No Silly Questions- An Education Podcast for Parents Danielle Freilich and Jordana Fruchter

Welcome to an episode of NSQ Parents Unplugged- where we hear from parents and professionals about their experiences with school and the educational choices they're making for their families. 
In honor of Mother’s Day,  we’re thrilled to be joined by three esteemed guests-  Lily Walla, Loren Klein, and Lizza Assa- three amazing mamas who all work in the parenting space - for a special discussion about work and life, the balance of both, and the spaces where they intersect.

More on our guests:

Lili Walla toddler mom and founder of Auggie-  platform where empowered parents create personalized registries, shop, and share real recommendations from expecting and beyond.
Loren Klein is a mom of three, teacher, social worker and certified educator of infant massage with over 15 years of experience working with families and children. After graduating from Washington University, she began her career with Teach for America in a middle school classroom. While teaching, Loren earned a master’s in both education and social work at Columbia University. Since then, Loren has facilitated therapeutic programs for children, developed resources and workshops for families, and served as the main communication point for parents of students with disabilities at the New York City Department of Education. Loren is the founder of ZenHippo. 
Lizzie Asa , MS. Ed. and the founder of The Workspace for Children. I'm a parenting strategist and independent play expert who believes that play is how children make sense of their world.

Resources:

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https://www.instagram.com/nosillyquestionspodcast/

I truly believe that my 10th grade teacher, Dr.Joshua Gaylord, changed the trajectory of my academic future. He taught writing class and it’s a skill I use and rely on every single day, from writing a work email, to a birthday card, to even this introduction. We all rely on our ability to write - so, it’s understandable that we would want our kids to develop enormous confidence in this discipline. But unfortunately, nation-wide data suggets that writing is in fact our children’s weakest skill. 

What is the most effective way to teach it, backed by science? And what’s a parent’s role at home? If you’ve ever wondered what comes next after those handwriting workbooks,  this episode with writing expert- Dr. Leslie Laud is for you.

More on Dr. Leslie Laud:

Dr. Leslie Laud holds a doctorate from Columbia University with a focus on writing instruction. She leads professional development for teachers and supports school leaders with taking on evidence-based practice for writing. She presents at national conferences, publishes in peer reviewed journals and still teaches children how to write. 

Resources:

nosillyquestionspodcast.com

https://www.instagram.com/nosillyquestionspodcast/

As our 15 year college reunions approach, we can still vividly remember how much we dreaded studying for the SATs and the stress we felt waiting for our college acceptances. But will this be the same for our kids? Today, we bring on Michael B. Horn to help us understand what’s changed since our day- what’s stayed the same- and how we can get better at “Choosing College” - which is in fact the name of his book!
More on MICHAEL B. HORN:
Michael B. Horn is the author of several books, including Choosing College: How to Make Better Learning Decisions Throughout Your Life and the recently released From Reopen to Reinvent: (Re)creating School for Every Child. Michael is the co-founder of and a distinguished fellow at the Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation, a non-profit think tank and an adjunct lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He cohosts the top education podcasts Future U and Class Disrupted, is a regular contributor to Forbes.com and the New York Sun, and writes the Substack newsletter The Future of Education. Michael also serves as an executive editor at Education Next, and his work has been featured in outlets such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Harvard Business Review, and NBC. 

Preschool - and early childhood learning - plays an essential role in the lives of many parents and children. Working parents rely on preschool, and research shows that a HIGH QUALITY preschool program can have a lasting positive impact on the life of a child. According to the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION, providing a high quality education for children before they turn 5 yields significant medium and long term benefits for children, including being:


Less likely to repeat a gradeLess likely to be identified as having special needsMore prepared academically for later gradesMore likely to graduate from high schoolHigher earners in the workforceFurthermore, access to effective, diverse programs breaks down barriers that have prevented many children– particularly children of color and children from disadvantaged families– from achieving their full potential.
But how do we ensure that - on a LARGE SCALE - our children are having experiences in early childhood programs that best support their short and long term development. Today, we’ll learn from Dr. Kara Ahmed about how New York City, our country's largest school system, is supporting its youngest learners.   

More on Kara:
As Deputy Chancellor of Early Childhood Education, Dr. Kara Ahmed is responsible for ensuring the system is prepared to support all of New York City’s young people from birth to five years of age. 
For the past 14 years, Kara was the Principal for the Department of Education’s Living for the Young Family Through Education (LYFE) program, which she transformed into a nationally recognized, city-wide, early childhood education program.Kara began her career as an early childhood educator and then became the Early Childhood Supervisor for New Brunswick Public Schools. There she led all operational and programmatic aspects related to the public school and private provider preschool programs. Kara also led the implementation of preschool inclusion to guarantee children with identified disabilities were naturally integrated into general education preschool classrooms. Kara went on to work with William Patterson University to support the New Jersey DOE’s implementation of preschool across the state, and she taught graduate courses at Teachers College, Columbia University. 
Kara has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Fordham University. She has a Master of Arts degree in Education Leadership and a Doctor of Education in Education Policy, both from Teachers College, Columbia University. 
Resources:

nosillyquestionspodcast.com

https://www.instagram.com/nosillyquestionspodcast/
 

If you’re a parent whose child’s birthday falls within a few weeks - or in some cases a few months - of the cutoff date, perhaps you’ve thought about whether you should delay your child’s entry to Kindergarten so they can be one of the oldest in the class -  a practice known as redshirting. Depending on where you live and what school choices you have, redshirting may or may not be an option for you. In today’s episode, our guest Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach will make you think twice about the merits of this practice.

More on Diane:
Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach is Director of the Institute for Policy Research at Northwestern University. She is an economist who studies policies aimed at improving the lives of children in poverty, including education, health, and income support policies. Her work traces the impact of major public policies such as the Food Stamp Program, school finance reform, and early childhood education on children’s long-term outcomes. She is also the Margaret Walker Alexander Professor in the School of Education and Social Policy. She holds a Ph.D. in economics from Princeton University. 

Resources:

nosillyquestionspodcast.com

https://www.instagram.com/nosillyquestionspodcast/

In the ever more competitive race to secure the best possible future, today’s students face unprecedented pressure to succeed. Our guest today- award-winning reporter Jennifer. B Wallace-  investigates the deep roots of toxic achievement culture in her book “Never Enough”- and finds out what we must do to fight back. If you find your schedule jam-packed with activities and extracurriculars, your wallet stretched thin with tutoring fees- this episode is for you.

More on Jennifer:
Jennifer Wallace is an award-winning journalist and author of the New York Times bestselling book Never Enough: When Achievement Pressure Becomes Toxic – and What We Can Do About It.   She is a frequent contributor to The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post and appears on national television to discuss her articles and relevant topics in the news.   
After graduating from Harvard College, Wallace began her journalism career at  CBS “60 Minutes,” where she was part of a team that won The Robert F. Kennedy Awards for Excellence in Journalism. She is a Journalism Fellow at The Center for Parent and Teen Communication at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Resources:

nosillyquestionspodcast.com

https://www.instagram.com/nosillyquestionspodcast/