More Than a Seat at the Table is a product of the Diversifying the Educator Workforce (DEW) Collaborative at Great Schools Partnership.
The DEW Collaborative is led by project lead Danielle Pierre, and team members, Clyde Cole, Erin Conley, Darthula Mathews, Scarlett Tannetta, and Leah Tuckman.
Theme music for this podcast was composed and recorded by Jay Gardoqui. This podcast is edited and produced by Ian Bassingwaithe and Kayla Girardin.
A Unique Pathway to Teaching by the Breakthrough Collaborative
The episode features a conversation with Vince Marigna, CEO of the Breakthrough Collaborative, and Zaniya, one of the program's graduates, discussing how giving college students a robust summer teaching experience that includes professional development and mentoring can lead to a diverse teaching workforce.
Vince Marigna is CEO of Breakthrough Collaborative, a national network of 25 affiliates dedicated to expanding pathways to college and careers in education. Breakthrough prepares students to succeed in college and cultivates the next generation of educators, building a future where every young person has the opportunity to learn, lead, and thrive.
Zaniya Harrison is a 2025 graduate of the New Jersey Institute of Technology. She’s an alumna of KIPP New Jersey, Breakthrough New York, Teach For America Ignite Fellowship, and the All Stars Project New Jersey. Currently, she’s a member of Teach For America’s 2025 Corps. She’s also a sixth-grade science teacher in the Newark Charter School District.
24 Jun 2025
Forging a Path: How JET is Transforming Lives
Co-Director Romie Robertson discusses Journey into Education & Teaching's work to diversify the educator workforce by building paraeducator-to-teacher pipelines in this interview episode.
29 Apr 2025
More Than a Project: DEW and the Power of Collective Leadership in Rhode Island
In this episode, we sit down with Tammy Warner (Distinctive Success Solutions), Lisa DiMartino (the Rhode Island Foundation), Betzabel Vazquez, and Simona Simpson-Thomas (Freedom Dreams). These four individuals and their organizations are engaged in a collective impact approach to increasing the diversity of the educator workforce in Rhode Island.
Tammy, Lisa, Betzabel, and Simona will share their successes, challenges, and advice for others who are working toward educator workforce diversification.
Join us to learn how funders, community partners, policymakers, and educators in Rhode Island are breaking down silos, building trust, and collaborating to make a larger impact.
25 Mar 2025
Kintsugi for the Soul: Restoring and Rejuvenating Teachers of Color
In this episode, we welcome Jalene Tamerat, educator, leader, and advocate for teacher sustainability. As a faculty member at Boston University Wheelock College of Education, she leads initiatives supporting leadership and teacher diversification. Jalene is also co-author of Education Across Borders and a consultant for the MA Department of Elementary & Secondary Education.
Today, we explore her passion project, Kintsugi Educator Retreats, designed to help teachers of Color unwind, heal, and sustain their passion for teaching. Inspired by the Japanese art of Kintsugi, these retreats provide restorative spaces to process challenges, build resilience, and reconnect with purpose.
Join us as we discuss:
Why rest and renewal are essential for teachers of Color
The systemic challenges leading to burnout
How retreats and wellness practices foster longevity in education
This episode is a must-listen for educators and advocates committed to sustaining and supporting teachers of Color.
If you're interested in learning more about Kintsugi Educator Retreats, reach out to info@kintsugieducators.com.
25 Feb 2025
From Community to Classroom: The Impact of Teach Western Mass
Join us as we interview guests Pema Latshang and Jawad Brown of Teach Western Mass. Teach Western Mass builds and bolsters a diverse, sustainable educational workforce by providing alternative pathways to classroom careers and transformative educator opportunities to achieve educational equity in the Western Massachusetts region. Through their certification program and ongoing support, they work to eliminate the barriers that have kept talented BIPOC teachers from serving the schools and students of Western Massachusetts.
Pema Latshang is the Founding Executive Director of Teach Western Mass. At the time of recording, Jawad Brown was the Manger of Teacher Development at Teach Western Mass. He is now Expert Teacher in Math at Holyoke Public Schools.
If you'd like to learn more about the Great Schools Partnership's Diversifying the Educator Workforce Collaborative, visit us at https://www.greatschoolspartnership.org/dew-collaborative/
16 Jul 2024
DEW Round Table Discussion: Disrupting the System by Design (Part 2)
This is the second and final episode featuring a live panel of five powerful voices who are leading DEW work across New England. This episode continues to build off last week’s, delving into the topics of leaders of color, teacher fellowships, and coalition building. Listeners will leave this episode with concrete ways to support leaders of color, as well as both logistical and theoretical things to consider when creating a coalition in your district.
This panel discussion was recorded during an extended session at the 2024 School Redesign in Action Conference (https://www.greatschoolspartnership.org/conference/) with moderators Danielle Pierre and Leah Tuckman, senior associates at Great Schools Partnership.
Panelists include:
Devin Morris, Executive Director, The Teachers’ Lounge (https://theteachersloungema.org/), MA
Ralph Saint-Louis, Science Teacher, Lowell High School (https://www.lowell.k12.ma.us/lowelllhs), MA, and Senior Policy Fellow, Teach Plus (https://teachplus.org/)
Stacy Szczesiul, Associate Dean, UMASS Lowell (https://www.uml.edu/), MA
Quinci Worthey, DEIJ Director, Concord School District (https://www.sau8.org/), NH
Mikaela Simms, DEIJ Director, Windham Southeast Supervisory Union (https://wsesu.org/), VT
Looking ahead to the next season: Want to highlight one of your DEW best practices? We would love to spotlight your initiative and amplify your voice. Feel free to reach out to dpierre@greatschoolspartnership.org (mailto:dpierre@greatschoolspartnership.org) to get involved.
9 Jul 2024
DEW Round Table Discussion: Disrupting the System by Design (Part 1)
This is the first of two episodes that features a live panel of five powerful voices who are leading DEW work across New England. The panelists introduce themselves and their work and discuss initiatives they are leading in their school districts, communities, and states. You'll hear about paraprofessional to teacher pathways, legislative work related to equitable pay for paraprofessionals, coalitions focused on diversifying the educator workforce, and efforts to make school buildings welcoming to teachers and administrators of color.
This panel discussion was recorded during an extended session at the 2024 School Redesign in Action Conference (https://www.greatschoolspartnership.org/conference/) with moderators Danielle Pierre and Leah Tuckman, senior associates at Great Schools Partnership. Panelists include:
Devin Morris, Executive Director, The Teachers’ Lounge (https://theteachersloungema.org/), MA
Ralph Saint-Louis, Science Teacher and Teacher Leader, Lowell High School (https://www.lowell.k12.ma.us/lowelllhs), MA
Stacy Szczesiul, Associate Dean, UMASS Lowell (https://www.uml.edu/), MA
Quinci Worthey, DEIJ Director, Concord School District (https://www.sau8.org/), NH
Mikaela Simms, DEIJ Director, Windham Southeast Supervisory Union (https://wsesu.org/), VT
2 Jul 2024
Diversifying the Educator Workforce from the Classroom to the Capitol
This episode features Dr. Día Bryant, former executive director of the Education Trust New York (https://newyork.edtrust.org/) and current partner with Context Matters Strategy Group (https://www.cmstrategygroup.com/). In this episode Dr. Bryant brings new light to the often talked about topic of teacher diversification, including how to support teacher diversity through fostering both the psychological well being of staff members as well as removing barriers to entry into the profession.
25 Jun 2024
Grow Your Own Programs: Future Teachers Academy Spotlight
Today’s episode features Dr. Peter Lancia, who is currently the superintendent of Westbrook Public Schools (https://www.westbrookschools.org/). In this episode, Dr. Lancia talks about Westbrook's Future Teachers Academy Program, which focuses on cultivating the interest of high school students in the teaching profession.
This audio was recorded during a presentation from Dr. Lancia during a DEW Community of Practice session. If you would like to follow along with the slides, you can find them here: Westbrook Future Teachers Academy Program Spotlight Slides (https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1cbw8dFXjCPymeuHw4hAqyQFBrla7G76PW1AngPl5eeU/edit?usp=sharing)
18 Jun 2024
Recruiting and Retaining Black Male Educators
Today’s episode features Robert Hendricks III, the Founder and CEO of He Is Me Institute (https://heisme.org/). This nonprofit organization focuses on ensuring that Black male teachers have lifelong access to resources, experiences, and opportunities that support them as they are recruited, retained, and retire as teachers. Today, Robert will share about how He Is Me programs support current and aspiring Black male educators, and why their work focuses specifically on Black males.
11 Jun 2024
Diversifying the Educator Workforce: A Collective Approach
Today’s episode features Jess DeCarolis, who is currently the Division Director of Student Pathways at the Vermont Agency of Education (https://education.vermont.gov/). In this episode, Jess shares the work of the New England Secondary School Consortium (NESSC) Task Force on Diversifying the Educator Workforce and their creation of the Increasing the Racial, Ethnic, and Linguistic Diversity of the Educator Workforce (https://www.greatschoolspartnership.org/diversifying-the-educator-workforce/). The report, developed based on research and input from a range of stakeholders in each state, specifically identified grounding principles (https://www.greatschoolspartnership.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Grounding-Principles-1.pdf) and five areas of action that influence demographic changes in the current educator workforce.
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5 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 19 / 100
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