Something Old Becomes New with Bill Milliken

The Future of Smart

We launch Season 2 in conversation with Bill Milliken, founder of Communities in Schools, and author of “The Last Dropout: A Model for Creating Educational Equity.” Public schools failed to meet Bill’s needs as a young person and a learner, instilling in him a sense of worthlessness. An adult volunteer who wouldn’t give up on him enabled him to believe in himself and in the power of his belief that every young person could succeed if bolstered with strong relationships inside of strong communities. Bill channeled his personal experiences into building Communities in School, a model that has proven over the last 50 years that every student - regardless of race, zip code or socio-economic background - can succeed when they are surrounded by an integrated system of supports including caring relationships. This is knowledge that many indigenous and neo-indigenous cultures understand and live into (check out Season 1, episode 2 to learn more). It is an idea that is re-emerging as a central response to the challenges confronting our education system and society more broadly.

If you are new to this podcast, we suggest listening to episodes 2-4 to build a foundation for the concepts and principles we'll keep returning to on the Future of Smart.

E.2 - From Brain Bound to Our Extended Minds

E.3 - A Return Journey to Wisdom

E.4 - Using Science to Imagine a New Purpose and Design for Education with Dr. Pamela Cantor