Chronic absenteeism is often treated as an attendance problem, but is often a signal of something deeper.In this conversation, strategic learning and leadership advisor Jen Perry explores the relationship between student connection and attendance, why schools often miss the early warning signs of disengagement, and how relationship-centered approaches can help educators identify and support students before absence becomes chronic. Together, we examine what attendance data can—and cannot—tell us, and why improving attendance may begin with helping every student feel seen, known, and connected. 

Matt Karabinos sits down with Aaron Makelky—former history teacher turned Community & Developer Relations Manager at Descript—to explore the wild, humbling, and often hilarious journey of discovering AI. From a student showing Aaron ChatGPT after a Thanksgiving break to both men leaving the classroom within a month of each other, this episode is a real conversation between two educators who went all-in on AI before it was mainstream. They dig into the "tech lash" in schools, Aaron's powerful "snow globe" analogy for how schools operate, why every staff needs AI scouts, how they're raising AI-literate kids at home, and what vibe coding is really unlocking for everyday people. After this episode, you should be asking yourself, "are you consuming, or are you building?"Timestamped Show Notes0:00 — Intro: How Matt & Aaron Met — A LinkedIn DM friendship and parallel paths out of teaching2:56 — Aaron's AI Origin Story — A student shows Aaron ChatGPT after Thanksgiving break; he's never the same11:59 — From Classroom to Dev Relations — Aaron describes his new role teaching creators and developers instead of students14:08 — The Snow Globe: Schools & AI — Aaron's analogy for how schools operate in isolation and why that's a problem16:01 — AI, Cheating & Classroom Conversations — Why students are confused about AI cheating rules and what we should be teaching instead16:22 — Raising AI-Literate Kids — Aaron's 8-year-old wants an AI agent; the Ozzy Osbourne AI fact-check lesson; his son as the classroom's AI scout20:15 — Vibe Coding & Building Things — Aaron vibe codes a full summer routine tracking app from handwritten notes in one hour23:58 — Consuming vs. Building: The Final Takeaway — AI puts everyone in one of two categories; which one do you want to be in?

Are we really “overteaching” phonics, or should there be a hard stopping point where it’s not taught past a certain grade?Are current stories trending on popular news outlets aligned with best practices for supporting dyslexic learners?Is the public becoming more educated on how we learn to read, write, and spell?I invited my colleague, Lori Josephson, an author, consultant, and former teacher to discuss these questions. In this episode, we discuss:✅ Common literacy “urban legends”, including “Dyslexia is seeing words backwards” and “look at the picture and guess the word”✅ Why phonics gets a bad wrap and where the Science of Reading is often misunderstood✅ Handwriting, keyboarding, and how they relate to neural connections✅Making instruction more effective by integrating language, print, spelling, and executive functioning instead of siloing.Lori Josephson is an Author, Dyslexia Specialist, and Educational Consultant who is a  Fellow of the Orton-Gillingham Academy, a retired Wilson Language Trainer, and holds a Master’s Degree in Special Education-Learning Disabilities. She has had the privilege of teaching hundreds of struggling students how to make sense of print and text, as well as the honor of working with thousands of teachers training them how to teach and reach their students using methods based upon the complex brain processes involved in attaining literacy, the body of knowledge referred to as the Science of Reading. Her recently published book, “Calling All Neurons! How Reading and Spelling Happen”, explains how the human brain attains literacy in a fun, easy to understand manner where specialized neurons take the stage to provide this explanation. Lori serves as a Moderator of the wildly popular Facebook Group, Science of Reading-What I Should Have Learned in College, and is on the Advisory Council of The Northern Ohio Branch of The Dyslexia Association.You can connect with Lori in the following places:o Website: lorijosephson.com o LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lori-josephson/o X: @lorijosephson2o Facebook: Lori Josephsono Instagram: @calling_all_neuronso Medium: https://lorijosephson.medium.com/o Substack: @lorijosephson686067We mentioned the following resources in this episode:Lori’s book, “Calling All Neurons! How Reading and Spelling Happen”: https://lorijosephson.com/calling-all-neurons-how-reading-and-spelling-happen/The Cost of Over-Teaching Phonics by “Liana Loewus”: http://bit.ly/4eIKJAQHas Technology “Broken” an Education System That was “Just Fine”? by Natalie Wexler: https://nataliewexler.substack.com/p/has-technology-broken-an-education“Don’t Blame Technology” by Holly Korbeyhttps://hollykorbey.substack.com/p/dont-blame-technologyThe Digital Delusion: How Classroom Technology Harms our Kids’ Learning-And How to Help Them Thrive Again: https://www.amazon.com/Digital-Delusion-Classroom-Technology-Learning/dp/B0G5622DQQIn this episode, I mentioned Language Therapy Advance Foundations, my program that gives speech pathologists a scalable 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/languagetherapyI also mentioned School of Clinical Leadership, my program that helps related service providers design scalable executive functioning interventions to ensure students get the scaffolding they need across the school day. You can learn more about the program here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/clinicalleadership

In this episode Dr. Anthony Fitzpatrick talks about a unique apprenticeship program designed to enhance skills of teachers and facilitate movement on the salary schedule all without intrusive amounts of time after regular school hours. Who benefits? Everyone!Links:LinkedIn:  Anthony Fitzpatrick, Ed.D. | LinkedInFacebook:  (1) anthony fitzpatrick - Search Results | FacebookInstagram: antfitz55Website: Anthony Fitzpatrick | Enhance Education Today – Get InspiredTik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@antfitzyAnthony's most recent book:The Evolving Science of Reading: Building a Continuum from Foundations to Fluent Thinking

In this episode of The Principal’s Handbook, we explore the challenges of being a people-pleasing principal and how the need for approval can impact leadership decisions. You'll learn how people-pleasing shows up through avoiding difficult conversations, watering down feedback, delaying decisions, and taking responsibility for other people's emotions. Through the TEA Cycle, we examine how thoughts about disappointing others create anxiety and lead to actions that weaken leadership effectiveness. The episode offers practical strategies for leading with clarity, confidence, and values instead of seeking approval. If you've ever worried about upsetting staff, parents, or teachers, this episode will help you lead with greater courage and authenticity.Get free resources at PrincipalFreebies.com.