From Student to Teacher to Leader - A Conversation with Dr. Michele Shannon

Michele Shannon is the Executive Director of the Deeper Learning Districts. Previously, she was a National Designer and Facilitator for the Leadership Academy, where she built the capacity of educational leaders through leadership training to confront inequities & create conditions for students to thrive. She also served as Chief of Schools for Boston Public Schools, where she led a team of eight Instructional Superintendents focused on eliminating the opportunity and achievement gaps in the system. A product of New York City public schools, she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology from Baruch College, a Master of Social Work from Hunter College, and a Doctorate in Education Leadership (Ed.L.D.) from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Highlights from her conversation with Rod and Jal include: opening banter on the recent success of the Boston Celtics; Michele attempting to cover her entire biography in Jal's "3-minute" challenge; how her background as a student, teacher and now administrator shaped her view of what education should be; comparing characteristics of traditional education to what Michele describes as "deeper learning;" why it is so important for students to build relationships with adults in their school setting; how to integrate social-emotional learning in a way that works; how to better build K-12 systems so no student leaves feeling unprepared for whatever comes next; the importance of strong leadership and modeling - highlighting both the successes and failures of the system for everyone to see; how equity can be better built into all aspects of education including teacher preparation and training; and a wonderful example of a district that has applied elements of equity and deeper learning that gives us all hope for the future!

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