New Tech Network (NTN) is a national nonprofit dedicated to systemic change in education. We center K-12 schools as the units of change, working closely with district leaders, school principals, and classroom educators, to co-design an approach to change that is specific to their context. This podcast will lift up the first hand stories and experiences schools have had while engaging with the work of NTN as well as provide listeners with the opportunity to learn more about NTN.
Unlearning the System: Leading the Portrait of a Graduate Transformation
In this special episode of NTN Unpacked, host Mark returns from a brief hiatus alongside Shannon Doody from NTN’s Growth and District Success team to share a powerful, big-picture conversation about systemic change. We are stepping out of our traditional interview format to bring you an exclusive look into a recent state-wide webinar discussing the ambitious "New York Inspires" initiative and the rollout of their new Portrait of a Graduate. NTN CEO Jim May and Managing Director of Growth and ...
3 Sept 2025
Authentic Learning in Action: Inside Eagle Tech’s Senior Capstone
In this episode of NTN Unpacked, we sit down with Rebecca Mapes and Melanie Mason, English facilitators and senior capstone leaders at Eagle Tech Academy. They share how their Senior Capstone (or Senior Impact) course empowers students to design passion-driven projects that connect deeply with their local community. NTN School Development coach Jose Garcia also joins host Mark Stolan for Coaches Corner and learn how he’s supporting a long established NTN school in continued growth and develop...
19 Aug 2025
Rigor, Joy and Real-Life Relevance: How LSI Approaches PrBL
In this classroom-deep-dive episode of NTN Unpacked, host Mark Stolan reconnects with Jackie Blightman and My Lam, the dynamic math teaching duo from Quimby Oak Middle School’s Lobo School of Innovation (LSI). Together, they pull back the curtain on what it’s really like to run a high-functioning Problem-Based Learning (PrBL) math program - one that balances rigorous skill mastery with authentic student engagement. LSI’s longtime coach Elena Bell also joins Mark to break down how LSI’s approa...
5 Aug 2025
Episode 10: Coaching Across Continents: How NTN Took Root in Australia
In this international episode of NTN Unpacked, we sit down with Brad Scanlon, Director of New Tech Network Australia, to explore what happens when student-centered learning takes root halfway around the world. Recorded live at NTAC 2025 in Oakland, CA, co-host Kris Williams leads us through a thoughtful and inspiring conversation about how NTN’s model has evolved - and been adapted - for schools across Australia. Brad shares the story of how a single school’s search for better student engagem...
22 Jul 2025
From the Floor at NTAC: Sparks, Shifts, and What's Next
In this special live episode of NTN Unpacked, we take you straight to the floor of NTAC 2025 in Oakland, CA! Host Mark Stolan brings together a chorus of voices from across the New Tech Network to share what’s resonating, what’s shifting, and what’s next for educators deeply engaged in project-based learning. From first-year teachers to veteran leaders - and even a surprise visit from NTN CEO Jim May - you’ll hear reflections on community, curiosity, and courage as attendees explore powerful ...
8 Jul 2025
Doing School Differently: Mead Middle School’s First-Year PBL Journey
Principal Jose Lara, Assistant Principal Danielle Johnson, and Director Sylvia Schiermann discuss Mead Middle School's inaugural year implementing project-based learning with host Mark Stolan and co-host Vincent Manor, highlighting the challenges and rewards of transforming urban education in this interview.
24 Jun 2025
Scaling Deeper Learning: Lessons from Hardin County Schools
School Development Coaches Missy Saldana and Val Grijalva interview Brandy New and Tim Isaacs about Hardin County Schools' district-wide transformation to reshape teaching and learning.
10 Jun 2025
Slamming for a Cause at NTH@C
Danae Boyd and Janelle Bence discuss Slamming for a Cause, a project where ninth graders research human rights issues and create slam poetry to raise awareness, in an interview with Mark Stolan and Aubrey Thompson.
27 May 2025
Instructional Coaching That Sustains Innovation
Instructional Coach Rebekah Deal and teacher Valerie Steele discuss how they support and grow a schoolwide project-based learning culture at Handy Middle School in an interview with Mark Stolan.
20 May 2025
Reimagining PE Through Project-Based Learning
In this energizing episode of NTN Unpacked, returning co-host and NTN School Development Coach Val Grijalva sits down with veteran educator Laura Pacheco of Young Women’s STEAM Academy in El Paso, Texas, to explore how project-based learning (PBL) can transform physical education into a deeply inclusive, collaborative, and meaningful experience. With over a decade of teaching experience and seven years of PBL implementation under her belt, Coach Pacheco shares how she’s designed PE projects t...
13 May 2025
What’s Possible With AI in the Classroom?
In this thought-provoking episode of NTN Unpacked, we dive into the rapidly evolving world of artificial intelligence (AI) in education with veteran educator Jason Currie-Olson from Washington High School in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Joined by hosts Mark Stolan and Missy Saldana, Jason shares how he’s actively exploring AI tools to enhance instruction, empower students, and rethink assessment in meaningful ways. Whether you’re AI-curious or already experimenting with tools in your own classr...
6 May 2025
Pre-K Pioneers: Launching PBL with Our Youngest Learners
In this inspiring episode of NTN Unpacked, our very own School Development Coach Val Grijalva sits down with Ashley Perales and Henley Price, two pre-K teachers from Gale Pond Alamo Elementary School in Odessa, Texas, who boldly embraced project-based learning (PBL) for the first time this year. As the first educators in their district to implement PBL at the pre-K level, Ashley and Henley share a candid and uplifting look into what it took connect learning to real-world relevance with their ...
23 Apr 2025
Food for Thought at Nex+Gen Academy
Welcome to the debut episode of NTN Unpacked, the podcast where we bring you the authentic stories of transformation from across the New Tech Network. Hosted by Mark Stolan, this first episode features a special interview led by NTN School Development Coach Missy Saldana with educators from Nex+Gen Academy in Albuquerque, New Mexico. You’ll hear from teachers Jeff Sisneros, Marila Mancha-Garcia, and Alison Floyd as they unpack Food for Thought — a powerful, school-wide project rooted in stude...
Who has been a guest on NTN Unpacked
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Jose Lara
Danielle Johnson
Sylvia Schiermann
Brandy New
Tim Isaacs
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
149,114
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
7 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 57 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
67
Social presence
0
YouTube
82
Engagement
32
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