Adrienne Usher, Assistant Superintendent of Bullitt County Public Schools in Kentucky, is today’s guest. She discusses her work to bring engaging project-based learning to her district and more:

• Profile of a graduate and building key competencies into academics
• Creating authentic learning experiences focused on productive collaboration and innovative problem solving
• Change management through simple shifts
• Collaborative learning and documenting the learning journey with Inkwire
• How to establish a vision for learning and choose technology that supports it appropriately

About today’s host

Barb Flowers is a certified Life Coach and former Elementary Principal with a PhD in K-12 leadership from Kent State University. She is host of the following podcasts:

• The Principal’s Handbook — Lessons on communication, time management, overcoming overwhelm, and more, designed to help school leaders become more confident and well-rounded.
• The Teacher Burnout Podcast — This show explores the complex issue of teacher burnout and shares practical solutions to support your well-being and reignite your passion for education.

About today’s guest

Dr. Adrienne Usher currently serves the students, staff and community as Assistant Superintendent in Bullitt County Public Schools in Kentucky. In her role, she provides direct consultation to the Superintendent and is responsible for overseeing, promoting and implementing curriculum, instruction and assessment programming, PreK-12, alongside district and school leaders while aligning federal, state and local resources to support the instructional vision and mission for the district. Adrienne has experience in both Kentucky and Tennessee, and has served as a teacher, school counselor, instructional coach, principal, and district level administrator prior to her present role.

About Inkwire

In a world in which generative AI has called into question the value of traditional curriculum and assessments, Inkwire is a platform that engages students in real projects and helps them demonstrate their original thinking & skills through portfolios. Learn more: https://inkwire.co

Welcome to this special episode of the EdTech Startup Showcase, part of our National Literacy Month series of podcasts, presented in partnership between the Be Podcast Network and Reading Is Fundamental (RIF).

Our guest today is Kyle Wallgren, a startup coach, investor, and CEO of Edsoma, whose AI-powered app unlocks the science of reading.

Hear about:

• Kyle’s entrepreneurial background and motivation to make an impact in education
• How Edsoma works and the challenges it addresses for students, parents, and educators
• What makes Edsoma unique and the latest exciting developments, including investment from Shaquille O’Neal
• Insights for other founders in the edtech space

About today’s host

Ross Romano is a co-founder of the BE Podcast Network and CEO of September Strategies, a coaching and consulting firm that helps organizations and high-performing leaders in the K-12 education industry communicate their vision and make strategic decisions that lead to long-term success. Connect on Twitter @RossBRomano or https://www.linkedin.com/in/rossromano

Listen to his other shows:

• The Authority — deep-dive interviews with the leading minds in leadership, management, education, and personal development.
• Sideline Sessions — conversations with successful coaches and performance experts from professional, collegiate, and youth sports.

Joel Backon is the editor-in-chief of Educate AI Magazine, a new platform dedicated to supporting those who seek to enhance learning through artificial intelligence. The Be Podcast Network is collaborating with Educate AI to share podcasts and other content advancing educators’ understanding of AI tools and trends.

In this bonus episode, you'll hear about:

• How Joel got involved with Educate AI and the publication’s “why”
• Topics covered in the magazine: use cases, opportunities and risks, AI’s evolution
• How educators are discussing their experience with AI
• The value Educate AI seeks to provide
• Opportunities to get involved

About today’s guest

Joel Backon is the editor-in-chief of Educate AI Magazine. Before joining Educate AI, Joel launched and was the founding editor of Intrepid Ed News, an online education publication that grew to almost 100,000 readers. For most of his career, he was an independent school teacher and administrator, teaching history and government while leading the school’s instructional technology effort, running a dormitory, coaching basketball, and chairing several committees. Immediately following college, Joel spent 15 years in the printing and publishing industries.

About today’s host

Ross Romano is a co-founder of the BE Podcast Network and CEO of September Strategies, a coaching and consulting firm that helps organizations and high-performing leaders in the K-12 education industry communicate their vision and make strategic decisions that lead to long-term success. Connect on Twitter @RossBRomano or https://www.linkedin.com/in/rossromano

Listen to his other shows:

• The Authority — deep-dive interviews with the leading minds in leadership, management, education, and personal development.
• Sideline Sessions — conversations with successful coaches and performance experts from professional, collegiate, and youth sports.

Today, we’re discussing the skill-based economy, modern career and technical education, and redefining college and career pathways with CareerViewXR’s Matt Chaussee and Richard Kincaid from the Maryland State Department of Education.

Hear about:

• Career is the goal. College is one of several ways to get there.”
• Redefining College and Career Pathways
• How career exploration can help define goals and begin with the end in mind
• Maryland’s apprenticeship efforts
• Improving the quality of the discourse around “college vs. non-college”
• Compelling reasons/data to evolve CTE programs
• Supporting educators and improving partnerships
• Predictions for the next decade

About today’s guests

Matt Chaussee is co-founder and CEO of award-winning immersive media and virtual reality production studio Be More Colorful, which is revolutionizing career exploration for students with the groundbreaking product, CareerViewXR.

Richard Kincaid is the Senior Executive Director for the Office of College and Career Pathways at the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE). In December 2023, he was a finalist for ACTE’s National Career and Technical Education Administrator of the Year. Richard serves on the national Board of Directors for SkillsUSA and is actively involved as an appointed Commissioner on the Apprenticeship 2030 Commission and on the Maryland Technology Development Corporation’s Equitech Growth Fund and Commission. Prior to joining MSDE, Richard was the State Director of Career and Technical Education at the District of Columbia’s Office of the State Superintendent of Education and co-led a $65 million initiative to close equity and opportunity gaps through the development of DC’s first Advanced Technical Center, drawing national attention from the US Department of Education, the National Office of Cybersecurity, and the White House.

About today’s host

Ross Romano is a co-founder of the Be Podcast Network and CEO of September Strategies, a coaching and consulting firm that helps organizations and high-performing leaders in the K-12 education industry communicate their vision and make strategic decisions that lead to long-term success. Connect on Twitter @RossBRomano or LinkedIn.

Listen to his other shows:

• The Authority — deep-dive interviews with the leading minds in leadership, management, education, and personal development.
• Sideline Sessions — conversations with successful coaches and performance experts from professional, collegiate, and youth sports.

Bonny Lorenzo, an instructional specialist with Connected Class, is today’s guest. Bonny has more than 35 years of teaching and leadership experience at the elementary and high school levels.

• Integrating classroom technology that doesn’t distract from the learning experience
• Tailoring instruction to individual student needs
• Using technology to give teachers choice
• Helping educators balance in-person and virtual learning
• Educators’ most common professional development needs

About today’s host

Barb Flowers is a certified Life Coach and an Elementary Principal with a PhD in K-12 leadership from Kent State University. She is host of the following podcasts:

• The Principal’s Handbook — Lessons on communication, time management, overcoming overwhelm, and more, designed to help school leaders become more confident and well-rounded.
• The Teacher Burnout Podcast — This show explores the complex issue of teacher burnout and shares practical solutions to support your well-being and reignite your passion for education.

About Connected Class

We build communication between the classroom and home environment through exciting games, strategies, and activities to help students succeed academically. Learn more:

• www.connectedclass.com
• https://twitter.com/connectedclass_
• https://www.instagram.com/connected_class
• https://www.linkedin.com/company/connected-class

In this episode, you’ll hear insights on valuable applications of AI for teachers. Find out how to use AI tools to create better assignments, enhance students’ critical thinking skills, save time on various tasks, differentiate instruction, and more.

About today’s guest

Nina Bamberg is Director of Curriculum and Instruction for Pedagogy.Cloud and Director of Programs at United 4 Social Change.

About today’s host

Barb Flowers is a certified Life Coach and an Elementary Principal with a PhD in K-12 leadership from Kent State University. She is host of the following podcasts:

• The Principal’s Handbook — Lessons on communication, time management, overcoming overwhelm, and more, designed to help school leaders become more confident and well-rounded.
• The Teacher Burnout Podcast — This show explores the complex issue of teacher burnout and shares practical solutions to support your well-being and reignite your passion for education.

About Pedagog.ai:

Pedagog.ai is focused on supporting educators in adapting to the age of artificial intelligence in education. The company offers a variety of professional development options, including books, online courses, webinars, and in-person workshops, to help teachers learn about the latest advancements in AI and education. Their suite of tools is designed with educators in mind, aiming to enhance curriculum development and workflow efficiency through AI technology. They also provide tools tailored for student use, enabling them to engage in assignments that leverage AI capabilities in a classroom setting. Learn more: http://pedagog.ai

Today we’re excited to welcome a new company to the Showcase, Scholar Education, in this conversation with Marlee Strawn, the company’s co-founder and Head of Education.

Hear about:

• Vision and goals of Scholar Education
• Who Scholar Education’s solutions are designed to support in schools
• The challenges the company is solving
• Marlee’s career in education
• What educators are sharing about their experience with the tool
• How Marlee got involved with AI

About Scholar Education

Scholar Education is an AI-powered classroom enhancement platform that offers a suite of AI tools designed to deliver a personalized learning environment, with a specific focus on implementing and tracking accommodations for ESE, 504, and ELL students. Learn more at https://www.joinscholar.com or join the teacher waitlist: bit.ly/ScholarWaitlist

About today’s guest

Marlee Strawn's career started as a high school teacher and reached a significant milestone when she became the founding principal of the top-performing charter high school in the seventh largest district in the nation. Following her successful tenure as principal, Marlee transitioned to a new role in the education technology sector. As the Co-Founder and Head of Education at Scholar Education, Marlee leads the development of an AI-powered classroom enhancement platform designed to eliminate administrative burdens for teachers. She was also recently selected as a 2024 EDSAFE AI Alliance Women in AI Fellow.

About today’s host

Ross Romano is a co-founder of the Be Podcast Network and CEO of September Strategies, a coaching and consulting firm that helps organizations and high-performing leaders in the K-12 education industry communicate their vision and make strategic decisions that lead to long-term success. Connect on Twitter @RossBRomano or LinkedIn.

Listen to his other shows:

• The Authority — deep-dive interviews with the leading minds in leadership, management, education, and personal development.
• Sideline Sessions — conversations with successful coaches and performance experts from professional, collegiate, and youth sports.

Today, we have a great conversation about career-connected learning and career exploration with Matt Chaussee, founder and CEO of Be More Colorful, and middle school principal Hebat Abdelbaki.

Hear about:

• The future-focused definition of Career & Technical Education
• The in-demand and growing career fields
• How Hebat engaged her community to find out what careers they wanted to learn about
• Determining short- and long-term success of CTE programs
• Making things relevant to students and educators
• Continuous learning into adulthood
• Meaningful uses of technology

About today’s guests

Matt Chaussee is co-founder and CEO of award-winning immersive media and virtual reality production studio Be More Colorful, which is revolutionizing career exploration for students with the groundbreaking product, CareerViewXR.

Hebat Abdelbaki is the principal of Stout Middle School with the Dearborn Public Schools in Dearborn, Michigan. She is a 2024 Excellence in Equity Award winner through the American Consortium for Equity in Education.

About today’s host

Ross Romano is a co-founder of the Be Podcast Network and CEO of September Strategies, a coaching and consulting firm that helps organizations and high-performing leaders in the K-12 education industry communicate their vision and make strategic decisions that lead to long-term success. Connect on Twitter @RossBRomano or LinkedIn.

Listen to his other shows:

• The Authority — deep-dive interviews with the leading minds in leadership, management, education, and personal development.
• Sideline Sessions — conversations with successful coaches and performance experts from professional, collegiate, and youth sports.