The Out of the Trenches Podcast

Episode # 398: Dr. James Lane

Dr. James Lane is a dynamic leader in education whose journey—from classroom teacher and band director to state superintendent and senior advisor at the U.S. Department of Education—is as inspiring as it is impactful. Now serving as Managing Director of K–16 at ETS, Dr. Lane is at the forefront of transforming how we connect high school, college, and career readiness. His insights span leadership, policy, equity, and innovation—making him an ideal guest for podcasts focused on education, leadership, public service, or personal growth. A former principal, band director, and lifelong trumpet player, Dr. Lane is also a Carolina Beach Music Hall of Fame inductee with The Castaways.

Find James online: https://www.instagram.com/drjameslane/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesflane 

His book is called Leading with Laser Focus- avail on Amazon now. www.laserfocus.education

Episode # 397: Bruce Potter & Dave Nagel

Dave Nagel and Bruce Potter are co-founders of The Center for Collaborative Expertise. Dave’s work focuses on helping schools and districts implement Visible Learning research, assessment and feedback, and effective grading reform at both school and classroom levels. He has supported schools in building impactful PLCs and is a thought leader in the PLC+ framework. Dave has authored seven books, 4 of which are best sellers–aligned to the PLC+ Suite of publications, and contributed to publications such as Principal Leadership, Educational Leadership, and The Learning Professional. He regularly presents at national conferences. Bruce Potter is a school administrator with over 30 years experience. Bruce began his career as a classroom teacher and has held leadership roles at the building level as a principal and at the district level as a superintendent for 11 years. Bruce brings a wealth of experience in implementing Visible Learning research, guiding districts, schools, and teachers in transforming their practices. His schools have earned national recognition for innovative approaches that redefine success for traditionally underserved students.

Find them online: www.centerforcollaborativeexpertise.com

& on LinkedIn

Episode # 396: Dr. Michelle Singh

Dr. Michelle Chanda Singh is a National Board Certified Teacher, CEO of LCT-E Learning Solutions®, and founder of Restful Teacher® and Empty2Empowered™. A globally recognized education leader, Michelle champions equity, innovation, and well-being in education. Her EQUAL Methodology™ equips educators and leaders with research-based strategies and emerging technologies to create inclusive and engaging learning environments.

Find Michelle online: www.connectwithmichelle.com it will email you all the resources. www.Restfulteacher.com

Episode # 395: Russell Van Brocklen

Russell Van Brocklen- aka the Dyslexia Professor, shifts daily reading frustrations into confident academic wins for students facing dyslexia.Dyslexia touches as many as 15–20 % of all learners, yet most families still hear “wait and see.” He flips that script. As the Dyslexia Professor, he translates structured-literacy methods proven most effective for struggling readers into bite-size actions parents can use right away.

Find Russell online: website: www.dyslexiaclasses.com

https://www.facebook.com/dyslexiaclasses/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_cqwfxn9FqFx1Idl0YbeHg

https://www.instagram.com/dyslexiaclassesus/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/russell-van-brocklen-2007ab87

Episode # 394: Dr. Anthony Muhammad

Dr. Anthony Muhammad is a highly sought-after educational speaker and presenter. With nearly 20 years of experience as a teacher, assistant principal, and principal, he has transformed school cultures and student proficiency globally. He was named the Michigan Middle School Principal of the Year in 2005.

Dr. Muhammad has also been honored by the Global Gurus organization as one of the 30 Most Influential Educators in the world in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024. His most recent books include The Way Forward: PLC at Work and the Bright Future of Education (2024), Learning by Doing: A Handbook for Professional Learning Communities at Work, 4th Edition (2024).

Find him online: www.newfrontier21.com there you will find links to upcoming events, books, videos, etc. He is on FB & LinkedIn.

Episode #393: Jackie Pelegrin

Jackie Pelegrin is an Instructional Designer and Adjunct Instructor. Jackie leverages decades of experience as an instructional designer within both higher education and the corporate world. She holds an MBA and a Master of Science in Instructional Design and Technology, both acquired through online learning. In addition to her full-time role as a curriculum writer, Jackie serves as an adjunct instructor, teaching online courses at Grand Canyon University.

Find Jackie online: https://designingwithlove.buzzsprout.com/

Website: https://sites.google.com/view/instructorpelegrin/home

Episode # 392: Janet Patti & Robin Stern

Dr. Janet Patti wrote Emotional Intelligence for School Leaders a former school leader, is CEO of Star Factor Coaching, a founding member of CASEL, and professor emeritus at Hunter College School of Education at City University of New York, where her teaching and research concentrated on educational leadership.

Dr. Robin Stern is the cofounder and senior advisor to the director at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, a licensed psychoanalyst with 30 years of experience, and the author of The Gaslight Effect.

They are cocreators of the STAR Factor Coaching model, which helps educational leaders enhance their emotional intelligence skills.

Find them online: www.starfactorcoaching.com they have online courses Emotional Intelligence for School Leaders Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence (YCEI). https://medicine.yale.edu/childstudy/services/community-and-schools-programs/center-for-emotional-intelligence/

Episode # 391: Shira Wolff Cohen

Shira Wolff Cohen brings 25 years of experience in youth workforce development and education. Over a decade of her career was spent in school leadership at a Philadelphia charter school. As a Teacher, Program Director, Dean, Vice Principal, and Principal, she championed student engagement, innovative instruction, and strong community partnerships to create impactful learning experiences.

Shira is the co-founder of Innovageous, where she focuses on building partnerships, designing programs, and improving instruction in both school-based and out-of-school settings. She wrote Leading Future-Focused Schools- came out July 2025.

Find her online: www.innovageous.com to set up a meeting Linked in, IG, FB both her & @innovageous

Episode # 390: Josh See

Josh See is a former teacher, academic advisor, and principal of 13 years. With the average cost of college more than six figures, he has set out to show families how to save tens of thousands of dollars in future college costs by starting college early, in high school. He has helped over 3,000 families create their own college-in-high-school strategy using resources readily available to them, such as earning college credit and graduating with a college degree before graduating from high school.

He works 1:1 with families and also has a step-by-step course: The College Fast-Track Start Kit that walks a family through the exact process to start their college journey in high school.

Find Josh online: https://stan.store/joshsee  (this is more of a site to buy his products or book a consultation). He has a free Klepp guide. On Thursdays 12 EST, he has a power hour reimaging HS. It’s on Tik Tok. Refer to his LinkedIn also for links. 

https://www.facebook.com/collegeinhighschool1/

https://www.instagram.com/collegeinhighschool/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-see/

Tik Tok: @collegeinhighschool1

Episode # 389: Glenn Forbes & Jenni Donohoo

Glenn Forbes is a school principal and school improvement coach in Queensland, Australia. Forbes has been an educator since 2000 moving from classroom teaching to principalship over the span of his career. His principal experience ranges from small, one-teacher rural schools through to leading large, diverse and complex metropolitan schools.

Glenn’s strong belief in cultivating collective teacher efficacy and establishing a culture of high expectations has resulted in marked improvement in various schools. Glenn is a member of the Queensland Association of State School Principals (QASSP). He chairs the curriculum subcommittee and serves as president of the Ipswich Branch. He has been the recipient of the QASSP Travelling Scholars grant which he used to further his knowledge of collective teacher efficacy construct.

His schools have been recognized at the Showcase Awards for Excellence in schools for Excellence in Parent and Community Engagement and Excellence in Early & Primary Years Education. Glenn has presented at the World Education Summit with Jenni Donohoo and has been a keynote speaker at several conferences. Several of Glenn’s articles have been published in The Queensland Principal journal. Glenn has been a member of the Menzies School Leadership Incubator Advisory Board which has been tasked with building a pipeline of school leaders equipped to lead and grow collective efficacy.

Jenni Donohoo, PhD, is a professional learning facilitator, author, and researcher. Jenni has been an educator for more than twenty-five years, with experience in elementary, secondary, and postsecondary settings. She has multiyear partnerships with numerous organizations and government agencies where she works alongside system and school leaders supporting high-quality professional learning designed to improve outcomes for all students. Her areas of focus include collective teacher efficacy, collaborative inquiry, and metacognition. Jenni is a five-time best-selling author and her books have been translated into several languages.

As the director of the Jenni Donohoo Center for Collective Efficacy, she has been recognized internationally as an educational thought leader. Jenni has been a keynote speaker at conferences including WorldEduLead, Raising Student Achievement, Annual Visible Learning, Corwin’s Women in Education, and the LEAP Conference in Australia.

Find them online Glenn: https://glennforbes.com.au/

Jenni: https://www.jennidonohoo.com