Nick and Marc spend time with Dr. Cynthia Taines, a sociologist, associate professor, and author of The Metropolitan Community: Partnering for Equality Across the Educational Divide. They discuss the many inequities facing our nation's schools and the potential solutions that could bridge existing divisions.

Find Dr. Taines: website, Instagram, Facebook

Follow Marc on X, online, TikTok, or YouTube

Check out Marc's latest book, CAPTIVATE

Click HERE to watch this episode of State of Ed Podcast

In their ongoing FETC series, Nick and Marc sit down with Jeff Piontek, an education leader, author, and international speaker with more than 25 years of experience advancing early literacy, instructional design, and school leadership. Jeff is the former director of instructional and informational technology for the NYCDOE. His work focuses on protecting the human foundations of learning while thoughtfully integrating emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence.

Jeff is also the creator of the AI, EI, O, and You framework, a practical model designed to help educators and leaders balance innovation with well-being, oral language development, and human agency.

Find Jeff Piontek: website, X, LinkedIn

Check out Kibeam.

Follow Marc on X, online, TikTok, or YouTube

Check out Marc's latest book, CAPTIVATE

Click HERE to watch this episode of State of Ed Podcast

In their ongoing FETC series, Nick and Marc sit down with Austin Levinson, Director of Learning at MEGAMINDS. They discuss the shifting landscape of edtech and how MegaMinds is leveraging artificial intelligence to create more meaningful learning experiences for students in schools.

Follow Austin Levinson on LinkedIN

See MegaMinds in action.

Follow Marc on X, online, TikTok, or YouTube

Check out Marc's latest book, CAPTIVATE

Click HERE to watch State of Ed Podcast