The Cutting Ed Podcast

Matt Williams is the Chief Operating Officer and Vice President of Policy and Advocacy for Knowledge Works and has held multiple roles within the organization for over 11 years. Prior to that, he taught and ran a grant program at Baylor University. Williams has a Master’s in Education focusing on curriculum and instruction.North Dakota is not alone it pursuing innovative education opportunities. Williams says it’s a policy area that is emerging fast. He says in 2012, less than half of the states had any sort of policies around personalized, competency based or innovative learning. Now, he says, almost all states do including around half that have invested in an innovative program or pilot as North Dakota did with SB 2186 in the 2017 legislative session.“KnowledgeWorks is a national organization committed to providing every learner with meaningful personalized learning experiences that ensure success in college, career and civic life. With a presence in more than 30 states, we develop the capabilities of educators to implement and sustain competency-based and early college schools, partner with federal, state and district leaders to remove policy barriers that inhibit the growth of personalized learning and provide national thought leadership around the future of learning.” --Knowledge Works websiteResources:http://www.ndplaylist.orghttp://www.ndunited.org/thecuttingedhttp://www.knowledgeworks.org/Twitter:@thecuttinged@tdintersmith@NDDPI@PrairiePublicEd@NDUnited@bistom

Matt Williams is the Chief Operating Officer and Vice President of Policy and Advocacy for Knowledge Works and has held multiple roles within the organization for over 11 years. Prior to that, he taught and ran a grant program at Baylor University. Williams has a Master’s in Education focusing on curriculum and instruction.North Dakota is not alone it pursuing innovative education opportunities. Williams says it’s a policy area that is emerging fast. He says in 2012, less than half of the states had any sort of policies around personalized, competency based or innovative learning. Now, he says, almost all states do including around half that have invested in an innovative program or pilot as North Dakota did with SB 2186 in the 2017 legislative session.“KnowledgeWorks is a national organization committed to providing every learner with meaningful personalized learning experiences that ensure success in college, career and civic life. With a presence in more than 30 states, we develop the capabilities of educators to implement and sustain competency-based and early college schools, partner with federal, state and district leaders to remove policy barriers that inhibit the growth of personalized learning and provide national thought leadership around the future of learning.” --Knowledge Works websiteResources:http://www.ndplaylist.orghttp://www.ndunited.org/thecuttingedhttp://www.knowledgeworks.org/Twitter:@thecuttinged@tdintersmith@NDDPI@PrairiePublicEd@NDUnited@bistom

Nick Archuleta is on leave from the faculty at Century High School in Bismarck where he taught Spanish I and II. He was elected as President of NDEA in June 2013, and is serving as the first-ever President of North Dakota United. Archuleta also served on the NDEA Board of Directors and is former Vice Chairman of the Education Standards and Practices Board having been appointed by former Governor John Hoeven as well as by Governor Jack Dalrymple.Resources:www.ndplaylist.orgwww.ndunited.org/thecuttingedTwitter:@thecuttinged@NDUNick

Nick Archuleta is on leave from the faculty at Century High School in Bismarck where he taught Spanish I and II. He was elected as President of NDEA in June 2013, and is serving as the first-ever President of North Dakota United. Archuleta also served on the NDEA Board of Directors and is former Vice Chairman of the Education Standards and Practices Board having been appointed by former Governor John Hoeven as well as by Governor Jack Dalrymple.Resources:www.ndplaylist.orgwww.ndunited.org/thecuttingedTwitter:@thecuttinged@NDUNick

In January of 2017, Oakes Public School Superintendent Kraigg Steinhoff and Principal Brandon Bata decided to travel to Legacy High School in Bismarck to see firsthand what flex mod scheduling looks like and to determine if it could work in Oakes.They thought they were wasting their time. After all, part of their school was built in 1923 and they didn’t have the staff size or modern amenities that Legacy has. Staff members joined, and as they gathered on the bus to head back to Oakes following the site visit, they took a vote. Should Oakes shift to a flex mod schedule? Overwhelmingly, 18-1, staff voted in favor of the move.The firm commitment came weeks later in February. Bata worked tirelessly through the summer to develop the complex scheduling using a software program and the school made the transition to flex mod in the fall of 2018--just six months after making the decision.The conversation in this podcast outlines how Oakes made switch so quickly, highlights positives and challenges from the change and serves as a blueprint for other smaller school districts looking to make the change to flex mod scheduling.Resources:http://www.ndplaylist.orghttp://www.ndunited.org/thecuttingedVideo: Flex-Mod Schedule Oakes Public Schoolhttps://youtu.be/FnLC0DHP2HUTwitter: @thecuttinged

In January of 2017, Oakes Public School Superintendent Kraigg Steinhoff and Principal Brandon Bata decided to travel to Legacy High School in Bismarck to see firsthand what flex mod scheduling looks like and to determine if it could work in Oakes.They thought they were wasting their time. After all, part of their school was built in 1923 and they didn’t have the staff size or modern amenities that Legacy has. Staff members joined, and as they gathered on the bus to head back to Oakes following the site visit, they took a vote. Should Oakes shift to a flex mod schedule? Overwhelmingly, 18-1, staff voted in favor of the move.The firm commitment came weeks later in February. Bata worked tirelessly through the summer to develop the complex scheduling using a software program and the school made the transition to flex mod in the fall of 2018--just six months after making the decision.The conversation in this podcast outlines how Oakes made switch so quickly, highlights positives and challenges from the change and serves as a blueprint for other smaller school districts looking to make the change to flex mod scheduling.Resources:http://www.ndplaylist.orghttp://www.ndunited.org/thecuttingedVideo: Flex-Mod Schedule Oakes Public Schoolhttps://youtu.be/FnLC0DHP2HUTwitter: @thecuttinged

Tom Schmidt is the principal at Legacy High School in Bismarck since 2013 (the current building opened for students in 2015). Before that, Schmidt served as the principal as South Central High School in Bismarck and also taught at Bismarck High School for 18 years.Schmidt helped in the design of Legacy High School and implementation of flexible modular scheduling (flex mod scheduling/personalized scheduling). The flex mod schedule reimagines how time is used in school. Instead of a traditional school schedule of eight periods lasting 50 minutes, instructional time is divided into 40, 60 or 80 minute mods. The concept observes that not all students need the same amount of time for learning and allows for more collaborative time for teachers and students.Resources:Legacy High Schoolhttps://www.bismarckschools.org/Page/281An Introduction to Flex Mod Schedulinghttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YV4HWXVVJ08@dintersmith@thecuttinged @legacysabershttp://www.ndplaylist.orghttp://www.ndunited.org/thecuttinged

Tom Schmidt is the principal at Legacy High School in Bismarck since 2013 (the current building opened for students in 2015). Before that, Schmidt served as the principal as South Central High School in Bismarck and also taught at Bismarck High School for 18 years.Schmidt helped in the design of Legacy High School and implementation of flexible modular scheduling (flex mod scheduling/personalized scheduling). The flex mod schedule reimagines how time is used in school. Instead of a traditional school schedule of eight periods lasting 50 minutes, instructional time is divided into 40, 60 or 80 minute mods. The concept observes that not all students need the same amount of time for learning and allows for more collaborative time for teachers and students.Resources:Legacy High Schoolhttps://www.bismarckschools.org/Page/281An Introduction to Flex Mod Schedulinghttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YV4HWXVVJ08@dintersmith@thecuttinged @legacysabershttp://www.ndplaylist.orghttp://www.ndunited.org/thecuttinged

Tom Klapp was a finalist for North Dakota Teacher of the Year and was also named Northern Cass Teacher of the Year. Originally from Canada, Klapp graduated from Valley City State University with a Chemistry degree. Klapp, who has been at Northern Cass since 2006, teaches chemistry, physics and AP chemistry. Resources:@dintersmith@thecuttinged @NorthernCassDIndplayist.orgwww.ndunited.org/thecuttinged

Tom Klapp was a finalist for North Dakota Teacher of the Year and was also named Northern Cass Teacher of the Year. Originally from Canada, Klapp graduated from Valley City State University with a Chemistry degree. Klapp, who has been at Northern Cass since 2006, teaches chemistry, physics and AP chemistry. Resources:@dintersmith@thecuttinged @NorthernCassDIndplayist.orgwww.ndunited.org/thecuttinged

Ted Dintersmith says he got concerned about what he calls the collision between education and innovation a few years ago. Dintersmith says machine intelligence is advancing at an accelerating rate and schools (for the most part) are preparing kids to be good at short term memorization, replicating low level procedures and following instructions, which is exactly what machine intelligence is great at. Dintersmith thought about ways he could contribute and decided to produce a film. Most Likely to Succeed premiered in January of 2015 with Dintersmith serving as executive producer and documentarian Greg Whiteley directing. The film, which explores new ways to transform education while looking at shortcomings of our current system, has been shown at places like the Sundance Film Festival and the Tribeca Film Festival.Dintersmith is invested in finding answers to prepare our children for a dynamic world and future.Resources:www.ndplaylist.orgTwitter: @dintersmith@thecuttinged www.ndunited.org/thecuttinged

Ted Dintersmith says he got concerned about what he calls the collision between education and innovation a few years ago. Dintersmith says machine intelligence is advancing at an accelerating rate and schools (for the most part) are preparing kids to be good at short term memorization, replicating low level procedures and following instructions, which is exactly what machine intelligence is great at. Dintersmith thought about ways he could contribute and decided to produce a film. Most Likely to Succeed premiered in January of 2015 with Dintersmith serving as executive producer and documentarian Greg Whiteley directing. The film, which explores new ways to transform education while looking at shortcomings of our current system, has been shown at places like the Sundance Film Festival and the Tribeca Film Festival.Dintersmith is invested in finding answers to prepare our children for a dynamic world and future.Resources:www.ndplaylist.orgTwitter: @dintersmith@thecuttinged www.ndunited.org/thecuttinged

Senator Erin Oban of Bismarck (District 35) was elected to office in 2014 and serves on the Education Committee during the session and is Chair of the Education Policy Committee during the interim. She also has experience in the classroom as a former math teacher.Senator Oban was a sponsor of SB 2186, the innovative education bill, that passed during the 2017 legislative session. In this episode, Oban talks about the continued importance of teachers in innovative classrooms, what needs to happen to build upon innovation in school across North Dakota and delivers a message for both lawmakers and teachers.Resources:www.ndplaylist.orgwww.ndunited.org/thecuttingedhttp://www.legis.nd.gov/assembly/64-2015/members/senate/senator-erin-obanTwitter: http://www.twitter.com/erinobanhttp://www.twitter.com/thecuttinged

Senator Erin Oban of Bismarck (District 35) was elected to office in 2014 and serves on the Education Committee during the session and is Chair of the Education Policy Committee during the interim. She also has experience in the classroom as a former math teacher.Senator Oban was a sponsor of SB 2186, the innovative education bill, that passed during the 2017 legislative session. In this episode, Oban talks about the continued importance of teachers in innovative classrooms, what needs to happen to build upon innovation in school across North Dakota and delivers a message for both lawmakers and teachers.Resources:www.ndplaylist.orgwww.ndunited.org/thecuttingedhttp://www.legis.nd.gov/assembly/64-2015/members/senate/senator-erin-obanTwitter: http://www.twitter.com/erinobanhttp://www.twitter.com/thecuttinged

Nicole Poolman is both a state senator (District 7) and a teacher at Century High School in Bismarck. Senator Poolman has been in office since 2013 and was the prime sponsor on SB 2186, the education innovation bill passed by the state legislature in the spring of 2017.Senator Poolman has been an educator for twenty years, beginning her career at Red River High School in Grand Forks, followed by four years at Mandan High School and continuing at Century where she teaches a course called American Pageant which combines history and literature. Senator Poolman has the unique perspective of one who drafts policy and is an active classroom teacher. She talks about her hope to provide more opportunities to students with special needs and how technology has fundamentally changed the way she teaches in her classroom.Resources:Ted Dintersmith’s Innovation Playlist www.ndplaylist.orgwww.ndunited.org/thecuttingedhttp://www.legis.nd.gov/assembly/65-2017/members/senate/senator-nicole-poolmanTwitter: @thecuttingedhttp://www.twitter.com/thecuttinged