Bill Barnes is the superintendent for the Howard County Public School System in Maryland. Bill was a recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching and has served on the board of directors for the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics.Erin Lehmann, EdD, currently serves as an associate professor for the University of South Dakota. She is an author, leader, and facilitator, advocating for leading instructional improvement.Today, they join the show to talk about their book, Leading Educator Wellness: Six Critical Actions to Support All Staff. Our discussion covers:The tangible challenges educator wellness is meant to address—attrition, shortages, effectiveness, and moreStarting with leader wellness firstMoving from self-care to systems-care SMART wellness goalsDemonstrating authentic commitment to wellness combined with high standards of excellencePractical actions leaders can take todayGet Leading Educator Wellness from Solution Tree. About the hostRoss 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 Bluesky or LinkedIn I also host Sideline Sessions, a podcast for coaches and parents of student-athletes. The show features conversations with coaches and performance experts in the NFL, NBA, NCAA, Olympics, and more. Listen here: https://bit.ly/3Rp0QGt 

In this episode, Priten speaks with Ratna Gill, who supports the partnerships team at Rocket Learning, a nonprofit tackling early childhood education in India through WhatsApp. Ratna shares her journey from child safety work to early childhood education and explains how Rocket Learning delivers bite-sized educational content to caregivers and Anganwadi workers serving 600 million children who lack access to early stimulation. The conversation explores their AI-powered personalized tutor,  the importance of cultural contextualization, and what ethical ed tech looks like when working with resource-constrained communities—ultimately landing on a hopeful note: technology can expand access to education without replacing the irreplaceable human connections that make learning joyful.Key Takeaways:Meet communities where they already are. Rocket uses WhatsApp because families are already there—no new apps, no tech burden.Technology should supplement, not replace, human interaction. APU is capped at 15-20 minutes daily to preserve parent-child engagement.Context matters more than content. Effective ed tech adapts cultural references, not just language, for each region.Test slowly, learn deeply. Field testing revealed that background noise breaks speech-to-text—rushing would have shipped a broken product.Parents are the most transformative tool. AI can model joyful pedagogy, but it can't replace human connection.About Ratna Gill:Ratna Gill serves as Lead, Special Projects at Rocket Learning. Previously the Head of Government Partnerships at Mumbai-based child safety nonprofit Aangan, she worked with state governments across the country to train school administrators and police officers to create safer communities for children in hotspots for child trafficking. Ratna graduated from Harvard Kennedy School in 2022, where she studied the impacts of parental labor migration on education and development outcomes for adolescents. She has a B.A. in Economics from Harvard College.

This episode is a part of a special series of interviews conducted at the INCH360 Cybersecurity Conference in Spokane, Washington. Visit their website to learn more about INCH360 and their mission. Host Jethro D. Jones talks with Pete Tucker, developer at Drip7 and computer science instructor at Whitworth University, about the evolving role of AI in coding and education. Pete shares insights on teaching foundational skills, balancing AI assistance with deep learning, and how both students and professionals can use AI effectively while understanding its limitations.

While virtual learning has become more prevalent since 2020, the founders of Banyan Global Learning have been offering digital learning experiences for over 20 years.Some people are excited about the possibilities technology offers. Others are backpedaling or worrying that tech does more harm than good. Like most things, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. The outcomes depend on how experiences (both virtual and in-person) are designed and how learners are asked to engage. Passive consumption rarely leads to meaningful learning, but well-structured virtual experiences can support problem solving, perspective-taking, and authentic connection across contexts. Not as a replacement to in-person experiences, but as an additional option to provide opportunities that wouldn’t otherwise be possible. That’s why I invited Seth Fleischauer to De Facto Leaders to talk about how to use virtual field trips to connect with peers and learn about cultures and experiences worldwide.Seth Fleischauer is the President of Banyan Global Learning, which he founded in 2008 after teaching elementary school with NYC Teaching Fellows. Banyan pioneered daily international EFL distance learning and has since expanded to train teachers and educate K-12 students across three continents. His programs focus on teaching digital and cultural competencies through a global lens and have delivered over 40,000 live teaching sessions. Seth has also hosted over 100 podcast episodes, including Make It Mindful and Why Distance Learning?In this episode, I mentioned Language Therapy Advance Foundations, my program that gives speech pathologists a framework for building language skills needed to thrive in school, social situations, and daily life. You can learn more about the program here: https://drkarenspeech.com/languagetherapyYou can learn more about Seth’s company, Banyan Global Learning at: https://banyangloballearning.com/Listen to my previous interview with Seth on De Facto Leaders here: Ep 193: Using Distance Learning to Increase Access and Opportunity (with Seth Fleischauer) here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/ep-193-using-distance-learning-to-increase-access-and-opportunity-with-seth-fleischauer/Banyan Global Learning’s Global Learning Live kicks off in spring 2026.  Global Learning Live is led by Banyan teachers and blends live virtual field trips, collaboration, and reflection into an experiential journey for global competence. Students connect with real people and explore real places while building confidence through authentic global connection. Learn more about the Global Learning Live Spring ‘26 Pilot here: https://banyangloballearning.com/global-learning-live/Learn more about Banyan Global’s live virtual field trips here: https://banyangloballearning.com/live-virtual-field-trips-2/Listen to the Make it Mindful Podcast at: https://feeds.transistor.fm/make-it-mindful-an-education-podcastListen to Make it Mindful Podcast Interview about Executive Functioning here: https://makeitmindful.transistor.fm/episodes/rewind-50-executive-functioning-with-dr-karen-dudek-brannanListen to the Why Distance Learning Podcast at: https://whydistancelearning.transistor.fm/Learn more about the Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration here: https://www.cilc.org/

In this episode, Gene interviews Blake Harvard, Blake discussed his new book: Do I Have Your Attention: Understanding Memory Constraints and Maximizing Learning and what he teaches his students about learning.01:36 Festival of Education and Presentation Highlights06:25 Understanding Memory Constraints07:45 Strategies for Effective Teaching09:46 Application of Cognitive Psychology in the Classroom13:57 High Expectations and Student Motivation17:57 Practical Techniques: Brain Book Buddy Model27:49 Pre-Service Teacher Advice