Welcome back to the Edu20/20 Podcast! Courtney Dumas and Shannon Street are back (with a new studio setup, look at us movin' on up in the world 👀).

This episode tackles moving toward instructional goals and why so many goals don’t go anywhere: because we don’t break them into the knowledge and skills teachers (and students) actually need.

You’ll hear:
- Why “busy” isn’t the same as progress
- How to reverse-engineer a goal into clear action steps
- The 3 pathways that must align to move goals: PD, collaboration, and coaching
- How focus and alignment can drive real growth (without the scattershot chaos)

Like, subscribe, and follow for more episodes that simplify education (because it’s way too complicated in these teaching streets).

#education #podcast #teachingcommunity #teachercertification #teaching #podcastclips #teachingopportunities #teachereducation #onlineeducator #educationjobs

https://www.edutwentytwenty.com

Student engagement sounds great in theory—until you’re standing in front of 37 students wondering how to let go without losing control or running out of time.

In Part 2 of our student engagement series, Courtney and Shannon get practical. They talk about the real fears teachers have around engagement and how to build engagement for learning step by step without chaos.

In this episode, you’ll learn:
✅ Why fear (not style) keeps teachers stuck in lecture mode
✅ How classroom management is the foundation of engagement
✅ Simple ways to structure turn-and-talk so students don’t opt out
✅ Why segmenting and timers change everything
✅ How to move from checking for completion to checking for comprehension
✅ Why leaders need to model engagement in PD (yes, really)

This episode is for teachers, instructional coaches, and school leaders who want engagement that actually leads to learning and not just movement or clever themes.

👉 Be sure to listen to Part 1 before this episode for the full framework on the 3 levels of student engagement.
👉 Resources, blogs, and tools mentioned are linked in the show notes.

https://www.edutwentytwenty.com

“Just make it more engaging” is among the most common feedback teachers get...and the least helpful. You're basically asking the instructional equivalent of “have you tried being better?”😅

In this episode of The Edu20/20 Podcast, Courtney and Shannon unpack what “engagement” actually means, break down the 3 levels of student engagement, and explain why fun doesn’t always equal learning.

You’ll hear the real story behind Shannon’s student engagement trauma (including a full-on grammar triage situation with a doctor coat and a cow syringe… yes, really), and why fun doesn’t automatically equal learning.

In this episode, we break down the 3 levels of student engagement:
✅ Management (because if kids are on the ceiling, learning isn’t happening)
✅ Participation & compliance (they’re doing the thing, but can still opt out)
✅ Engagement for learning (deep thinking, real accountability, no hiding)

We also talk about how to collect real classroom engagement data (not test scores), why “hogs and logs” happen during turn-and-talk, and simple ways to level up engagement so every student owns the thinking.

🎓 Want more support? Check out our blogs, free courses, and resources on student engagement and monitoring student understanding.

Drop a comment: What’s one engagement strategy you use that actually leads to learning (not just chaos with glitter)?

https://www.edutwentytwenty.com

Welcome to another After Hours episode of The Edu20/20 Podcast. Courtney and Shannon share their real origin stories: from trauma bonding over a confusing group project to small‑town classrooms, alternative school, religious detours, and even Middle Tennessee Teacher of the Year. Basketball camps, a sister with dyslexia, and one dramatic shattered windshield all made an appearance on the road to Edu2020.

We also talk about how COVID pushed us out of all‑day online PD and into starting our own company—why we took risks, refinanced cars, and built the kind of PD we wished we’d had: simple, practical, relevant, and actually fun for teachers and leaders.

#education #podcast #teachingcommunity #teachercertification #effectiveteaching #podcastclips #teachingopportunities #teachereducation #teaching #onlineeducator

https://www.edutwentytwenty.com

Welcome back to the Edu20/20 Podcast. In this episode, we dig into one of our favorite Priority Skills: classroom management. We talk through the routines and systems that make classrooms run smoothly, from how students enter to how they get materials, transition, partner, and exit. If kids touch it or use it, it probably needs a routine.

Good management takes the cognitive load off students so they can actually learn. It also makes teaching easier and makes engagement moves possible. We share simple ideas, real examples, and a few teacher pain points (including bathroom and pencil data) that can be solved with quick routines.

Next up: student engagement. It’s a big one!

#education #podcast #teachingcommunity #teachercertification #effectiveteaching #news #teachingopportunities #teachereducation #teaching #podcastclips

https://www.edutwentytwenty.com

Welcome to the After Hours edition of the Edu20/20 Podcast. Think of this as the space where we tell the stories that don’t usually make it into our trainings but absolutely shaped who we are as educators.

In today’s episode, it’s all things Courtney. Specifically, the era we now lovingly call Avocado Gate. Yes, she really got written up for a dancing Snapchat avocado during a leadership meeting. Yes, it was as ridiculous as it sounds. But it also raised a real question about how often schools focus on the wrong things.

Shannon jumps in with two stories of her own. One involves alternative school and the other involves a spider at recess that led to a very unexpected PG-13 vocabulary lesson for an entire playground. Both are peak educator humor and peak educator resilience.

If you’ve ever worked in a school, you probably have a few stories like these. This episode is for teachers, mentors, coaches, and anyone who survived school culture with a sense of humor still intact.

We’re just getting started with these. Both in the hours and after hours.

https://www.edutwentytwenty.com

Welcome to the first-ever episode of The Edu20/20 Podcast, your go-to space for simple, effective teaching and coaching strategies. Today, we’re unpacking a big question in education: What actually makes teaching “good”?

Courtney and Shannon break down the five Priority Skills every effective teacher and instructional coach should know: Classroom Management, Student Engagement, Behavior Management, Lesson Planning, and Lesson Delivery.
These high-leverage teaching skills are clear, visible, and will improve student learning fast.

Teachers and coaches will learn how to collect simple instructional data. Coaches will learn how to give actionable feedback and identify what’s getting in the way of learning the most so teachers can improve their instruction by the very next lesson.

Next up: Episode 2 — Classroom Management!
Hit Like and Subscribe for more teacher support, coaching tips, and practical strategies you can use tomorrow.

#WhatIsGoodTeaching #EffectiveTeaching #EvidenceBasedTeaching #InstructionalCoaching #CurriculumImplementation #TeacherSupport #ProfessionalDevelopment #EducationLeadership

https://www.edutwentytwenty.com