On this week’s Education Gadfly Show podcast, Kristen Huff, the vice president of assessment and research at Curriculum Associates, joins Mike and David to discuss the academic performance our youngest students in the wake of the pandemic. Then, on the Research Minute, Amber examines a new study investigating the demographic effects of test-optional policies at selective universities. Recommended content:  “The Youngest Pandemic Children Are Now in School, and Struggling” —New York Times Ethan Young and Kelsey Young, “Student growth in the post-COVID era,” Curriculum Associates (June 202 ..read more

On this week’s Education Gadfly Show podcast, Marguerite Roza, the director of the Edunomics Lab and a research professor at Georgetown University, joins Mike and David to discuss how schools and school systems can downsize in response to declining enrollment. Then, on the Research Minute, Adam examines a new study investigating the academic impacts of ESSER funding, the largest one-time federal investment in public schools in history. Recommended content:  “The math of school closures: How district leaders should navigate the perfect storm of budget shortfalls and declining student enro ..read more

On this week’s Education Gadfly Show podcast, Alina Adams, a New York Times best-selling author, joins Mike and David to discuss the parenting lessons she learned from watching “Young Sheldon.” Then, on the Research Minute, Adam examines a new study investigating the rigor (or lack thereof) of online credit recovery courses. Recommended content:  “I watched the parenting on ‘Young Sheldon’… and did the exact opposite” —Alina Adams, Education Next “Fun fact: ‘Young Sheldon’ provides insight into parenting bright children” —Jonathan Plucker, Education Next “Time to press ‘pause’ on credit ..read more

On this week’s Education Gadfly Show podcast, Robert Pondiscio, a senior fellow at Fordham and the American Enterprise Institute, joins Mike and David to discuss the lack of curriculum oversight in American schools. Then, on the Research Minute, Amber examines a new study of whether aspiring teachers’ professional references predict their later performance. Recommended content:  “How public schools became ideological boot camps” —Robert Pondiscio, The Free Press “Taking curriculum implementation seriously” —Robert Pondiscio, Fordham Institute Dan Goldhaber, Cyrus Grout, and Malcolm Wolff ..read more

On this week’s Education Gadfly Show podcast, Alex Spurrier, an associate partner at Bellwether, joins Mike and David to discuss whether schools in low-income neighborhoods receive less funding than their affluent counterparts. Then, on the Research Minute, Amber examines a new study investigating state finance reforms that secure lasting budget increases for districts. Recommended content:  Alex Spurrier, Bonnie O’Keefe, and Biko McMillan, “Leveling the landscape: An analysis of K–12 funding inequities within metro areas,” Bellwether (May 2024).  "Low- and high-income schools now r ..read more

On this week’s Education Gadfly Show podcast, Dr. Katie Jenner, the Indiana secretary of education, joins Mike and David to discuss a proposed, alternative high school diploma in the Hoosier state. Then, on the Research Minute, Amber examines a new study investigating early indicators for college readiness. Recommended content:  “Indiana’s new diplomas emphasize flexibility for older students, but some requirements are controversial” —Chalkbeat “We all agree that college isn’t for everyone. We should start acting like it.” —Michael Petrilli, Fordham Institute  Brian Holzman and Hora ..read more

On this week’s Education Gadfly Show podcast, Daniel Buck, Fordham’s policy and editorial associate, joins Mike and David to discuss whether and how elementary schools should teach reading comprehension. Then, on the Research Minute, Amber examines a new study investigating the short- and long-term impacts of school closures in the 1990s. Recommended content:  Daniel Buck, “Think again: Should elementary schools teach reading comprehension?” Fordham Institute (May 2024).  "At long last, E.D. Hirsch, Jr. gets his due: New research shows big benefits from Core Knowledge” —Robert Pondi ..read more

In a special National Charter Schools Week Education Gadfly Show podcast, Brian Kisida, an assistant professor at the University of Missouri, joins Mike and David to discuss whether charters have impeded racial integration in American schools. Then, on the Research Minute, Amber examines a new study investigating if intensive English learner programs benefit students. Recommended content:  “70 years after Brown v. Board of Education, new research shows rise in school segregation” —Carrie Spector, Stanford Education Tomas Monarrez, Brian Kisida, and Matthew M. Chingos. “The effect of char ..read more

On this week’s Education Gadfly Show podcast, Marian Tupy, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute and the founder and editor of HumanProgress.org, joins Mike and David to discuss the incredible progress that humanity has made over millennia, and what schools might do to better teach kids that our past, present, and future is not all doom and gloom. Then, on the Research Minute, Amber examines a new study investigating if education savings accounts increase tuition costs at private schools. Recommended content:  Ten global trends every smart person should know: And many others you will fin ..read more

On this week’s Education Gadfly Show podcast, Joshua Dunn, Executive Director of the Institute of American Civics at the University of Tennessee, joins Mike and David to discuss how public schools will be affected by the end of the Chevron deference—the judicial doctrine in which courts defer to federal agencies’ reasonable interpretations of ambiguous statutes. Then, on the Research Minute, Amber examines a new paper criticizing the famous STAR class size study. Recommended content:  “Fishing for rules” —Joshua Dunn, Education Next “The case for the supreme court to overturn Chevron Def ..read more