Take a deeper look at the new teaching and learning strategies that are transforming our nation.
Hear from the nation’s leading voices in education and from students whose lives have been transformed through new culturally responsive programs and practices that focus on improving students’ social and emotional well-being.
Learn how to adapt successful solutions in schools to create positive change in your home and community. To learn more about our full video, lesson, and resource offerings, please access the contact form here.
Take our podcast with you everywhere! All new and previous episodes of Defining Us: America’s Classroom of the Heart and Mind are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and Podbean.
Episode 18: Practical Neuropsychology
Doctor Nussbaum is board-certified in Clinical Psychology and Geropsychology with a specialization in Neuropsychology. He is a member of the National Health Register for Psychologists and a Fellow of the National Academy of Neuropsychology and American Academy of Clinical Psychology. Read More
Episode 17: Letting Educators Take the Lead
Scott Lee has held a wide variety of roles including teaching, school leadership, residential treatment program administration, curriculum design and school-level consulting. He currently directs curriculum design at the CWK Network and is the producer/host of The Thoughtful Teacher Podcast. Read More
Episode 16: The Power of Inclusion
Dr. Patrick Jean-Pierre is the Principal of Paige Elementary in the Schenectady City School District. Dr. Jean-Pierre has years of combined experience in urban educational settings, which includes public schools, charter schools and universities. His range of professional experiences in the field of education includes teaching, counseling and leadership development, as well as organizational consulting that fosters systemic change. Read More
Episode 15: Leading with Equity
Alison Yoshimoto-Towery is Chief Academic Officer of Los Angeles Unified, leading instructional strategies for almost 500,000 students in one of the nation’s largest and most diverse school districts. Alison has served Los Angeles Unified for more than 25 years as a teacher, principal, director, and top administrator. Read More
Episode 14: Defining Our Responsibilities to Students with Needs
Since October 2020, Troy has served as a Director of Special Education for Frederick County Public Schools in Frederick, Maryland. Troy has worked with individuals with disabilities for over 15 years and began teaching special education at the age of nineteen in Austin, Texas. Read More
Episode 13: Laboratory of Life
Joshua has worked and volunteered in the nonprofit industry for more than 25 years. Today Joshua works as the Director of 211 at United Way Worldwide. Read More
Episode 12: Talking About Race
Marybeth Gasman is the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Endowed Chair in Education, a Distinguished Professor, and the Associate Dean for Research in the Graduate School of Education at Rutgers University. She also serves as the Executive Director of the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Institute for Leadership, Equity & Justice. Read More
Episode 11: Art, Media, and Transformative Education
Tammy Garnes is the Vice President of Education & Understanding at ARRAY, overseeing education and social impact projects including ARRAY Crew. Garnes’ previous experience includes being a communications executive in the public education sector and a film producer in the entertainment industry. Read More
Episode 10: Cultivating Courageous Conversations
For several years, Paul Forbes was at the forefront of providing support for students, especially students of color, in our nation’s largest school system, New York City Public Schools. He is the former Executive Director for the NYC Department of Education Office of Equity and Access. Read More
Episode 9: Being a Flowing River
Born and raised by his mother and grandmother in the Florence-Graham neighborhood of Los Angeles, Darion Allen is a young Black man with a strong sense of self and unwavering respect for all cultures. From a young age he developed a “by any means necessary” mentality that helped him overcome the perils of his environment that continues to motivate him as a filmmaker. Read More
Episode 8: United In Our Experiences
Molly Henricks is the Coordinator of School Safety and Risk Prevention at the San Mateo County Office of Education. She is a licensed marriage and family therapist with over 17 years of experience working with youth. Read More
Episode 7: Bringing Voice to the Frontline
Defining Us is centered around change for the good and we welcome the voices of Cindy Simpson and Chris Purdy, both of whom work diligently for positive change. Cindy has more than 35-years of experience working in social welfare, youth homelessness, and mental health systems. Read More
Episode 6: The Critical Nature of Us
Dr. Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz is an award-winning associate professor at Teachers College, Columbia University. Developing her passion for education at an early age in the South Bronx, Dr. Sealey-Ruiz’s current research focuses on racial literacy in teacher education, Black girl literacies, and Black and Latinx male high school students. Read More
Episode 5: The Narratives of Us
For several years, Paul Forbes was at the forefront of providing support for students, especially students of color, in our nation’s largest school system, New York City Public Schools. He is the former Executive Director for the NYC Department of Education Office of Equity and Access and today continues his service to students and educators as the founder of Leading with Hearts and Minds. Read More
Episode 4: Breaking the Mold
Listen in as Dr. Tim Gadson, Superintendent of Salt Lake City Schools, shares his thoughts on the school system issues that prevent students from realizing their fullest potential. Dr. Gadson, first Black Superintendent in the state of Utah, brings a wisdom and drive that help him avoid the many distractions currently facing American public-school educators. Read More
Episode 3: Creating a Better World for Everyone
We are thrilled to be joined by Terra Tadlock-Smith, creator and host of the podcast Normal with Autism. Terra works with children, adolescents and adults presenting with a range of emotional and behavioral problems. Read More
Episode 2: A Crisis of US
Tim Shriver is a social leader, educator, activist, film producer, and business entrepreneur. He earned his undergraduate degree from Yale University, a master’s degree from Catholic University, and a doctorate in education from the University of Connecticut. Read More
Episode 1: Pain, Power and Joy of Young Men of Color
Students of color are now the majority of our nation’s youth. George Patterson provides an up close and personal look into what it means to be a young person of color in America today. Read More
“For the future of our great country we can all live without anger, without evil, without being spirit killers.”
– George Patterson, Senior Director My Brother’s Keeper
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