In this episode of Beyond the Syllabus, host Aidan McDowell talks with Dr. David Miyashiro, Superintendent of Cajon Valley Union School District (CA) since 2013. Recognized by the White House and U.S. Department of Education as one of the nation’s top 35 district leaders in personalized learning, Dr. Miyashiro shares how Cajon Valley is redefining school around purpose, relevance, and student agency.
From districtwide initiatives like the World of Work program and TEDxKids@ElCajon to redesigned leadership culture and community partnerships, Dr. Miyashiro reveals how listening to students, staff, and community has fueled a bold new model of learning that connects every child to their strengths, interests, and future.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- Why listening to students and families—not just state metrics—changed the course of Dr. Miyashiro’s leadership.
- How Cajon Valley’s “World of Work” curriculum helps every student explore careers from kindergarten onward.
- Why trusting people—and believing they are inherently good—underpins strong school culture.
- How Cajon Valley’s schools became models for personalization and choice, including outdoor immersion, arts, dual language, and computer science academies.
- What we can learn from Switzerland’s youth apprenticeship model and how it’s shaping new ideas for U.S. high schools.
- Leadership lessons from the Ritz-Carlton and Google on employee engagement, service, and autonomy.
- The deeper question guiding Dr. Miyashiro’s work: How can we help students want to learn, not just comply?
Key Moments
03:09 Questioning the status quo
07:21 A wake-up call on outcomes
11:00 1:1 laptops, world as curriculum
15:27 Personalization for people
17:56 TEDxKids: every student’s story
20:32 World of Work, K–12 exploration
24:24 Qualcomm visit shifts mindsets
35:18 Swiss-style youth apprenticeships
46:00 Service culture from Ritz-Carlton
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What is Beyond The Syllabus?
Welcome to The UniqLearn Podcast, a show about reimagining education from the inside out. Every week, we sit down with the people doing the real work: superintendents, curriculum leaders, district innovators, those who are pushing against outdated models to build something more human.
Because learning should feel personal. Relevant. And grounded in who a student is.