From spreading out the learning calendar more evenly throughout the year to shifting from grades and ages as benchmarks to educational success toward competencies, David Hornak has revolutionary, smart ideas for how to transform education. As superintendent of Holt Public Schools, and executive director of the National Association for Year-Round Education, David is passionate about making American education equitable and far-reaching. For everyone.
In the latest episode of the Make Meaning Podcast, David speaks with host Lynne Golodner on how he came to his 27-year (and counting) educational career, starting as a Kindergarten teacher and rising through the ranks in the same mid-Michigan district to his current role as “lead leaner,” and his work on a national scale in changing the academic calendar to benefit all kids.
In this episode, Lynne and David discuss:
- Summer learning loss
- The impact of Michigan’s tourism industry on the academic calendar
- Having a “dream position that doesn’t feel like work”
- How to make faculty and staff more “reflective practitioners”
- The Faucet Theory
- Safe Routes to School Initiatives
- The balanced school calendar
Links and Resources
- Holt Public Schools
- Finland’s approach to education
- National Association for Year Round Education
- Seth Godin’s educational manifesto, Stop Stealing Dreams
- University of Detroit Mercy
- Margaret Wheatley
- Dr. Charles Ballinger
Coming up next on the Make Meaning Podcast: Lynne interviews Rabbi Yonason Goldson on the Ethics of Business
If you enjoyed this episode, you’ll like these other Make Meaning podcast episodes!
