Summary What if education began with the child—not the factory model, the timetable, or a standardized ceiling? In this episode of the EdTech Startup Showcase, Eric Makelky talks with Cresconova founders Yen How Tai and Barbara Yu about building a more personalized, creativity-centered learning experience for children. Yen and Barbara explain why they created Cresconova Global and Cresconova Lab, how small cohorts and carefully selected master teachers make deeper learning possible, and why their model is designed to complement schools rather than replace them. They also share how multidisciplinary courses, design thinking, hands-on making, and hybrid learning help students move from consuming knowledge to creating something meaningful in the world. Chapters 0:00 — Welcome to the EdTech Startup Showcase 0:57 — The moment Cresconova began 3:50 — Why the traditional school model leaves a gap 7:19 — Personalization at scale and the importance of creativity 9:13 — Why Cresconova starts with elementary learners 14:22 — Cresconova Global and Cresconova Lab 19:26 — From curiosity to prototypes: biomimicry, making, and design thinking 23:24 — Why the courses are multidisciplinary and high-ceiling 28:02 — Maintaining quality, small cohorts, and a nonprofit mission 33:22 — Partnering with schools instead of replacing them 39:19 — The future of hybrid learning 42:45 — Helping children become creators, not just consumers 47:52 — A future where creativity is a basic part of being human 49:20 — Closing thoughts Show Notes Guests: Yen How Tai and Barbara Yu, founders of Cresconova. Cresconova Global: Online learning built around small-group discussion, personalization, curiosity, and experienced master teachers. Cresconova Lab: A London-based hands-on learning environment where students combine deep subject knowledge with design thinking, systems thinking, prototyping, robotics, VR, 3D printing, and laser cutting. A central idea: Schools do not have to be replaced for students to receive learning experiences that are more personalized, creative, and globally connected. Cresconova website: Cresconova.org

Summary What does effective literacy intervention look like for students in middle and high school? Faith Howard returns to Better Teaching: Only Stuff That Works to explain how she built Literacy Lab, a 6–12 intervention model that combines the science of reading with age-appropriate, grade-level texts. Faith shares how a glorified study hall became a focused literacy intervention, why secondary educators need practical support in teaching foundational reading skills, and how schools can build sustainable literacy capacity instead of depending on one-time professional development. She also explains why teachers—not computer programs—teach kids, and how decoding, morphology, vocabulary, and rich novels can work together for adolescent readers. Faith Howard is an adolescent-literacy leader and educational consultant with 17 years of experience in education. She has taught middle and high school English language arts, coached ELA and social studies teachers, served as a director of curriculum and instruction, and worked as a literacy specialist. Chapters 00:00 — Meet Faith Howard and the case for adolescent literacy 01:48 — Why the original intervention model was not working 03:50 — Faith’s self-study in the science of reading 05:02 — Building Literacy Lab with foundational skills and grade-level texts 05:58 — Why teachers teach kids, not programs 08:11 — Making structured literacy meaningful for teenagers 10:39 — What “teen-friendly” literacy intervention really means 12:40 — Decoding, morphology, vocabulary, and complex texts 14:04 — What secondary teachers need from literacy support 17:27 — Demystifying the science of reading through modeling 21:11 — A sustainable sequence for schoolwide literacy improvement 24:16 — From professional development to practice and follow-through 44:49 — Building local capacity and letting the work speak for itself 46:36 — Gene’s closing message Show Notes Faith’s work focuses on students who have been overlooked or left behind by unsuccessful literacy interventions. Literacy Lab brings explicit foundational-skills instruction into a teen-friendly setting, pairing work with multisyllabic words, morphology, decoding, and vocabulary with thought-provoking, grade-level books. In this conversation, Faith and Gene discuss: How students can be misidentified for intervention when schools do not examine the root causes of academic difficulty Why secondary teachers are often expected to address reading gaps without having been trained to teach reading The limits of relying on computer-based programs without an in-person connection How to adapt foundational reading routines for older students without giving them childish content Why adolescents need both explicit instruction and meaningful, challenging texts How Faith supports districts through modeling, planning, coaching, and follow-through Why lasting change requires school leaders and teachers to build capacity together Learn more about Faith Howard and Literacy Lab: Website: literacylabwithfaith.com Facebook: Literacy Lab with Faith Substack: litlabwithfaith.substack.com YouTube: Science of Reading Classroom Email: literacylabwithfaith@gmail.com Faith also highlights the Wyoming Science of Teaching and Learning Collaborative Conference, taking place October 10 in Cody, Wyoming. Better Teaching is hosted by Gene Tavernetti. Find more practical conversations about teaching and learning at tesscg.com.

 Are you treating communication as just a technical skill, or as a mindset of service? Meet David Firth! Communication isn't just a set of skills to perform—it's a fundamental mindset to inhabit. In this episode, David Firth, an author, speaker, and organizational consultant with over 30 years of experience helps teams and executives transform their messaging. David breaks down why the conventional focus on looking polished or sounding authoritative often falls short. Instead, he advocates for a servant-leadership approach to communication that asks, "so that what happens?" to align conversations with meaningful business and personal outcomes. He also shares profound insights on managing our internal voice ("Ratty"), overcoming the fear of difficult conversations, and building authentic connection in every sphere of life. Key Takeaways: Why effective messaging prioritizes meeting the emotional needs of your audience Outputs Over Inputs when it comes to communication Beyond presentation mechanics to tangible results How negative internal self-talk distorts workplace relationships The "Jewel in the Crown" framework How miscommunication sits at the root of operational or technical problems How proactive dialogue prevents long-term conflicts ...and so much more! Connect with David: Website: https://www.davidfirthconsulting.com/ Additional Resources: Book: Unconditional Communication: The Power to Connect, Inspire, and Create Together Listen to the Podcast, subscribe, leave a rating and a review: Apple:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/powerful-communication-skills-for-leadership-success/id1614151066?i=1000788480393 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5KDg7vD5fOMgKLJtQJeLia?si=6e9876b396cb484f https://open.spotify.com/episode/5KDg7vD5fOMgKLJtQJeLia YouTube: https://youtu.be/mutjlch0v0k?si=HcYb4xwCv1YYHq5s

Reading intervention is failing too many kids because schools keep trying to solve a first-grade problem years too late. Jessica Reid Sliwerski, co-founder and CEO of Ignite Reading, shares the model she built to help students learn to read on time with one-to-one, daily, evidence-based support. As a lifelong educator who started in the Bronx and saw firsthand how inequity and poor reading instruction leave students behind, Jessica explains why the right intervention has to be precise, urgent, and built around the realities teachers face every day. She also breaks down how Ignite Reading pairs live tutors with adaptive tech, detailed formative data, and a simple 15- to 20-minute daily routine that fits inside the school day without overwhelming classroom teachers. You’ll discover: - Why so many schools misunderstand the science of reading - How Ignite Reading uses one-to-one tutoring to target exactly what each child needs - Why data should be translated for principals and district leaders, not buried in a dashboard - What it takes to train and certify tutors to a high bar - How the program supports teachers instead of adding to their workload Jessica also explains why Ignite Reading focuses on first grade, why “read by grade 3” can be dangerously late, and why the company will walk away from districts that are not truly committed to solving literacy gaps. It’s a candid look at what effective reading intervention actually requires, from classroom implementation to tutor quality to mission-driven leadership. Jessica Reid Sliwerski is the co-founder and CEO of Ignite Reading, a public benefit company focused on early literacy. A lifelong educator, she has worked in classrooms, school leadership, district support, and national curriculum reform, bringing deep experience in the science of reading and instructional design. Essential listening for teachers, principals, district leaders, and anyone who believes every child deserves the chance to become a confident reader on time.

In this episode of The Smarter Campus Podcast, Zach sits down with Dr. Cleotilde “Coty” Gonzalez, Research Professor of Decision Sciences at Carnegie Mellon University, founding director of the Dynamic Decision Making Laboratory, and Research Co-Director of the NSF National AI Institute for Societal Decision Making. Drawing on more than two decades of work across cognitive science, decision-making, and artificial intelligence, Coty explores an important distinction between machine AI and Cognitive AI. Rather than simply recognizing patterns across massive datasets, Cognitive AI seeks to model how humans actually learn from experience, adapt to uncertainty, and make decisions in changing environments. The conversation dives into human-AI teaming, automation bias, cognitive offloading, and the idea of complementary intelligence—designing AI to strengthen human judgment rather than replace it. Coty also explains why these questions become especially important when AI is involved in high-stakes decisions ranging from emergency response to public health. For educators and higher education leaders, the conversation raises an essential question: as AI becomes more capable, how do we make sure students continue developing their own ability to think, question, evaluate, and make decisions?