The circumstances of the past two years have exposed significant challenges associated with our industrial-era education systems. Parents, educators and policymakers now recognize that "seat time," the basic construct undergirding conventional schooling, has outlived its usefulness. Instructional approaches such as mastery learning, which enable learners to develop skills and competencies at different rates, have shown enormous potential to generate more equitable learning outcomes and equip students for 21st century jobs. In this conversation, MTC's CEO Mike Flanagan and two MTC board members — USC's Kedra Ishop along with D'Andre Weaver of Digital Promise — will describe how mastery learning is a powerful strategy driving K–12 school transformation and how MTC's Mastery Transcript is helping to break new ground in college admissions practices.

About Our Guests

Mike Flanagan is the CEO of the Mastery Transcript Consortium (MTC), a growing group of high schools creating a digital high school transcript that opens up opportunity for each and every student — from all backgrounds, locations, and types of schools — to have their unique strengths, abilities, interests, and histories fostered, understood, and celebrated.

Mike oversaw the design and development of Mastery Transcript software products, connecting with members and advisors to manage the MTC product roadmap till May, 2021. He is an experienced education technology executive, most recently having served as CEO of the Services Division at the National Association of Independent Schools, where he led a complete redesign and relaunch of their School and Student Services financial aid platforms.

D’Andre J. Weaver. Ph.D. is a native of Chicago’s South Side who understands the life-changing power of effective teachers and a quality public education. As a former public school teacher, principal, senior leader, and superintendent, D’Andre cares deeply about helping students realize their dreams. His leadership is centered around equity and access, learner-centered approaches, advancing digital equity, and organizational health. Under D’Andre’s leadership as superintendent, DeSoto ISD – a Dallas, TX-area school system –experienced a 12-point gain in the District’s state accountability rating and saw increases in student learning, student connectedness, district finances, talent management, and stakeholder engagement. He also spearheaded an ambitious community driven and learner-centered strategic plan which prioritized a whole-child/whole-family approach to education as well as an emphasis on personalization, competency-based education, and passion-driven learning. Last fall D’Andre became the inaugural Chief Digital Equity Officer of Digital Promise, who ultimately furthers the goal of improving digital equity.

Dr. Kedra Ishop is Vice President for Enrollment Management and also serves as an Adjunct AssociateProfessor in the Rossier School of Education. In her administrative capacity, she oversees the admissions, financial aid, and registrars' offices, including orientation and a multi-office collaborative effort regarding the Veterans Resource Center.

She came to USC from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, where she served as the school’s first Vice Provost for Enrollment Management from 2014-2020. During her tenure there, she advanced a student-centered vision while overseeing undergraduate admissions, financial aid, new student programs, and the registrar. To support this work, she expanded the Enrollment Management support structures to include Marketing and Communications, Enrollment Research, Data and Analytics, Strategic Initiatives, and Operational Effectiveness. Prior to Michigan, she served for 17 years in admissions at the University of Texas at Austin, concluding her service there as Vice Provost and Director of Admissions.

Dr. Ishop is a nationally recognized expert, speaker, and advisor on issues in higher education focused on issues of access and opportunity for low-income and students of traditionally under-represented backgrounds, recruitment and enrollment practices, standardized testing, legal and policy issues in admissions and enrollment, and curriculum development. She has also contributed to the Center forEnrollment Research, Policy and Practice, the Coalition for College Access, the National CollegiateAthletic Association, American Council on Education, Graduate School Council, Council of Graduate Schools, among others.

Dr. Ishop holds three degrees from UT-Austin: a B.A. in sociology, a master of education in higher education administration, and a PhD in educational administration.

Hosted by Ted Dintersmith (author, film producer, innovation expert, 2018 recipient of NEA’s Friend of Education Award) and guest co-host Tony Wagner (Senior Research Fellow, Learning Policy Institute, author of Learning By Heart and many other great books)!

This event is part of the Game Changer Series, a collection of conversations between Ted and some of the leading education change makers. Make sure to check out all the events in the series. Just look for the What School Could Be: Game Changer Series in the app.