Street Data Pod: Imagining the Next Generation of Education

Episode 15: “Student Voice Changes the Conversation”: Reflecting on Season 2 with Alcine and Shane

In this reflective conversation, Shane and Alcine wrap up Season 2 by sharing some of their own stories, lenses, and learning around the work. You’ll hear what’s emerging on the ground as Shane and Dr. Dugan try to bring the Street Data model to life through communities of practice. You’ll consider the difference between cultural appropriation and appreciation, tapping into the brilliance of Jo Chrona’s book Wayi Wah! Indigenous Pedagogies: An Act for Reconciliation and Anti-Racist Education. We also learn more about how Alcine’s mother influenced her student-centered pedagogy and how her experiences as a good test taker during desegregation efforts in the 1980’s shaped her views on standardized testing. And we say goodbye to our original producer, the incomparable Maya Cueva, who is off to work on a new film and other projects! 
For Further Learning: 
Podcasts Cheaper Than Therapy: Avoiding Resentment
The Cult of Pedagogy with Jennifer Gonzalez 
BooksTomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
Wayi Wah! Indigenous Pedagogies by Jo Chrona 
Articles Cultivating a Pedagogy of Student Voice by Shane Safir 
Metacognition in the Classroom: Benefits & Strategies 
Films  
Watch Maya’s film On The Divide ( https://vimeo.com/ondemand/onthedivide )

Episode 14: “You Are All Elders in Training” with Dr. Lisa Delpit and Dr. Jamila Dugan

In this episode, you’ll listen at the feet of the incomparable scholar Dr. Lisa Delpit, whose books Other People’s Children and Multiplication Is for White People deeply impacted Shane and Alcine, alongside her brilliant mentee and Street Data co-author Dr. Jamila Dugan. We get a one-inch window into Dr. Delpit’s early experiences in “white teacher education” and the Open Classroom model where Black teachers’ wisdom and skill was often undervalued. We witness a beautiful exchange between Dr. Delpit and Dr. Dugan about the intergenerational work they are involved in and what it means for all of us to step into being elders in training. If you’re as confused as we are about the Science of Reading “debates”, this episode will help you shift and lift the discourse about literacy, as Dr. Delpit brings complexity and nuance, helping us all remember that while phonics is necessary, successful teachers of Black students do so much more: affirm their humanity, create relationships, make them feel a part of the literacy “club”, and elevate heir intellectual history and legacy. These leading thinkers help us envision classrooms where children have a voice and leadership roles, and schools where students begin to enter adult spaces in order to influence education. Finally, we end with a deep discussion of the Warm Demander concept and why demanding is not the same as diminishing because the love and belief in the kids has to be there first. Join us!
 
For Further Learning:
The Silenced Dialogue:Power and Pedagogy in Educating Other People's Children by Lisa Delpit
Other People’s Children: Cultural Conflict in the Classroom by Lisa Delpit
“Multiplication is for White People”: Raising Expectations for Other People’s Children by Lisa Delpit
Teaching When the World Is on Fire: Authentic Classroom Advice, from Climate Justice to Black Lives Matter by Lisa Delpit
Radical Dreaming for Education Now by Dr. Jamila Dugan

Episode 13: “The Beyonce Experience for Deeper Learning” with Gail Higginbottom and Jal Mehta

Pod Squad, this episode just might make you cry. Join us as we walk through rural British Columbia and urban Baltimore, moving through the ancestral realm to Harvard board rooms to one guest’s grandma’s living room. We’ll talk about Indigenous fusion food (ever heard of Bannock French Toast?) and the pork chop dilemma of project-based learning: How do we neither undercook nor overcook the project? Also, what are the limitations of big studies and meta-research to help us understand the nuances and lasting impact of deep learning experiences. You’ll learn about Little Gail Higginbottom and what drove her to be the writer and fierce, heart-forward, equity-centered leader of Indigenous education she is today, and Little Jal Mehta’s pathway from an inquiry-based school (that his mom led!) to founding a community of 12 districts across North America that are blazing new trails for equity and deeper learning. 
 
Equity is vulnerable work. We have to create cultural emotional spiritual safety for students, families and communities.
 
For Further Learning:
To learn more about the Deeper Learning Dozen, click here.
Get Jal and Sarah Fine’s book In Search of Deeper Learning here.
Gail’s reflection questions, inspired by the DLD teaching that “equity is structural”: 
How do we ensure student voice is leading this work?
How do we decide who to include? How do we decide who to invite?
How do we do that work safely?  
How do we ensure that students who share their stories are honoured, nurtured, and empowered?
How do we ensure students are heard and their voices are amplified?
How do we ensure these voices are listened to?
What do we need to do to show those students that we care, that they matter, and we believe in them?  

Episode 12: “We Made Classrooms Public Spaces” with Jessica Huang and Matt Alexander

In Episode 12, Shane and Alcine dream with colleagues Matt Alexander and Jessica Huang, surfacing shared learning from a combined 80 plus years in education. Matt and Shane reminisce about the early years of teaching in San Francisco pre-No Child Left Behind and how they aspired toward a pedagogy of student voice. Jessica shares her experience working in international education in Asia where the West is “exporting stereotypes into neocolonial schools” and ways she is disrupting the Model Minority myth. These four leaders explore how the American Dream is a facade, lessons in democracy from the world of community organizing, and why leaders need a power analysis of their school communities. Finally, they consider what authentic accountability looks like and what it means to walk toward becoming elders in the movement for educational justice, and preview a project they are working on to “radically dream” together with educators across US + Canada.
 
For Further Learning:
Dive deeper into the 6 Key Aspects of Social Justice Pedagogy developed by June Jordan School for Social Justice educators.
Learn more about Faith in Action Bay Area and the work that they do to uphold the dignity of all people.
Read up on AB 540 which expanded in-state tuition eligibility in california and check out whether you may qualify.

Episode 11: “Calling BS on the System” with Joe Truss

In Episode 11, Alcine and Shane get real with their dear friend and collaborator Joe Truss. Joe talks about what it was like growing up in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district in the 80’s and wondering, “Why am I finding success while my friends are not?” This experience eventually led him into the classroom where Joe illuminates the gap between the teacher he thought he was going to be versus the teacher he was in real life. Through student voice and feedback, he shifted many of his mindsets and practices, cultivating a way of being that he brought into his 6-year principalship in southeast San Francisco. Joe helps us unpack the difference between bringing a vision and co-constructing a vision with staff, the need to slow it all down, and the nefarious trap of power-hoarding that he continues to see in his work across North America. We conclude with the power of racial affinity as a space for differentiation learning and a vehicle for healing, leveraging our differences as our strengths, and understanding the need to co-conspire around shared goals.
 
For Further Learning:
Visit Joe’s website https://trussleadership.com/ to learn about his services and read his many publications.
Read Leading a District Antiracism Journey in the March 2023 issue of Educational Leadership magazine by Shane, Joe and Julie Kempkey
Racial Affinity Groups Aren’t Racist – They are the Secret Sauce in Antiracist Schools by Joe Truss and Jenn Berkowitz
What Happened When My School Started to Dismantle White Supremacy Culture by Joe Truss