What does it take to ensure every child receives the same high quality education? School districts across the country are working to answer that question—and are seeing major improvements to student outcomes. In this episode, we share the story of Guilford County Schools in North Carolina, one of twelve districts featured in All Systems Go, a landmark research project from The Center for Public Research and Leadership (CPRL) at Columbia University that seeks to uncover how districts are achieving major math and reading gains. To unpack what that research reveals, host Gloria Riviera sits down with Liz Chu, Executive Director of CPRL and Senior Research Scholar and Lecturer in Law at Columbia Law School, and Dr. Whitney Oakley, Superintendent of Guilford County Schools. 

This episode is created in partnership with Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies. Learn more about All Systems Go by visiting itsallsystemsgo.com

Most people think of pollution as something outside, like smog and exhaust. But gas stoves, ovens, furnaces, and water heaters can actually release nitrogen dioxide directly into your home. For renters, that's a problem without easy solutions: unlike homeowners, they can't simply swap in safer, cleaner energy sources, and landlords and policymakers have been slow to act.

In this episode, host Gloria Riviera speaks with Adama Moussa Harouna and Tanushree Dutta Isaacman, organizers at Action in Montgomery, about their work pushing for safer living conditions, lower toxic emissions, and a more sustainable energy future for renters.

This episode was made in partnership with Action in Montgomery. To learn more about their work, visit actioninmontgomery.org

What would your life look like if you could actually take paid time off when you needed it most? The reality is, millions of Americans can’t – not for illness, a family emergency, or even a new baby. For parents with an infant in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), this is especially challenging: they use up whatever leave they have while their baby is in the hospital, with nothing left for when they come home. But one state is changing that: Colorado. Starting in January 2026, qualifying workers with a baby in the NICU can access additional paid leave on top of what the state already offers. In this episode, host Gloria Riviera sits down with Jared Make, Vice President at A Better Balance, the legal advocacy nonprofit behind this landmark win, to explore how Colorado is leading the way for working families.

This episode is created in partnership with Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies. 

Learn more about A Better Balance work by visiting abetterbalance.org

What if we recognized the importance of teens as leaders today, and not just in the future? That's exactly what BBYO, the global Jewish teen movement, has been doing for over a century: bringing young Jewish people together and empowering them to lead in the organization, their communities and beyond.

In this episode, host Gloria Riviera sits down with BBYO's current teen presidents, Logan Reich and Mercedes Benzaquen, to hear about their leadership, experience managing elections at BBYO’s International Convention this year, and what the record-breaking number of teen candidates says about young people's motivation to engage today. Together, they show us what meaningful youth leadership looks like, why participating in real democratic processes is so powerful, and what other organizations can learn from a movement that trusts teens to lead.

This episode is created in partnership with Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies. 

Learn how your teen can get involved in BBYO and be inspired by the role teen voices can play in shaping your community at bbyo.org/get-involved

Every young person deserves access to high-quality education and career opportunities. But for young parents, none of that is possible without first solving for the basic need of childcare. In the sixth episode of the Annie E. Casey Foundation's series on what young people need to thrive, host Gloria Riviera talks with Bella Agee, a 21-year-old student, worker, and mom, and Quanic Fullard, Senior Associate of Family and Youth Financial Stability at the Annie E. Casey Foundation, about why access to childcare sets young parents up for success – and benefits the collective good. 

This episode was made possible with support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, an organization that develops solutions to build a brighter future for children, youth, families and communities. Learn more at aecf.org. 

What if young people could earn a paycheck, build real skills, and start a career – all before finishing school? Youth apprenticeships make it possible, but too few young people can access these opportunities. In the fifth episode of the Annie E. Casey Foundation's series on what young people need to thrive, host Gloria Riviera speaks with two guests who are making the case for how apprenticeships can open doors to opportunity, mentorship and high-quality career pathways: Laura Burgher, an Annie E. Casey Foundation program associate, and Chris Grant, who started his CareerWise apprenticeship at Mastercard at 16 and is now a full-time product designer there.

This episode was made possible with support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, an organization that develops solutions to build a brighter future for children, youth, families and communities. Learn more at aecf.org.

Every young person needs lasting relationships with caring adults as they navigate their way to adulthood. Too often,young people in the foster care system go with­out this sup­port. In the fourth episode of the Annie E. Casey Foundation's series on what young people need to thrive, host Gloria Riviera sits down with Sandra Gasca, Vice President of the Center for Systems Innovation at the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Together, they explore what's working to help youth in foster care establish and maintain meaningful, lifelong connections.

This episode was made possible with support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, an organization that develops solutions to build a brighter future for children, youth, families and communities. Learn more at aecf.org. 

Young people aren’t just future leaders. They’re already leading in their communities today, as caregivers, workers, and activists. In the third episode of the Annie E. Casey Foundation's series on what young people need to thrive, host Gloria Riviera talks with Jasmine Bernard and Tosca Nance-Jones of BRIDGES, a Memphis-based organization building authentic youth-adult partnerships for social change, and Traci Broady, Senior Associate at the foundation, about what it really looks like to invest in young leaders today. 

This episode was made possible with support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, an organization that develops solutions to build a brighter future for children, youth, families and communities. Learn more at aecf.org. 

For young people, financial basics like opening a bank account, building credit and saving for the future can be challenging. It’s even harder if you are leaving foster care, and you don’t have a knowledgeable mentor, caregiver or parent to help you learn to manage money. That's where Opportunity Passport® comes in. It’s a program that has helped more than 22,000 young people build financial skills over the past 25 years. In the second episode of the Annie E. Casey Foundation's series on what young people need to thrive, host Gloria Riviera talks with Sandy Wilkie, Senior Fellow at the foundation, and Von Jackson, an Opportunity Passport participant, about how the right education and support can transform a young person's financial future. 

This episode was made possible with support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, an organization that develops solutions to build a brighter future for children, youth, families and communities. Learn more and access the free curriculum, The Keys to Your Financial Future at aecf.org.

What does it take for young people to thrive? In this first episode of a six-part series, host Gloria Riviera sits down with Lisa Lawson, President and CEO of the Annie E. Casey Foundation and author of Thrive: How the Science of the Adolescent Brain Helps Us Imagine a Better Future for All Children. Lisa makes the case that adolescence is a powerful period of growth, and shares what the science and on-the-ground work tell us about supporting the 48 million young people in America between the ages of 14 and 24. She also introduces the five pillars shaping the path to adulthood that will guide the rest of the series: basic needs, permanent connections, education and credentials, financial stability and well-being, and youth leadership.

This episode was made possible with support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, an organization that develops solutions to build a brighter future for children, youth, families and communities. Learn more at aecf.org.

The Marguerite Casey Foundation recently hit an impressive milestone: 100 percent alignment of their billion-dollar endowment with their mission of building community power and making the government work better for people. That meant screening out harmful investments, investing in diverse managers and ensuring every dollar supports their values. To understand exactly how they made it happen, host Gloria Riviera talks with the Foundation’s President and CEO, Dr. Carmen Rojas, and their Vice President of Investments and Operations, Dan Gould. Together, they make the case for how their accomplishments can be a model for philanthropy more broadly and why aligning the endowment is just the first step.

This episode is presented by the Marguerite Casey Foundation. MCF supports leaders who work to shift the balance of power in their communities toward working people and families, and who have the vision and capacity for building a truly representative economy. Learn more at caseygrants.org or visit on social media @caseygrants.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.