KIPP On Learning Podcast
By The KIPP Foundation
KIPP On Learning Podcast Apr 17, 2023
A Conversation with NYT Best Selling Author Erika L. Sánchez
For our series finale episode, we are excited to have New York Times best-selling author Erika L. Sánchez join us to talk about what inspires her work, what’s next for her, and how we can ignite students to become passionate readers and writers.
Erika L. Sánchez is a Mexican American poet, novelist, and essayist. Her debut poetry collection, Lessons on Expulsion, was a finalist for the PEN Open Book Award. Her debut young adult novel, I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, was a New York Times bestseller and a National Book Award finalist. It’s now being made into a film directed by America Ferrera. She is also the Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz Chair at DePaul University in Chicago. Her newest release and first adult book Crying in The Bathroom is a memoir that traces her life in deeply moving, wildly hilarious prose—from her misfit childhood growing up as the daughter of Mexican immigrants in ’90s Chicago, to struggles with her body and mental illness, to her rise to literary fame.
A Conversation with Farai Chideya, Journalist and Host of Our Body Politic Podcast
This month we are excited to be joined by journalist Farai Chideya to talk about her career in journalism and her insights on our political landscape. Farai is an award-winning journalist, speaker, author, and academic who tells stories about the human journey, government, and global society. She has covered every presidential election since 1996 and has reported for various outlets, from NPR, ABC News, CNN, the Intercept, Newsweek, and more. Since the start of her career, Farai has championed the need for equitable practices in news media. She's now the host of, Our Body Politic, a podcast unapologetically centered on how women of color experience and impact the major political events of today.
Reimagining the Use of EdTech In The Classroom w/ CEO of Khan Academy
We are thrilled to kick off the year with special guest Sal Khan, CEO and founder of Khan Academy.
Sal Khan founded Khan Academy as a nonprofit organization in 2008 with a mission to provide a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere. Khan Academy has more than 145 million registered users around the world, serves students in 51 languages, and is used in more than 190 countries. Khan Academy’s platforms include more than 70,000 interactive practice problems as well as videos and articles that cover a range of pre-K–12 subjects. Since the pandemic, the organization has grown from 9 to 280 school district partners across the country and has been used to teach in KIPP classrooms across the network.
Listen to hear Sal Khan discuss how Khan Academy evolved to meet the needs of students during the pandemic, the future of EdTech, reimagining the adoption of AI in the classroom, and more.
We hope you enjoy the episode and be sure to subscribe to get alerted first about new episodes.
Stop Shrinking and Own Your Accomplishments – 2022 KIPP Alumni Summit Session Highlights
Why is talking about yourself and your accomplishments so difficult? Join Career Confidence Coach Toni Purvis as she teaches how to speak about your accomplishments modestly but proudly without being cringey or annoying, and how to advocate for yourself when it counts most.
Toni Purvis is the owner of Paradigm One LLC, a consulting firm that partners with colleges, universities, non-profits, and companies to provide etiquette workshops, organizational coaching, and career development consulting. She takes extreme pride and passion in helping young professionals navigate their work environment, polish their brand, shape their professional image, and own their narrative. Emphasizing self-awareness and social intelligence, her approach focuses on practical strategies to increase confidence through soft skills, executive presence, and authentic relationship building.
We hope you enjoy the episode and be sure to subscribe to the KIPP On Learning Podcast to get alerted first about new episodes. Give us a rating too if you have a moment 🙂
Mobilizing Young People To Vote
It’s mid-term election time and although the polls have closed important civic engagement work continues across the country. This month we are excited to have Stephanie Young, Executive Director and Senior Advisor at When We All Vote join us to talk about their efforts to mobilize voter registration, especially for young people, across the country.
Over the past 12 years, Stephanie has worked in various communications roles ranging from TV newsrooms to non-profits, political campaigns, the United States Congress and President Obama’s White House.
Launched by former First Lady Michelle Obama, When We All Vote sponsors voter registration drives in our regions and shares information about registering and voting with our families, alumni and students. KIPP is a proud partner with When We All Vote as this work is directly tied to our mission, to build a more just world together with our communities.
We hope you enjoy the episode and subscribe to the KIPP On Learning Podcast to be alerted about new episodes.
How The Trevor Project Is Supporting LGBTQIA+ Youth
Suicide is the second leading cause of death among young people age 10-24 and LGBTQIA+ youth are 4x more likely to attempt suicide than their peers. This month, we are grateful to be joined by Keygan Miller, Public Training Manager at the Trevor Project - the world’s largest suicide prevention and mental health organization supporting LGBTQIA+ youth.
Keygan oversees design and facilitation of public trainings to advance Trevor’s suicide prevention work and teaches audiences to be strong allies for LGBTQIA+ youth. Prior to this work, Keygan was an Advocacy Manager at The Trevor Project where they were responsible for researching and strategizing on policy initiatives impacting LGBTQ youth at local, state, and federal levels.
For some, this topic may be deeply personal or triggering. If you or a young person you know are contemplating suicide, immediate support is available. Text START to 678-678 to be connected to a Trevor Project Counselor or dial 988 to be connected to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline for free and confidential support.
How The Legacy of Latinx Activism Influenced Education Today
How many of you have heard of the following court cases: Mendez v Westminster? Plyler v. Doe? Most of us know about the historic case Brown v Board of Education that ruled racial segregation in schools unconstitutional.
In 1946, before the Brown decision, eight-year-old Sylvia Mendez was one of the children represented in the case Mendez v. Westminster when a group of Mexican American families in California won the very first federal court case ruling that the segregation of public schools was unconstitutional. A decision that paved the way for the Brown decision.
This year also marks the 40th anniversary of Plyler v. Doe, when a group of undocumented Mexican families from Texas in 1982 argued and won their case in the Supreme Court, ensuring that children living in the U.S. without legal immigration documentation could access a public education. This case laid the groundwork for the DREAM Act and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program also known as DACA – both of which are essential today to thousands of children and young adults across the United States.
This month we are delighted to welcome attorney, journalist, and television commentator Raul Reyes to talk more about the legacy of these historic cases, their impact, and the future of DACA.
Demystifying Tech: A Roadmap for a Successful Tech Career – 2022 KIPP Alumni Summit Session Highlights
This summer we hosted our second KIPP Alumni Summit in Washington, DC, with 300 alumni from around the country! In the span of three days, we were proud to offer 29 sessions focused on professional development, financial well-being, and mental health—nearly half led by KIPP alumni! We are excited to share some of those session highlights as bonus content for the KIPP On Learning Podcast.
Listen to this episode on Demystifying Tech: A Roadmap for a Successful Tech Career with guests Andrew Baines, Podcast Producer & Host of CuSTEM Journeys, Jerelyn Rodriquez, CEO of The Knowledge House, Joél Ramirez, Chief Technology officer at Quirk Chat, and Simone May, CTO and Co-Founder of Clutch. Panelists share their personal stories on how they got into tech, best practices on how to get into the industry, and what it takes to succeed. We hope you enjoy the content and if you want to learn more about our programs visit www.kipp.org/alumni
A Conversation with Melanie Willingham-Jaggers, Executive Director of GLSEN
At KIPP we strive to be a community where every member of our team and family can authentically and proudly be who they are and who they want to be, every day of every month. As we honor PRIDE across KIPP this month, our hearts go out to teachers, leaders and young people who are in schools where new legislation prohibits them from using a curriculum or discussing topics of gender identity or sexual orientation. Joining us to talk about what we as educators can do to support our students’ freedom and well-being to live their full authentic selves is Melanie Willingham, Executive Director of GLSEN.
Melanie Willingham-Jaggers (They/She), is the newly appointed Executive Director at GLSEN a national non-profit that works to ensure K-12 education is safe and affirming for all students, including LGBTQ+ youth. Before joining GLSEN, Melanie served as the Program Associate Director of The Worker Institute at Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations.
If you like what you hear, subscribe to get alerted about new episodes and visit www.kipp.org for job opportunities and information about our schools.
Goldberg Scholar and Activist, Andrea Tecpoyotl
This month on the KIPP On Learning Podcast, we are honored to talk with Andrea Tecpoyotl, a Goldberg scholar who is a senior at the University of San Diego and an alum of KIPP San Diego. An activist, Andrea has spent considerable time advocating for DREAMers nationwide. She found her passion for activism when she advocated for the DREAM Act in Washington, D.C. During Andrea's time there, she met with Congress to push for legislation that would provide a permanent solution to protect DREAMers. Andrea's ultimate goal is to open a nonprofit organization that helps immigrants and the undocumented community.
The Dave Goldberg Scholars Program honors the remarkable life and legacy of Dave Goldberg by providing exceptional KIPP graduates with financial support and mentorship throughout their college years. This annual scholarship is focused on assisting a new generation of diverse alumni to become the leaders of tomorrow. Learn more here.
Listen to learn more about her incredible journey and her experience being a part of the first cohort graduating the Goldberg Scholars Program.
Digging Deep into What Makes Students Thrive with Angela Duckworth
In this episode of the KIPP On Learning Podcast, KIPP Co-Founder Dave Levin is joined by distinguished psychologist, author, and host Angela Duckworth to discuss her research into what makes students thrive.
Angela Duckworth is the Co-founder and CEO of the nonprofit Character Lab, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, a MacArthur “Genius Award” Fellow, the co-leader of Penn’s Behavior Change for Good initiative, the author of the New York Times best-selling book “Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance,” and the co-host of the popular podcast No Stupid Questions, which is part of the Freakonomics Radio network.
If you like what you hear, subscribe to get alerted about new episodes and visit www.kipp.org for job opportunities and information about our schools.
A Conversation With Dr. Walter Kimbrough, President of Dillard University
When KIPPsters started returning to college campuses this semester, more than 1,700 of them did so at a Historically Black College and University. As of this fall, KIPP has a formal partnership with 9 HBCUs, including Dillard University which has been a KIPP college partner since 2013.
This month, KIPP Co-Founder Dave Levin, had the honor of talking with Dr. Walter Kimbrough, President of Dillard University about the unique challenges of running an institution of higher education today, how he fought to stay open through most of the pandemic, and how the role and recognition of HBCUs in this country has changed during his 10-year tenure.
Preventing Teacher Burnout with Danna Thomas, Founder of Happy Teacher Revolution
In this episode of the KIPP on Learning Podcast, KIPP Co-Founder Dave Levin is joined by Danna Thomas, founder of Happy Teacher Revolution. In 2014, Danna started her organization to empower educators to advocate for their mental health. Danna’s organization started as a support group for teachers in her school in Baltimore and has grown to support teachers in more than 300 schools across the United States and internationally. Listen to hear about the work her organization is doing to increase teacher happiness and professional sustainability.
Going To School During a Pandemic: A KIPP Student Perspective
In this episode, host and KIPP Co-Founder Dave Levin is joined by 8th-grade student Sanaa Pledger from KIPP Metro Atlanta Public Schools to talk about her experience so far back in the classroom, learning through the pandemic, her passion for writing, and more.
Breaking Down Barriers - Alumni Diversifying Congress and Creating Change
In this episode, KIPP Co-Founder Dave Levin is joined by political consultant and KIPP Colorado alumna Ileana Astorga to discuss her experience working for the people of Colorado in Senator Michael Bennett's Washington D.C. office. You’ll also hear how Ileana’s time as a 2015 KIPP Federal Policy Fellow impacted her career path after college.
For more information on the KIPP Federal Policy Fellowship and to apply, please visit www.KIPP.org/KIPPToTheCapitol by January 10th.
How Braven Is Helping Close the Underemployment Gap
In this episode, KIPP Co-Founder Dave Levin is joined by Aimée Eubanks Davis, CEO of Braven to discuss the work her organization is doing to help first generation college graduates land strong first jobs.
Back To School With KIPP’s New President Kinnari Patel-Smyth
In this episode, KIPP Co-Founder Dave Levin is joined by Kinnari Patel-Smyth, KIPP's new president, to talk about the year ahead and her vision for the next several years.
If you like what you hear, subscribe to get alerted about new episodes and visit https://www.kipp.org for job opportunities and information about our schools.
Moving Forward – Alumni Pursuing Their Highest Aspirations
KIPP Public Schools have always been known for its focus on getting more students to and through college. Today, we aspire to lead the education sector in championing a broader view of success. KIPP is changing the name of all aspects of our post-secondary work from KIPP through college, to KIPP Forward, focused on this broader view of life success, which is inclusive of college, but not limited or solely defined by it.
Joining us to talk about the evolution of our approach to educational and career path counseling is Jane Martinez Dowling, Chief of External Affairs at KIPP NYC. Jane has been championing this work for more than 30 years, and since 1999, has been a leader in KIPP on how to best support our alumni.
If you like what you hear, subscribe to get alerted about new episodes and visit https://www.kipp.org for job opportunities and information about our schools.
Creating Brave and Inclusive Spaces In Schools
In this episode, KIPP Co-Founder Dave Levin is joined by KIPP Texas Austin College Prep Principal, Juan Juarez to discuss the work he's doing to fulfill KIPP Texas public schools’ commitment to creating brave and inclusive spaces for LGBTQIA+ students and staff.
If you like what you hear, subscribe to get alerted about new episodes and visit https://www.kipp.org for job opportunities and information about our schools.
Centering Social Emotional Learning and Mental Health In The Classroom
May is Mental Health Awareness month and since the start of the pandemic, one of our top priorities at KIPP has been supporting our students and families who are experiencing trauma on an outsized scale. In this episode, KIPP Co-Founder Dave Levin is joined by Sheyla Riaz, Director of social work at KIPP New Jersey to discuss the social emotional learning work being done to support students in her region.
If you like what you hear, subscribe to get alerted about new episodes and visit www.kipp.org for job opportunities and information about our schools.
Dominique Mejia, The First KIPP Alum School Founder Shares Vision for KIPP Affirm
In this episode KIPP Co-Founder Dave Levin is joined by Dominque Mejia founding principal of KIPP Affirm, a new KIPP middle school opening this summer in the Bronx, New York. Dominique is also making KIPP history as one of the first alumna to open a KIPP school. During the episode, she talks about her path from a music artist to an educator and her community focused vision for KIPP Affirm.
If you like what you hear, subscribe to get alerted about new episodes and visit www.kipp.org for job opportunities and information about our schools.
Teaching Financial Literacy and Building Wealth in Underserved Communities with Ashley Copeland CEO of Stacks and the City
In this episode, KIPP Co-Founder Dave Levin is joined by Ashley Copeland, founder and CEO of Stacks and the City. Ashley is a KIPP North Carolina alum and her company is committed to bringing financial education to underserved communities. During the episode, Ashley talks about tangible ways to build wealth and how she’s empowering people to have financial freedom through her work. She also shares her own personal glow and grow moments as a woman entrepreneur. Later, you’ll hear from KIPP Metro Atlanta Alum Nzali Scales, CEO of Zaza’s Kitchen and KIPP SoCal Alum Daisy Hernandez, Owner of Sol y Flor Shop in a special bonus segment you don't want to miss [25:17].
If you like what you hear, subscribe to get alerted about new episodes and visit www.kipp.org for job opportunities and information about our schools.
Teaching Culturally Relevant Black History and Civic Engagement
In this episode KIPP Co-Founder Dave Levin is joined by Monica Reed, Lead Teacher of African-American Culture at KIPP Inspire Academy in St. Louis, Missouri. During the episode they discuss how she’s teaching civic engagement in a culturally relevant way in the classroom and her approach to designing a unique curriculum that teaches Black history year round.
If you like what you hear, subscribe to get alerted about new episodes and visit www.kipp.org for job opportunities and information about our schools.
Bringing The Collective Voice Back To Family Engagement Featuring Shani Dowell CEO of Possip
This episode, we’ll discuss how schools can become more equitable in the ways they engage with families. Joining host and KIPP Co-founder Dave Levin to share their expertise on the topic is Shani Dowell, CEO and Founder of Possip. Possip, short for "positive gossip," partners with schools and uses text messages to get quick surveys and reactions from parents ranging from praise for teachers to feedback on bullying and school culture. Today, Possip has a presence in 700 schools across 24 states and is currently being used in nine KIPP regions. Shani is not only an entrepreneur and leader in student and family recruitment, she was a public school math teacher in Houston and helped KIPP open schools in three cities. During the episode, she talks about the importance of communicating in a way that allows families to feel seen and the power of a collective voice in strengthening family engagement.
If you like what you hear, subscribe to get alerted about new episodes and visit www.kipp.org for job opportunities and information about our schools.
Why Supporting Historically Black Colleges and Universities Is Crucial in The Fight For Equity and Justice
For our last episode of the year, KIPP Co-Founder Dave Levin welcomes two KIPP Foundation Board of Director members, Dr. Michael L. Lomax, United Negro College Fund’s (UNCF) President and CEO for more than 16 years and Reed Hastings, founder and CEO of Netflix who in June donated $120 million to UNCF, Spelman and Morehouse College, the largest-ever gift to support scholarships at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Dave leads a discussion with Lomax and Hastings about the importance HBCUs have in the college persistence rates of more than 1,700 KIPP alumni currently enrolled there, and why supporting these institutions is crucial in the path to achieving racial equity in our country. On this episode, Reed Hastings calls for a doubling down on funding for education and housing and Dr. Lomax, shines a light on how increased funding for HBCUs is a catalyst for change in educational outcomes of Black/African American students and society as a whole.
If you like what you hear, subscribe to get alerted about new episodes and visit www.kipp.org for job opportunities and information about our schools.
The Power of the Latinx Vote In the 2020 Election
Thirty two million people who identify as Latinx will be eligible to vote in the 2020 election, a record number making Latinos the largest minority voter group for the first time in history according to the Pew Research Center. For our October episode, KIPP Co-Founder Dave Levin is joined by Clarissa Martínez-de-Castro, Deputy Vice President of Policy and Advocacy at UnidosUS and Dr. Stephen Nuño-Perez, the Director of Communications and Senior Analyst at Latino Decisions to discuss the influence Latinx voters have to shape one of the most important elections in American history and the work being done to mobilize Latinx voices across the nation. If you still haven’t registered to vote, or don’t know how and where to vote in your state, it’s not too late! Go to WhenWeAllVote.org/KIPP/ to get started.
Labor Day Episode: The Lingering Economic and Emotional Effects of COVID-19 on KIPP Families
For our September episode, KIPP Co-Founder Dave Levin chats with Seth Harris, former Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor under the Obama Administration, for a conversation about the lingering economic impact of COVID-19 on the workforce in America. Later in the episode, Dave is joined by KIPP NYC parent Wanda Neal to talk about her experience working as an essential worker in an emergency room department.
Reopening Schools: Caring for our Students, Teachers and Staff
In this episode, KIPP Co-Founder Dave Levin is joined by Erin Slezak, Deputy Chief of Strategy at KIPP Texas and Joey LaRoche, Chief Strategy Officer at KIPP New Orleans for a conversation about their regional reopening plans and how they are keeping students, families and staff motivated for the school year ahead.
Note: Since the taping of this episode, Texas is allowing KIPP schools in the region to now open virtually for the first four weeks and has an extended transition into physical school for an additional four weeks.
Moving Beyond Control in the Fight for Racial Justice
In this episode, KIPP Co-Founder and host Dave Levin is joined by Erin Trent Johnson, CEO, Coach, and founder of Community Equity Partners, and the Senior Advisor for The Equity Lab, and Kyra Mitchell, Chair of the NAACP National Youth Work Committee for a conversation on the ways in which systemic racism and anti-blackness manifest and intersect inside and outside of the classroom. Kyra also shares her advice for Gen Z interested in organizing and want to lend their voice in this historic movement for racial justice.
The Impact of the Pandemic on 2020 Graduates and The Persistence Work That Lies Ahead
In this episode, KIPP Co-Founder and host Dave Levin is joined by David Page, Vice President of Enrollment Management at Dillard University and Ajuah Helton, National Director of the KIPP through College Program for a talk about the impact of the pandemic on first generation college students. They’ll also discuss the persistence work that lies ahead for college counselors across the country and why bridging the gap between college and career should be at the center of the work.
Turning Hope into Action: Why The COVID-19 Crisis Is an Opportunity To Reshape the Way We View Schooling
The COVID-19 pandemic has heightened the racial disparities and inequities black and brown families have been experiencing in the United States for decades. In this episode, KIPP Co-Founder and host Dave Levin is joined by Jessica Cunningham Akoto, Executive Director of KIPP Philadelphia and Benny Vásquez, Chief Equity Officer at the KIPP Foundation to discuss how educators, leaders, and advocates can use this unprecedented time as an opportunity to transform the way we think about schooling to better support the needs of students and the communities they live in.
We created an open-source repository of resources, templates, guidelines shared by KIPP regions and other education leaders to help support staff, students and families in response to COVID19. Explore the Resource Bank here: http://bit.ly/covidresources #togetherwearestronger
Insights, Inspiration, and Challenges from the KIPP Network In Wake Of COVID-19
KIPP co-founder and host Dave Levin is joined by Chinedu Udeh, principal of KIPP Empower Academy in South Los Angeles and Carlos 'Cap' Capellan, principal of KIPP NYC College Prep for a candid conversation about their experiences as school leaders during the COVID-19 pandemic.