences of working with international illustrators, such as your current collaboration with an illustrator from Pakistan, India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka? they knew nothing about it when they started. Hired illustrators to do 1 scene each from Fiverr. They wanted sketches first. When he was working, was involved in a few publications like Peer Pals, having upper ES kids go into lower grades. Got involved w/ Carolina Author’s group as well.
The Super Student/Parenting Series is one of your flagship projects. What inspired you to create it, and what do you hope children take away from it? created when he was in schools- not published, but you can find it if you google his name. Provided by Youth Light. The Keymaker was the first one. His program was produced as a guide for teachers to improve st behavior (K-3). It was a beginner’s guide of how to be a successful student.
You’ve recently started a Cyber Warrior Series (not yet published). Why is cyber safety important for elementary school students, and how do your books address this issue? 5-6 books that will come out in 2025 (late summer/early fall). Specifically about safety using cell phones. Are looking for partnerships w/ communication groups. All are on Amazon when they come out. The $ the receive they give away. It’s more of a mission project. In the district he lives in it’s one of the largest SC. Ppl come to visit Myrtle Beach & settle. There is a cell phone ban in the district he lives in.
What advice would you give to aspiring children’s book authors who are just starting out, especially those with no prior knowledge of publishing? study & research what you’re doing before you start out. Define your goal. They wanted to have a legacy for their family. It’s grown more into selling, marketing. If you want to illustrate/use AI to illustrate, or use Fiverr, have $ to invest. You need to know about the publishing process, i.e. cover, formatting the inside, etc. Print on demand companies. They welcome aspiring authors to get in touch.
This publishing project began during the challenging COVID period when we found ourselves confined to our homes, often with the wonderful presence of my wife, Jane’s mom, Clara Gredlein, who is an impressive 96-year-old. Many of you have inquired about the inspiration behind our project, asking why we chose to embark on this journey. The answer is simple: we were fueled by a burning desire to share the enchanting stories and incredible adventures we’ve had with our children and grandchildren, especially the unforgettable moments involving various pets in both exciting and humorous situations. We had the time and resources to learn the intricacies of book production, and we were determined to create books that not only radiated wholesomeness and beauty but also instilled ethical and moral values, reflecting our faith in God and the blessings we’ve received. This endeavor has demanded extensive research, countless discussions, and the unwavering support of our families, friends, and many of you. We embarked on this journey with no prior knowledge of ISBNs, illustrators, email lists, KDP, Amazon, websites, Facebook, Instagram, or the various software tools necessary for book production. Our learning journey continues.
Out of everything: Quotes Charles Swindall and the impact of attitude on life, he’ll read a tip about keeping positive. Also on how to retire/end well. “The Longer I live, the more I realize the impact on life, it’s more important than the past, failures, successes, appearance, giftedness, skill, it will make a church or home (…)” It’s a wonderful thing to keep in mind. They could have had a terrible attitude when MIL came to move in w/ them. They didn’t have a mean or sour attitude. If you’re in a CR w/ a terrible situation- put your heart into your prof development, etc. Learn to adapt.
Where can ppl find you online: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089699787125
https://twitter.com/mjchanacapubish
https://www.youtube.com/@mjchanacapublishing/videos
https://www.instagram.com/mjchanacapublishing/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-chanaca-04b7a7175/
Free e-book to listeners: In Canva style: https://www.canva.com/design/DAFo1cW4Qno/uwNG2Rx_PUjzDOexhQx6kw/edit?utm_content=DAFo1cW4Qno&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=sharebutton
Flip book style
Survival Guide Part 1
https://mjchanacapublishingllc.aiinteractivebooks.com/book-view/1794
View this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/CGKMMTlp2dE
Episode #369: Casey Watts
https://outofthetrenches.podbean.com/e/episode/
Casey Watts is the founder of Casey Watts Coaching & Consulting, LLC, and a Team Leadership Expert. She has over 20 years of experience in education as a classroom teacher, adjunct professor, academic coordinator, and district instructional specialist. She is passionate about empowering teams to move beyond silos and transform into cohesive, vision- driven powerhouses. Through strategic guidance and practical tools, Casey helps leaders cultivate clarity, collaboration, and a collective purpose that drives meaningful results.
With a Bachelor’s in Interdisciplinary Studies and a Master’s in Education from Stephen F. Austin State University, Casey has dedicated her career to fostering collective efficacy. She specializes in equipping educators and leaders with actionable strategies to close learning gaps, build teacher capacity, and enhance team dynamics. Her visionary approach and ability to ask the right questions spark transformation, helping teams identify their unique strengths and script the critical moves needed to achieve their goals.
In addition to her work with schools and organizations, Casey hosts The Catching Up with Casey Podcast, where she explores innovative approaches to leadership, shares insights on team building, and inspires listeners to lead with intention and impact. Whether facilitating workshops, speaking at conferences, or coaching leaders one-on-one, Casey is committed to helping teams unlock their full potential and create lasting change.
Trench story: was a CR teacher, then stepped out to be an academic coordinator. She’d worked at that school 2 yrs. Was promoted. The academic coordinator position was like an AP position. Was only 27. Felt flattered. Said “yes” and packed up her boxes, but it was her worst yr of all of her career. Many factors played in. She was a high achiever, a master teacher. This is different than leading adults. It was assumed she had the skills necessary to lead in this capacity. She’s not a “yes” woman. She pushes boundaries, challenges the status quo. She & principal butted heads. Her principal made her life miserable. She felt siloed in the school. Came home w/ migraines. Couldn’t wait to get out. Principal @ end of the year “we need you back in the cr”. It was a grade she didn’t want to teach. She took it. She loved that grade level. Was able to grow & learn, reflect on the leadership experience.
She talks about breaking down silos and building cohesive.
How got into fostering collective efficacy: she discusses it in her book. It’s a “hot topic” word. IT’s the belief that we as a group can do better together. If ppl can commit to a greater purpose, even if….In all her experiences, she’s bridged the gap b/w 2 groups of ppl. As a district instructional leader, she hears what principals are saying vs. teachers or principals. She wants to stitch those two together. She has a passion for smaller rural schools. It’s harder to create collective efficacy in larger districts. We often function as several teams who work against each other. Onboarding process
Book: The Craft of Clarity (published Jan. 2025, description from Amazon): will talk about it w/ umbrella of coming out and through trenches.
Schools and teams often operate in a state of quiet chaos, cycling through new initiatives without achieving meaningful alignment. Leaders trying to hold teams accountable find themselves swinging between micromanagement and neglect, with little success in fostering trust, collaboration, or sustainable progress. Meanwhile, student learning gaps continue to grow, further compounding frustration for both educators and leaders.
The Clarity Cycle offers a six-step framework to break this cycle. It equips leaders with practical tools to align their teams around a shared vision, hold people accountable without losing autonomy, and create environments where educators can collaborate effectively to close gaps and ensure every learner thrives.
Drawing on real-world examples and grounded in research, this book aims to simplify the complexity of clarity. It shows leaders how to build habits that help them turn vague goals into actionable steps, celebrate progress without resorting to empty praise, and sustain momentum in the face of inevitable challenges. Whether you’re a school principal, team leader, or district administrator, The Craft of Clarity is your guide to transforming quiet chaos into cohesive, confident teams working toward a common purpose—better outcomes for students.
Misalignment happens b/c we lack clarity. Strategic plans often fail. There’s no clarity to support the plan. Ppl will continue in “quiet chaos” where nothing will change. If we create clarity we can bridge gaps w/in our teams. She takes leaders thru 6 habits: vision, setting goals, gaining insight (get rest off recording). W/ a school that experiences a lot of leader turnover but teachers stay-she’d say “slow your role in the beginning before you try to push an initiative”. Sometimes we push things we’re passionate about others may not be.
The Catching Up with Casey Podcast, currently at 100 episodes. Guests & her talk about building cohesive building-driven teams. Can be small-really large teams. You are a campus leader, district leader, instructional coach. It’s a live podcast to YouTube on Mondays. She has authors as guests, others who work in schools. They share about creating clarity, character, authentic collaboration. Has been on air for 2-3 years.
Highlight consulting services: She does a listening tour, then has private convo w/ teachers to sow those 2 things together. She asks how the teams collaborate. Leaders say “copies, cover for each other” it’s fake collaboration.
Clarity Cycle Framework Partnership Opportunities when she consults, she works w/ school leadership teams. Title 1, turnaround, charter schools. She partners w/ them in a variety of ways. How to spend less w/o overwhelming t’s. She has worked w/ schools 2 yrs in a row.
Out of everything: Even though it’s sometimes awful to go through the trenches, there is a purpose in that. It’s shaped you as a human being. Look back & see how you can come out of it differently to be seed.
Where can ppl find you online: get from website www.catchingupwithcasey.com @catchupwithcasey in LinkedIn
View this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/BAYJacMi4AI
Episode #370: Lara Donnelly & Jill Handley
https://outofthetrenches.podbean.com/e/episode-370-jill-handley-lara-donnelly/
Co-authors of What Can I Take Off Your Plate? A Structural—and Sustainable—Approach to Countering Teacher Burnout
Lara Donnelly, EdD, is a veteran teacher and school counselor in Jefferson County Public Schools (Kentucky). She is an education consultant, speaker, and author supporting schools and administrators with burnout, family engagement, and multilingual learners with trauma and mental health concerns. Donnelly has been featured in podcasts, news articles, and televised interviews for her expertise in supporting mental health. In addition, she has presented at numerous national conferences, including ASCD, ESEA, and the Whole School REACH conference.
Jill Handley, EdD, is the assistant superintendent of multilingual learners in Jefferson County Public Schools (Kentucky). Prior to this role, she was the award-winning principal of Kenwood Elementary. During her 16-year tenure as principal, she led her school to be recognized for several achievements, including National School of Character, National Distinguished ESEA School, and the first Family Friendly Certified school in the state of Kentucky.
Trench story: Jill- first few yrs as principal. Was an instructional coach first. Didn’t feel like a great principal at first. #1-she hadn’t really recognized what her role as principal was. She wanted ppl to like her and used a lot of the tools she’d used as an instr. coach. She now works w/ many principals who have those same feelings. Many are APs first. If you try to do as you did as an AP, it’s not always. You have to understand the big systems piece. Don’t stay stuck in your previous role. She also learned that as a new leader, it’s not about being liked, it’s about being respected. #3- don’t try to make ppl both happy & like you. She needed to understand what her role was requiring. Leader, not a boss.
Lara- she was a teacher of sped behavioral disorders. Sped team was a tight core. Then was a counselor. In that school she was considered an admin. Spent a lot of time thinking she was hitting a lot of road blocks. Regardless of what’s already established, there’s a reset button that needs to happen almost every year. Ask yourself-how am being most effective?
Lara, what type of sessions have you presented on and for how long have you been speaking at conferences? They have presented a lot since the book was published. Focused on mental health fatigue. She presents in her current role on her experiences/stories. Her focus has been w/ counselors/admin. 50%+ quit w/in first 5 yrs. She partners w/ her former district. Most of her presentations are w/ Jill- on burnout- systems people can put into place to avoid it. They talk about sustainability, communication, operations, etc.
Jill, talk to me about some of the impact you’ve had in your role as assistant superintendent of multilingual learners in Jefferson County Public Schools since starting in 7/23? What are some of the challenges your district is currently facing for MLLs? Talk about the population of MLLs you serve. They are a blue city in a red state. Diverse district 21K MLLs. Large urban district w/ 100K kids. It allows her the level of advocacy systems wise. It allows her to take what she learned as a principal K-5.talk about moving from translations. Prior to her starting the role- the focus was on the ELD teachers & what they needed to do. They have built capacity w/in the role groups-key practices- inclusive environment, supports, content-area scaffolds, fostering independence w/ in learners. She glad to be able to develop autonomy, advocacy as a proactive approach. Role groups-principal needs to establish a top-down approach of an inclusive environment. Principal is the primary role group. District leadership, content teachers, ELD teachers, then everyone else. They did PD for every role group last year. This year they work w/ culture/climate dept. Same lingo.
Leader’s burnout and how that manifests once someone walks into the building:
Suggestions to teachers to do self-care diminish their feelings. What can we do as leaders to do better to not overwork their first 3 yrs as well?
Long term sustainability? Leaders come from being an instru coach or AP. You have to apply a different set of skills often ppl’s soft skills get underestimated. Develop relationships w/ ppl. When they decided to write the book, it was about teacher retention rates, but in 6-7 yrs they had 90% retention. Having longevity, understanding how systems work. Sometimes systems & compliance go hand in hand. Have a clear-cut way of doing what you say you’re about. Don’t have to put in a ton of extra brainpower, f.ex. who will be covering as a para. They always ask at presentations to leaders- can your building run w/o you?
In 1 chapt, they talk about supporting t through individualized PD. Every t deserves a great coach-they’ve gotten a lot of good fdb about that. They don’t always take care of the whole teacher.
W/ the PD they do w/ t’s they have 1 hr w/ Lara about how things are going. She discovers what ppl want to talk about.
Were @ ASCD/ISTE June 30 & July 1. Webinar w/ Happara.
Out of everything? Jill: almost at 30 yrs in edu. She sees passion extinguished early. Principal mentors don’t exist enough. You’re in your position for a reason-if it doesn’t exist where you are, network & find that support. Lara: echoes this, you’re never going to regret investing in your ppl & systems.
Where can ppl find you? www.laracdonnely.com @laradonnelycoaching IG
www.betheleaderyoudeserve.com & podcast @jillhandley LinkedIn
View this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/cAAdM0EytK8
Episode #371: John Almarode
https://outofthetrenches.podbean.com/e/episode-371-dr-john-almarode/
Dr. John Almarode John is a Professor of Education in the College of Education at James Madison University. In 2015, John was awarded the inaugural Sarah Miller Luck Endowed Professorship. In 2021, John was honored with an Outstanding Faculty Award from the State Council for Higher Education in Virginia. Most recently, he was named a Madison Scholar in the College of Education and awarded the Madison Vision Teaching Award. At James Madison University, he continues to work with pre service teachers and graduate students, as well as actively pursues his research interests including the science of learning and the design and measurement of classroom environments that promote the greatest gains in student learning.
John works closely with John Hattie’s Visible Learning research, The Visible Learning® research base represents more than 2,103 meta-analyses comprising more than 132,000 studies involving more than 300 million students around the world. The Visible Learning research has identified more than 350 factors that influence student achievement.
He is the author of The Illustrated Guide to Visible Learning: An Introduction to What works best in schools. He is a bestselling author and an Associate Professor of Education at James Madison University.
Trench story: It was his first teaching job. Was a math/physics teacher, didn’t do teacher prep courses. Was in the CR 30 sec. before he realized he was in the trenches. St’s didn’t care about math like he did. He’s tossed aside education courses. He went back to the metal model of an effective teacher-who had the greatest impact on his learning, tried to imitate them. It was survival at first. Took courses in how ppl learn in his master’s.
Tell me about you work w/ John Hattie’s research: He’d just arrived at JMU, someone handed his the original Visible Learning book, looked boring, he gave the book away 2x’s. Gave it someone he was seeking vengeance on. Took it w/ him to the beach when he was offered it the 3rd time. Then attended an event John Hattie was speaking. Found himself presenting w/ Hattie. Specifically the translation of meta analysis.
& The Illustrated Guide to Visible Learning: An Introduction to What works best in schools: He has a challenge of making sense of research. It’s highly dependent on context. How do we move away from a list of top 10 strategies. Lower effect size have indirect consequences. Doug Fisher & Nancy Frey said let’s do an illustrated guide.
K-12 educators who translate this into the CR: How do you translate this practice & evaluate this? Evidence-based practice (no such thing). We often treat that as a guarantee. Say this is where you may want to go to find a potential practice. Jigsaw has a high effect size, it’s from ppl who have implemented it well. How do I make it work for my 26 learners? How do I make it work based on local context in the cr? move away from top 10 strategies. They pulled out the 4 banner-worthy ideas that came out of 2400 meta-analyses. Dig thru cognitive & neuroscience. What does the belief compel me to do in the CR every day? How to leverage effect size to gather evidence.
ow to have Visible Learning make sense for t’s who are starting to work w/ it in their PLCs? What’s not working & how do you identify where your st’s are, where you want to go, how do you get there?
How to close the gap? What do de-implement? Who’s not making progress in literacy? How do we sustainably implement the reading intervention, & monitor progress? Visible LEarning research says “It’s how we think about our teaching that’s the biggest predictor”. Pick any classroom strategy like jigsaw, drop in a CR discussion, a think=pair-share becomes a “think-pair-stare”. It’s not the st’s. We got focused on the what & the how not how to engage in the discussion. Teach sentence stems, skill set. It can be used w/ any grade level or subject area. Blaming the st’s lower effectiveness. Have we taught them to study? Assuming “they should already know”. Meet them where they are & take t
hem where they need to go.
Year 14 at James Madison U. Teaches primarily methods courses. Sometimes teaches learning theories & MA & Doc level. Occasionally teaches methods courses. Research projects around K-12 or general. St’s talk to athletes, dentists, couches.. 3 parallel projects.- one is the concept of struggle. Productive struggle- you can’t plan for it. Unpack how st’s can figure out what they’re struggling w/. His st’s are talking to ppl in other field to find out about struggles. Feedback- we often give but not explain, is partnering w/ pediatric anesthesiologists. Projects are ongoing w/ Doug, Nancy, etc. St’s dive in & assist. Research assistants are currently helping him on these.
Speaking at conf: Learning & the Brain (Boston, San Fran, NY every year). Translating cognitive science, neuroscience in the class. It’s his favorite conf. He presents & attends every session. It’s about connecting what we know about the brain. Teacher Clarity: he often presents but isn’t able to attend as much. 1st conf. is the best to get started- you meet great brain researchers & neuroscientists. 2nd conf. is best if you’re interested in learning about visible learning. June- VL Ambassador’s certification. Annual VL conf. is in July- located in Vegas. (Insert links), Corwin has their dates on website.
Master classes available on website: “Getting them to eat peas when all you want is ice cream”: Him & a developmental psychologist- they talked about engagement. David’s point was “you’re asking them to engage at home”. Peas vs. ice cream. We have choices- #1 is edutainment- you get full but there’s no nutritional value. OR a CR that’s run on compliance. #3 serving peas that have the flavor of ice cream. He also did a course w/ Accutrain “Stop Lights & Sticky Notes”. There’s certain things that cause us to stop & remember. It analyses what supports vs. what impedes learning.
Out of everything: as his career has gone on, take away the importance & value of teacher & how we think about the value of teachers. Don’t let someone strip you of your expertise.
Where can ppl find you online: X, FB, website www.johnalmarode.com you can send him an email there.Look him up at JMU website. View this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/K5P4ZVbVFGU
Episode # 372: Dr. Valcine Brown
Episode # 372: Valcine Brown | The Out of the Trenches Podcast
Dr. Valcine Brown is a veteran teacher of high school English Language Arts serving in public education. Dr Brown holds a BA in English Literature, an MFA in Humanities: Creative Writing, an MFA in English Literature, and a PhD in Education: Curriculum and Instruction. Understanding the connection between literacy and economic prosperity, her passion is increasing literacy in adolescents, an often neglected topic. Dr. Brown was born and raised in So. California where she still resides.
Trench story: will talk about her first year of teaching, boundaries she had to set. She often took work home. Needed to be clear about delineating personal from prof time. Became conscious sticking to contract hours.
What educational challenges do you encounter most as a high school English teacher? Trouble when st’s aren’t interested in reading or the read below the reading level. They’re not willing to do the reading outside class. Educators often do the bulk of the heavy lifting. She has worked @ her school site to revamp the curriculum.
What inspired you to create a credit recovery program to help high school students recover credits needed for graduation? She looked at grading practices. What skills st’s can/cannot do. Put 2 diff. concepts together. Mastery-based grading & Solution Tree grade-level standards training. She wanted to have the ethos to discuss what she wanted to. Prior to this, her district had 2 credit recovery options. During the online option, they were cheating. W/ the program she came up w/ they don’t’ have to meet F2F and they’ve curtailed the cheating. If a st doesn’t have mastery, they can be reach out to the st’s. They have most often 11-12th graders. They’ve eventually acquired the skills they just need to show mastery of the standard. It’s more of a learning targets completion rather than working thru a semester-long. Had support of admin team. Pitched the plan, admin decided there wasn’t a point of st’s sitting through the class.
Data on success of program– 1st yr, 45 st’s recovered credit. 2nd yr- 65 st’s. Wasn’t as successful in chemistry. Now in 3rd year- 40+ who recovered credit in 1st semester. Social science dept. adopted it as well. Very often there aren’t options for st’s w/ IEPs, ELLs, etc. Specific example: 1 st w/ an IEP scored 10/19 pts on objective summary. He got a brief lesson. She gave him a cold text the next day. He did additional practice @ home. Then scored 17/20. T who builds the credit recovery program should be the expert in the field. For MLL’s they incorporated diff. testing structures.It puts ownness & trust w/ t’s. Graduation rates-she’ll have to ask her principal. It’s a cost for the district to have them take the online option. Better to do it in-house. Time for prep-she got an extra prep to do this. They have a 2-1-2 modified schedule. St’s come 2 hrs later Thurs. Extra prep is given to subject-area t who is teaching it. Resources are renewed every wk. She is able to pull texts to prep students. Therefore there isn’t cheating. She preps for this every Wedn. It doesn’t impact the st’s attendance if they’re coming in to meet w/ credit recovery t.
Process of Expansion in district (would love to expand across the nation)-there was a luncheon last yr w/ co-leads in other schools, new principal @ another school is interested in hearing about it. That school is deciding how to build their program. It’s a flexible program. Modify it how you need to.
What future research topics are you considering? Her dissertation was on the Impact of Mirror Books on 10th grade students’ attitude towards reading- these are books where st’s can see themselves reflected in a positive way. Prior to this, she had st’s take a survey on reading attitude. Ran study for 6 wks of reading- core & isolated group. Took same survey at the end. There was an uptick of reading for academics in print. There was a dip in reading for recreation (social media content, etc). She also looked at Lexile Scores. It wasn’t impacting the results.Her next study is working w/ another dr. (Jason Moore @ ES) in district looking @ correlation b/w 2 items towards Lexile levels. They’ll be seeking IRB in the summer, hope to start study in summer. Should be done at the beg. of school year. She could come back as a repeat guest after the study.
Speaking @ ERIC’25 April 23-27. Is doing an iposter presentation and e-lighting TedTalk. Truncated her dissertation into an essay. Received 11,000 entries, we was one of the papers they chose.
What is the one piece of advice you would share with parents to help their students succeed in the classroom? they need to read & model reading. She loved reading. She always saw her mom w/ books.She started asking to loan books as soon as she started reading. It’s difficult to help st’s master/analyze texts beyond DOK1. Parents think kids are at school all day, but there’s only 180 days. Getting them to read more @ home, have rich discussions about the text when they come back. Build the skill/resiliency. Even HS/MS children. It unlocks many avenues to other disciplines.
Out of everything: There’s always hope. Try, try, try again. Fail forward.
Where can ppl find you online: FB @valcinebrown (https://drvalcinebrown.live-website.com/
View this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/egXyPr4Q1Kg
This is a link to my newly published title that shares insight into credit recovery toward high school graduation. It explores traditional methods and a new method nicknamed “The Brown Plan.
Episode #373: Christine Zuppa
Episode #373: Christine Zuppa | The Out of the Trenches Podcast
Georgia & Christine (Making the Grade Project)
Georgia O’Keefe, Co-Founder: Georgia is a seasoned educator with over a decade of expertise. The bulk of Georgia’s work in K-12 revolved around early childhood education and new teacher mentoring. She brings her love for writing and creating, as well as her strong attention to detail and passion for helping others create more joy in their lives to the MTG team. (wasn’t present for the recording but is part of the team)
Christine Zuppa, Co-Founder: Christine is an experienced educator with a wide range of experience in both private and public school settings with a focus in special education. She is passionate about equipping educators with knowledge & confidence to create engaging & welcoming classrooms. She brings her conscientious & ambitious mindset to the MTG team.
Trench story: 5 yrs into teaching in sped. Diff. type of CR, st’s. She had a hard time w/ a st. who needed a diff. placement. She needed to keep balance b/w school & home. #1= she turned to t. friends. Spoke w/ alot of t friends, took mental health day. Tried to establish better boundaries.
Tell me about Making the Grade Project: they left the classroom to do this FT in 2020-2021. They currently work throughout the U.S. Started out in MA. They supported t’s w/ the MTEL- licensure exam in MA. Christine was working w/ undergrad & grad st’s. Piece she started enjoying was not being bound to K-12 schedule. Was new to her. Boston area- work w/ org’s, non-profits, K-12 schools throughout the U.S.
PD falls w/in executive functioning for (newer) t’s. Time management, new teacher mentors. They have a free webinar, and a self-paced course. Executive function course encompasses 8 key areas. There’s a community where they can chat about their progress.
Gaps in teacher prep from the prep programs: many t’s have left the CR w/o some tools in place. Major thing that sticks out is COVID gap w/ state standardized tests. T. candidates who were HS’ers during covid. Teachers need to learn new functions. New tech., etc. They have shifted to having better boundaries, time blocking, structured days. They also talk about making space for themselves. Thinking about how they can address the needs of multiple st needs. Soft skills, etc. Start off w/ learner profile. How do they learn? What is the best way to understand the information? Bringing the lens back into the cr.
How are they making the grade? (name come about), started w/ a podcast. Developed a pun name. They have a podcast, they just wrapped their 2nd season, they can mention it (right now they’re on pause-one is pregnant):
T Licensure support: many t’s come to them for support. They are afraid they may not pass the licensure test. The worst thing is for t’s to not get started. Most work focused on t’s in MA on their test. Across the US the tests are pretty similar, they focus on how to pick the qu’s apart, how to understand how you learn & how to approach it. They have study guides avail.
They meet w/ study group members. 1-1 t’s meetings.
They’re looking for partnerships to support t’s in other states (at the organizational level)
They’ve been working on executive function PD series for teachers:
Out of everything: you don’t need to be the best @ everything, it’s great to challenge yourself. Ed.prep programs may be lacking soft skills- it’s ok to not know all the answers.
Where can ppl find you online: here is a way for listeners to find out more about our Executive Function Quiz, Webinar, and Upcoming Course!
Website: makingthegradeproject.com
Instagram/TikTok: @makingthegradeproject and IG: @executivefunctionfix LinkedIn under each their names
Executive Function Info: Makingthegradeproject.com/executive-function-for-educators
start w/ the quiz to learn your learning style. Look @ strengths/tips/resources.
View this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/9XtSZtHyKEI