The Making Schools Work Podcast
Join us each week as we talk to different SREB team members and educators across the country to find out the latest in school innovations. From classroom instruction to school leadership, we are going to examine what it is that makes schools work!
Episodes
How do we ensure the skills students build in the classroom translate to the world of work? In this episode, Dr. Nicole Cobb, Professor of the Practice at Vanderbilt University and member of the Governor’s Council for CTE, joins Daniel Rock and Ashley Shaw to discuss the intersection of school climate and career readiness.
We move beyond "checking boxes" to explore how teachers can model the human skills—c...
In a rapidly changing workforce, students need more than just technical skills—they need the analytical thinking and adaptive problem-solving abilities to apply those skills in real-world contexts. In this episode, SREB Instructional Coach Deb Cullen joins us to discuss how educators can blur the lines between "shop" and "theory" to create a more powerful, integrated learning experience.
Deb shares p...
In the conclusion of our two-part series with Principal Baruti Kafele, we move from the leadership mindset to the tactical execution of instructional coaching. This episode is a deep dive into the "Grow You" model, focusing on the sophisticated people skills and communication nuances required to turn high-stakes observations into transformative growth.
We explore the psychology of the feedback loop, the imp...
In the first half of this powerful two-part series, we sit down with Principal Baruti Kafele, a renowned school leadership expert and best-selling author. This conversation moves past the daily logistics of school management to challenge administrators with a foundational question: What is your instructional value to the teachers you supervise?
Kafele dives deep into the "locker room" of school culture, t...
What happens when you stop treating the community as a "field trip" destination and start treating it as a classroom? In this special episode, we are joined by Dr. Lisa Bonelli, the assistant principal at Hume-Fogg Academic High School in Nashville, and three of her students: Melanie, Allison and Niamh.
Hume-Fogg is a high-achieving academic magnet, but their secret sauce isn't just test scores—it’s pu...
How do we move students from simple compliance to authentic engagement? In this episode, Senior Instructional Coach Daniel Rock and Leadership Coach Erin Anderson-Williams sit down with Dr. Tony Johnson, founder of Captivate Perspectives. With over 25 years of experience across K-12, CTE and higher education, Johnson shares how educators can bridge the gap between generational value systems and redefine student moti...
How do you move a high school graduation rate from 60% to 87% in a few short years?
In this high-energy episode, Senior Instructional Coach Daniel Rock and Leadership Coach Erin Anderson-Williams sit down with Dr. Marck Abraham, CEO of MEA Consultant Services and author of What Success Looks Like.
Abraham challenges the traditional, "mushy" definition of school culture, replacing it with a "Culture of ...
Teaching is often viewed as a "solo gig," but the work of student learning is far too heavy for any one person to carry alone. In this episode, SREB Senior Instructional Coach Daniel Rock sits down with Leadership Coaches Erin Anderson-Williams and Susan Simpson to discuss the transition from isolated classrooms to collaborative school cultures.
Our guests dive into the essential traits of high-functioning ...
As the Fall 2026 semester comes to a close, it is time to look back at the schools and strategies that challenged our thinking.
In this special wrap-up episode, Daniel is joined by SREB’s Jason Adair and Ashley Shaw to interrogate the "Best Of" ideas from the last few months. From a high school in South Carolina that lets teachers design their own professional development to a "Taylor Swift Club" ...
The "first-year teaching blues" are real, but they don't have to be a career-ender. In this episode, Daniel explores the impact of the GREAT Grant (Georgia Residency for Educating Amazing Teachers), a program designed to turn career-changers into thriving educators through a paid residency model.
We sit down with Jillian Degan, a former "problem child" student who swore she’d never teach, and...
What really happens to students after they graduate? Does a diploma equal a plan?
In this episode, Daniel Rock and Susan Simpson sit down with the innovative College and Career Readiness team from Tuscaloosa City Schools to find out how they answered their superintendent's single, powerful question: "How do we know they're ready?"
The answer was a comprehensive, K-12 plan built on three E's (...
What happens when English and social studies teachers join a career academy — and every lesson connects to the real world?
In this episode of the Making Schools Work podcast, SREB’s Daniel Rock and Debra Cullen talk with Angie Maples and Wes Stephenson, teachers at the Career Academies of Decatur (CAD) in Alabama. They share how academic teachers are helping students build essential workplace and life skills — from w...
What happens when a school flips the script — and lets career and technical education lead the way?
In this episode of the Making Schools Work podcast, SREB’s Daniel Rock and Debra Cullen talk with Ressa Chittam, director of the new Career Academies of Decatur in Alabama, and assistant director Tyler Stevenson. Together, they share how this innovative school became a full-time high school that blends academic courses...
What if the key to doubling student learning is simply getting them talking?
In this episode, Daniel Rock and Jason Adair unpack research showing how student discussion can double the rate of learning — and why most classrooms still rely on teacher talk 80% of the time. Together with Ashley Shaw, they explore how teachers can create classrooms that sound more like Socratic seminars and less like lectures.
You’ll hear:
...At Westside High School in Anderson, South Carolina, teaching looks different now — and students can feel it.
Last week, we talked to leadership at Westside to see how this process worked. In this episode of the Making Schools Work podcast, SREB’s Daniel Rock and Donn Kirkwood talk with Claire Armstrong and Chelita Greenley, two classroom teachers at Westside who helped turn professional development into a teacher-le...
At Westside High School in Anderson, South Carolina, teachers aren’t just attending professional development — they’re designing it.
In this episode of the Making Schools Work podcast, SREB’s Daniel Rock and Donn Kirkwood talk with Principal Kory Roberts and MTSS Specialist Taria McIntosh about how the school’s Visible Learning Leadership Team transformed Westside’s approach to growth and instruction.
Through book stu...
How does a school move from silos to shared success? At Indian Valley Elementary in Sylacauga, Alabama, the leadership team and teachers worked together to create a culture of collective teacher efficacy—and the results are transforming student learning.
In this episode of the Making Schools Work podcast, principal Paula Bruno, assistant principal Cindy Cleveland and reading specialist Terra DeLoach join SREB coaches...
Richland High School in Mississippi has restructured its schedule to give students more opportunities for growth — and the results are impressive. In this third episode featuring Richland, we hear directly from two teachers about how Flex Block and career-connected learning are changing classrooms and student lives.
Social studies teacher Joycelyn McDavid and career readiness teacher Jennifer Osborne join Daniel Rock...
Floyd D. Johnson Technology Center in York, South Carolina, is proof that small communities can make big changes for students. By embracing honest data, personalized improvement goals and strong community partnerships, the school has transformed student outcomes — and earned recognition as an SREB Pacesetter School.
In this episode, Daniel Rock and Marsha Moseley talk with Director Lee Green and teacher Angie Covingt...
Welcome to Season 2 of the Making Schools Work podcast! In this episode, Daniel Rock, Jason Adair and Ashley Shaw kick off the season by exploring one of teaching’s most powerful truths: beginnings and endings matter.
From first-day activities to closing strategies, the hosts dive into research and classroom-tested ideas that help teachers capture students’ attention, build curiosity and leave lasting memories. Along...
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