MI SoundBoard

Debbie Stabenow was the first woman from Michigan elected to the U.S. Senate in 2000. Sen. Stabenow joins us for this special edition episode to discuss what's happening in D.C. in response to the coronavirus, what we can expect in Michigan and across the country, and much more.

What is it like to lead when a national pandemic strikes? What is it like to prepare to lead during a national pandemic? The current President and President-Elect of MASB join us to discuss this as well some of the initiatives they're overseeing and will continue to prioritize for school board members across the state.

Teachers and administrators aren't the only ones that can benefit from being trauma-informed. Dean Transportation, one of the nation's largest private school bus companies, has invested in ensuring its drivers are well-trained in empathy for their riders. In this episode, leaders from Dean Transportation join us to discuss in detail this training and some background to how it came to be.

Culture, to many people, boils down to be defined by skin color, as guest Marcy Peake explains in this episode. As you'll hear, Peake's definition encourages everyone to move the idea of culture from a telescopic lens to a microscopic one. We dive into the idea that the meaning of culture is how we live, love, work and play.

In this episode, MASB's Executive Director sits down with Legal Counsel Brad Banasik, J.D. and Director of Government Relations Jennifer Smith to discuss how the coronavirus has impacted public schools in Michigan and operations for boards of education.

In Michigan, we aim to ensure students go beyond K-12 education and complete some form of postsecondary education. We sit down with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's Policy Advisor for Postsecondary Education and Workforce Development to talk about how policies statewide are helping kids in Michigan aim higher. 

Research has shown zero tolerance policies in schools contribute to high rates of suspension, especially for minority populations. Restorative justice is a conflict management approach that focuses on healing rather than punishment. In this episode, we talk with the Michigan Department of Education's Deputy Superintendent of Finance and Operations Kyle Guerrant to further unpack these philosophies, principles and practices.

Term limits change the dynamics of politics, especially when it comes to building relationships with lawmakers. In this episode, we sit down with Rep. Aaron Miller, R-Sturgis, who chairs the appropriations subcommittees for the Department of Education and the School Aid Fund to talk about term limits, K-12 funding and much more.

In this episode, we sit down with the new Launch Michigan staff to discuss what Phase I includes in hopes of shifting public education in Michigan by way of this historic coalition of business, education and philanthropic organizations. 

Each individual student may learn at a slightly different pace than their peers. How is one school district in Michigan embracing a style of education that delivers personalized learning? In this episode, we sit down with Alpena Public Schools Superintendent, John VanWagoner, to unpack competency-based learning for listeners. 

Efforts toward a more diverse central office, prioritizing the whole child, retirement announcements and much more is what listeners can expect from this episode as leaders from Michigan Association of Superintendents and Administrators, Michigan School Business Officials and Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals join host Don Wotruba for a dialogue on public education in Michigan.

If employees aren't engaged (and according to Gallup, it's around 70% that don't feel engaged), they can't make a difference for those they work for or on behalf of on a day-to-day basis. But, how do we change that? Josh Schneider, Author and Founder, The Millennial & Employee Engagement Institute, joins us to discuss creating meaning in the role in which we spend such a significant amount of time. 

At the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) they define social-emotional learning as a process in which both youth and adults acquire and develop their social and emotional competencies. In this episode, we talk with CASEL's Director of Policy and Practice on what systemic SEL looks like in a school system.

For today's students, school athletics look a little different than what past generations have experienced. What challenges is this causing and what new trends have emerged? We sit down with the Michigan High School Athletic Association Executive Director to discuss this and more.

Superintendents face a lot of challenges, including building a strong relationship with their board of education. We sit down with Michigan's 2018-2019 Superintendent of the Year to look at what goes into being an effective superintendent and how relationships play an integral part in achieving such a goal.