Episode Summary:

Dr. Jason Van Heukelum, Superintendent of Winchester Public Schools in Virginia, joins Katie Martin to share how his journey from math teacher to district leader has shaped his commitment to reimagining public education. With nearly 30 years in education, Jason reflects on formative experiences—from tutoring peers as a high school student to hearing his kindergarten daughter say she “learned how to stand in a line” on her first day of school—that pushed him to question the compliance-driven, factory-model design of K–12 education.

Grounded in both data and lived experience, Jason describes the turning point that led Winchester to redesign part of its high school model. After examining postsecondary outcomes and realizing that only a small percentage of graduates were completing college, he began to question why the entire high school experience was designed primarily for a traditional four-year college pathway.

In response, Winchester launched the Innovation Center, a bold reimagining of career and technical education (CTE) as a universal experience rather than a track for a subset of students. The center blends three-hour “deconstructed” learning blocks with CTE pathways and integrated English courses, giving students autonomy over time, space, and project-based work. Jason shares how this model fosters social cohesion, elevates hands-on learning for all students, and has led to high engagement.

Throughout the conversation, Jason and Katie explore the tension between what communities truly value—curiosity, creativity, agency, belonging—and what accountability systems measure, often narrowing focus to reading and math scores. Jason calls for expanded scorecards that include performance-based assessments, authentic defenses of learning, and skills like critical thinking and collaboration.

Key topics covered in this episode include:

• 🏭 Challenging the compliance-driven “factory model” of schooling

• 📊 Using postsecondary outcome data to rethink high school design

• 🛠️ Making career and technical education foundational for all students

• ⏳ Deconstructing time to give learners autonomy and ownership

• 🤝 Building social cohesion by bringing diverse students together in shared learning spaces

• 📚 Expanding accountability beyond standardized tests to include authentic demonstrations of learning

• 🏫 Protecting and innovating within public schools as essential democratic spaces

Related Resources:

• Publication: School Redesign Playbook
  “Leaning into a school redesign process that centers learners by design is an opportunity to evolve our systems, structures, and practices that give us the best chance to fulfill the promises we make to each of our learners at every stage of their learning journeys.”
• Publication: Pathways to Possibility: Reimagining CTE in California’s Continuation High Schools
  “This report offers a snapshot of what’s possible when we listen to those closest to the work. It is a call to educators, leaders, policymakers, and funders to design with, not for, learners who are too often left out of innovation efforts.”
• System-Wide Big Move: Career Pathway Programs
  “Career pathway programs in K–12 education create opportunities for learners to explore, experience, and prepare for their futures. These programs connect academic knowledge to the tools, skills, and opportunities needed to succeed in today’s workplaces.”