The COVID pandemic has given us the opportunity to examine what is the real purpose of public education and what is necessary for us to teach students to know and do. I add racism as a 4th Accelerant to T. Friedman's previous three of globalization, climate change, and technology. How do we shape the future of public education and eliminate those pieces that are no longer viable.

This podcast is like an audiobook production by reading the article "How Real is Race? Using Anthropology to Make Sense of Human Diversity" by Carol Mukhopadhyay and Rosemary C. Henze. The article addresses race as a social construct, not a scientifically proven biological fact. They offer ideas to help change our thinking and practices for education. It's read by Jane Sigford

Race, The Achievement Gap and Schools is the first of two podcasts about education and racism. This podcast consisting of 4 parts of a discussion about what has happened currently because of the killing of George Floyd, how the idea of race is not biologically sound but is a social construct, how our thinking patterns reinforce our beliefs, and how education can move to eradicate our racist ideas and practices in structure, measurement, and curriculum. The second podcast is an audiobook-like airing of an article called “How Real is Race? using Anthropology to make sense of Human Diversity.”

“COVID-19 Through the eyes of an 18-yr-old” by Audrey Thibert looks at how this pandemic affects one of our students on a very personal level. High School graduation, prom, etc are cultural and emotional markers of a transition from relative dependence to the next part of a young person’s life. This virus has changed this drastically as we hear from Audrey.

COVID-19 Through the eyes of an 18-year-old audrey thibert by Jane L. Sigford

Audrey Thibert, an 18 yr old senior, reflects on the meaning of her life at this time. Educational milestones such as prom, graduation, saying goodbye to friends has changed. It's a reminder to all of us of the power of education and human connection.

Dr. Joe Gothard is superintendent of St. Paul Public Schools, the most diverse district in the state. Throughout our conversation one can hear his emphasis on achievement, relationships, communication, and trust. Under his leadership the district adopted a strategic plan entitled SPPS Achieves which carries the message that the work is about learning. One of my favorite quotes of his says it all, “This is not solo work.”

Dr. Joe Gothard is superintendent of St. Paul Public Schools, the most diverse district in the state. Throughout our conversation one can hear his emphasis on achievement, relationships, communication, and trust. Under his leadership the district adopted a strategic plan entitled SPPS Achieves which carries the message that the work is about learning. One of my favorite quotes of his says it all, “This is not solo work.”

Gary Amoroso, Executive Director of MASA, MN Association of School Administrators, is retiring at the end of June. I asked him to reflect upon what he has learned during his tenure, and to suggest what he sees in the future for education and the role of superintendent. He talked about the political nature of his role and that of education. The importance of relationships at all levels was a current that flowed through our conversation. He talks about the issues facing public education and the positive nature of the work we do.

Amy Ernst, special education director for the Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose School District, demonstrates the value of relational skills in being a positive school leader. Relationships are key to listening, building trust, and collaborating as professionals work together to design and implement learning experiences for students. As she would say, if you have a big belief in people you will have big outcomes.

To change the conversation from an accountability mindset, we must focus on other fundamental aspects of education. First of all, education is about deeper learning for all which was the subject of the first podcast in this Changing the Conversation series. To have deeper learning, one must have deeper teaching which is the subject of this podcast. The third in the series will be about Learning Leaders. This particular podcast describes a deeper teacher and what they do differently. Reinstating deeper teaching gives us permission to once again marry the art and skill of effective teaching which means that all students have deeper learning.