In Massachusetts, there are 9,000 young people in the foster care system, and 50,000 engaged with the Department of Children and Families. These students face a unique set of challenges, and in today’s episode, Jill and Ross are joined by the leaders of two organizations at the forefront of helping them succeed. Lauren Baker, Former First Lady of Massachusetts, is the Founder and CEO of the Wonderfund, a nonprofit that supports youth engaged with the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families. Shaheer Mustafa is the President and CEO of Hopewell, the Commonwealth’s largest nonprofit provider of comprehensive foster care and wraparound support. Lauren and Shaheer join us to discuss the challenges these students face and how schools and communities can best support their most vulnerable students. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Chronic absenteeism rates in every state are skyrocketing – continuing a trend that started before the pandemic and leading the White House to double down on efforts to get kids back in school. In Massachusetts alone, 23% of all students were chronically absent last year – meaning they missed more than 10% of school days – with rates among high schoolers as high as 30%. There are many factors that have led to this increase, from disengagement with content, to new responsibilities at home, to a pandemic-era shift in perceptions of in-person education. Because school attendance is a key predictor of student performance, this rise in chronic absenteeism has led to a decline in test scores nationwide, bringing increased urgency to the issue. Today, in the second episode of “Deep Dives,” Jill and Ross dive into this topic with two leaders at the forefront of understanding and addressing it: Tim Daly and Alison Hramiec. Tim Daly is the CEO of EdNavigator, a national organization that empowers families to access high-quality education. Tim recently authored a brilliant three-part series on what’s behind the rise in absenteeism and how to address it. Alison Hramiec is the Head of School at the Boston Day and Evening Academy, which supports chronically absent students across Boston and helps them re-engage through competency-based learning, mentorship, and support. We discuss the driving forces behind rising absenteeism, the trends in Boston and around the country, and how school leaders and policymakers can help get kids back in school. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

School districts across the country are facing similar challenges, and “Deep Dives” aims to unpack why things are the way they are and what it will take to create change. In each episode, Jill Shah and Ross Wilson bring together national experts for a roundtable discussion about a key issue in our schools - diving deep into root causes and innovative solutions. Today, in the first episode of “Deep Dives,” Jill and Ross are joined by John Deasy, President of the Bezos Family Foundation and a former superintendent of several large school districts - including Los Angeles and Prince George’s County. John has spent four decades as an educator, school leader, superintendent, and education policy expert, and we talk with John about the current state of public education, the biggest issues facing school districts, and what it will take to reimagine the status quo and improve public schools nationwide. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

“Deep Dives,” a new ongoing podcast series from the Shah Family Foundation, explores the biggest issues impacting America’s schools, bringing together local and national experts to discuss why things are the way they are and what it takes to create change. Listen to the first episode in your podcast feed on Thursday, October 26. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Every decision we make is guided by incentives. From financial incentives to social and political incentives – how we are rewarded shapes how we behave and the choices we make. Have you ever thought about why you do what you do, or why decisions get made a certain way? We're digging into these questions in this special three-part podcast series that we’re calling, “What Drives Us?” In the first two episodes of this series, we spoke with academics and education advocates to explore how incentives in education and government impact the lives of kids and the adults who serve them - from educators and health care providers, to social workers, to guidance counselors and coaches. Today, in the final episode of this special series, Jill is joined by Valerie Jarrett, CEO of the Obama Foundation and former White House Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama, to talk about Valerie’s extraordinary career and how government leaders can use incentives to drive change. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Every decision we make is guided by incentives. From financial incentives to social and political incentives – how we are rewarded shapes how we behave and the choices we make. Have you ever thought about why you do what you do, or why decisions get made a certain way? We're digging into these questions in this special three-part podcast series that we’re calling, “What Drives Us?” In this series, we explore how incentives in education and government impact the lives of kids and the adults who serve them - from educators and health care providers, to social workers, to guidance counselors and coaches. We speak with academics and industry leaders to understand how incentives work and the barriers they often pose to reform and innovation in these fields. In the first episode, Jill was joined by Professor Uri Gneezy, Epstein/Atkinson Chair in Management Leadership at the UC San Diego Rady School of Management and author of “Mixed Signals: How Incentives Really Work.” Today, in the second episode of this special series, Jill is joined again by Michael Horn and Jeff Selingo, education advocates and hosts of the “Future U” podcast, to talk about how incentives are structured in education and how we can change those incentives to better prepare students for the workforce. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic began, the city of Chelsea, Massachusetts faced record economic and food insecurity, with thousands of residents lining up at city-run food distribution centers. To meet the need, the Shah Family Foundation joined city leaders in a simple idea: give people cash and let them spend it however they want. The initiative, known as Chelsea Eats, became the largest Guaranteed Income program in the country, and the results demonstrate what happens when public policy programs are centered on trusting and empowering those they serve. Recently, Jill had the opportunity to speak with Boston Globe columnist Shirley Leung about Chelsea Eats on her new podcast, “Say More.” In this special episode of “Catalysts for Change,” we share their conversation about the Chelsea Eats initiative, covering everything from the project’s initial inspiration and conception, to the impact it had on the community, to the award-winning documentary the Shah Family Foundation produced about this work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Every decision we make is guided by incentives. From financial incentives to social and political incentives – how we are rewarded shapes how we behave and the choices we make. Have you ever thought about why you do what you do, or why decisions get made a certain way? We're digging into these questions in this special three-part podcast series that we’re calling, “What Drives Us?” Over the next few weeks, we’ll explore how incentives in education and government impact the lives of kids and the adults who serve them - from educators and health care providers, to social workers, to guidance counselors and coaches. We’ll be speaking with academics and industry leaders to understand how incentives work and the barriers they often pose to reform and innovation in these fields. Today, in the first episode of this three-part special series, Jill is joined by Professor Uri Gneezy, Epstein/Atkinson Chair in Management Leadership at the UC San Diego Rady School of Management and author of “Mixed Signals: How Incentives Really Work,” to talk about what incentives are, how they work, and how to recognize and understand their impact on every aspect of our lives. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This year, the CDC’s annual Youth Risk Behavior Survey offered a grim outlook for the wellbeing of young people. Over the last two months, we’ve brought together experts, advocates, and school leaders to better understand the impact of social media on teen mental health in this special five-part podcast series that we’re calling, “Can Teens Survive the Digital World?” In our last episode, we were joined by Boston Public Schools Superintendent Mary Skipper. Today, in the fifth and final episode of this series, Jill is joined by Richard Louv, bestselling author and speaker, to talk about the role of the great outdoors in healthy development and why spending more time outside is key to our physical and mental well-being. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This year, the CDC’s annual Youth Risk Behavior Survey offered a grim outlook for the wellbeing of young people. Over the next few weeks, we’re bringing together experts, advocates, and school leaders to better understand the impact of social media on teen mental health in this special five-part podcast series that we’re calling, “Can Teens Survive the Digital World?” In our last episode, we spoke with clinical psychologist Dr. Jaqueline Nesi about parenting in the social media age. Today, in the fourth episode of this series, Jill is joined by Boston Public Schools Superintendent Mary Skipper, along with Chief of Student Support Jillian Kelton, to talk about how social media impacts kids in and out of school. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices