Shaping Lifelong Learning for Students with Dr. Greg Taranto

What if the spaces we design for children today could shape how they learn for a lifetime?

In this episode, Mark Barga sits down with Dr. Greg Taranto, Superintendent of Canon-McMillan School District, to explore what happens when a growing district seizes the opportunity to reimagine elementary education. From an unexpected career pivot out of cardiac rehab to leading one of Pennsylvania's fastest-growing districts, Greg shares how Canon-McMillan is building more than a new school—they're building capacity for full-day kindergarten, balanced classrooms, and a future where every child feels like they belong.

Takeaways:

• Growth is an opportunity, not just a challenge: When your district is expanding rapidly, use construction projects to solve multiple problems at once—new capacity, balanced class sizes, and the launch of full-day kindergarten across the entire district

• Full-day kindergarten must look different than first grade: The extra time isn't about adding more academics—it's about structured play, developmentally appropriate practice, and giving interventions a head start before gaps widen

• Large buildings can still feel small: A "school within a school" neighborhood model ensures that even in a thousand-student facility, every child is known by name and every teacher is part of a tight-knit team

• Invest in teachers because they're "in the game": Administrators support from the sidelines, but teachers are the ones with students every day—involve them from day one on design, furniture, and classroom layout decisions

• Fiscal transparency builds community trust: When you show stakeholders exactly how much you've saved, how much you're borrowing, and what the long-term plan looks like, they see the value—especially once they can walk through the finished building

• Get kids outside and off screens: The research is clear—sunshine, movement, and unstructured play stimulate learning neurons. Outdoor learning spaces aren't a luxury; they're essential to how Canon-McMillan thinks about child development

About Dr. Greg Taranto:

Dr. Greg Taranto is a visionary and results-driven educational leader with extensive experience in K–12 administration, currently serving as Superintendent of the Canon-McMillan School District since July 2024. 

His 27 year career in education includes roles as Assistant to the Superintendent, Middle School Principal, Assistant Principal, Teacher and Coach. He is also an Adjunct Faculty member at Pennwest University, teaching in Superintendent & Principal Leadership Programs since January 2012.

Dr. Taranto has received numerous accolades, including Pennsylvania Principal of the Year (2012), Outstanding Research Publication Award (2012), and the Frank S. Manchester Journalism Award (2013). He has an extensive list of publications and professional presentations covering topics such as structured literacy, social media, leadership, and educational initiatives.

 

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Episode 310 of the Better Learning Podcast

For more information on our partners:

Association for Learning Environments (A4LE) - https://www.a4le.org/

Education Leaders' Organization - https://www.ed-leaders.org/

Second Class Foundation - https://secondclassfoundation.org/

EDmarket - https://www.edmarket.org/

Catapult @ Penn GSE - https://catapult.gse.upenn.edu/

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