Real innovation begins when teachers and students stop just talking and start doing. Don Wettrick (STARTedUP Foundation) reveals how entrepreneurial thinking, AI, and real-world problem-solving are transforming high schools—and why most educators are just scratching the surface. In this candid conversation, Don shares why he stepped down from his CEO role to focus on inspiring teachers and students directly. He explains how the quality of student pitches has evolved—and how AI tools can both hype mediocrity and push talented students to even greater heights. Discover how students who once pitched imaginary ideas are now solving real problems, building companies, and even getting accepted into Y Combinator, all before graduation. You'll uncover:  - Why the best entrepreneurs are the ones who embrace rejection and keep trying  - How to differentiate between being busy and truly productive as a founder or educator  - The importance of storytelling in building momentum and community  - How grassroots movements and local partnerships accelerate change  - Why teacher support and school culture are critical to nurturing innovative habits This episode dives deep into the challenges and opportunities of modern education—showing that the future belongs to those willing to disrupt the factory model. Whether you're a teacher, school leader, parent, or student, you’ll learn practical ways to foster entrepreneurial spirit that prepares youth for careers as problem solvers, creators, and leaders. Don Wettrick is an education innovator and founder of the Started Up Foundation, known for creating high-impact programs that encourage students to see challenges as opportunities. His work has transformed classrooms nationwide, empowering young entrepreneurs to think bigger and act faster. Perfect for educators hungry to reimagine their classrooms, entrepreneurs seeking fresh talent, or anyone passionate about how real change happens—from the ground up. Listen now and discover how to turn social media sparks, startup challenges, and even AI hype into powerful opportunities for growth and impact. Will you lead the next wave of educational innovation? Tune in to find out.

What does it take to make assessments more accessible, inclusive, and fair? In this episode, CAST speaks with Carnegie Learning about their journey to embedding accessibility and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) into assessment design. Together, they explore how a partnership centered on learner variability has transformed product development, strengthened access for all learners, and helped reimagine what equitable assessment can look like. Transcript Resources Carnegie Learning  Upgrade Platform  CarnegieLearningWeb/UpGrade on GitHub @carnegielearning on Instagram Carnegie Learning on LinkedIn  @carnegie.learning on TikTok Carnegie Learning on YouTube @carnegielearn on X 

Too many principals spend the school year just trying to survive. In this episode, you'll learn four practical strategies to make your leadership more sustainable by simplifying your work, protecting your time, building a life outside of school, and growing your confidence. If you're tired of constantly feeling overwhelmed, this episode will help you focus on what matters most so you can lead with more clarity, energy, and purpose all year long. Highly Recommended Free workshop: From Self-Doubt to Confidence The 8 to 4 Principal The Discipline Toolkit

In this episode, host Dr. Erin Bailey sits down with Spencer Russell, founder of Toddlers Can Read, to discuss his journey from a struggling reader to a literacy advocate and educator. Spencer shares how his own challenges with reading as a child shaped his mission to empower parents as the most powerful — yet underutilized — tool in fighting illiteracy. About Spencer Russell: Spencer Russell is an award-winning early literacy educator, former kindergarten and first-grade teacher, and founder of Toddlers CAN Read, a science of reading–based program that helps parents teach their young children to read at home. After spending six years teaching in the classroom and three years coaching educators, he created Toddlers CAN Read to make evidence-based reading instruction accessible to families through simple, practical lessons. Spencer's work has reached tens of thousands of families, and he is a sought-after speaker on early literacy and family engagement. His mission is to empower parents with the confidence and tools to help every child become a joyful, successful reader. @toddlerscanread Toddlers Can Read: About – Toddlers Can Read Skybrary: Children’s Reading App for Kids Pre-K through Grade 3 | Skybrary

In this episode of Why Distance Learning, Seth Fleischauer and Allyson Mitchell talk with Raymond Rose - President of Rose & Smith Associates and Public Policy Chair at the Texas Digital Learning Association- about what digital accessibility actually requires of educational institutions, and what it means to be out of compliance with an agreement you've already signed. Rose came to this work through civil rights enforcement, not ed tech, and it shows in how he frames the problem. For most institutions, the legal commitment to full accessibility is already on record. The question is whether anyone knows it. Together, the hosts and Raymond explore the Office of Civil Rights' operational definition of accessibility - same information, same interactions, same time frame - and why the "same time frame" clause changes what compliance actually looks like in practice. They work through the most common failures in online courses: PDFs that are images rather than readable text, missing alt text on graphics, videos without adequate captions, and data tables used for layout. Raymond explains why Universal Design for Learning is the right design framework for all learners - not just those with identified disabilities - and points to a simple test: 25% of males have some form of colorblindness, and roughly half your audience is already using closed captioning on their television. The episode also covers how to ask vendors for a VPAT before purchasing third-party tools, where automatic captioning still falls short, and what shifts when the students are K-12. The episode closes with Raymond making the case that most institutions are not deliberately ignoring accessibility - they just haven't been told they were already responsible for it. Key topicsDigital accessibility as a civil rights obligation under Section 504 and ADAThe OCR definition: same information, same interactions, same time frameUniversal Design for Learning (UDL) — the three components and why it benefits all learnersCommon compliance failures: PDFs, alt text, captioning, color contrast, data tablesHow automatic captioning has improved and where it still falls shortVPAT (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template) and how to vet third-party vendorsThe 504 coordinator gap: most schools have never trained this role for the web contextK-12 vs. higher ed: where the compliance pressure sits and why K-12 has been slower Links & ResourcesWAVE Accessibility Checker — free tool for identifying accessibility errors on any website. wave.webaim.orgCAST — Universal Design for Learning — the national headquarters for UDL frameworks and resources. cast.orgTxDLA Digital Accessibility Course — Texas Digital Learning Association's multi-session course on digital accessibility. txdla.orgQuality Matters — standards and training for quality online course design. qualitymatters.orgNational Standards for Quality Online Programs — Aurora Institute. https://www.aurora-institute.org/wp-content/uploads/national-standards-for-quality-online-programs.pdfRose, R. & Blomeyer, R. (2007). Access and Equity in Online Classes and Virtual Schools. iNACOL / Aurora Institute. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED509623.pdfRose, R. (2014). Access and Equity for All Learners in Blended and Online Education. Aurora Institute (formerly iNACOL). aurora-institute.orgRaymond Rose's blog — e-Learning Evangelist rmrose.blogspot.com Guest Bio: Raymond RoseRaymond Rose is President of Rose & Smith Associates and serves as Public Policy Chair and Digital Accessibility Liaison at the Texas Digital Learning Association (TxDLA). He co-directed the Virtual High School at the Concord Consortium - one of the first large-scale K-12 online programs in the country -  and wrote the nation's first virtual school Special Education Policy. For two decades he has focused on digital accessibility as a civil rights obligation for K-12 and higher education, working with institutions, policymakers, and federal funders on what compliance actually requires. He was inducted into the TxDLA Hall of Fame in 2026. About the HostsSeth Fleischauer is the founder of Banyan Global Learning and host of Why Distance Learning. Through Banyan, he designs live virtual programs that connect K-12 classrooms to global peers and expert facilitators - building the kind of structured, human-centered distance learning the podcast explores. See https://www.banyangloballearning.com/programs/global-cohorts Allyson Mitchell works with CILC, the Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration, to help educators implement high-quality live virtual learning experiences across grade levels. Discover more at CILC.org.