In this episode, Craig Randall talks with Emily Taylor, a visual arts teacher at The John Cooper School, about creating a positive classroom where students feel safe experimenting, solving problems, and developing their own ideas. Emily explains how care, clear expectations, and thoughtful questioning shape both student behavior and learning. She shares how her design-based art projects move beyond simply making artwork by asking students to consider audience, function, color, marketing, and product design. She also discusses why she prefers guiding students with questions rather than immediately giving them answers, giving them space to experiment, reflect, and learn from what does not work.

At America’s Youth AI Festival, 98 students representing all 50 states came together at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute to serve as a mock National AI Student Senate. After debating, negotiating, and finding common ground, they passed the STUDENTS FIRST Act of 2026—a national framework and model student-led policy for the use of AI in K–12 education. Education Talk Radio host David Cicero is joined by Jeffrey Riley, Executive Director of Day of AI, and National AI Student Senators Shamitha Dokki and Nandana Warrier to discuss how the framework came together and what students believe adults are getting wrong about AI in schools.

In this episode, Danielle Neufer focuses on teacher well-being and the pressures of the start of the school year. She encourages listeners to protect what matters, avoid unsustainable pacing, and treat the school year as a time of renewal.

In this episode, Danielle Neufer discusses educator self-care, burnout, and the pressure of the school year’s early pace. She shares a simple approach to staying focused: plan the work, use a timer, and return to what matters. The episode ends with an invitation to try one 30-minute work block and treat teacher well-being as part of school success.

Today we're sharing part three of the implementation series from Family Engagement Lab. Elisabeth O'Bryon of Family Engagement Lab and Rayna Flye of Illustrative Mathematics join us to discuss: When families say "this isn't how I learned math," what are they really reacting to? What teachers understand about today's math instruction that families never get to see Why the disconnect often starts with the day-one communication that goes home The difference between informing families about instruction and helping them participate in it What family math nights and bite-sized, curriculum-aligned communication actually change Who owns this work — teachers, school leaders, or curriculum providers? The risk a district takes when it adopts a strong curriculum but doesn't bring families along Listen to Implementation Series, Part 1: The Missing Instructional Layer: https://etss.bepodcast.network/episodes/implementation-series-part-1-the-missing-instructional-layer-with-vidya-sundaram-and-elisabeth-obryon Listen to Implementation Series, Part 2: Why Good Ideas Fail Quietly in Schools: https://etss.bepodcast.network/episodes/implementation-series-part-2-why-good-ideas-fail-quietly-in-schools-with-vidya-sundaram-and-elisabeth-obryon Learn more about Family Engagement Lab: https://www.familyengagementlab.org Learn more about Illustrative Mathematics: https://www.illustrativemathematics.org About the guests Elisabeth O'Bryon is co-founder and Chief Impact Officer of Family Engagement Lab. Elisabeth was previously the Director of Research and Evaluation at GreatSchools where she worked to design and implement evaluation projects, with a particular focus on rapid-cycle research approaches. Before GreatSchools, Elisabeth was a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence where she contributed to the development and evaluation of school-based social and emotional learning programming for children, teachers, and families. Elisabeth has a doctorate in psychology and experience providing school psychological services to preschool through high school-age students in both English and Spanish. Elisabeth recently co-authored 45 Strategies that Support Young Dual Language Learners, a resource that provides practical, developmentally appropriate strategies for supporting children and families from diverse backgrounds and creating inclusive early childhood classrooms that foster the success of young DLLs. Elisabeth is enjoying the many adventures of parenthood with her husband and sons. Rayna Flye, PhD, is Senior Specialist in Market and User Insights at Illustrative Mathematics, where she leads research with families, teachers, and district leaders to understand how high-quality math curriculum is experienced in classrooms and at home. A social scientist by training, Rayna specializes in research design, survey development, focus group facilitation, and qualitative and quantitative analysis, and her work on family focus groups informs how curriculum providers and schools communicate instructional change to the families they serve. About the host David Cicero is the host of Education Talk Radio on the Be Podcast Network. Listen to Education Talk Radio at https://edutalk.bepodcast.network Learn about more shows at https://bepodcastnetwork.com