The Idea Spark

The Idea Spark is a podcast series from EdSurge Solutions Studio. Igniting innovative ideas to energize education. EdSurge Solutions Studio collaborates with organizations in the edtech sector, crafting custom content that illuminates new paths in learning and explores the evolving landscape of education. Host - Carl Hooker

The Idea Spark is a education podcast hosted by Carl Hooker, with 1 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Carl Hooker hosts The Idea Spark, a education show with 1 episodes published.

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  Episode #3

  Belonging Isn't Just Warm and Fuzzy. It's How Students Learn.

  Sep 29, 202622 minS1

  Why do so many students feel invisible in their own classrooms, and what does belonging actually have to do with how much they learn? Two of the most widely read voices in education answer both questions with research, real school stories, and simple moves any educator can start tomorrow. In this new episode Richard Culatta , joined by cohost Winston Roberts , sits down with Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey, professors of educational leadership at San Diego State University and co-founders of Health Sciences High and Middle College. Doug and Nancy have written hundreds of books and articles on literacy, instructional design, and school leadership, many of them as longtime ASCD authors. What sets them apart is that they still do the work, teaching and leading at the San Diego charter school they helped build. Recorded on-site at ISTELive26 in Orlando, this conversation unpacks the cycle that links belonging, engagement, and learning. Doug and Nancy explain why belonging for students depends on whether belonging for the adults around them feel a sense of belonging, why it slips away once the school year gets busy, and how real experiences of success keep students coming back. In this conversation the team covers topics, such as: The self-reinforcing cycle of belonging, engagement, and learning Why student belonging depends on a feeling of belonging amongfor teachers, principals, and families How schools can make families feel needed, not just invited to the bake sale The study where 52% of students said their teacher doesn't know their name Why belonging fades once the school year gets busy, and how shared classroom ownership helps How experiences of success and failure shape whether students choose to engage Keeping belonging authentic instead of turning it into a checklist What daily life looks like at Health Sciences High and Middle College One piece of homework every educator can start on today Follow Doug: Fisher and Frey website X (@DFISHERSDSU) LinkedIn Instagram (@dougfisher.educator) Follow Nancy: LinkedIn X (@NancyFrey) Follow Health Sciences High & Middle College: HSHMC website Facebook X (@HSHMC) Instagram (@HSHMC) Follow Richard: X (@rculatta) LinkedIn Book: Digital for Good: Raising Kids to Thrive in an Online World Follow Winston: Teacher in a Suit website LinkedIn X (@teacherinasuit_) Instagram (@teacherinasuit) Stay in touch with ISTE+ASCD: Website X Facebook LinkedIn YouTube Instagram

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  Episode #2

  NAEYC’s Michelle Kang on Keeping Learners at the Center

  Sep 8, 202617 minS1

  Early childhood educators have the responsibility of helping shape a child's brain during its most rapid developmental window. How can we give them the respect and support they deserve, and what would it take to fix the broken economics behind early childhood education? In this new episode Richard sits down with Michelle Kang, CEO of NAEYC, joined by cohost Joseph South, Chief Innovation Officer at ISTE+ASCD , live from ISTELive in Orlando. Michelle Kang leads the nation's largest professional organization for early childhood educators, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary. Before taking the helm at NAEYC, Michelle spent more than 16 years at Bright Horizons building employer child care partnerships. In addition to discussing how the early childhood market actually works and where it is failing, Michelle walks Richard and Joseph through the broken economics behind child care tuition and educator pay, and the many different pathways into the profession of early childhood teaching. She also addresses how screens and digital noise crowd out the human connection young children need most. Listen in as Richard, Joseph, and Michelle discuss: What NAEYC's 100 years of advocacy reveal about the progress still needed Why the profession requires more than just loving children How CDA credential, Power to the Profession, and other frameworks define the profession How technology can support, but never replace, human connection with young children What gives Michelle hope for the field's future Follow Michelle Kang: NAEYC: naeyc.org LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/michellejkang Follow Richard: X: x.com/rculatta LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/rculatta Book: Digital for Good: Raising Kids to Thrive in an Online World Follow Joseph: ISTE+ASCD Staff Page: iste-ascd.org/staff/joseph-south LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/southjoseph Stay in touch with ISTE+ASCD: Website: iste-ascd.org X: x.com/ISTE_ASCD Facebook: facebook.com/ISTEofficial LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/isteofficial YouTube: youtube.com/@iste Instagram: instagram.com/isteconnects

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  Episode #1

  Ted Dintersmith on the Math Schools Never Taught You

  Sep 8, 202623 minS1

  Why do fewer than 5% of adults use the math they learned in high school, and what would happen if a state legislator, school board member, or governor had to take the same standardized math tests they use to judge our schools? In this episode, Ted Dintersmith, an education advocate, venture capitalist, filmmaker, and author of Aftermath: The Life-Changing Math That Schools Won't Teach You , joins Richard Culatta to make the case for rethinking what, and why, we teach. Ted Dintersmith was once ranked the top-performing venture capitalist in the country. He spent two decades at Charles River Ventures before President Obama appointed him to represent the United States at the United Nations General Assembly. He then turned his attention to schools, producing the documentary Most Likely to Succeed. For his more recent documentary, Multiple Choice , he spent an entire school year visiting all 50 states to see what was actually happening in classrooms. In this conversation, Ted and Richard dig into why standardized math testing rewards what is easy to grade rather than what is useful; why accountability measures built for a pre-computer world are still driving what happens in classrooms today; and why the math that actually shapes people's lives, from reading a jobs report to understanding a school’s ranking, is almost never taught. They also talk about what it looks like when kids are given real, relevant problems to solve, and what Ted believes the rise of AI means for education. Richard and Ted discuss: Why the math and reading scores used to judge schools do not reflect the quality of learning happening inside them What standardized math tests actually cover, and why so much of it is leftover from a pre-computer era Why fewer than 5% of adults use the math they studied in high school and what that means for how we spend classroom time What kinds of math genuinely shape people's lives, from jobs reports to school rankings to personal finance Why Ted wants legislators, school board members, and governors to take the same standardized tests their policies are built around What a real story from The Wire reveals about making math relevant to students Why Ted sees the rise of AI as an urgent, “code red” moment for rethinking what school is for Follow Ted: Ted Dintersmith's Website Ted Dintersmith on LinkedIn Follow Richard: Richard Culatta on LinkedIn Richard Culatta on X Stay in touch with ISTE+ASCD: Website X Facebook LinkedIn YouTube Instagram

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  The Idea Spark

  Career Readiness in the Real World

  Oct 2, 202528 minS0

  <p><b>Helping Students Find Work They'll Love: Career Readiness in the Real World</b></p><p>As industries evolve and the skills gap widens, the question remains: How can we better connect education to employment? </p><p>In this episode of The Idea Spark, host Carl Hooker welcomes <b>Jennifer Wilkerson,</b> VP of Innovations and Advancements at NCCER (National Center for Construction Education and Research), and<b> Andy Dunaway</b>, Product Manager, Career Connected Learning at Pearson. Together, they explore how credentialing, industry alignment, and strong partnerships help students move from the classroom to meaningful careers. Using construction a...

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  Episode #13

  Live from ISTE+ASCD with Lexi Daly

  Sep 18, 20256 minS1

  <p>Carl Hooker brings us a live podcast from the ISTE+ASCD conference in San Antonio, Texas. He connects with conference attendees, friends old and new, asking each to share a problem they're working to solve in their corner of the education world — or, as Carl puts it: “Tell me your idea spark."</p><p>Carl sits down with Lexi Daly, Learning Innovation Coordinator and Reading Teacher at Trinity Episcopal School in New Orleans. Find out how this self-proclaimed non-coder creates her own mini-games using AI.</p><p>This episode of The Idea Spark is brought to you by EdSurge Solu...

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