EdNext Podcast

An education columnist for the Washington Post, Jay Mathews, joins Education Next editor-in-chief Marty West to discuss Mathews' new book, "An Optimist’s Guide to American Public Education," and The Challenge Index, Mathews' annual ranking of American high schools. An excerpt from the book, "What I Learned in 23 Years Ranking America’s Most Challenging High Schools," by Mathews, is available now. https://www.educationnext.org/what-i-learned-in-23-years-ranking-americas-most-challenging-high-schools/

An assistant professor at American University, Claudia Persico, joins Education Next editor-in-chief Marty West to discuss Persico's new research, which investigates whether students of color are being properly identified for special education. "Segregation and Racial Gaps in Special Education," written with Todd E. Elder, David Figlio, and Scott Imberman, is available now. https://www.educationnext.org/segregation-racial-gaps-special-education-new-evidence-on-debate-over-disproportionality/

A professor of psychology at the University of Virginia, Daniel T. Willingham, joins Education Next editor-in-chief Marty West to discuss how findings in education research can be better translated to help teachers in a live classroom setting. Willingham's article, "Making Education Research Relevant: How researchers can give teachers more choices," co-written with David B. Daniel, is available now. https://www.educationnext.org/making-education-research-relevant-how-researchers-can-give-teachers-more-choices/

The President of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, Mike Petrilli, joins Education Next editor-in-chief Marty West to discuss how education may remain changed since the Covid-19 pandemic, when teachers might return to schools full time, and why cameras in the classroom may be here to stay. Petrilli's article, "A Post-Covid Case for Classroom Cameras," is available now. https://www.educationnext.org/post-covid-case-classroom-cameras-pandemic-ends-keep-teachers-cameras-on/

The executive director of the Center for Assessment, Scott Marion, joins Education Next editor-in-chief Marty West to discuss the uncertainty surrounding annual math and reading assessments this spring, and what schools can do to maintain instruction and accountability in 2021.

The executive vice president of 50Can, Derrell Bradford, joins Education Next Editor-in-chief Marty West to discuss the ongoing school closures amid to Covid-19, and how this is essentially an extension of teacher union activism of the past few years. Bradford's blog post, "A Rolling National Teacher Strike Is Why Schools Are Closed," is available now. https://www.educationnext.org/rolling-national-teacher-strike-is-why-schools-are-closed/

The president of the American Federation of Teachers, Randi Weingarten, joins Education Next editor-in-chief Marty West to discuss efforts to reopen public schools, including President Joe Biden's goal to re-open K-8 schools within the administration's first 100 days.

An Associate Professor of Education and Economics at Boston University, Joshua Goodman, joins Education Next Editor-in-chief Marty West to discuss how remote learning during a pandemic affects the snow day calculus.

The Director of the Center for the Study of Government and the Individual at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, Joshua Dunn, joins Education Next Editor-in-chief Marty West to discuss how parents have filed lawsuits in efforts to open schools for in-person instruction, and how the Supreme Court might eventually weigh in on these cases. Dunn's article, "As Unions and Public Officials Push to Keep Schools Closed, Parents Fight Back," is available now. https://www.educationnext.org/unions-public-officials-push-keep-schools-closed-parents-fight-back/

A research scientist for the Collaborative for Student Growth at NWEA, Megan Kuhfeld, joins Education Next Editor-in-chief Marty West to discuss Kuhfeld's new study, which tracks student reading and math scores during the Covid-19 pandemic. Kuhfeld's blog post, "Reading Suffered Less Than Expected During Pandemic, New Fall 2020 Student Data Show," is available now. https://www.educationnext.org/reading-suffered-less-than-expected-during-pandemic-new-fall-2020-student-data-show/

An assistant professor of education at the University of Southern California Rossier School of Education, David Quinn, joins Education Next Editor-in-chief Marty West to discuss Quinn's new research, which investigates how standardized grading rubrics can help combat racial biases in schools. Quinn's article, "How to Reduce Racial Bias in Grading," is available now. https://www.educationnext.org/how-to-reduce-racial-bias-in-grading-research/

A senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, Beth Akers, joins Education Next Editor-in-chief Marty West to discuss the prospects of student loan forgiveness in a Biden presidential administration.

A Distinguished Senior Fellow and President Emeritus at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, Chester E. Finn, Jr., joins Education Next Editor-in-chief Marty West to discuss Sen. Lamar Alexander's impact on K-12 education over more than 50 years in government. Finn's article, "Leadership Makes a Difference: Lamar Alexander and K–12 Education," is available now. https://www.educationnext.org/leadership-makes-difference-lamar-alexander-and-k-12-education

The director of national research at EdChoice, Michael Q. McShane, joins Education Next Editor-in-chief Marty West to discuss the controversy surrounding for-profit charter schools.

The Director of the Center for the Study of Government and the Individual at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, Joshua Dunn, joins Education Next Editor-in-chief Marty West to discuss the lasting impact of the Supreme Court's Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue decision. They also discuss Amy Coney Barrett's confirmation hearing and her potential effect on the court.

A professor at Harvard University and the director of the Democratic Knowledge Project, Danielle S. Allen, and the CEO of Amplify, Larry Berger, join Education Next Editor-in-chief Marty West to discuss Portrait of a Tyrant, a video game designed for students to learn about the Declaration of Independence. The game is available for free at portraitofatyrant.com.

Education Next Editor-in-chief Marty West is joined by the author of “Teaching in the Online Classroom,” Doug Lemov, and by educators Hilary Lewis and Hannah Solomon, to discuss how teachers and students can best adapt to an online learning environment.

The former executive director of the District of Columbia Public Charter School Board, Scott Pearson, joins Education Next Editor-in-chief Marty West to discuss what lessons Pearson learned during his time in that role. A blog post by Pearson, "5 Things We Learned in D.C. About How to Advance Charter Schools," is available now. https://www.educationnext.org/5-things-we-learned-d-c-how-to-advance-charter-schools/

A professor of economics and education at the University of Virginia, Sarah Turner, joins Education Next Editor-in-chief Marty West to discuss how canceled college admission tests and test-optional policies in the wake of Covid-19 are affecting equity in college admissions.

Two editors of the new book Religious Liberty and Education: A case study of Yeshivas vs. New York, joined Education Next editor in chief Martin West to discuss the book. The guests were the director of policy for EdChoice, Jason Bedrick, and a distinguished professor and chair of the Department of Education Reform at the University of Arkansas, Jay P. Greene.

The Henry Lee Shattuck Professor of Government at Harvard University and the senior editor of Education Next, Paul E. Peterson, joins Editor-in-chief Marty West to discuss Peterson's new research, which compares student achievement over time between students in charter schools and traditional district schools. "Charter Schools Show Steeper Upward Trend in Student Achievement than District Schools," by Peterson and M. Danish Shakeel, is available now. https://www.educationnext.org/charter-schools-show-steeper-upward-trend-student-achievement-first-nationwide-study

A professor of political science at City College of New York-CUNY and senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, Daniel DiSalvo, joins Education Next Editor-in-chief Marty West to discuss the durable clout of teachers unions following the Supreme Court's Janus decision that had been predicted to weaken the unions. He also discusses whether New York City could be on the verge of its first teacher strike since 1975. "Teachers Unions in the Post-Janus World," by DiSalvo and Michael Hartney, is available now. https://www.educationnext.org/teachers-unions-post-janus-world-defying-predictions-still-hold-major-clout/

The authors of Common-Sense Evidence: The Education Leader’s Guide to Using Data and Research, Nora Gordon and Carrie Conaway, join Education Next Editor-in-chief Marty West to discuss how leaders and educators can bridge the divide between academic research and real-time classroom application. "To Broaden Evidence Use Beyond the Federal Law’s Requirements, Use Common Sense," is available now. https://www.educationnext.org/to-broaden-evidence-use-beyond-the-federal-laws-requirements-use-common-sense/

The Senior Editor of Education Next, Paul E. Peterson, joins Editor-in-chief Marty West to discuss the results from the 2020 edition of the Education Next survey, including how the Covid-19 pandemic may have shaped public opinion on digital learning.

In a special crossover with The Education Exchange, the Editor in Chief of Education Next, Marty West, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss findings from the 2020 Education Next survey, which reveals what American parents and teachers think of quality of the instruction their children received after schools closed their doors in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. "What American Families Experienced When Covid-19 Closed Their Schools," by Michael B. Henderson, David Houston, Paul E. Peterson and Martin R. West, is available now. https://www.educationnext.org/what-american-families-experienced-when-covid-19-closed-schools-2020-survey

The author of A Fine Line: How Most American Kids Are Kept Out of the Best Public Schools, Tim DeRoche, joins Education Next Editor-in-chief Marty West to discuss his new book and how low-income children are assigned to failing public schools, rather than closer, high-performing schools, thanks to attendance zones drawn by districts. DeRoche's article for Education Next, "Public-School Attendance Zones Violate a Civil Rights Law," is available now. https://www.educationnext.org/public-school-attendance-zones-violate-civil-rights-law-equal-educational-opportunities-act-a-fine-line/

The CEO of the Silicon Schools Fund, Brian Greenberg, joins Education Next Editor-in-chief Marty West to discuss how schools have transitioned well to distance learning during the Covid-19 pandemic, and others have struggled. Greenberg's post, "What We’ve Learned from Distance Learning, and What it Means for the Future," is available now. https://www.educationnext.org/what-weve-learned-from-distance-learning-what-it-means-for-future-improving-online-education/

Education reporter David Loewenberg joins Education Next Editor-in-chief Marty West to discuss Loewenberg's new article, which investigates the declining numbers of teens working during the summer, and how this trend has researchers and educators worried. Loewenberg's article, "Summer School Is the New Summer Job: Why fewer teens are working—and why it matters," is available now. https://www.educationnext.org/summer-school-new-summer-job-why-fewer-teens-are-working-why-it-matters/

The co-founder and chief executive officer at New Classrooms, Joel Rose, joins Education Next Editor-in-chief Marty West to discuss Rose's new article, which details the "Iceberg Problem," and how many students can be harmed by grade-level math instruction. Rose's article, "The Grade-Level Expectations Trap: How lockstep math lessons leave students behind," is available now. https://www.educationnext.org/grade-level-expectations-trap-how-lockstep-math-lessons-leave-students-behind/

The 43rd Governor of the State of Florida and the President and Chairman of the Foundation for Excellence in Education, Jeb Bush, joins Education Next Editor-in-chief Marty West for the 200th episode of the EdNext Podcast. Gov. Bush discusses his experience managing crises, as well as some of the best practices to continue education during the Covid-19 pandemic shutdowns. Gov. Bush recently wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post, "It’s time to embrace distance learning — and not just because of the coronavirus." https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/05/03/jeb-bush-its-time-embrace-distance-learning-not-just-because-coronavirus/

A visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, John Bailey, joins Education Next Editor-in-chief Marty West to discuss Bailey's new study, which details how students and teachers can plan to return to physical school buildings in the 2020-21 academic year amid the Covid-19 pandemic. "It's going to be a lot of creative problem-solving to tackle this.," Bailey says. The report was developed with the help of "an all-star group" of 19 former education officials. "A Blueprint for Back to School," by Bailey and Frederick Hess, is available now: https://www.educationnext.org/a-blueprint-for-back-to-school-what-will-it-take-get-schools-ready-coronavirus-covid-19/

The CEO of Chiefs for Change, Mike Magee, joins Education Next Editor-in-chief Marty West to discuss how schools are responding to challenges posed by the novel coronavirus. "One of our members said to us on a call this past week that this is the earthquake and it's going to be followed by a tsunami when it comes to district budgets," Magee says. "Every district in America is going to have to significantly rethink the roles of adults in all of their school buildings." The full report, "Schools and Covid-19: How Districts and State Education Systems are Responding to the Pandemic," is available now. https://schoolsandcovid19.org

A former deputy director of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Lynn Olson, joins Education Next Editor-in-chief Marty West to discuss her new report from FutureEd. It details how standardized testing has come under bipartisan attack, and what will need for change for testing to survive. Read "Statewide Standardized Assessments Were in Peril Even Before the Coronavirus. Now They’re Really in Trouble," by Olson, who is a senior fellow at FutureEd, and Craig Jerald. https://www.educationnext.org/statewide-standardized-assessments-were-in-peril-before-coronavirus-bipartisan-backlash/

A senior fellow at Mathematica and director of REL Mid- Atlantic, Brian P. Gill, joins Education Next Editor-in-chief Marty West to discuss what schools can do to measure what is happening during distance learning. Read Gill's blog post, "Using Transparency To Create Accountability When School Buildings Are Closed and Tests Are Canceled." https://www.educationnext.org/using-transparency-create-accountability-school-buildings-are-closed-tests-canceled-coronavirus-covid-19/

An executive editor of Education Next and president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, Mike Petrilli, joins Editor-in-chief Marty West to discuss how median SAT scores show that colleges have raised their selectivity standards since 1985. Read "Yes, It Really Is Harder to Get into Highly Selective Colleges Today," by Petrilli and Pedro Enamorado. https://www.educationnext.org/yes-it-really-is-harder-to-get-into-highly-selective-colleges-today-comparison-sat-scores-over-time/

A Research Professor at Georgetown University and Director of the Edunomics Lab, Marguerite Roza, joins Education Next Editor-in-chief Marty West to discus what how recent financial instability could affect public education. Roza recently delivered a webinar on this subject, and the slides from it are available here. https://edunomicslab.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Financial-turmoil-Final.pdf

A visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, John Bailey, joins Education Next Editor-in-chief Marty West to discuss how closing schools is a crucial step to mitigating the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. Read Bailey's blog post, "Closing Schools To Slow a Pandemic." https://www.educationnext.org/closing-schools-to-slow-a-pandemic-coronavirus-covid-19-public-health/

A co-founder of and a distinguished fellow at the Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation, Michael Horn, joins Education Next Editor-in-chief Marty West. They discuss how the coronavirus-caused move to online learning could result in poor substitutes for face-to-face classes. That may wind up eventually slowing, rather than accelerating, the progress of online learning.

A senior researcher at Mathematica, Ira Nichols-Barrer, and the executive director of KIPP Massachusetts, Caleb Dolan, join Education Next Editor-in-chief Marty West to discuss a new study by Mathematica that shows charter middle schools can increase the likelihood of enrolling in college. A blog post by Nichols-Barrer, Philip Gleason, and Thomas Coen on the study is available here: https://www.educationnext.org/new-research-kipp-charter-middle-schools-can-improve-early-college-outcomes/

A professor of education policy at the University of Southern California Rossier School of Education, Julie A. Marsh, joins Education Next editor-in-chief Marty West to discuss education reform in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Read "Building on Shaky Ground: Reforming a divided school system in Los Angeles," by Marsh and Susan Bush-Mecenas. https://www.educationnext.org/building-shaky-ground-reforming-divided-school-system-los-angeles/

An associate professor of higher education at Boston College, Angela Boatman, joins Education Next Editor-in-chief Marty West to discuss new research that investigates the effectiveness of two Tennessee policies that offered alternatives to traditional remediation requirements for college math. Her article, "Is College Remediation a Barrier or Boost?," co-written with Thomas J. Kane, Whitney Kozakowski, Christopher Bennett, Rachel Hitch, and Dana Weisenfeld, is available now. https://www.educationnext.org/college-remediation-barrier-boost-evidence-from-tennessee/

The founder of the Charles Sposato Graduate School of Education, Mike Goldstein (pictured), sits down with Education Next editor-in-chief Marty West to discuss how "fixed" income share agreements have made the school an attractive destination, reducing risk for students and increasing transparency of outcomes. Goldstein and Scott McCue wrote the recent Education Next blog post, "How Income Share Agreements Helped our Education School Grow." https://www.educationnext.org/how-income-share-agreements-helped-education-school-grow

An associate professor at the School of Public Affairs at American University, Seth Gershenson, joins Education Next editor-in-chief Marty West to discuss Gershenson's new article, "End the Easy A," which explores how grade inflation affect student success. The full article is available here: https://www.educationnext.org/end-easy-a-tougher-grading-standards-set-students-up-success/

A group from Excel Academy in Boston joined Education Next Editor-in-chief Marty West to discuss how the charter network works to accommodate students with special needs, including English language learners and those with disabilities, into their program. Included in the discussion are chief executive officer Owen Stearns, network director of student supports Sarah Kantrowitz, and ELL specialist Lucero Castillo. Excel Academy was featured in the article "Inclusion in Action" by E. B. Solomont. https://www.educationnext.org/inclusion-action-expectations-for-all-excel-academy-boston/

Robin J. Lake, the director of the Center on Reinventing Public Education at University of Washington Bothell, joins Education Next Editor-in-chief Marty West to discuss how school choice has succeeded in Indianapolis. Read Lake's full article, "The Hoosier Way: Good choices for all in Indianapolis." https://www.educationnext.org/hoosier-way-good-choices-for-all-indianapolis/

Joshua Dunn, a professor of political science at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, joins Education Next Editor-in-chief Marty West to discuss the Supreme Court case Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, which challenges Montana’s ban on tax-credit scholarships to religious schools. Dunn broke down the oral arguments further in "Burying Blaine?," available here: https://www.educationnext.org/espinoza-v-montana-oral-arguments-blaine-supreme-court/

Michael J. Petrilli, president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute and an executive editor at Education Next, joins Editor-in-chief Marty West to discuss the Common Core State Standards Initiative and why there is still time to see positive results from the shift to national standards. Read his full essay, as well as two alternate stances, in our forum, “A Decade On, Has Common Core Failed?” https://www.educationnext.org/stay-course-on-national-standards-forum-decade-on-has-common-core-failed/ https://www.educationnext.org/decade-on-has-common-core-failed-impact-national-standards-forum-polikoff-petrilli-loveless/

Education Next Editor-in-chief Marty West and Managing Editor Ira Stoll sit down to review the Top 20 articles and Top 10 blog posts of 2019. https://www.educationnext.org/top-20-education-next-articles-2019/ https://www.educationnext.org/top-10-education-next-blog-entries-2019/

Morgan Polikoff, an Associate Professor at the Rossier School of Education at USC, joins Education Next Editor-in-chief Marty West to discuss a new report which studies the quality of online curriculum materials available to teachers. Polikoff recently wrote a blog post "The Supplemental Curriculum Bazaar" for Education Next, and his full report, co-authored with Jennifer Dean, is available. https://www.educationnext.org/supplemental-curriculum-bazaar-is-whats-online-any-good/ https://fordhaminstitute.org/national/research/supplemental-curriculum-bazaar

Michael B. Horn, the co-founder of the Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation, sits down with EdNext Editor-in-chief Marty West to discuss how to juggle the different paths through college, from the options in traditional higher education to certificate first programs. Horn and co-author Clark G. Gilbert explored this further in an article for Education Next, "A Certificate, Then a Degree." https://www.educationnext.org/certificate-then-degree-programs-help-tackle-college-completion-crisis/