Episodes

  • No Invisible Kids | Reimagining K12 Education with AJ Gutierrez and Dr. Susan Enfield

    No Invisible Kids | Reimagining K12 Education with AJ Gutierrez and Dr. Susan Enfield
    Oct 16 2026
    What would change if schools knew their students the way the best companies know their customers? Host Mike Palmer welcomes back Trending in Ed all-star AJ Gutierrez, CEO of Equal Opportunity Schools (EOS) and co-founder of Saga Education, for his first Bring a Friend episode. AJ's friend is Dr. Susan Enfield, Executive Director of the Center for Educational Leadership at the University of Washington. Susan began her career as a high school English, journalism, and multilingual learner teacher and served as a superintendent for nearly 13 years, including a decade leading Highline Public Schools just south of Seattle. AJ and Susan have co-authored an upcoming op-ed arguing that K-12 education should be as intentional about understanding students as other industries are about understanding their customers. Their shared rallying cry is "no invisible students," rooted in the Highline promise to know every student by name, strength, and need so they graduate prepared for the future they choose. They make the case that this isn't just an equity play. It's a fiscally smart way to get more from the people and programs schools already invest in. The three dig into several threads: > Customer obsession for K-12: Gathering the right information from students and getting it to the right adult at the right time to act on it. > Hidden talent: A Mathematica study found EOS partner schools identified an average of 52 more students per school for advanced coursework. > The power of a trusted adult: An analysis of 1.8 million students in the EOS database found that students who name a trusted adult are about 10 percentage points more likely to take advanced courses. > Rethinking chronic absenteeism: Why chronic disengagement is the real problem, and why a family trip to Samoa, a traveling athlete, and an unexplained absence call for very different responses. > Loving kids to failure: Susan on the cost of low expectations and pity, and the eighth grader who advocated his way into pre-calculus and went on to soar through every AP calculus course. > Technology that deepens human connection: How EOS and the Learning Collider are exploring which insights can help any adult become a trusted adult. Resources Mentioned: Equal Opportunity Schools: https://eoschools.org AJ Gutierrez in Fast Company on the Mathematica findings: https://www.fastcompany.com/91369396/underserved-students-interested-in-stem-are-often-overlooked Center for Educational Leadership, University of Washington: https://www.k-12leadership.org Saga Education: https://saga.org The Pedagogy of Confidence by Yvette Jackson: https://www.tcpress.com/the-pedagogy-of-confidence-9780807752234 Situated by Angela Duckworth: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Situated/Angela-Duckworth/9781668005941 🔔 Subscribe to Trending in Education for more conversations on the future of learning, work, and what's next. 📩 Connect with Mike Palmer on LinkedIn to bring this kind of conversation to your own podcast or media program:
    Show More Show Less
    45 mins
  • Framing the Teacher Shortage as a Workforce Design Problem | Dr. James Lane | Unlimited Instruction (UI)

    Framing the Teacher Shortage as a Workforce Design Problem | Dr. James Lane | Unlimited Instruction (UI)
    Oct 13 2026
    What if the teacher shortage isn’t really a shortage of teachers? Host Mike Palmer welcomes Dr. James Lane, CEO of Unlimited Instruction (UI), formerly University Instructors. James started as a middle school band director and went on to be a principal, a superintendent in three Virginia districts, Virginia’s Superintendent of Public Instruction, and the leader of the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Elementary and Secondary Education. James argues that the teacher shortage is really a workforce design problem. The real problems are pay, a thin pipeline, poor retention and a confusing path to certification. UI tackles this through InstructEd Pathways, which grows paraprofessionals and alternatively certified candidates into fully certified teachers, and TutorEd, its high-dosage, in-person tutoring program. The two dig into several threads: Why AI should make teachers’ jobs easier, not replace them, and why UI is intentionally in-person Paraprofessionals as unsung heroes, and year-long coaching that works like “student teaching on steroids” for hard-to-fill special education roles Life after ESSER: don’t spend one-time funds on ongoing costs, and cut back on too many initiatives Leading with laser focus: Jim Collins’ hedgehog concept, a clear North Star, and using technology to find each student’s zone of proximal development Academic optimism: why teachers need to believe they matter, and how that belief may keep them in the classroom Resources Mentioned: Unlimited Instruction (UI) UI Teacher Shortage Solutions Leading with Laser Focus: The Seven Steps to School Success by Dr. James Lane Good to Great by Jim Collins 🔔 Subscribe to Trending in Education for more conversations on the future of learning, work, and what’s next. 📩 Connect with Mike Palmer on LinkedIn to bring this kind of conversation to your own podcast or media program.
    Show More Show Less
    33 mins
  • Sal Khan on AI Tutors, Durable Skills, and the Khan TED Institute | Trending in Ed w Mike Palmer

    Sal Khan on AI Tutors, Durable Skills, and the Khan TED Institute | Trending in Ed w Mike Palmer
    Oct 8 2026
    What happens when the original edtech pioneer gets an early look at GPT-4? Host Mike Palmer welcomes Sal Khan, founder and CEO of Khan Academy, for a conversation spanning two decades of edtech. Sal traces his path from hedge fund analyst tutoring his cousin Nadia over Yahoo Messenger to YouTube videos his cousins liked better than him in person, to a nonprofit serving learners in 50+ languages. He explains why he leaves his mistakes in, and why that human quality will be hard for AI to replace. From there, Sal recounts his first look at GPT-4 months before ChatGPT and how Khan Academy turned AI's risks into features. The two dig into several threads: > Building Khanmigo to be Socratic and benchmarking its error rate against human tutors. > Why only ~15% of students used a passive AI tutor, and the shift to a more proactive one. > Khanductor and AI-powered assessment that captures student reasoning, not just answers. > Higher ed ROI, AI's reach into knowledge work, and why durable skills matter most. > The Khan TED Institute: a degree for under $10,000 built on authentic projects and skill portfolios. 🔔 Subscribe to Trending in Education for more conversations on the future of learning, work, and what's next. 📩 Connect with Mike Palmer on LinkedIn to bring this kind of conversation to your own podcast or media program. Resources Mentioned: Khan Academy Khanmigo Schoolhouse.world Khanductor and Reimagined Assessments Khan TED Institute Brave New Words by Sal Khan The Reverse Centaur's Guide to Life After AI by Cory Doctorow
    Show More Show Less
    55 mins
  • Trust, Tech Bans, and Centering the Rising Generations | Dr. Janice Jackson | Aspen Institute

    Trust, Tech Bans, and Centering the Rising Generations | Dr. Janice Jackson | Aspen Institute
    Sep 29 2026
    Are screen bans solving the right problem, or just creating new ones? Host Mike Palmer welcomes Dr. Janice Jackson, Executive Director of the Education & Society Program at the Aspen Institute and former CEO of Chicago Public Schools, for a conversation that trades hyperbole for nuance. Janice traces her path from CPS history teacher and debate coach to superintendent, then to founder of Hope Chicago, and now to Aspen. There she helps lead the new Rising Generations Strategy Group, a cross-sector, cross-partisan, intergenerational effort that puts young people at the center of the conversation, not just on the input list. Janice draws a clear line between phones in classrooms (ban them) and technology that augments learning (hold it accountable). She makes the equity case against blanket bans, calls for digital literacy over prohibition, and pushes the edtech industry to prove efficacy. The two dig into several threads: > Aspen's first convening, where students opened with four provocations. > An "AI Futures" exercise weighing risk and opportunity. > Declining trust in institutions. > The role of state policy, like Illinois' new AI legislation. > A powerful lesson from Hope Chicago: getting help isn't cheating, it's what advantaged students have always done. If technology can level that playing field, we should embrace it. 🔔 Subscribe to Trending in Education for more conversations on the future of learning, work, and what's next. 📩 Connect with Mike Palmer on LinkedIn to bring this kind of conversation to your own podcast or media program. Resources Mentioned: Aspen Institute Education & Society Program Rising Generation Strategy Group Hope Chicago Dr. Jackson on The Education Equation with Jeremy Singer Edelman Trust Barometer Bellwether's responsible AI framework Digital Promise ISTE Kim Smith, The Learner Studio Timestamps: 🕙 00:00:00 — Introduction: Welcoming Dr. Janice Jackson. 🕙 00:00:50 — Origin Story: From CPS history teacher to superintendent, Hope Chicago, and Aspen. 🕙 00:03:15 — The Rising Generation Strategy Group: Cross-sector, cross-partisan, and youth-centered. 🕙 00:04:30 — The Equity Risk: Why quick screen bans can lock students out. 🕙 00:06:00 — Phones vs. Edtech: Doom scrolling isn't the same as learning. 🕙 00:08:00 — The Land of Hyperbole: Bringing parents and young people into the debate. 🕙 00:10:00 — Digital Literacy: Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. 🕙 00:11:00 — Students First: Aspen's convening and the Center for Rising Generations. 🕙 00:14:00 — Trust Architecture: Gap-widening vs. gap-narrowing technology. 🕙 00:15:00 — AI Futures: Mapping risks and opportunities together. 🕙 00:17:00 — The Trust Deficit: What the Edelman Trust Barometer tells us. 🕙 00:19:00 — Guardrails: Government's role and state-level AI policy. 🕙 00:21:30 — Resources: Digital Promise, ISTE, and vetting edtech tools. 🕙 00:23:30 — Advice: Be authentic, keep kids first, hone your craft. 🕙 00:25:30 — Help-Seeking: Lessons from Hope Chicago on AI and "cheating." 🕙 00:28:30 — Final Thoughts: Join the conversation on the purpose of schooling.
    Show More Show Less
    30 mins
  • S11 Kickoff: Howard Gardner on AI, Ethics, & 2050

    S11 Kickoff: Howard Gardner on AI, Ethics, & 2050
    Sep 24 2026
    Trending in Ed kicks off Season 11 with the return of Harvard's Howard Gardner, the developmental psychologist behind the theory of multiple intelligences. Picking up where their first conversation left off, Howard and host Mike Palmer look past next year's syllabus to ask what education should be in 2050 and beyond. Howard revisits Five Minds for the Future with a provocative claim: AI will increasingly outperform us at the disciplined, synthesizing, and creating minds, leaving the respectful and ethical minds as the core human work of education. He explains why he's adding "It" to I, We, and They, what scouting, humanistic communities, and Reggio Emilia can teach future learning, and how the "Four D's" can guide ethical dilemmas. The two also explore influencer culture, mentorship, and the ethical will Howard wrote for his grandchildren. KEY INSIGHTS 🧠 From Intelligence to Cognition: Why an AI comparison of the Fabians and Bloomsbury convinced Howard that machines now out-synthesize him. ⚔️ Generals Fight the Last War: Tweaking today's classroom won't prepare learners for tomorrow, but Rome wasn't built in a day. 👖 Genes, Jeans, and Jelly Beans: An interest-driven, AI-supported curriculum that starts from what learners care about. ⛺ Learning Through Community: Why intergenerational groups tackling real neighborhood problems may beat the classroom. ⚖️ The Four D's: Discuss, debate, decide, and debrief as a model for ethical decision-making. 🤝 The "Influmentor": What separates a Walter Cronkite from a clout-chaser, and why mentorship still matters. About the Guest: Howard Gardner is the Hobbs Research Professor of Cognition and Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, a longtime leader at Project Zero, and co-founder of The Good Project. His many books include Frames of Mind, Five Minds for the Future, and his memoir, A Synthesizing Mind. 🎧 Subscribe to Trending in Education wherever you get your podcasts. ⭐ Rate and review the show to help others find us. 📩 Connect with Mike Palmer on LinkedIn. Howard's first appearance: https://trendingineducation.com/2024/11/howard-gardner-on-education-and-on-mind/ Howard's blogs: https://www.howardgardner.com Timestamps: 🕙 00:00:00 — Howard Gardner returns 🕙 00:02:15 — Multiple intelligences at 45: animals, plants, and AI 🕙 00:04:00 — Generals fight the last war 🕙 00:05:45 — The synthesizer meets the LLM 🕙 00:09:10 — Five Minds for the Future, revisited 🕙 00:12:50 — Genes, jeans, and jelly beans 🕙 00:16:40 — Good Starts: I, We, They... and It 🕙 00:18:40 — Scouting, religion, and Reggio Emilia 🕙 00:23:00 — The Good Project and the Four D's 🕙 00:27:30 — Rethinking the influencer 🕙 00:34:00 — Mentorship and the "influmentor" 🕙 00:38:30 — Parenting and the ethical will 🕙 00:43:30 — AI around the world 🕙 00:44:30 — The end of the Anthropocene
    Show More Show Less
    47 mins
  • Advancing Public Trust in Higher Education | Jeremy C. Young | AAC&U | Trending in Higher Ed

    Advancing Public Trust in Higher Education | Jeremy C. Young | AAC&U | Trending in Higher Ed
    Aug 28 2026
    How can higher education rebuild its relationship with the public in an era of heightened political polarization, shifting financial models, and rapid technological disruption? In this episode of Trending in Ed, host Mike Palmer welcomes back Jeremy C. Young, Senior Advisor at the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), to discuss the foundational new report: Advancing Public Trust in Higher Education: The Trust Agenda. As part of our ongoing Trending in Higher Ed series—featuring insights from leaders like Eddie Watson (AI & pedagogy), Brian Rosenberg (Whatever It Is, I'm Against It), and Elliot Felix (The Connected College)—this episode explores how campus leaders can move past reactive crisis management and actively cultivate trustworthy relationships across their communities. Jeremy breaks down AAC&U’s five-point framework, offering actionable, practical strategies for institutional leaders, faculty, and advocates. Featured Reference & Key Highlights: 📄 Featured Reference: AAC&U's Report, Advancing Public Trust in Higher Education (The Trust Agenda)—the core blueprint for this conversation, outlining actionable solutions to restore institutional trust. 🚀 Accelerate Innovation: Overcoming institutional inertia to streamline shared governance, adapt to the rapid emergence of AI, and adopt flexible academic pathways like universal transfer and "College in Three". 🤝 Prioritize Community Engagement: Drawing inspiration from trusted community colleges and regional publics to act as true anchor institutions—leveraging local procurement and public-facing research (echoing Dr. Kenneth Carter’s work in public scholarship). 🎓 Recommit to Inclusive Excellence: Centering student success, expanding support for food/housing security, and fostering genuine civil dialogue that welcomes conservative students and diverse viewpoints (referencing Lara Schwartz’s Try to Love the Questions). 📢 Tell a Clearer Story: Shift away from the media's hyper-fixation on elite Ivy League universities and reframe higher ed around shared public values like freedom, fairness, and opportunity directly through campus-level communications. 🛡️ Coordinate a Mission-Centered Defense: Protecting university autonomy and academic freedom through collaborative cross-institutional defense networks—building a proactive trust foundation before crisis management (as discussed with Legend Labs' Jeff Hunt) becomes necessary. Episode Timestamps: ⏱️ 00:00 – Welcome back Jeremy C. Young & transition from PEN America to AAC&U ⏱️ 00:03:00 – Introducing the featured reference: AAC&U's Trust Agenda report ⏱️ 00:09:00 – Pillar 1: Accelerating innovation, AI adaptation, & shared governance reform ⏱️ 00:12:30 – Pillar 2: Community engagement, anchor institution strategy, & local impact ⏱️ 00:19:00 – Pillar 3: Inclusive excellence, student support, & engaging political difference ⏱️ 00:26:30 – Pillar 4: Reframing higher ed narratives & empowering local messengers ⏱️ 00:33:30 – Pillar 5: Collaborative defense, institutional autonomy, & cross-sector alignment ⏱️ 00:39:30 – Implementation: AAC&U's upcoming Leadership Institute & long-term outlook Catch the full video episode now on YouTube and Spotify! 🔔 Subscribe to Trending in Ed wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss an episode. Visit us at TrendinginEd.com to dive into our full archive of higher ed conversations, show notes, and resources!
    Show More Show Less
    42 mins
  • The Emergent Leader with Author Don Gregori COO @ First Factory

    The Emergent Leader with Author Don Gregori COO @ First Factory
    Aug 25 2026
    Mike Palmer reconnects with old colleague Don Gregori, COO of First Factory, to unpack core insights from Don’s book, The Emergent Leader: A Guide to Brand Building, Leadership, and Self-Mastery. Drawing from a non-linear career path—ranging from theater major and aerial stunt coordinator to an 18-year tenure at Kaplan and scaling tech teams—Don shares practical strategies for authentic leadership, proactive stress management, and navigating AI workplace disruption. Key Takeaways 🎭 Unconventional Paths Build Strong Leaders: Creative backgrounds like theater teach team vision, feedback loops, and real-time collaboration far better than standard business classrooms. 🏷️ Authentic Brand Building: Standing out requires standing alone; authentic leaders drop polished posturing, embrace their flaws, and focus on human connection. 🧩 Self-Mastery Precedes Leadership: Mindset functions as an operating system. True self-mastery requires proactive stress preparation and ruthless prioritization rather than reactive recovery. 🤖 AI Shifts Value to Generalists: As AI commoditizes routine execution, critical thinking, problem-solving, and cross-functional synthesis become an employee's most essential assets. 💼 Delegation Drives Growth: Effective leadership requires simplifying or delegating your current tasks so you remain open to new growth and strategic opportunities. Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction & Reconnecting 30 Years Later 01:45 - Theater, Aerial Stunts, and Unconventional Business Prep 03:30 - Digital Transformation & Career Progression at Kaplan 05:45 - Near-Shore Software Development at FirstFactory 07:15 - Why Write The Emergent Leader? 11:00 - Leg 1: Brand Building, Culture, and Authentic Leadership 20:00 - Leg 2: Leadership Development, Vulnerability, and Prioritization 25:30 - Leg 3: Self-Mastery, Mindset, and Proactive Stress Management 31:45 - How AI is Reshaping Tech, Developers, and Critical Thinking 35:45 - Early-Career Advice and Reskilling for the Future 39:00 - Parting Thoughts & Wrap-Up Subscribe to Trending in Education wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss an episode!
    Show More Show Less
    40 mins
  • Lessons in Literacy from a 62-year-old Learner | David Chalk | Neurodiversity and Dyslexia Advocate

    Lessons in Literacy from a 62-year-old Learner | David Chalk | Neurodiversity and Dyslexia Advocate
    Aug 21 2026
    What if everything we know about teaching reading is upside down? In this episode of Trending in Education, host Mike Palmer sits down with tech entrepreneur, keynote speaker, and innovator David Chalk to unpack a remarkable story of literacy, neurodiversity, trauma, and redemption. Key Highlights & Discussion Points: 🧠 Trauma and the Literacy Crisis: David recounts his early school trauma starting on day one of first grade, highlighting how unrecognized dyslexia and ADHD left him functionally illiterate for decades. ✈️ Building Success Beyond Reading: Despite reading at a fourth-grade level, David built multi-hundred-million-dollar businesses and became an airline jet pilot by leaning into creativity and oral vocabulary. 📖 Unlocking Reading in 11 Hours: Featured in the documentary The Truth About Reading, David reversed standard instruction methods to jump from a 4th-grade reading level to post-university proficiency in just 11 hours at age 62. 🤖 AI as a Pattern-Based Learning Ally: AI language models process language through pattern training—mirroring how human brains naturally acquire spoken words—offering a powerful tool to tutor neurodiverse learners without cognitive strain. 🗣️ Vocabulary and the Future of Work: As technology evolves, rich oral communication skills, deep vocabulary, and expressive clarity will serve as critical differentiators in an AI-driven workforce. ❤️ The Role of Emotional Resilience: David emphasizes why unconditional parental support and self-esteem are essential safeguards for children struggling through academic friction. About the Guest David Chalk is a technology entrepreneur, keynote speaker, and neurodiversity advocate who has founded ten successful companies. After mastering fluid reading at age 62, David now applies his background in artificial intelligence and pattern recognition to transform reading instruction for struggling learners everywhere. Subscribe & Connect Subscribe to Trending in Education wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss an episode! Visit us at TrendinginEd.com for show notes, resources, and more sharp takes on the future of learning.
    Show More Show Less
    28 mins