The RocketPD Podcast: Real Talk with Educators

Episode 10: Courageous Conversations & How to Build a ‘Culture of Love’ (w/Dr. Luvelle Brown)

Dr. Luvelle Brown is an author, educator, former superintendent of the year and AASA Effie A. Jones Jones Humanitarian Award winner. As a school leader, he has emerged as a champion for change in the area of school culture and a leading advocate for student inclusion.  In this episode of the RocketPD podcast, Dr. Brown confronts the inflammatory, often hurtful rhetoric that public school leaders and educators are forced to endure and talks about what it takes to create a truly inclusive learning environment where students and teachers feel supported and encouraged to do their best work.
Host Corey Murray
Guest Dr. Luvelle Brown
LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
The ‘Call to Courage’: standing up to intolerance & injustice in K-12 schools https://rocketpd.com/cohorts/a-call-to-courage-standing-up-to-intolerance-in-k-12-schools-with-drs-luvelle-brown-shelley-berman/
Join our K-12 Professional Learning Community:
Website: https://rocketpd.com/ Newsletter: https://rocketpd.com/join-the-rocketpd-community/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@rocketpd9744/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rocketpd/ X: https://x.com/rocketpd

Episode 11: Individualizing Instruction: Meeting Every Learner’s Needs (w/Robert Barnett)

Robert Barnett is the co-founder of the Modern Classrooms Project and author of the book, Meeting Every Learner's Needs, Redesigning Instruction So All Students Can Succeed. On this episode of the Rocket PD Podcast, Corey asks Robert about his journey as a classroom teacher, the challenges of one-size-fits-all instruction, and how the community he's building through Modern Classrooms aims to change the status quo. Robert and Corey talk about ways that simple tools like video, self-paced lessons, and mastery checks can be used to individualize learning. And they ask - and just maybe answer - the question: Is it possible to meet every learner's needs? Stick around to find out.
Host
Corey Murray
Guest
Robert Barnett
LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
Modern Classroom Project https://www.modernclassrooms.org/
Meet Every Learner's Needs https://www.meeteverylearnersneeds.org/
Fall 2025 Cohort - Individualizing Instruction - Register Today https://rocketpd.com/cohorts/redesigning-instruction-a-three-step-process-to-meet-every-learners-needs/?
Join our K-12 Professional Learning Community:
Website: https://rocketpd.com/ Newsletter: https://rocketpd.com/join-the-rocketpd-community/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@rocketpd9744/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rocketpd/ X: https://x.com/rocketpd
 

Episode 12: Voice & Choice: Using PBL to Help Kids Own Their Learning (w/John Spencer)

John Spencer is a renowned PBL expert, college professor, and author of Empower, What Happens When Students Own Their Learning. On this episode of the Rocket PD podcast, Corey asks John about the power of project-based learning and design thinking in an AI-driven world. Corey and John discuss a process for designing PBL units that are engaging, easy to assess, and closely aligned to academic standards. At the end, John shares details about a group he is pulling together to master the art of effective PBL design in classrooms.
Host Corey Murray
Guest John Spencer
LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE How to Reach Every Student With Authentic Project-Based Learninghttps://rocketpd.com/cohorts/how-to-reach-every-student-with-authentic-project-based-learning/
Join our K-12 Professional Learning Community:
Website: https://rocketpd.com/ Newsletter: https://rocketpd.com/join-the-rocketpd-community/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@rocketpd9744/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rocketpd/ X: https://x.com/rocketpd

Episode 13: Spinning Plates: Secrets of Teacher Time Management (w/Angela Watson)

Angela Watson is the founder of Truth for Teachers and the author of Fewer Things Better. In an age where school teachers and staff are starved for time, Angela has emerged as a leading voice on time management. On this episode of The RocketPD Podcast, Corey and Angela share practical ideas to help busy teachers and school staff make more efficient use of time. They talk about changing mindsets, letting go of perfectionism, creating space in the day, and building efficient systems.
Host Corey Murray
Guest Angela Watson
LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Unlocking Teacher Productivity: A Process to Help Prioritize, Organize & Find Your Flowhttps://rocketpd.com/cohorts/unlocking-teacher-productivity-with-angela-watson/
Join our K-12 Professional Learning Community:
Website: https://rocketpd.com/ Newsletter: https://rocketpd.com/join-the-rocketpd-community/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@rocketpd9744/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rocketpd/ X: https://x.com/rocketpd

Episode 14: Change Management in Schools: How to Promote Ownership Over Buy-In (w/Eric Sheninger)

Eric Sheninger is the founder of Aspire Change EDU and author of books like Personalized and Disruptive Thinking. A former school principal, Eric helped turn New Jersey's New Milford High School into a model for school innovation. He's become one of the nation's leading voices on school change and transformation. On this episode of the Rocket PD Podcast, Corey and Eric take on the subject of change in schools. Rather than promote buy-in for big initiatives, Eric says schools need to promote ownership among teachers and staff, and he shares a plan for just how to do that.
Host Corey Murray
Guest Eric Sheninger 
LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Build Ownership, Not Buy-In: Empowering School Teams for the Hard Work of Changehttps://rocketpd.com/cohorts/build-ownership-not-buy-in-empowering-school-teams-for-the-hard-work-of-change/
Join our K-12 Professional Learning Community:
Website: https://rocketpd.com/ Newsletter: https://rocketpd.com/join-the-rocketpd-community/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@rocketpd9744/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rocketpd/ X: https://x.com/rocketpd