Spotlight 4 Success
We're shining a light on education success stories and talking about current trends and topics of importance to the education community. Join us in conversation!
Episodes
187 episodes
A Ghost Town Mystery And A Robot Tutor
AI is everywhere in students’ lives, but what if we used it to push them outside instead of pulling them deeper into screens? From the floor of NCRA in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, we sit down with author Jo Watson Hackl to talk about a surpr...
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Season 2
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6:26
Literacy For A Reimagined World
Literacy is getting rewritten in real time and educators don’t have the option to sit it out. From NCRA in Winston-Salem, we sit down with Hiller Spires, Professor at NC State University and NCRA president-elect, to talk about what comes next f...
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Season 2
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4:24
Dandelion Magic And The Power Of Words
A dandelion wish sounds small until it spins into a full-blown adventure. From the NCRA floor in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, we sit down with children’s author Darren Farrell to hear how Dandelion Magic turns a simple idea into a story kids ...
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4:01
A Twitter Pitch Turns Into A Book Deal
A children’s picture book can start in a surprising place: a string quartet performing a concert for plants. From the NCRA conference in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, we sit down with Tonnye Fletcher, a veteran educator who spent 17 years in s...
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Season 2
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8:47
I Bought $1,800 In Books And Panicked
Recording live from NCRA in North Carolina, we talk with Gina Mays, the owner of Gigi’s bookstore, about what happens when a lifelong educator decides she’s not done serving schools, she’s just changing tools. After 32 years as a teacher and ad...
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Season 2
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12:40
ABC Testimonial | Grace Moser | NCRA 2026
Grace Moser shares how using ABC materials has impacted her classroom.
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Season 2
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1:40
Fifth Grade Lightbulbs
A single “oh!” from a student can change everything, and it’s the feeling that keeps many of us teaching. From the NCRA Conference in North Carolina, we sit down with Grace, a fifth grade teacher who traces her path back to one vivid moment hel...
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Season 2
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5:12
Every Child Can Read
“Every child can read.” Mary from Hoke County Schools says it plainly, and then she shows the work behind making it real. We’re recording live from the NCRA conference, where she explains how a district literacy committee approaches professiona...
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Season 2
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5:17
ABC Testimonial | Deja Moore & Michaela Shy | NCRA 2026
Deja Moore & Michaela Shy share their testimony regarding ABC products. Website: spotlight4success.com
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Season 2
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1:38
When Kids Can Read But Still Don’t Get It
Fluency isn’t the finish line. If you’ve ever watched a student read smoothly and still walk away confused, this conversation puts words to the problem and points toward practical next steps. We are joined by two educators from JT Barber Elemen...
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Season 2
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5:48
ABC Testimonial | Brian Edmond | SCABSE 2026
Brian Edmond, a principal in South Carolina, shares his testimony regarding his school seeing score increases with ABC materials.Website: spotlight4success.com
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Season 2
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1:03
ABC Testimonial | Felisha Williams | SCABSE 2026
Felisha Williams. a principal in South Carolina, shares her testimony regarding her success with ABC materials. Website: spoltight4success.com
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Season 2
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1:03
ABC Testimonial | Gladys M. | LACUE 2025
Gladys M. shares his testimony regarding his success with ABC materials. Website: spotlight4success.com
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Season 2
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0:56
ABC Testimonial | Roderick Hannibal | LACUE 2025
Roderick Hannibal shares his testimony regarding his success with ABC materials. Website: spoltight4success.com
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Season 2
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0:49
Teaching Under Pressure, Learning With Purpose
Step onto the LACUE 2025 floor in New Orleans with us and feel the shift from hype to help. We sit down with educator and board member Tisha Whittington to unpack what actually lightens the load for teachers under pressure: clear standards alig...
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Season 2
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4:49
Robots, JavaScript, And A Lot Of Coffee
Step onto the LACUE floor in New Orleans with us and meet Jacqueline Edwards, a computer science instructor from East Baton Rouge who turns high school classrooms into launchpads for software careers. Jacqueline shares how her students earn dua...
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Season 2
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5:54
From Conference Floors To Classroom Wins
Two decades of conference halls, classroom breakthroughs, and late-night planning come to life as we sit down with Ranay Lozala of Rapides Parish at LACUE 2025 in New Orleans. From board service to district leadership in data and analytics, Ren...
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Season 2
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10:24
Say Yes To Better Teaching With Tech
Say yes first, figure it out together—that’s the spirit of this conversation with Tracy Phillips from Washington Parish, recorded live at LACUE 2025 in New Orleans. Tracy has taught nearly everything from fourth grade English to biology and civ...
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Season 2
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12:34
Why Tools Matter When Passion Meets Practice
Bright lights, fresh ideas, and real classroom wins—our trip to LACUE in New Orleans brought all three together. We sat down with fifth grade science teacher Brayondra Allen from Ferriday Upper Elementary to talk about what truly moves the need...
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Season 2
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4:17
Canva, Kids, And Coffee-Fueled Score Gains
The buzz of a great education conference can change a school year. From the floor of LACUE in New Orleans, we sit down with Gladys from St. Landry Parish to explore how curiosity about AI, beginner-friendly Canva workflows, and trusted practice...
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Season 2
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4:23
Tech, Teachers, And Real Results
The best conference takeaway is the one you can use on Monday. That’s exactly what we set out to capture in this conversation with Shayla Pandja, the English instructional coordinator for St. Landry Parish, recorded live at LACUE in New Orleans...
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Season 2
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4:15
Teaching With Heart And AI
What happens when a first-year teacher pairs AI with a lesson on kindness—and sees her fifth graders raise their voices with empathy? We sit down with Bethany Collette from Concordia Parish to explore a classroom model that treats technology as...
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Season 2
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4:18
Robots Didn’t Grade My Papers, But They Did Crash The Party
Walk the LACUE floor with us and meet Lesley Moore, a first-year graphic design and digital media teacher from SPIMA Academy in East Baton Rouge, who’s navigating a new role while chasing the right technology for her students. From the buzz of ...
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Season 1
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3:54
Teaching Wins That Last A Lifetime
The buzz of New Orleans sets a vibrant backdrop as we sit down with Emma Jones from Bogalusa City Schools to unpack how professional learning becomes real student impact. Emma has attended LACUE for five years, and she returns for one reason: t...
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Season 1
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3:11
Don’t Take The Elevator, Take The Mic
The floor at LACUE buzzes, but what stands out is a simple transformation: a teacher who once felt overwhelmed now walks with a plan to hand the mic to her students. We sit down with Lauren Domangue to trace how a yearbook program stretched int...
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Season 1
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4:19