In March 2020, students across the country shifted to an unprecedented learning model as they logged onto their computers to attend classes on Zoom, forcing educators to quickly rethink how to effectively teach students in this new paradigm. As our education institutions worked to shift their models, the longstanding flaws and inequities in our system were put on full display. Now, more than two years later, we’re grappling to fully understand the impacts of this disruption to student learning. What has happened to our students over the past two years? What have we learned from this experience? And what changes are necessary in order to prepare today’s students to succeed in this fast-changing world?

Over the next few weeks, we will be talking with education advocates, researchers, and change agents working to rethink our education system and provide better opportunities and outcomes for all students in a special series called “Catalysts for Change: What Is World Class Education?”

In this first episode, Jill is joined by Tom Kane, Walter H. Gale Professor of Education and Economics at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Tom was a guest on this podcast as the pandemic was just beginning and we’re excited to have him on again, this time to talk about his new research on student learning loss across the country.
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What is World-Class Education? Professor Tom Kane on Learning Loss and Recovery

On September 28, for the first time in 50 years, the White House held a Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health. This year’s conference comes as millions of families across the country struggle to access high-quality calories. In 2021 alone, 13.5 million households were food insecure, and in June of 2022, more than 24 million Americans reported they sometimes or often did not have enough to eat during the week.

Over the past few weeks, we’ve spoken with food leaders of different types to understand America’s relationship with food and the resulting impact on all of us, and particularly our most vulnerable communities, in a special series called “Catalysts for Change: Ingredients for Success.”

In the previous two episodes, Jill was joined by U.S. Representative Jim McGovern and author Andy Fisher. In this series finale, Jill is joined by James Beard award-winning chefs Ken Oringer and Ming Tsai. We talk about their amazing journeys as chefs, the way that they give back to their communities, as well as the tricks of the trade and their favorite meals and recipes.
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Ingredients for Success • Award-Winning Chefs Ken Oringer & Ming Tsai

On September 28, for the first time in 50 years, the White House held a Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health. This year’s conference comes as millions of families across the country struggle to access high-quality calories. In 2021 alone, 13.5 million households were food insecure, and in June of 2022, more than 24 million Americans reported they sometimes or often did not have enough to eat during the week.
Over the next few weeks, we’ll be speaking with food leaders of different types to understand America’s relationship with food and the resulting impact on all of us, and particularly our most vulnerable communities, in a special series called “Catalysts for Change: Ingredients for Success.”
In the last episode, Jill was joined by Representative Jim McGovern, who represents District 2 in Massachusetts and serves as Co-Chair of the House Hunger Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives. In this second episode, Jill is joined by Andy Fisher, an anti-hunger activist and author of “Big Hunger,” to talk about the food industry, the anti-hunger movement, and the history of food access in the United States.
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Ingredients for Success · Andy Fisher, Nutrition Activist and Author of “Big Hunger”

Yesterday, the people of Massachusetts elected Attorney General Maura Healey to be the next governor of Massachusetts. Governor-elect Healey was a guest on this podcast last year, where she talked about her views on health care, racial justice, education, food access, and other key issues. It was an engaging conversation that sheds a lot of light on how she'll approach the job of governor, and so today, direct from the vault, enjoy the re-release of this episode of “Catalysts for Change” featuring Attorney General, and now Governor-elect, Maura Healey.
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From the Vault: Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey

On September 28, for the first time in 50 years, the White House held a Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health. This year’s conference comes as millions of families across the country struggle to access high-quality calories. In 2021 alone, 13.5 million households were food insecure, and in June of 2022, more than 24 million Americans reported they sometimes or often did not have enough to eat during the week. Why do so many families struggle with food insecurity? And, why, in the past 50 years, have we seen such a giant increase in chronic diseases like obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer?
Over the next few weeks, we’ll be speaking with food leaders of different types to understand America’s relationship with food and the resulting impact on all of us, and particularly our most vulnerable communities, in a special series called “Catalysts for Change: Ingredients for Success.”
In this first episode, Jill is joined by Representative Jim McGovern, who represents District 2 in Massachusetts and serves as Co-Chair of the House Hunger Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives, to talk about the recent White House conference and the role of government in solving food access and health issues that have largely stayed the same or worsened since the first conference on food was held in 1969.
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Ingredients for Success · Rep. Jim McGovern on the White House Conference on Food, Nutrition and Health

In this episode of “Catalysts for Change,” Jill is joined by Rahn Dorsey, Chief Impact Officer at the Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation and former Chief of Education for the City of Boston under Mayor Marty Walsh. Jill speaks with Rahn about how public and private partners can effectively work together to spark innovation in education and improve student outcomes.
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Rahn Dorsey on Innovation, Philanthropy, and Improving Student Outcomes

In this episode, Jill speaks with Noubar Afeyan, Co-Founder and Chairman of Moderna, about the development and growth of novel mRNA technology, the growing role of biotechnology in our lives, and the behind-the-scenes decision-making that made Moderna a household name in the fight against COVID-19.
To learn more about Noubar’s work and about Moderna, check out the resources below:
Noubar Afeyan’s Biography
Moderna Website
Noubar Afeyan’s Twitter
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Noubar Afeyan, Co-Founder and Chairman of Moderna

Boston is an incredible place to live and work – full of innovative leaders, brilliant researchers, institutions at the cutting edge of their fields, and wonderful and effective public and private partners. In many ways, the work that happens here in Boston serves as a model for the rest of the country.
This summer, we’re speaking with four local leaders in a special podcast series we’re calling, “Catalysts for Change: In and Around Boston.” These four leaders share a deep commitment to building a stronger, healthier, and more livable city, and we hope you gain as much from their perspectives and insights as we did.
In our fourth and final episode of this special series, Jill is joined by Dr. Robyn Riseberg, founder of Boston Community Pediatrics, which is piloting a new and innovative model for comprehensive medical care for our city’s most vulnerable children. Jill talks with Robyn about why she started this practice and what opportunities this model presents for the future of pediatric care in our state and our country.
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In and Around Boston · Dr. Robyn Riseberg on the Social Determinants of Health

Boston is an incredible place to live and work – full of innovative leaders, brilliant researchers, institutions at the cutting edge of their fields, and wonderful and effective public and private partners. In many ways, the work that happens here in Boston serves as a model for the rest of the country.
This summer, we’re speaking with four local leaders in a special podcast series we’re calling, “Catalysts for Change: In and Around Boston.” These four leaders share a deep commitment to building a stronger, healthier, and more livable city, and we hope you gain as much from their perspectives and insights as we did.
In our third episode, Jill is joined by Jascha Franklin-Hodge, Chief of Streets, Transportation, and Sanitation for the City of Boston, to talk about how the pandemic impacted transit in Boston, what the Wu administration is doing to improve our outdoor quality-of-life, and how he weighs the tradeoffs between buses, bikes, and cars when reimagining our transportation system.
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In and Around Boston · Jascha Franklin-Hodge on Managing Boston’s Streets

Boston is an incredible place to live and work – full of innovative leaders, brilliant researchers, institutions at the cutting edge of their fields, and wonderful and effective public and private partners. In many ways, the work that happens here in Boston serves as a model for the rest of the country.
Over the next few weeks, we’re speaking with four local leaders in a special podcast series we’re calling, “Catalysts for Change: In and Around Boston.” These four leaders share a deep commitment to building a stronger, healthier, and more livable city, and we hope you gain as much from their perspectives and insights as we did.
In our second episode, Jill is joined by Robert Lewis, Jr., President & CEO of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston, to talk about how his leadership was shaped by his childhood in the Boston Public Schools, the important life lessons learned from team sports, and how the language we use shapes the expectations we set for the next generation.
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In and Around Boston · Robert Lewis Jr., President & CEO of Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston

As we get into the full swing of summer in Boston, we're excited to share a special series of "Catalysts for Change" that we're calling "In and Around Boston." Over the next few weeks, we’re speaking with innovative local leaders about what they’re doing to make Boston a stronger, healthier, and more livable city.
In the first episode of this limited series, Jill speaks with Justin Pasquariello, Executive Director of the East Boston Social Centers, about growing up in Boston, the critical ways in which his organization creates joy for East Boston families, and how his life experiences help inform a more comprehensive approach to social services.
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In and Around Boston · Justin Pasquariello on Creating Joy in East Boston

In this episode, Jill is joined by Todd Rose, co-founder of the think-tank Populace and author of the new national bestseller, Collective Illusions. Jill speaks with Todd about how to understand what is happening in our country culturally, politically, and civically; how Populace’s method of private opinion polling allows for a better understanding of people’s true beliefs; how Americans are often closer aligned than it may appear; and how to confront these “collective illusions” in our day-to-day lives.
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Populace’s Todd Rose, Author of “Collective Illusions”

Introducing a special episode from the Shah Family Foundation's other podcast, Last Night at School Committee:

The City of Boston has a new mayor, and Mayor Wu and her appointed school committee have begun a search for a new Superintendent of Boston Public Schools. Boston has had 6 superintendents in 16 years - three of whom served Interim roles - and all who worked tirelessly on behalf of students, families and staff to improve aspects of BPS. 
 
What type of leader does BPS need now? What are the city’s priorities for our public school system? Who can be successful in the role? What can Bostonians do to make the next Superintendent’s term impactful and successful? 
 
In this special series of “Last Night at School Committee,” we bring together more than a dozen community leaders, as well as all 6 superintendents from the last 16 years, and ask them to weigh in on these questions.
 
This first episode features the voices of 14 Boston leaders – teachers, principals, education advocates, nonprofit leaders, union leaders, political leaders, former School Committee members, and others – offering their perspectives on the role of the superintendent, key priorities for Boston Public Schools, and how the community can come together to support our school district and its new leader. Below is a list of all participants in this episode:
 


Will Austin, Founder and CEO, Boston Schools Fund

Edith Bazile, BPS Parent and Grandparent, Former BPS Teacher, Special Education and Literacy Advocate

Erik Berg, Vice President, Boston Teachers Union

Ernani DeAraujo, Former Boston School Committee Member

Fabienne Eliacin, BPS Parent and Former Member of the Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SpEdPAC)

Dr. Caren Walker Gregory, Head of School, Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers

Matt Holzer, Headmaster, Boston Green Academy

Suzanne Lee, Former Principal of the Josiah Quincy Elementary School, Co-Chair of the English Language Learner (ELL) Task Force

Cole Moran, Teacher, Charlestown High School

James Morton, President and CEO, YMCA of Greater Boston

Alexandra Oliver-Dávila, Former Chair of the Boston School Committee and Executive Director of Sociedad Latina

Elizabeth Pauley, Associate Vice President, Education to Career and Health and Wellness, The Boston Foundation

Tanisha Sullivan, President, NAACP Boston

Dave Sweeney, Former Chief of Staff to Boston Mayor Marty Walsh

 
To learn more about the participants and see a video version of the episode highlighting each speaker, visit BostonSuperintendent.com. And be sure to subscribe to the Last Night at School Committee podcast for the rest of the episodes in this series.
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Boston Superintendent Search: Community Voices

As the COVID-19 pandemic enters its third year, we are still working to fully understand its impacts – from lost lives and livelihoods, to years of learning loss, to a complete rewiring of how we think. And during that time, we’ve seen the emergence of a new crisis in mental health, with record rates of depression, anxiety, and stress. How will we recover from all of this? How will we build back resilience? 

We’re diving into these questions with a special four-part series called “Catalysts for Change: How Are You Feeling?” In our last episode, Jill spoke with Kat Boit, student leader at Harvard University and co-president of Active Minds, a nationwide organization aiming to change the conversation about mental health and provide support and awareness for college students across the country. In the last episode of this series, Jill talks with Roz Picard, Director of the Affective Computing Research Group at the MIT Media Lab and founding faculty chair of MIT's Mind+Hand+Heart Initiative, to discuss how artificial intelligence and other technologies can be used as a scalable way to detect and treat mental health.
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How Are You Feeling? MIT’s Roz Picard on the Intersection of Technology and Mental Health Care

As the COVID-19 pandemic enters its third year, we are still working to fully understand its impacts – from lost lives and livelihoods, to years of learning loss in schools, to a complete rewiring of how we think about our interactions with others. And during that time, we have seen the emergence of a new crisis in mental health, with record rates of depression, anxiety, and stress. How will we recover from all of this? How will we build back resilience? 

We’re diving into these questions with a special four-part series called “Catalysts for Change: How Are You Feeling?” In our last episode, Jill spoke with John Crocker, founder and director of the Massachusetts Mental Health Consortium, and Director of School Mental Health & Behavioral Services for Methuen Public Schools. In this episode, Jill speaks with Kat Boit, student leader at Harvard University and co-president of Active Minds, a nationwide organization aiming to change the conversation about mental health and provide support and awareness for college students across the country.
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How Are You Feeling? Kat Boit, Harvard Student Leader and Active Minds Campus Co-President

As the COVID-19 pandemic enters its third year, we are still working to fully understand its impacts – from lost lives and livelihoods, to years of learning loss in schools, to a complete rewiring of how we think about our interactions with others. And during that time, we have seen the emergence of a new crisis in mental health, with record rates of depression, anxiety, and stress. How will we recover from all of this? How will we build back resilience?
Over the next few weeks, we’ll be diving into these questions with a special four-part series called “Catalysts for Change: How Are You Feeling?” In our first episode, Jill spoke with Dr. Maurizio Fava, Chief of the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital. In this episode, Jill speaks with John Crocker, founder and director of the Massachusetts Mental Health Consortium, and Director of School Mental Health & Behavioral Services for Methuen Public Schools, about the ways in which young people are experiencing and coping with mental health right now, and the role of schools in prevention and treatment.
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How Are You Feeling? John Crocker, Director of School Mental Health on Student Mental Health

As the COVID-19 pandemic enters its third year, we are still working to fully understand its impacts – from lost lives and livelihoods, to years of learning loss in schools, to a complete rewiring of how we think about our interactions with others. And during that time, we have seen the emergence of a new crisis in mental health, with record rates of depression, anxiety, and stress. How will we recover from all of this? How will we build back resilience? 
Over the next few weeks, we’ll be diving into these questions with a special four-part series called, “Catalysts for Change: How Are You Feeling?” In our first episode, Jill speaks with Dr. Maurizio Fava, Chief of the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital, about the science of mental health and the ways in which our experiences over the past two years have created a “pandemic within a pandemic.”
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How Are You Feeling? Dr. Maurizio Fava on the Pandemic of Mental Health

Since March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has sent shockwaves through the American labor market. Millions of Americans lost or left their jobs, and employers are having a harder time than ever recruiting workers. From government officials, to academics, to business leaders and employees, everyone is asking the same questions: Where is our workforce, how has the pandemic impacted the way we work, and what does it mean for the future of work?
Over the past few weeks, we’ve done a deep-dive into these questions with a special three-part series called “Catalysts for Change: The Changing Workforce.” In the third and final episode of this special series, Jill speaks with Corey Thomas, Chairman and CEO of the Boston-based cybersecurity company Rapid7, who discusses how business leaders are adapting to the new normal and what the future of work will bring.
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The Changing Workforce · CEO Corey Thomas on Navigating the New Normal

Since March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has sent shockwaves through the American labor market. Millions of Americans lost or left their jobs, and employers are having a harder time than ever recruiting workers. From government officials, to academics, to business leaders and employees, everyone is asking the same questions: Where is our workforce, how has the pandemic impacted the way we work, and what does it mean for the future of work?
Over the next few weeks, we’re diving into these questions with a special three-part series called “Catalysts for Change: The Changing Workforce.” In our second episode, Jill speaks with Dan Schneider, Professor of Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School and Co-Director of the SHIFT project, which has the largest source of data on service sector workers in the United States. Having collected and studied data on workforce trends since long before the pandemic began, we talk with Dan about how the pandemic – and the government aid that came with it – altered ideas about work, and where we go from here.
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The Changing Workforce · Prof. Dan Schneider on What’s Driving Workers

Since March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has sent shockwaves through the American labor market. Millions of Americans lost or left their jobs, and employers are having a harder time than ever recruiting workers. From government officials, to academics, to business leaders and employees, everyone is asking the same questions: Where is our workforce, how has the pandemic impacted the way we work, and what does it mean for the future of work?
Over the next few weeks, we’re diving into these questions with a special three-part series called “Catalysts for Change: The Changing Workforce.” In our first episode, Jill speaks with U.S. Secretary of Labor – and former Boston Mayor – Marty Walsh about how the makeup of the American workforce has changed, what the government is doing to help businesses and employees adapt, and how these changes impact daily life in our hometown of Boston.
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