148. Supporting Schools Before They Fail with Aimee Evan, PhD

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Schools usually fail before someone steps up to try to diagnose what’s wrong and fix it. Meanwhile, hundreds and thousands of learners suffer through subpar educational practices that might meet the needs of a select few, but not the majority.</span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When it comes to health, we know that prevention is the best medicine. We take care of our bodies so we can remain healthy for many years. But in our antiquated school systems, we sadly don’t take the same approach. And it’s our children who feel the brunt of this.</span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">That’s the focus of my conversation this week with Aimee Evan, PhD, author of the new book Student Centered School Improvement: Identifying Systemic Changes Essential for Success. There are so many factors in the success of a school, beyond the school ranking, what extracurricular activities are available, and what student grades look like. Aimee encourages parents and educational leaders to dig deeper to take care of all layers of the schools so students can truly be successful.</span></p> <h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">About Aimee Evan, PhD:</span></h2> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mom, researcher, school improvement specialist, author, and former accountability director, school turnaround lead, and middle and high school teacher.</span></p> <h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">Jump in the Conversation:</span></h2> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">[1:49] - Catalyst for dedicating career to improving education</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">[4:33] - We’re more likely to try to make a change when we see what needs to be done first-hand</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">[5:34] - Unpacking how to meet the needs of students</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-wei