ga
Shop All - Get Catalog
- About ABC
- Blog
- Podcast
- My Wishlist
Account Details 
My Orders 
Submit a PO 
Log Out
ga
Spotlight 4 Success | "A Ghost Town Mystery and a Robot Tutor" | NCRA 2026
4/2/2026
AI is everywhere in students’ lives, but what if we used it to push them outside instead of pulling them deeper into screens? From the floor of NCRA in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, we sit down with author Jo Watson Hackl to talk about a surprisingly grounded approach to AI in education: using technology responsibly to strengthen student engagement, spark curiosity, and support reading and writing through real-world observation of nature. Website: spotlight4success.com
Previous Podcasts
Spotlight 4 Success | "Literacy for a Reimagined World" | NCRA 2026
4/2/2026
Literacy is getting rewritten in real time and educators don’t have the option to sit it out. From NCRA in Winston-Salem, we sit down with Hiller Spires, Professor at NC State University and NCRA president-elect, to talk about what comes next for literacy instruction as technology accelerates and classrooms adapt on the fly. Website: spotlight4success.com
Spotlight 4 Success | "Dandelion Magic and The Power of Words" | NCRA 2026
4/1/2026
A dandelion wish sounds small until it spins into a full-blown adventure. From the NCRA floor in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, we sit down with children’s author Darren Farrell to hear how Dandelion Magic turns a simple idea into a story kids want to follow all the way home. Website: spotlight4success.com
Spotlight 4 Success | "A Twitter Pitch Turns Into A Book Deal" | NCASA 2026
4/1/2026
A children’s picture book can start in a surprising place: a string quartet performing a concert for plants. From the NCRA conference in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, we sit down with Tonnye Fletcher, a veteran educator who spent 17 years in second grade before making a big career shift into the K to 2 music room, and that pivot becomes the spark for a deeper conversation about creative risk and staying open to change. Website: spotlight4success.com
Spotlight 4 Success | "I Bought $1,800 In Books and Panicked" | NCRA 2026
3/31/2026
Recording live from NCRA in North Carolina, we talk with Gina Mays, the owner of Gigi’s bookstore, about what happens when a lifelong educator decides she’s not done serving schools, she’s just changing tools. After 32 years as a teacher and administrator, Gina retires, buys $1,800 worth of books, drives to a conference stressed out of her mind, and discovers a real need for an independent bookseller who understands teachers, students, and school ordering. Spotlight 4 Success: spotlight4success.com
Spotlight 4 Success | "Fifth Grade Lightbulbs" | NCRA 2026
3/30/2026
A single “oh!” from a student can change everything, and it’s the feeling that keeps many of us teaching. From the NCRA Conference in North Carolina, we sit down with Grace, a fifth grade teacher who traces her path back to one vivid moment helping a child finally understand. She shares why she thought she’d teach younger students, how internships surprised her, and what makes fifth grade the perfect mix of joy, curiosity, and just enough sass to keep learning fun and honest. Website: spotlight4success.com
Spotlight 4 Success | "Every Child Can Read" | NCRA 2026
3/24/2026
“Every child can read.” Mary from Hoke County Schools says it plainly, and then she shows the work behind making it real. We’re recording live from the NCRA conference, where she explains how a district literacy committee approaches professional learning like a mission: attend strategically, take excellent notes, then debrief as a team so the best ideas don’t stay in a notebook they show up in classrooms. Website: spotlight4success.com
Spotlight 4 Success | When Kids Can Read but Still Don’t Get It | NCRA 2026
3/23/2026
Fluency isn’t the finish line. If you’ve ever watched a student read smoothly and still walk away confused, this conversation puts words to the problem and points toward practical next steps. We are joined by two educators from JT Barber Elementary School in the Craven School District: Deja Moore and Michaela Shy. They share their paths into teaching, why they love working with kids, and what it looks like to keep growing as professionals when the needs in reading feel urgent and school-wide. Website: spotlight4success.com
Spotlight 4 Success | "Teaching Under Pressure, Learning With Purpose" | LACUE 2025
2/17/2026
Step onto the LACUE 2025 floor in New Orleans with us and feel the shift from hype to help. We sit down with educator and board member Tisha Whittington to unpack what actually lightens the load for teachers under pressure: clear standards alignment, reliable practice, and tools that let you teach instead of triage. The buzz around AI is real, but the big win is clarity—using tech and tightly mapped content to cut noise, focus instruction, and lift LEAP scores without burning out your team. Website: spotlight4success.com
Spotlight 4 Success | "From Conference Floors To Classroom Wins" | LACUE 2025
2/12/2026
Two decades of conference halls, classroom breakthroughs, and late-night planning come to life as we sit down with Ranay Lozala of Rapides Parish at LACUE 2025 in New Orleans. From board service to district leadership in data and analytics, Renee shares how a statewide conference becomes more than sessions and swag—it becomes a pipeline of ideas, tools, and guardrails that shape learning on Monday morning. Website: spotlight4success.com
Spotlight 4 Success | "Robots, JavaScript, And A Lot Of Coffee" | LACUE 2025
2/12/2026
Step onto the LACUE floor in New Orleans with us and meet Jacqueline Edwards, a computer science instructor from East Baton Rouge who turns high school classrooms into launchpads for software careers. Jacqueline shares how her students earn dual enrollment credit through Baton Rouge Community College, graduate with Python and JavaScript certifications, and walk away with 27 credit hours toward an applied associate degree in software development. It’s a clear, practical pathway: real languages, real credentials, real momentum. Website: spotlight4success.com
Spotlight 4 Success | "Say Yes To Better Teaching With Tech" | LACUE 2025
1/29/2026
Say yes first, figure it out together—that’s the spirit of this conversation with Tracy Phillips from Washington Parish, recorded live at LACUE 2025 in New Orleans. Tracy has taught nearly everything from fourth grade English to biology and civics, and she shares how a single decision to attend a tech-forward conference reshaped her planning, assessment, and classroom culture. Website: spotlight4success.com
Spotlight 4 Success | "Why Tools Matter When Passion Meets Practice" | LACUE 2025
1/29/2026
Bright lights, fresh ideas, and real classroom wins—our trip to LACUE in New Orleans brought all three together. We sat down with fifth grade science teacher Brayondra Allen from Ferriday Upper Elementary to talk about what truly moves the needle for student learning: clear standards alignment, a smart resource mix, and the joy of those “aha” moments when a concept clicks. From the first minutes, her focus is practical and purposeful—learn more to be more for her students. Website: spotlight4success.com
Spotlight 4 Success | "Canva, Kids, And Coffee-Fueled Score Gains" | LACUE 2025
1/29/2026
The buzz of a great education conference can change a school year. From the floor of LACUE in New Orleans, we sit down with Gladys from St. Landry Parish to explore how curiosity about AI, beginner-friendly Canva workflows, and trusted practice materials can turn everyday lessons into steady student growth. She brings 15 years in the classroom to the table, sharing why those eureka moments still guide every decision and how thoughtful prompts help students discover ideas for themselves. Website: spotlight4success.com
Spotlight 4 Success | "Tech, Teachers, And Real Results" | LACUE 2025
1/27/2026
The best conference takeaway is the one you can use on Monday. That’s exactly what we set out to capture in this conversation with Shayla Pandja, the English instructional coordinator for St. Landry Parish, recorded live at LACUE in New Orleans. We dig into the real work of supporting high school teachers: choosing a core curriculum that builds knowledge and skills, layering on targeted practice that mirrors assessments, and making sure every classroom can actually access the tools that promise improvement. Website: spotlight4success.com