The Brighter Side of Education: Research, Innovation & Resources

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Chronic absenteeism keeps getting described as a kid problem, but the evidence tells a different story. When we label students as “disengaged,” we miss what is often right in front of us: unreliable transportation, health crises, caregiving demands, and school policies that punish families for not having options.

I’m joined by Dr. Ivory Toldson, Chief of Research for Concentric Educational Solutions and a professor at Howard University, to unpack insights from his white paper, “Redefining the Attendance Paradigm: A Systemic Analysis of Chronic Absenteeism, Economic Impacts, & Human-Centered Interventions,” built on national data and more than 17,000 ethnographic home visits. We talk about the privilege gap that determines whether a missed bus becomes a minor inconvenience or a full-day absence, and why health-related absences often become “unexcused” through communication breakdowns and paperwork hurdles. We also dig into the gray areas schools struggle with, like when students miss class to care for siblings or help during family emergencies.

We take a hard look at compliance-driven attendance strategies, including truancy penalties and suspensions for tardies, and why those approaches can deepen disengagement rather than improve school attendance. From there, we map out what human-centered interventions look like in practice: home visits that bring resources, clearer excused absence processes, stronger relationships, and policies that prioritize mastery of learning over seat time. We close with a mindset shift that changes everything: stop “fighting absenteeism” and start increasing participation.
💡 This episode is CPD accredited! Educators can now earn Continuing Professional Development (CPD) minutes by listening. To claim your certificate:
Listen to the full episode
Visit https://thecpd.group/podcast
Enter code 800163 to check in and download your certificate
or direct link: https://thecpd.group/p/G335QPF
Listen. Learn. Earn.
Great News! The Brighter Side of Education is now CPD Accredited!
Sponsored by Dr. Gregg Hassler Jr., DMD
Trusted dental care for healthy smiles and stronger communities—building brighter futures daily.
Head to the show notes to find if this episode is CPD eligible and details on how to claim your CPD certification!
Sponsored by Dr. Gregg Hassler Jr., DMD
Trusted dental care for healthy smiles and stronger communities—building brighter futures daily.
Support the show
If you have a story about what's working in your schools that you'd like to share, email me at lisa@drlisahassler.com or visit www.drlisahassler.com. Subscribe, tell a friend, and consider becoming a supporter by clicking the link: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2048018/support. 

The music in this podcast was written and performed by Brandon Picciolini of the Lonesome Family Band. Visit and follow him on Instagram.

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A student’s future should not depend on whether their school can find a qualified chemistry teacher this year—but that’s often how geography-bound education works.
When the PISA 2022 report revealed declines in performance and widening gaps across countries, it’s easy to point to motivation or effort. This conversation takes a different angle: what if the real constraint is the structure of schooling and how learning is organized?
Dr. Lisa Hassler is joined by Maurice O’Shannassy, Executive Chairman and Co-Founder of Sagecool. With a background in building complex global systems, Maurice turned his attention to a growing issue in education: teacher shortages and limited access to subject expertise. He shares how Sagecool is designed to connect students and teachers beyond geographic constraints, helping schools and families better match learning needs with teacher expertise and teaching approaches.
In this episode, you’ll hear about:
how staffing limitations affect access to learning opportunities
how access to the “right teacher” goes beyond availability to include subject expertise and student fit
what it could look like to connect students with teachers beyond their local school
how data and learning enhancement technology (LET) can support teaching and learning
what this approach could mean for rural and lower-resourced schools and communities
This conversation invites educators, school leaders, and families to reflect on where access—not effort—may be limiting opportunity, and to consider how expanding access to teaching could better support students and teachers alike.
💡 This episode is CPD accredited! Educators can now earn Continuing Professional Development (CPD) minutes by listening. To claim your certificate:
Listen to the full episode
Visit https://thecpd.group/podcast
Enter code 800164 to check in and download your certificate
Listen. Learn. Earn.
Great News! The Brighter Side of Education is now CPD Accredited!
Sponsored by Dr. Gregg Hassler Jr., DMD
Trusted dental care for healthy smiles and stronger communities—building brighter futures daily.
Head to the show notes to find if this episode is CPD eligible and details on how to claim your CPD certification!
Sponsored by Dr. Gregg Hassler Jr., DMD
Trusted dental care for healthy smiles and stronger communities—building brighter futures daily.
Support the show
If you have a story about what's working in your schools that you'd like to share, email me at lisa@drlisahassler.com or visit www.drlisahassler.com. Subscribe, tell a friend, and consider becoming a supporter by clicking the link: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2048018/support. 

The music in this podcast was written and performed by Brandon Picciolini of the Lonesome Family Band. Visit and follow him on Instagram.

Send us Fan Mail
In many classrooms, toys are something we put away when it’s time to get serious. But what if toys are actually one of the most effective ways to teach?
In this episode of The Brighter Side of Education, Dr. Lisa Hassler explores toybuilding as a powerful instructional approach with educational toymaker Rick Hartman, founder of School of Toy. With over 25 years of experience and more than one million students reached, Rick shares how building simple toys transforms learning from passive to active.
Rather than treating toys as extras, this conversation reframes them as tools for thinking—helping students test ideas, solve problems, and make sense of concepts in science, math, and engineering.
In this episode, you’ll discover:
How toybuilding turns abstract concepts into hands-on learning
Why simple materials can lead to complex thinking
How to use toybuilding as part of real instruction—not just enrichment
What students gain when they build, test, and revise their ideas
A simple toybuilding activity using a straw and rubber band
Whether used as a lesson starter, learning activity, or culminating experience, toybuilding offers a practical way to engage students and deepen understanding.
💡 This episode is CPD accredited! Educators can now earn Continuing Professional Development (CPD) minutes by listening. To claim your certificate:
Listen to the full episode
Visit https://thecpd.group/podcast
Enter code 800162 to check in and download your certificate
Listen. Learn. Earn.
Great News! The Brighter Side of Education is now CPD Accredited!
Sponsored by Dr. Gregg Hassler Jr., DMD
Trusted dental care for healthy smiles and stronger communities—building brighter futures daily.
Head to the show notes to find if this episode is CPD eligible and details on how to claim your CPD certification!
Sponsored by Dr. Gregg Hassler Jr., DMD
Trusted dental care for healthy smiles and stronger communities—building brighter futures daily.
Support the show
If you have a story about what's working in your schools that you'd like to share, email me at lisa@drlisahassler.com or visit www.drlisahassler.com. Subscribe, tell a friend, and consider becoming a supporter by clicking the link: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2048018/support. 

The music in this podcast was written and performed by Brandon Picciolini of the Lonesome Family Band. Visit and follow him on Instagram.

Send us Fan Mail
Ever feel like grammar turns a lively class silent? We dig into a brighter way forward with literacy consultant and author Patty McGee, exploring how short, focused routines transform grammar from rote correction into a set of powerful choices that make writing clearer, bolder, and more authentic. Instead of chasing perfection on worksheets, we show how to build sentence craft in tiny, joyful steps that actually transfer to real writing.

We start by naming the problem: isolated drills don’t move the needle on student prose. From there, Patty lays out a practical grammar study approach—ten-minute mini lessons, three to five times a week over several weeks—that begins with curiosity, moves to explicit modeling, and leans on low-stakes play. Think manipulatives for language: sentence strips, coordinating conjunctions, and structured challenges that help students feel how ideas combine and meaning shifts. The result is confidence, not compliance.

We also put culture to work. Lyrics function like compressed poetry, perfect for analyzing syntax, figurative language, and voice. Students compare fragments with full sentences, expand lines while preserving tone, and reflect on author intent. Then we make the learning stick with co-authored reference tools that students actually use: clear guides to simple, compound, and complex sentences, when to choose each, and how to build them inside drafts they’ve already written. It’s visible progress without the fear of a blank page.

Transfer matters across the day. Science benefits from precise simple sentences and selective compounding; social studies often calls for complex structures that signal cause and nuance. We touch on AI as well—how students can compare their drafts with AI feedback, accept what serves their audience, and reject what doesn’t, because they now understand the grammar choices behind strong writing. Ready to retire the grammar police mindset and bring back joy and clarity? Follow the show, share it with a colleague, and leave a review to help more educators find these ideas.
Not Your Granny's Grammar, link here!
💡 This episode is CPD accredited! Educators can now earn Continuing Professional Development (CPD) minutes by listening. To claim your certificate:
Listen to the full episode
Visit https://thecpd.group/podcast
Enter code 800160 to check in and download your certificate
Listen. Learn. Earn.
Great News! The Brighter Side of Education is now CPD Accredited!
Sponsored by Dr. Gregg Hassler Jr., DMD
Trusted dental care for healthy smiles and stronger communities—building brighter futures daily.
Head to the show notes to find if this episode is CPD eligible and details on how to claim your CPD certification!
Sponsored by Dr. Gregg Hassler Jr., DMD
Trusted dental care for healthy smiles and stronger communities—building brighter futures daily.
Support the show
If you have a story about what's working in your schools that you'd like to share, email me at lisa@drlisahassler.com or visit www.drlisahassler.com. Subscribe, tell a friend, and consider becoming a supporter by clicking the link: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2048018/support. 

The music in this podcast was written and performed by Brandon Picciolini of the Lonesome Family Band. Visit and follow him on Instagram.

Send us Fan Mail
Educators across grade levels are observing a consistent pattern: students are increasingly distracted, mentally fatigued, and less able to sustain focus during academic tasks. These challenges affect reading comprehension, problem-solving, written expression, and overall learning stamina. This episode examines the cognitive and neurological foundations behind these trends and explores how neuroscience-informed innovation may support learning readiness.
Drawing on research in neuroplasticity and cognitive development, the discussion highlights how core brain systems—including attention regulation, working memory, processing speed, response inhibition, and visual control—play a critical role in students’ ability to engage in sustained learning. The episode explores how stress, digital overstimulation, anxiety, and sleep disruption can place strain on these systems, reducing cognitive efficiency in classroom settings.
Guest Dominick Fedele, CEO and founder of Mastermind Cognitive Training, shares insights into the development of targeted cognitive training exercises designed to strengthen foundational brain skills through structured, repeated practice. The conversation examines how short, gamified training sessions aim to leverage neuroplasticity to enhance focus, learning stamina, and academic readiness. Assessment models used to measure cognitive growth are also discussed, along with early feedback from educators and families.
This episode provides educators with a research-informed perspective on cognitive readiness and offers insight into how structured brain-based practice may complement classroom instruction. It invites reflection on how strengthening underlying cognitive systems may help students engage more effectively in learning while supporting teachers in managing diverse attention needs.
💡 This episode is CPD accredited! Educators can now earn Continuing Professional Development (CPD) minutes by listening. To claim your certificate:
Listen to the full episode
Visit https://thecpd.group/podcast
Enter code 800159 to check in and download your certificate
Listen. Learn. Earn.
Great News! The Brighter Side of Education is now CPD Accredited!
Sponsored by Dr. Gregg Hassler Jr., DMD
Trusted dental care for healthy smiles and stronger communities—building brighter futures daily.
Head to the show notes to find if this episode is CPD eligible and details on how to claim your CPD certification!
Sponsored by Dr. Gregg Hassler Jr., DMD
Trusted dental care for healthy smiles and stronger communities—building brighter futures daily.
Support the show
If you have a story about what's working in your schools that you'd like to share, email me at lisa@drlisahassler.com or visit www.drlisahassler.com. Subscribe, tell a friend, and consider becoming a supporter by clicking the link: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2048018/support. 

The music in this podcast was written and performed by Brandon Picciolini of the Lonesome Family Band. Visit and follow him on Instagram.