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Improving Education Today: The Deep Dive: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Project ACHIEVE Educational Solutions
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- Nov 23, 202515 min
Keeping Teams Positive, Perceptive, and Productive: Five Leadership Practices That Build Sustainable, High-Performing Educational Teams (Season 3, Episode 22)
Imagine the challenge of keeping an astronaut crew productive on a three-year mission to Mars. As organizational expert Leslie DeChurch asks, “How can we build one perfect team that can survive and thrive in a small container for that long, in a totally unprecedented scenario where things will go wrong, with no backup plan?” Now, pivot from that extraordinary scenario to the familiar, long-term challenges faced by educational teams. From district leadership to grade-level PLCs, educators also work in what DeChurch calls “small containers” under immense pressure. In this Podcast, Angela and Davey synthesize Dr. Howie Knoff's November 22, 2025 Blog exploring the fundamental problem both NASA and school leaders must solve: Why the initial energy of a new team so often fades, and why sustaining a team over many years is a fundamentally different challenge than starting one. The Podcast describes the research-to-practice relative to how leaders can build a sustainable "improvement infrastructure" through practical strategies. This is accomplished as leaders establish predictable meeting rhythms and use meeting agenda micro-protocols, make small wins visible to maintain motivation and, crucially, foster the psychological safety so that teams can have honest conversations. Angela and Davey compare these factors to those identified by NASA researchers that astronauts will need demonstrate to maintain crew positivity and productivity during the long Mars mission. Not surprisingly, the NASA crew factors significantly overlap with the educational team factors. This Podcast’s Host summarize with the universal truths that are essential for any long-duration team to succeed. Tune in to discover the research-based strategies needed to build teams that not only start strong but maintain their cohesion and productivity for the entire journey.
- Nov 17, 202512 min
The Denial of Dreams: Disproportionate School Discipline and Racial Bias are Destroying Black Students' Futures (Season 3, Episode 21)
In this Podcast, Angela and Davey synthesize Dr. Howie Knoff's November 8, 2025 Blog post which presents evidence that will fundamentally change how you understand school discipline and racial discrimination. Dr. Knoff and your Podcast Hosts summarize the latest research that reveals that Black students are, nationally, suspended from school at 3.8 times the rate of White students—not because of behavioral differences, but due to systematic racial bias. This significantly impacts Black students' psychological, academic, and social development, and it fundamentally rewires their developing adolescent brains for chronic trauma. Indeed, when Black students experience unjust disciplinary accusations and actions, they suffer lasting increases in stress hormones, sleep disturbances, depression, and anxiety that can persist for years. The research also shows that their still-developing emotional regulation systems become overwhelmed by feelings of rage, helplessness, and institutional betrayal. . . and that their adolescent brains simply cannot process these emotions effectively._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Read the Full Text of this Podcast as a LinkedIn Newsletter: CLICK HERE Read the Full Text of this Podcast as a Project ACHIEVE Blog: CLICK HERE_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Davey and Angela discuss the “adultification” of Black students and its impact on implicit bias, how Black students experiencing disproportionate school discipline use "academic withdrawal" as a survival mechanism, and how Black students—who previously demonstrated high academic potential—are forced to expend their cognitive energy on threat detection and self-protection, rather than learning and collaboration. They also discuss how disproportionality creates intergenerational trauma that ripples through families and communities, and how Black students are publicly humiliated when disciplined in front of peers—experiences that lead to social isolation and lasting stigmatization within their school and peer communities. This Podcast will transform your understanding of the documented trauma being inflicted on Black students in schools nationwide. This isn’t just about devastating statistics—it is about the human cost that implicit bias and discrimination has on Black students’ stress, anxiety, and trust, and how this systematically denies them their dreams and futures. Check out this NEWEST Podcast and its Call to Action. . . and “Follow” us so that you get notified when every new podcast is released.
- Nov 5, 202518 min
Reflecting on the Mirror of Autism: Living in a World that Doesn't Always Makes Sense (Volume 3, Episode 20)
This Podcast synthesizes the core arguments presented in Dr. Howie Knoff's November 1, 2025 Blog post, which advocates for a fundamental shift in how educators and clinicians understand and support students with autism. The central thesis is a call to move beyond managing observable behaviors and diagnostic labels toward a deeper, empathetic understanding of the unique, lived experiences of each individual. Dr. Knoff posits that many professionals fail to comprehend the internal worlds of their autistic students, just as these students struggle to make sense of a neurotypical world. Podcast Hosts Angela and Davey summarize the Key Takeaways in this Podcast including the critical need to question certain professional assumptions and practices when interacting with students on the spectrum. Through Dr. Knoff, they caution against automatically ascribing challenging behaviors to a student's autism without objective, ecologically-valid assessment. Some behaviors, instead, may be reactions to external triggers, such as trauma from restraints, or they may be autonomic, biologically-based responses. Given this potential, Davey and Angela suggest that using Functional Behavioral Assessments (FBAs) for biologically-based behaviors may render them ineffective or even potentially harmful. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Read the Full Text of this Podcast as a LinkedIn Newsletter: CLICK HERE Read the Full Text of this Podcast as a Project ACHIEVE Blog: CLICK HERE_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ During the Podcast, Angela and Davey also provide a detailed breakdown of the diagnostic foundations of autism, examine the deceptive complexities of both Level 1 ("apparent competence") and Level 3 ("apparent incompetence") support needs, and conclude with a powerful call to action. Dr. Knoff and your Hosts assert that the ultimate educational goal for students with autism is not to make them appear neurotypical, but to foster educational environments that honor their neurological differences, prioritize their dignity and communication access, and allow them to flourish as their authentic selves. Check out this NEWEST Podcast. . . and “Follow” us so that you get notified when every new podcast is released.
- Oct 11, 202518 min
Students Need "Learner's Permits" for Social Media Access: Decreasing Mental Health, Bullying, and School Shooting Risks (Season 3, Episode 19)
The mental health crisis involving American adolescents has reached a breaking point that demands immediate, decisive action. With over 20% of children living with diagnosed mental health conditions, depression rates climbing 75% since 2016, and nearly half of high school students reporting persistent feelings of hopelessness, we are in the midst of a psychological epidemic. And the correlation is undeniable: With teens’ smartphone ownership and almost-universal social media involvement significantly correlates with these trends. In fact, average teens spend nearly two hours daily on social media, and check their phones 174 times per day. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Read the Full Text of this Podcast as a LinkedIn Newsletter: CLICK HERE Read the Full Text of this Podcast as a Project ACHIEVE Blog: CLICK HERE_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Angela and Davey take address this topic head-on with a specific proposal. Similar to adolescents getting a Learner’s Permit for driving, they discuss the need for a state-mandated program—supported by the federal government—requiring high school students to earn “Learner’s Permits” and, eventually, “Social Media Certificates” as prerequisites to signing onto any social media platform. Angela and Davey share the other required components—a joint student/parent agreement, the need for a Social Media Insurance Policy, the creation of state and federal Social Media Registries, and requirements that social media companies approve the documentation before allowing any student 15 or older to gain website access. Check out this NEWEST Podcast. . . and “Follow” us so that you get notified when every new podcast is released.
- Sep 21, 202517 min
Chronic Absenteeism and the “Five Why’s”: Stop Chasing Symptoms and Start Tackling Solutions (Season 3, Episode 18)
Your Podcast Hosts Angela and Davey discuss Dr. Howie Knoff's newest Project ACHIEVE Blog addressing a long-standing crisis in our nation’s schools: chronically-absent students. The Podcast documents the incident rates of chronic absenteeism over the past decade, specifies the root causes, and outlines the potential solutions and interventions. Dr. Knoff emphasizes that Chronic Absenteeism is a symptom, and that educators need to focus on the specific root causes—at each individual student level—for the collective solutions. Angela and Davey first describe the numbers that represent this national crisis. An estimated 22% of students (2.8 million) were chronically absent in the 2024-2025 school year—a significant increase from the pre-pandemic rate of 15-16%. This issue disproportionately affects vulnerable student populations across urban, suburban, and rural districts._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Read the Full Text of this Podcast as a LinkedIn Newsletter: CLICK HERE Read the Full Text of this Podcast as a Project ACHIEVE Blog: CLICK HERE_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Davey and Angela then advocate for a shift away from punitive measures toward a root cause analysis framework, specifically recommending the "Five Why's" technique to diagnose the specific factors driving absenteeism at the community, school, peer, and individual student levels. The analysis identifies a wide spectrum of root causes, including family instability, negative school climate, peer-related issues, and individual student health and academic struggles. They then detail that the costs of absenteeism are pervasive, undermining the academic progress of absent students, disrupting instruction for present students, and demoralizing educators. Finally, Davey and Angela emphasize that the path forward requires implementing comprehensive, multi-tiered, evidence-based interventions that are directly linked to identified root causes. They conclude with a call to action for educational leaders to adopt this diagnostic and strategic approach to transform attendance culture and ensure chronically-absent students become success stories rather than statistics.
- Sep 6, 202521 min
Student Mental Health, the Dangers of AI, and the Need for Human Connection
Your Podcast Hosts Angela and Davey discuss Dr. Howie Knoff's newest Project ACHIEVE Blog that highlights the pervasive mental health crisis among preschool through high school students, emphasizing that a significant number are struggling with internalizing and externalizing issues, often compounded by trauma. Dr. Knoff argues that schools frequently miss crucial opportunities for early intervention due to inadequate mental health screenings, threat assessments that especially overlook internalizing problems, and a national shortage of mental health professionals. Angela and Davey address the concerning trend of adolescents (especially) seeking emotional support from AI, illustrating the dangers through a study on ChatGPT's harmful responses and a tragic suicide. In the end, they provide actionable strategies for administrators, mental health professionals, teachers, parents, and peers to better identify distress, promote media literacy, and offer human-centered support._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Read the Full Text of this Podcast as a LinkedIn Newsletter: CLICK HERE Read the Full Text of this Podcast as a Project ACHIEVE Blog: CLICK HERE_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ This Podcast emphasizes that school-aged students express distress in contemporary, culturally embedded ways. This “communication” does not always conveniently fit diagnostic frameworks. Research has long-confirmed that recognizing this language, completing diagnostic assessments, implementing a multi-tiered continuum of validated interventions, and lowering the barriers and access to human support makes a real difference. AI is increasingly ubiquitous and available to school-aged students, but it is not built—or designed—to offer emotional guidance. This Podcast underscores a sobering reminder of that boundary. Check out this NEWEST Podcast. . . and “Follow” us so that you get notified when every new podcast is released.
- Aug 23, 202520 min
Beyond Overwhelmed: How AI Can Empower Administratively-Taxed School Leaders (Season 3, Episode 16)
Your Podcast Hosts Angela and Davey discuss Dr. Howie Knoff's newest Project ACHIEVE Blog that begins by recognizing that today’s superintendents, principals, and other district leaders are not just busy—they are overwhelmed. Compliance reporting, budget oversight, parent communication, board preparation, transportation, facilities, staff recruitment, and constant crises leave little time for true instructional leadership. Research confirms the problem: more than 60% of administrators’ time is consumed by operational and compliance demands, crowding out the strategic, student-focused leadership that makes schools thrive. In his blog, Dr. Howie Knoff argues that Artificial Intelligence, when used wisely, can act as a “re-set lever.” AI is not about replacing leaders—it’s about empowering them to recover time, improve efficiency, and refocus on what matters most: fostering a thriving learning environment for students and staff. Angela and Davey outline Knoff’s twelve critical domains where AI can ease the load—from budgeting, compliance, and policy monitoring to crisis communication, curriculum alignment, and staff recruitment. Davey and Angela continue by describing the AI landscape itself as overwhelming. With hundreds of new tools appearing every month, leaders face a confusing marketplace. Questions of interoperability, accuracy, privacy, and political feasibility make it risky for administrators to “go it alone.” Most simply lack the time or technical expertise to sort through the noise, evaluate tools, and ensure solutions integrate with existing systems. Without trusted guidance, AI adoption risks becoming fragmented, expensive, and ineffective. Knoff, Davey, and Angela urge districts to partner with professional AI solution providers—organizations that can curate tools, ensure integration, deliver hands-on training, and tailor solutions to the unique demands of educational administration. Knoff specifically points to AI for Business as an example of the kind of vetted, comprehensive platform that schools should expect from any trusted partner. The call to action is clear: acknowledge the promise of AI, avoid piecemeal experimentation, and engage expert partners who can help leaders strategically adopt AI to lighten the administrative load. The result? AI can streamline many of the management, operations, budgeting, and communication tasks that take administrators so much time—leaving them free to focus on the leadership, relationships, and instructional vision that no machine can replace. Check out this NEWEST Podcast. . . and “Follow” us so that you get notified when every new podcast is released.
- Aug 9, 202520 min
Improving School Climate and Student Engagement: The Final Piece of (and Assembling) the School Success Puzzle (Season 3, Episode 15)
Your Podcast Hosts Angela and Davey discuss Dr. Howie Knoff's most recent Project ACHIEVE Blog as the final part of a five-part series, aiming to assemble "the school success puzzle.” This comprehensive series emphasizes that truly effective schools evaluate, strategically plan for, and attend to five interdependent components: Quality Instruction, Discipline and Classroom Management, Multi-tiered Services and Supports, Staff Cohesion and Collaboration, and School Climate and Student Engagement. Each part of the Blog Series has underscored the importance of analyzing information and data from the previous school year to facilitate improvements for the new academic year. In this Podcast, your Hosts highlight School Climate and Student Engagement as both the foundation and the culmination of the four preceding discussions, indicating its pivotal role in overall school effectiveness._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Read the Full Text of this Podcast as a LinkedIn Newsletter: CLICK HERE Read the Full Text of this Podcast as a Project ACHIEVE Blog: CLICK HERE_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ A core insight from Dr. Knoff's research is the persistent reality of student social groups from 1975 to 2025, revealing that despite five decades of school reform, technological advancements, and socio-political changes, the fundamental social structures within high schools remain remarkably similar. To do this, Angela and Davey identify and then compare and contrast the cliques represented in most schools in 1975 versus 2025. They note the remarkable similarities, and connect these peer groups to school climate and student engagement. They suggest that schools have primarily focused on curriculum and technology, but insufficiently addressed the social and emotional dimensions of the school experience that ultimately drive student engagement. Angela and Davey further elaborate on what, according to Dr. Knoff, constitutes school and classroom engagement, defining it as the behavioral, emotional, and cognitive investment students make in their educational experience, which goes beyond mere compliance or attendance. They then identify the primary characteristics of Engaged versus Disengaged students. This is followed by respective discussions of the research-to-practice areas that schools need to focus on to maintain student engagement and change student disengagement. The Podcast concludes by summarizing the importance of School Climate and Student Engagement in the context of the other four school success areas. An Evaluation Template of questions is provided with eight questions each that schools can ask themselves to help identify Engaged versus Disengaged students, respectively. The Final Call-to-Action emphasizes the need to evaluate this—in fact, all five—school success area(s) so that the new school year can begin strategically—based on the “lessons learned” from last year. Check out this NEWEST Podcast. . . and “Follow” us so that you get notified when every new podcast is released.
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About Improving Education Today: The Deep Dive
Davey Johnson and Angela Jones, AI-generated Educators, discuss recent reports, critical issues, and proven solutions to today's school challenges based on the work of Dr. Howie Knoff from Project ACHIEVE Educational Solutions (E-Mail: howieknoff1@projectachieve.info). They synthesize Knoff's original, common sense, "no-holds-barred" bi-monthly Blogs (LINK: www.projectachieve.info/blog) that apply his 40 years of practical experience in schools nationwide. Knoff's information has helped generations of educators and others understand today's schools. . . and what needs to happen so that all students maximize their skills and outcomes.Every Podcast's contents are based on original Blogs written exclusively by Dr. Howie. These original Blogs then are transformed into Podcasts using Google LM. Each final Podcast is meticulously checked for accuracy and content integrity by Dr. Howie prior to posting.[Set Up a Meeting with Howie]: https://calendly.com/knoffprojectachieve1Read the Fu
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