You know Pentatonix – the multi-platinum selling acapella group is the number one most listened to musical acct of the holiday season. Co-founder and Grammy winner Scott Hoying is currently starring in Season 34 of Dancing with the Stars.

Scott Hoying and his husband Mark are now also authors of an innovative picture book which features text that doubles as lyrics to a new, original Christmas song. FA LA LA FAMILY celebrates the spirit of Christmas with a look at nontraditional families.

The reviews are loving their new book:

"A fun and festive dive into Christmas celebrations with diverse families."―School Library Journal

"Cozy and filled with love." ―Kirkus

In this episode of Shifting Schools, Tricia Friedman sits down with Scott and Mark Hoying, creators and authors of a new children's book that challenges traditional definitions of family and centers love, creativity, and chosen community.

Together, they explore why representation in children's literature matters, how creative collaboration shapes healthy partnerships, and what their journey toward modern, inclusive parenthood has taught them about patience, communication, and imagination.

This conversation is especially relevant for educators, parents, and caregivers seeking stories that reflect diverse families—and for anyone curious about how creativity prepares us for life's biggest transitions.

Chapters

• 00:00 What Defines Family Today?

• 02:51 Creativity, Collaboration, and Partnership

• 05:46 Communication in Creative Relationships

• 08:51 Preparing for Parenthood Through Art

• 11:42 Why Representation in Children's Books Matters

• 14:27 Stories, Holidays, and Belonging

ABOUT: Scott Hoying is a GRAMMY award winning and Emmy-nominated singer, songwriter, and arranger from the multi-platinum selling acapella group, Pentatonix. He co-founded the group in 2010 and has headlined hundreds of shows all around the world. He is currently starring in Season 34 of Dancing with the Stars. He is very active in the LGBTQ+ community and works closely with The Trevor Project. How Lucky Am I? is his first picture book.

Mark Hoying is a writer and marketing professional from Seattle, Washington. After graduating from the University of Washington, he met and began developing projects with his husband, Scott Hoying. He co-wrote the original Christmas single "Thank You" on Pentatonix's holiday album and currently manages the girl group Citizen Queen.

Fa La La Family is published by Macmillan Children's Publishing Group

In this episode of Shifting Schools, bestselling author Alan Gratz joins Tricia Friedman to explore the craft of storytelling, the role of creativity in education, and why curiosity is the engine behind both great writing and great learning. Gratz shares how baseball has quietly shaped the structure of many of his novels, how he approaches character development with authenticity, and why understanding a character's background is essential for emotional truth.

The conversation also digs into the need for interdisciplinary learning in today's classrooms and the value of teacher collaboration. Gratz argues that creativity isn't a mysterious talent—it's a skill that can be nurtured, practiced, and strengthened when schools design learning experiences that cross traditional subject boundaries.

Whether you're an educator, writer, or lifelong learner, this episode offers fresh insights into how storytelling helps us understand the human experience and how curiosity fuels both art and education.

• Alan Gratz's novel has stayed on the bestseller list for five years, a longevity he describes as "never taken for granted."

• He uses baseball as a metaphorical framework when structuring narratives.

• Creativity is a teachable practice—not an innate gift.

• Interdisciplinary learning increases student engagement and deepens understanding.

• Strong character development depends on knowing a character's background, motivations, and contradictions.

• Reading diverse perspectives cultivates empathy, curiosity, and creative thinking.

• Gratz encourages exploring multiple creative pathways in writing and education.

• Schools benefit when teachers collaborate across disciplines to build rich learning experiences.

00:00 – The Legacy of a Best-Selling Author
02:57 – Baseball as a Creative Influence
05:43 – The Teachability of Creativity
08:46 – Interdisciplinary Learning in Education
11:37 – Character Development and Authenticity
14:20 – Curiosity and the Human Condition

ALAN GRATZ is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of several highly acclaimed books for young readers, including Heroes: A Novel of Pearl Harbor, Two Degrees, Ground Zero, Allies, Grenade, Refugee, Projekt 1065, Prisoner B-3087, Code of Honor, and Captain America: The Ghost Army, an original graphic novel. Alan lives with his family in the Pacific Northwest. Look for him online at alangratz.com.

Huge thanks to our show sponsor Poll Everywhere!

Learn more

In this episode of Shifting Schools, Jeff Utecht reconnects with Marcus DiPaola, a successful content creator and documentary filmmaker. They discuss Marcus's journey from working in news to becoming a prominent influencer on platforms like TikTok, where he has amassed over 4 million followers. The conversation delves into the challenges of content creation, the importance of writing skills, and the role of AI in enhancing creative processes. Marcus shares insights on his documentary work, including a recent project on protests and his upcoming film about food insecurity. He emphasizes the value of internships for aspiring creators and the dedication required to succeed in the industry.

Connect with him:

https://www.tiktok.com/@marcus.dipaola?lang=en

https://www.youtube.com/c/marcusdipaola

Takeaways

Content creation requires strong writing skills.
Consistency is key in content creation.
The journey to becoming an influencer is not instant.
Internships provide invaluable experience for aspiring creators.
AI can assist but cannot replace creativity.
Documentary filmmaking involves significant research and planning.
Understanding audience engagement is crucial for content success.
Passion is essential to avoid burnout in content creation.
Networking from internships can lead to lasting professional relationships.
The landscape of content creation is constantly evolving.

Sound bites

"You have to be super consistent."
"I make one 60 second video a day."
"You have to be better than that."

Chapters

00:00 Reconnecting and Backgrounds
02:39 The Journey of Content Creation
05:29 Documentary Filmmaking and Its Challenges
08:23 The Role of AI in Content Creation
10:58 Advice for Aspiring Creators and Future Projects

Thank you to our Sponsor Poll Everywhere

Learn more about them:

https://www.polleverywhere.com/plans/education?utm_source=referral&utm_medium=shiftingschools&utm_campaign=shiftingschools

Are micro schools the future of personalized learning? In this high-impact episode of Shifting Schools, Jeff Utecht sits down with David K. Richards, CEO of ChangeMaker Education, to break down one of the fastest-growing movements in the education ecosystem: microschools.

With over 125,000 micro schools and 1.5 million students already learning in small, relationship-centered environments across the U.S., this episode delivers a deeply practical and future-focused look at why educators, parents, and policymakers are paying attention.

• What a micro school really is — and why its flexible size (5–150 learners) unlocks personalization

• How the pandemic accelerated the movement, doubling homeschooling rates and driving families to seek community-based alternatives.

• Why micro schools are not new—they're the modern reimagining of the one-room schoolhouse.

• How micro schools fit across sectors: private, charter, district-partnered, and homeschool learning centers.

• The regulatory landscape educators must understand—voucher programs, ESAs, accreditation, and state-by-state flexibility.

  Key Insight From David Richards

  Teachers often underestimate how many entrepreneurial skills they already have—project management, relationship-building, instructional design, crisis navigation, and creative problem-solving. Micro schools simply give them a pathway to use those skills with autonomy, community connection, and purpose.

  Featured Guest

  David K. Richards
  CEO, ChangeMaker Education
  Charter school founder • Former Chief of Schools • Micro school accelerator • Host of Changemaker EDU Podcast

  Learn more or apply to launch a micro school at: changemakereducation.com

Huge thank you to our show sponsor, learn more about Poll Everywhere:

https://www.polleverywhere.com/plans/education?utm_source=referral&utm_medium=shiftingschools&utm_campaign=shiftingschools

What if our pets are communicating complex ideas—and technology is finally catching up? In this episode of the Shifting Schools Podcast, cognitive scientist and FluentPet founder Leo Trottier joins us to explore how breakthroughs in animal cognition, inter-species communication, and speech-button interfaces are reshaping the way humans understand pets.

Trottier unpacks the science behind communication-enhancing tools for animals, drawing from research in cognitive psychology, comparative cognition, and linguistics to explain how dogs and cats may be expressing needs, feelings, and even intentions. He also discusses how this emerging field could deepen human–animal bonds, strengthen empathy, and influence the future of animal welfare and education.

Listeners will learn:

• How cognitive science informs FluentPet's design

• What behavioral research reveals about dogs' communicative abilities

• Why emotional connection with animals supports childhood empathy development

• The ethical and rights-based implications of interspecies dialogue

• How next-generation technology could expand communication across species

Perfect for educators, future-focused parents, animal lovers, and anyone curious about the intersection of science, empathy, and emerging technology.

Thank you to our show sponsor for making episodes like these possible.

Learn more about Poll Everywhere today

Summary

In this episode, Jeff Utecht discusses the critical importance of understanding where schools stand on the AI adoption curve. He emphasizes the need for leadership to actively engage with AI and for educators to integrate AI into their teaching practices. The conversation highlights the transformative potential of AI in education, urging schools to move from mere conversation to meaningful integration.

Learn more about our amazing show sponsor: Poll Everywhere

Takeaways

• AI adoption is crucial for schools today.
• Leadership must model AI usage and curiosity.
• Schools are on a curve of AI adoption.
• Teachers should empower students to engage with AI.
• AI can enhance learning, not replace teachers.
• Starting small with AI can lead to significant progress.
• The goal is to move from conversation to integration.
• AI tools should be used daily by educators.
• Understanding AI is essential for future readiness.
• Schools must not fall behind in AI integration.

Chapters

00:00 The Journey of AI in Education
02:37 Understanding the AI Adoption Curve
06:01 Empowering Schools to Embrace AI

Discover how educators are using generative AI not to automate, but to elevate critical thinking and collaboration in K-12 schools. In this episode of Shifting Schools, host Tricia Friedman shows how "disagreement by design" and intentional prompt-engineering transform student and leadership learning.

What you'll learn:

• What disagreement by design looks like in real classrooms and leadership teams

• How prompt engineering unlocks student curiosity and systems-thinking mindset in K-12

• Why writing bespoke GPT bots might just be the 'new essay' of our times

Who this episode is for:
Any educator, school leader or district-innovator exploring how to responsibly integrate companion AI, AI avatars and prompt-driven dialogue into a learning ecosystem.

• What "disagreement by design" looks like in real classrooms

• How prompt engineering can unlock student curiosity

• Why generative AI needs to serve learning, not automation

• Examples of schools using AI for civic and digital literacy

• Mindsets for leading change with courage and care

Want to try out the chatbots?

'All about Avatars' https://chatgpt.com/g/g-69000b1682a8819188039180edcc55ce-all-about-avatars

On the Rise of Livestreaming: https://chatgpt.com/g/g-68ffd3cfb750819197dfa42090d38076-making-sense-of-fanum-and-the-rise-of-streaming

Learn more about our amazing show sponsor: Poll Everywhere

Keep learning with Shifting Schools

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Generative AI and Its Misunderstandings
01:36 The Importance of Designed Disagreement in AI
03:57 Prompt Engineering: Thinking Like a Designer
09:26 Creating Custom Chatbots for Specific Needs
13:52 AI Literacy and Community Building Through Technology

A conversation that reminds us how curiosity, art, and iteration can reshape are necessary and may even be assets for our school leadership and the ways we nurture creative courage in young learners....

In this episode, Tricia Friedman sits down with author-illustrator Christy Mandin to explore what school leaders can learn from the creative process behind children's literature. Together they unpack how curiosity fuels empathy, how messy iteration sparks innovation, and how embracing the dark and uncertain moments of creativity can make us more compassionate educators.

• Why boredom and unstructured time are essential ingredients for student creativity.

• How to help students (and ourselves) become friends with the dark—embracing uncertainty as a path to growth.

• Why modeling curiosity, reflection, and open-mindedness is one of the most powerful leadership moves.

Christy Mandin is the author and illustrator of multiple picture books. She's grown many interesting plants in her garden over the years but, so far, none with teeth or tentacles. She currently lives in Georgia with her husband and four children. Visit Christy online at christymandin.com or Instagram @christymandin

Learn more about our amazing show sponsor: Poll Everywhere

Keep learning with Shifting Schools.