Teaching Today

Seventy-one years after Brown v. Board of Education, our schools are still grappling with segregation — not by law, but by the weight of history, housing, and systems that were never built with equity in mind. In this episode, host Dr. Roberta Lenger Kang sits down with Dr. Maria Luisa Underwood, CPET's lead professional development advisor, to talk about what it takes to prepare early career teachers for the racially diverse classrooms they step into every day. Drawing from her doctoral research on anti-racist pedagogy and K–5 teachers in New York City, Dr. Underwood shares what her study revealed — including what surprised her most — and offers a framework that any educator can use to reflect, grow, and take action. We’re proud to make this content free and accessible to all. If you find value in our episodes, please consider donating to support and sustain our efforts: https://cpet.tc.columbia.edu/giving.html

For many teachers, parent-teacher conferences rank among the most nerve-wracking moments of the school year. But what if they didn't have to be? In this episode, host Dr. Roberta Lenger Kang sits down with New Teacher Network leaders Courtney Brown and Pam McGowen to talk about what makes family engagement so challenging — and rewarding. From that first anxious phone call home to navigating multilingual families and emotionally charged conversations, they share real stories, hard-won lessons, and practical strategies that work. Whether you're heading into your first round of conferences or looking to strengthen the family relationships you've already built, this conversation will leave you feeling more prepared, more empathetic, and maybe even a little excited to pull up a chair. We’re proud to make this content free and accessible to all. If you find value in our episodes, please consider donating to support and sustain our efforts: https://cpet.tc.columbia.edu/giving.html

What if your most disengaged students—the ones with heads on desks and hoodies over their eyes—actually want to do their best work? Research shows they do. In this episode, Dr. Roberta Lenger Kang and Dr. Cristina Compton sit down with Dr. Kyra M. Caldwell Templeton, Program Director of Student Engagement at Atlanta Public Schools, to explore what happens when schools move beyond asking students about spirit week themes and actually bring them to the table for curriculum design, policy decisions, and strategic planning. As Dr. Caldwell Templeton reminds us: "You can simply ask a student and they'll tell you." The question is—are we ready to truly listen? We’re proud to make this content free and accessible to all. If you find value in our episodes, please consider donating to support and sustain our efforts: https://cpet.tc.columbia.edu/giving.html

In this episode, Dr. Roberta Lenger Kang sits down with Dr. Adele Bruni Ashley and Dr. Jen Gowers to discuss Literacy Unbound, an initiative designed to transform the way students engage with complex, "hard to read" texts. The conversation explores how to move away from rigid, traditional literary analysis toward a model of collaborative artistry and creative remixing. Through multiple entry points and "taming" intimidating texts, stories that seem far away become personally relevant and accessible to all learners. Participate in this year’s institute: https://cpet.tc.columbia.edu/literacy-unbound-2026.html We’re proud to make this content free and accessible to all. If you find value in our episodes, please consider donating to support and sustain our efforts: https://cpet.tc.columbia.edu/giving.html

Join Dr. Roberta Lenger Kang, Dr. Cristina Compton, and G. Faith Little for a conversation that challenges us to look honestly at our classroom practices. In this episode, you'll hear a refreshing reframe of Project-Based Learning that moves beyond surface-level activities to authentic, real-world application where students and teachers discover answers together. The conversation deepens as we explore the Touchstone Texts for Equity course, where educators engage in shared reading and inquiry to uncover their own implicit biases and create meaningful action plans for their schools. This isn't about guilt or judgment—it's about growth, self-awareness, and recognizing that we can't separate our identities from our teaching. Whether you're looking to make one small evidence-based shift in your practice or ready to fundamentally rethink who your students' work is for, this conversation offers practical wisdom and honest reflection. We’re proud to make this content free and accessible to all. If you find value in our episodes, please consider donating to support and sustain our efforts: https://cpet.tc.columbia.edu/giving.html

In this episode, Dr. Roberta Lenger Kang talks with CPET instructional designers about two essential online courses for today's teachers. Courtney Brown discusses "Centering CRSE," a course that helps educators build culturally responsive practices into their daily practice. Learn how to use "mirrors, windows, and sliding doors" to create learning experiences where students see themselves, explore other cultures, and step into new perspectives. Dr. Jacqui Stolzer shares insights from "Keys to Co-Teaching." Co-teaching is now standard practice, but making it work takes intentional effort. This course offers practical tools for building shared ownership, establishing communication protocols, and transforming two teachers in a room into an effective team. Both courses are available on-demand or in cohorts. Both bridge theory and practice. Both meet teachers exactly where they are. We’re proud to make this content free and accessible to all. If you find value in our episodes, please consider donating to support and sustain our efforts: https://cpet.tc.columbia.edu/giving.html

We all know students need "21st century skills"—but what does that actually look like on a Tuesday morning in your classroom? In this conversation, Dr. Roberta Lenger Kang and Dr. Kelsey Hammond go beyond buzzwords to explore why discussion isn't as intuitive as we think, how our classrooms haven't kept pace with how the world actually works, and most importantly, what we can do about it. While the gap between what students are learning and what they need is widening, you don't need 3D printers or fancy AI tools to close it—just clarity on what 21st century skills really are and how to weave them into the curriculum you already have. Let's figure it out together. We’re proud to make this content free and accessible to all. If you find value in our episodes, please consider donating to support and sustain our efforts: https://cpet.tc.columbia.edu/giving.html

Welcome to our annual wrap-up episode of Teaching Today! We're excited to bring you a special compilation featuring our three most-listened-to conversations from the past year plus a special thanks for our international listeners. Thank you again for these discussions: Colleen Keating-Crawford, Izzy Fitzgerald, Sydney Tweedley, Courtney Brown, Elizabeth Clay Roy. We’re proud to make this content free and accessible to all. If you find value in our episodes, please consider donating to support and sustain our efforts: https://cpet.tc.columbia.edu/giving.html

What happens when students walk into your classroom asking "Can I get out of this?" Professor Carlo Rotella, author of "What Can I Get Out of This? Teaching and Learning in a Classroom Full of Skeptics," joins us to explore how student skepticism—about literature, interpretation, and even their own belonging—can become a productive starting point for learning. In this conversation, we tackle the tensions teachers face daily: wanting students to question everything while also needing them to engage, building authentic community in transactional educational systems, and reclaiming face-to-face discussion as essential human practice in an age of AI and instant information. Whether you teach third grade or college freshmen, you'll walk away with concrete strategies for lowering barriers to participation, transforming doubt into curiosity, and creating classrooms where every voice matters. Explore the book: https://carlorotella.com/ We’re proud to make this content free and accessible to all. If you find value in our episodes, please consider donating to support and sustain our efforts: https://cpet.tc.columbia.edu/giving.html

What if strategies designed to support students with disabilities could transform learning for everyone? In this episode, Dr. Rhoda Bernard, Founding Director of the Berklee Institute for Accessible Arts Education and author of Accessible Arts Education, shares how predictability, structure, and universal design principles make arts education accessible to neurodiverse learners—and benefit all students in the process. From visual schedules to advance notice, discover practical strategies that apply far beyond the arts classroom and learn why we can't separate a student's identity from their individuality when creating truly inclusive learning spaces. Dr. Bernard's book: Accessible Arts Education: Principles, Habits, and Strategies to Unleash Every Student's Creativity and Learning – https://www.solutiontree.com/accessible-arts-education.html We’re proud to make this content free and accessible to all. If you find value in our episodes, please consider donating to support and sustain our efforts: https://cpet.tc.columbia.edu/giving.html

Tired of the polarizing debate about AI in writing classrooms? Dr. Kelsey Hammond offers a more nuanced path forward. Rather than creating endless guidelines about when students should or shouldn’t use ChatGPT in their writing process, she explores how writing itself can become a tool for understanding our relationship with AI. Through reflective essays, poetry, metaphor-making, and examining our own prompts as "mirrors of self," educators can help students develop discernment instead of just follow rules. This conversation invites each of us to shift how we think about AI, writing, and what it means to be human. We’re proud to make this content free and accessible to all. If you find value in our episodes, please consider donating to support and sustain our efforts: https://cpet.tc.columbia.edu/giving.html

Why is systemic change at the high school level such a challenge? In this episode, we sit down with Jenny Curtin, Director of Education at the Barr Foundation, to explore what real transformation looks like—and why adding more programs isn't the answer. Jenny shares how listening deeply to students reveals gaps between current reality and what's possible, and why pairing excellence with equity creates the conditions for meaningful change. Whether you're a teacher, administrator, or education advocate, this conversation offers a practical framework for moving beyond quick fixes to address the root causes keeping high schools from serving all students well. A framework for quality in high schools that Barr uses with school partners: https://barrfdn.issuelab.org/resource/indicators-of-school-quality.html We’re proud to make this content free and accessible to all. If you find value in our episodes, please consider donating to support and sustain our efforts: https://cpet.tc.columbia.edu/giving.html

Should first-graders learn to read analog clocks? It's a small question with big implications about what we choose to teach—and why. In this episode, we're in conversation with Dr. Tony Wagner, author of Mastery, exploring how technology has outpaced pedagogy and what that means for today's classrooms. We discuss the "Five Cs" every community wants for graduates (but rarely teaches), why intrinsic motivation matters more than grades, and actionable strategies teachers can implement tomorrow—no permission required. The future of learning starts with asking better questions. We’re proud to make this content free and accessible to all. If you find value in our episodes, please consider donating to support and sustain our efforts: https://cpet.tc.columbia.edu/giving.html

In this episode, we explore ConnectINK, an AI-powered writing coach that's different from every other AI tool you've encountered: it will never write for your students. Instead of generating content, ConnectINK asks questions. "Who else was there?" "What did that feel like?" "Can you describe another event related to this one?" Join us for a conversation with the full design team—educators, software engineers, and program managers—as they share how they built a tool that speeds up the feedback cycle while keeping students in the driver's seat. You'll hear about the 16-year-old who rejected an "easier" feature because "writing is supposed to be difficult," teachers who went from AI-skeptics to enthusiasts, and why innovation happens when you put student learning above everything else. If you're wrestling with how to use AI ethically in your classroom, this conversation will change how you think about what's possible. We’re proud to make this content free and accessible to all. If you find value in our episodes, please consider donating to support and sustain our efforts: https://cpet.tc.columbia.edu/giving.html

Fifty balloons. Stories of cupcakes. A student shouting profanities before storming out. These are the moments teacher prep programs can’t prepare you for. Dr. Adam Wolfsdorf joins us to discuss "subversive moments"—when classroom control completely evaporates and you have to make split-second decisions while somehow pretending you're not destabilized. Learn why disruptions can be opportunities, how to de-escalate without taking it personally, and why the most flexible teachers create the most expansive learning spaces for students. Based on his book Teaching in the Riptide: Anchoring Pedagogies for Soulful Practitioners. We’re proud to make this content free and accessible to all. If you find value in our episodes, please consider donating to support and sustain our efforts: https://cpet.tc.columbia.edu/giving.html

Feeling overwhelmed by Gen AI in education? You're not alone. Dr. Julianne Ross-Kleinmann and Yaa Yaa Whaley-Williams from Ulster BOCES join us to discuss the real digital divide, why banning AI doesn't work, and what technology can never replace—the human heartbeat of teaching. Whether you're AI-curious or AI-cautious, this conversation offers practical guidance for navigating this revolution while keeping students at the center of teaching and learning. We’re proud to make this content free and accessible to all. If you find value in our episodes, please consider donating to support and sustain our efforts: https://cpet.tc.columbia.edu/giving.html Episode Correction: AAS degree pathways are for computer systems technology or electromechanical engineering technology, not for cybersecurity.

Too little curriculum or too much? Most teachers have experienced one extreme or the other. Dr. Jacqui Stolzer joins us to discuss her research on curriculum ideologies—four frameworks that help teachers identify the values embedded in their curriculum work, navigate professional tensions, and ask the critical question: What am I not seeing? A must-listen for anyone trying to bridge the gap between curriculum mandates and classroom reality. We’re proud to make this content free and accessible to all. If you find value in our episodes, please consider donating to support and sustain our efforts: https://cpet.tc.columbia.edu/giving.html

What can the iconic movie "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" teach us about student engagement? This episode explores the critical disconnect between students and educators, examining why students mentally and physically check out of their education. Guests Colleen Keating-Crawford, Sydney Tweedley, and Izzy Fitzgerald from The Reinvention Lab at Teach For America share personal stories that reveal a startling truth: many students are physically present but mentally absent, highlighting a deeper crisis in our education system. Our conversation emphasizes that creating meaningful connections and relevant learning experiences is crucial for keeping students engaged. We also share practical strategies teachers can implement immediately to make a difference right where they are. Learn more about the people and research they discuss att: https://www.reinventionlab.org/ We’re proud to make this content free and accessible to all. If you find value in our episodes, please consider donating to support and sustain our efforts: https://cpet.tc.columbia.edu/giving.html

🌟 Join us for an inspiring conversation about creating inclusive classrooms where every voice can shine! In this episode, our guest Katherine Hamilton, Vice President of Programs at Ensemble Learning, joins us as we dive into the complex and rewarding world of supporting multilingual learners in the classroom. We celebrate the incredible value of multilingualism in our classrooms and explore how ALL teachers—not just language specialists—can embrace simple techniques to help English language learners thrive across every subject. Don't miss this uplifting and practical episode that will leave you energized and equipped with fresh ideas for your classroom. Subscribe now and be part of the conversation! 🎧✨ We’re proud to make this content free and accessible to all. If you find value in our episodes, please consider donating to support and sustain our efforts: https://cpet.tc.columbia.edu/giving.html

In this episode, we continue our discussion focused on multilingual learners, diving deep into why linguistic mobility isn't just academic—it's the key to true community inclusion! Maria Underwood, Senior Professional Development Advisor at CPET, and Vince Moua, CPET Professional Development Coach, and Teachers College Zankel Fellow, join Roberta to discuss: -Why multilingual teaching creates explosive learning opportunities for ALL students -How understanding language history can revolutionize your classroom -Practical, ready-to-use strategies for celebrating language diversity -The hidden social dynamics that make or break multilingual learners' success This isn't just talk—it's a vital addition to your toolkit for creating a classroom where EVERY language is valued and EVERY student can thrive! We’re proud to make this content free and accessible to all. If you find value in our episodes, please consider donating to support and sustain our efforts: https://cpet.tc.columbia.edu/giving.html