Mr. Thomas Brady Interview, Superintendent of Providence, RI Public Schools.

Leading a School Community to Success through Change

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Topic: Leading a School Community to Success through Change

Join us to listen as we interview Mr. Thomas Brady, the superintendent for Providence Public Schools, Providence, RI. What makes us the leaders we are? How do our life experiences surface when we serve as public school superintendents?

These and many other questions are answered in a stirring discussion and retrospect of Mr. Thomas Brady’s current career in public education. Our host Arthur Griffin and Mr. Brady discuss the challenges Mr. Brady has faced in the more than ten years he’s been working in public education, and the intersection and differences among his experiences in Philadelphia and Fairfax, VA.

In a unusual twist, listeners will also discover how Brady’s extensive military career has helped shape and prepare him for the unique challenges he has faced as a public education leader in the current educational climate. From making the tough decisions, to monitoring performance and finding the right management style, this episode provides compelling inspiration, thoughtfulness and support for educational leaders.

Key topics covered include:

• Leadership styles building upon prior life experience (military)
• Building a core curriculum – A school district takes ownership and action
• Change process perspective and strategies
• Parents as partners in the learning process
• Special education needs
• Student achievement
• Tough decisions: Resource allocation
• Race to the Top: RI experience and comments

District Leaders Podcast is always

Leading Today for Success Tomorrow!

Biographical Background:

Mr. Thomas Brady was appointed Superintendent for Providence Public Schools in March 2008. He officially assumed the role of Superintendent on July 14, 2008.

Before that, Brady served as Interim Chief Executive Officer for the School District of Philadelphia, the eighth largest school system in the country. He also served the Philadelphia district as Chief Operating Officer.Brady actually began his affiliation with Fairfax County as a parent leader, serving as President of the Hayfield Secondary School Parent-Teacher-Student Association for four years.

Prior to his nearly 10 years of service in public education administration, Brady had a distinguished 25-year career in the United States Army where he attained the rank of Colonel. He was the commanding officer at Fort Belvoir, Virginia and oversaw a $770 million budget, $660 million payroll, $94 million in contracts, and over 20,000 residents and military personnel.

Brady is a 2004 Fellow of the prestigious Broad Urban Superintendents Academy. The Academy is a rigorous 10-month executive management training program designed to prepare CEOs and senior executives from business, non-profit, military, government and education backgrounds to lead urban public school systems.

Brady holds a Master’s degree in Human Resource Management from Pepperdine University and a Bachelor’s degree in Education and Social Sciences from Niagara University.

Related Web Links:

For more information email us at podcast@districtleaderspodcast.org or phone us at 1-866-435-5337 (toll free) and leave a voice message for our hosts.

Interview with Dr. Judy A. Alston  Author on School Leadership

Cultural Border Crossing and Student Achievement in American Schools

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Topic: Cultural Border Crossing and Student Achievement in American Schools

Dr. Judy A. Alston, co-author of School Leadership and Administration: Important Concepts, Case Studies, & Simulations (McGraw-Hill), discusses hot topics in school leadership with guest host, David Patterson,  in this 49th episode of District Leaders Podcast. The particular focus is about the importance and relevance of border crossings and student achievement in schools.  Join us for a breakthro0ugh discussion about motivation, critical thinking and student achievement for a wide base of students you serve in your schools every day.

• Research about effective schools by applying the concept of cultural border crossing.
• Addressing issues of racism, classism, and sexism,
• Recommendations for how school leadership can help students effectively cross borders and reach the highest possible levels of achievement.

Note: In addition to discussing her book, the interview includes reference to a recent article about border crossing in schools. The reference and abstract are Alston, J.A.(2004).The many faces of American schooling: Effective schools research and border crossing in the 21^st century. American Secondary Education, 32 (9), 79-93.

District Leaders Podcast is always

Leading Today for Success Tomorrow!

Biographical Background

Judy A. Alston, Ph.D. is Director/Professor of the Doctoral Program in Leadership Studies at Ashland University.  She also teaches the following courses:  Leadership Theories, Ethics and Leadership, Issues in Higher Education, and Dissertation Research Design.  Her research foci include Gender and Educational leadership with a focus on Black Female school superintendents; Urban Education and Educational Leadership highlighting administrative reform in urban schools; and Diversity and Educational Leadership exploring how the intersections of class, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual diversity, and ability affect leaders. She is author of numerous articles and book chapters.  She is the author of Multi-leadership in Urban Schools (University Press of America).  Additionally, she is co-author of the 7^th and 8^th editions of the bestselling textbook, School Leadership and Administration: Important Concepts, Case Studies, & Simulations (McGraw Hill).

A native of Charleston, SC, she graduated from Bishop England High School in 1983.  She then matriculated onto Winthrop College where she graduated with a B.A. in English in 1987.  She taught English at Cainhoy High School during the 1987-1988 school year.  She moved onto Brookland-Cayce High School (1988-1993). At that time she also completed a M.Ed. in Secondary English in 1990 and another M.Ed. in Educational Administration in 1992. In 1993, she began the Ph.D. program in Educational Administration at The Pennsylvania State University. She graduated in 1996.

Dr. Alston began her teaching in higher education at the University of Houston (1996-1999). She moved onto Bowling Green State University (OH) (1999-2005) where she was tenured and promoted to Associate Professor in 2003. In 2005, she was appointed Associate Dean and Director of the Center for Education at Widener University in Chester, PA. In 2007, she began teaching in the Doctoral Program at Ashland University as an Associate Professor and in 2008 became the Director of the Doctoral Program in Leadership Studies. She was recently promoted to Full Professor.

Dr. Alston is an active member and leader in the American Educational Research Association (AERA).  Currently she serves of Chair of the Queer Studies SIG. She was recently elected as Chair-elect of the Research Focus on Black Education SIG. She is also an active member of Columbus (OH) Alumnae chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

Interview with Ms. Eileen Cooper Reed, Cincinnati School Board

The School Board’s Role in Decision Making: Insights from the President

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The School Board’s Role in Decision Making: Insights from the President

Elaine Cooper Reed, Cincinnati School Board President, discusses issues facing public schools today with host Mr. Arthur Griffin. Ms. Reid discusses the challenges she has faced with school funding and downsizing, as well as many other issues. This episode is revealing and helpful as she shares with us many insights she’s garnered over years as a member of the governance team.

District Leaders Podcast is always

Leading Today for Success Tomorrow!

Biographical Background

After practicing clinical social work for several years, Eileen Cooper Reed attended the University of  Cincinnati College of Law, graduating in 1984. Her Administrative Law Team won 1st place in the National Administrative Law Competition. She was awarded the Shmieg-Weil Award for being the Outstanding Moot Court Competitor in 1984.

After Law School, Eileen became a staff attorney for the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in Cincinnati. She served as a Hamilton County Assistant Prosecutor before being tapped as a Juvenile Court Referee. During her stint at Juvenile Court, Eileen spent three years handling truancy cases in Juvenile Court. These cases were heard at the school site and it was there that she developed a thorough understanding of attendance issues in the Cincinnati Public School system.

In 1992, then Mayor Dwight Tillery appointed Eileen to the Mayor’s Commission on Children. While serving on the Commission, she opened and became Director of Children’s Defense Fund in Cincinnati. For the next 11 years, Eileen advocated for children in Cincinnati and eventually, became the Director of the Children’s Defense Fund, Ohio advocating for children across the state. She and her staff documented the needs of Cincinnati and Ohio children in child health, child welfare, early childhood care and education, and K-12 education and used those statistics to propose sound policies to legislators from the local to the federal level.

Eileen was appointed to both the Ohio Department of Education’s Achievement Gap Task Force and the Early Childhood Task Force. While serving on those bodies, she learned about educational issues across the state and noted how Cincinnati did in comparison to other areas of the state. Under former CPS Superintendent Steven Adamowski, Eileen became the only community member of the CPS Redesign Team where she developed a thorough understanding of the CPS method of assessing school and student achievement. During that time, she and her staff at the Children’s Defense Fund were responsible for engaging parents and community in both the academic redesign process and, subsequently, the CPS community learning center and facilities programs.

Having previously served on numerous boards, Eileen currently chairs the SC Ministry Foundation Board of Trustees, is a Director of the Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati and is a member of the Xavier University President’s Advisory Council.

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Related Web Links:

• Cincinnati Public Schools web site

• CPS Board President Page (Eileen Cooper Reed)

District Leader’s Podcast is produced and copyrighted by The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2007. All rights reserved.

For more information email us at podcast@districtleaderspodcast.org or phone us at 1-866-435-5337 (toll free) and leave a voice message for our co-hosts.

Interview with Dr. Eugene G. White, Supt. Indianapolis Public Schools

Handling the Tough Decisions: Preserving Student Achievement during Budget Cuts

Handling the Tough Decisions: Preserving Student Achievement during Budget Cuts

Dr. Eugene G.White, Superintendent of Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) in Indiana discusses difficult choices in district leadership with host Mr. Arthur Griffin. An accomplished author and recipient of 2009 Indiana Superintendent of the Year award (also in 2002). Having experience through the ranks from school principal through medium to large urban districts, he has much to share on leadership and coping with the difficult decisions faced in these roles.

Dr. White has authored two books for school leaders including Leadership Beyond Excuses: The Courage to Hold the Rope.

Specific topics included in this interview with Dr. White:

• Most difficult decisions faced across 30 years of school and district leadership
• Coping with large budget cuts while maintaining educational excellence
• Describing priorities, equity, and negotiation during process of budget cuts
• Effective strategies to promote student achievement
• Role of early childhood education
• Challenges facing district leaders today

District Leaders Podcast is always Leading Today for Success Tomorrow!

Biographical Background

Dr. Eugene G. White was born in Phenix City, AL, to a single 17-year-old mother in December 1947. He was the first person in his family’s history to graduate from high school. He grew up in a time of segregation and Jim Crow practices in Southeast Alabama. In high school, he excelled in football, basketball, and baseball. His mother, grandmother and athletic coaches heavily influenced him. He was a starting member of the 1966 Alabama State Championship Basketball Team and accepted a basketball scholarship to Alabama A&M University. He graduated with academic honors and set career scoring marks at Alabama A&M University.He was a teacher, coach and school administrator in the Fort Wayne Community Schools for 19 years. He was the first African American high school principal in the Fort Wayne Community Schools, where he served as principal of Wayne High School from 1985 to 1990. In 1990 he became the first African American high school principal of North Central High School in Indianapolis, serving until 1992. He was Deputy Superintendent of the Indianapolis Public Schools from July 1992 to January 1994. He served as Superintendent of the Metropolitan School District of Washington Township for 11 years. In 2005, Dr. White was named Superintendent of the state’s largest school district, IPS.

Dr. White has served in a large number of leadership capacities over the years, most recently as President of the American Association for School Administrators in 2006-07.

Dr. White has received a wide variety of honors over his career, including:

• 2002 and 2009 Indiana Superintendent of the Year
• 2007 National Association of Black School Educators (NABSE) Superintendent of the Year
• 2006 Modern Red Schoolhouse Distinguished Service Award
• 2001 Alabama A&M University Athletic Hall of Fame Inductee
• 1997 Indiana Music Educators Association Outstanding Superintendent of the Year
• 1995 Center for Leadership Development Education Award
• 1992 named by Redbook magazine as a “visionary leader” as principal of one of America’s  Best Schools

Dr. White is the author of the book, “Leadership Beyond Excuses: The Courage to Hold the Rope.”  He co-wrote a second book, “Leading Schools of Diversity.”

He received an Ed.D. in Education Administration and Supervision from Ball State University in 1982, an Ed.S. in Superintendency from Ball State University in 1977, an M.S. in School Health from the University of Tennessee in 1971, and a B.S. in Social Studies, Health and Physical Education from Alabama A & M University in 1970.  He is a Life Member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity.

Dr. White is married to Jetties White and has two children: Reginald E. White, Dean of Students and Head Girls Basketball Coach, Arsenal Tech High School in IPS, and Kimberly R. White, a teacher and coach at John Marshall Community High School in IPS.

Interview with Mr. Neil Rochelle, Supt. Iroquois Central School District, Western NY.

Handling H1N1: With Your Community, Media, and Social Media

Handling H1N1: With Your Community, The Media, and Social Media

Neil Rochelle, Superintendent of the Iroquois Central School district in Western New York, provides a riveting account the real needs facing district leaders across the USA and globe today regarding community issues such as H1N1. He discusses the topic, the unfolding of the experience in his district in fall 2009 and the strategies he employed, including social media communication. All of these details are included in this interview with District Leaders Podcast host Dr. Kathleen P. King. Bonus topics include social media decisions, relationships with the State Health Department, and what to do when the experts disagree!

Specific topics include the following issues:

• In the fall 2009, when your district had 500 of 3000 students home sick, why and how did you decide not to close the schools?
• How did you seek to control panic in the school community as H1N1 and other disease related issues were threatening to emerge?
• Where can district leaders turn for assistance and guidance?
• How did you use social media to communicate and build support and which ones did you use?
• What do you suggest superintendents do now and if facing the introduction of the flu into their school district populations?

Special features referenced in this interview:

• Read the community letter which Neil posted on the district website’s front page.
• Visit the H1N1 area of the District website Neil and his team created
• Neil’s Superintendent Community Newsletter

MORE RESOURCES

• Flu.gov
• Center for Disease Control (CDC) regarding H1N1

For more information on this subject or to connect with Neil

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Ning (below)

District Leaders Podcast is always Leading Today for Success Tomorrow!

Biographical Background

Currently, Neil Rochelle is Superintendent of Schools of Iroquois Central School District. Previously, he was not only superintendent of schools at Keshequa Central School, but prior to that elementary principal at Keshequa Central School.

Having been a teacher for 13 years, he has now been a superintendent for 10 years. His teaching roots are in special education. He also has a specialty in Traumatic Brain Injury and served as a consultant for the NYS Education Department. Before becoming a superintendent he was a Director of Special Education and an Elementary Principal.

Neil states his goals as a superintendent simply,

My goals are simple. Provide the best leadership I can for students to be successful 21st Century Learners. In the long-term, for students to be prepared for college or post-secondary plans and eventually successful in a competitive, global economy.

Neil was born and riased in New York City. He earned his degrees at State University of New York College at Brockport (CAS, Educational Administration) and State University of New York College at Genesco (MSE, Special Education)

Related Web Links:

• Iroquois School District web site
• Iroquois School District superintendent’s page
• Neil’s Superintendent Community Newsletter
• Virtually Iroquois- Neil’s District Ning
  • http://virtuallyiroquois.ning.com/
• Changing High Schools (Neil’s Blog)
  • http://changinghighschools.blogspot.com/

District Leader’s Podcast is produced and copyrighted by The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2007. All rights reserved.

For more information email us at podcast@districtleaderspodcast.org or phone us at 1-866-435-5337 (toll free) and leave a voice message for our co-hosts.

Interview with Dr. Bruce Cooper, Professor of Educational Leadership, and Policy,  Fordham University.  Solutions for School Finance and Policy Issues

Solutions for School Finance and Policy Issues

Dr. Bruce S. Cooper, Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy,  Fordham University, prolific author, well-known expert in school policy and finance and former President of the Politics of Education Society (PEA) is our guest for this special interview with District Leader’s Podcast joining our guest host Dr. Kathleen P. King.  In the field of educational administration, policy, and finance, Dr. Cooper is a trend setter and prolific author, research and mentor of school leaders and superintendents around the globe. In 2009, he also received the Scribner Award for Mentoring from UCEA. Join us for this vibrant discussion as Cooper and King share how school superintendents strategize to succeed during a time of decreased funding and increased demands.

Specific topics include the following hot topic issues in policy and finance related to stimulus funding:

• How can the stimulus funding money be allocated and distributed equitably to your schools?
• How can superintendents efficiently distribute monies across schools, children and special needs?
• Is there a proven method that will help school leaders?
• Why is school effectiveness demanded, and is there anything new about how it can be measured?

District Leaders Podcast is always Leading Today for Success Tomorrow!

Biographical Background
Bruce S. Cooper, Ph.D. is Professor in the Division of Educational Leadership, Administration, and Policy (ELAP) in the Graduate School of Education at Fordham University. A graduate of the University of Chicago (Ph.D. ’74 and M.S. ’72), Dr. Cooper has done extensive research on school finance, organization, policy, and reform, working at Coopers & Lybrand in the development of the In$ite finance model, with Mayor Guiliani on analysis on school-site funding in NYC public schools, and the decentralization of governance in the nation’s most centralized school system (no local districts, boards, or superintendents).

Drs. Ouchi and Cooper received a $1 million grant to analyze organization and funding in six North American districts (NYC, Chicago, LA, Edmonton, and Houston), looking at the relationship between funding, management, and student achievement. He has served on the editorial boards of The Educational Administration Quarterly, Journal of School Leadership, and Policy and Leadership in Schools. He has authored and coauthored 22 books, and over 275 articles, chapters and papers, and serves these last years as national president of the Politics of Education Association.

Cooper co-edited Better Policies, Better Schools with (Allyn & Bacon, 2004) and Handbook on Education Politics and Politics for Lawrence Erlbaum (Drs. Lance Fusarelli and Jim Cibulka). His newest work is The Rising State: How State Authority is Changing our Schools Albany, NY: SUNY Press with Bonnie Fusarelli (2009).

Other recent books and very relevant include

• Better Policies, Better Schools (2004, Allyn and Bacon) with L.Fusarelli;
• Promises and Perils Facing Today’s School Superintendents (Rowman and Littlefield, 2003) with L.Fusarelli;
• Truancy Revisited (Scarecrow Press, 2003) with R. Guare;
• Optimizing Educational Resources (Greenwood Press, 1999); and
• Career Crisis in the School Superintendency? The Results of a National Survey , with L. Fusarelli, & V. Carella (Arlington, VA: National Association of School Administrators, 2000),
• Home Schooling in Full View (Information Age Publishing, 2006) was one of the first books on this new form of private education.

His consulting has included a national survey for Pres. Nixon for the President’s Commission on School Finance, work with Coopers & Lybrand LLP and SchoolNet, and with Mayor Guiliani in NYC on school finance and student achievement and high school to college transition. He’s currently an expert witness in a NY State equity/adequacy case.

Related Web Links:

• Fordham University, Graduate School of Education
  • http://www.fordham.edu
• UCEA, University Council for Educational Administration
  • http://www.ucea.org/

District Leader’s Podcast is produced and copyrighted by The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2007. All rights reserved.

For more information email us at podcast@districtleaderspodcast.org or phone us at 1-866-435-5337 (toll free) and leave a voice message for our co-hosts.

Interview with Dr. Earlean Smiley, Assistant Superintendent of Broward County Public Schools, FL, Women in Leadership Roles

• Episode 43 (Part 1) Dr. Earlean Smiley (25 min) ~ Click the link to listen
  
• Episode 44 (Part 2) Dr. Earlean Smiley (25 min) ~Click the link to listen
  

*For your convenience, you can click on Part 1 & 2 separately, above.

In this podcast episode, Dr. Smiley shares how Broward County Public Schools has been able to achieve an “A” rating in the state of Florida and become a two time Broad finalist. Dr. Smiley describes the way she and her staff made strategic decisions to put teaching and learning center in the planning and resources process. She also reveeals how she cultivated teacher, parent and community support and provides many examples of instructional and adminsitrative technology adoptions to scale and improve instruction and essential services. Finally Dr. Smiley tackles what it is to be a woman in a leadership role in public education. This interview with Dr. Smiley was stimulating as well as inspiring. She clearly knows what has brought success to the district and captured that success in our 2 part series which comprise a one hour interview. Dr. Smiley is extremely proud of the progress the system has gained throughout the years she has been there.

Biographical Background

Dr. Earlean Smiley is employed as the Deputy Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction/Student Support for Broward Public Schools, the sixth largest fully accredited school district in the nation. She supervises all aspects of administration including local, state, and federal programs, with an instructional and non-instructional staff of approximately 800 employees in 29 departments. She manages a budget of $185 million within a district operating budget of approximately $5 billion.

Dr. Smiley grew up in the “free state of Jones County,” in that part of south Mississippi’s “Piney Woods” that lies between the opulent country club elite and the impoverished cotton fields of sharecroppers. Smiley was an active participant in student activities and held a number of leadership positions in school and community organizations throughout high school and then in college. Earlean received financial aid based on her academic record and attended Dillard University in New Orleans, Louisiana, where she majored in Drama, Speech and English. Graduating with honors early, she married and moved to Fort Lauderdale where she began her career as a special education teacher at Northeast High School in Broward.

In the mid-eighties, Earlean pursued graduate studies in Administration and Supervision at Nova Southeastern University, where she received a Master of Science degree. In 1991 she earned her Doctorate Degree in Curriculum & Instruction from the University of South Dakota in Vermillion, South Dakota. Dr. Smiley’s tenure in education includes serving as an assistant principal; curriculum specialist (North Carolina); a TRIO Talent Search Director (Sioux City, Iowa); principal; and as an adjunct professor at Nova Southeastern University.

Smiley has been highly recognized by the community for her accomplishments. This year she was honored as one of the Top 25 Most Influential Black Women in South Florida; the NAACP presented her with its Advocacy Award; Carrie P. Meek presented her with the Carrie P. Meek Outstanding Leadership Award; she was honored by the Sistrunk Historical Festival Outstanding Achievement Award 2007, and was recognized by the American Association of University Women at its International Women’s Day 2006.

With the experience of an accomplished administrator and the admiration of the community for her leadership, Dr. Earlean Smiley continues to guide Broward County Public Schools in their pursuit of student achievement.

Related Web Links: 

• Broward County Public Schools
  • http://www.browardschools.com/

District Leader’s Podcast is produced and copyrighted by The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2007. All rights reserved.

For more information email us at podcast@districtleaderspodcast.org or phone us at 1-866-435-5337 (toll free) and leave a voice message for our co-hosts.

Interview with Mr. Douglas Rodriguez, Principal of Miami Central Senior High School in Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Miami, FL

Principals Making Immediate Changes

In this podcast episode, Mr. Douglas Rodriguez shares how he has been able to make significant gains at Miami Central Senior High, which has been assessed as an “F” school for the past five years in Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Carolyn Pearson is our District Leader’s Podcast host and engages  Mr. Rodriguez in speaking about the importance of gaining support in the community, supporting his teachers and bonding with the student body.

Clearly, Mr. Rodriguez is on his way up. Our interview was brief but captured the essence of that special something that he has as a school administrator. We should all continue to track the progress of Mr. Rodriguez and the schools’ progress because it won’t be long till Miami Central is an “A” school.

Biographical Background

Douglas Rodriguez is a life long educator and product of the Miami-Dade County Public School System. He began his teaching career as a Social Studies instructor at Miami Central Sr. High School twenty years ago. He served the district at various schools prior to his first administrative appointment at Howard Doolin Middle School as an Assistant Principal. While an administrator at G. Holmes Braddock Sr. High School Mr. Rodriguez received his first appointment as Principal of Miami Springs Sr. During his tenure at Springs Sr. Mr. Rodriguez led the school from a “D” grade to “B” grade in three short years. In 2005 he was given the honor of opening the first public high school in the City of Doral, Ronald W. Reagan/Doral Sr. The school opened with an “A” grade and has maintained that status each year. Five months ago he volunteered to take over as Principal of Miami Central Senior High School which had received five straight “F” grades from the Florida Department of Education. When test scores were released in June, Miami Central had made substantial gains in all areas of the FCAT.

A native of New York City, Mr. Rodriguez holds a B.A from Barry University, M.A. from Nova Southeastern University and a Specialist from Barry University. He has served as the chair of the Senior High School Principals committee and was selected as Miami-Dade County School’s Police Principal of the Year in 2003, Dade County Council of Teachers of Mathematics Principal of the Year in 2007, Miami-Dade County Principal of the Year in 2008, State of Florida Principal of the Year in 2008 and was the recipient of The Leonard Miller Principal Leadership Award in 2008.

Related Web Sites: 

Miami-Dade County Public Schools  
http://www.dadeschools.net/

Miami Central Senior High School
http://miamicentral.dadeschools.net/

District Leader’s Podcast is produced and copyrighted by The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2007. All rights reserved.

For more information email us at podcast@districtleaderspodcast.org or phone us at 1-866-435-5337 (toll free) and leave a voice message for our co-hosts.

Interview with Author, Don Tapscott

Grown Up Digital: How the Net Generation is Changing Your World

In this episode, noted author on technology trends and issues, Don Tapscott, is interviewed by Arthur Griffin. Tapscott discusses the world of ‘digital natives’ and how the explosion of the Internet into mainstream society has necessarily and completely changed the process of k-12 education. Don Tapscott shows keen insight as he discusses how even people’s brains have changed and the research he’s conducted. He also describes some of his experiences in the field of education to draw connections with these phenomena and findings. Don’t miss this episode with one of the innovative leaders of our time.

Biographical Background

Don Tapscott one of the world’s leading authorities on business strategy, how information technology changes business, government and society and innovation in education. He is Chairman of nGenera Insight. He served as founder and chairman of the international think tank New Paradigm before its acquisition by nGenera. He is an internationally sought writer, consultant and speaker and his clients include top executives of many of the world’s largest corporations and government leaders from many countries. The Washington Technology Report called him one of the most influential media authorities since Marshall McLuhan. He is also Adjunct Professor of Management, Joseph L. Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto.

Tapscott has authored thirteen widely read books about information technology in business and society, most recently GROWN UP DIGITAL: How the Net Generation is Changing Your World, (McGraw-Hill, NY, October 2008). The book is the sequel to his 1997 book GROWING UP DIGITAL, where he defined the Net Generation. His penultimate book, written with Anthony Williams, is WIKINOMICS: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything, (New York, Portfolio, January 2007). Management guru Tom Peters calls it “ … a breathtaking piece of work” and the book was the best selling management book on amazon.com in 2007.

His earlier books include, THE DIGITAL ECONOMY: Promise and Peril in the Age of Networked Intelligence (McGraw-Hill, New York, 1996), one of the best selling books about technology in business ever, appearing on a number of bestsellers lists including the New York Times business book list. It had a run of seven months on the Business Week bestsellers list. It has been translated into 20 languages. GROWING UP DIGITAL: The Rise of the Net Generation (McGraw-Hill, New York, 1998) won the first Amazon.com Bestseller Award in the summer of 1998. It has been “recommended for all libraries” by the Library Journal. Time Magazine Senior Editor Joshua Cooper Ramo, described Growing Up Digital as a “compellingly written look at the generation that will make it happen.” It has been translated into 14 languages and was released in paperback in May,1999.

Tapscott is also widely know as the co-author of the international bestseller PARADIGM SHIFT: The New Promise of Information Technology (McGraw-Hill, New York, 1992) which was the first book to describe the fundamental change in computing from host-based systems for controlling costs to networks for transforming business models and strategy.

Don Tapscott holds a B.Sc. in Psychology and Statistics, an M.Ed. specializing in Research Methodology, and two Doctor of Laws (Hon) granted from the University of Alberta in 2001 and from Trent University in 2006.

Related Web Links:

• Book Information: Grown Up Digital

• Link in with the net generation: grownupdigital.com

District Leader’s Podcast is produced and copyrighted by The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2007. All rights reserved.

For more information email us at podcast@districtleaderspodcast.org or phone us at 1-866-435-5337 (toll free) and leave a voice message for our co-hosts.

Interview with Dr. Arlene Ackerman, Superintendent of the School District of Philadelphia Putting Children First in Every School Decision

Categories: Parents and Community · Change Process · Stimulus Funding · Economic Recovery Act · Leadership · Making the Tough Decisions · Improving Student Performance · Trends in Education · Urban Education · ARCHIVE

Join us for an intriguing interview with Dr. Arlene C. Ackerman as she discusses her experiences as a lifelong urban educator in schools in and around Philadelphia. Dr. Ackerman discusses the importance of putting the children first in every decision that comes up in a school system with host Arthur Griffin of District Leaders Podcast. The engaging interview discusses diverse topics, from the opportunity gap to the high birth rates of 2007, from universal health care to the impact of President Obama’s Stimulus package. Join us and listen in as this distinguished district leader shares some of her hard-earned wisdom and insight.

Biographical Background
School District of Philadelphia Superintendent, Dr. Arlene C. Ackerman, has more than 30 years of experience in leading large, diverse urban public school systems.

Dr. Ackerman, who assumed her duties in Philadelphia in June 2008, came to the School District from the Teachers College of Columbia University, where she served as Director of the Urban Education Leaders Program and Chairperson of the Superintendents and Scholars Symposium. The Urban Leaders Education Program is the College’s largest doctoral program for public-school leaders. She joined Teachers College’s Education Leadership faculty as the Christian A. Johnson Professor of Outstanding Educational Practice in 2006.

Dr. Ackerman also is Superintendent in Residence of Los Angeles-based Broad Center, where she facilitates and directs the Broad Superintendents Academy. The Academy is a ten-month executive management program designed to prepare CEOs and senior executives from business, government, and education backgrounds to lead urban public school systems.

Prior to 2006, Dr. Ackerman was Superintendent of the San Francisco Unified School District and the District of Columbia Public Schools. During her tenure in San Francisco, the city’s public schools–with, 62,000 students and 117 schools–attained five consecutive years of improved achievement for all groups of students while also holding the distinction as the highest-performing large urban school district in the state of California during the last two years of her superintendency.

Related Web Links:

• Messages from Dr. Alene C. Ackerman 

• The School District of Philadelphia

• School District of Philadelphia’s Leadership Team Web Page
  

District Leader’s Podcast is produced and copyrighted by The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2007. All rights reserved.

For more information email us at podcast@districtleaderspodcast.org or phone us at 1-866-435-5337 (toll free) and leave a voice message for our co-hosts.