Schoolutions: Curious Educators. Evidence-Based Strategies. Classrooms Where Every Child Thrives.

Olivia Wahl

Do you need innovative strategies to strengthen your school culture and spark student growth? This podcast is your go-to resource for coaches, teachers, administrators, and families seeking to create dynamic and engaging learning environments. In each episode, you'll discover how to unite educators and caregivers to support students, tackle common classroom challenges, and cultivate an atmosphere where every learner can thrive. With over 25 years of experience as a teacher and coach, host Olivia Wahl curates episodes with insights from more than 150 expert interviews, offering practical tips that bridge the gap between school and home. Tune in every Monday and Friday for actionable strategies and inspirational stories that can transform your approach and make a real impact on learning.Start with a fan-favorite episode today (S5E1: Inside the Secret Moves of Expert Teachers with John Hattie) and take the first step towards transforming your educational environment!

  1. 2d ago

    The Step-by-Step Process to Build Your Own Integrated Curriculum

    Leah Mermelstein returns to Schoolutions for S2E35 to make the case for bending curriculum instead of buying a new one for literacy instruction every few years. She walks me through the exact process she uses with school districts to build integrated units of study, work that pulls reading, writing, vocabulary, and grammar together around real content like a kindergarten animal unit or a fourth-grade historical fiction study tied to local history. The conversation covers: 💫What teaching with fidelity actually means (hint: it's not "follow the script") 💫How to form a teacher cadre that drives instructional coaching and professional development 💫Why starting with a school's mission statement changes the whole planning process.  Leah even lays out six concrete steps: form a cadre, root the work in the mission statement, set priority goals, connect grammar and vocabulary to what's already being taught, build in cumulative and spaced practice, and plan for real independence. Episode Mentions: Leah Mermelstein's Schoolutions Interview, "We-Do" Writing Book, "We-Do" Model Graphic & Self-Directed Writers BookP. David PearsonCornelius Minor's Schoolutions Interview & We Got This. Book Dr. Tanya Wright's Schoolutions Interview & A Teacher's Guide to Vocabulary Development Across the Day BookPatterns of Power Series Nell K. Duke & Kelly B. Cartwright's The Science of Reading Progresses: Communicating Advances Beyond the Simple View of Reading (graphic on page 9)First Education Writing Summit  (June 14, 2023) - Reboot, Revamp, and Refresh Your School's or Classroom's Writing InstructionAlign the Design: A Blueprint for School Improvement by Nancy J. Mooney & Ann T. Mausbach Schooling by Design: Mission, Action, and Achievement by Grant Wiggins & Jay McTigheCHAPTERS: 0:00 Leah Mermelstein returns 1:10 Cornelius Minor: being in time, bending curriculum, pro-kid 4:30 The NAEP scores and why they matter here 7:15 What integrated curriculum looks like: the animal unit 11:00 Teaching with fidelity vs. bending curriculum 15:20 Step 1: Forming a curriculum cadre 17:40 Step 2: Starting with the mission statement 19:30 Step 3: Priority goals and enduring understandings 22:00 Step 4: Connecting grammar and vocabulary 23:18 Step 5: Cumulative and spaced-out practice 27:00 Step 6: Planning for purposeful independence 31:00 Reading student writing to guide instruction 33:45 Nell Duke's Active View of Reading and the "We-Do" model 36:30 Reboot, Revamp, Refresh Writing Summit, June 14th 38:00 How to reach Leah Mermelstein 39:00 Dialogue, not debate 40:00 Closing thoughts Schoolutions is the podcast for educators and school leaders, families and homeschoolers, and the coaches, counselors, and mentors who believe every student deserves to thrive. Join our community of educators committed to cultivating student success, inspired teaching, and creating inclusive classrooms with a pro-kid mindset focused on the whole child. 🌿Ready to grow alongside your children? Book a coaching session with me here. We'll unlock the expert who is already within you and surround you with a community of educators committed to forever getting better through collective expertise. 🎵 Music: Benjamin Wahl Don't forget to🔔SUBSCRIBE for more teaching tips, and 💬SHARE with fellow educators!  #schoolutions #schoolutionspodcast #forevergettingbetter #5practicesofexpertteachers #curiositydriven #evidencebasedclassroomreadystrategies #IntegratedCurriculum #EffectiveTeaching #InstructionalCoaching #ProfessionalDevelopment #WholeChildEducation #EquityInEducation #TeacherSupport #SchoolLeadership #StudentEngagement #InclusiveTeaching #LessonPlanning #NewTeachers #MentorTeachers #EducationPodcast #CulturallyResponsiveTeaching #RadicallyProKid #LiteracyInstruction #TeacherImpact #schoolculture  When teachers, coaches, administrators, and families grow together, they create schools where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged, supported, and ready to thrive.

  2. 4d ago

    We Need Human Stories Tied to Data About Teaching (Writing Wednesday)

    Research alone won't move a teacher to change what they do tomorrow. A story will. In this Writing Wednesday, I break down the method I use in my own writing: for every piece of research I include, I pair it with a real classroom moment, either something I lived through myself or something I watched happen in another teacher's room. The story is what makes a reader trust you. The research is what backs up the claim. Put them together and you get writing that actually sticks with the teachers, coaches, and school leaders reading it. This one's short, but it's a habit worth stealing if you write for educators, coach teachers, or create content for classrooms. Whether you're building out professional learning materials or writing instructional strategies for a blog, tie the research to a person. A moment. A room with real kids in it. This Writing  Wednesday series is for teachers, instructional coaches, mentor teachers, and school leaders who've thought about writing their own book.  See you next week. Watch the reel here. Chapters: 0:00 Why research alone falls flat 0:10 The method: pair every research point with a real story 0:25 Stories build trust, research backs the claim 0:35 Who this habit is for 0:40 Sign-off This series is for teachers, instructional coaches, mentor teachers, and school leaders who've thought about writing their own book. 🌿Ready to grow alongside your children? Book a coaching session with me here. We'll unlock the expert who is already within you and surround you with a community of educators committed to forever getting better through collective expertise:  #Schoolutions #SchoolutionsPodcast #ForeverGettingBetter #5PracticesOfExpertTeachers #CuriosityDriven #EvidenceBasedClassroomReadyStrategies #WritingWednesday  #WritingWednesday #TeacherCoaching #InstructionalCoaching #EffectiveTeaching #TeachingTips #ProfessionalDevelopment #MentorTeachers #NewTeachers #TeacherImpact #InstructionalStrategies #EducationCoaches #InspiredTeaching #SchoolLeadership #EducationWriting #TeacherSupport When teachers, coaches, administrators, and families grow together, they create schools where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged, supported, and ready to thrive.

  3. 6d ago

    Relationships Before Correction: The Strategy That Changes Student Behavior

    In S3E11 of Schoolutions, I sat down with school counselor Zack "Coach Kasabo"  to talk about self- and co-regulation mental health strategies that actually work, not quick fixes teachers try once and abandon. Zack told me about his own struggles with anxiety and depression as a teen, and how that experience now shapes his work on classroom belonging, classroom behavior, and student engagement. His core belief: relationships come before punishment. That's what drives real student motivation. We talked about why low engagement usually traces back to unmet emotional needs, not laziness or defiance. Zack walked me through why active learning and inspiring students start with connection first, correction second. He also broke down two frameworks he created himself: the C.A.L.M. Redirection Technique and the T.I.P. Framework. Both are tools any teacher, counselor, or parent can use tomorrow to improve student participation and attention in class, without shaming a kid into compliance. I asked Zack about parent involvement, parent communication, and the home-school connection. He shared how he built family partnerships and caregiver support at a Title I school, including partnerships with local police, the fire department, and the YMCA to get kids winter coats. We also talked about education at home and what caregivers can do differently. Throughout the conversation, we kept coming back to culturally responsive teaching, equity in education, inclusive classrooms, and anti-bias teaching. Zack's mindset is pro-kid without being permissive. He wants every student to reach real student success, not just survive the school day. Episode Mentions: The School Counselor and Multitiered System Supports Title I Conscious Discipline Brain State ModelSchoolutions S2E2: Stopping Bullying and School Violence Before They Start with Professor Ron Avi AstorWhat is the Difference Between CBT and Solution-Focused Therapy?Erik Erikson's Stages of Psychosocial Development Watch the episode on YouTube here. Chapters: 0:00 Welcome to Schoolutions 1:01 Zack's grandmother, his inspiration 2:23 Compassion without enabling 3:36 Zack's teen mental health struggles 6:10 His current role as a K-8 school counselor 8:15 Why Tier 1 support has to come first 9:34 Working in a Title I school 11:14 Relationships before academics 13:36 How weekly classroom guidance changed everything 14:29 Building community partnerships 19:58 Life as Coach Kasabo 20:16 Punishment versus consequences 24:16 Compliance versus proficiency 26:26 The C.A.L.M. Redirection Technique 32:40 The T.I.P. Framework for self-regulation 36:29 Should kids be forced to apologize? 42:14 The theories and tools Zack relies on 44:57 How to connect with Zack Schoolutions is the podcast for educators and school leaders, families and homeschoolers, and the coaches, counselors, and mentors who believe every student deserves to thrive. Join our community of educators committed to cultivating student success, inspired teaching, and creating inclusive classrooms with a pro-kid mindset focused on the whole child. 🌿Ready to grow alongside your children? Book a coaching session with me here. We'll unlock the expert who is already within you and surround you with a community of educators committed to forever getting better through collective expertise. 🎵 Music: Benjamin Wahl Don't forget to🔔SUBSCRIBE for more teaching tips, and 💬SHARE with fellow educators!  #schoolutions #schoolutionspodcast #forevergettingbetter #5practicesofexpertteachers #curiositydriven #evidencebasedclassroomreadystrategies #SchoolCounselor #CoachKasabo #ClassroomManagement #StudentEngagement #TeacherSupport #InstructionalCoaching #ProfessionalDevelopment #SchoolLeadership #ParentInvolvement #EquityInEducation #InclusiveClassrooms #WholeChildEducation #SelfRegulation #CoRegulation #EducationPodcast #TeacherTips #NewTeachers #SchoolCulture #EmpoweredEducators When teachers, coaches, administrators, and families grow together, they create schools where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged, supported, and ready to thrive.

  4. Jul 17

    Identity-Affirming Classrooms: What's Actually Working?

    You will learn practical strategies and frameworks to create inclusive, identity-affirming spaces throughout this S4E24 conversation with Kwame Sarfo-Mensah.  This episode highlights Kwame’s book, Learning to Relearn: Supporting Identity in a Culturally-Affirming Classroom.  This conversation is officially one of our top 20 most-listened-to episodes. Culturally responsive teaching and identity awareness are the foundation for becoming a better human to the young people in your life and classroom. Most educators focus on curriculum, but true connection requires a deeper look at your own positionality.  We break down why identity awareness is not just an abstract concept, but a vital tool for building trust. By understanding your own positionality, you can better navigate the complex dynamics that define modern education. Kwame Sarfomenzo offers a roadmap for community members and teachers who are ready to do the internal work required to support young people more effectively. This is about moving beyond traditional methods to foster genuine human connection. Would you rather watch this conversation? Here's the YouTube link. ➡️The three P's of intersectional awareness: Privilege, Power, and Positionality ➡️Strategies for being an authentically active community-engaged educator ➡️The importance of origin stories in teaching ➡️Counter-storytelling and celebrating marginalized communities ➡️Creating culturally affirming classroom environments Highlighted Frameworks: 💫Origin Story Components (STORI): 💫Racial Literacy Development Framework: Practical Strategies: ✨The "Me Bag" activity for celebrating student identities ✨Reflective questions for educator development ✨Community engagement at multiple levels ✨Ways to incorporate counter-storytelling Schoolutions is the podcast for educators and school leaders, families and homeschoolers, and the coaches, counselors, and mentors who believe every student deserves to thrive. Join our community of educators committed to cultivating student success, inspired teaching, and creating inclusive classrooms with a pro-kid mindset focused on the whole child. 🌿Ready to grow alongside your children? Book a coaching session with me here. We'll unlock the expert who is already within you and surround you with a community of educators committed to forever getting better through collective expertise. 🎵 Music: Benjamin Wahl Don't forget to 🔔SUBSCRIBE for more teaching tips, and 💬SHARE the episode! #schoolutions #schoolutionspodcast #forevergettingbetter #curiositydriven #evidencebasedclassroomreadystrategies #CulturallyResponsiveTeaching #TeacherCoaching #InstructionalCoaching #EquityInEducation #TeacherPD #SchoolLeadership #InclusiveClassrooms #StudentEngagement #NewTeachers  When teachers, coaches, administrators, and families grow together, they create schools where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged, supported, and ready to thrive.

    Identity-Affirming Classrooms: What's Actually Working?

  5. Jul 15

    Four Brain Shifts That Happen When You Walk (Writing Wednesday)

    Stop staring at your screen and start walking for a mental reset. This Writing Wednesday covers four science-backed reasons walking resets your brain and improves cognitive function before you sit back down to write. Movement is a powerful tool to regulate your nervous system and flush out stress hormones like cortisol. By increasing dopamine and serotonin, a short walk stabilizes your brain chemistry and restores your ability to focus on complex tasks. If you need to break through a creative wall, try this simple habit today: 🚶‍♀️‍➡️cuts cortisol, the stress hormone that piles up when you're frustrated and stuck. 🚶‍♀️‍➡️releases serotonin and dopamine, which stabilizes your mood. 🚶‍♀️‍➡️gives your brain a break through something called soft fascination, where your eyes wander and your mind loosens. 🚶‍♀️‍➡️ pumps more blood to your brain, which sharpens focus. Watch the reel here. Chapters: 0:00 Writing Wednesday starts 0:07 Cortisol drops when you walk 0:22 Serotonin and dopamine kick in 0:34 Your attention resets 0:49 Blood flow sharpens your focus 1:02 Get up and walk This series is for teachers, instructional coaches, mentor teachers, and school leaders who've thought about writing their own book. 🌿Ready to grow alongside your children? Book a coaching session with me here. We'll unlock the expert who is already within you and surround you with a community of educators committed to forever getting better through collective expertise:  #Schoolutions #SchoolutionsPodcast #ForeverGettingBetter #5PracticesOfExpertTeachers #CuriosityDriven #EvidenceBasedClassroomReadyStrategies #WritingWednesday #TeacherSupport #ProfessionalDevelopment #EducationStrategies #InstructionalCoaching #TeacherWellbeing #TeachingTips #EmpoweredEducators #EducationLeadership #MentorTeachers When teachers, coaches, administrators, and families grow together, they create schools where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged, supported, and ready to thrive.

  6. Jul 14

    The Outline I Almost Skipped Became My Lifeline (Writing Wednesday)

    I'm starting a new weekly series called Writing Wednesday. My book manuscript is due end of August, and I'm holding myself accountable by posting every week about the process. Here are two lessons from my editor, Kassia: First: build an outline before you write. I didn't get why she pushed me on this until I was three chapters in and kept losing the thread. Now I reread that outline constantly. It keeps the structure consistent for readers while still leaving room to cut and rearrange as the writing changes. Second: get an editor who tells you the truth, not just what you want to hear. This series is for teachers, instructional coaches, mentor teachers, and school leaders who've thought about writing their own book. Watch the reel here. Chapters: 0:00 Why I'm starting Writing Wednesday 0:07 Lesson one: build the outline first 0:34 Lesson two: find an editor who's honest 0:47 See you next Wednesday 🌿Ready to grow alongside your children? Book a coaching session with me here. We'll unlock the expert who is already within you and surround you with a community of educators committed to forever getting better through collective expertise #Schoolutions #SchoolutionsPodcast #ForeverGettingBetter #5PracticesOfExpertTeachers #CuriosityDriven #EvidenceBasedClassroomReadyStrategies #WritingWednesday #TeacherAuthor #InstructionalCoaching #ProfessionalLearning #EmpoweredEducators #StudentEngagement #EffectiveTeaching #SchoolLeadership #EquityInEducation #TeacherSupport #NewTeachers #MentorTeachers #WholeChild #InclusiveTeaching #EducationTransformation When teachers, coaches, administrators, and families grow together, they create schools where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged, supported, and ready to thrive.

  7. Jul 13

    Transform Your Classroom With Intentional Vocabulary Instruction

    Dr. Tanya S. Wright, an Associate Professor at Michigan State University and former kindergarten teacher, explains how to move beyond static word lists. This S2E26 Schoolutions episodeffocuses on the mechanics of building rich language environments during everyday classroom routines. Whether you are managing transitions or facilitating morning meetings, you will see how minor adjustments to your existing flow can yield significant gains in student literacy strategies. Tanya is the author of A Teacher's Guide to Vocabulary Development Across the Day: Grades K-3, and this conversation breaks down what her research actually looks like in a classroom. We define what it really means to know a word, and why a dictionary definition alone doesn't build the kind of vocabulary knowledge kids need as readers, writers, speakers, and listeners. This connects directly to student engagement, student participation, and closing gaps in attention in class when kids don't understand the words a text or a teacher is using. We talk about the "locked vocabulary gate," the idea that decoding without meaning leaves comprehension out of reach no matter how strong a reader's phonics skills are. Tanya explains orthographic mapping and why vocabulary knowledge is the missing piece connecting spelling, pronunciation, and meaning for beginning readers. This is essential listening for instructional strategies, lesson planning, and effective teaching in any K-3 classroom, and it matters just as much for culturally responsive teaching and equity in education, since kids arrive in a classroom with different vocabularies shaped by their homes and communities. We also cover text sets, active processing, observational vocabulary assessment, and why encouraging kids to attempt spelling of big words supports both vocabulary growth and decoding skills. Tanya makes the case that content area learning, in science, social studies, and beyond, is one of the best vehicles for vocabulary growth, and that cutting content instruction in the name of literacy actually works against literacy. This is a direct, practical resource for school leadership, instructional leadership, and school improvement conversations around curriculum planning and school culture. Episode Mentions:  Tanya's books:Literacy Learning for Infants, Toddlers, & Preschoolers: Key Practices for Educators(NAEYC 2022)A Teacher's Guide to Vocabulary Development Across the Day: Grades K-3(Heinemann 2021)All About Words: Increasing Vocabulary in the Common Core Classroom: PreK-2(Teachers College Press 2013)Nurturing Knowledge: Building a Foundation for School Success by Linking Early Literacy to Math, Science, Art, and Social Studies(Scholastic 2007)A Parent's Guide to Reading With Your Young Child(Scholastic 2006)Other Resources Tanya Recommends: SOLID Start (FREE, open-access science curriculum materials with integrated literacy learning opportunities)This conversation is on YouTube too! Chapters: 0:00 Introduction to Dr. Tanya S. Wright 1:30 The educator who inspires her 3:00 Why five words a week isn't enough 5:30 Defining vocabulary and the locked vocabulary gate 8:00 The different types of word knowledge 11:00 What active processing means 13:00 Why read alouds build vocabulary 16:30 Choosing which words to explicitly teach 19:30 Supporting multilingual learners 21:00 The principles of word learning 23:00 Orthographic mapping and meaning 26:00 Why content learning builds vocabulary 30:00 Pre-teaching vocabulary: when it works and when it doesn't 34:30 What a text set is and why it matters 39:00 Finding strong texts without a publisher 41:00 Assessing vocabulary through observation 44:00 Word choice and spelling approximations in writing 47:30 Vocabulary strategies for independent readers 50:30 Final call to action Schoolutions is the podcast for educators and school leaders, families and homeschoolers, and the coaches, counselors, and mentors who believe every student deserves to thrive. Join our community of educators committed to cultivating student success, inspired teaching, and creating inclusive classrooms with a pro-kid mindset focused on the whole child. 🌿Ready to grow alongside your children? Book a coaching session with me here. We'll unlock the expert who is already within you and surround you with a community of educators committed to forever getting better through collective expertise. 🎵 Music: Benjamin Wahl Don't forget to 🔔SUBSCRIBE for more teaching tips, and 💬SHARE the episode! #schoolutions #schoolutionspodcast #forevergettingbetter #curiositydriven #evidencebasedclassroomreadystrategies #VocabularyDevelopment #EarlyLiteracy #ReadingComprehension #TeacherTips #InstructionalCoaching #EquityInEducation #ReadAloud #K3Teachers #TeacherSupport #ProfessionalDevelopment #Schoolutions #EducationPodcast #WholeChild #NewTeachers #InstructionalLeadership When teachers, coaches, administrators, and families grow together, they create schools where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged, supported, and ready to thrive.

  8. Jul 10

    The Case for Bringing Play Back to School

    Global changemakers Renée Dinnerstein and Larry Leaven have a shared commitment to children when it comes to reviving choice time, inquiry, exploration, and play in schools around the world. Their inspiring anecdotes and creative out-of-the-box solutions through this S2E36 Schoolutions conversation, will help listeners immediately put choice time into action. Episode Mentions: Vivian Gussin PaleyDeborah MeierPS 321NAEYSLoris MalaguzziFanny RomanWhy Every Kindergarten and First-Grade School Day Should Begin with Inquiry and Imaginative Play by Olivia WahlS1 E8: Bringing Joy to the Start of Each Day Through Play with Mary Anne CamelDalton School Hong KongSusan Harris MacKayAnjiPlayNancy DuDefending the Early Years OrganizationMaking Your Environment "The Third Teacher" by Margie CarterChoice Time: How to Deepen Learning Through Inquiry and Play, PreK-2 by Renee DinnersteinIs Kindergarten Ready for the Child?  by Renee DinnersteinRenee Dinnerstein’s Revolution Grows in Brooklyn by Susan OchshornThis conversation is on YouTube too! Chapters: 0:00 Introduction to Renée Dinnerstein and Larry Leaven 2:00 The educators who shaped their careers 7:00 Why play is disappearing from classrooms 9:30 What choice time actually means 12:15 Play vs. playful instruction 14:00 Starting the day with play instead of using it as a reward 16:50 Why choice time matters more after the pandemic 19:00 Choice time work in Hong Kong and China 20:40 Play across cultures: Rome, Italy, and beyond 24:20 Mixing classrooms to support English language learners 27:20 What teachers learn by observing play 30:25 Why choice time can't be measured on a spreadsheet 33:10 The choice time lab room model 36:50 Focusing on a few students each day 39:10 Building a choice time culture without full staff buy-in 42:25 Final call to action Thank you to Renée Dinnerstein and Heinemann Publishing who are so generous to offer a PROMO CODE (CHOICE) to receive 30% off Renée's book: Choice Time: How to Deepen Learning Through Inquiry and Play, PreK-2 https://www.heinemann.com/products/e07765.aspx Schoolutions is the podcast for educators and school leaders, families and homeschoolers, and the coaches, counselors, and mentors who believe every student deserves to thrive. Join our community of educators committed to cultivating student success, inspired teaching, and creating inclusive classrooms with a pro-kid mindset focused on the whole child. 🌿Ready to grow alongside your children? Book a coaching session with me here. We'll unlock the expert who is already within you and surround you with a community of educators committed to forever getting better through collective expertise. 🎵 Music: Benjamin Wahl Don't forget to 🔔SUBSCRIBE for more teaching tips, and 💬SHARE the episode! #schoolutions #schoolutionspodcast #forevergettingbetter #curiositydriven #evidencebasedclassroomreadystrategies #ChoiceTime #ChildDirectedPlay #EarlyChildhoodEducation #TeacherTips #InstructionalCoaching #SchoolLeadership #StudentEngagement #ActiveLearning #WholeChild #EquityInEducation #EducationPodcast #Schoolutions #TeacherSupport #ProfessionalDevelopment #ParentCommunication #InclusiveClassrooms #TeacherMentors #SchoolCulture #InstructionalLeadership #NewTeachers When teachers, coaches, administrators, and families grow together, they create schools where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged, supported, and ready to thrive.

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Do you need innovative strategies to strengthen your school culture and spark student growth? This podcast is your go-to resource for coaches, teachers, administrators, and families seeking to create dynamic and engaging learning environments. In each episode, you'll discover how to unite educators and caregivers to support students, tackle common classroom challenges, and cultivate an atmosphere where every learner can thrive. With over 25 years of experience as a teacher and coach, host Olivia Wahl curates episodes with insights from more than 150 expert interviews, offering practical tips that bridge the gap between school and home. Tune in every Monday and Friday for actionable strategies and inspirational stories that can transform your approach and make a real impact on learning.Start with a fan-favorite episode today (S5E1: Inside the Secret Moves of Expert Teachers with John Hattie) and take the first step towards transforming your educational environment!

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