Getting Smart Podcast

35 minutes 11 seconds

What Do Meaningful Work Based Learning Experiences Look Like At Scale? | Stephanie Reisner and Steph Loeck

In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark speaks with Stephanie Reisner and Steph Loeck of GPS Education Partners about how work-based learning can transform student engagement, career readiness, and economic mobility. Drawing on 25 years of experience and their new book, Make School Work, they explore what makes work-based learning truly high quality, why employer preparation matters as much as student preparation, and how regional ecosystems can scale meaningful career-connected learning opportunities for more young people.

Outline

(00:00) Introduction
(08:53) Defining High-Quality Work-Based Learning
(11:26) Make School Work: The Book & Framework
(21:58) Employer Partnerships & Regional Ecosystems
(29:28) Metrics & Advice for Ed Leaders

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6 May 2026, 7:00 am

39 minutes 50 seconds

How Can We Reimagine the Teacher's Role for the AI Age? | Vriti Saraf

In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Nate McClennen sits down with Vriti Saraf, CEO of Ed3, to explore a timely and essential question: How do we move from using AI for efficiency to using AI for human flourishing in education? Drawing on Ed3's new research, The Emerging Role of Teachers in the Age of AI, the conversation examines how artificial intelligence is already reshaping teaching, why the future of education must center human relationships, and what new teacher personas—like learning architect, life navigator, and community connector—might emerge in more adaptive, student-centered systems. Together, Nate and Vriti unpack the risks of automation, the promise of redesigned educator roles, and why this moment demands not just better tools, but a bold rethinking of teaching, learning, and equity.

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1 May 2026, 7:00 am

39 minutes 36 seconds

How is The Magnolia Project Changing Education? | Gianna Biaggi

In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Nate McClennen sits down with Gianna Biaggi, founder and executive director of the Magnolia Project, to explore how schools can treat the community as campus. Together, they discuss how Magnolia Project connects middle and high school students with local mentors through immersive, hands-on learning experiences that build agency, engagement, and career awareness. From rural partnerships to durable skills to the power of reflection, this conversation highlights a compelling model for expanding real-world learning and helping every student imagine a future that fits who they are.

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29 April 2026, 7:00 am

29 minutes 53 seconds

How Are Wellesley High School Students Designing the Future of School? | Wellsey High Students

Students at Wellesley High School are helping imagine what learning could look like in 2040. In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Mason Pashia talks with Alty and Anaya, two learners from the school's Evolutions (EVOLS) program, about designing future-ready classrooms, visiting innovative schools, and building skills through hands-on, project-based experiences. From CTE-inspired spaces and collaborative learning environments to student voice and public speaking, this conversation offers a powerful look at what happens when young people are invited to help shape the future of education.

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24 April 2026, 7:00 am

37 minutes 50 seconds

What Makes a Child Well-Educated in the Age of AI? | Dr. Deborah Kenny

In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark speaks with Dr. Deborah Kenny, founder of Harlem Village Academies and author of The Well-Educated Child, about what it means to educate for depth, agency, and purpose in the age of AI. Their conversation explores deeper learning, Montessori, International Baccalaureate, Socratic dialogue, and the kind of rigorous, student-centered experiences that help young people become thoughtful, capable contributors to the world.

Outline

(00:00) Introduction
(00:39) Meet Dr. Deborah Kenny & Harlem Village Academies
(03:17) Redefining Achievement & Key Influences
(09:22) Free Inquiry, Humility & Education's Purpose
(12:07) Deeper Learning: Montessori, IB & Low-Tech Schools
(28:09) Socratic Dialogue, Agency & Hopes for the Book

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22 April 2026, 7:00 am

44 minutes 4 seconds

Catching Up: Human Connection, AI Hive Minds, and the Skills Gap

Nate McClennen and Mason Pashia unpack a wide-ranging set of ideas shaping the future of learning, from AI "hive minds" and youth relationships with AI to portraits of a graduate, durable skills, and real-world learning. They explore what it means to prepare students for a non-routine economy where judgment, collaboration, agency, and ownership matter more than ever. Along the way, they highlight innovative school models, reflect on new research and reports, and consider how education systems can better connect technical skills, human development, and future-ready experiences.

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17 April 2026, 7:00 am

23 minutes 22 seconds

How Do We Build Unbounded, Co-Created Pathways for Every Learner? | Jean-Claude Brizard

In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom Vander Ark talks with Jean-Claude Brizard, CEO of Digital Promise, about the launch of the Center for Learner Pathway Innovations and what it will take to build New Pathways that are truly "unbounded." They dig into the barriers that keep learners from seeing and accessing opportunity (visibility, value, and recognition gaps), why pathways must be co-created with learners and communities, and how credentialing and learner records can better capture skills and verified experiences—from work-based learning to out-of-school learning. The conversation also highlights regional pathway design (including an Alabama cybersecurity example), lessons from P-TECH, and how emerging technologies like AI can support powerful learning grounded in agency, purpose, curiosity, and connection.

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15 April 2026, 7:00 am

47 minutes 10 seconds

How Can We Rethink Math Education When Computers and AI Do the Calculations? | Ted Dintersmith

In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Nate McClennen sits down with author and education advocate Ted Dintersmith to rethink what math should look like in a changing world—especially as AI makes rote procedures less relevant. Together they unpack the limits of test-driven instruction, the consequences of low math and data literacy for civic life, and why classrooms should prioritize estimation, statistics, probability, modeling, and real-world problem solving that builds confidence and curiosity. If we want future-ready learners, math has to move from gatekeeping to empowerment.

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8 April 2026, 7:00 am

40 minutes 15 seconds

How Do We Thrive and Rehumanize School for Kids and Adults? | Stephanie Malia Krauss

Stephanie Malia Krauss returns to the Getting Smart Podcast for a conversation with Tom Vander Ark about her new book, How We Thrive: Caring for Kids and Ourselves in a Changing World. Together they explore why so many adults and young people feel overwhelmed and depleted—and what it looks like to "rehumanize" school and home by protecting the essentials that help humans thrive. The discussion walks through body, mind, heart, and spirit essentials—from food, sleep, movement, and nervous system regulation to play, wonder, flow, connection, belonging, and contribution—offering practical, research-backed insights for educators, leaders, and parents navigating modern life.

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1 April 2026, 7:00 am

37 minutes 7 seconds

How Can We Design Learning Spaces That Transform Education? | Kevin Stoller

Learning doesn't happen "in rows," and Kevin Stoller has seen firsthand how the right environment can change everything. In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Mason Pashia talks with Stoller—author of Creating Better Learning Environments and host of the Better Learning podcast—about designing learner-centered spaces that support movement, choice, collaboration, and community connection. They explore why the term "classroom" can limit our thinking, how districts can better align facilities with instructional vision through a "learning space integrator," and what microschools, team-teaching models, and even museums and hospitality design can teach us about the future of learning spaces in an AI-enabled world.

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25 March 2026, 7:00 am

27 minutes 4 seconds

What Happens When Students Bring a Portrait of a Graduate to Life? | NEAAAT Students

In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, host Victoria Andrews sits down with student leaders from Northeast Academy for Aerospace and Advanced Technology (NEAT) to explore what happens when a Portrait of a Graduate becomes more than a poster on the wall. Kaylyn Rosado, Connor Mawhiney, and Anna Montero share how student voice shaped their school's learning model—from a student ambassador program and community interviews to classroom practices that build collaboration, empathy, and confidence. The conversation also highlights NEAT's flexible STEM-focused pathways (including aviation, biotech, robotics, coding, and advanced manufacturing), dual enrollment opportunities, and a clear message for school designers everywhere: involve students early, often, and authentically—because agency changes everything.

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18 March 2026, 7:00 am