All Of The Above Podcast

This Week: As schools all over CA moved back to some version of in-person instruction, Manuel and Jeff take on a fascinating and troubling story out of Florida where a teacher was suspended after protesting the removal of a Black Lives Matter flag displayed in her classroom. Amy Donofrio, being represented by the Southern Poverty Law Center, is a teacher at Robert E. Lee high school in Jacksonville, Florida. Ms Donofrio is forcing a showdown about one of the stickiest issues to come out of the national racial reckoning. What rights to "political" speech do teachers have at work? And how far will district and state leaders - who’ve issued countless statements against systemic racism - go to push back against the white supremacist backlash? Passing Period is an AOTA Podcast Extra that gives us a chance to check-in, reflect, and discuss powerful stories in between our full episodes. Watch, listen and subscribe to make sure you don't miss our latest content! Website: https://AOTAshow.com Stream all of our content

The shift to pandemic pedagogy was especially tough for arts and music educators who suddenly found themselves orchestrating bands and directing ceramics lessons through Zoom. As campuses reopen and the school system turns its attention to so-called “learning loss,” what’s the future of our already underfunded and understaffed arts education programs? This week we’re joined by Benwar Shepard, a veteran music teacher and founder of Bigger Than Us (BTU) Arts, to explore arts education during and after the pandemic. But first, Jeff and Manuel take a look at recent headlines in education including a call for more SEL to address mass shootings and a plan to eliminate a major standardized exam for teaching candidates. ***Please consider subscribing to our YouTube channel! https://youtube.com/AllOfTheAbove *** AGENDA 0:00 - Welcome! 7:44 - Can SEL stop mass shootings? 22:59 - Lawmakers weigh eliminating teaching exam 38:55 - Arts education during and after the pandemic 1:15:15 - Candles from the Hart! More from our

This Week: Lt. Nazario in Virginia, Daunte Wright in Minneapolis, Adam Toledo in Chicago, a teacher calling a student the N word in Oklahoma, kids in Texas make a slave trading game for their black classmates, 4 members of the Sikh community killed at work in Indianapolis, and the list goes on. This week was a hard one, in so many ways. Manuel and Jeff process a week of repeated traumas, and discuss the implications of all of this mess for schools, including a regrettably terrible tweet from former US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. Links to stories referenced: Oklahoma teacher calls student the N word Wisconsin teachers resign after investigation into slavery lesson Texas HS students engage in slave trading game Cop who shot Jacob Blake returns to the force  Arne Duncan’s terrible Tweet Passing Period is an AOTA Podcast Extra that gives us a chance to check-in, reflect, and discuss powerful stories in between our full episodes. Watch, listen and subscribe to make sure you don't miss our l

Last summer’s uprisings for racial justice spurred a flurry of activity and discussion among educators about how to work towards creating a truly equitable and just school system. Not surprisingly, that energy has largely faded away as schools shifted their attention towards reopening and a return to “normal.” This week we’re joined by principal and racial equity coach Joe Truss to reflect back on a year of racial equity work. What progress has been made? How has resistance manifested? Truss shares his takeaways from a year of leading workshops focused on dismantling white supremacy culture in schools. But first, Jeff and Manuel take a look at recent headlines in education including a call for civics education reform and a look at how Latinx students fare in suburban school settings. ***Please consider subscribing to our YouTube channel! https://youtube.com/AllOfTheAbove *** AGENDA 0:00 - Welcome! 4:43 - Scholars call for Civics/History education reform 21:50 - Suburban schools and Latinx students 35:44 - R

This Week: A year ago, the idea that nearly every student would have a laptop or tablet and attend school virtually seemed preposterous. Now, it’s just another day of school.  With news about promising vaccine efficacy among children, what role might cameras play in the future of school?  Drawing on an article in The 74, Manuel and Jeff explore some of the provocative questions about the future of cameras in classrooms, from evaluation and accountability to breaking down the walls of school and freeing us from archaic seat time requirements.  Also, big news on testing in CA this week! The state’s waiver to not have to administer the Smarter Balanced Assessments in math and ELA is approved by the feds. Much remains to be determined, but could this mean the avoidance of a testing disaster this spring? Passing Period is an AOTA Podcast Extra that gives us a chance to check-in, reflect, and discuss powerful stories in between our full episodes. Watch, listen and subscribe to make sure you don't mis

Science! Technology! Engineering! Math! “STEM” has been all the rage in education over the last several years as schools look to prepare students for careers in the rapidly growing tech industry. Unfortunately, as STEM education has grown many of our traditionally marginalized students have been left behind. This week we’re joined by computer science teacher and Justice Code founder Caia Brown to explore how we can boost STEM outcomes for communities that are underrepresented in Silicon Valley. But first, Jeff and Manuel explore recent headlines in education including a big drop in FAFSA applications and a byzantine law in California that perhaps tried and definitely failed to diversify community college faculty. ***Please consider subscribing to our YouTube channel! https://youtube.com/AllOfTheAbove *** AGENDA 0:00 - Welcome! 7:10 - Financial Aid Applications Dropped Amid Pandemic 22:10 - CA Struggles to Diversify Faculty 35:33 - Boosting STEM Outcomes w/ Caia Brown 1:08:27 - Partnership LA University Day!

This Week: After 4 years of work, hundreds of thousands of public comments, and a late rush of right-wing pushback, the CA State Board of Education adopted an Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum this week.  The move paves the way for districts and schools across the state to expand the teaching of ethnic studies, and for a future showdown in the state legislature over adding ethnic studies as a requirement for high school graduation.  Manuel - who chaired the committee responsible for the development of the model curriculum - shares insights about the process, including the rash of late, Trumpian attacks from the Fox News crowd, and more covert groups who sought to remove the use of Critical Race Theory as a foundational theory of ethnic studies. Jeff and Manuel discuss what this all means, and the future of ethnic studies in CA. Passing Period is an AOTA Podcast Extra that gives us a chance to check-in, reflect, and discuss powerful stories in between our full episodes. Watch, listen and subscribe to m

This year of pandemic pedagogy has been tough on students of all ages, most notably those in the early grades. As the debate over school “reopening” continues to rage and battlelines are drawn over whether or not students will be confronted with an onslaught of standardized tests this spring, elementary teachers across the nation continue to step up and serve our little kiddos. This week we’re joined by National Board certified third grade teacher and education advocate Meghann Seril to learn about the ongoing challenges of teaching and supporting younger students during these times. But first, Jeff and Manuel explore recent headlines in education including questions about the pandemic’s impact on school discipline policies and the debate over student loan forgiveness!  ***Please consider subscribing to our YouTube channel! https://youtube.com/AllOfTheAbove *** AGENDA 0:00 - Welcome! 6:02 - How has the pandemic changed school discipline? 18:46 - Who benefits from student loan cancellation? 32:24 - Eleme

This Week: Under the radar congress removed the last barrier for school districts to use federal funds on transportation services for integrating schools. We’ve long known of the pernicious effects of segregation on kids and communities of color, but is integration the right answer today? What about the damaging effects segregation has on white kids? And what about the harm done to us all by having the vast majority of white people in the country attend segregated schools? Also Manuel and Jeff discuss Miguel Cardona taking office and the continued push from the feds for state testing this spring, including Jeff’s piece “The Case Against State Testing in the Spring of 2021.” Passing Period is an AOTA Podcast Extra that gives us a chance to check-in, reflect, and discuss powerful stories in between our full episodes. Watch, listen and subscribe to make sure you don't miss our latest content! Website: https://AOTAshow.com Stream all of our content at: linktr.ee/AOTA Watch at: YouTube.com/AlloftheAbove Listen at:

The relationship between the public school system and Black families has a long, tenuous history. After decades of marginalization and miseducation, how can public schools do right by Black families to better engage and strengthen the school-to-home connection? We’re joined by the super dope duo of Dr. Tonikiaa Orange and Dr. Tunette Powell, hosts of “Conversations for the Soul” on Facebook Live, to explore the dynamic between the public school system and Black families. But first, Jeff and Manuel explore recent headlines in education including LAUSD’s recent decision to cut its school police force and a growing momentum for eSports at the secondary school level. ***Please consider subscribing to our YouTube channel! https://youtube.com/AllOfTheAbove *** AGENDA 0:00 - Welcome! 6:04 - LAUSD Board Votes to Cut Police Force 21:15 - eSports leagues on the rise in CA schools 30:50 - Public Schools and Black Families 1:09:49 - Students stand up to trash professor More from our guests: - Conversations for the Soul

This Week: Tik Tok strikes again, as an AP US History  teacher in Florida is caught on video white washing the behavior of slave owners to a black student, and claiming that the n word means ignorant. Just ignorant. Nothing else, under any circumstances. Just ignorant. Lord help us all. Also Manuel and Jeff dig into a listener’s perspective (shout out to Ms. Reilley) about the role of whiteness in the renewed effort to reopen schools throughout California’s most COVID impacted communities. Passing Period is an AOTA Podcast Extra that gives us a chance to check-in, reflect, and discuss powerful stories in between our full episodes. Watch, listen and subscribe to make sure you don't miss our latest content! Check out all of our content at: https://AOTAshow.com Watch at: YouTube.com/AlloftheAbove Listen at: apple.co/38QV7Bd and anchor.fm/AOTA Follow us at: Facebook.com/AOTAshow and Twitter.com/AOTAshow --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/aota/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aot

How can school leaders build and sustain an effective, humanizing, and empowered school culture on their campus? To help answer this question, we take a look at the work being done at a public high school in one of the most marginalized and underserved communities in Los Angeles. We’re joined by the founding principal of the University Pathways Public Service Academy in Watts, Amen Rahh, to discuss how his school built a revolutionary school culture. But first, Jeff and Manuel explore recent headlines in education including concerns over the number of kids who missed kindergarten this year and new numbers out of California showing a record decline in school enrollment. ***Please consider subscribing to our YouTube channel! https://youtube.com/AllOfTheAbove *** AGENDA 0:00 - Welcome! 5:54 - Where have the kindergarteners gone? 19:17 - CA sees record enrollment decline 32:46 - Revolutionary School Culture w/ Principal Rahh 57:54 - Accreditor of fake college gets shut down More from Amen Rahh: - Principal Rahh

This Week: It’s the first week of Black History Month, in the first celebration of this month post the racial reckoning of 2020. So you’d think we’d be in for none of the usual shenanigans in our nation’s schools, right? Oh, if only. Teachers in Wisconsin asks the kids to consider how they would punish a disobedient slave, and a school in Utah explains how families are allowed to opt out of Black History Month. Also, the city of Los Angeles plans to sue the nation’s second largest school district to force reopening of physical school, even though LA is the purplest of purple, and the literal epicenter of the pandemic right now. Yall, this is a wild one. Passing Period is an AOTA Podcast Extra that gives us a chance to check-in, reflect, and discuss powerful stories in between our full episodes. Watch, listen and subscribe to make sure you don't miss our latest content! Check out all of our content at: https://AOTAshow.com Watch at: YouTube.com/AlloftheAbove Listen at: apple.co/38QV7Bd and anchor.fm/AOTA Follo

With new leadership at the Department of Education and an increasingly heated national debate over opening schools for in-person learning, what should be the top policy priorities for the new administration? We’re joined by lecturer, policy analyst, and one of Connecticut’s dopest educators Robert Cotto, Jr. to explore the most pressing matters in education policy. But first, Jeff and Manuel explore recent headlines in education including an update on the teacher wage penalty and the very short life of the 1776 Report. ***Please consider subscribing to our YouTube channel! https://youtube.com/AllOfTheAbove *** AGENDA 0:00 - Welcome! 4:40 - Teacher wage penalty persists despite strikes 19:22 - RIP to the 1776 Report 32:25 - Examining Education Policy w/ Robert Cotto, Jr. 1:02:30 - School Personnel lost to COVID Get MORE All of the Above: - Website - https://aotashow.com/ - Podcast on multiple platforms via Anchor - https://anchor.fm/aota - Podcast via Apple Podcast - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/all-of

This Week: Amidst the talk of “learning loss” and “COVID slide” plans are being made for what school should look like as we (hopefully) prepare for some version of normal in the fall. But what should we do?  Manuel and Jeff dream BIG about what the next 8 months can look like in schools. Also, the Biden administration plans to get kids back in school in their first 100 days.  Manuel and Jeff enter a friendly wager about whether that’ll happen here in the epicenter of COVID spread in America, Los Angeles County. Passing Period is an AOTA Podcast Extra that gives us a chance to check-in, reflect, and discuss powerful stories in between our full episodes. Watch, listen and subscribe to make sure you don't miss our latest content! Check out all of our content at: https://AOTAshow.com Watch at: YouTube.com/AlloftheAbove Listen at: apple.co/38QV7Bd and anchor.fm/AOTA Follow us at: Facebook.com/AOTAshow and Twitter.com/AOTAshow --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/aota/message Support this pod

This week: Despite an increasingly deadly pandemic, the governor of California is offering BILLIONS of dollars for schools to go ahead and reopen for in-person instruction. What do these financial incentives--along with new post-pandemic budget proposals--say about what our priorities should be when students eventually return to the schoolhouse?  Jeff and Manuel explore the latest developments in the ongoing battle over reopening. Passing Period is an AOTA Podcast Extra that gives us a chance to check-in, reflect, and discuss powerful stories in between our full episodes. Watch, listen, and subscribe to make sure you don't miss our latest content! Check out all of our content at: https://AOTAshow.com Watch at: YouTube.com/AlloftheAbove Listen at: apple.co/38QV7Bd and anchor.fm/AOTA Follow us at: Facebook.com/AOTAshow and Twitter.com/AOTAshow --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/aota/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aota/support

This Week: Remember a week ago?  We were all so thankful 2020 was gone and 2021 was here to save us. Then, white nationalists staged a coup attempt going full Kyle-Rittenhouse-vigilante-style insane, and looted the US Capitol building while Congress hid beneath their desks. W...T...F? Manuel was teaching that day, so he and Jeff get into what did happen and what should happen in the classroom as schools across America start the second semester. Passing Period is an AOTA Podcast Extra that gives us a chance to check-in, reflect, and discuss powerful stories in between our full episodes. Watch, listen and subscribe to make sure you don't miss our latest content! Check out all of our content at: https://AOTAshow.com Watch at: YouTube.com/AlloftheAbove Listen at: apple.co/38QV7Bd and anchor.fm/AOTA Follow us at: Facebook.com/AOTAshow and Twitter.com/AOTAshow --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/aota/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aota/support

The pandemic rages. Schools remain closed. But college sports? The show must go on! In the wake of a national uprising for racial justice and a tragic global pandemic, how do we advance justice for our student-athletes right now and ensure that their educational needs are being met? We’re joined by pro ballplayer-turned professor Dr. Eddie Comeaux to explore the intersections between college athletics and educational & racial justice. But first, Jeff and Manuel explore recent headlines in education including K-12 schools purchasing phone hacking technology and a debate over whether students should be required to get the COVID vaccine. ***Please consider subscribing to our YouTube channel! https://youtube.com/AllOfTheAbove *** AGENDA 0:00 - Welcome! 7:17 - Schools buying phone-hacking technology 23:05 - Will the vaccine be required for students? 38:27 - Advancing justice for student-athletes 1:10:40 - The AOTA Bump! Dr. Comeaux - Five Ways to Advance Racial Justice in Sports: https://www.forbes.com/sites/

Social and emotional learning (SEL) is all the buzz in education, but what does it look like in the wake of remote learning and pandemic schooling? David Adams, the Senior Director of Strategy at the Urban Assembly and super-dope SEL specialist, returns to our show to help us explore how schools should approach SEL in a way that makes sense for these times. But first, Jeff and Manuel explore recent headlines in education including a set of policy recommendations from district leaders for the incoming Biden Administration and a lawsuit in CA over the shortcomings of distance learning. ***Please consider subscribing to our YouTube channel! https://youtube.com/AllOfTheAbove *** AGENDA 0:00 - Welcome! 5:16 - Council of the Great City Schools shares recommendations for Biden Admin 19:50 - Parents sue CA over failures of distance learning 31:57 - SEL in the wake of COVID 1:02:40 - Homework Helpers to the Rescue! David Adams on AOTA discussing trauma-informed care: https://youtu.be/sGfG12-MZYk?t=1253 Get MORE All

This Week: You’ve seen the map. It’s a sea of COVID red and purple, and yet there seems to be renewed momentum to push for the reopening of schools in the new year. Why? Is this even something we should consider? And what does this mean for kids and educators? Also, as the fall semester comes to a close, Manuel and Jeff discuss what to do about the always sticky question of grading. Passing Period is an AOTA Podcast Extra that gives us a chance to check-in, reflect, and discuss powerful stories in between our full episodes. Watch, listen and subscribe to make sure you don't miss our latest content! Check out all of our content at: https://AOTAshow.com Watch at: YouTube.com/AlloftheAbove Listen at: apple.co/38QV7Bd and anchor.fm/AOTA Follow us at: Facebook.com/AOTAshow and Twitter.com/AOTAshow --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/aota/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aota/support