Episode Details

Cory L. Cain was raised amongst the vast palm trees of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He has served as a teacher, lead teacher, dean, department chair, assistant principal, and principal. In these positions, he has focused on communicative approaches to teacher-led professional development, cooperative learning, and data-driven instructional practices and has led the STEM department to record standardized test scores. Previously, he led a teacher-led hiring initiative that he created, based on behavior-based interviewing; developed Yale-based, social emotional training classes for teachers; and has spent the last year helping eradicate educational inequity by becoming a leader in working with educators to envision a new story where the power of personal relationships nurtures academic, social and emotional growth for young people at Wendell Phillips High School in Bronzeville. After spending nearly twenty years working in urban education, focusing on communicative approaches to teacher-led professional development; cooperative learning; data-driven instructional practices; behavior-based interviewing; and Yale-based, social-emotional training classes for teachers, he aspires to serve as a coach that focuses on creating inclusive communities where all people are treated with respect and dignity, where multiple perspectives and experiences are welcome, and where students from all cultures and backgrounds can succeed.

Cory holds a BS in biology; minor in Spanish; and an MBA in marketing from the University of Miami; a Masters of Science in Organizational Leadership from Columbia University, a Certificate in School Management & Leadership from Harvard Business School, a Certificate in School Discipline Reform from Loyola's Law School, and just recently finished his law degree at Northwestern University's Pritzker School of Law.

In his free time, he enjoys reading, dancing, cooking, music, getting trapped in new TV series, and thinking about what new degree to acquire.

• Rethinking student data in a very data driven system.
• Grab the reins of data to be data informed and not data driven.
• Implement the student experience to be a data informed leader.
• Book recommendations for building solution oriented thinking and equity.
• "Street-level", "Map" and "Satellite" data creates flexibility to change direction towards your goals.
• Nobel's strategy on deciding to become "Antiracist."
• The first step for principals who want to decenter whiteness.
• Create an invitation to talk in circles.
• An easy way to stop jumping to judgment and be a better observer.

"Data isn't the issue, it's what we do with it."

-Cory Cain

"I'm not saying we're perfect. We're doing a really good job of teaching ourselves and helping to develop teachers and leaders to use that type of data to make more informed choices when it comes to our staff and students in our community."

-Cory Cain

• Street Data
• Coaching for Equity
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