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
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 "Best Of" ideas from the last few months. From a high school in South Carolina that lets teachers design their own professional development to a "Taylor Swift Club" th...
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 into thriving educators through a paid residency model.
We sit down with Jillian Degan, a former "problem child" student who swore she’d never teach, and A...
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 find out how they answered their superintendent's single, powerful question: "How do we know they're ready?"
The answer was a comprehensive, K-12 plan built on three E's (Ex...
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 Maples and Wes Stephenson, teachers at the Career Academies of Decatur (CAD) in Alabama. They share how academic teachers are helping students build essential workplace and life skills — from wri...
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 new Career Academies of Decatur in Alabama, and assistant director Tyler Stevenson. Together, they share how this innovative school became a full-time high school that blends academic courses w...
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 on teacher talk 80% of the time. Together with Ashley Shaw, they explore how teachers can create classrooms that sound more like Socratic seminars and less like lectures.
You’ll hear:
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 podcast, SREB’s Daniel Rock and Donn Kirkwood talk with Claire Armstrong and Chelita Greenley, two classroom teachers at Westside who helped turn professional development into a teacher-led ...
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 with Principal Kory Roberts and MTSS Specialist Taria McIntosh about how the school’s Visible Learning Leadership Team transformed Westside’s approach to growth and instruction.
Through book studi...
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 learning.
In this episode of the Making Schools Work podcast, principal Paula Bruno, assistant principal Cindy Cleveland and reading specialist Terra DeLoach join SREB coaches D...
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 and career-connected learning are changing classrooms and student lives.
Social studies teacher Joycelyn McDavid and career readiness teacher Jennifer Osborne join Daniel Rock a...
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 transformed student outcomes — and earned recognition as an SREB Pacesetter School.
In this episode, Daniel Rock and Marsha Moseley talk with Director Lee Green and teacher Angie Covington...
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-day activities to closing strategies, the hosts dive into research and classroom-tested ideas that help teachers capture students’ attention, build curiosity and leave lasting memories. Along t...
In this final episode of our special AI series, Ashley Shaw is joined by Leslie Eaves to discuss the crucial "AI Checklist" – a practical guide for educators and leaders looking to implement artificial intelligence tools in their K-12 classrooms. This episode wraps up our deep dive into the "Guidance on AI and K-12 Instruction" report and its practical applications.
In this episode, you'll lea...
In this episode, Daniel Rock and Jason Adair delve into the remarkable journey of Bryant Park Elementary, an SREB Pacesetter School in Jefferson County, Alabama.
We talk to Principal Cortney Slaughter and teacher Alex Wilson about how they built a thriving school from the ground up since its opening in 2020.
In this episode, you'll learn about:
- Embracing the "Why" and Building Ownership: Discover how ...
In this episode, we're joined by Aimee Wyatt, SREB's director of leadership and professional learning, and our special guests from PENCIL: Alayna Cate, director of partnerships, and Bob Kucher, chief partnerships and programs officer. PENCIL is a Nashville-based non-profit dedicated to connecting businesses and the community with Metro Nashville Public Schools.
In this episode, you'll learn about:
- Pe...
Welcome back to Part 2 of our special episode with Richland High School in Mississippi! In this continuation, Principal Marcus Stewart and Assistant Principal Heather Bryan delve deeper into the strategies and systems that have driven their school's remarkable growth.
In this episode, you'll learn about:
- Boosting AP Enrollment and Proficiency: Discover how Richland High School doubled its AP enrollment an...
Welcome to a special two-part episode of the Making Schools Work podcast! In this first installment, we're joined by Richard Morrison, senior leadership coach at SREB, as he discusses his three-year partnership with Richland High School in Mississippi. We also hear directly from Richland High School's principal, Marcus Stewart, and assistant principal, Heather Bryan, about their incredible journey of improve...
In this short announcement, Ashley and Dan sit down to talk about all of the exciting changes coming to the podcast in the fall.
Season 2 has a lot of big changes, but each change is just to make it bigger and better for you.
Plus, we talk about the Season 2 preview episodes we will be releasing during the 2025 Making Schools Work Conference from July 14-18.
The Southern Regional Education Board is a nonprofit, nonpa...
In this final episode of season one, Ashley Shaw and guest Leslie Eaves, SREB’s director of project-based learning, explore Pillar 4 of SREB’s Guidance for the Use of AI in the K12 Classroom: ethical and proficient student use of AI.
Ashley and Leslie discuss why it's not enough for educators to simply use AI—we need to help students use it responsibly, too. From media literacy to writing support to prompt enginee...
Part of our summer series on SREB’s Guidance for the Use of AI in the K12 Classroom
In this episode, Ashley talks with Leslie Eaves, SREB’s director of project-based learning, about how AI can support personalized learning.
They dig into what it really means to differentiate in today’s classrooms and how teachers can use AI tools to give students tools to use at home, create custom learning plans and much more.
Topics co...
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