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Who do you actually trust to tell you what works in education — the policymaker, the researcher, or the person who’s lived every layer of the system? Dr. James Lane has been all three: band director, teacher, principal, superintendent, state and federal policymaker, and now CEO of University Instructors. He joins hosts Dr. Roberta Lenger Kang and Dr. Cristina Compton to unpack his new book, Leading with Laser Focus: The Seven Steps to School Success, sharing the deeply personal stories behind his framework and discussing “academic optimism” — the belief that teachers, more than any outside factor, make the decisive difference in a student’s trajectory. We’re proud to make this content free and accessible to all. If you find value in our episodes, please consider donating to support and sustain our efforts: https://cpet.tc.columbia.edu/giving.html

Recorded fresh off the UNIWELL Conference — a joint gathering of Teachers College, UNESCO, and the UN focused on the global crisis in teacher well-being — host Dr. Roberta Lenger Kang sits down with CPET coaches Dr. Jacqui Stolzer, Dr. Maria Luisa Underwood, and Dr. Kelsey Hammond (former CPET coach, now Learning Scientist at Google) to talk about what they saw, presented, and took home. They dig into why teacher stress is a systems problem, not a personal one, and unpack the connections between culturally responsive, sustaining education and translanguaging — two frameworks that are usually discussed separately but rarely put into practice apart. Along the way: a sobering statistic on teacher satisfaction, the "say something" protocol, and why "teaching huddles" might be coaching's best-kept secret. We’re proud to make this content free and accessible to all. If you find value in our episodes, please consider donating to support and sustain our efforts: https://cpet.tc.columbia.edu/giving.html

Why does learning to read come easily for some kids and feel like an invisible wall for others? Dr. Shantell Blake, VP of Education and Outreach at Reading Horizons, joins Dr. Roberta Lenger Kang and Dr. Cristina Compton to unpack the science of reading — starting with personal stories of their own children's early reading struggles. Dr. Blake explains why reading is a taught skill, not a natural one, how word recognition and language comprehension must work together through "structured literacy," and why the burden of piecing together fragmented curricula shouldn't fall on individual teachers. A candid, research-grounded conversation for anyone who's ever watched a child struggle to read and wondered why. We’re proud to make this content free and accessible to all. If you find value in our episodes, please consider donating to support and sustain our efforts: https://cpet.tc.columbia.edu/giving.html

Why do some "turn and talk" moments fizzle out or drift off-topic? Dr. Tia Albig, a sixth-grade teacher and model learner, joins hosts Dr. Roberta Lenger Kang and Dr. Cristina Compton to unpack "purposeful talk" — a framework built on four reasons we talk: to build relationships, play with ideas, argue, and report out. Tia shares how naming these purposes for students transforms classroom conversation from chaotic to intentional, why low-stakes talk is the on-ramp to deeper discourse, and how classroom culture and student dignity make it all possible. A practical, energizing conversation for any educator trying to move beyond surface-level discussion and toward real communication skills that last a lifetime. We’re proud to make this content free and accessible to all. If you find value in our episodes, please consider donating to support and sustain our efforts: https://cpet.tc.columbia.edu/giving.html

In our milestone 200th episode, CPET founding director Professor Ruth Vinz returns to Teaching Today for a conversation about what endures in teaching—and what she’s learned along the way. Joined by Dr. Roberta Lenger Kang and Dr. Cristina Compton, Ruth reflects on 25 years of CPET, the porousness of spaces that invite real learning, and why teachers need principles they can name and stand behind. From pandemic pivots to scripted curricula to the quiet power of silence in a classroom, this episode is a call to teach with courage, stay honest about what works, and never do it alone. We’re proud to make this content free and accessible to all. If you find value in our episodes, please consider donating to support and sustain our efforts: https://cpet.tc.columbia.edu/giving.html

In 199, we explored Teaching Today's origin stories with hosts and co-hosts who got things started and kept them going! Next time, we'll celebrate our 200th episode with Dr. Ruth Vinz, the founding director of the Center for Professional Education of Teachers (CPET). This episode is a callback conversation from episode 100, where Ruth, Roberta, and Sherrish discuss building reciprocal partnerships, cultivating a culture of collaboration, and keeping curiosity and imagination alive in the work of teaching and learning. We’re proud to make this content free and accessible to all. If you find value in our episodes, please consider donating to support and sustain our efforts: cpet.tc.columbia.edu/giving.html

Episode 199 is a homecoming. Dr. Roberta Lenger Kang gathers with some of the people who helped build Teaching Today from the ground up — Dr. Sherrish Holloman, Dr. Cristina Compton, Brian Veprek, and original CenterEd Teaching host Dr. Matt Kautz — to celebrate nearly 200 episodes of free, educator-centered professional learning. Together they trace the journey from a round table with a microphone in the middle to a global podcast reaching listeners across continents. Along the way, they get into what makes a great conversation, why "promising practices" will always beat "best practices," and what it means to keep showing up for educators in turbulent times. Pull up a chair — listen in on the conversation — you're exactly who this was made for. We’re proud to make this content free and accessible to all. If you find value in our episodes, please consider donating to support and sustain our efforts: https://cpet.tc.columbia.edu/giving.html

In the landscape of professional learning, it is easy to settle for "random acts of kindness" or one-size-fits-all workshops—but real, sustainable change requires a deeper grounding. In this episode of Teaching Today, Dr. Roberta Lenger Kang is joined by Dr. Kelsey Hammond and Dr. Sherrish Holloman to explore three of CPET’s "Six C’s": Cultivating Strengths, Contextualized Practice, and Culturally Relevant, Responsive, and Sustaining Pedagogy (CRSP). The conversation moves beyond flashy mission statements to the "complex root system" of intentional practice. Listen in for a vulnerable and insightful conversation about how these principles work recursively to elevate the humanity and expertise of every educator. We’re proud to make this content free and accessible to all. If you find value in our episodes, please consider donating to support and sustain our efforts: https://cpet.tc.columbia.edu/giving.html

What does it really mean to reflect — not just on what happened, but on why it matters and what comes next? In this episode, Dr. Roberta Lenger Kang reunites with three of CPET's original team members — Courtney Brown, Dr. Cristina Compton, and Dr. Marcelle Mentor — to revisit 3 of the 6 principles that have grounded CPET's work for over a decade. Together, they look back at the messy, generative process of naming what they were already doing, and make the case for why Critical Reflection, Cycles of Inquiry, and Communities of Practice are not relics of the past — but essential tools for navigating the present. Pull up a chair. This is one of those conversations you'll want to eavesdrop on. We’re proud to make this content free and accessible to all. If you find value in our episodes, please consider donating to support and sustain our efforts: https://cpet.tc.columbia.edu/giving.html

Have you ever said or heard), I'm just not a math person? You're not alone — and according to our guests, that belief didn't happen by accident. In this episode, Dr. Gregory Benoit and Dr. Erin Barno join us to explore what it really means to teach mathematics ambitiously and equitably — moving beyond procedures and correct answers toward classrooms where meaning-making, multiple approaches, and every student's thinking are at the center. If you've ever wondered how to disrupt traditional math instruction without losing the room, this conversation is for you. We’re proud to make this content free and accessible to all. If you find value in our episodes, please consider donating to support and sustain our efforts: https://cpet.tc.columbia.edu/giving.html

Math scores are lagging. Teachers are overwhelmed. And somewhere along the way, too many students stopped believing they're "math people." This episode is about changing that. Join us for a conversation with Dr. LaToya Byrd and Dr. April Mouton of Illustrative Mathematics — on problem-based learning, what effective professional development looks like, and why access to high-quality math instruction belongs to every student, teacher, and community member. We’re proud to make this content free and accessible to all. If you find value in our episodes, please consider donating to support and sustain our efforts: https://cpet.tc.columbia.edu/giving.html

Seventy-one years after Brown v. Board of Education, our schools are still grappling with segregation — not by law, but by the weight of history, housing, and systems that were never built with equity in mind. In this episode, host Dr. Roberta Lenger Kang sits down with Dr. Maria Luisa Underwood, CPET's lead professional development advisor, to talk about what it takes to prepare early career teachers for the racially diverse classrooms they step into every day. Drawing from her doctoral research on anti-racist pedagogy and K–5 teachers in New York City, Dr. Underwood shares what her study revealed — including what surprised her most — and offers a framework that any educator can use to reflect, grow, and take action. We’re proud to make this content free and accessible to all. If you find value in our episodes, please consider donating to support and sustain our efforts: https://cpet.tc.columbia.edu/giving.html

For many teachers, parent-teacher conferences rank among the most nerve-wracking moments of the school year. But what if they didn't have to be? In this episode, host Dr. Roberta Lenger Kang sits down with New Teacher Network leaders Courtney Brown and Pam McGowen to talk about what makes family engagement so challenging — and rewarding. From that first anxious phone call home to navigating multilingual families and emotionally charged conversations, they share real stories, hard-won lessons, and practical strategies that work. Whether you're heading into your first round of conferences or looking to strengthen the family relationships you've already built, this conversation will leave you feeling more prepared, more empathetic, and maybe even a little excited to pull up a chair. We’re proud to make this content free and accessible to all. If you find value in our episodes, please consider donating to support and sustain our efforts: https://cpet.tc.columbia.edu/giving.html

What if your most disengaged students—the ones with heads on desks and hoodies over their eyes—actually want to do their best work? Research shows they do. In this episode, Dr. Roberta Lenger Kang and Dr. Cristina Compton sit down with Dr. Kyra M. Caldwell Templeton, Program Director of Student Engagement at Atlanta Public Schools, to explore what happens when schools move beyond asking students about spirit week themes and actually bring them to the table for curriculum design, policy decisions, and strategic planning. As Dr. Caldwell Templeton reminds us: "You can simply ask a student and they'll tell you." The question is—are we ready to truly listen? We’re proud to make this content free and accessible to all. If you find value in our episodes, please consider donating to support and sustain our efforts: https://cpet.tc.columbia.edu/giving.html

In this episode, Dr. Roberta Lenger Kang sits down with Dr. Adele Bruni Ashley and Dr. Jen Gowers to discuss Literacy Unbound, an initiative designed to transform the way students engage with complex, "hard to read" texts. The conversation explores how to move away from rigid, traditional literary analysis toward a model of collaborative artistry and creative remixing. Through multiple entry points and "taming" intimidating texts, stories that seem far away become personally relevant and accessible to all learners. Participate in this year’s institute: https://cpet.tc.columbia.edu/literacy-unbound-2026.html We’re proud to make this content free and accessible to all. If you find value in our episodes, please consider donating to support and sustain our efforts: https://cpet.tc.columbia.edu/giving.html