Episode Details

I had the great opportunity to interview Michael Santos this week. He is a former convict who spent 26 years in prison for running drugs. He says he never touched the drugs, but organized other people to do it. Pretty amazing story.

Michael has a podcast out, now as well. He pipes it into the prison system to help people learn to change. You can learn a little bit more about Michael here: • PBS NewsHour (7-minute profile) • NBC Bay Area Proud (5-minute profile) • San Francisco Chronicle (Front-page profile)

We talk about the following:

• How Michael became incarcerated.
• How he had a change of heart.
• Philosophy and Socrates.
• Tweet: I needed a string to lead me out of the labyrinth. via @MichaelGSantos @TrnFrmPrincipal http://ctt.ec/B0z64+
• Our system of corrections is designed to extinguish hope.
• Michael’s 3 pronged plan:
  • Educate myself
  • Contribute to Society
  • Build a Support Network
• Tweet: Every human being has the potential to become something amazing.
• Students may see you and tune out the message because you are an authority figure.
• Tweet: People thought they were insulting me by saying I wasn’t hard enough.
• Using the socratic method.
• Define the values students need.
• Tweet: If they can define success, we can ask what we do to get you there.
• There’s a path to a better life and it doesn’t happen by accident. Click to Tweet
• Establishing values vs. defining values
• Straight A Guide: Attitude, Aspiration, Action, Accountability, Awareness, Achievement, Appreciation
• When people feel like they have no control, they are less likely to become the best they can be.
• The Scandinavian system provides a panel to help acclimate the offender to society after a prison sentence.
• We need an innovative disruptive approach to change things.
• People want a better life, but don’t know how to get there.

Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL, and Renaissance Learning:

As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.

We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.

If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time tran