Achieving Joy and Mastery in Public Schools Brian Graham

In this episode, E-NSSA was asked by NYSCOSS to conduct a podcast with the Keynote Speakers for the Fall Leadership Summit.  We had the pleasure of interviewing Mr. Joshua Bacigalupi, the Superintendent of the Dryden Central schools.  Joshua's keynote presentation was called - "Afghanistan, Audacity, and Affirmation".  We also interviewed  Mr. Antonio Santana.  Antonio was appointed to the South Country Central School District as its Superintendent of Schools in May of 2022.  His presentation was called "The World is Different and There is No Going Back".   We also interviewed Dr. Tonia Thompson. Tonia is the Superintendent of the Binghamton City School District. her presentation was titled, "Be Uncomfortable – The Power to Shift Thinking".  All three Superintendents shared incredible messages filled with inspiration and powerful messages.












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Today on our podcast we have Mark Laurrie, the Superintendent of the Niagara Falls City School District.  
Mark is in his 8th year as a superintendent and his 40th year as an educator.   Mark has been a progressive leader who is always a champion for his students.  He has been the recipient of several local and state awards for leading his school community, and we are thrilled to have him on our show today.  In this episode Mark talks about 2 PTECH grant awards and programs his students have access to in their secondary career.


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In this episode, we were privileged to interview Dr. Jason Andrews the Superintendent of the Windsor Central School District near Binghamton NY.  Jason is in his 19th school year as a Superintendent and he was recently named the President of the New York Council of School Superintendents.

In this episode, Jason discusses how he leads his district through the lens of Professional Learning Communities.  

As President of NYSCOSS, Dr. Andrews will lead a diverse and dynamic organization comprising superintendents from across New York State. His strategic vision and collaborative approach will be instrumental in promoting effective educational policies and ensuring the highest quality of education for all students in the state.



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In this episode we interviewed Michael Cornell, the Superintendent of the Hamburg Central Schools and President of the Erie-Niagara Schools Superintendent Association.  In our second season of the podcast, Mike Cornell and his team discussed Athlete Talks that are focused on Mental Wellness.

Joining us for this episode was Tina LaMendola.  Tina is a school Social Worker in Hamburg and she is one of the "Professional Development Trainers" in Youth Mental Health First Aid.  Additionally, Tina's intern (Maura McCabe) joined us and offered many insights as she is a student and coach at Daemen University and she is a high school coach at a local District.

 
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In this episode, we were privileged to interview Dr. Kevin McGowan, the Superintendent of the Brighton Central School District near Rochester NY.  Kevin is in his 15th year as a Superintendent and he was recently named the NYS Superintendent of the Year.  Additionally he was also named the National Superintendent of the Year!

In this episode, Kevin discusses the concept of intentionality as a means to develop all that you do for the betterment of students and families in your district.

For more information on developing a blueprint for excellence in your district you can Email blueprint@nyscoss.org for more information.

https://www.nyscoss.org/Site/content/Events/Blueprint-Strategic-Planning-Service.aspx
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In this episode, we interviewed the leadership team of the new National Artificial Intelligence Institute for Exceptional Education right here at the University at Buffalo. 

Joining the podcast from UB were: Dr. Venu Govindaraju - Institute Director,  Dr. JinJun Xiong - Co-Director, and Scientific Director of the institute, and Dr. Ranga Setlur - Institute Managing Director.   

The University at Buffalo won a 20 million dollar grant from the National Science Foundation and the Institute of Education Sciences with the intent to close the gap between the number of children in the United States needing Speech Language services (3.4 million) and the number of Speech Language Pathologists (SLP's)  (60,000) available to treat the needs.

Towards this end, the Institute proposes to develop two novel Artificial Intelligence (AI) solutions:

      (1) the AI Screener to enable universal early screening for all children, and
      (2) the AI Orchestrator to work with SLPs and other teachers to provide individualized interventions for children with their formal Individualized Education Program (IEP).
 In developing these solutions, the Institute will advance foundational AI technologies, enhance their understanding of children’s speech and language development, serve as a nexus point for all special education stakeholders, and represent a fundamental paradigm shift in how Speech Language Pathologists (SLPs) serve children in need of ability-based speech and language services.  Furthermore, the institute would like to focus their work with children starting at the age of 3 and as old as 10.
  For more information visit his website at:
https://www.buffalo.edu/ai4exceptionaled.html
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