Spotlight 4 Success
We're shining a light on education success stories and talking about current trends and topics of importance to the education community. Join us in conversation!
Episodes
193 episodes
What If Student Choice Is The Missing Link In Literacy Growth
Reading growth doesn’t always come from a brand-new curriculum. Sometimes it comes from one small shift: letting students have real choice in what they read. From the floor of the NCRA conference in North Carolina, we sit down with Emmie and Sh...
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Season 2
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5:53
The Water Walkers
Water is the quiet thing we all depend on, until someone treats it like it’s sacred and suddenly you can’t stop paying attention. From the floor of the NCRA conference in Winston-Salem, we talk with author and educator Carol Tremboth about the ...
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Season 2
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11:56
Phonics You Can Hold
A lot of reading struggles aren’t about effort, they’re about abstraction. When phonics rules live only on a worksheet or a whiteboard, many kids never get a concrete “click” moment. From the NCRA conference in North Carolina, we sit down with ...
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Season 2
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4:18
Turning Letters Into Friends With Letterland
Letters can be surprisingly hard for young kids. They’re just shapes until a child can link each squiggle to a sound, then blend those sounds into real words. From the NCRA conference in North Carolina, we sit down with Vicki Norris, a trainer ...
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Season 2
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6:16
Why Kids Need Stories About Depression
Stories can change a kid’s life when they finally feel recognized on the page. From the NCRA conference in North Carolina, we sit down with middle grade author Bobbie Pyron to talk about why fiction isn’t “extra” in literacy work, it’s a direct...
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Season 2
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4:25
An Authentic 1950 Charlotte Story
A blue-and-white teacup doesn’t sound like a doorway into history, until you hear what it unlocks in Half Truths. Recording live from the NCRA conference in North Carolina, we sit down with author Carol Baldwin to talk about her debut young adu...
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Season 2
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8:10
A Ghost Town Mystery And A Robot Tutor
AI is everywhere in students’ lives, but what if we used it to push them outside instead of pulling them deeper into screens? From the floor of NCRA in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, we sit down with author Jo Watson Hackl to talk about a surpr...
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Season 2
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6:26
Literacy For A Reimagined World
Literacy is getting rewritten in real time and educators don’t have the option to sit it out. From NCRA in Winston-Salem, we sit down with Hiller Spires, Professor at NC State University and NCRA president-elect, to talk about what comes next f...
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Season 2
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4:24
Dandelion Magic And The Power Of Words
A dandelion wish sounds small until it spins into a full-blown adventure. From the NCRA floor in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, we sit down with children’s author Darren Farrell to hear how Dandelion Magic turns a simple idea into a story kids ...
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4:01
A Twitter Pitch Turns Into A Book Deal
A children’s picture book can start in a surprising place: a string quartet performing a concert for plants. From the NCRA conference in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, we sit down with Tonnye Fletcher, a veteran educator who spent 17 years in s...
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Season 2
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8:47
I Bought $1,800 In Books And Panicked
Recording live from NCRA in North Carolina, we talk with Gina Mays, the owner of Gigi’s bookstore, about what happens when a lifelong educator decides she’s not done serving schools, she’s just changing tools. After 32 years as a teacher and ad...
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Season 2
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12:40
ABC Testimonial | Grace Moser | NCRA 2026
Grace Moser shares how using ABC materials has impacted her classroom.
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Season 2
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1:40
Fifth Grade Lightbulbs
A single “oh!” from a student can change everything, and it’s the feeling that keeps many of us teaching. From the NCRA Conference in North Carolina, we sit down with Grace, a fifth grade teacher who traces her path back to one vivid moment hel...
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Season 2
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5:12
Every Child Can Read
“Every child can read.” Mary from Hoke County Schools says it plainly, and then she shows the work behind making it real. We’re recording live from the NCRA conference, where she explains how a district literacy committee approaches professiona...
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Season 2
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5:17
ABC Testimonial | Deja Moore & Michaela Shy | NCRA 2026
Deja Moore & Michaela Shy share their testimony regarding ABC products. Website: spotlight4success.com
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Season 2
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1:38
When Kids Can Read But Still Don’t Get It
Fluency isn’t the finish line. If you’ve ever watched a student read smoothly and still walk away confused, this conversation puts words to the problem and points toward practical next steps. We are joined by two educators from JT Barber Elemen...
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Season 2
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5:48
ABC Testimonial | Brian Edmond | SCABSE 2026
Brian Edmond, a principal in South Carolina, shares his testimony regarding his school seeing score increases with ABC materials.Website: spotlight4success.com
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Season 2
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1:03
ABC Testimonial | Felisha Williams | SCABSE 2026
Felisha Williams. a principal in South Carolina, shares her testimony regarding her success with ABC materials. Website: spoltight4success.com
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Season 2
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1:03
ABC Testimonial | Gladys M. | LACUE 2025
Gladys M. shares his testimony regarding his success with ABC materials. Website: spotlight4success.com
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Season 2
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0:56
ABC Testimonial | Roderick Hannibal | LACUE 2025
Roderick Hannibal shares his testimony regarding his success with ABC materials. Website: spoltight4success.com
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Season 2
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0:49
Teaching Under Pressure, Learning With Purpose
Step onto the LACUE 2025 floor in New Orleans with us and feel the shift from hype to help. We sit down with educator and board member Tisha Whittington to unpack what actually lightens the load for teachers under pressure: clear standards alig...
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Season 2
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4:49
Robots, JavaScript, And A Lot Of Coffee
Step onto the LACUE floor in New Orleans with us and meet Jacqueline Edwards, a computer science instructor from East Baton Rouge who turns high school classrooms into launchpads for software careers. Jacqueline shares how her students earn dua...
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Season 2
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5:54
From Conference Floors To Classroom Wins
Two decades of conference halls, classroom breakthroughs, and late-night planning come to life as we sit down with Ranay Lozala of Rapides Parish at LACUE 2025 in New Orleans. From board service to district leadership in data and analytics, Ren...
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Season 2
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10:24
Say Yes To Better Teaching With Tech
Say yes first, figure it out together—that’s the spirit of this conversation with Tracy Phillips from Washington Parish, recorded live at LACUE 2025 in New Orleans. Tracy has taught nearly everything from fourth grade English to biology and civ...
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Season 2
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12:34
Why Tools Matter When Passion Meets Practice
Bright lights, fresh ideas, and real classroom wins—our trip to LACUE in New Orleans brought all three together. We sat down with fifth grade science teacher Brayondra Allen from Ferriday Upper Elementary to talk about what truly moves the need...
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Season 2
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4:17