Today on our podcast we have Mark Laurrie, the Superintendent of the Niagara Falls City School District.

Mark is in his 10th year as a superintendent and his 42nd year as an educator. Mark has been a progressive leader who is always a champion for his students. He has been the recipient of several local and state awards for leading his school community, and we are thrilled to have him on our show today. In this episode Mark talks about CTE Students and partnerships with Trade Unions, Say Yes to Education in Niagara Falls, Head Start and Safety 30.

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In this episode of Achieving Joy and Mastery in Public Schools, host Dr. Brian Graham sits down with Dr. Donna DeSiato, President of NYSCOSS and Superintendent of the East Syracuse Minoa Central School District.

Dr. DeSiato shares her district’s visionary journey from traditional, industrial-age models of schooling to future-focused, student-centered learning. She highlights the power of strategic planning, project-based learning, STEM ecosystems, and authentic pathways like aviation and computer science that prepare students for their futures—not ours.

The conversation also explores how partnerships with business, higher education, and government fuel innovation, and how the upcoming NYSCOSS Fall Leadership Conference will challenge superintendents to lead boldly, embrace inquiry, and create agile, future-ready school systems.

Listeners will walk away inspired by Dr. DeSiato’s message: superintendents are not just stewards of schools—they are architects of the future, leading and learning at the pace of change.

For more information send an email to: superintendent@esmschools.org

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In this episode of Achieving Joy and Mastery in Public Schools, we tackle the urgent issue of early literacy and how generative artificial intelligence could be the key to transforming young readers' experiences. Only 33% of U.S. fourth-graders were proficient in reading in 2022, and this crisis continues to grow. But what if AI could help change the story?

Join host Brian Graham as he sits down with the team behind the Center for Early Literacy and Responsible AI (CELaRAI) at the University at Buffalo to explore how innovative tools like the AI Reading Enhancer (AIRE) can support young learners in developing essential literacy skills.

Our special guests include:

• Dr. X. Christine Wang, Professor of Early Education & Learning Sciences at UB, Senior Associate Dean for Research, and Principal Investigator for CELaRAI. Dr. Wang shares her vision for how AI can augment teacher capacity and address the literacy crisis.
• Dr. Kristen Smigielski, Project Manager for CELaRAI, who specializes in inclusive education and social justice. Dr. Smigielski discusses how AIRE can empower teachers and ensure equitable classrooms for all students.
• Dr. Zhaohui Li, Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the National AI Institute for Exceptional Education & CELaRAI. Dr. Li dives into the technical side of AIRE, explaining how it uses AI to generate personalized texts and provide real-time reading support.
• Zhuoyun (Joy) Cai, Ph.D. student at UB and AI policy expert for CELaRAI. Joy explores the ethical considerations of using AI in early education and how policy frameworks are shaping its responsible deployment in classrooms.

Together, they highlight the exciting possibilities of using AI to improve phonics, word recognition, fluency, and comprehension, especially for culturally and linguistically diverse learners. We’ll also discuss the importance of responsible AI practices and how CELaRAI is leading the way in developing ethical guidelines for AI in education.

If you’re looking to learn more about how AI can help bridge the gap in early literacy and support teachers in their mission, this episode is a must-listen!

https://earlyliteracyai.org/

Find us on Twitter @NiagaraErie

Or visit our website E-NSSA.org