Think Inclusive

Tim Villegas

Think Inclusive brings you real conversations about building schools where every learner belongs.

  1. DEI in Schools: Why Belonging Matters More Than Access with Margo Gross

    9H AGO

    DEI in Schools: Why Belonging Matters More Than Access with Margo Gross

    Margo Gross is a national public speaker, educator, certified life coach, and Amazon bestselling author. Her work focuses on DEI, belonging, equity, and culturally responsive teaching. She travels across the U.S. and abroad helping schools and communities better understand identity, student experience, and inclusive practices. Margo is also a former Teacher of the Year and is completing advanced leadership studies at Harvard. Her lived experiences—as a Black woman, mother, educator, and advocate—shape the insight and honesty she brings to her work. In this episode, Tim talks with educator and speaker Margo Gross about staying grounded in your values during a time when DEI, inclusive education, and equity efforts are often misunderstood or pushed aside. Margo shares deeply personal stories about identity, hair, culture, and the emotional journey of finding and creating belonging. The conversation explores how to build school environments where students don’t have to shrink or hide who they are, and why disability justice must be part of any real inclusion work. Margo also talks about grief—grieving relationships that change when values no longer align—and the hope she still sees in people, community, and the next generation. They also dig into practical strategies for talking about DEI when the words themselves are controversial, how to define inclusion through access, and why equity is about giving people what they need—consistently and urgently. The episode closes with a fun mystery question about languages they’ve always wanted to learn. Complete show notes and transcript: https://mcie.org/think-inclusive/the-homework-machine-what-ai-is-really-doing-in-classrooms-1319-2/

    1h 7m
  2. Blue Engine on Scaling Inclusion: Silos, Safety, and Systems Change

    JAN 15

    Blue Engine on Scaling Inclusion: Silos, Safety, and Systems Change

    Matt Guerrero and Tiffany Galloway are leaders at Blue Engine, a nonprofit organization that partners with school systems to scale inclusive practices. Their work spans regions across the U.S.—from New York City to Louisiana, Massachusetts, and the Pacific Northwest—supporting districts in building coherent, system‑level approaches to inclusive instruction. Matt and Tiffany bring deep backgrounds as classroom teachers, special educators, coaches, and district‑level leaders focused on equity, learner variability, and instructional design. In this episode, Tim talks with Matt Guerrero and Tiffany Galloway about how Blue Engine has evolved from classroom‑level co‑teaching support to helping entire school systems build the structures, mindsets, and capacity needed for inclusive education. They discuss the surprising differences—and similarities—across districts around the country, the challenges of scaling inclusive practices beyond a single classroom, and the importance of unified vision, shared language, and proactive design. Matt and Tiffany share stories from partnerships in places like New York, Northern California, Massachusetts, Baltimore, and Louisiana, highlighting what it actually looks like when leaders confront silos, build trust, rethink systems, and center learner variability. They also unpack why psychological safety matters in coaching, how systems can move beyond compliance, and what motivates district leaders to pursue real change. The conversation closes with a lighter moment as the guests imagine what job they'd try for just one day. Complete show notes and transcript: https://mcie.org/think-inclusive/blue-engine-on-scaling-inclusion-silos-safety-and-system-change-1317/

    1h 3m
  3. How Museums Can Support Young Learners with Visual Impairment

    JAN 9

    How Museums Can Support Young Learners with Visual Impairment

    Dr. Michael Barla is an early childhood educator and former higher‑ed faculty member who now works at the Anchor Center for Blind Children in Denver. In 2024, he completed a residential fellowship at the Clyfford Still Museum, where he designed a sensory‑based translation of a Clyfford Still painting for a young child with a visual impairment. Jen Taylor is a teacher of students with visual impairments. She began her career in East Texas, spent several years at the Anchor Center, and now works in the Cherry Creek School District. Jen collaborated with Michael on conceptualizing and designing the multisensory translation of the artwork. Taylor Kingsbery is the parent of Miko, the toddler who explored Michael’s translated artwork. Taylor brings a powerful perspective on accessibility, representation, and what it means to co‑create environments where disabled children can experience belonging and opportunity. This episode explores what it means to translate fine art—not simply replicate it—for young children with visual impairments. Dr. Michael Barla shares how his residency at the Clyfford Still Museum evolved into a hands‑on project: reimagining a Clyfford Still painting (pH‑914) as a fully sensory experience for Miko, a two‑year‑old who is blind. With deep collaboration from VI teacher Jen Taylor and insight from Miko’s mom Taylor Kingsbery, the project transformed color, texture, line, and movement into elements children can feel, hear, and explore with their whole bodies. We follow Miko’s visit to the museum—feet first, face pressed close, mapping the artwork from every angle—and learn how sensory access opens doors to representation, identity, and belonging. The conversation expands from art to universal design, rightful presence, and why inclusion has to begin at the design stage—not as an afterthought. The guests remind us that co‑creation with families and communities is essential if we want places like museums, classrooms, and public spaces to welcome everyone. Complete show notes and transcript: https://mcie.org/think-inclusive/how-museums-can-support-young-learners-with-visual-impairment-1316/

    1h 2m
5
out of 5
60 Ratings

About

Think Inclusive brings you real conversations about building schools where every learner belongs.

You Might Also Like