in Piazza

Education activist and widely recognized speaker and writer Chris 'Citizen' Stewart, Chief Influencer at brightbeam, and often one of the most outspoken education voices around, joins Jeanne in Piazza for an unfiltered and challenging conversation on education in America. Taped in early April, it's a riveting discussion about school choice, race and political divisions along with Chris' renewed focus on the importance of fathers in Black families across the country.  Listen on for more about where this guests think education is headed in the US.

Gisèle Huff, education transformation advocate and founder and President of the Gerald Huff Fund for Humanity arrived in America at 11 from France and the horrors of the Holocaust - and has since dedicated her life to education and improving conditions in life for people in need - a journey she describes in her memoir, Force of Nature: The Remarkable True Story of One Holocaust Survivor’s Resilience, Tenacity, and Purpose. Gisele joins In Piazza to talk through her journey and more on the Future of Learning, from the classroom to the frontier of machine learning in AI. Don't miss it!

The second in two parts of the 2022 Yass Prize Awardees’ visit on in PIazza. The Phoenix Effect: Four individuals whose own life circumstances and challenges they overcame led them to create pathways to opportunity for others share their experiences.  Learn more about the Yass Prize and the 2022 awardee educators at yassprize.org.

Leaders from across the country representing the brightest ideas in education innovation and entrepreneurship join Jeanne Allen ‘in Piazza,’ tackling how hi-tech solutions are driving students’ new, stronger financial literacy, who’s doing microschooling right, and how districts in the traditional system are innovating to lead in an unprecedented educational environment. 

Learn more about the 2022 Yass Prize and the awardee schools and leaders at yassprize.org. 

A talented thought leader, and former six term state legislator in the Georgia House of Representatives who made history at 23 in being the youngest to serve Cobb county, Alisha Thomas Searcy talks about her experience running for the state’s top education post, the challenge of being a Democrat who holds positions not embraced by the establishment and how the arts influenced her life, then and now.

Guests Michael Horn and Phyllis Lockett join the 2022 Yass Prize Educator Cohort to talk about Impact and Innovation as part of the participants' accelerator programming. Learn more at yassprize.org

Welcome back to in Piazza after a summer long break! In this engaging conversation, Michigan charter school leader Dan Quisenberry and the attorney suing the Biden Administration talk about their efforts to protect parents’ rights to choose a charter school for their child.

We’re back in Piazza this September 2022 with an intensive look at the challenges charter schools have been facing since the spring when opponents of charter schools were able to get the White House on board in their efforts to put charter schools out of business. Tune in now!

In this episode of our "Best Of" series, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush joins InPiazza as he shares his thoughts on a wide range of topics with Jeanne and Michael — from COVID-19’s impact on schools and getting America back to work, to how he got started, his journey and the state of free speech today. 

In the first of our "Best Of" series, we're taking it back to our conversation InPiazza with Reed Hastings, co-founder, chairman and co-CEO of Netflix. He discusses his work and education opportunity for all with Jeanne and Michael. 

From how the state is helping schools personalize learning to giving students and families a better pathway to the future, the vision of this dynamic Arizona governor is featured in Piazza this week.

In this lively final episode of the STOP for Education series, two rock-star women ed tech innovators share with Jeanne how their programs infusing real-world applications into online learning are making a difference for students in the U.S. – and around the world.

Host:
Jeanne Allen, Center for Education Reform

Guests:
Sung Ae Yang, Rock by Rock, New York, NY
Rebecca Singer, Full STEAM Forward, National

What was it like for educators to get parent support for reopening schools in 2020? And why is the concept of school choice so controversial?

In the third part of a series recognizing award winners in education innovation, school leaders share their experiences about the support – and resistance – they’ve received from their students’ parents and communities and how it’s shaped their schools.

Host:
Jeanne Allen, Center for Education Reform

Guests:
Jill Kafka, Partnership Schools, New York, NY
Emily Kim, Zeta Schools, New York, NY
Rob Blevins, Discovery Science Center, Springfield, MO

Should schools be run as businesses? How would more competition impact the education sector’s status quo? Three award-winning education leaders answer these questions and more in the second of a four-part series honoring innovation in education throughout the pandemic.

Host: Jeanne Allen, Center for Education Reform

Guests:
Gavin Schiffres, CEO & Co-founder, Kairos Academies, St. Louis, MO
Dana Lambert, Director, GlobalEd Solutions, Pueblo West, CO
Allan Sherer, Founder, New Way Global, Greenville, SC

Three award-winning school principals take us back to March 2020 and how they pivoted as educators to continue serving their vulnerable student populations as the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on American education. In this new series from In Piazza, find out how they navigated state rules, rallied community support and met students’ physical and academic needs — and why their efforts are being honored.

Todd Rose, Co-founder of Populace, professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and author of Dark Horse with Ogi Ogas and The End of Average joins in Piazza to talk about why we’re not doing research right, how personalization can change the future of work and education for the better, and just how much what bring us together matters more than what sets us apart. 




Kathryn Jean Lopez, senior fellow at National Review Institute, where she directs the Center for Religion, Culture, and Civil Society, joins Jeanne in Piazza to talk about the hottest-button topic: religion in America, today. Don’t miss this commentary on why it’s more important than ever that we have mutual respect for one another, stand up for what we believe in, challenge our peers and not give up in the face of adversity.

(Originally aired: February 12, 2021) OZY CEO & co-founder Carlos Watson joins in Piazza to talk about education, history and the importance of news, especially in today's international crisis environment, and much more! 

Join Jeanne and Michael in Piazza for an exclusive conversation on the role opportunity and entrepreneurship play in making the American Dream possible for people throughout the globe, as well as the importance of ideas like perseverance and progressive, innovative thinking, especially now, to Democracy and the future of our society.

This week we are joined in Piazza by Catherine Truitt, who became North Carolina’s elected chief state school officer this January. Catherine’s career in education began as a high school English teacher, and she was appointed to the Governor’s team in 2015. Catherine was also Chancellor of Western Governors University of North Carolina (WGU NC), a role that has given her incredible perspective on how to connect education and the workforce.

Entrepreneur, investor and venture-capitalist Joe Lonsdale joins Jeanne and Michael in Piazza to discuss how growing up in Silicon Valley influenced his passion for technology, his thoughts on the business and innovation climate in California today, and the skill set he believes the next generation needs to develop the most creative and innovative solutions to the problems of the future.

Join Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush this week “in Piazza” as he shares his thoughts on a wide range of topics with Jeanne and Michael. From Covid’s impact on schools and getting America back to work, to how he got started, his journey and the state of free speech today, you will want to listen, learn, and share!

Getting Smart CEO and Partner Tom Vander Ark joins Jeanne and Michael in Piazza to talk about his extensive work advising companies and schools on education and innovation, his work in philanthropy, the importance of opportunity in education and the workplace, his take on the newest forms of schools spurred into greater use by COVID and more. 

Singer Lena Prima joins Jeanne and Michael in Piazza. Based in New Orleans, Prima - who is is the daughter of famed singer and trumpeter Louis  Prima, shares her genre spanning work in music and love for the arts, as well as her Italian-American heritage, why arts education access is so important and more.

Biz Equity Founder Michael Carter joins InPiazza.

Listen to the incomparable Steve Perry, educator, author and the founder of highly successful charter schools, who serve predominantly young men of color, and what he thinks about race and education opportunity today.

Reed Hastings (Netflix) joins InPiazza with Jeanne and Michael, to talk about his work and education opportunity for all.