EdNext Podcast

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Ep. 139 - Nov. 7, 2018: Lessons from an Effort to Reform Teacher Evaluation Nov 07, 2018

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For four years, Tom Kane ran a project for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation which offered to help a set of school districts develop new ways of evaluating teacher effectiveness. He talks with EdNext's Marty West about lessons to be learned from that effort. Kane, the Walter H. Gale Professor of Education and Economics at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, is the author of "Develop and Validate — Then Scale: Lessons from the Gates Foundation’s Effective Teaching Strategy." The article is available at: https://www.educationnext.org/develop-validate-scale-lessons-gates-foundation-effective-teaching-strategy/

Ep. 138 - Oct. 31, 2018: What is the Value of Homework? Oct 31, 2018

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While many parents worry that their children are assigned too much homework, studies show that American students do very little homework, on average. Janine Bempechat, clinical professor of human development and the author of a new article, "The Case for (Quality) Homework." talks with Marty West why homework improves learning and how parents can help. Read Professor Bempechat's article here: https://www.educationnext.org/case-for-quality-homework-improves-learning-how-parents-can-help/

Ep. 137 - Oct. 24, 2019: How Did Massachusetts Charter Schools Become the Best in the Country? Oct 24, 2018

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Does Massachusetts really have the best charter schools in the country? If it does, why is the charter sector growing so slowly in the state? In this episode, Marty West talks with Cara Stillings Candal, the author of a new book on charter schools in Massachusetts, The Fight for the Best Charter Public Schools in the Nation. She wrote a blog entry for Education Next based on her new book. You can read it here: https://www.educationnext.org/fight-for-the-best-charter-schools-in-the-country-what-massachusetts-got-right-wrong/

Ep. 136 - Oct. 17, 2018: An Arts Educator Wins the Global Teacher Prize Oct 17, 2018

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Earlier this year, the Global Teacher Prize was awarded to Andria Zafirakou, an arts educator at an inner city secondary school in London. Zafirakou joins Marty West to talk about how she uses the arts to inspire the students in her school and and her plan to use the $1 million prize to launch a charity supporting arts education in the UK.

Ep. 135 - Oct. 10, 2018: Thinking Clearly About the Goals of Education Oct 10, 2018

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Should data drive decision-making in education policy or should data be used in the service of our values? Harry Brighouse and Susanna Loeb join Marty West to discuss how the tools of philosophy and social science can help policymakers make better decisions. Brighouse and Loeb, along with Helen Ladd and Adam Swift, are the authors of Educational Goods: Values, Evidence, and Decision-Making. David Steiner reviewed the book for EdNext here: https://www.educationnext.org/contemplative-approach-education-policy-book-review-education-goods-brighouse-ladd-loeb-swift/

Ep. 134 - Oct. 3, 2018: Health Benefits for Retired Teachers Strain State Budgets Oct 03, 2018

Show notes

In many school districts, teachers receive generous health care benefits even after they retire, but states and school districts have not been putting aside sufficient funds to pay for those promises. In many school districts, teachers receive generous health care benefits even after they retire, but states and school districts have not been putting aside sufficient funds to pay for those promises. Chad Aldeman joins EdNext editor-in-chief Marty West to discuss his article, "Health Care for Life: Will teachers' post-retirement benefits break the bank?" available at https://www.educationnext.org/health-care-for-life-will-teachers-post-retirement-benefits-break-bank/

Ep. 133 - Sept. 26, 2018: Getting Inclusion Right Sep 26, 2018

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Including students with disabilities in regular classsrooms is a worthy goal, but it may not always be the best way of serving children with disabilities. It can also sometimes have negative consequences for teachers and for students without disabilities. Allison Gilmour, an assistant professor of special education at Temple University, joins EdNext editor-in-chief Marty West to discuss her article, “Has Inclusion Gone Too Far?” Read the full article here: https://www.educationnext.org/has-inclusion-gone-too-far-weighing-effects-students-with-disabilities-peers-teachers/

Ep. 132 - Sept. 19, 2018: What It Was Like to Go On Strike Sep 19, 2018

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In Oklahoma, teachers walked out for nine days this April to demand better pay and more spending on schools. Eleanor Goetzinger, a special ed teacher and behavior specialist in the Oklahoma City Public Schools, talks with Marty West about what the strike meant for her, for her students, and for schools in Oklahoma.

Ep. 131 - Sept. 12, 2018: The Role of the Inspector General in Education Policy Sep 12, 2018

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The Office of the Inspector General from the U.S. Department of Education is widely respected for its efforts to ferret out waste, fraud and abuse, but what happens when the OIG starts making policy recommendations? Jason Delisle, a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, joins EdNext Editor-in-chief Marty West to discuss the involvement of the OIG in policymaking. Delisle is the co-author, with Nat Malkus, of "Inspecting the Inspector General: Should Auditors Set the Terms of Debate on Federal Education Policy," available at https://www.educationnext.org/inspecting-inspector-general-should-auditors-set-terms-debate-federal-education-policy/

Ep. 130 - Sept. 5, 2018: Does Teacher Coaching Work? Sep 05, 2018

Show notes

When teachers open their classroom doors and allow trained coaches to observe them and offer feedback, the teachers' instruction improves. But can this form of teacher professional development be taken to scale? Matthew Kraft, an associate professor of education and economics at Brown University, sits down with EdNext editor-in-chief Marty West to discuss his article, “Taking Teacher Coaching To Scale,” co-written with David Blazar. Read the full article here: https://www.educationnext.org/taking-teacher-coaching-to-scale-can-personalized-training-become-standard-practice/

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