School Reboot

About School Reboot

School Reboot, a podcast from Acera Education Innovation (AceraEI), explores what it really takes to make learning joyful, rigorous, and personal. Each episode dives into practices that are making a real difference in schools right now. You’ll hear from teachers, policy leaders, economists, innovators, entrepreneurs, district leaders, parents, and students who are redesigning learning in their communities. Throughout the series, we focus on “measuring what matters,” translating curiosity, choice, and engagement into simple, useful evidence that guides next steps.

Publisher

Courtney Dickinson and Sarah Zuckerman

Category

education

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

1 Oct 2025

Latest episode

2 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

17 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   2 Oct 2026

   Leading Change: How Leaders Create Lasting Change in Public Schools

   Leading Change: How leaders can create a culture of risk-taking and bring meaningful change across an entire school district What does it take to move innovation from a “nice to have” to the way an entire district works? In this episode, Wendy Crocker-Roberge joins Courtney Dickinson and Sarah Zuckerman to talk about what it takes to create meaningful, lasting change in public education. Wendy reflects on her own journey through public education and shares how those experiences shaped her approach as an educator and leader. The conversation explores giving educators permission to think differently, creating a culture where thoughtful risk-taking is supported, learning from what does not work, and building the momentum needed for innovation to spread across schools. Wendy also shares what this has looked like in Lowell, from early experimentation at individual schools to a growing movement across the district.

2. 

   25 Sept 2026

   Who Gets To Choose? Reimagining Post Secondary Education

   Amanda Seider joins School Reboot to explore how schools can replace luck with a system of postsecondary advising that gives every student the information, relationships, tools, and agency to choose what comes next. The conversation connects OneGoal’s work in high schools with AceraEI’s commitment to student voice, choice, curiosity, and purpose.

3. 

   17 Sept 2026

   Engineering for Every Classroom: Student Choice, Creativity, and Hands-On Learning

   In this episode of School Reboot, Alison Earnhart, a science and engineering educator and makerspace leader, explores how any teacher can bring engineering and project-based learning into the classroom. Drawing from her work with students and educators, Alison explains how meaningful student choice, practical constraints, clear rubrics, milestones, reflection, and self-assessment can give young people both creative freedom and the support they need to succeed. The conversation also examines committed engagement, learning through iteration, inclusive pathways into STEM, and ways schools can make hands-on engineering part of everyday learning.

4. 

   10 Sept 2026

   Keeping Curiosity Alive: What Gifted Learners Can Teach Us About School

   Heather, head of Acera School, joins Courtney and Sarah to explore what happens when schools make room for children’s questions, passions, and individual ways of learning. Through stories from Acera School, they discuss the unique needs of gifted learners’ meaningful challenges, student choice, adventure play, and math that goes deeper than acceleration. The conversation asks a bigger question: How can schools keep curiosity alive and help students become confident learners who know themselves and can shape their communities?

5. 

   30 Jun 2026

   A School Built on Trust

   In this episode of School Reboot, Courtney Dickinson and Sarah Zuckerman talk with Steve Seidel and Adria Steinberg, longtime education leaders and founding members of the Group School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Steve and Adria reflect on what it means to build a school around student voice, choice, trust, and democratic decision-making. They share how the Group School challenged traditional compliance-based models by listening deeply to students, honoring their lived realities, and giving them real agency in their learning. The conversation explores how schools can move from control to consent, from punishment to understanding, and from rigid systems to flexible communities where students are known, respected, and invited to take ownership of their education. Together, they offer a powerful reminder that meaningful school change begins with trust, belonging, and listening.

6. 

   1 Jun 2026

   Rethinking Assessment, Choice, and What Makes School Meaningful

   In Part 2 of this School Reboot conversation, Courtney Dickinson and Sarah Zuckerman continue their discussion with Mike Domina, Principal of McAvinnue Elementary School, and David Anderson, Principal of McAuliffe Elementary School, both in Lowell Public Schools. Together, they explore how schools can rethink assessment, student choice, collaboration, and the definition of success in public education. Mike and David reflect on the power of giving students more ownership in their school day, from flexible seating and independent choices to lunch, hallways, and transitions that feel more human and community-centered. The conversation also looks closely at standardized testing, including the limits of MCAS as a measure of learning. Mike and David discuss why one test cannot fully capture student growth, creativity, persistence, or the rich learning happening in classrooms every day. They imagine more meaningful alternatives, including portfolios, authentic artifacts of learning, and stronger opportunities for teachers to collaborate across schools. This episode offers a hopeful look at what becomes possible when public school leaders trust teachers, center students, and create space for joy, rigor, creativity, and real-world learning.

7. 

   22 Apr 2026

   Leading for Joy, Trust, and Innovation in Public Schools

   In this episode of School Reboot, Courtney Dickinson and Sarah Zuckerman talk with two public school leaders from Lowell who are rethinking what school can feel like for students and teachers. Mike Domina of McAvinnue Elementary and David Anderson of McAuliffe Elementary reflect on what it takes to build schools where joy, trust, and belonging are not extras, but the foundation for learning. They talk about moving beyond compliance-driven models of teaching, giving teachers permission to take risks, and creating school cultures where both adults and students feel supported to try, fail, and grow. The conversation explores how innovative leadership is often less about adding more and more about removing fear. Mike and David share how they challenge assumptions about curriculum, instructional time, and “the way things have always been done,” while keeping student engagement and community at the center. Together, they offer a grounded and hopeful look at what sustainable school change can look like in practice.

8. 

   7 Apr 2026

   Play, Belonging, and Balance: What U.S. Schools Can Learn from Denmark

   This episode explores how schools can balance well-being and achievement without sacrificing rigor. With guest Anne Anderson of Denmark’s Playful Learning Project, we examine how playful, inclusive learning strengthens academic skills, supports neurodiverse students, and builds belonging. The conversation challenges deficit-based systems, highlights practical classroom shifts, and reframes play as intentional inquiry, practice, and problem-solving. When educators design learning with choice, flexibility, and courage, schools become places of joy, purpose, and deep learning, not compliance or fear.

9. 

   16 Mar 2026

   Recorded Live at the School Reboot Podcast Release Party

   Recorded live at the School Reboot Podcast Release Party, this episode brings together previous guests Jeff Riley and Mitch Resnick for a conversation with Courtney Dickinson and Sarah Zuckerman about what schools must become in a rapidly changing world. Jeff and Mitch explore how schools can move beyond compliance-driven models and instead nurture creativity, curiosity, agency, and deeper learning. We delve into why students learn best through meaningful projects, collaboration, and playful exploration, and why school change cannot simply be replicated from one place to another without honoring local context and community strengths. The episode also examines the promise and danger of AI in education. The central message: this is a pivotal moment to design schools that expand children’s choices, voices, and opportunities, while supporting teachers and leaders to build more human, engaging, and future-ready learning environments.

10. 

    16 Feb 2026

    Can’t Get There From Here: Rethinking How Innovation Spreads in Schools

    Rebecca E. Wolfe, PhD joins School Reboot to discuss why bottom-up innovations in education rarely spread, even when they demonstrate strong outcomes. Drawing on a paper she just released for the Hoover Institution entitled Can’t Get There From Here: A Framework for the Start, Spread, and Scale of Bottom-Up Innovation in Education, she outlines a framework for catalyzing classroom-born ideas, supporting adaptive spread, and building the infrastructure necessary for sustainability and scale. The episode examines the shift from compliance-based accountability to outcomes-based and reciprocal accountability, the importance of expanding educators’ professional networks, and the need to reduce burdens that crowd out innovation. The central message: if we want school improvement that endures, we must design systems that cultivate teacher agency, continuous improvement, and local adaptation while maintaining strong guardrails for equity and student outcomes.

11. 

    26 Jan 2026

    Lifelong Kindergarten: Projects, Passion, Peers, and Play

    This episode features Mitch Resnick of the MIT Media Lab, creator of Scratch and author of Lifelong Kindergarten, on why schools must shift from instructionism to constructionism and design learning around the Four Ps: Projects, Passion, Peers, and Play. Mitch explains how creative learning grows through experimentation, iteration, and the creative learning spiral, and why “low floor, high ceiling, wide walls” environments expand access for every learner. The conversation explores the balance of freedom and support, the role of examples in scaling change, and how schools can shift both mindsets and structures to prioritize creativity and agency. The takeaway: when schools cultivate trust and respect and design for making, collaboration, and joyful rigor, young people develop the most human skills needed to thrive in a fast-changing world.

12. 

    12 Jan 2026

    Kids as the North Star: Deeper Learning, Trusting Teachers, and Reimagining School

    This episode features Jeff Riley, former Massachusetts Commissioner of Education and cofounder of Day of AI, on why schools must move beyond compliance and refocus on deeper learning, teacher trust, and student well-being. Jeff explores how over-mechanized systems have stalled progress, why task predicts performance, and how empowering teachers leads to stronger engagement and outcomes. The conversation spans mental health, arts and enrichment, data-informed practice, and the promise of AI to reduce administrative burden and personalize learning. The takeaway is clear: when kids are the North Star and educators are trusted to teach well, schools can become places of joy, purpose, and lasting learning. School Reboot is a podcast from Acera Education Innovation (AceraEI).

13. 

    26 Nov 2025

    Measuring What Matters: Leverage Data to Power Change from Within?

    This episode asks: are we measuring what truly matters for students? With guest Nick Morgan, Senior Consultant at Learning Forward and Lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, we move beyond standardized test scores to a simple playbook: pick a clear outcome, track a few quick measures (exit tickets, tallies, short surveys), and iterate fast. We replace “fidelity” with adaptive integration, make data transparent, and include culture and belonging as core measures of school success. When teachers act like researchers and leaders protect smart risk-taking, assessment becomes part of learning, not a source of fear. School Reboot is a podcast from Acera Education Innovation (AceraEI).

14. 

    12 Nov 2025

    Becoming a School of Yes: Student Choice & Teachers as Facilitators of Discovery

    In this episode of School Reboot, we explore how choice transforms classrooms into places of curiosity and joy. From self-guided stations rooted in Universal Design for Learning to tiered assignments that let students “choose up,” we see how autonomy builds engagement and rigor. Responsive projects—like student newspapers, environmental proposals, and creative clubs—turn curiosity into leadership and learning with purpose. When teachers shift from directing to facilitating, and schools adopt a “School of Yes” mindset, students don’t just learn, they thrive and lead. Choice becomes the foundation for motivation, confidence, and lasting love of learning. School Reboot is a podcast from Acera Education Innovation (AceraEI).

15. 

    29 Oct 2025

    Moving Away from Punishment: Re-inventing School Discipline to Focus on Student Learning and Growth

    This episode of School Reboot rethinks school discipline from the ground up, moving away from punishment and compliance toward care, conversation, and kids’ real needs. Drawing on motivational psychology and moral development research, we explore why fear-based systems fail to build lasting judgment and instead demoralize both students and teachers, with real costs for learning time and equity. We unpack what a humane, effective alternative looks like: cultures rooted in curiosity and respect, movement and choice throughout the day, supportive tools available to all students, and realistic expectations around noise and engagement. The episode also highlights Collaborative Problem Solving, reframing rules as shared values, and practical strategies schools and families can use to support regulation, belonging, and growth. The takeaway is simple: when adults lead with respect, movement, tools, voice, and values, children develop judgment, internalize belonging, and learn more deeply. School Reboot is a podcast from Acera Education Innovation (AceraEI).

16. 

    15 Oct 2025

    Beyond One-Size-Fits-All: The Power of Parent Participation and Individualized Paths for Kids

    This episode of School Reboot explores how schools can move beyond one-size-fits-all teaching and create learning experiences that truly fit every child. We start with Start-of-Year Listening Conferences, a simple but powerful practice where teachers meet families to listen. With this simple practice, teachers learn about a child’s strengths, challenges, hopes, and motivations, while families feel seen and valued. With translation apps and flexible options like Zoom or phone calls, every caregiver can be heard, regardless of language or schedule. Next, we look at how these insights can be transformed into an Individual Learning Plan (ILP). Each plan lists strengths, growth areas, and goals—giving teachers a clear, human-centered roadmap for instruction. The ILP becomes a living document that evolves throughout the year and supports reflection mid-year and beyond. Finally, we dive into Teacher-to-Teacher Handoffs, an often-overlooked bridge between grade levels. When teachers share strategies and learning profiles, the new school year begins with understanding already in place—saving time and deepening connection. Together, these three shifts—listening conferences, Individual Learning Plans, and handoffs—build a culture of trust and partnership among teachers, families, and students. They make differentiation not just possible but practical, turning classrooms into places where every learner is known, supported, and able to thrive. School Reboot is a podcast from Acera Education Innovation (AceraEI).

17. 

    1 Oct 2025

    Small Changes, Big Impact: Rebooting the School Experience

    This episode of School Reboot dives into three powerful shifts that can transform how students experience school from the moment they arrive. First, we explore the idea of a “Skipping Please” culture—reframing the rules and expectations around student movement. Instead of “no running” or “sit still,” schools can say yes to skipping, stretching, and moving as a natural part of learning. This approach recognizes that kids learn best when their bodies are engaged, movement fuels joy and creativity, and inclusion grows when schools honor the diverse sensory and physical needs of all students. We share shifts that schools or even just classrooms can create when they redesign the start of the school day. Rather than beginning with worksheets or compliance-driven routines, schools can launch with choice-based clubs, creativity stations, or interest zones that excite students and teachers alike. This practice boosts attendance, sparks belonging, and sets a joyful tone for the day. Students enter the day with engagement and purpose, while teachers lead electives or activities they themselves love, fueling their own morale and creativity, and ultimately retention. Lastly, we look at how choice within real-world assignments builds ownership and motivation. When students can decide how to approach tasks—whether through making, writing, designing, coding, or storytelling—they feel empowered and supported while still meeting shared academic goals. Teachers structure this choice with clear rubrics and scaffolds, ensuring rigor, access, and individualized paths. The result is personal, purposeful learning that connects to authentic audiences and problems. Together, these three shifts—movement, choice, and joyful starts—offer practical, human-centered ways to make school feel less like compliance and more like possibility. School Reboot is a podcast from Acera Education Innovation (AceraEI).

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Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

3 ratings

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.