GAEL UnscriptED Podcast

Turnover doesn’t just drain a district’s budget, it drains trust, momentum, and student support. We talk with Lisa Steele and Dr. Brian Keefer from Fulton County Schools about a different way to approach the problem: build a clear, incentive-based professional learning pathway that helps people see a future inside the organization. We walk through Level […]

The first year as a superintendent can feel like drinking from a firehose, and the pressure to prove yourself fast is real. We sit down with Dr. Robbie Hooker (Retired from Clarke County Schools) and Dr. Philip Brown (Jackson County Schools) to talk honestly about what makes that first year work: humility, visibility, and the […]

You can feel it in every school building right now: the pace is relentless, the stakes are high, and even great people can slide into survival mode. We bring in Leslie Hazle Bussey and Jennie Welch from GLISI, the Georgia Leadership Institute for School Improvement, to talk about a different path, one built on leadership […]

Leadership in public education can feel lonely until you find the right people in your corner. We’re joined by former GAEL executive director, Dr. Jimmy Stokes and GAEL COO, Dusty Smith for a fast-moving conversation on how Georgia’s education leaders build community, preserve the best traditions, and show up as advocates when public schools need […]

Students are already using AI for school, whether we approve it or not and that reality is forcing district leaders to make choices fast. We sit down with Erin Burchik of Trek AI and Brent Coleman of GET to get honest about what’s happening in classrooms, what’s going wrong with unapproved tools, and what “safe […]

Ever wonder what really drives a snow day decision? We pull back the curtain with Superintendent Dr. Mitch Young to map the real playbook behind closures and delays—from scanning multiple forecast models to walking buildings at dawn and keeping a community’s economy in mind. The stakes go far beyond “school’s out”: buses must start, roads […]

What does it take to lead 43 schools without losing the soul of each community? We brought in Superintendent Mitch Young of Forsyth County Schools to pull back the curtain on a playbook that trades micromanagement for trust, and slogans for a simple, living framework that people actually use. Mitch’s path from coach to teacher […]

What happens when a trusted school partner meets a statewide youth movement with real pathways to growth? We sit down with Georgia 4-H leaders Melanie Biersmith and Mandy Marable, plus alumna Alyssa Haag, to trace how classroom access, summer camps, and student leadership create confident, capable young people across all 159 counties. From fifth-grade introductions […]

Georgia wants teaching to be a first‑choice career, not a fallback—and we brought in the right guide to show how. We sit down with Selena Blakenship, veteran teacher, beloved principal, district HR leader, and now the voice behind Teach in the Peach, the statewide effort to recruit, support, and celebrate Georgia’s educators. From simplifying certification […]

Leadership feels different when someone is asking the right questions instead of handing you quick fixes. We sit down with co-directors Kerensa Wing and Rickey Edmond to unpack how executive coaching is reshaping growth for Georgia’s school leaders—principals, assistant principals, district directors, and superintendents—through a safe, structured, and goal-driven process that outperforms traditional mentoring. From […]