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The Making Schools Work Podcast
Join us each week as we talk to different SREB team members and educators across the country to find out the latest in school innovations. From classroom instruction to school leadership, we are going to examine what it is that makes schools work!
Episodes
59 episodes
Stop Misdiagnosing Resistance: The 5 Catalyst Mindsets Every Instructional Coach Needs
"Help me work with resistant teachers." It’s a major request for instructional coaches, but Becca Silver, founder of The Whole Educator, says it's often a misdiagnosis. In this episode, Silver joins Daniel Rock and Jason Adair to ex...
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The High-Growth Blueprint: 5 Years of Level 5 Excellence
Bethany Wilson, principal of the #1 ranked middle school in Wilson County, Tennessee, joins the podcast to share the secrets behind five consecutive years of Level 5 TVAAS growth. From opening a new school just months before COVID to being name...
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The HOPE Protocol: Moving Professional Development From the Shelf to the Classroom
Why do so many high-quality professional development units end up sitting on the shelf? Jason Adair and Debbie Robertson join the podcast to discuss the HOPE Protocol, a multimillion-dollar grant initiative designed to transform math instructio...
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Underdog Leadership: Driving Growth in High-Need Schools With Natasha Brown
How does a school move from a low-performing list to the top 5% in the state for academic growth? Natasha Brown, principal of Westover Middle School and author of Underdog Leadership, joins Daniel Rock and Erin Anderson Williams to dis...
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The Curse of Knowledge: Communication Science for School Leaders With Thomas Murray
What do great leaders and great educators have in common? They are exceptional communicators. Thomas Murray, Director of Innovation for Future Ready Schools, joins Daniel Rock and Erin Anderson Williams to dive into the curse of knowledge, the ...
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The Human Side of Career Readiness With Nicole Cobb
How do we ensure the skills students build in the classroom translate to the world of work? In this episode, Dr. Nicole Cobb, Professor of the Practice at Vanderbilt University and member of the Governor’s Council for CTE, joins Daniel Rock and...
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Integrating Academics and CTE
In a rapidly changing workforce, students need more than just technical skills—they need the analytical thinking and adaptive problem-solving abilities to apply those skills in real-world contexts. In this episode, SREB Instructional Coach Deb ...
The Art of the Feedback Conversation: Part 2 with Principal Baruti Kafele
In the conclusion of our two-part series with Principal Baruti Kafele, we move from the leadership mindset to the tactical execution of instructional coaching. This episode is a deep dive into the "Grow You" model, focusing on the sophisticated...
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What's Your Value? Part 1: Identity and Awareness for School Leaders
In the first half of this powerful two-part series, we sit down with Principal Baruti Kafele, a renowned school leadership expert and best-selling author. This conversation moves past the daily logistics of school management to challenge admin...
Beyond the Walls: Student Agency and Purpose With Hume-Fogg Academic High School
What happens when you stop treating the community as a "field trip" destination and start treating it as a classroom? In this special episode, we are joined by Dr. Lisa Bonelli, the assistant principal at Hume-Fogg Academic High School in Nashv...
The Language of Motivation: Bridging Generations and AI in the Classroom
How do we move students from simple compliance to authentic engagement? In this episode, Senior Instructional Coach Daniel Rock and Leadership Coach Erin Anderson-Williams sit down with Dr. Tony Johnson, founder of Captivate Perspectives. With ...
Creating a School Culture of Love: Accountability and Data With Marck Abraham
How do you move a high school graduation rate from 60% to 87% in a few short years? In this high-energy episode, Senior Instructional Coach Daniel Rock and Leadership Coach Erin Anderson-Williams sit down with Dr. Marck Abraham, CEO...
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Creating High-Functioning Teams in Schools
Teaching is often viewed as a "solo gig," but the work of student learning is far too heavy for any one person to carry alone. In this episode, SREB Senior Instructional Coach Daniel Rock sits down with Leadership Coaches Erin Anderson-Williams...
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Taylor Swift Clubs, Data Rooms, and Teacher-Led PD: The Best of Fall 2026
As the Fall 2026 semester comes to a close, it is time to look back at the schools and strategies that challenged our thinking.In this special wrap-up episode, Daniel is joined by SREB’s Jason Adair and Ashley Shaw to interrogate the "Be...
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Surviving the First Year: The "Productive Struggle" of Mentorship
The "first-year teaching blues" are real, but they don't have to be a career-ender. In this episode, Daniel explores the impact of the GREAT Grant (Georgia Residency for Educating Amazing Teachers), a program designed to turn career-changers in...
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From 74% to 96%: How Tuscaloosa Built a K-12 Career Plan That Actually Works
What really happens to students after they graduate? Does a diploma equal a plan?In this episode, Daniel Rock and Susan Simpson sit down with the innovative College and Career Readiness team from Tuscaloosa City Schools to...
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Teaching with Purpose: How Academics and CTE Work Together at Career Academies of Decatur
What happens when English and social studies teachers join a career academy — and every lesson connects to the real world?In this episode of the Making Schools Work podcast, SREB’s Daniel Rock and Debra Cullen talk with Angie Ma...
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How Career Academies of Decatur Redefined High School: Building a CTE-Focused Model for Every Student
What happens when a school flips the script — and lets career and technical education lead the way?In this episode of the Making Schools Work podcast, SREB’s Daniel Rock and Debra Cullen talk with Ressa Chittam, director of the ...
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How Student Talk Doubles Learning: Making Classrooms More Socratic
What if the key to doubling student learning is simply getting them talking?In this episode, Daniel Rock and Jason Adair unpack research showing how student discussion can double the rate of learning — and why most classrooms still rely ...
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How Westside Teachers Turned PD Into Classroom Impact
At Westside High School in Anderson, South Carolina, teaching looks different now — and students can feel it.Last week, we talked to leadership at Westside to see how this process worked. In this episode of the Making Schools Work
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How Westside High Empowered Teachers to Lead Professional Learning
At Westside High School in Anderson, South Carolina, teachers aren’t just attending professional development — they’re designing it.In this episode of the Making Schools Work podcast, SREB’s Daniel Rock and Donn Kirkwood talk wi...
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Building Collective Teacher Efficacy at Indian Valley Elementary
How does a school move from silos to shared success? At Indian Valley Elementary in Sylacauga, Alabama, the leadership team and teachers worked together to create a culture of collective teacher efficacy—and the results are transforming student...
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Flex Time and Job Shadowing: Teacher Perspectives From Richland High School
Richland High School in Mississippi has restructured its schedule to give students more opportunities for growth — and the results are impressive. In this third episode featuring Richland, we hear directly from two teachers about how Flex Block...
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From Data Walls to Student Success: How Floyd D. Johnson Tech Center Transformed Learning
Floyd D. Johnson Technology Center in York, South Carolina, is proof that small communities can make big changes for students. By embracing honest data, personalized improvement goals and strong community partnerships, the school has transforme...
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Beginnings and Endings: How to Hook Students and Make Learning Stick
Welcome to Season 2 of the Making Schools Work podcast! In this episode, Daniel Rock, Jason Adair and Ashley Shaw kick off the season by exploring one of teaching’s most powerful truths: beginnings and endings matter.From first-...
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