Michael Conner: [00:00:00] Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, and welcome to another episode of Voices for Excellence. I'm your host, Dr. Michael Conner, CEO, and founder of the Agile Evolutionary Group. Of course the proud host of VFE, and yes, this is a part of the fourth annual Black Excellence series where we are highlighting black excellence across the country and different verticals within the ecosystem.

Michael Conner: And today's guest, the vertical that we're gonna be focusing on today is yes, executive leadership and the super intended. Role and today we are having, or we are glad to have Dr. Simone Griffin. Yes, I met Dr. Griffin. Let's see. This was in June. June, 2025 where Dr. Griffin and I, we were both selected to be PDK Distinguished Fellows, PDK International Distinguished Fellows, and I got to meet Dr.

Michael Conner: Griffin at [00:01:00] our convene in June and just. What a dynamic mindset perspective when it comes to education, and that was at that time, Dr. Griffin. I remember you had said Mike. Don't say nothing, but I think I'm about to become a superintendent. I remember that conversation, Dr. And look how the Lord turns everything out.

Michael Conner: Yes, Dr. Griffin is the proud superintendent of Benton Harbor Area Schools and Benton Harbor, Michigan. But moreover than that, she just an extraordinary educator who really does work for transformation. So we are proud to host. Dr. Simone Griffin here on VFE, but more importantly, highlighting Black Excellence during Black History Month.

Michael Conner: Dr. Griffin, how are you today? Good, sister.

Simone Griffin: Thank you. Thank you. It is an honor to be here. I'm super excited about this opportunity to just talk about educational excellence in our communities, so thank you for having me.

Michael Conner: Oh, a. A, [00:02:00] absolutely. Dr. Griffin, and to my audience, this is gonna be an extraordinary episode because again.

Michael Conner: We're really going to start to unpack various threads. I like to say some of the core nodes in education that needs to be addressed intentionally bold, but more importantly, unapologetically so. But Dr. Griffin, I had said at the outset that you are A PDK International Distinguished Fellow. You are definitely a recognized leader in the Midwest, and now the new or not, so no, not so new superintendent for Bend Harbor area schools.

Michael Conner: For my audience that do not know Dr. Simone Griffin, what song defines your leadership signature and this paradigm of the 22nd century?

Simone Griffin: Ooh. I would have to say Diana Ross. I'm coming out.

Michael Conner: Ooh,

Michael Conner: yes. Yeah,

Michael Conner: that song.

Simone Griffin: Yeah. I would have to say that song because it's not just about. Dr. Griffin or Simone coming [00:03:00] out.

Simone Griffin: It's about our kids coming out, really cultivating voice agency empowerment and equity. So coming out and modeling what that looks like for our urban community that I serve. Yeah, it's It's all about that instructional excellence, access and opportunity. Yeah. Making sure that every stakeholder group is aware that there's a whole world out there and they're not excluded from it.

Michael Conner: Absolutely. And Dr. Griffin, I lo, first of all, Diana Ross. Yes. You wanna talk about black excellence? There you go. With that. That's a, a history class. A history course, I should say. Yes, yes indeed. Two semesters by itself. But you hit on some key, some key threads, right? Or key themes that I want to highlight.

Michael Conner: Agency and voice and, and Dr. Griffin, when we talk about agency and voice and I look at the, this intentional shift of the education model, the whole model. And that's why, you know, I created the 22nd century education model so that [00:04:00] now we can have those intentional and strategic shift. Within instruction, within curriculum, within operations where truly our most important customers, IE families and students have the necessary agency and voice and they feel empowered.

Michael Conner: Within their learning organizations. But you, you highlighted this word that I think that executive leaders need to do more often, specifically when we talk about executive leadership in the context of instruction modeling, what that is. What I love about your work and to my audience, Dr. Griffin, is not only in schools, she's actually providing feedback to leaders and teachers for what she's seeing in classrooms, so that now that feedback can be implemented with a level of vitality, but more importantly, this oversight feedback for growth.

Michael Conner: I love that it's structural excellence and again. When we talk about our students coming out, yes, they have to have the agency and the voice to do that, but [00:05:00] Dr. Griffin, you have experienced a high level of success within your leadership trajectory, where now you are at the superintendent level, where you are the superintendent of schools for Ben Harbor Area Schools.

Michael Conner: But within your transition to this role, Dr. Griffin, what unique perspectives have you gained about executive leadership that both new and veteran leaders can underscore within their role?

Simone Griffin: Ooh, that's a good one. I would have to say relationships before rules, right? Because although you have to have high expectations and we come in all gung-ho, you really have to be very strategic and intentional in a listening and learning mode.

Simone Griffin: You know, we all have to be, when we talk about being lifelong learners, that's super critical. Comfort environment, uh, all the way up to this role. You've gotta hear from. As many stakeholders as possible so that you can get as much as possible in terms of knowledge about the lay of the land, the [00:06:00] culture, their identity, how they came to be, where they are, how they get from where they are to where they need to be, but also identifying some of those gaps, right?

Simone Griffin: There are gonna be some patterns and some gaps, and then your expertise has gotta come in and say, Hey, here's what I've seen. Let's co-create what the strategic plan looks like going forward. Here's what you said. In terms of the strengths, in terms of the pride, in terms of the culture, but here's what the academic outcomes are saying.

Simone Griffin: And so let's chart this new course together, ensuring that we have high expectations for student outcomes, and that means high expectations for every stakeholder that deals with those students too. So that's me, my central office team, principals, teachers, support staff, parents, and even the students.

Simone Griffin: Everybody's gotta have some skin in the game for what it looks like.

Michael Conner: Absolutely. And that skin in the game, I always like to say Dr. Griffin is accountability and you gave a [00:07:00] textbook answer around what I call the cycle of continuous improvement in the three stages. The first three stages of the cycle of continuous improvement, set in the direction, assessing the needs.

Michael Conner: Then creating the strategic plan. Those are the first three within that whole cycle of continuous improvement. And I, I loved how you said relationships before rules. Right? And I think, you know, within any. The type of large scale or macro level change management process as you are entering as a new superintendent or even looking at strategic adaptations and shifts within your, within your learning organizations.

Michael Conner: I always reference back to one of my professors at Harvard, Michael Tushman. He always states this. That is easy to change the hardware. And when I look at the educational equivalency, it's easy to change curriculum. It's easy to change the instructional framework. It's easy to change operational procedures within your learning [00:08:00] organizations, but it's the hardest thing to change is the software IE, the mental models and mindsets to be aligned so that now they become a shared mental model, a shared mindset.

Michael Conner: And you underscored that right within. Within your entry where you mentioned it, the voices of your core stakeholders being a part of it, IE this co-creation, co-design, the strategic plan so that now we have this shared mental model and this, this, this she mindset. To be able to move the transformation cycles in this accelerated and forward manner.

Michael Conner: That's why I said, Dr. Uh Griffin, you gave a textbook answer, a theoretical answer, but a much more simplified answer that my audience can digest. But Dr. Griffin, I always contend that, and you exhibit this when I met you in in June, all the way to, you know now. Right, but you always modeled being a chief executive off or a [00:09:00] chief executive officer, superintendent, CEO, as the lead leader of the learning organization, right?

Michael Conner: And this includes having deep knowledge and understanding of your core stakeholders. That's promulgating the vision within your learning organization, but embedded in every innovative and transformational design, right? There has to be sustained capacity. Building capacity capabilities. I always like to say shared human capital, but within your learning organization, and also for executive leaders out there as well, superintendents, assistant superintendents, even we have ed tech companies where they have vice presidents and directors of partnerships.

Michael Conner: How did you, and I think that there's this interface and even part and parcel into parallel silos. How do you prioritize human capital? Human capital development, specifically what you're doing as the lead learner and Ben Harbor area schools.

Simone Griffin: Ooh. Good question. I was have to [00:10:00] say, one of the major things I did when I came and got the role, I kind of gathered it a little bit later in the summer at the end of July, and they were, the district was in the middle contract negotiation with the teacher union.

Simone Griffin: And so I came to the table already knowing that I needed to close that deal in order to move forward with what the year would look like. 'cause you have to do that in collaboration with them. They're one of the major stakeholders within the district, outside of the board. Right. And so because I had been in those seats, I mean, that plays a major role a lot of the times.

Simone Griffin: Uh, and this is no shade to, you know, superintendents that have not sat in the teacher's seat. You know, I started out in the nineties, late nineties as a day-to-day sub and kind of worked my way up, you know, and, and it, and helps to remember those experiences because it keeps you humble, empathetic. And collaborative when you are working with teachers that are still in those seats, because even we have to admit at this level, if you're not a teacher after the pandemic, then you got only a little bit that you compare in terms of [00:11:00] experiences that align with theirs.

Simone Griffin: Well then notwithstanding ICI had to come to the table being absolutely honorable to what they experience as teachers and what any teacher wants and any professional wants is respect. You know, doing the one-on-ones, uh, with the board leadership and doing them with the union leadership and having those conversations, it really, I laid the foundation for hearing them right around what was really troubling them and concerning them.

Simone Griffin: They hadn't felt heard regarding curriculum choices. They hadn't felt heard regarding vendors and partnerships that had been created. They weren't heard when it came to respect from students and parents and leadership in the building. And so I had to bring those things transparently to the table and say, it's gonna be different under my leadership, and let's talk about what that looks like.

Simone Griffin: I know you guys wanna accountability, so let's have a shared understanding. Why don't you tell me more and I'll tell you what I can provide to lead the effort for support. Actual [00:12:00] accountability support as a superintendent. Number one, I'm gonna make sure that you are respected at every level. There's gonna be accountability for parents, for how they enter buildings leaders, and how they support you and your voice in infractions and things like that.

Simone Griffin: You know, understanding what it feels like to be disrespected. And so starting from that standpoint. Being empathetic and being a great listener helps bring to pass something that is collaborative. And the other thing was because they didn't feel heard, I gave them an opportunity when we closed the union contract, you know, actually two, three weeks beforehand was giving them a curriculum committee.

Simone Griffin: So rather than bring you to the table when we're at the end of a curriculum review cycle. Why don't you guys come to the table with your team and we'll bring some stakeholders and we'll collaborate monthly about it year round there, where there's no surprises. You can help us co-create what the review cycle looks like.

Simone Griffin: Give us your opinions and your [00:13:00] ideas, and we bring in the research and the data together. So we co-create it. So the cu the curriculum committee. Then of course we have HR that works with them and hearing from them around what it means to truly support teachers and staff in this work. And those could be affinity groups.

Simone Griffin: It could be trauma informed research, best practices, right? Making sure that their wellness plans, that's something that I brought that I have my student support team working on and hr, so everybody should have a wellness plan from me, me, all the way to our custodial workers. So we have a mental wellness committee that is helping put that together because the socio-emotional status of our staff is just as important as those of our students.

Simone Griffin: We talk about secondary trauma, we have to understand it. You know, if we're gonna mitigate teacher burnout and keep the teachers that we have, we have to start with the human standpoint. We have to start with their strengths rather than their deficits. And so I model those [00:14:00] practices with them and then implore and charge them to do those same things with our kids.

Michael Conner: Great, great, great. And, and Dr. Griffin, very intentional, right? Because I, I love the fact that, and this truly is a design thinking approach, right? When you, the first, the first step, or I should say the, the, the first principle within design thinking is empathy, understanding the core needs of your customers understanding.

Michael Conner: Core needs of the people that you're serving and then being able to design in accordance to those specific needs and very intentional where you took that first principle of design, thinking, empathy, understanding your stakeholders, understanding your teachers. And being able to design in accordance to their needs and having, I always like to say that level set of, of building human capital from one another.

Michael Conner: It's not more of this [00:15:00] lines of this top down bureaucratic approach of here's the sustained learning. Here, how we're gonna build capacity within the learning organization. But you took that reverse, that reverse approach. I always like to say kind of like this reverse engineering approach where you're working backwards, where now that the voices of your teachers, of your leaders are realized for professional learning within your learning community.

Michael Conner: Um, very, very intentional. Again, goes back to what you stated before. Being able to listen and act upon critical needs or the essential needs for your stakeholders and teachers, but. We know Dr. Dr. Griffin. We're in, we're in some, we're in, we're in unprecedented times, right? Very unique. And I always now education.

Michael Conner: The whole education model, the whole education ecosystem is experiencing this level of uncertainty and this high level of volatility. You, you just have this natural sense of calmness [00:16:00] within your leadership. Right? It could be, it, it, it could be a big blizzard and a big storm, and Dr. Griffin's, she's just like this to my audience.

Michael Conner: You would, you would think it's sunny in 85 out, right? The way the. Respond to some essential issues or even problems of practice. But Dr. Griffin, how do you anchor stability in this volatile ecosystem? But I want you to, that's the first part. The second part is how do you define stability from this 22nd century education lens?

Simone Griffin: And it took it take, it's taken some work. You know, I'm calm today, but if you'd see me in August and September, you know, it would look very, very different. I've had to be adaptable and sort of a chameleon in this environment. 'cause really this district, it's not an anomaly. We're having some of the same challenges, but they are certainly really, really very.

Simone Griffin: Uh, elevated, very, very concentrated in such a very small community, [00:17:00] uh, right. And so in order to create this sense of sustainability and sus and stability, it's important that I'm always able to keep the eyes on the prize, and that's our students. Making student-centered decisions and then making sure that I'm always telling the why behind the what.

Simone Griffin: Right? Because even though this is a turnaround, when you think about change management, everybody knows that nobody likes to be changed except for away baby. And so that especially, uh, district like mine that has had a lot of turnover. At the superintendent level and then at, you know, at every level there's a lot of in and out.

Simone Griffin: So with that, the stability is to make sure that you constantly speaking to the vision and mission, you're constantly sticking to the practices that support them. Because the money, even when we make economic decisions, the money follows the vision. I can tell and, and this has been my training even before I got into this role, I can tell by [00:18:00] looking at your budget where your priorities are.

Simone Griffin: 'cause the money follows where you really think things are important or a priority when it comes to how you spend your money and, and your fiscal stewardship. Right. But it's also making sure in the stability you have to have a disposition of calm, that we can handle anything. And so that means making sure that there's transparency and communication so you can mitigate anxiety.

Simone Griffin: So as I said before, no matter what I'm doing, I give the why behind the what, and then it's even being more sensitive to the rollout process, right? I have these big ideas. I want a proficiency goal campaign. When I'm looking at all of my cabinet ideas and the goals that we're not rolling out all these things at one time.

Simone Griffin: Right. I'm gonna overwhelm them. 'cause when you think about the plate of the responsibilities for principals and teachers, we, they've taken on so much more social emotionally in addition to the academic piece. So constantly thinking about as [00:19:00] a superintendent, okay, I know if I got SES, having expectations of them to make sure kids are in school through this attendance incentive.

Simone Griffin: Then I also have to be cognizant of what does academics need to look like? Or maybe I wait to roll this out and I bring the union or the stakeholders that'll be impacted into the conversation so that they can feel a part of the process before the rollout actually happens. Because you can remain true to the vision of a particular project or an initiative, but you can't make, you have to make sure that the stakeholders that are impacted have some input, right?

Simone Griffin: And so that's being very strategic and and intentional because the goal is to mitigate as much anxiety, challenge burnout as possible. Some so time, so many times it's input and in timelines. And maybe not getting all of your init initiatives the first year. Maybe you schedule them out, but you make certain that in, in instability [00:20:00] that you you create calm by the way you respond.

Simone Griffin: And that is having an open door policy. You know, I do have to have boundaries in place. Being a superintendent of a small district. I have to also understand that if it's something really, really critical that they can come and see me now, usually nine times outta 10, I'm gonna pivot them back to who they need to talk to.

Simone Griffin: But it's also giving them a sense of calm when crises come up. We've had, we've had a few this first semester in my tenure, and then being, being able to be transparent about it because no one likes to be gaslit. It. It's me making an apology myself. I show them how to fail forward, give each other grace.

Simone Griffin: 'cause I need it, right? This is my first and prayerfully only superintendency. And so with that I asked an implore, I'm humble in my mistakes and so I have to demonstrate that for them as well. Give each other grace, give each other kindness as we build this ship together. Right. So that's [00:21:00] letting them know that's the stability.

Simone Griffin: Don't worry. Things will go. Just know things are gonna go wrong and be okay with messing up. That's how you get them comfortable with engaging in the risk of, you know, growing student outcomes. 'cause you give them freedom to fall, give them freedom to fail. Just know, I know you're gonna fail. It's okay. We get back up, we check it out, we look at the data and we try again.

Michael Conner: Absolutely. Dr. Griffin. That was again another textbook answer, and to my audience, Dr. Griffin. We use this as an asynchronous tool for professional learning, IE heterogogy, self-directed learning, and to my audience, this is one of the answers that you can actually do a crosswalk analysis with defining change management with.

Michael Conner: In a time of uncertainty. A time of volatility, right? And what I loved about the resonating and consistent themes within all your answers, Dr. Griffin, is transparency. [00:22:00] Communication. I love that. Always communicating the vision, make, ensuring that resources, strategic operating plan, activity sets and workflows, have the alignment to the resources, have an alignment with a direction that we're going into.

Michael Conner: There will be expected adaptations and, and strategic lean moves that we're gonna have to make because it's not a linear evolution. More alliance is this adaptive evolution with the vision as the outcome. Dr. Griffin, I always give this really simplistic definition of change management and I always say that it's a large body of work.

Michael Conner: Scaled into parts, but prototyped over time. And the answer that you provided said, Hey, we might not get to this strategy this year. We might not get to this work this year, but we will get to it next year. I love the logic model sequence of how you identify that we are going to get to the work is aligned to the [00:23:00] vision, but again, there's some critical micro steps, incremental steps that we have to be.

Michael Conner: Achieve to get to that vision over time. Very strategic because I always say that during this time of volatility, during this time of uncertainty, we have to be able to have a vision that we need to accomplish and how we get there, there's gonna be expected. You know, detours that, that we're gonna have as a learning organization.

Michael Conner: I always say that we move from VUCA. VUCA is the 21st century to now, UVICE, which is 22nd century. What does, um, vice mean? Uncertainty, volatility, intersectionality, complexity, and it's going to be exponential. But speaking about this whole 21st century shift to this 22nd century lens. I always say that we always talk about 21st century readiness, right?

Michael Conner: Uh, this whole 21st century readiness. But when we think about who our generational learners are. IE [00:24:00] generation alpha, and we just welcomed generation beta January 1st, 2025. We also welcomed the COVID babies because they are first class in kindergarten. So when we think about kind of like this conglomerate of generational learners, the explosion and evolution of artificial intelligence technology, we are seeing a radical economic shift and.

Michael Conner: If we still are preparing students for 21st century readiness, we're actually creating much of a bigger gap, right, for our students because they're 22nd century learners. Our kindergartners, Dr. Griffin, they're graduating high school in 2038. That way, and let me give you another stark data point. They're going to be, listen, listen to this.

Michael Conner: And I said, man, I gonna be around. Hopefully God won't be around. They're go, when they retire, it's gonna be 2087. So with those, right, with those economic metrics in mind, [00:25:00] from your perspective, what are the operating model challenges that we face and also what are the operating models that, or the operating model that we have to be able to disrupt?

Michael Conner: With needed designs to modernize, to modernize educational learning experiences for generation alpha, generation beta.

Simone Griffin: I would say a couple of things come to mind. The first thing is the mindset of your staff. They have to have a strengths-based model, right? And mindset. They have to start with what we do know and then cultivate the gaps for what they don't know.

Simone Griffin: That's the kids. Now, with the staff, one of the things that's coming up for me this semester is how HR and our leadership, how do we cultivate self-efficacy among, among our team. When you've had an environment where there have been, you know, double digit years of low [00:26:00] academic achievement, you know, this district has been in a partnership at the state for a number of years and we just, you know, renewed the, you know, they're done in three years intervals when, once a great, a great thing once a school has been removed from, but we're in the bottom fifth percentile.

Simone Griffin: And so. The root causes of that that's impacted right in the mindset. And so for me, efficacy is really, really important. Do our teachers believe that they can increase student academic and social-emotional achievement? What do, what does that look like for them and us as a district, right? How do we help cultivate success within them?

Simone Griffin: And that, you know, what that is? That's making sure that we have intentional professional development design, right? Making sure that I'm, I'm actually right now on the cusp of bringing in coaches. For our core content areas, but before we even do that, we have to look at our data, right? What are our performances on our [00:27:00] state, national, state, and local assessments?

Simone Griffin: Our interim benchmark assessments. So we got the numbers, but then we gotta get that qualitative information, so with the evaluation system, get getting into, do some self-assessment. They have strengths too. So we want them to look at the kids' strengths and have a strengths-based mindset. We've gotta have it with our staff, and so being able to have them reflect on their own journey as professionals in this work, show us according to these questions.

Simone Griffin: Where you think you fall in terms of instruction? Are you whiz with the data? Right? Are you the wiz with instructional strategies overall for what that classroom environment and culture has to look like? Are you one who has the strengths in parent engagement? Are you the one who can make sure that in terms of organization and systems.

Simone Griffin: You are that God. So we have to acknowledge what strengths do our staff bring to the table? How do we celebrate and help them maintain them and cultivate their greatness in those areas [00:28:00] so we can make sure that they're open to leaning into learning about how to cultivate their growth in our, their areas of gap.

Simone Griffin: And that process helps them with teaching, right? The new words that we're hearing regarding our generation beta and 22nd century are skilled up. When we talk about those 22nd century skills, data literacy, right? It's not just critical thinking, but it's discernment, right? The whole point of school is not, so you can just learn to read, read to learn, and then you read to discern being able to make great decisions based upon the information available, analyze, synthesize, create, design, those kinds of, that's what you have to have no matter.

Simone Griffin: Opportunity for being college and career ready. We have to open those doors up and making sure our teachers are comfortable with mitigating the risk. You know, they're okay with, you know, [00:29:00] fumbling and getting back up and learning. That is the process. You cannot learn without making mistakes. So mitigating that fear so that we can make sure that they're modeling that.

Simone Griffin: Same risk level and the willingness to try and fail and get back up by giving strategic and timely feedback to our kids, right? We can get out of this situation, but we have to look at what we do well, and then celebrating the teachers, giving them an opportunity to lead PD from those students there, right?

Simone Griffin: If you are the Google for analyzing data in math and quantitative, then why not lead the PLC in that area? Confident and we empower them, the more they're gonna be willing to try in the areas where they have deficits.

Michael Conner: Amazing Dr. Griffin, because you know when, when I was developing the 22nd Century education model, the portrait of a system that has direct relationships, when you think about the seven elements within the portrait of a system, those are the structural and foundational changes within the actual model [00:30:00] itself.

Michael Conner: And then I have the 22nd Century systems learner framework that outlined the system shift from the 21st century to 22nd century, including. The learner attributes from the 21st to 22nd. What I loved about how you stated or what you stated, that in order to collectively move a learning organization to have these 22nd century underpinnings, we have to be intentional with the mindset of our stakeholders, where now we have to move to this.

Michael Conner: Strength based model io when you started talking about efficacy, right? Cultivating self-efficacy, cultivating collective efficacy, we know that's number one in hattie's work, right? His meta-analysis and self-efficacy with that, because if we don't develop that self and collective efficacy, where we're moving towards a strength-based model within the education ecosystem, we're gonna continue to exacerbate gaps, right?

Michael Conner: And if we [00:31:00] continue to exacerbate gaps, specifically preparation gaps within our students, shifting from the 21st century to the 22nd century, I think that we have to be intentional with the, the level of efficacy that we have within our organization, learning organizations. I really appreciate that and kind of under this, this underpinning for the 22nd century.

Michael Conner: Leading into the next question, Dr. Griffin, I had to make independent mindset shift myself. And I continuously have to remind myself, which is great. I always say transformation is not about new learning. Transformation is about the unlearning, and that's the the intrinsic hard part that education stakeholders, leaders go through.

Michael Conner: But two critical areas within the 22nd century, right? Or this 22nd century education model that we really have to focus on. Workforce readiness or workforce development and artificial intelligence. The, the, the AI word. Right. And, and that now that what I [00:32:00] really appreciate is that we're not kicking the can down the road when we talk about workforce development and artificial intelligence integrated strategically into our operating model.

Michael Conner: But we have to ask leaders. We have to ask instructional leaders. We have to ask executive leaders to now lead this. In conjunction with being able to provide managerial oversight over their learning organization. So it's kind of like that two folded of, yes, we're gonna be modeling the learning, we're gonna be exhibiting and articulating the vision and the strategy, but also we have to be able to now ensure that our principles are doing this simultaneously.

Michael Conner: How do we prepare principles for this 22nd century to be instructional leaders? With this lens of workforce development and artificial intelligence integration.

Simone Griffin: Understanding that our leaders have gotta be really keen on [00:33:00] the unlearning and learning portion, right? So how do we make sure that when there's utilize utilization of ai, when we look at the system blueprint for school leadership, right?

Simone Griffin: 'cause every school has their own plan that leads into the district strategic plan. It's how are you leaning into your own discomfort being uncomfortable? You have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. And so we charge our leaders with, okay, what are the AI systems you are using to help make your role more efficient in this work?

Simone Griffin: So it has to be courage over comfort. That's the first thing they have to model. And then leaning into those and be able to share out in some of the, uh, best this is a cohort that we're a team, right? So if there are certain, certain ai, 'cause they've gone to pd, right? They've already done that here. So where are you applying that new knowledge?

Simone Griffin: How are you leaning into your own discomfort and having it impact your overall school goals? Where do we see it?

Michael Conner: Yeah, yeah, yeah. And, and

Simone Griffin: [00:34:00] much more efficiently moving from paper to digital, having a dashboard. How are you, how can we see it show up as a tangible piece in the work that you're doing to move student outcomes?

Simone Griffin: Right. Even if it's okay, what's the dashboard on wellness? How are you making sure that, uh, AI is being used? Like we have a 21st century? For lesson planning where there are videos, right? There are opportunities for problem-based learning, inquiry-based learning, and how are you making sure you're cultivating your own capacity so that you can help us support and collaborate with the teachers within your building.

Simone Griffin: You have to show them, oh, this isn't comfortable for me either. Let's go learn together, or, I've learned this and I've become advanced in it. Let me show you how it works and what we do. So it's a, it's access, opportunity exposure and being comfortable with being uncomfortable. And that's the charge for our leaders, right?

Simone Griffin: Because we already know the teachers are gonna be apprehensive, right? Uh, many of our teachers, they, [00:35:00] they, they think AI is just a way to keep for the kids to cheat. Well know there are some really research-based ways. That it can help you with this craft, this pedagogy, and it's imperative that your leader holds you accountable for leaning into that discomfort.

Simone Griffin: And you don't have to, you know, guzzle it, but you do need to taste it, have it resonate, and show up in ways to improve your practice.

Michael Conner: Great answer, Dr. Griffin and I, I love the fact that you brought up the whole cheating notion with students because there is a study, and to my audience out there, there's a study that was conducted by Stanford University and the study actually shows that students are the whole cheating, right?

Michael Conner: The cheating rate or the percentile of students cheating have basically remained the same before. AI took, took place. So, you know, when we, when we hear educators or when we hear anybody say students are, are using different artificial intelligent tools and [00:36:00] platforms to be able to cheat, I always counter with the Stanford University study, but you're absolutely right.

Michael Conner: And one thing I really want to clarify this misnomer, because people still have that residual feeling about. AI and online instruction from the pandemic, the DC stage of education. I always counter to say that we cannot use emergency based instruction as a baseline for us to identify specific online tools, adaptive platforms, or artificial intelligence solutions within our classrooms.

Michael Conner: But you're right, right, and, and, and I said it at the outset. Of the question where transformation is about unlearning and when you had talked about unlearning to learning, I always say within my keynotes, we have to learn to unlearn, to relearn. And this is this whole dynamic of when we think about artificial intelligence integration, when we think about now creating specific new [00:37:00] designs that interface, workforce development skills, workforce readiness, introducing new CTE pathways that are undergirded with ai, because now we have to, and I love the fact that you said that dashboards right.

Michael Conner: We have to move towards, I like to say big data incorporation where we're using data. Yep. Big data for in a real time sense, because now when we think about 22nd century readiness or AC 2035, as I state, we have to start looking at PISA data because now we're not competing against ourselves domestically, but we have to look at it in much of a broader sense because the world is in our students' hands because of technology and ai and the intentionality, right?

Michael Conner: The intentionality of our leaders where they have to have the courage. Over comfort. Right. And I love that because there is going to be a high degree of people feeling uncomfortable, right? This [00:38:00] we have to get to, I always like to say we have to become comfortably uncomfortable in this education ecosystem because it's not your linear step function, but it's more in lines that we have to be lean and agile within our practices.

Michael Conner: So. Dr. Griffin, you made it. Last question. Now, I've known you now for pretty much a year, year, and I've gone on a year and a half now, and I don't know if I can do this, Dr. Griffin, but I'm gonna attempt to do this. I'm only gonna limit you to three words. Now, P. Now listen, there are so many rule breakers.

Michael Conner: People disrupt this question. I have seen it done in an innovative way three times, whatever, three to the third power. I always my guess. Take it as it is, but Dr. Griffin, what three words do you want our audience today? VFE Black Excellence Series. To leave this episode about your thoughts regarding this following phrase, the [00:39:00] future of education.

Michael Conner: AC 2035 is now for generation alpha and Generation Beta.

Simone Griffin: Three words, equity.

Michael Conner: Mm-hmm.

Simone Griffin: Innovative.

Michael Conner: Mm-hmm.

Simone Griffin: Courageous.

Michael Conner: I'm gonna break my own rules. Please elaborate on those three.

Simone Griffin: Oh. Oh, okay. I would start with equity because we know that, um, even in my district, I have kids on level. Right? Uh, and so how do we make sure that we're, we're pushing them and they're growing. Growth. Is the name of the game now proficiency?

Simone Griffin: Yes. That's the goal, but growth. That's it. And so in order to make sure every kid grows or every staff member, member grows, we all are, we're, we all have different strengths and weaknesses, right? And so equity is about what's the right fit for me at this time? What's the right fit? [00:40:00] I'm really good at algebra in B strands, but I'm, I'm really struggle with geometry.

Simone Griffin: But, and, and getting the skills and the, the intervention support for me, my, my classmate, even though we're in the same class, we have different needs. So equity is critical, right? Because you have to get what your needs are. That's why it's incredibly important to have, you know, and benchmarks and diagnostic assessment and constantly assessing and checking students for learning and giving, giving everybody timely and specific feedback, right?

Simone Griffin: They need that. And then I would say, what was my second one I said.

Michael Conner: Innovative.

Simone Griffin: Innovative. Yeah. Okay. Yeah, it's, it's incredibly important to be innovative and that's where the access and opportunity comes in. Even though we may have discomfort, educational professionals may have discomfort with ai, kids don't.

Simone Griffin: Right. They're far ahead of us and we cannot be the shackle holding on and, and, you know. Strangling and strapping them, shackling them [00:41:00] to opportunities that could really advance them and make them globally competitive. So innovation is key to everything that we have to be doing in schools to sit in roles.

Simone Griffin: We know that's obsolete. We have to have flexible CD, and we should be softening the walls and giving our kids real life opportunities. That's why with field trips, no, we're not just going to the pumpkin patch. Show me what standards going to this pumpkin patch are aligned to. Because we have to soften the walls and connect the classroom.

Simone Griffin: Learning to real life. That's the innovative piece. Inquiry-based learning, communicating with fifth graders in Africa in my fifth grade class, so I can align those experiences and cultivate my critical thinking. And then courage. You can do anything. In life. You can be college ready, career ready, life ready, whether you wanna be an entrepreneur, a naau scientist, a vet, or a teacher, if you don't demonstrate [00:42:00] courage.

Simone Griffin: So that's, that's my, my, those are my my why, because if you have those inly, you can do anything and everything and you'd be unstoppable.

Michael Conner: Unbelievable. Dr. Griffin, equity Innovation. Being courageous. Absolutely. Dr. Griffin, thank you for coming on Voices for Excellence specifically, specifically during the fourth annual, excuse me, fourth annual Black Excellence series.

Michael Conner: For anyone, anybody in my audience that want to get in contact with you wanna expand on any of the ideas that you presented and some of the textbook concepts. In a much simpler form than I can ever articulate. How would they be able to get in touch with you, Dr. Griffin?

Simone Griffin: Sure. They can reach me on my email.

Simone Griffin: I'm just simone.griffin@bhas.org.

Michael Conner: Thank you Dr. Griffin, and is always a pleasure. I know we're gonna be talking [00:43:00] soon, but happy Black History month and on. We're good. Sister, you are doing such an impactful and influential job out there in Michigan.

Simone Griffin: Thank you very much. It was a pleasure. Thank you for having me.

Simone Griffin: See you soon, Mike.

Michael Conner: Absolutely. And on that note, all word and upward, everybody, have a great evening.