All Of The Above Podcast

The Ethnic Studies dopeness keeps on coming! In our latest look at the growth and implementation of K-12 Ethnic Studies, we explore a university-school partnership focused on preparing current classroom teachers for excellent high school Ethnic Studies implementation. We’re joined by Dr. Jason Kim-Seda, a researcher, instructor, and program designer for the College of Education at CSU Los Angeles whose work includes building capacity of Ethnic Studies teacher teams. He speaks with us about Ethnic Studies pedagogy and an innovative new program to support teachers in the Los Angeles area with implementation of Ethnic Studies called the Sal Castro Academy for Urban Teacher Leaders! But first, Jeff and Manuel take a look at recent headlines in education including a survey detailing teacher’s views on school safety and an attempt in Oklahoma to legitimize religious charter schools. → Get your Teach the Truth T-Shirt here! → View this episode on YouTube! AGENDA 0:00 - Welcome! 7:48 - Teachers split on guns on camp

From low compensation, rising costs of living, and the tragic reality of school shootings to book bans, critical race hysteria, and threats against “woke” teachers–this sure seems like a hell of a time to decide to enter the teaching profession. And yet, a whole new generation of teachers are spending this summer getting ready to start their credentialing programs or prepping for their first year of teaching. How do we support and sustain this aspiring group, and what’s their outlook on the state of the teaching profession? This week we’re joined by Bryant Odega, a super-dope young educator who is about to begin his credentialing journey in the Teaching and Teacher Leadership program at our alma mater, the Harvard Graduate School of Education! He speaks with us about the Gen Z view of teaching and what it will take to cultivate more young, talented, and super-dope teachers. But first, Jeff and Manuel take a look at recent headlines in education including a private school hiking its tuition to cash in on schoo

Why am I doing this? Is this still right for me? Why am I not finding the same type of joy and meaning in my work that I once did? These are a few of the questions that many educators grapple with when experiencing burnout. In a profession that is especially grueling for justice-oriented folks, how do we sustain talented, dedicated, super-dope educators who are questioning whether they still have it? This week we’re joined by Rebekah Shoaf and Meredith Matson–authors of Educating with Passion and Purpose: Keep the Fire Going Without Burning Out–to explore burnout and sustainability. But first, Jeff and Manuel take a look at recent headlines in education including a high school graduation being postponed for its lack of graduates and a downright awful move by Michigan to address chronic absenteeism. → Get your Teach the Truth T-Shirt here! → View this episode on YouTube! AGENDA 0:00 - Welcome! 7:51 - Not enough grads for graduation? 19:35 - Punishing families for absent students 33:45 - Avoiding burnout with

This Week: It’s Pride Month, and there’s some not good news coming out of the city of LA, where a group of hateful community members showed up to protest a Pride Month assembly at a local elementary school. And, we dig into a fascinating story from NPR on new teacher mentoring, rooted in rural Alaska, where a mentor takes 3 planes and a snowmobile to mentor new teachers in remote villages.  Manuel and Jeff discuss the role and effectiveness of mentoring and reflect on their own experiences as new teachers.   Click here to register for the Human Restoration Project’s Conference to Restore Humanity 2023!  Use the code AOTA at checkout and save $25, plus, you’ll be supporting this show! Get your All of the Above swag, including your own “Teach the Truth” shirt! In this moment of relentless attacks on teaching truth in the classroom, we got you covered. https://all-of-the-above-store.creator-spring.com  Passing Period is an AOTA podcast extra that gives us a chance to check-in, reflect, and discuss powerful stori

California’s high school class of 2030 will be the first statewide cohort in the nation required to pass an ethnic studies course in order to graduate. Although this groundbreaking step stands in sharp contrast to the banning and censorship efforts taking place in states like Florida, California’s ethnic studies mandate is not without its critics and detractors. This week we sit with Dr. Theresa Montaño and Lupe Cardona to explore the promise and the pushback around offering ethnic studies at every high school in the state. Dr. Montaño is a professor of Equity and Diversity in Schools and Chicano Education at California State University Northridge and sits on the CSU Council of Ethnic Studies. Guadalupe Cardona is a veteran ethnic studies teacher who serves as chair of the Association of Raza Educators (LA) and is a member of the Ethnic Studies Now Coalition. Before our discussion, Jeff and Manuel first take a look at recent headlines in education including a surprising boost in enrollment at California’s mos

This Week: The notion that “throwing more money at schools” isn’t a serious policy solution has dominated the policy landscape for decades, thanks in significant part to one Eric Hanushek.  His work has been cited in court cases, and public discourse since the 80s to suppress efforts at more just and equitable funding for schools. Well, turns out that even Hanushek's own research now supports the very idea he has spent a career opposing.  Maueul and Jeff discuss the religious pseudoscience of conservative economics in education, and share thoughts on Hanushek’s Columbus-like discovery of the obvious.    Click here to register for the Human Restoration Project’s Conference to Restore Humanity 2023!  Use the code AOTA at checkout and save $25, plus, you’ll be supporting this show! Get your All of the Above swag, including your own “Teach the Truth” shirt! In this moment of relentless attacks on teaching truth in the classroom, we got you covered. https://all-of-the-above-store.creator-spring.com  Passing Pe

This Week: we got a bunch of hood stuff to get into today! Manuel’s students present their ethnic studies genius, AOTA listener Mike chimes in on last week’s episode on teacher pay with an interesting debate, a MN school district buys bulletproof whiteboards for kids to fend of school shooters, and one person files more than 7k civil rights complaints to the US Dept of Ed all by themselves last year. Manuel and Jeff discuss! Get your All of the Above swag, including your own “Teach the Truth” shirt! In this moment of relentless attacks on teaching truth in the classroom, we got you covered. https://all-of-the-above-store.creator-spring.com  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: apple.co/38QV7Bd and anc

This Week: The 2022 NAEP 8th grade civics scores are out, and the clickbait headlines are flowing. But what does the data really mean, and how should we feel about the lack of progress?  Also, Manuel and Jeff weigh in on an age-old debate - should teachers who work in hard to staff schools, or schools serving marginalized communities, be paid more? Is the opposition from unions just entrenched politics of the past that preserve an unfair system? Are these policies a temporary band aid that won’t actually move the needle on teacher retention and sustainability? Or worse, a poison pill that could further undermine public schools and a substantive equity agenda? Get your All of the Above swag, including your own “Teach the Truth” shirt! In this moment of relentless attacks on teaching truth in the classroom, we got you covered. https://all-of-the-above-store.creator-spring.com  Passing Period is an AOTA podcast extra that gives us a chance to check-in, reflect, and discuss powerful stories in between our full ep

This Week: It’s a growing annual tradition, schools celebrating college decision day with fanfare, pomp and circumstance. With that backdrop in mind, Manuel and Jeff explore a record setting senior who was admitted to 125+ colleges and earned more than $9M in scholarships, and students in CA who got into their dream school, got max financial aid awards, and still can’t afford to go. Plus, the College Board backtracks on their capitulation to white supremacists, but is it enough to resolve the scandal over AP African American Studies? Get your All of the Above swag, including your own “Teach the Truth” shirt! In this moment of relentless attacks on teaching truth in the classroom, we got you covered. https://all-of-the-above-store.creator-spring.com  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 al

It’s an age-old question: Why aren’t my students as excited about this super-awesome lesson plan as I am?? Of course, it would be wonderful if every student arrived to class with deep, passionate motivation to learn each day. Seeing as how that’s not quite the reality in our schools, this week we explore what role teachers play in creating the conditions for students to develop an intrinsic motivation for learning. We’re joined by veteran teacher and author extraordinaire Larry Ferlazzo to examine the issue of motivation and discuss his new project, The Student Motivation Handbook. But first, Jeff and Manuel take a look at recent headlines in education including a study about the apparent benefits of high grading standards and a UCLA study that found a sharp decline in violence at California secondary schools. Guess which study Manuel likes more… → Get your Teach the Truth T-Shirt here! → View this episode on YouTube (and give a thumbs up!) AGENDA 0:00 - Welcome! 8:20 - Does tough grading boost achievement

This Week: Manuel heads to Sacramento to hang out with all the most brilliant educators in CA working on teacher diversity, and a new piece in The 74 cites federal data showing, surprisingly, a bump in enrollment in teacher prep programs throughout much of the country. Could this mean the beginning of the end of the teacher shortage crisis? Or is this just a blip on an otherwise downward trending graph? Manuel and Jeff discuss.   Get your All of the Above swag, including your own “Teach the Truth” shirt! In this moment of relentless attacks on teaching truth in the classroom, we got you covered. https://all-of-the-above-store.creator-spring.com  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: apple.co/38QV7Bd and

This Week: College enrollment overall has been on the decline for several years now, but with enrollment down nearly 40% in the nation’s community colleges, big questions arise - where are the students going? Is this a good thing, or a bad thing? What’s not working in our 2 year schools that needs fixing? What should we do about it? Manuel and Jeff dig into the complex issues driving students away from 2 year public schools, and the importance of these institutions in a society that claims to want equal opportunity for all.   Get your All of the Above swag, including your own “Teach the Truth” shirt! In this moment of relentless attacks on teaching truth in the classroom, we got you covered. https://all-of-the-above-store.creator-spring.com  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 o

Those of us educators and advocates outside of the state of Florida have been looking at the repressive and dangerous actions of the state government in shock. As the Republican leadership in Florida passes bills fundamentally altering the landscape of education, how are educators and the communities they serve being impacted? This week we’re joined by Florida-based author, educator, and super-dope returning guest Lorena Germán to examine the impact and responses to the bans, restrictions, and political attacks on marginalized perspectives in her state. But first, Jeff and Manuel take a look at recent headlines in education including a story about a disturbing deepfake video of a principal and a move by political leaders in Texas to take over Houston Independent School District. → Get your Teach the Truth T-Shirt here! → View this episode on YouTube! AGENDA 0:00 - Welcome! 10:42 - Students make disturbing deepfake of principal 24:25 - Texas takes over Houston school district 37:42 - The view from Florida w/

This Week: After a three day strike, with SEUI and UTLA joining forces to demand sharp raises in pay and benefits for LAUSD’s lowest paid workers, an agreement was announced with a historic 30% raise, guarantees of better working hours, and an expansion of health care coverage for employees and their dependants. Meanwhile, Texas continues the march towards right wing dystopia with a fanatical bill that under the guise of “parental rights” aims to shift public funding to religious schools, eliminate LGBTQ people from history class, and enshrine a chilling effect that will prevent schools from providing a culturally responsive education to marginalized students. Manuel and Jeff discuss.   Get your All of the Above swag, including your own “Teach the Truth” shirt! In this moment of relentless attacks on teaching truth in the classroom, we got you covered. https://all-of-the-above-store.creator-spring.com  Passing Period is an AOTA podcast extra that gives us a chance to check-in, reflect, and discuss powerful st

Equity gaps in education aren’t limited to the confines of the traditional school day. Out-of-school and extracurricular enrichment experiences deliver thousands more hours of learning to kids from wealthier backgrounds than children living in marginalized communities. How might this be addressed, and where does this issue fit in the larger context of educational equity? Dr. Charli Kemp joins us this week to help us explore equity gaps in what takes place after the bell rings! Dr. Kemp is the founder of Change the Tune, a nonprofit that partners with schools, businesses, and community leaders to expand student learning experiences beyond the traditional school day. But first, Jeff and Manuel take a look at recent headlines in education including a call from students for more support and compassion in the college admissions process and new data about the number of teachers leaving the profession. → Get your Teach the Truth T-Shirt here! → View this episode on YouTube! AGENDA 0:00 - Welcome! 7:05 - Mental heal

This Week: Three years ago the educational world came to a virtual standstill as COVID 19 would close school house doors, and reshape the experience of a generation. And, a story from NBC News profiling families of LGBTQ students who are choosing to opt out of attending college in states with new repressive, anti LGBTQ laws on the books. What will this mean for the landscape of college applications and attendance? What does this signify in the larger movement for educational justice? Manuel and Jeff discuss. Get your All of the Above swag, including your own “Teach the Truth” shirt! In this moment of relentless attacks on teaching truth in the classroom, we got you covered. https://all-of-the-above-store.creator-spring.com 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/A

This Week: Jeff interrupts his tropical galavanting to check in with the All of the Above family across a 15-hour time difference. That’s dedication! Amid a backdrop of tropical waves, he and Manuel take a look at a new piece by Anya Kamenentz about a promising approach that some schools are taking to address the teen mental health crisis. In the face of a very real shortage of mental health providers, can teens be empowered to step up for each other? Manuel and Jeff discuss. Get your All of the Above swag, including your own “Teach the Truth” shirt! In this moment of relentless attacks on teaching truth in the classroom, we got you covered. https://all-of-the-above-store.creator-spring.com 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/Allofth

This Week: Sometimes you just gotta trust the youth. Hundreds of kids at a Tuscaloosa, AL high school walk out in protest after their school administration allegedly told them to not include any content from before 1970 in their Black History Month program. The College Board gets in on the fun with a flimsy response to the Florida DOE that does nothing to dispute that they capitulated to right wing extremism and white supremacists in redacting their African American Studies curriculum. Also, some fascinating reporting from the AP and Stanford reveals hundreds of thousands of kids we would expect to be attending public school based on pre pandemic data are “missing” school rosters as of the 21-22 school year.  But does the data raise more questions than answers?  Manuel and Jeff discuss. Get your All of the Above swag, including your own “Teach the Truth” shirt! In this moment of relentless attacks on teaching truth in the classroom, we got you covered. https://all-of-the-above-store.creator-spring.c

Here at All of the Above we loooove teachers, especially super-dope ones. We’re also, perhaps, a tad bit partial to California. That being the case, it should come as no surprise to our AOTA Family that we’d bring on yet another super-dope teacher from California–Jason Torres-Rangel!! Jason is a California State Teacher of the Year and a California nominee for the National Teacher of the Year competition, and he joins us to discuss the present and future of the teaching profession. But first, Jeff and Manuel take a look at recent headlines in education including a new study showing the benefits of small emergency grants for college students and a bit of shade being thrown at the Department of Education from the Government Accountability Office. → Get your Teach the Truth T-Shirt here! → View this episode on YouTube! AGENDA 0:00 - Welcome! 6:46 - Emergency grants boost college success 21:22 - GAO calls out Dept of Ed 35:55 - CA Teacher of the Year Jason Torres-Rangel 1:08:09 - Students walk out to protest CRT

This Week: We weren’t expecting much, but the College Board’s insulting capitulation to white supremacist fascism this week with their release of the newly white washed AP African American Studies curriculum on Feb 1st - just in time for Black History Month - raises big questions, to say the least.  In what can only be seen as siding with the most dangerous political elements in our country, the College Board wiped many foundational ideas, scholars and writers from the curriculum, as well as many of the core ideas that came to dominate African American scholarship and the critique of white supremacist, capitalist, patriarchy from 1960 onward. What the heck happened? Why? What should we do to resist this declaration of war on the teaching of African American Studies and the truthful teaching of history? What steps should states, districts, and schools take? Manuel and Jeff discuss, and ride out to today’s song of the moment from Nina Simone, in honor of Florida, Ron Desantis, and the College Board. Get yo