Designing Systems for Equity and Student Success at North Marion School District

In this episode of The So What Podcast, host Shweta Gandhi sits down with Desiree Kiesel, Director of Teaching and Learning at North Marion School District in Oregon. Serving a rural district of about 1,600 students located between Portland and Salem, Desiree works at the center of what Shweta calls the “messy middle” of education—where strategy, systems, and classroom practice intersect.

Shweta and Desiree explore what it means to move from a school-level leadership role into district-level systems thinking. Desiree shares how her experience as a principal, and earlier work in the Small Schools Movement, shaped her belief that schools must adapt to the needs of their students rather than expecting students to adapt to traditional school models. At North Marion, that mindset has guided efforts to rethink literacy instruction, strengthen equity-focused practices, and ensure the district’s systems actually support the needs of a rapidly changing student population.

Throughout the conversation, Desiree walks through how the district uses data to identify gaps—particularly for English learners, Latinx students, and students with disabilities, and then builds targeted systems to address them. She highlights how strategies like high-dosage tutoring, curriculum alignment, culturally responsive teaching, and rapid improvement cycles are helping the district move from insight to action.

Key Moments

03:21 Moving from principal to district-level leadership

05:33 Rethinking traditional models of school

06:54 The Small Schools Movement and career pathways

09:41 Bringing innovation to a small rural district

13:28 Using rapid improvement cycles to guide change

15:09 Identifying achievement gaps through data

17:03 Disaggregating data to understand student needs

19:46 Looking beyond state assessments for deeper insight

21:18 High-dosage tutoring to close literacy gaps

23:42 Addressing gaps for language learners and students with disabilities

26:30 Implementing culturally responsive teaching practices

30:04 Evaluating curriculum through an equity lens

32:05 Using data to redesign curriculum and instruction

35:51 Current challenges facing district leaders

Why You’ll Love This Episode

This episode provides a clear example of how district leaders can connect data, systems, and classroom practice to improve outcomes for students. Desiree shares how North Marion’s small size allows the district to quickly test ideas, learn from the data, and make adjustments—an approach rooted in continuous improvement rather than long implementation cycles.

You will also hear a powerful perspective on equity and instructional design. Desiree explains how culturally responsive teaching, curriculum alignment, and high-dosage tutoring can work together to address achievement gaps while supporting teachers in their daily work. Her insights highlight how thoughtful leadership and clear systems can help districts move beyond analysis into meaningful action.

Connect with Desiree Kiesel | Director of Teaching and Learning, North Marion School District

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/desiree-kiesel-a2703821
Website: https://www.nmarion.k12.or.us/

Connect with Shweta Gandhi and Strived

Shweta Gandhi | Founder and CEO, Strived

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shwetasharma1

Strived
Website: https://strived.io/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/strived-io/

About The So What Podcast

The So What Podcast explores how school system leaders make sense of complexity when data, strategy, and real classroom outcomes are misaligned. The show is designed for district and charter leaders working to turn fragmented information, competing priorities, and limited capacity into clear decisions that improve teaching, learning, and long-term sustainability.

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to The So What Podcast for more conversations with leaders working to transform data into meaningful action for schools and students.