Meeting Students Where They Are | Kathryn Starke & Eddie Blass
In the newsletter this week: Two relentless leaders , data dive, and graduation.
🎙️ This Week on the Podcast:
🎙️ Episode 15, Literacy for All
Kathryn Starke’s episode on the Learning Can't Wait podcast is a vibrant exploration of what it means to be a lifelong advocate for literacy. Growing up surrounded by teachers, Starke’s passion for reading and education was sparked early and shaped by both positive and negative classroom experiences fueling her determination to create classrooms where every child feels welcome and inspired. She shares candid reflections on the current debates over literacy instruction, emphasizing the importance of matching students with books that genuinely interest them and using data to tailor instruction to individual needs.
Starke’s work goes beyond the classroom through initiatives like Tackle Reading, which brings together NFL athletes, authors, and educators to promote a love of reading nationwide. She believes the key to literacy success is collaboration, whether it’s between teachers, families, or community partners, and insists that technology should support, not replace, the irreplaceable role of a qualified teacher who knows their students well. Her stories about engaging reluctant readers and building book-rich environments highlight the transformative power of connecting kids with the right stories at the right time.
📖 Key Quote: I do believe that when we match kids with a book that is of interest to them, that they can read,
🎙️ Episode 16, Workforce Development
Dr. Eddie Blass’s journey from a disengaged student in London to an educational innovator in Australia is both candid and inspiring. In this episode, she reflects on how her experiences with privilege, identity, and the limitations of traditional schooling shaped her commitment to equity and student agency. Noting that up to 40% of Australian high school students drop out before finishing, Blass left academia to found Inventorium, a program designed to reach students who don’t fit the mainstream mold. Her approach is rooted in addressing three systemic barriers: the rigid pace of classroom learning, a lack of relevance in the curriculum, and an insufficient connection between teachers and students.
Inventorium offers a radically personalized, one-on-one learning model that empowers students, many of whom are neurodiverse or have disengaged from school. to set their own pace, pursue their interests, and regain confidence. Blass describes how students who once refused to leave their bedrooms can, over time, become engaged, independent learners who are prepared for meaningful futures. She emphasizes that true personalization requires flexibility, agency, and a reimagining of assessment and teacher roles, moving away from conformity and pressure toward growth and self-direction.
Blass also critiques the structure of traditional schools, arguing that they often prioritize timetables and staffing over genuine student-centeredness, and calls for bold policy changes to make alternative models more accessible. She encourages educators to inspire students within the system if they can, but also urges those feeling constrained to consider creating new paths, reminding listeners that now is a moment ripe for disruption and innovation in education. Her vision is clear: schools should foster both individual growth and social skills, preparing young people not just for exams, but for life.
Key Quote: I worry as well that the way that schools operate at the moment is conditioning people into a certain form of behaviour as well. That also sets them up to either succeed, or, you know, fail in real life, because there is no real emulation to school in the workplace.
📚 What I’m Reading
While some staff at IES may soon be reinstated, a broader question remains:
How can we access and analyze high-quality data to understand what’s really happening in schools at a national level?
I recently came across a helpful resource from the Journalist’s Resource — an aggregated list of public datasets related to education. I felt genuinely grateful to find it.
Ideally, we wouldn't need to cobble together fragmented sources to understand key education issues. But in the meantime, tools like these help us go deeper. The list includes 10 data tools covering topics such as:
Student test scores
School segregation
Immigrant student populations
School bullying
Dual enrollment
Youth voting
Private school demographics
Most of the tools include features to create charts, maps, and other visualizations — useful not only for journalists but also for researchers, policymakers, and advocates.
If you know of other sources we should include in this conversation, please drop them in the comments.
If you’re curious, you can read it here.
💭 What I’m Thinking About
This Monday, I’ll attend the graduation of the very first kindergarten class from the elementary school I helped to found. Thirteen years ago, these students stepped into my classroom for the very first time. Now, they’re stepping into the world.
I’ve celebrated other graduating classes before — but this group is different. These are the children I taught at the very beginning of their educational journey. I remember them not just as students, but as tiny humans learning how to be in the world. I have the fondest memories of that time in both of our lives.
To this day, teaching kindergarten remains the hardest job I’ve ever had.
Many of the children in that first class had never attended school or daycare before. They entered a full-day program that ran from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. — a massive adjustment, especially for the youngest, some of whom were still four years old. Despite a midday nap, they often left the building with droopy eyes. And to make the day engaging and developmentally appropriate, every minute had to be planned with care.
Our schedule was packed: centers, a 90-minute literacy block, P.E., small group work, lunch and recess (which we supervised), naptime, math, music, phonics, and structured play. Within those blocks, we often rotated activities every 15 minutes to match their attention spans. Are you tired just reading this? I am.
One student from that original class, Melanie, arrived with limited English proficiency. Despite the language barrier, she was eager to participate, kind to everyone, and genuinely — as we often say — “a pleasure to have in class.” She worked incredibly hard, both at school and at home, and her progress that year was remarkable.
A few weeks ago, Melanie called to share that she’s been accepted to Stanford University — and will be attending this fall.
Did I cry when she told me? Yes. Am I crying again as I write this? Also yes.
Melanie is responsible for her own extraordinary path. But what a privilege it is to have been one of the teachers who helped guide her (and her peers’) early steps.
Are you an LCW District/School Level leader? Message me for details on the event described below.
I loved reading this. I can't imagine being in kindergarten from 8 to 4:30, but it obviously paid off for those who attended the school. Preparing 15 minute lessons takes time, energy, and creativity as passion.