Education Excellence

Kristina chats with Michael McLaughlin, superintendent of the San Leandro Unified School District in California since 2013 and Mike Teng, CEO and co-founder of Swing Education, a tech-enabled marketplace that connects substitute teachers with schools in need.  McLaughlin talks about rebuilding the infrastructure of the school district, including the introduction of new technology and the concept of aggressively competing against other schools, including charter schools. McLaughlin discusses the implementation and benchmarking of three-year strategic plans, and the importance of celebrating successes, including those involving student achievement, school safety, and re-branding of the district. The teacher shortage is definitely real in California, says McLaughlin and is magnified in the East Bay, where his district is located. It’s difficult financially for both permanent and substitute teachers to live there, so the district invited substitute teachers to attend its professional development meetings and also