High School Reimagined: New Paths, New Possibilities (S2, E8)

You’ve seen Schoolhouse Rock’s I’m Just a Bill, but that cartoon ends right where the real work begins. In this episode, Rebeca and Jenn are joined by two education policy practitioners from the Maryland State Department of Education to pull back the curtain on what actually happens after a law is passed.

Tracy Kittle, Director of Career Connected Learning, and Rita Bradunas, Coordinator of Career Counseling, both came up as practitioners in classrooms, nonprofits, and school offices before stepping into state-level policy work.

Together, they break down Maryland’s landmark Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, what it looks like to implement transformational education policy at scale, and why functional, collaborative government is the secret ingredient most people overlook.

From decoding the legislative process for everyday educators to understanding how passage of a law is the start of advocacy opportunities, and not the end, this episode is a primer in turning policy literacy into real power.