Class Disrupted

Latest Episodes:

How America’s Oldest Nonprofit Aims to Drive the Future of Education Dec 12, 2023

Show notes

Timothy Knowles, President of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, joins Diane and Michael to discuss how this historic foundation looks to drive the future of American education. On K–12, they discuss why Carnegie has partnered with ETS and why they are seeking to assess a broader array of skills—not just focus on the standards that are already assessed. They also dive into Carnegie’s push to undo the Carnegie Unit and move toward a competency-based system. Knowles also shares details on the Foundation’s efforts to prioritize social and economic mobility in higher ed by changing how they classify colleges and universities.

https://archive.org/download/ep-4_20231209/EP%204.mp3

Episode transcript:

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A Student’s View on the Challenges and Possibilities of AI in Education Nov 28, 2023

Show notes

AI expert and Minerva University senior Irhum Shafkat joins Michael and Diane to discuss where AI has been, where it’s going, and the rate at which it’s moving. We also discuss the many forms the technology takes, its implications for humanity, and, of course, its applications in education – as told by a student.

https://archive.org/download/d63c4653-fef7-48cf-a49f-d6cd84e31bb6/d63c4653-fef7-48cf-a49f-d6cd84e31bb6.mp3

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Does America have a new definition of success? Nov 14, 2023

Show notes

Todd Rose returns to share compelling findings about what Americans do and don’t want from their schools, institutions and lives. Spoiler alert! They are rejecting fame, fortune and higher ed as markers of success, and instead want community and financial security. Michael and Diane explore what this might mean for schools.

https://archive.org/download/62982-audio/62982%20Audio.mp3

Episode transcript:

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Back in Conversation: New Beginnings on Class Disrupted Oct 30, 2023

Show notes

Back for Season 5, Michael and Diane catch up on their summers and book reading, Diane’s new entrepreneurial venture, PointB, the season ahead—and then offer some hot takes on the reading wars and Lucy Caulkins, four-year college-for-all, and education jargon.

https://archive.org/download/62331-future-of-education-class-disrupt-ep-1-v-2/62331_Future%20of%20Education_Class%20Disrupt%20Ep1_V2.mp3

Episode transcript:

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Season 4, Episode 18: Anxiety, Fear, and the Importance of Listening Jun 19, 2023

Show notes

In their last episode of the season, Diane and Michael delve into the role fear and anxiety may be playing behind the community outbursts that have bedeviled so many school leaders. And they suggest a path forward that doesn’t seek to show why one side is wrong, but instead starts with deep listening and empathy.

https://archive.org/download/class-disrupted-s-4-e-18-final/Class%20Disrupted%20S4%20E18%20final.mp3

Episode transcript:

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Season 4, Episode 17: Learning in Public Jun 05, 2023

Show notes

Michael and Diane grapple with a concept that pushes their understandings of the test-and-learn approach in education innovation and see the beauty of embracing a child-like approach to learning and exploring boundaries to understand where new ideas work—and maybe more importantly, where they break.

https://archive.org/download/class-disrupted-s-4-e-17-final/Class%20Disrupted%20S4%20E17%20final.mp3

Episode transcript:

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Season 4, Episode 16: Is Legislation the Best Way to Finish the ‘Reading Wars’? May 22, 2023

Show notes

Michael and Diane talk about one of the biggest things to come out of the pandemic: the groundswell movement from parents and others to finally teach children how to read in line with the best evidence from the science of reading. And they express misgivings of whether a legislative approach that bans certain teaching approaches will ultimately help each and every student learn—and ponder the downsides of such an approach.

https://archive.org/download/class-disrupted-s-4-e-16-final/Class%20Disrupted%20S4%20E16%20final.mp3

Episode transcript:

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Season 4, Episode 15: How Hardening Schools Could Harm Students May 08, 2023

Show notes

In the aftermath of horrific school shootings across the country, schools have instituted a range of security measures. Diane and Michael argue that these steps likely have a cost in eroding mental health, which may further contribute to violence in schools and society. The point isn’t that schools shouldn’t “harden” per se, but that these steps are design decisions—and that schools must be more intentional about the ones they make, and why.

https://archive.org/download/class-disrupted-s-4-e-15-final/Class%20Disrupted%20S4%20E15%20final.mp3

Episode transcript:

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Season 4, Episode 14: How to Design a College Alternative Apr 24, 2023

Show notes

With declining enrollment becoming a staple in American higher education and more students and families souring on the expense of a college education, Diane points out that this can an opportunity—and then puts Michael to the entrepreneurial test in designing what a college alternative might look like.

https://archive.org/download/class-disrupted-s-4-e-14-final/Class%20Disrupted%20S4%20E14%20final.mp3

Episode transcript:

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Season 4, Episode 13: Reflections, Insights, and Lessons Learned from Leading Summit Apr 10, 2023

Show notes

As Diane Tavenner prepares to step down from 20 years of founding and leading Summit Public Schools, she shares some of her lessons from which educators, policymakers, and parents can all learn. Hint: It’s all about the students.

https://archive.org/download/class-disrupted-s-4-e-13-final/Class%20Disrupted%20S4%20E13%20final.mp3

Episode transcript:

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