406 State, District & Community Models That Actually Work

When the “honeymoon” ends and learning gets real, the old playbook crumbles. In this wrap-up of our Fall series, Peter Hostrawser and Alli Dahl break down what actually works—from state-level lab schools to district academy models, regional coaching, and community translators who turn contained learning into community vitality.We highlight:- Kristy Volesky (EduVitality): Make learning visible, local, and tied to economic development.- Dr. Gary Skeen (ODU / Virginia Lab School Network): “Not best practices—next practices.” Policy flexibility leads to real R&D in public ed.- Scott Carr (CESA 2, WI): Ditch compliance. Define impact locally. Do a year of discovery, then scale.- Jeff Stenroos (School District of Beloit): “I don’t disrupt— I adjust.” Vertical alignment + industry partners = youth apprenticeships that stick.- Dr. Karen Baptiste (Preschool to Prison): Replace carceral design with restorative, human-centered systems—pipelines to purpose.We talk durable skills, individualized + localized learning, belonging, and why action beats announcements. If you’re a teacher, admin, policymaker, or community partner, this is your field guide to move from talk to traction.🔗 Episodes, guests, and resources: disrupteducationpodcast.com👥 Connect with Peter & Alli on LinkedIn for show clips and WBL playbooks.📩 Want to be a guest? Pitch us on the site.Chapters00:00 Why the old playbook fails03:05 Kristy Volesky: Community vitality is better than contained learning07:20 Dr. Gary Skeen: State-level R&D and “next practices”12:20 Scott Carr: Impact over outcomes + the year of discovery16:40 Jeff Stenroos: District “yes” culture & apprenticeships22:10 Dr. Karen Baptiste: Restorative design, not carceral design27:10 Takeaways + your first “next practice” to try tomorrow#DisruptEducation #WorkBasedLearning #EducationReform #DurableSkills #CareerReady #CommunitySchools #LabSchools #Apprenticeships