School Reboot

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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).

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).

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).

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).

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).