Who Gets to Play at Your School?
Schoolutions: Curious Educators. Evidence-Based Strategies. Classrooms Where Every Child Thrives.
02/25/26
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This reel explores how budgets are truly narratives, reflecting what is valued and who is considered valuable. Understanding the principles of budgeting and personal finance can illuminate societal priorities. What does a school budget say about what we truly value? In this powerful reel, we explore how budgets aren't just numbers; they're narratives that reveal who we believe deserves opportunity, joy, and time to grow.
We dive deep into the role of play in education, asking a question that cuts to the heart of equity: Who gets to play? For children of wealthy families, play is assumed. For children in under-resourced communities, it's often treated as a luxury they can't afford. But what if that assumption is exactly what's holding our students back?
Looking at models like Denmark's approach to whole child development, we unpack the difference between acquiring knowledge and developing understanding and why that distinction matters for student success, classroom belonging, and truly inclusive classrooms.
Whether you're focused on instructional leadership, culturally responsive teaching, or simply trying to create a classroom where every child feels seen and valued, this episode will challenge you to rethink what school is really for.
🎯 Perfect for teachers, school administrators, instructional coaches, teacher mentors, school counselors, parents, homeschoolers, and anyone passionate about education transformation.
💡 Topics covered include: classroom belonging, student motivation, whole child development, equity in education, inclusive teaching, pro-kid mindset, school culture, and effective teaching strategies.
📌 If you believe in thriving students and empowered educators, subscribe and join our community of inspired teaching professionals working toward real school change.
🚀📚 Watch Part One & Part Two of our S5E26 interview.
Chapters
0:00 – Introduction: Budgets as Stories of Value
0:45 – Who Gets to Play? The Equity Question
1:30 – Play for Wealthy vs. Under-Resourced Students
2:15 – The Denmark Model: Educating the Whole Child
3:00 – Knowledge Acquisition vs. Developing Understanding
3:45 – What This Means for Classroom Belonging & Student Success
4:30 – Reimagining School Culture for Every Child
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.
📧 Connect: schoolutionspodcast@gmail.com
🎵 Music: Benjamin Wahl
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#schoolutions #schoolutionspodcast #forevergettingbetter #EquityInEducation #WholeChild #ClassroomBelonging #StudentSuccess #InclusiveTeaching #CulturallyResponsiveTeaching #EffectiveTeaching #ProKidMindset #SchoolCulture #EducationTransformation #TeacherCoaching #InstructionalLeadership #EmpoweredEducators #StudentEngagement #ActiveLearning #SchoolLeadership #TeachingTips #InspiredTeaching #NewTeachers #schoolimprovement
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.
Previous Episode
Part One of my S5E26 @schoolutionspodcast conversation explores the current state of kindergarten education, questioning what a typical kindergarten day looks like and what it should be. Dr. Beverly Falk and Dr. Nancy Cardwell explore the neuroscience of play, highlighting the impacts of scripted curricula on young learners and emphasizing that play deprivation is a measurable issue that needs to be addressed for healthy child development.
This discussion offers valuable insights for parents and teachers alike, focusing on childhood and mental health in early learning environments.
🧠 What you'll learn in this episode:
💫Why scripted curricula are causing real, measurable harm to young children — and who profits from it
💫What neuroscience reveals about active learning vs. worksheets and skill-and-drill instruction
💫How play deprivation shows up in classrooms as anger, withdrawal, and low engagement
💫What Denmark's forest schools and empathy model can teach us about inclusive classrooms and student success
💫Why "fidelity to the curriculum" must be replaced with fidelity to the learner — a cornerstone of culturally responsive teaching and equity in education
💫What Beverly and Nancy's proposal to NYC's Mayor and education transition team actually recommends
Some episode mentions & resources:
➡️Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University
➡️Lillian Dropkin Weber Papers
➡️Mary Helen Immordino-Yang
➡️Denmark's forest school model
➡️Bank Street Teaching Kindergarten Conference, March 13-14, 2026
Don't miss the continuation of this powerful conversation! In Part 2, where Beverly and Nancy get specific. What are they actually asking for? What does their proposal say, and what can teachers do right now, even inside the constraints of a scripted school day? This is behind-the-scenes work that is giving me, and I hope it gives you, real grounded hope.
📑 Chapters
0:00 — Introduction: What Should Kindergarten Look Like?
2:00 — Meet Dr. Beverly Falk & Dr. Nancy Cardwell
3:00 — Research That Grounds Play-Based Learning
5:00 — What a Typical Kindergarten Day Looks Like NOW (vs. What It Should)
7:30 — The Neuroscience of Play: How the Brain Actually Learns
10:00 — Worksheets vs. Hands-On Learning: The Real Data
11:30 — 95% of Brain Architecture Built by Age 5
13:00 — Fidelity to Children vs. Fidelity to Curriculum
14:00 — The Cost of Scripted Curricula — Literally
16:30 — Denmark's Empathy & Forest School Model
20:30 — What NYC Schools Could Borrow Tomorrow
22:00 — Lightning Round: Honest Takes on Early Childhood Today
25:00 — What Gives Beverly & Nancy Hope Right Now
25:45 — Preview of Part 2: The Proposal for NYC's Mayor
🎧 New episodes every Monday & Friday with bite-sized Wednesday reel bonus content.
📧 Connect: schoolutionspodcast@gmail.com
🎵 Music: Benjamin Wahl
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.
Next Episode
The Kindergarten Proposal NYC's Mayor Must Hear
February 27
•33m
Welcome back to Part Two of my S5E26 @schoolutionspodcast conversation with Dr. Beverly Falk and Dr. Nancy Cardwell.
🧠 What you'll learn in this episode:
💫The exact asks inside Beverly and Nancy's proposal and why Massachusetts and Connecticut have already led the way
💫How play-based learning actually builds the foundation children need to detect AI misinformation and fake news
💫What culturally responsive teaching looks like when it's grounded in community
💫Why assessment must move beyond standardized tests toward performance-based, observation-driven documentation
💫What student engagement looks like when children have choice, voice, and real problems to solve
💫Why screen time and AI need urgent guardrails and how play deprivation leaves children more vulnerable to misinformation
💫How school culture, classroom belonging, and trauma-informed approaches create the emotional steadiness children need to learn
📎 Resources:
➡️NYCPS Proposal to Support Play
➡️High Quality Early Learning Project ➡️Investigating Choice Time by Renée Dinnerstein
➡️Bronx Community Charter School Bronx River Study
➡️State resolutions supporting play-based learning
➡️NYC Mayor Mamdani's Education Transition Team
💫Check out Part One
📑 Chapters
0:00 — Welcome Back: What Part 2 Covers
2:00 — Why This Mayor, Why Now? The Story Behind the Proposal
3:30 — States Leading the Way
5:00 — The Equity Case: Why Rich Learning Must Be for ALL Children
6:30 — Starting the Day with Choice Time
8:00 — Play as a Tool for Democracy and Critical Thinking
9:00 — Why the Team Has Hope in NYC's New Mayor
11:00 — The High Quality Early Learning Project
13:00 — The Bronx River Study
15:30 — The Actual Proposal: Beverly Breaks Down the Asks
16:30 — The Science of Reading Has Been Distorted & Here's What's Missing
17:30 — Performance-Based Documentation
19:30 — Screen Time, AI, and What Children Really Need
20:30 — Redefining Early Childhood
22:00 — What Teachers Can Do RIGHT NOW Inside a Scripted School Day
25:00 — How Play Teaches Kids to Spot Misinformation and AI Fakes
28:00 — Schools as Training Grounds for Democracy
29:30 — Closing: This Is Not Nostalgia It's a Movement
31:00 — What's Coming Next Week
Next Week: Dr. Chris Hass, co-author of From Empathy to Action with Katie Kelly and Lester Laminack, makes a compelling case that even the youngest students can create real change. This conversation will challenge how you think about empathy research and what's truly possible in your classroom.
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.
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