Building Equity and Relationships in an Compliance Focused System: A Podcast Conversation with Gretchen Morgan

Written By Tara Curry-Jahn

In this podcast episode, Leadership+Design's Tara Curry-Jahn interviews friend and colleague Gretchen Morgan about her over 20 year journey through education, the lessons and insights collected in her varied roles and some projections on how we can inspire greater equity and impact in the delivery of educational services. They also discuss possible steps to counter the compliance culture of education to make room for more learning for all students and communities. 

Gretchen leads the Center for Innovation in Education.

Gretchen Morgan has spent the past 20 years as an innovative educator; as an elementary teacher, middle and high school principal, K-12 program developer for Expeditionary Learning, and now Executive Director of Choice and Innovation for the Colorado Department of Education.  Her best job, however, is being a mom to two wonderful kids who fill her up with imaginary friends, lacrosse, stories, bikes, ideas for businesses, and THE best hugs. 

 She has also authored, Innovative Educator, an Action Plan for Teachers.

The Center for Innovation in Education works to advance systems that seek greater equity in how children develop the identity, community, agency, and competency that pave the way for greater equity in our larger society.

At C!E we believe a new approach to public education governance is emerging - an approach in which leadership of the system is neither top down, nor bottom up, but something more collaborative and complex that engages the public’s trust.  We act on this aspiration by forming learning communities of leaders who are committed to striving for the kind of extraordinary leadership that builds, sustains and repairs relationships across traditional lines of difference to reshape systems so that they are, by design, always seeking greater equity.

Learn more: https://www.leadingwithlearning.org/who-we-are

Tara Curry-Jahn

Tara Curry-Jahn is an Associate with Leadership+Design. She is an experienced human-centered design facilitator and coach, strategic partner, and experience designer. She holds a Master's degree in Public Administration (MPA) from the University of Colorado and a bachelor's degree in Environmental Studies from the University of Vermont. She has been formally trained in design thinking at the Stanford's d.school (School Retool), The Design Gym, and the Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Education (ISKME- creator of Action Collab). Tara partners with schools, districts, and organizations to think creatively and systematically to become more user-centered and strategic in teacher and leadership development, resource allocation (time, money, people), and the student experience. She lives in Arvada, CO with her wife and son.

https://www.leadershipanddesign.org
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