Marc and Nick sit down with Dr. Kristopher J. Childs, Chief Academics, Equity and Social Justice Officer at Open Up Resources, founder of K Childs Solutions, and author of Teaching Mathematics for Social Justice, Grades K-12: A Guide for Moving from Mindset to Action. This conversation covers what it actually means to teach math as a tool for sense-making rather than a system of rules to memorize, and why Dr. Childs believes every child who walks into a classroom is already a math person.

Dr. Childs makes the case against the gradual release of responsibility model in math instruction, explains why the answer is the least interesting part of any math lesson, and introduces his popcorn analogy for understanding how and when students develop mathematical understanding. The conversation also covers what it means to be married to the content but never to the context, how mathematics for social justice starts not with controversy but with community gardens and credit scores, and why in-class teaching demonstrations are where Dr. Childs does his most important work. Marc and Nick also go deep on the calculator debate, grouping students in math, and why failing at a standardized test might actually be the least of anyone's problems. If you have ever been told your math department is the one place engagement strategies don't apply, start here.

Guest Links:

• kristopherchilds.com
• @DrKChilds on X (Twitter)
• Dr. Kristopher J. Childs on LinkedIn
• Teaching Mathematics for Social Justice on Amazon
• Dr. Childs on Amazon (all books)
• Open Up Resources profile

Follow Marc:

• marcisseks.com
• @marcisseks on X (Twitter)
• @marcisseks on LinkedIn
• @edupyro on TikTok
• @edupyro on YouTube
• CAPTIVATE on Amazon

Find State of Ed:

• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify
• Amazon Music
• stateofedpodcast.com

Marc and Nick sit down with Daniel Senn and Erlend Klouman Høiner, co-founders of We Will Write, the fast-paced, anonymous, team-based writing game already used by more than a million students worldwide. This conversation covers how two childhood friends from Oslo built a platform that is making students beg to write instead of avoiding it, and why the most important thing happening in the room might be the silence right after the timer starts.

Daniel and Erlend walk through the design decisions behind We Will Write: the timed challenges that level the playing field for every writer in the room, the visual prompts that eliminate the blank-page barrier, and why anonymity unlocks student voice in ways traditional writing instruction never could. The conversation also covers the unexpected classroom culture benefits teachers are reporting, what the teacher dashboard reveals about individual student confidence, and the surprising finding that students who use the platform start calling themselves writers.

If you are still trying to get students to care about writing, this one is for you.

Guest Links:

• wewillwrite.com
• Daniel Senn on LinkedIn
• @dansenn on X (Twitter)
• Erlend Klouman Høiner on LinkedIn
• @erlend2000 on X (Twitter)

Follow Marc:

• marcisseks.com
• @marcisseks on X (Twitter)
• @marcisseks on LinkedIn
• @edupyro on TikTok
• @edupyro on YouTube
• CAPTIVATE on Amazon

Find State of Ed:

• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify
• Amazon Music
• stateofedpodcast.com

Marc and Nick sit down with Dr. Sabba Quidwai, CEO and founder of Designing Schools, former education executive at Apple, lecturer at UC Irvine, and author of Designing Schools: How Design Thinking Makes You Irreplaceable in the Age of AI. This conversation covers what it actually means to lead schools through the current moment in AI, and why the fear of being replaced may be pointed in entirely the wrong direction.

Dr. Quidwai reframes the AI replacement conversation from the ground up, makes the case that we are not facing a critical thinking crisis but an agency crisis, and explains what the schools getting AI right all have in common. The conversation also covers why AI should be understood as a teammate and not a tool, what happens to people who never learn the language of AI, why educators are the most natural design thinkers in any room, and why the pockets of excellence we celebrate need to be scaled, not just celebrated. If you are a school leader trying to figure out where to put your energy right now, start here.

Guest Links:

• designingschools.org
• @AskMsQ on Instagram
• @AskMsQ on X (Twitter)
• Dr. Sabba Quidwai on LinkedIn
• Designing Schools on Amazon

Follow Marc:

• marcisseks.com
• @marcisseks on X (Twitter)
• @marcisseks on LinkedIn
• @edupyro on TikTok
• @edupyro on YouTube
• CAPTIVATE on Amazon

Find State of Ed:

• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify
• Amazon Music
• stateofedpodcast.com