PODCAST · education
A Slice with 'Dice
by Corey Alderdice
A Slice with ’Dice is a weekly podcast exploring leadership, talent development, and the human side of high-performing systems. Drawing on decades of experience in gifted education and public leadership, host Corey Alderdice examines how institutions identify potential, navigate change, and create cultures where people can thrive. Each episode blends thoughtful reflection with practical insight for educators, leaders, and anyone interested in how talent and transformation intersect in real-world settings.
Episodes
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Rethinking Reach, Target, and Safety Schools
Families often sort colleges into reach, target, and safety categories based more on reputation and instinct than evidence. But those labels aren't judgments about the colleges themselves—they describe the relationship between an individual student and a particular admissions landscape. Corey...
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Why One Campus Isn’t Enough
Some of America’s leading universities are outgrowing the idea of calling just one city home. Their expanding campus networks are redrawing the map of higher education—and the opportunities that come with it. Corey Alderdice, a national voice on talent and transformation, explores why…
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Before Colleges Evaluate the Student, They Evaluate the School
Students and families often obsess over acceptance rates, GPAs, and test scores as though college admissions exists on one giant national leaderboard. But before admissions officers evaluate the student, they first have to understand the school behind the transcript. Corey Alderdice, a national...
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The Messy Middle (Class) of College Costs
Families earning $200,000 a year are increasingly being told they qualify for significant college financial aid. That’s both a sign of progress in expanding access — and a startling reflection of just how expensive higher education has become. Corey Alderdice, a national voice on talent and...
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A Major Question About Undergraduate Minors
The undergraduate minor once served a simple purpose: it gave students a structured way to develop depth beyond their primary field of study. As universities move toward more flexible, workforce-oriented degree models, that raises a larger question about what may be lost when intellectual breadth...
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A "Minor" Quarrel Over Gender Studies at UALR
A political fight over an optional Gender Studies minor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock raises questions that go well beyond one program or one campus. When legislators use the appropriation process to press universities toward particular curricular outcomes, the issue becomes not…
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I Like My School. I Just Don’t Trust Public Education.
It is possible to like the school your child attends and still distrust public education. A new Gallup survey reveals the gap between local confidence and national dissatisfaction—and asks us to consider what people can actually see. Corey Alderdice, a national voice on talent and transformation,...
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(Encore) First Month Finished: A Gifted Parent’s Moment to Connect
The first month of school is often when the shine wears off and students begin carrying the real weight of routines, expectations, and belonging. For gifted students, the most important conversations may be the ones parents don’t force but make room for—about what is interesting, difficult…
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What the National Merit List Can—and Can’t—Tell Us
The annual National Merit Semifinalist list offers plenty to celebrate—but far less certainty than we sometimes attach to it. Geographic patterns can reveal real differences in access, preparation, and educational opportunity without serving as a reliable map of where talent—or school...
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Seeing the Whole School (Part 5): Proximity and Purpose in Practice
A school is always larger than the part of it we see most clearly. In the capstone episode of the series, the invitation to “see the whole school” becomes a concrete framework for understanding how the work actually fits together. Corey Alderdice, a national voice on talent and transformation,...
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“Guy-Fi” Lit and the Joy of Reading Again
What if the next big reading trend isn’t a formal genre at all, but a certain kind of story built around competence, camaraderie, irreverence, and a surprising amount of heart? From Dungeon Crawler Carl and Project Hail Mary to Murderbot and The Expanse, “Guy-Fi Lit” may be giving new and…
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Seeing the Whole School (Part 4): The Work of Translation
Healthy schools do not choose between the work closest to students and the work that sustains the institution. They learn how to translate between them within the Proximity and Purpose Continuum. Corey Alderdice, a national voice in talent and transformation, concludes the Seeing the Whole School...
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Don't Mistake Uncertainty for Inability (Or, Morte Vampir Morte)
Uncertainty has a way of disguising itself as a verdict. At the beginning of a new semester—or any unfamiliar season—the fact that we do not yet know what comes next can make us question whether we are capable of meeting it. Corey Alderdice, a national voice on talent and transformation, revisits...
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Seeing the Whole School (Part 3): The Work Beyond the Classroom
The work that sustains a school is not always the work people see first. Sometimes the relationships, resources, trust, and stewardship that make student opportunity possible are built long before they become visible. Corey Alderdice, a national voice in talent and transformation, expands the...
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Michigan's Plan to Give Students Time to Land
The first semester of college asks students to master far more than academics alone. What if giving them a little room to land could ultimately prepare them to reach even higher? Corey Alderdice, a national voice on talent and transformation, explores the University of Michigan’s decision to…
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Seeing the Whole School (Part 2): The Work Closest to Students
Some truths about a school can only be learned through daily proximity to students. They live in the classroom, the hallway, the advising conversation, the residence hall, the practice space, and the quiet moment when an adult notices that something has changed. Corey Alderdice, a national voice…
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The Most Telling New Product in Higher Education
A Facebook advertisement for a legal subscription service for college students seems like an oddly specific product—until you realize it makes perfect sense. Sometimes the newest products tell us less about the companies selling them and more about the institutions they're built around. Corey...
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Seeing the Whole School (Part 1): The Work Outside Our View
Every person in a school sees something real. But no one sees the whole school alone. Corey Alderdice, a national voice in talent and transformation, opens the Seeing the Whole School series by exploring how every role in a school comes with a distinct line of sight. Teachers, counselors…
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When Excellence and Opportunity Collide
Every summer, America seems to have the same argument about New York City's elite specialized high schools. But what if the real debate isn't about admissions at all—it's about asking one kind of school to serve two fundamentally different educational missions? Corey Alderdice, a national voice…
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College Before College (Part 9): Can Arkansas Become the National Model for Early College?
Arkansas may be emerging as one of the nation’s most ambitious laboratories for early college. Through the ACCESS Act, expanded concurrent-credit funding, a statewide goal for more students to earn associate degrees in high school, stronger transfer pathways, and performance-based funding tied to...
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Coming Soon: Seeing the Whole School
Each August, schools begin again. As a new year opens, it is worth asking not only what our own work requires, but how that work connects to the responsibilities carried by others. Corey Alderdice, a national voice in talent and transformation, previews Seeing the Whole School, a four-part August...
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Belonging Is Not an Accident (Part 4): When Belonging Became Political
Belonging may sound like one of the least controversial ideas imaginable. Yet in recent years, even the language of belonging has become politically charged in schools and institutions across the country. Why? Corey Alderdice, a national voice on talent and transformation, explores how belonging...
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College Before College (Part 8): Not Faster—Fuller
Curiosity isn’t disappearing from higher education—it’s being squeezed by cost, structure, and the pressure to get it right the first time. But what if the very tools designed to accelerate students could instead give that curiosity room to breathe? Corey Alderdice, a national voice on talent and...
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Cook Out, Chaos, and Why Students Need A Bigger Menu
A bizarre internet meme about Cook Out and its legendary tray menu sparks a surprisingly thoughtful reflection on schools, identity, and the environments that shape young people. What begins with the question “What if a main entrée was a side dish?” becomes a deeper conversation about…
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College Before College (Part 7): The Economics of Acceleration
As dual enrollment and concurrent credit continue expanding across the country, public conversations often focus on what students and families save through accelerated college pathways. But beneath the promise of affordability and access sits a more complicated question: who absorbs the actual…
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From Tiger Moms to “Beta Moms”
Parenting today can feel less like raising children and more like managing a complex, always-on operating system. Between achievement pressure, emotional labor, enrichment culture, and the invisible logistics of modern family life, many parents are beginning to ask whether childhood has become…
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College Before College (Part 6): Access Is Not the Same as Success
As dual enrollment and early college programs continue expanding across the country, educational systems often assume that academic readiness and institutional readiness are largely the same thing. But a recent WestEd report examining the “arc” of dual enrollment suggests that access alone does…
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Intellectual Sparring: When Debate Skills Become Leadership Blind Spots
For many former speech and debate students, rigorous disagreement doesn’t feel hostile. It feels energizing. Collaborative. Even connective. But what happens when the communication instincts forged in competitive forensics collide with leadership, relationships, and real-world organizational...
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College Before College (Part 5): Talent is Wider Than Opportunity
Dual enrollment and early college programs are often associated with already high-achieving students, but some of the strongest research findings suggest acceleration may have its greatest impact on students who historically have had the least access to advanced educational opportunities. As…
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The Debate Skills We Teach Are the Ones Society Is Losing
Americans still celebrate debate as a cornerstone of democracy, yet healthy disagreement feels increasingly rare in modern life. As algorithms reward outrage, certainty, and performance over curiosity and persuasion, the ability to thoughtfully engage opposing ideas may be becoming an endangered...
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College Before College (Part 4): What Should We Actually Measure?
As dual enrollment expands across the country, the conversation is beginning to shift from simple access and participation toward a more complicated question: how do we determine whether acceleration is truly working? A newly released research report from Columbia University’s Community College...
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How a Personal Pan Pizza Motivated a Generation to Read and Why It Still Matters
A free pizza for finishing a book may seem simple, but it was part of a larger effort to spark reading at a time when literacy was a growing national concern. Corey Alderdice, a national voice on talent and transformation, reflects on Pizza Hut’s Book It! program, blending personal memories with…
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College Before College (Part 3): The Blurring Line Between High School and College
As more students complete college-level coursework during high school, the traditional boundary between secondary education and higher education is beginning to blur. And that raises a much bigger question than simply how many credits students can earn before graduation. Corey Alderdice, a…
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When Good Isn’t Good Enough Anymore
Some students begin searching for something different long before anything appears “wrong” from the outside. The grades are strong, the friendships are there, and yet a growing sense of mismatch can quietly emerge between what students need and what their current environment provides. Corey...
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College Before College (Part 2): When Achievement Becomes Accumulation
Students today are accumulating more credentials, more transcript hours, and more visible markers of achievement than ever before. But as acceleration expands, an important question sits underneath the surface: are we beginning to confuse the accumulation of credits with the deeper work of…
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The "Former Gifted Kid" Problem Starts Earlier Than You Think
Gifted students are often the ones adults worry about the least. They make the grades, meet expectations, stay productive, and appear remarkably capable. But beneath that competence, many are quietly learning how to manage pressure, conceal struggle, and perform the version of themselves the…
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College Before College (Part 1): How Dual Enrollment Became Mainstream
Earning college credit in high school was once viewed as a specialized opportunity for a relatively small group of students. Today, acceleration has rapidly become mainstream, reshaping expectations for students, families, schools, and higher education itself. Corey Alderdice, a national voice on...
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This Wasn't Your Best Work
A single sentence can challenge us, motivate us, or make us feel small. The difference often comes down to trust. Corey Alderdice, a national voice on talent and transformation, explores the delicate balance between candor and care in education, reflecting on how teachers can hold students to…
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Why Demonstrated Interest Matters More Than Ever in Selective College Admissions
As selective college admissions continues to shift, strong students and families need to understand not only how to build a strong application—but how colleges interpret genuine interest. In this jumbo-sized episode, Corey Alderdice explores why “demonstrated interest” may play a greater role in...
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Tulane Killed the ‘Why Us?’ Essay. That Matters More Than You Think.
Why did Tulane drop its “Why Tulane?” essay—and what does that tell us about where college admissions is heading? The change may seem small, but it points to a larger shift from what students say about fit to what their application behavior reveals. Corey Alderdice, a national voice on talent and...
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Coming Soon: College Before College
Dual enrollment and early college programs have rapidly shifted from specialized opportunities into a defining feature of modern American education. Students are earning college credit earlier than ever before, but the rise of acceleration is also raising deeper questions about quality, purpose,...
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If It Surprises You, We Failed
Clarity doesn’t make a school easier—but it does make it more trustworthy. And in selective environments, that difference matters more than we often admit. Corey Alderdice, a national voice on talent and transformation, explores what it would mean to design schools with trust in mind from the…
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Rebuilding Trust in Colleges Isn’t a PR Problem
Higher education doesn’t have a messaging problem—it has a trust problem. And the more openly institutions acknowledge that reality, the more complicated the path forward becomes. Corey Alderdice, a national voice on talent and transformation, explores the tension at the heart of higher…
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Teacher Appreciation Week Got Meme-ed by the US Dept. of Education
A Teacher Appreciation Week meme campaign from the U.S. Department of Education may have been designed for engagement, but its fictional teacher choices revealed something deeper about how educators are feeling right now. Beneath the nostalgia and internet humor is a surprisingly honest portrait…
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Not Faster—Fuller: What Early College Credit Makes Possible
Curiosity isn’t disappearing from higher education—it’s being squeezed by cost, structure, and the pressure to get it right the first time. But what if the very tools designed to accelerate students could instead give that curiosity room to breathe? Corey Alderdice, a national voice on talent and...
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STARS College Network and the Future of Rural Talent
Some students grow up surrounded by opportunity so constantly that college feels like the next obvious step. For many small-town and rural students, though, the challenge is not a lack of talent, but the quieter difficulty of seeing ambitious futures clearly enough to believe they are truly…
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Belonging Is Not an Accident (Part 3): Choice, Scale, and the Obligation to Design
Belonging cannot be a boutique advantage. If mentorship, purpose, depth, and engagement truly predict long-term success, then designing for belonging isn’t a marketing strategy — it’s a moral obligation. Corey Alderdice, a national voice in talent and transformation, explores the tension between...
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Belonging Is Not an Accident (Part 2): Designing for S.P.A.C.E.
Schedule is never just about time. Assessment is never just about grades. If belonging truly predicts thriving, then the real question is whether our systems are aligned to produce it. Corey Alderdice, a national voice in talent and transformation, explores how the S.P.A.C.E. framework from...
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Belonging Is Not an Accident (Part 1): The Six Experiences That Predict Success
Belonging isn’t a soft idea. It’s a structural one. What if the strongest predictors of long-term success in college — and life — have less to do with prestige and more to do with experience? Corey Alderdice, a national voice in talent and transformation, explores the 2015 Gallup–Purdue research...
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Maxxed Out: Young Men, Old Scripts, and New Pressures
Masculinity is being optimized, marketed, and polarized in real time. But what if the real work is slower and more integrated? Corey Alderdice, a national voice in talent and transformation, explores the modern crisis among young men through the lens of fatherhood, literature, and cultural...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
A Slice with ’Dice is a weekly podcast exploring leadership, talent development, and the human side of high-performing systems. Drawing on decades of experience in gifted education and public leadership, host Corey Alderdice examines how institutions identify potential, navigate change, and create cultures where people can thrive. Each episode blends thoughtful reflection with practical insight for educators, leaders, and anyone interested in how talent and transformation intersect in real-world settings.
HOSTED BY
Corey Alderdice
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does A Slice with 'Dice have?
A Slice with 'Dice currently has 184 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is A Slice with 'Dice about?
A Slice with ’Dice is a weekly podcast exploring leadership, talent development, and the human side of high-performing systems. Drawing on decades of experience in gifted education and public leadership, host Corey Alderdice examines how institutions identify potential, navigate change, and create...
How often does A Slice with 'Dice release new episodes?
A Slice with 'Dice publishes regularly with 184 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to A Slice with 'Dice?
You can listen to A Slice with 'Dice on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts A Slice with 'Dice?
A Slice with 'Dice is created and hosted by Corey Alderdice.
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