Designing Education
A podcast hosted by Robert Balfanz, director of the Everyone Graduates Center.
Conversations with leaders in education from around the country on bold new ideas and research-based strategies for redesigning American education to engage all students more effectively and equip them for the challenges of today’s workplace and world.
Season 3, Episode 7
Pathways to Success: Rethinking High School and Beyond
In episode seven of Designing Education, Tim Knowles, president of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, joins Dr. Robert Balfanz for a thought-provoking discussion about the evolving role of American high schools. This episode examines the urgent need to redesign high school education to meet the demands of today’s world, focusing on preparing students for modern opportunities and challenges, creating smoother transitions to post-secondary education or training, and empowering families to make informed decisions.
The discussion sheds light on a critical issue: the sharp decline in college enrollment among the Class of 2024. This cohort, shaped by a disrupted high school experience during the pandemic—virtual learning in ninth grade, increased absenteeism in tenth grade—now questions the relevance of traditional education.
Far from being a temporary setback, this trend signals concerns for the future. Educational attainment remains essential, with profound connections to health, civic engagement, and economic prosperity. This episode is a call to action for educators, leaders, families, and communities to collaborate in reimagining high schools and postsecondary transitions, ensuring students are equipped to thrive in today’s rapidly changing world.
Season 3, Episode 7 | 34:00 min
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Miss Any Episodes?
If you missed any episodes from Designing Education’s podcasts, click the button below to select an episode from our past two seasons.
Breaking Down Barriers: How Student Success Systems Transform Support in Schools
Season 3, Episode 6 | 39 min
In episode six, we welcome Jenny Scala, Managing Director at the American Institutes for Research. Jenny shares insights into how student success systems can help schools break down silos in student support, making it easier to use resources efficiently and deliver integrated, timely support for every student. We explore the inner workings of these systems, examining how they help schools identify students’ needs, improve attendance, boost engagement, and set up all students for success. We want every student to know that there is an adult who cares about them and misses them when they’re not there. It’s essential to continue training people on the importance of this work, especially as we face transitions in schools and buildings.
Empowering and Learning from Rural Schools: Innovative Solutions for Student Success
Season 3, Episode 5 | 26 min
In this episode, we welcome Taylor McCabe-Juhnke, Executive Director of the Rural Schools Collaborative, to discuss the work they are doing to bring student success systems to rural schools across the nation.
With one in four of our nation’s students attending rural schools, it’s crucial that these often-overlooked communities are included in national improvement efforts. Taylor will share how the Collaborative is helping empower these schools by connecting them through local intermediary organizations, fostering dynamic learning communities that not only strengthen student success in rural areas but also generate innovative solutions with the potential to reshape education across the country.
Fostering Connected School Communities: Creating Inclusive Pathways to Success
Season 3, Episode 4 | 17 min
In this special episode of Designing Education, we’re thrilled to welcome Krys Payne as our guest host. Krys is the Executive Director of the UChicago Network for College Success (NCS) and brings nearly 30 years of experience in education to her role. At NCS, Krys leads a team dedicated to equipping educators with evidence-based practices and research to positively impact key indicators that predict high school graduation and college success.
Krys is joined by Megan Hougard, Chief of College and Career Success for Chicago Public Schools (CPS). She plays a vital role in developing the district’s high school strategy. Her work ensures that CPS students have the necessary support to succeed beyond high school. Megan’s vision includes multiple postsecondary pathways, enabling students from every Chicago neighborhood to pursue careers aligned with their passions.
In this fourth episode of our third season, Krys and Megan will engage in a conversation about building school communities where students feel connected every day and explore how educators can create pathways to success that are inclusive and impactful. Join us for an insightful discussion that promises to inspire and inform educators and leaders alike.
DIVING DEEP INTO THE FOUR COMPONENTS OF A STUDENT SUCCESS SYSTEM
Season 3, Episode 3 | 28min
In the third episode of season three, Tara Madden, Chief Program Officer of Talent Development Secondary, joins Dr. Robert Balfanz to discuss the four essential components of a student success system: a focus on building relationships; holistic data and predictive indicators; a response system informed by students, teachers, and families; and a shared set of student-centered mindsets among adults and what it takes to provide all students with the supports and learning experiences they need to thrive in post-pandemic times. Madden shares several examples of recent school visits and discusses what’s taking place, how they are designing student success systems, and their impact on agency, belonging, and connectedness.
Talent Development Secondary is one of nine partnering organizations that works with the GRAD Partnership. The coalition is a national initiative that partners with communities to implement high-quality student success systems so that schools are better equipped to address the scale and scope of post-pandemic student needs and graduate all students ready for the future. The GRAD Partnership works directly with schools, districts, and local community organizations to create the conditions needed to bring the use of evidence-based student success systems from a new practice to common practice.
Providing Students the Support They Need in Postpandemic Times
Season 3, Episode 2 | 30min
In the second episode of season three, Patricia Balana, Managing Director of the GRAD Partnership, joins Dr. Robert Balfanz to discuss how and why nine organizations came together to form the GRAD Partnership. The coalition is a national initiative that partners with communities to implement high-quality student success systems so that schools are better equipped to address the scale and scope of postpandemic student needs and graduate all students ready for the future. The GRAD Partnership works directly with schools, districts, and local community organizations to create the conditions needed to bring the use of evidence-based student success systems from a new practice to common practice.
As part of the conversation, Patricia shares examples of their work to develop and spread student success systems. She also discusses the initial results of the GRAD Partnership’s efforts and how student success systems are reducing chronic absenteeism rates and course failures.
Building Success Systems for Students with
Learning Disabilities
Season 3, Episode 1 | 30min
In the first episode of our third season, Dr. Saashya Rodrigo, Principal Researcher from the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD), joins Dr. Balfanz to discuss the work NCLD is doing to ensure that students with disabilities feel a strong sense of agency, belonging, and connectedness and receive the support they need. She explains NCLD’s role as one of nine organizing partners of the GRAD Partnership and the work the coalition is doing to design schools so they work for all students, including those with disabilities and learning differences. She also discusses the new survey NCLD will conduct this month to explore the experiences of young adults with learning disabilities who either dropped out of high school or considered dropping out but went on to graduate.