Learner-Centered

Student-authored pieces, learner storytelling, student voice.

Ed Policy

Exploring Policy From the Ground Up: Illuminations from the Da Vinci Network

Guest Author

Aug 4, 2026

Students at Eastern Hancock Schools are reminded by a sign on the wall of their value: Joy

Future of Learning

The Microschool Mindset: Why Small Thinking Is the Biggest Shift in Education

Guest Author

Aug 3, 2026

Ed Policy

Schools Are Testing the Past: How Assessment Must Evolve for Writing, Speaking, and Listening in the AI Age

Eric Tucker

Jul 24, 2026

Leadership

Coalition Before Consensus: How Trust and Shared Ownership Sustain Transformation

Rebecca Midles, Nate McClennen

Jun 29, 2026

Learner-Centered

A Hopeful Vision For Better-Designed Schools

Guest Author

Apr 23, 2026

Two middle school students sitting cross-legged on a library floor, reading together from an open book.

Learner-Centered

Educational fMRIs: Dynamic Pedagogy and Pedagogical Analysis in the Multimodal AI Era

Edmund W. Gordon, Eric Tucker

Apr 1, 2026

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This podcast highlights developing trends in K-12 education, postsecondary and lifelong learning. Each week, Getting Smart team members interview students, leading authors, experts and practitioners in research, tech, entrepreneurship and leadership to bring listeners innovative and actionable strategies in education leadership.

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Teacher smiling with three young students reading picture books at a classroom table with word walls in background

Leadership

Blueprints Are Not Enough: Building Balanced Assessment Systems for Science of Reading 2.0

Edmund W. Gordon, Eric Tucker

Feb 11, 2026

Ms. Rivera has done everything right: she attended the state-mandated Science of Reading (SoR) training and internalized the new, evidence-based curriculum. She is teaching phonics and phonemic awareness. Yet, as October settles in, she feels a familiar anxiety. She is teaching the “what” of the new laws, but…

Students and staff standing in a semicircle on a school basketball court at Big Picture Ukiah during a PMU Circle gathering.

Learner-Centered

In Ukiah, Eternal Truths Are Saving Young Lives

Sam Chaltain

Nov 17, 2025

Big Picture South Valley High empowers struggling teens with personalized, learner-centered education, fostering community, healing, and purpose.

Mother and child snorkeling underwater together, both wearing diving masks, flashing OK and peace signs

Future of Work

Learning to Let Go (and Stay Connected): A Parent’s View from 2040

Carri Schneider

Oct 28, 2025

A future parent reflects on how connected, unbundled, and learner-centered systems empower students to thrive in a reimagined learning ecosystem.

Smiling boy presenting a planetary orbits solar system model at an elementary school science fair

Learner-Centered

Grounding Assessment in the Service of Learning

Eric Tucker, Edmund W. Gordon, Eleanor Armour-Thomas

Oct 14, 2025

Assessment can be made more effective, personalized, and educative if we intentionally design and deploy AI in alignment with these principles of fairness, validity, and human development.

	Beginning	Piloting	Implementing
From Fixed Standards to Competency-Based Mastery	BeginningFrom Fixed Standards to Competency-Based Mastery Beginning	PilotingFrom Fixed Standards to Competency-Based Mastery Piloting	ImplementingFrom Fixed Standards to Competency-Based Mastery Implementing
From One-Size-Fits-All to Adaptive Learning	BeginningFrom One-Size-Fits-All to Adaptive Learning Beginning	PilotingFrom One-Size-Fits-All to Adaptive Learning Piloting	ImplementingFrom One-Size-Fits-All to Adaptive Learning Implementing
From Prescribed Knowledge to Innovation & Inquiry	BeginningFrom Prescribed Knowledge to Innovation & Inquiry Beginning	PilotingFrom Prescribed Knowledge to Innovation & Inquiry Piloting	ImplementingFrom Prescribed Knowledge to Innovation & Inquiry Implementing
From Subjects as Silos to Transdisciplinary, Real-World Learning	BeginningFrom Subjects as Silos to Transdisciplinary, Real-World Learning Beginning	PilotingFrom Subjects as Silos to Transdisciplinary, Real-World Learning Piloting	ImplementingFrom Subjects as Silos to Transdisciplinary, Real-World Learning Implementing
From Schools as Self-Contained to Schools as Embedded in Communities	BeginningFrom Schools as Self-Contained to Schools as Embedded in Communities Beginning	PilotingFrom Schools as Self-Contained to Schools as Embedded in Communities Piloting	ImplementingFrom Schools as Self-Contained to Schools as Embedded in Communities Implementing
From Standardized Testing to Meaningful Assessment	BeginningFrom Standardized Testing to Meaningful Assessment Beginning	PilotingFrom Standardized Testing to Meaningful Assessment Piloting	ImplementingFrom Standardized Testing to Meaningful Assessment Implementing
From Institutional Ownership of Student Data to Student-Controlled Learning Wallets	BeginningFrom Institutional Ownership of Student Data to Student-Controlled Learning Wallets Beginning	PilotingFrom Institutional Ownership of Student Data to Student-Controlled Learning Wallets Piloting	ImplementingFrom Institutional Ownership of Student Data to Student-Controlled Learning Wallets Implementing

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Learner-Centered

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