Students Walked Out - Here's What the Superintendent Did Next

🎓 When Students Feel Safe Enough to Share Their Truth - Everything Changes

In this powerful conversation, Dr. Cosimo Tangorra Jr. shares his transformative journey from privilege to becoming an equity champion in education. As a superintendent with nearly 20 years of experience, he reveals how listening to students completely changed his approach to school leadership, classroom management, and student discipline.

🔑 What You'll Learn:
• How student voices exposed hidden classroom behavior issues and systemic inequities
• Revolutionary approaches to student discipline that focus on learning, not punishment
• Why traditional grading systems predict failure and how to flip them for student success
• Strategies for managing difficult students through restorative justice and student engagement
• How to build inclusive classrooms that serve every child's needs
• Effective teaching methods that remove barriers to learning
• School leadership techniques that transform school culture through equity

CHAPTERS:
0:00 - Introduction: Meet Dr. Cosimo Tangorra Jr.
1:04 - The Inspiring Educator Question
1:57 - Personal Equity Journey: From Privilege to Awareness
3:40 - Taking Action: The Niskayuna Experience
6:21 - Student Voice: How Learners Drive Change
8:33 - Navigating Family Pushback on Equity Work
10:21 - Getting Comfortable with Discomfort
12:00 - Equity vs. Equality: Why Fair Isn't Always Equal
13:16 - Revolutionizing Grading Policies
14:31 - DEI, SEL, and Restorative Justice Integration
16:25 - Teaching Students How to Protest Effectively
17:13 - Recruitment and Retention for Diverse Workforce
19:19 - Final Thoughts and Gratitude

• Nice White Parents Podcast
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)
• Restorative Practices 
• Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)
• Morgan Jackson 

Cos's Recommendations:

• Troublemakers: Lessons in Freedom from Young Children at School by Carla Shalaby
• Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People by Mahzarin R Banaji
• Cultivating Genius: An Equity Framework for Culturally and Historically Responsive Literacy by Gholdy Muhammed

When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.