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Trending In Ed with Mike PalmerAuthor: Palmer Media
At the intersection of learning, media, and the future of work, join us each week as we sense and discover where the future of education is heading. Join host Mike Palmer, the Founder of Palmer Media, as he engages with thought leaders, pioneers, and entrepreneurs exploring the cutting edge of learning in these tumultuous times. Language: en Genres: Business, Education, Entrepreneurship Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it Trailer: |
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Framing the Teacher Shortage as a Workforce Design Problem | Dr. James Lane | Universal Instruction (UI)
Episode 766
Tuesday, 13 October, 2026
What if the teacher shortage isn’t really a shortage of teachers? Host Mike Palmer welcomes Dr. James Lane, CEO of Unlimited Instruction (UI), formerly University Instructors. James started as a middle school band director and went on to be a principal, a superintendent in three Virginia districts, Virginia’s Superintendent of Public Instruction, and the leader of the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Elementary and Secondary Education. James argues that the teacher shortage is really a workforce design problem. The real problems are pay, a thin pipeline, poor retention and a confusing path to certification. UI tackles this through InstructEd Pathways, which grows paraprofessionals and alternatively certified candidates into fully certified teachers, and TutorEd, its high-dosage, in-person tutoring program. The two dig into several threads: Why AI should make teachers’ jobs easier, not replace them, and why UI is intentionally in-person Paraprofessionals as unsung heroes, and year-long coaching that works like “student teaching on steroids” for hard-to-fill special education roles Life after ESSER: don’t spend one-time funds on ongoing costs, and cut back on too many initiatives Leading with laser focus: Jim Collins’ hedgehog concept, a clear North Star, and using technology to find each student’s zone of proximal development Academic optimism: why teachers need to believe they matter, and how that belief may keep them in the classroom Resources Mentioned: Unlimited Instruction (UI) UI Teacher Shortage Solutions Leading with Laser Focus: The Seven Steps to School Success by Dr. James Lane Good to Great by Jim Collins 🔔 Subscribe to Trending in Education for more conversations on the future of learning, work, and what’s next. 📩 Connect with Mike Palmer on LinkedIn to bring this kind of conversation to your own podcast or media program.
