The Delta

Watershed Advisors
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Change is possible. Insights from Watershed Advisors on how to bring the biggest ideas in education to life.

  1. 3h ago

    What’s Behind Arkansas’s Academic Gains? With Secretary Jacob Oliva

    Mississippi and Louisiana have become the poster children for the “Southern Surge” in academic achievement. But we think there’s another state that deserves a spot in the conversation: Arkansas. Arkansas passed the ambitious LEARNS Act in 2023, and since then, state leaders have been hard at work making it real in classrooms. Now, they’re starting to see results: Student performance improved in every grade and subject on the latest ATLAS assessments. In this week’s The Delta, Watershed President Jessica Baghian sits down with Arkansas Secretary of Education Jacob Oliva to unpack what’s behind that progress, how the state is supporting schools, and what other states can learn about getting big things done for kids.

  2. Oct 8

    Want the “Mississippi Miracle” in Your State? Start Here.

    Mississippi’s literacy gains have become one of the biggest education success stories of the last decade. But as Dr. Kymyona Burk explains in this week’s The Delta, those gains didn’t happen overnight. They were the result of years of sustained work to turn good policy into better instruction in classrooms. Watershed CEO Kunjan Narechania sits down with Dr. Burk, Mississippi’s former State Literacy Director and one of the people who led that work, to get underneath the headlines and unpack what Mississippi built—from the state agency to the classroom—to make its literacy strategy work for kids.

  3. Sep 23

    Enrollment Is Falling. Here’s How Leaders Can Get Ahead of It.

    There are fewer kids in public schools. But in many places, there aren’t fewer schools. Closing schools is never a conversation leaders are eager to have—but keeping half-full schools open can mean less for the things that make kids and teachers excited about school, from sports and arts to advanced courses and support staff. In this week’s The Delta, Jessica Baghian sits down with Gabriela Fighetti of Civic Solutions Group to talk about what leaders can do when they start to see enrollment dropping: what to watch for, when consolidation needs to be on the table, how to bring communities along, and what states can do to help.

  4. Sep 1

    The Education Freedom Tax Credit is coming. Do you have a strategy? with Deb Gist

    Starting in 2027, Americans will be able to receive a federal tax credit of up to $1,700 for donating to a nonprofit that administers education scholarships. It’s called the Education Freedom Tax Credit, and it has the potential to change how money flows into K-12 education. In this edition of The Delta, Kunjan Narechania sits down with Deborah A. Gist, former Commissioner of Education in Rhode Island and the founder of Future School Fund, about how education leaders can make the most of this new program to create opportunities for public school students.

  5. May 5

    Immigration Enforcement Doesn't Belong in Schools with Hanseul Kang

    For more than 40 years, every child in America has had the right to attend public schools regardless of immigration status. In this week's Delta, Jessica Baghian sits down with Hanseul Kang to talk about pending legislation in Oklahoma, Texas, and Tennessee that would require schools to verify students' immigration status at enrollment. Hanseul has held some of the most demanding jobs in public education, as former DC State Superintendent and former Chief of Staff at the Tennessee Department of Education. She also spent part of her own childhood undocumented, which gives her a vantage point on this debate that very few people have.

  6. Apr 27

    The gender gap in education leadership is getting narrower, but it’s not gone with Julia Rafal-Baer

    Most teachers are women. So why aren’t most superintendents? We’re continuing our Women’s History Month series with Dr. Julia Rafal-Baer, CEO of ILO Group and Women Leading Ed, to take a closer look at what’s driving the gender gap in education leadership. We’ve made significant strides to close the gap in recent years, and more women than ever are stepping into education leadership, but the path is still uphill.

  7. Apr 21

    Building at the Intersection of Wisdom and Imagination with Kaya Henderson

    The education field talks a lot about preparing students for the future. But what do students think they need to be prepared? In this week’s Delta, Kaya Henderson, Executive Vice President and Executive Director at the Aspen Institute’s Center for Rising Generations, shares what she’s learning from young people—and how different the conversation looks when they’re brought in as partners, not just participants.

  8. Mar 31

    There Is No Teacher Quality Without Teacher Quality of Life with Heather Peske

    In this week’s Delta, Jessica Baghian sits down with Heather Peske, President of The National Council on Teacher Quality, who puts it plainly: If we are serious about improving outcomes for students, we have to be equally serious about the experience of the adults who make those outcomes possible. This conversation takes a deep dive into the day-to-day decisions teachers are making—from housing to parental leave—and what states can do differently to support them.

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About

Change is possible. Insights from Watershed Advisors on how to bring the biggest ideas in education to life.

Information

  • Creator
    Watershed Advisors
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    13
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Watershed Advisors
  • Show Website
    The Delta

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