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Welcome to the Exceptional Educators Podcast by FrenalyticsEDU — where innovation meets inclusion in education!
Each episode features candid conversations with district leaders, school leaders, classroom changemakers, EdTech founders, and executives — all dedicated to transforming learning for each student, especially our learners with unique abilities.
With a focus on extraordinary educators and the exceptional students they serve, we explore the latest in special education, accessible technology, and inclusive leadership. Whether you’re shaping special education policy, pioneering new EdTech tools, or looking to grow your impact in the classroom, this podcast is your front-row seat to the future of inclusive education.
Listen. Learn. Lead. Be Exceptional. 🎙️
Welcome to the Exceptional Educators podcast by FrenalyticsEDU , where innovation meets inclusion in education. I'm your cohost, Nisha Srinivasa.
Matt Giovanniello:And I'm Matt Giovanniello, the CEO and co founder of Frenalytics. At Frenalytics, we put special education and English language learners front and center. Our award winning FrenalyticsEDU platform helps streamline progress monitoring, improve communication and compliance, and offers truly personalized learning to your students of all abilities.
Nisha Srinivasa:Each episode of our podcast features candid conversations with district and school leaders, classroom changemakers, ed tech founders, and industry executives, all dedicated to transforming learning for each student, especially our learners with unique abilities. With a focus on extraordinary educators and the exceptional students they serve, we explore the latest in special education, accessible technology, and inclusive leadership. In this episode, Exceptional Educators is exceptionally thrilled to welcome Candace Sears. Candace has served as the director of Montgomery County ESC and is a passionate and visionary education leader dedicated to creating inclusive and transformative student centered experiences, earning numerous accolades for her work. By combining her expertise in networking and relationship building, Candice has built a legacy of endlessly working to empower students.
Nisha Srinivasa:Candace, we are so excited to welcome you on the podcast today.
Candice Sears:Thank you both for having me. I'm really excited to be a part of this conversation.
Nisha Srinivasa:Just to start us off, a question that we have been asking all our guests and is a question I'm sure is very familiar to you as somebody who's worked the field of education for many years is, what is your why? So what brought you to the world of education? What continues to keep you here?
Candice Sears:Yeah. So when I think about my why, first of all, thank you for asking me that question because it is always good for us to go back to our why. Why for me is about the kids. It's about the opportunities to truly shape the lives of our future. Anytime I'm struggling or anytime that I'm like, Okay, I can get through this.
Candice Sears:I can get through this. I always go back and walk the classroom halls and visit classrooms and really recenter myself on the why. And it's about kids. It's about really transforming what education can look like, knowing that our students matter and knowing that all students matter. And how do we really ensure that they know that they matter and help them see the best that they can within themselves and be the best that they can be leaving us in the K-twelve space.
Nisha Srinivasa:That's incredible. I think that really speaks to what is sort of a central tenet of your work, which sounds like relationship building. I was wondering if you could speak a little bit about that and share what your philosophy is around relationship building and why that's sort of a core element and tenet of the history of your work in education.
Candice Sears:Yeah, thank you, Nisha. So when I think about relationships, I truly believe that relationships are the curriculum before any standards are unpacked or lessons are planned. When students and educators feel seen, heard, and valued, the conditions for deep learning are unlocked. Relationships build trust, and trust fuels curiosity, risk taking, and creativity. When we think about our students and schools, a bright future in our schools begins with connection of every thriving community.
Candice Sears:And that's why relationships matter in education.
Matt Giovanniello:Candice, I think you've summarized that really succinctly and really well. I also think that in addition to the ways that it directly impacts your staff, your teachers, your students, and the families, it also helps bring a wider community of folks together all in support and rallying our students. And I can think of no better person truly than you in someone who's taught me the power and impact of relationships, how to navigate relationship building, how to broach and and break down new doors and new barriers, all in the name of serving students in the way that you so eloquently put it. For over a decade, you have built a lasting legacy, and you've had this illustrious tenure leading MCESC. There's dozens of districts, 16 plus additional ones that you all support.
Matt Giovanniello:There's hundreds of schools and programs that you run even at the ESC, and you impact over 80,000 students in the wider Dayton region each and every year. And so my question to you, through relationship building, programs building, and otherwise, I would love to unpack some of your favorite programs and projects that you've worked on over your past decade at MCESC and what the impact was on your educators and your students.
Candice Sears:Yeah. Great, great question. It's good to reminisce and think about the work that you do because when you're in the work, you just do the work that needs to be done. Being able to reflect back on programs that made a difference and programs that continue to make a difference, I feel amazingly honored and blessed to have had the opportunity to serve in the role that I serve in. And so when I think about at Montgomery County ESC, I'm most proud of the programs where innovation met impact, where big ideas become and became real opportunities for students.
Candice Sears:The work centers on reimagining what's possible when we design with students' futures in mind. I'm a big proponent of future readiness. I'm a big proponent of everything we do and create needs to be created and developed around students and students' futures. And so one of the really cool programming that we've been able to build here is the Future Self Center. It's one of those game changers, a space where students explore who they are and who they're becoming.
Candice Sears:It's immersive, it's reflective, it's rooted in possibility, helping students connect the dots between their passions, their potential, and real world pathways. Oftentimes, we wonder why students are struggling or wonder why students are behaving in certain ways. Many of these students don't have future hope and they don't have a future self vision. So it's been a real dream and journey here at the ESC that we make sure that our students have a future self vision and they have future hope. This is exactly what we aim and strive and do in the Future Self Center.
Candice Sears:Then there's our newest center programming that we opened up just this past fall is the International Learning Center. It's become a welcoming launchpad for newcomer students and their families. It's more than a school. It's like a community hub. It's a bridge, a soft landing that says, You belong here.
Candice Sears:We're glad you're here. We've built it with cultural responsiveness and a care at every single level. And I think aside from the International Learning Center and the Future Self Center, there are so many things we can talk about alongside initiatives in career exploration, AI readiness, and smart lab innovation. Those programs stand out because they center student identity, access, and voice, which is really important to us here. They're about more than preparing students for the future.
Candice Sears:They're about helping them shape it.
Matt Giovanniello:There are countless examples you're going through, Candace. I want to hear about more of them. We may need a part two, so I'm signing up for that already. But I have had the pleasure, Nisha, of visiting the Future Self Center in our partnership with Montgomery County ESC. And Candace is not only talking the talk, but she's walking the walk in employing unique educators with even more unique backgrounds, making sure that those students, to use the words that you applied for the International Learning Center, have a soft landing spot for what otherwise might be expulsion or sending into incarceration facilities.
Matt Giovanniello:That's incredibly unique and something you don't come across in many districts, let alone ESCs. And so let's dig into that a little bit more. How did that come to be? How did you make use of existing resources? What walls and barriers did you have to knock down yourself?
Matt Giovanniello:This is an uphill battle to start such innovative new centers. How did you make use of those relationships to get the FSC started?
Candice Sears:Yeah. I think number one, it's really important. I learned this very early on in my education is the power of listening. Oftentimes, specifically in our culture, we like to talk a lot. And so I learned that when I listen, there's so much more that I can hear.
Candice Sears:And so sitting in meetings, just sitting and really trying to listen to our superintendents, listen to our principals, what it was that was keeping them up at night or what was laying heavy in their heart. And post pandemic, you know, we continue to hear middle school expulsions, high school expulsions, behaviors, and everyone's at a loss. Like, what do we do? How do we manage this? We know that expulsions aren't solving the real problem.
Candice Sears:What if we open up a future self center? What if we ask our superintendents, our principals, would you be willing to give students one last chance before expelling them, before sending them home? Can we really create a different opportunity for them? Because I think oftentimes we do what we know, we don't know what we don't know. And so let's build something different.
Candice Sears:Let's approach these negative behaviors differently, our response to kids. And for us, how do we ensure that our kids know themselves and have that student identity? And then how do we allow them to use that for good? And how do we teach them like, hey, here are the talents that you have. Here are your interests.
Candice Sears:Here are your aptitudes. Let's truly personalize a learning experience around that that's also centered on hope of how they can use that in the future. So this is why you need to learn X, Y, and Z. I can tell you countless success stories from students that have been a part of the Future Self Center, and then when they go back into their home districts, they're a different human. They have a different little step in their day to day.
Candice Sears:They've got some confidence. They've got some self management. They've learned skills that are really gonna help them be successful beyond the K-twelve space.
Nisha Srinivasa:I'm sitting here in awe listening to you describe both of these initiatives. As an educator myself, I have a background in special education, and I'm very familiar with how students really build up their identities from such a young age. And the ability to provide them a resource and a tool to start seeing a potential shift in the way that they think about themselves and leaning into their own power. Think that is just absolutely fantastic. And I really appreciate the work that you have done in that regard.
Nisha Srinivasa:And I'm all the way out in San Francisco. And San Francisco is sort of a place where you would think that something like this might exist, but it doesn't actually. And so I'm really curious in your opinion, what do you think it might take for more schools, for more districts across the country to really lean into some of these types of initiatives that can really support students in seeing themselves as change makers and leaders?
Candice Sears:Nisha, I think this is a tricky question. Because so often our district leaders, they're under a lot of pressure. And so they're always a little nervous or a little apprehensive. But I always say, Hey, listen, what do we have to lose? Take the risk.
Candice Sears:And if we really always put our students in mind first, and it's not just something we say, but we actually do it. Every single conversation, every single decision I have, I'm always focused on what's gonna be best and most impactful for our kids. Don't be afraid to take a risk, build something, create a new opportunity, try something different. We, we don't need more of the same, but at the core of all of it, listen to students. Student voice matters.
Candice Sears:They tell us. They let us know what it is that works, what it is that doesn't. But I'm always about let's build something. Let's take a risk. Let's take the opportunity and try it out, knowing it's not going to be perfect, but we'll massage it along the way.
Candice Sears:When you get other innovative leaders like that on your team, the possibilities are just endless.
Matt Giovanniello:I think those are the exact right questions. Those are the things that district and ESC leaders should be pondering to themselves and challenging each other on. And when that part of the equation is there, I think we're a really great part of the way to establishing innovative programs like this. But as you very well know, managing budgets across multiple districts and at the ESC level, sometimes, maybe more than sometimes, money is an issue. And so for that piece of the equation where the desire and the initiative is there because we have the right innovative people in the right places with the right roles, but budgets tend to be a constraint, What have you faced in times past, and how have you overcome them?
Matt Giovanniello:How do these initiatives financially become a success even in an early pilot or on an ongoing basis? What tips might you have on that front to inspire the actual execution of these initiatives where money might be a problem?
Candice Sears:Well, money's always always the number one barrier. Right? It's like, oh, how are we supposed to fund that? There's definitely a lot of opportunity. There's a lot of people that are in support of of education.
Candice Sears:So those relationships, going back to that, relationships matter, partnerships matter. So being able to be connected is helpful. So for example, a few years back, we really launched a pretty large initiative across the state in bringing immersive technologies into the classroom to support and accelerate learning. The devices, the VR headsets, that's a huge upfront cost. So getting creative, not being afraid to reach out and say, Hey Meta, would you be interested in supporting this initiative that we have?
Candice Sears:And so when we did that, Meta donated some devices to us. T Mobile said, Hey, we'll do a match with you. You buy 10 devices, we'll give you 10. So being able to take the time to reach out to people and find resources, but then ultimately too, internally about how we're currently utilizing our resources and are there opportunities to reclaim some of those resources and reinvest them and utilize them in a different way, I think that there's some creativity that can happen even with our existing funds that we have.
Nisha Srinivasa:That is incredible. I think what I'm hearing is I feel like this is a really potentially actionable and realistic solution for a lot of different school leaders. I appreciate the knowledge that you just shared, especially in figuring out how to reallocate different resources. Think that that's a conversation that continues to emerge. And so it's definitely one that I really appreciate.
Candice Sears:Quick, just to piggyback on that, it's sometimes a matter of, okay, taking just a step back and seeing how are we currently using our funds and then saying, okay, are those our priority areas right now? Do those continue to be our priority areas? And if not, maybe there's an opportunity to reduce some funds in the areas that aren't priority so then we can actually reallocate some of those funds into priority areas.
Nisha Srinivasa:Exactly. I think that, as you mentioned before, there are so many different competing pressures and interests that school leaders have to face. Sometimes all it takes is just a step back and looking at something from a different perspective. What do you think has been a moment where you realized that is something that you needed to do as a leader? What has made you sort of give yourself those moments of pause, reflection, and feedback that have allowed you to make such transformational change in the area that you work in?
Candice Sears:You know, I am a strong believer that habits matter. So for example, every Friday, I just take a quick little ten, fifteen minutes. How did I spend my time this past week? What did I spend my time on? And then I go back to, is that how I should have spent my time?
Candice Sears:And then if not, how should I have spent my time? And that's what I prioritize for the next week in my day to day. And that's hard and that's tricky, but that has been one of those habits that I've now developed that have been a game changer for me, because that now has also allowed me the opportunity to take a step back and think, okay, what is it that I'm hearing out in the field and how might I be able to be helpful in solving that problem versus continuing to add pressure and make the problem bigger? So that's that's kind of just my own little tip and strategy that has been a game changer for me personally and professionally.
Matt Giovanniello:I think, Candace, also, what I'm hearing from that suggestion is that when there are countless competing priorities and initiatives and burnout is inevitable as a result of them and the countless pressure that you receive externally, you have to take a step back. You have to protect some time for yourself. You have to figure out, am I going back to your original answer of your why? Making concerted efforts to better achieve that why, and am I making the right decisions, and am I spending my time most effectively? So I'm glad you shared that.
Matt Giovanniello:It is easier said than done. I'll be the first to admit. That sounds like a great idea. I do not do that, and I probably need to. But I'm glad that you do, and I'm glad that you advocate for that.
Matt Giovanniello:And so I just wanted to chunk in there real fast, Nisha.
Nisha Srinivasa:Yeah. Absolutely. I think that it's something that as an educator, I've experienced in professional development settings as a practice to try to implement. I think what's made the most impact on me is seeing school leaders really infuse that opportunity for both themselves and for staff throughout moments that ability is, you know, able to be had. So I I appreciate that, and I I hope that folks who are listening, can take some of those tips that you shared and really maybe tentatively embed them into their practice.
Nisha Srinivasa:Thank you for sharing.
Matt Giovanniello:Dennis, to return to a previous conversation we were just having about advocacy and finding resources, reallocating dollars, I imagine the previous advocacy work that you've done on behalf of the ESC through the governor's office, through the senator's office, through other through your interactions with other ESCs has helped you land the resources that you need as well. Can you tell us a little bit more about some of those maybe more recent advocacy efforts that in support of students has helped you achieve the goals, whether financially or otherwise, to kick off or to grow these initiatives?
Candice Sears:I think when it comes to that advocacy part, it's really knowing what our priorities are here locally and how they align with state priorities or regional priorities, and then how those regional priorities align with state initiatives, whether it's our Ohio Department of Education and Workforce or whether it's coming out of legislation in our governor's office. How can I again, or we as an educational service center, build those bridges so everyone's not doing their own thing and trying to all gain, you know, momentum towards the same efforts, but how do we collectively go on this journey? But I think it goes back to, again, where we started. It's relationships, it's connections, and maybe not now. Like, that doesn't make sense for us now, but I'm gonna keep that in the back of my mind.
Candice Sears:I'm gonna continue to nurture that relationship because at some point, that may be a need. But on the advocacy piece is always thinking about students. And when you have students at the center, it's not hard when you're sitting in conversations to ask. And I'm always in work mode, so there may be a connection. I'm like, I need to connect back with them because I think they may be interested in supporting X, Y, and Z initiative that we're trying to launch.
Nisha Srinivasa:Thank you for sharing. Again, it really just speaks to the power that I feel like you've shared in building relationships and the way that that is so central to sustaining and building momentum towards huge efforts that can support the transformation of students' experiences in the world of education. What are some ways specifically that besides the initiatives that you mentioned, the Future Self Center and the international student space, that you yourself as a leader have taken sort of like the time and space to maybe individually listen to student concerns, ideas, experiences, etc? And how have you responded to those students and infusing their thoughts and ideas into the work that you do?
Candice Sears:Listening sessions are real. Listening sessions are powerful. Anytime you are in a space with families or anytime you're in a space with students, being afraid to ask questions, even though, you know, it's maybe not the topic in which you're the reason why you're there, but there's always some downtime or some networking time. A big piece for me is strengthening school family partnerships. I think that that kind of connects here with what you're asking, Nisha.
Candice Sears:And that's built on some shared goals and some two way communication and authentic collaboration. Families only know school the way in which they attended school. And so oftentimes when there's a new initiative or there's something new we're trying, families will like, time out. What in the world are schools trying to do? Those people are crazy.
Candice Sears:And so that communication and shared goals is so important. So I think about like families don't want to just hear what's happening in the school. They want to be a part of They want to shape that. They want their voices to be heard. Schools can create spaces for that, whether it's through co designed family engagement nights or student led conferences.
Candice Sears:There's so much now we can do with the technology and digital tools that can keep families in the learning loop, but also not just giving families information, but allowing families opportunities to give information back. That helps with this whole component of building community. And when families and schools move in step, that's when we see students soar. It's when they're not moving in step and they're not aligned when we start to see some breakdown or maybe some delays in pace.
Matt Giovanniello:That's a growing priority and that you're seeing meaningful impact not only on the work and the programs that you're creating on behalf of each of those schools and that those school and district leaders are doing for their communities, but the positive receptivity of the parents too. Like, they're seeing the outcomes achieved that parents are more engaged. They're more in partnership. They're more satisfied. And ideally, as a second order effect, students are now more engaged.
Matt Giovanniello:They're more satisfied. They're spending more time in school. They're increasing their grades. They're achieving more CTE in college, pads after they graduate, on time graduations, lower suspensions, so on and so forth.
Candice Sears:Yeah. I think the big piece there, I go back to the Future Self Center, for example. Most of the families of the students that we have and serve at the Future Self Center, they only hear from the school the negative, the things that their kid's doing wrong, Like all the phone calls, all the letters, the official letters that come in snail mail, all the emails are all negative in regards to, Here's what your kid did today. And so if we can really approach it differently, Hey, we know that you're doing the best that you can as parents, and then bringing them into the space and letting them be heard, that's when you really start to see the cohesiveness. Then it's when parents are more adamant to support you.
Candice Sears:So they're making sure their kids get to school. We can call any of our families in the Future Self Center and say, Hey, listen, is there any way you can help me out? It looks like Candace is still missing her math assignment or whatever. Would you be able to like help me, help me out and make sure she gets that? Or if she doesn't have it done, we're more than willing to help her.
Candice Sears:Parents are so like, yep, we'll make sure. And the next day that's coming in. And so it's amazing when you have strong school family partnerships, the progress you can make and the enjoy and the overall sense of what school is becomes very positive in community.
Matt Giovanniello:Absolutely. You're literally flipping the script of why you're communicating and contacting families from something that has been universally understood as negative and inherent and something that families were actively avoiding for all of those reasons to now in lockstep and partnership, and now there's a lot of positivity around it. It's universally understood, Candace, that if you throw technology at a problem without solving the root cause of said problem, the problem will continue to be there. Technology is not necessarily going to fix issues relating to process or other underlying things that are brewing, But when you have school environments like the ones you're describing where those processes and broken pieces are fixed, do you think in this day and age with the advancements in our ed tech space that it is becoming easier for school and family partnerships evolve and thrive in the way that you're doing. To what extent do you think that those advancements are helping cultivate and making more of these partnerships possible?
Candice Sears:I'm all about leveraging technology. Today's technology is absolutely amazing. It's mind blowing at times. Two fold. A, I think one, part of this is going back to my conversation about reclaiming and reinvesting.
Candice Sears:If the adults in the education system are able to reclaim some time that has been spent on some of the tasks that maybe aren't necessarily what teaching initially was or leadership initially was, if they're able to reclaim some of that time and reinvest it in the human component, the human relationship, that's super powerful. The other thing is, is now there are so many technologies that exist that are accessible all. And so let's utilize and tap into those ed tech tools and providers and solutions that help us make sure that everybody has access. So it's not like, oh, well, only if you have access to email can you get this communication, or Only if your child will bring a paper home do you have access to this information. But now with technology that exists, everybody can have access, and the transparency is there.
Nisha Srinivasa:What I'm kind of hearing you share is that relationships are the why technology might be the how. Right? That the reason why you might be sort of thinking expansively about inclusion and the ways that you can do that is because of the folks that are in front of you and the people that you're working to serve. And I think that's such a powerful way to approach leadership and thinking in the world of education. And so I just wanted to share, really appreciate the emphasis on centering the person that's in front of you to make the change.
Nisha Srinivasa:Sort of adopting that mindset, I think, is really critical. What do you as a leader, or how have you
Candice Sears:as a leader rather, sort
Nisha Srinivasa:of promoted or cultivated that mindset amongst the folks that you're working with to sort of create that shared vision together? Is it something that you have sought out in folks that you brought onto your team that mindset might already sort of be cultivated and exist in them? And then how do you continue to do that throughout your leadership?
Candice Sears:Anytime you have the opportunity to bring somebody on your team, that's opportunity. And then I reflect on who do I have on the team? What do I have on the team? What is it that I need? What is it that I don't have or I need more of?
Candice Sears:And then I am very intentional through hiring processes or through this opportunity of bringing people together. And maybe it's, I've got all these people hired, but now I need X committee, or I've got this new project. How do I decide who's going to be on this project? I'm looking for diversity, Nisha. I'm always looking for We don't need five candidates on the same team.
Candice Sears:So that's not going to go well. And so oftentimes, we use a lot of those, like, as a as a team, we use, like, the strengths based finder. We use the Gallup stuff. We use the working geniuses. Like, we use a lot of that to also help, like, ensure that we all know who we are on the team and what we're bringing to the table.
Candice Sears:Here are my strengths. Here's what maybe I don't do well. And then making sure that as a team, a collective team, but I know Nisha is able to do that. Even though that's not my superpower, it's Nisha's. So Nisha, hey, I'm gonna need your help with this piece.
Candice Sears:And then making sure that we let people use their talents and their superpowers to do the work on the team that needs to be done. Sometimes in education space, we're like, Oh gosh, anybody that applies, anybody who has the right license, we're just gonna take them because we need teachers. But I always pause. And even though I really need these teachers, I need to make my students really need good teachers and the right teachers. So taking the time to recruit or taking the time to make sure I have the right teachers that I'm hiring, not just filling a spot because it's July 17, the time's a tick in.
Candice Sears:And then the other component to that, not just building a team, but modeling. What I do as a leader, people pay attention to. So even though I think they're not watching or I think they don't see me, they're watching and they're paying attention, and my moves matter and impact their moves. And so being aware of that is really critical as well.
Nisha Srinivasa:Thank you. I think that you touched on that previously too in sharing the sort of practices you've embedded for yourself in reflection. And I think that it speaks volumes to the way that you see yourself in connection always to folks around you and that your work doesn't exist in isolation and that it really exists in community, which I think is really powerful.
Matt Giovanniello:Candice, speaking of a couple of things that you just touched on, building out capacity, building out a team, making sure that you're filling gaps and hiring people for the right roles, and the fact that at the time of this recording, it's July 17, this is a bittersweet day, and this is a bittersweet episode. You will soon be leaving your role at Montgomery County ESC as the director of instructional services. And so I have two questions for you. The first is what this transition period looks a little bit like practically for you and what it could look like for somebody in a similar role and how you're building that capacity so that when the next wave of Jen as the new director of instructional services comes in and her team gets built out, what that playbook might look like. Let's start there in getting a little bit inside your head of what the strategy and what the process is going to look like of how we can ensure successful transitions in support of your existing staff, but also that end recipient of those students, even when there are leadership changes like this.
Candice Sears:It's always important as a leader that you're building capacity and that you really are helping others be leaders. So it goes back to knowing your people and knowing their superpowers. What is that person's superpower? And how do we use that superpower for good? If I can take somebody's superpower, their talent, and leverage that for them to continue to grow in that area, it's amazing what can happen.
Candice Sears:Here, just a couple years ago, I built a leadership team under me, so my people. Like, who are those folks that are exhibiting major leadership traits? And then how do we really start to build that capacity? So my transition out, you know, even though it's super sad, it's sad for my team here, I feel really good in my transition because I know that that leadership team, they're gonna rock it out. And then having Jen's, the new director's leadership and new perspective coming in, she's gonna have different vision, different perspective that, you know, I just don't have at this point.
Candice Sears:Like, keep building centers and opening things and doing this, but having a new leader come in with new perspective, new vision, it's just gonna continue to grow. So I'm extremely excited about the leadership team being in play and what they're gonna be able to do and making Jen's life really easy because they are the true superheroes in this department. And then Jen's opportunity to come in with new fresh eyes. What can we do? What can we build off of to make this place even more supportive of our kids within the region?
Candice Sears:So that's been really cool. And then for me, okay, what's the new challenge? How can I just spread the impact? How can I take my super talents, my abilities, my skills, and spread that and scale it out?
Matt Giovanniello:I can't wait to see the answers to those unfold in real time. Front row seat right over here, not only for you, Candace, of course, but for Montgomery County ESC and all of your districts, all of the programs, all of the schools, the staff, students, the families that you supported over this decade tenure. It's so heartening to know that your legacy at MCESC will live on far beyond you, I think that is truly the sign of an exceptional leader. I have another big question to share with you as well. As you depart after your twelve years or nearly twelve years at MCESC, your professional pedigree, both there and far before it, has this insane arc that countless educators admire and yet only some actually achieve.
Matt Giovanniello:You were a teacher and a professor. You have been a building leader overseeing special education and gifted programs. And now you have held this title for the past ten plus years as director of instructional services at a county level at the ESC. And so my question for you, what advice would you have for someone who is just embarking on their educational journey, maybe just getting started in their first role or two in educational leadership that they could follow or they could take to heart in their pursuit as they aspire to hold some of these leadership positions that you held as well?
Candice Sears:Yeah. A couple of things. A, take a bet on yourself. Believe in yourself. Know that you can do this.
Candice Sears:Before that, though, always, always have student at the center of all of your decisions, all of your thoughts. Make it a habit that any time you're in conversation about education or decision making or schools or kids or community, think about the students. Bring that visual to mind and think about what's best for them. So students first, take a bet on yourself, believe in yourself, because oftentimes you are put into positions because somebody believes in you, somebody sees things in you that you may not see in yourself. Don't take that with a grain of salt.
Candice Sears:Be a listener, take time to listen, and truly listen to people. And then don't be afraid to take risks. When you take on a new position, you've got this grace period where it's like, Oh, I'm sorry. You can apologize. You can ask for forgiveness.
Candice Sears:Don't be afraid to be a changemaker. If you know something is really good for kids or something can be better for kids, don't be afraid to stand up and make it happen. Action is important as a leader. A lot of times, we hear a lot of words and a lot of conversation, but successful leaders are actionable, so action behind words.
Matt Giovanniello:Our final question for today's recording, Candace, is a question that we ask all of our guests. And if you want to take a moment to reflect on it, please feel free to do so. But my question to you, Candace, is what does being an exceptional educator mean to you?
Candice Sears:Being an exceptional leader to me means showing up with clarity, with empathy, and vision every single day. It's the ability to inspire others, not by position, but by purpose. So when I think about exceptional leadership, it isn't about the loudest voice in the room. It's about creating space for others to find and use their voice. It's knowing when to lead from the front, when to walk beside, and when to step back so others can rise.
Candice Sears:An exceptional leader has a strong compass, like an internal compass, and it's deeply connected to the why behind the work in which we started with. Exceptional leaders model integrity. They hold high expectations. At the end of the day, they bring out the best in others by believing in their potential, even before others see it in themselves. Ultimately, being an exceptional leader means leading people and places better than you found them and lifting others towards their own version of excellence while never losing sight of your own growth along the way.
Matt Giovanniello:Candice, needless to say, you are an exceptional leader who encapsulate every single piece that you just shared and then some. And because you are leaving MCESC and the footprint of all of the students and the schools in the Dayton area better than the way you found it, for that, I thank you, and I know everybody in your region thanks YouTube for your service. Thank you for spending the time today, lending your voice and sharing all of these insights to hopefully inspire the next generation of educational leaders, both who are stepping into your role, a la Jen, and for those who are just getting started in hopes of reaching those positions sometime soon as well. So thank you.
Candice Sears:You're welcome. Thank you both for having me on and and listening. It was a good conversation.
Nisha Srinivasa:Thank you so much for being here. There are so many things that I was like, oh, I need to write that down. I need write that down. I think that just speaks volumes to the immense impact of your leadership. And even in a short conversation talking to you, I already feel it.
Nisha Srinivasa:So thank you for being here today.
Candice Sears:Thank you, Anisha.
Matt Giovanniello:Thank you, Candice, again for joining us today. And for all of us listening to today's episode, thank you for joining us. We will catch you on the next episode of the exceptional educators podcast soon.
Candice Sears:Hi. I'm Candice Sears. I'm director of instructional services with the Montgomery County ESC. I am in support of exceptional educators and leaders who are willing to take risks, admit mistakes, and stay grounded in service of a bigger vision.