Welcome back to Teaching STEM #4Real! Today, we are joined by the incredible Alysse Castro, a powerful leader of effective and equitable public schools. She is known for building schools that engage students and teachers by rethinking what is possible in school and beyond. Bringing deep knowledge in school finance and systems, Alysse helps educational institutions do more of what matters such as personalizing learning, building systems of support for students and staff, and developing educators to break free from the bureaucracy to spend more time with kids. She completed her Masters in Educational Leadership from UC Berkeley’s Principal Leadership Institute and began teaching youth on probation in a Continuation High School. Alysse has gone on to lead a growing portfolio of public schools that break the school-to-prison pipeline by interrupting truancy, re-engaging youth in their schools and their society, and helping students turn their passions into careers and technical skills. She then returned to UC Berkeley as faculty, teaching rising educational leaders to manage their school resources in service of their educational vision. Currently, Alysse applies her expertise in alternative education and effective school administration to ensuring that County schools act as safety nets for all of our children. She is also running to be the next Alameda County Superintendent of Schools in June 2022. In this episode, we’ll chat with Alysse about alternative education, the value of specialization versus the value of integration, and the power of relevance in our classrooms. Besides this, we’ll discuss what county offices are, the role of county offices in education, and how they can support teachers and administrators. Last but not least, Alysse will talk to us about how we can elevate the roles of county offices, equity at scale, and the idea of your budget being your educational vision. Keep listening to learn more about county and alternative education! Santa Clara County COE: https://www.sccoe.org/isteam/science/Pages/Events.aspx Rate, Review, & Follow on Spotify & Apple Podcasts “This is a great show for educators in STEM! Love Leena’s perspective on creating equitable classroom environments for STEM and the guests are always spot on!” <– If that sounds like you, ⁠⁠please consider rating and reviewing our show⁠⁠! This helps us support more people — just like you — move toward creating access and equity in STEM, #4Real. ⁠⁠Click here⁠⁠, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode! You can also rate the show on Spotify here: ⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/7CsBVUpmzwgvNsSYkWcJ4C⁠⁠  Also, if you haven’t done so already, follow the podcast here: ⁠⁠Follow now⁠⁠! Teaching STEM #4Real is a podcast dedicated to #4Real conversations on educational equity in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education hosted by Dr. Leena Bakshi McLean. If you’re interested in exploring what anti-racism and socially just instruction looks like in our classrooms, schools, and beyond, you are in the right place. Dr. Bakshi is also the founder of the non-profit,⁠⁠ STEM4Real⁠⁠. Please visit our⁠⁠ website⁠⁠ for information on how to partner with us. Thank you for helping us make STEM, #4Real.