Education By Design

S1:E11 Mel Coryell on "Braiding College and Career: Indiana's Innovative Apprenticeships Strategy"

Share your thoughts [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2502056/open_sms] In Indiana, a bold experiment is reshaping how students learn. Through the i-Lab, more than 150 leaders have joined forces to design a statewide apprenticeship model — one that connects high schools, employers, and higher education in new ways. At the center of this work is a breakthrough partnership with IU Health, which not only trains students but guarantees them employment upon graduation. But the real story goes beyond jobs. As Mel Coryell explains, applied learning experiences become identity work. When students step into real workplaces, they don’t just practice skills — they discover who they are, what they care about, and what they are capable of. They learn to see themselves in new futures. At the core are the ABCs of learning: Agency, Belonging, and Connectedness. Apprenticeships give students the chance to feel seen, to belong in professional spaces, and to build agency over their own paths. This episode invites educators, leaders, and parents to see apprenticeships not as an alternative to school, but as a powerful extension of it — a design for opportunity, growth, and human flourishing. Discover more about i-Lab Indiana  [https://www.rmff.org/our-work/ilabindiana/] Listen to a recording of Mel and other key players speak on a panel at SxSW Edu earlier this year: Scaling Apprenticeship Statewide: Lessons from Indiana [https://schedule.sxswedu.com/2025/events/PP146346] Follow the EduByDesign Blog [https://edubydesign.com/blog] to explore the podcast topics, further. And please let Phil know what resonates with you, in the comments.

S1:E10 Jenny Gillett on "Designing for the future: Systems transformation" PART 2

Share your thoughts [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2502056/open_sms] Join me as I dive into the future of education with Jenny Gillett, the lead architect of the International Baccalaureate's groundbreaking Systems Transformation pilot. In this episode, Jenny reveals how she and United World College communities co-create a two-year, transdisciplinary learning journey—tackling global challenges from biodiversity to river pollution—through systems thinking, design sprints, and challenge-based assessment.  You’ll hear: * How students apply real-world problem solving under time pressure * Why only three deeply reflective artifacts can tell a richer learning story than any exam * The role of Principled Action, Systems Thinking, and Just Futures in empowering learner agency * Strategies for training teachers in IB Approaches to Teaching and co-creative facilitation * Insights on fairness, neuro-diversity, and scalable peer-powered professional development Perfect for educators, school leaders, and innovators, this conversation showcases the power of collaborative innovation, accountable assessment, and community-driven change. Tune in and discover how to transform your classroom into a living lab of student-centered, systems-led learning. To learn more about the pilot, visit Systems Transformation Pathway: Leadership for Just Futures [https://www.uwcatlantic.org/learning/academic/systems-transformation-pathway] or Leadership for just and sustainable futures A future-facing model for education [https://www.mulgrave.com/senior-schoolgrades-10-12/ib-systems-transformation] Here is a video featuring the student experience [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHtRozVeT4s] (YouTube) You might also like to look at two curriculum overview documents: International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme Subject Brief: Systems transformation – Leadership for change [https://www.ibo.org/globalassets/new-structure/programmes/dp/pdfs/dp_uwcsea_subjectbrief_en.pdf] and International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme Subject Brief: Systems transformation – Leadership for just futures [https://www.ibo.org/globalassets/new-structure/programmes/dp/pdfs/dp_uwc-atlantic-ib_subjectbrief_en.pdf] Follow the EduByDesign Blog [https://edubydesign.com/blog] to explore the podcast topics, further. And please let Phil know what resonates with you, in the comments.

S1:E9 Jared DuPree on "Designing the future: Challenge-based learning" Part 1

Share your thoughts [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2502056/open_sms] What does it take to shift a school system from standardization to innovation? In this thought-provoking episode of Education by Design, host Phil Evans is joined by Dr. Jared DuPree for a conversation that challenges the boundaries of what public education can be. Together, they explore the promise of challenge-based learning—an approach that connects students with real-world problems and invites them to design solutions through collaboration, creativity, and purpose. Dr. DuPree shares insights from his journey as a classroom teacher, district leader, and now national director for one of the most forward-thinking education initiatives in the country. At the heart of this conversation is a question that matters to every school leader, policymaker, and parent: Are we preparing students to navigate the world—or to change it? This episode is part one of a special two-part series on education models that foster deep, authentic learning in a rapidly evolving world. About the Founders: Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre This bold educational vision was sparked by legendary music producer Jimmy Iovine [https://jimmyiovine.com/] and hip-hop icon and entrepreneur Andre Young, better known as Dr. Dre. [https://www.drdre.com/] Their combined success in music, business, and cultural innovation led them to a realization: future-ready creators need to think beyond silos. They need to speak the shared language of design, technology, and entrepreneurship. And they need to learn it young. The Iovine and Young Center: Bringing Innovation to Public Schools Founded as an extension of the Iovine and Young Academy [https://iovine-young.usc.edu/] at the University of Southern California, the Iovine and Young Center (IYC) [https://iovineandyoungcenter.org/] brings this revolutionary approach to high school students—particularly those from underserved communities. The IYC model blends challenge-based learning, design thinking, and integrated technology education to transform how students engage with the world. With active programs in Los Angeles and Atlanta, and expansions underway, the IYC is redefining what public education can look like when innovation meets equity. Follow the EduByDesign Blog [https://edubydesign.com/blog] to explore the podcast topics, further. And please let Phil know what resonates with you, in the comments.

S1:E8 Markus Reneau on “Reimagining Potential: What If We Believed in Every Learner?”

Share your thoughts [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2502056/open_sms] When Markus Reneau asked his eighth-grade teacher if she thought he should apply for the one of the most rigorous educational programmes available to him, she looked him in the eye and said, “No.” Her reason? “It won’t be fun.” In a room full of Black and Hispanic students, the message was clear—academic challenge wasn’t for them. But Markus had other plans.  In this episode of Education by Design, we follow Markus’s extraordinary journey from a marginalized school community in New Orleans to Yale University, Howard Law School, and Georgetown University. His path isn’t just one of academic success—it’s a story of clarity, conviction, and choosing to use opportunity in service of others. Throughout our conversation, Markus reflects on how his high school education gave him more than just knowledge—it gave him a worldview shaped by critical thinking, cross-cultural understanding, and the moral imperative to give back. From his early experiences in classrooms with ESL peers, to studying African American Studies and education policy, to his current work advancing economic justice through law, Markus embodies what it means to lead with empathy and purpose. This episode invites listeners to consider what happens when we limit student potential—consciously or not—and how much power educators hold in helping students see beyond the boundaries others place on them. It’s a challenge to every teacher, policymaker, and school leader: what might change if we chose to see our students not for where they are, but for who they could become? Markus’s story is not one of exception—it’s one of design. A design that asks us to look again at the structures we take for granted and to ask, what are we really preparing our students for? And, can every student engage in ways that advance them on their own journey? Who are we to stand in their way? In this Episode, I share excerpts from Markus' 2019 address to the IB Global Conference in New Orleans in 2019. You can watch his full address, here [https://vimeo.com/358317396]. Follow the EduByDesign Blog [https://edubydesign.com/blog] to explore the podcast topics, further. And please let Phil know what resonates with you, in the comments.

S1:E7 Joshua Glazer on "Improvement by Design: Rethinking How Schools Change"

Share your thoughts [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2502056/open_sms] Why do so many education reforms fall short of their promise? In this powerful and wide-ranging conversation, Dr. Joshua Glazer of George Washington University unpacks what it really takes to improve schools — not through shortcuts or silver bullets, but through the slow, steady work of building coherent, community-anchored systems. Drawing on years of research into efforts like Tennessee’s iZone and ASD, Josh helps us understand why education is both a political and professional enterprise — and why lasting change demands more than test scores or talent pipelines. It requires trust. Context. And above all, the capacity to learn over time. This episode is an invitation to look beneath the surface of school reform, to consider what it means to design improvement intentionally, and to imagine the kind of public education that honors both the expertise of educators and the voices of the communities they serve. Whether you're a school leader, a parent, or someone who simply believes in the power of education, this conversation will stay with you. Follow the EduByDesign Blog [https://edubydesign.com/blog] to explore the podcast topics, further. And please let Phil know what resonates with you, in the comments.