Can We Get A Minute?
Can We Get A Minute?
Podcast Description
"Can We Get A Minute?" cuts through the confusion of education policy to answer the questions teachers are too busy to research themselves. Join Jenn Ellis (a recovering lawyer) and Rebeca Shackleford (a former teacher and principal) as they decode who really calls the shots in our schools. From classroom policies to curriculum decisions, they break down complex education bureaucracy into actionable insights. Whether you're wondering why your school board made that controversial decision or how to effectively advocate for your students, Jenn and Rebeca combine their unique expertise to give you the straight answers you need—all in the time it takes to prep for your next class. Finally, education policy explained by experts who've been in your shoes. For season one, we’ll be talking about school meals, books, AI, college & career pathways, mental health, data & assessments.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast explores diverse topics like school nutrition, bilingual education, and the impact of AI on classrooms, with specific episodes focusing on issues such as the challenges faced by English learners and how immigration policies affect schools, providing actionable insights for educators.
“Can We Get A Minute?” cuts through the confusion of education policy to answer the questions teachers are too busy to research themselves. Join Jenn Ellis (a recovering lawyer) and Rebeca Shackleford (a former teacher and principal) as they decode who really calls the shots in our schools. From classroom policies to curriculum decisions, they break down complex education bureaucracy into actionable insights. Whether you’re wondering why your school board made that controversial decision or how to effectively advocate for your students, Jenn and Rebeca combine their unique expertise to give you the straight answers you need—all in the time it takes to prep for your next class. Finally, education policy explained by experts who’ve been in your shoes. For season one, we’ll be talking about school meals, books, AI, college & career pathways, mental health, data & assessments.
What does it look like when teachers stop being subjects of change — and start driving it? In this episode, Jenn and Rebeca sit down with Evan Stone, co-founder and CEO of Educators for Excellence (E4E), a national movement of 40,000 teachers working to ensure educators have a real voice in the policies that shape their classrooms.
Evan shares his journey from a sixth-grade teacher in the Bronx who felt “crushed by the system” to building one of the most influential teacher advocacy organizations in the country. Along the way, the trio dives into what it means to amplify teacher voices in policymaking, how collective action can shift power back to educators, and why the political climate makes that work more urgent than ever.
They also get personal — swapping favorite teacher memories, talking about the emotional and mental health toll of teaching, and exploring what real systemic support for educators could look like.
Whether you’re in the classroom, adjacent to it, or just passionate about education policy, this episode is a powerful reminder: the people closest to students should be the ones shaping the future of education.
Connect with us:
🌐 https://all4ed.org/
➡️ https://twitter.com/All4Ed
➡️ https://www.facebook.com/All4ed
➡️ linktr.ee/all4ed
All4Ed is a national nonprofit advocacy organization located in
Washington, D.C. We are committed to expanding equitable educational
opportunities for students of color, students from low-income families,
and other marginalized groups. We advance transformation from the
classroom to Congress by advocating for federal, state, and local
policies and practices that ensure all students graduate high school
prepared for college, work, and life.
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