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

Olivia Wahl
  • 4.7 (43)
  • EDUCATION
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

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. 6H AGO ·  BONUS

    How is @openplansnyc Turning School Streets into Outdoor Classrooms for Students?

    In this clip (watch here), Sabina Sethi Unni from Open Plans defines a school street as a DOT program enabling schools to close adjacent streets to car traffic during school hours, enhancing school safety. This initiative, rooted in urban planning, can range from simple pick-up and drop-off closures to creating spaces for recess and gym. The aim is to improve road safety and overall student safety by managing traffic around schools. This is the kind of innovative teaching environment and instructional leadership thinking that drives real school improvement, strengthens family partnerships, and builds school culture from the ground up. Whether you're a principal, teacher, instructional coach, or caregiver, this conversation will inspire you to think differently about the spaces where students learn, move, and thrive. 📩 Want to bring a School Street to your school? Contact Sabina at sabina@openplans.org Ready to unlock more innovative teaching strategies that empower educators and drive real school change? Subscribe and explore the full channel. Watch, reflect, and share Part 1 & Part 2 of our @schoolutionspodcast⁩ S5E36 interview. CHAPTERS: 0:00 What is a School Street? 0:12 Pick-Up & Drop-Off Safety 0:22 Recess & Gym on the Street 0:35 Outdoor Learning & Science Fairs 0:48 Community Programming & Halloween Parades 1:02 School Streets as a Hub for Student & Family Life 📧 Connect with me if you’d like a thought partner to help you cultivate curious learners who advocate for what they believe in. 🎵 Music: Benjamin Wahl 📌 Subscribe for more tools for empowered educators, teacher mentors, school counselors, instructional leaders, and anyone committed to thriving students and school change.  #Schoolutions #SchoolutionsPodcast #ForeverGettingBetter #CuriosityDriven #EvidenceBased #ClassroomReadyStrategies #SchoolStreets #OpenPlans #StudentEngagement #ActiveLearning #EquityInEducation #SchoolCulture #InnovativeTeaching #WholeChild #OutdoorLearning #FamilyPartnerships #InstructionalLeadership #SchoolImprovement #EmpoweredEducators #ProKidMindset #CulturallyResponsiveTeaching #InclusiveClassrooms #TeacherCoaching #EducationTransformation #ThrivingStudents #SchoolLeadership #ParentInvolvement #InspiringStudents #TeacherImpact #ProfessionalDevelopment #NYCSchools #UrbanEducation  When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.

    1 min

  2. 2D AGO

    School Streets: Inside NYC's Movement to Reclaim Urban Spaces

    In Part 1 of this S5E36 two-part @schoolutionspodcast conversation, urban planner and organizer Sabina Sethi Unni from @openplansnyc breaks down New York City's School Streets program. It's a DOT initiative that closes car traffic in front of schools during school hours to create outdoor space for kids who need it most. Consider the possibilities...what if the street outside your school could become a gym, a science fair, or a Halloween parade all before 3 PM? We discuss: - What School Streets actually looks like (hint: it's active learning in action) - How schools apply and who is eligible - Why student engagement and classroom behavior improve when kids have space to move - The #1 barrier for under-resourced schools and how Open Plans removes it - Why equity in education and culturally responsive teaching are baked into their outreach model - How parent involvement and family partnerships make or break the program - What school leadership and principal strategies can do to champion this today - Why community engagement is non-negotiable in education transformation 📩 Want to bring a School Street to your school? Reach out to Sabina directly: sabina@openplans.org  Some resources mentioned: School Streets program with Open PlansHackney, UK (suburb of London): Open streets research program Paris School Streets program School Streets reportCHAPTERS: 0:00 — Introduction & Sabina's Background 1:45 — Research That Drives the Work (Hackney, UK) 3:00 — How Street Design Became a Lever of Power 5:00 — From Intern to Full-Time: The Equity Research That Started It All 7:15 — How Schools Apply & Who Is Eligible 8:45 — Prioritizing Low-Income Communities of Color 9:45 — The Real Barriers: Staffing, PTAs & Stretched Schools 10:55 — How Open Plans Removes Barriers for Schools 12:30 — What a School Street Actually Looks & Feels Like 13:45 — Flexible Hours: Schools Choose What Works for Them 14:30 — How Involved Is Open Plans After Approval? 15:30 — Leadership Turnover as a Hidden Barrier 16:30 — Lightning Round: Best Quotes, Myths & Big Dreams 18:30 — The Danger of Skipping Community Engagement 19:30 — Key Takeaways & Part 2 Preview 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. 📧 🎧 New episodes every Monday & Friday with bite-sized Wednesday reel bonus content. 📧 Connect with me if you’d like a thought partner to help you cultivate curious learners who advocate for what they believe in. 🎵 Music: Benjamin Wahl Don't forget to 🔔SUBSCRIBE for more teaching tips, and 💬SHARE! #schoolutions #schoolutionspodcast #forevergettingbetter #curiositydriven #evidencebasedstrategies #classroomreadystrategies#SchoolStreets #EquityInEducation #StudentEngagement  When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.

    22 min

  3. 3D AGO

    Students Thrive When Teachers Center Their Voices

    This May, @schoolutionspodcast is putting student voices front and center because real student success starts with listening. We spotlight how teachers can tune in to children's voices and experiences, including their streets, stories, leadership, and language. 👟 Sabina Sethi Unni opens the month with her powerful work through Open Plans NYC and the School Streets program. She is transforming unsafe streets in front of New York City schools into open play spaces that honor the whole child. 📖 Xochitl Bentley dives into different storytelling stances and how they connect to climate stewardship. Xochitl offers a masterclass in culturally responsive teaching, inclusive classrooms, and sparking student motivation through narrative and identity. 🌱 Rachael Thrash talks about co-creating schools with students and developing student leaders. This is a must-listen for anyone passionate about active learning, student participation, and equity in education. 📚 Beth Skelton and Tan Huynh close out the month with their new book on working with experienced multilinguals and their integrated literacy framework.  Beth and Tan offer essentials for anyone committed to anti-bias teaching, inclusivity, and thriving students who are also language learners. These conversations are rooted in inspiring students and educators, and in the belief that educational transformation happens when we center student voice, build family partnerships, and support teachers. Join us this May. We can't wait to see you. 💙 CONNECT & SUBSCRIBE: 👍 Like if you're ready for education transformation 💬 Comment: Which guest are you most excited to hear? 🔔 Subscribe for weekly teaching tips and instructional strategies  📱 Share Wednesday reels with your teaching team CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro: May's theme: centering children's voices 0:12 Sabina Sethi Unni: School Streets & safe play spaces 0:25 Xochitl Bentley: storytelling stances & climate stewardship 0:36 Rachael Thrash: co-creating schools & student leadership 0:47 Beth Skelton & Tan Huynh: experienced multilinguals & integrated literacy 0:58 Join us this May! #Schoolutions #SchoolutionsPodcast #ForeverGettingBetter  #CuriosityDriven #EvidenceBased #ClassroomReadyStrategies #ClassroomBelonging #StudentEngagement #StudentMotivation #ActiveLearning #InspiringStudents #EffectiveTeaching #InstructionalCoaching #TeacherSupport #ProfessionalDevelopment #SchoolLeadership #SchoolCulture #FamilyPartnerships #HomeSchoolConnection #CulturallyResponsiveTeaching #EquityInEducation #InclusiveClassrooms #AntiBiasTeaching #WholeChild #StudentSuccess #EmpoweredEducators #EducationTransformation #TeacherImpact #NewTeachers #StudentVoice #StudentLeadership #MultilingualLearners #TeachersOfYouTube #EducationPodcast #ProKidMindset #SchoolImprovement When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.

    1 min

  4. 5D AGO ·  BONUS

    The Truth About Making Science Outreach Work Worldwide

    In part two of my S5E35 ⁨@schoolutionspodcast⁩ conversation, science busker and communicator David Price with @ScienceMadeSimpleUK⁩ joins me to unpack what happens when you take STEM education to the streets. From crossing language barriers without a single word to designing classroom belonging through hands-on phenomena to building STEM kits for classrooms where balloons are a luxury, this episode is packed with practical insights for anyone who cares about inspiring students and transforming how we teach. In this episode: ➡️Why student participation skyrockets when you lead with play, not lecture ➡️How mimicry and observation are the original instructional strategies — and why schools train it out of kids ➡️The "Odd One Out" technique for sparking student engagement and scientific thinking from minute one ➡️How to design for inclusive classrooms where language, cost, and jargon aren't barriers ➡️What the Singapore National Science Busking Championship reveals about empowered educators and student success ➡️Why effective teaching starts with you, not a script, not a lab, not a budget 💫Make sure to watch Part 1 & here are some episode Mentions: Lightyear Foundation British Interactive Group (BIG)  Singapore National Science Busking Championships Chapters: 0:00 — Welcome Back & Part 1 Recap 1:45 — Going Global: Language & Cultural Barriers in Science Busking 3:30 — Why Wordless Performance Works: The Power of Observation & Mimicry 5:00 — Learning-Doing: The Inseparable Pair 6:30 — Can Visualize Come Back? A Call to Funders 7:00 — Holding the Mission Sacred While Running a Real Business 8:30 — Meet the Science Made Simple Team 9:30 — STEM Education in Ghana: Designing Kits for Equity 11:30 — Building Science Busking Kits for Any Context 13:00 — Teaching the Scientific Method as a Phenomenon 14:00 — Connecting Science to Real-Life Phenomena in the Classroom 16:00 — Thinking, Doing, Talking Science: The Odd One Out Technique 17:30 — Building Student Confidence to Question & Explore 18:30 — Advice for Aspiring Science Communicators 20:00 — The Most Effective Communicator Is YOU 21:00 — Find Your Community: British Interactive Group & Science Communication Masters 22:30 — What Still Feels Unfinished: Singapore Busking Championships & a Dream for Europe 24:00 — Closing Reflections & Three Takeaways 26:00 — Next Week: Urban Planner Sabina Unni on School Streets 🎧 New episodes every Monday & Friday with bite-sized Wednesday reel bonus content. 📧 Connect with me if you’d like a thought partner to help you cultivate curious learners who advocate for what they believe in. 🎵 Music: Benjamin Wahl Next week: I am so excited to introduce you to urban planner Sabina Sethi Unni, who is on a mission to transform the clogged streets in front of New York City schools into outdoor classrooms, block parties, and safe spaces for kids to actually breathe. She is going to break down exactly how the School Streets program with Open Plans works and what it would take to bring it to every school in the city. When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.

    29 min

  5. APR 29 ·  BONUS

    This Proprioception Trick Stops Every Student Cold

    In this short (watch here), David Price of @ScienceMadeSimpleUK and I explore science busking: a joyful, hands-on approach to inspiring students through playful phenomena in education. Watch as proprioception (your brain's ability to sense where your body parts are in space) becomes an unforgettable lesson hook. This is what effective teaching looks like: low-prep, high-impact, and rooted in curiosity. Whether you're a classroom teacher, instructional coach, school leader, or parent supporting education at home, this kind of whole-child, pro-kid mindset is exactly what drives student motivation, classroom belonging, and thriving students. Science busking isn't a trick; it's a teaching strategy that sparks attention in class, deepens student participation, and makes abstract concepts stick through inclusive, culturally responsive teaching. Ready to unlock more innovative teaching strategies that empower educators and drive real school change? Subscribe and explore the full channel. Watch, reflect, and share Part 1 & Part 2 of our  @schoolutionspodcast S5E35 interview. CHAPTERS 0:00 Introduction to science busking 0:06 The demo begins — can you catch all three? 0:28 Nailing it — student success moment 0:45 What just happened? Introducing proprioception 1:05 Why this is powerful for teaching and learning When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey. 📧 Connect with me if you’d like a thought partner to help you cultivate curious learners who advocate for what they believe in. 🎵 Music: Benjamin Wahl 📌 Subscribe for more tools for empowered educators, teacher mentors, school counselors, instructional leaders, and anyone committed to thriving students and school change.  #Schoolutions #SchoolutionsPodcast #ForeverGettingBetter #CuriosityDriven #EvidenceBased #ClassroomReadyStrategies #ScienceBusking #ActiveLearning #StudentEngagement #TeachingTips #InstructionalCoaching #ClassroomBelonging #EffectiveTeaching #ProKidMindset #EducationTransformation #InspiringStudents #WholeChild #SchoolLeadership #NewTeachers #InnovativeTeaching #TeacherImpact #ProfessionalDevelopment #InclusiveClassrooms #CulturallyResponsiveTeaching #StudentMotivation #LessonPlanning #SchoolCulture #ParentInvolvement #EmpoweredEducators #EquityInEducation #HomeschoolParents When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.

    1 min

  6. APR 27

    Science Busking: The Unexpected Teaching Method Schools Are Missing

    In part 1 of my S5E35 @schoolutionspodcast conversation, science busker and LAMDA-trained communicator, David Price of @ScienceMadeSimpleUK, takes us inside a live street performance, and YOU get to participate. We explore proprioception, the body science behind the busk you'll try in this episode, as a metaphor for how hands-on, student participation, and whole-child learning can transform classroom behavior, student motivation, and attention. David shares how he trains researchers, new teachers, and school leaders in the art of captivating strangers and why those same skills are transformative for inspiring students and building student success in any setting. In Part 1, you'll discover: → What science busking is and why it works for low engagement audiences → The "golden volunteer" principle and how it applies to classroom belonging → Why students at Rael Gate School started designing their own busks → How street performer techniques translate into effective teaching → The proprioception experiment you can try right now Resources from David: Jimmy Talksalot: To Lure- Sales PagePaul McCrory: books, biography, latest updateDavid Price: Street science for all | TED TalkSome episode mentions: Dr. Stefania Soldini & NASA's DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) Science Made Simple NorthLAMDA (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts)Croucher Science Week in Hong Kong 2009 World Street Performance ChampionshipThe Josh Award for Outstanding Innovation in Science Communication Singapore National Science Busking Championships Chapters 0:00 Intro — science on a street corner 1:30 Meet David Price: LAMDA science communicator & busker 3:00 Stefia Sini: the interplanetary engineer 4:00 How David found science communication (not planned!) 5:30 LIVE BUSK — try the proprioception experiment now 8:10 What science busking actually is 10:00 Busking in schools — the Rael Gate story 13:00 Materials: what's in a busking kit? 14:20 Capturing a transient audience — the ball trick 16:30 Lessons from the 2009 World Street Performance Championships 19:00 The "golden volunteer" and inclusive classroom strategies 20:45 Lightning round — David's hot takes 📧 🎧 New episodes every Monday & Friday with bite-sized Wednesday reel bonus content. 📧 Connect with me if you’d like a thought partner to help you cultivate curious learners who advocate for what they believe in. 🎵 Music: Benjamin Wahl Don't forget to🔔SUBSCRIBE for more teaching tips, and 💬SHARE with fellow educators!  When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.

    27 min

  7. APR 24 ·  BONUS

    Growing Through Discomfort: Why the Best Teachers Step Away

    In part two of my S5E34 Schoolutions conversation, Muriel Summers of Leader in Me explores the balance in education and parenting between fostering student independence and providing necessary guidance, drawing from Muriel's extensive teaching experience. Discover practical classroom strategies and teaching tips for educators aiming to cultivate confident, self-directed learners. What does it truly mean to empower a student, and where exactly is the line between stepping back and disappearing? In Part 2 of this conversation, educator and author Muriel Summers (co-author of Teacher Believed in Me with Dr. David K. Hatch) shares the wisdom of four decades in classrooms around the world. Whether you're a classroom teacher, instructional coach, school administrator, or caregiver, this episode delivers practical, try-it-tomorrow strategies around: ✦ Building student confidence through authentic success ✦ Scaffolding: when to add support and when to pull back ✦ Why growth lives inside discomfort (and what our job really is) ✦ Global patterns in student engagement and student participation ✦ How school culture and school leadership shape whether children feel heard 💫Make sure to watch Part 1 & check out some of the resources mentioned: Teacher Believed in MeThe 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Leader in Me & movementChapters: 0:00  Introduction & recap of Part 1 1:45  What "empower" really means — Dr. Stephen Covey's definition 3:30  Letting children taste success & leadership 6:00  Empowering vs. fading into the background — where's the line? 7:00  The swimming lesson story — confidence in action 9:00  Art shows, systems & messages that build or break confidence 10:00 Scaffolding: when to put it up & when to take it down 11:20 Public speaking, podiums & never letting kids leave the stage feeling unsuccessful 14:30 Training wheels, discomfort & the dip where growth lives 15:20 Middle school, homework & handing off responsibility 17:00 Why discomfort is non-negotiable for growth 18:30 Fertilizing the soil — the parent & educator's true role 19:30 Global trends in student responsibility & voice 22:00 What Muriel witnessed in India, Romania & around the world 25:00 Heart prints — Muriel's legacy message 26:30 Three key takeaways from Part 2 🎧 New episodes every Monday & Friday with bite-sized Wednesday reel bonus content. 📧 Connect with me if you’d like a thought partner to help you cultivate curious learners who advocate for what they believe in. 🎵 Music: Benjamin Wahl Next week's episode takes things somewhere unexpected. David Price with @ScienceMadeSimpleUK has taken science busking to 26 countries, and in this conversation, he proves exactly why it works. From street corners to Singapore championships, this episode illuminates why STEM is irresistible to any audience, anywhere in the world.  When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.

    30 min

  8. APR 22 ·  BONUS

    Want Students to See Their Own Greatness? Empower Them...

    In this short, Muriel Summers and I explore the concept of empowerment, drawing insights from Stephen Covey's 7 Habits and the Leader in Me framework. We discuss how true leadership involves recognizing and unleashing the inherent greatness within individuals, fostering significant personal growth. This perspective highlights the importance of cultivating success habits and continuous self-improvement for effective leadership development. Drawing from the collaborative work of Dr. Hatch, we revisit one of the most profound definitions of leadership: "Communicating someone's worth and potential so clearly that they are inspired to see it in themselves." This isn't just a quote, it's a philosophy for empowered educators, instructional leaders, and anyone who believes in the whole child. Watch, reflect, and share Part 1 & Part 2 of our @schoolutionspodcast S5E34 interview. 🔑 In this video: - Why the word empower was intentionally chosen - How Stephen Covey's 7 Habits connects to student motivation and school culture - What it looks like to see and communicate student greatness - How this mindset shapes effective teaching, instructional coaching, and school leadership 📌 CHAPTERS: - 0:00 – Why the Word "Empower?" - 0:20 – Stephen Covey's 7 Habits & Unleashing Greatness - 0:40 – Covey's Definition of Leadership - 1:00 – Communicating Worth & Potential - 1:20 – What Empowerment Looks Like in Schools When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey. 📧 Connect with me if you’d like a thought partner to help you cultivate curious learners who advocate for what they believe in. 🎵 Music: Benjamin Wahl 📌 Subscribe for more tools for empowered educators, teacher mentors, school counselors, instructional leaders, and anyone committed to thriving students and school change.  #Schoolutions #SchoolutionsPodcast #ForeverGettingBetter #CuriosityDriven #evidencebasedmedicaleducation #empowerededucators #studentsuccess #inspiredteaching #instructionalcoaching #schoolleadership #teachercoaching #wholchild #educationtransformation #stephencovey #7habits #unleashgreatness #classroombelonging #studentengagement #schoolculture #teachingtiips #inclusiveteaching #proKidMindset #thrivingstudents #newteachers #mentorteachers #parentinvolvement #equityineducation #culturallyresponsiveteaching #schoolimprovement #instructionalleadership #educationleadership #activelearning #studentmotivation #familypartnerships #homeschoolconnection When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.

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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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