Episode 383

full
Published on:

21st Mar 2025

Mentally Sound Before Academically Sound: Hard Talk About Social-Emotional Learning

Summary: Join C.T. and guest Dr. Michael Cardona, Superintendent of San Marcos CISD, as they delve into the critical importance of social-emotional learning and mental health in schools. This insightful conversation explores how San Marcos CISD addresses these challenges, particularly in the context of a rapidly growing and mobile community.

Key Takeaways:

  • Prioritizing Mental Health: Dr. Cardona emphasizes that students need to be mentally sound before they can be academically sound. This approach underlines the district's focus on social-emotional learning (SEL) and mental health support for both students and teachers.
  • Addressing Teacher Shortages: San Marcos CISD employs innovative partnerships with Texas State University to address teacher shortages. This includes a year-long teacher residency program that helps recruit and retain teachers by reducing college debt and providing hands-on experience.
  • Managing Student Mobility: The district faces high student mobility due to its location between Austin and San Antonio, impacting attendance and academic continuity. Dr. Cardona highlights the importance of understanding this mobility as a technical issue tied to attendance.
  • Teacher Retention Strategies: Dr. Cardona discusses how the district supports teachers through benefits like enhanced insurance coverage and technology-rich classrooms. These efforts aim to offset the challenges of competing with larger districts for talent.
  • Navigating Growth and Challenges: The district's growth is influenced by urbanization and gentrification, which impacts housing costs and student demographics. Dr. Cardona's involvement in local economic development committees helps anticipate these changes and plan accordingly.

Chapters:

0:00 Introduction to Dr. Michael Cardona and San Marcos CISD

1:04 Overview of San Marcos CISD: Location and Community

4:24 Challenges of Student Mobility and Attendance

9:09 Impact of Urbanization and Gentrification on Student Mobility

14:58 Addressing Teacher Shortages and Retention Strategies

20:43 Innovative Partnerships with Texas State University

25:00 Teacher Residency Program and Its Impact on Retention

30:00 Expanding Partnerships for Teacher Development and Support


Connect with CT: linkedin.com/in/cheetung

Connect with Dr. Michael Cardona: linkedin.com/in/dr-michael-cardona-21a51420

Music Credit: Shake it Up - Fesliyanstudios.com - David Renda



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About the Podcast

Engaging Leadership
Uncovering stories and strategies behind successful educational leadership
Each week we sit down with inspiring leaders who are transforming education and creating positive outcomes for students across the country.

In their own words, these leaders share their daily challenges, breakthrough moments, and the practical approaches they use to build and support student achievement.

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About your hosts

CheeTung Leong

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I'm committed to helping people live their best lives through work.

I'm one of the co-founders of EngageRocket, an HRTech SaaS startup and we are focused on helping organizations build empowered managers, engaged employees, and elite teams.

I'm a big nerd when it comes to economics and psychology and regularly use data and tech to help folks live their best lives.

I've been recognized by Prestige Magazine as one of the top 40 under 40 business leaders and have been featured in Forbes, Bloomberg, Business Insider, and Tech in Asia.

Jim Kanichirayil

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Your friendly neighborhood talent strategy nerd is the producer and co-host for The HR Impact Show. He's spent his career in sales and has been typically in startup b2b HRTech and TA-Tech organizations.

He's built high-performance sales teams throughout his career and is passionate about all things employee life cycle and especially employee retention and turnover.