EdNext Podcast

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Ep. 159 - April 17. 2019: Keeping Social and Emotional Learning on the Right Path Apr 17, 2019

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Russ Whitehurst, nonresident fellow at the Urban Institute and professor emeritus of psychology and pediatrics at Stony Brook University, joins EdNext Editor-in-chief Marty West to discuss his half of a recent forum on social and emotional learning, "A Prevalence of 'Policy-Based Evidence-Making.'" https://www.educationnext.org/prevalence-policy-based-evidence-making-forum-should-schools-embrace-social-emotional-learning/ https://www.educationnext.org/should-schools-embrace-social-emotional-learning-debating-merits-costs-forum-balfanz-whitehurst/

Ep. 158 - April 10, 2019: Supporting Social and Emotional Development to Boost Academic Success Apr 10, 2019

Show notes

Some believe that growing interest in social and emotional learning is just a distraction from the academic mission of schools, but Robert Balfanz argues that only by educating the whole child can schools prepare students for adult success. Today Marty West talks with Balfanz about why he thinks social and emotional learning is a natural outgrowth of the standards and accountability movement and about the research behind his views. Balfanz is a research professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Education and the author of “An Integrated Approach Fosters Student Success,” which is part of an EdNext forum on the role of social and emotional learning. https://www.educationnext.org/integrated-approach-fosters-student-success-forum-should-schools-embrace-social-emotional-learning/ https://www.educationnext.org/should-schools-embrace-social-emotional-learning-debating-merits-costs-forum-balfanz-whitehurst/

Ep. 157 - April 3, 2019: EdNext Podcast: 2020 Presidential Candidates Press For Higher Teacher Pay Apr 03, 2019

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Last week, Kamala Harris made headlines with an ambitious—and expensive—plan to raise teacher pay, and she's not the only Democratic presidential candidate talking about education. Marty West discusses what the candidates have been saying with Ira Stoll, EdNext's managing editor, who has been reporting from the campaign trail in New Hampshire and who wrote “Teacher Pay Emerges as Democratic Primary Issue," available at https://www.educationnext.org/teacher-pay-emerges-democratic-primary-issue/

Ep. 156 - March 27, 2019: Reading in the Age of Screens Mar 27, 2019

Show notes

The rise of digital media has made it harder than ever to engage in deep, contemplative reading. As Maryanne Wolf writes in her new book, Reader, Come Home: The Reading Brain in a Digital World, skimming is the new normal. In this episode, Marty West speaks with Doug Lemov, who reviewed Wolf’s book for Education Next. (The review is available at https://www.educationnext.org/forgetting-how-to-read-review-reader-come-home-maryanne-wolf/) Lemov is managing director of Uncommon Schools and author of Teach Like a Champion and Reading Reconsidered.

Ep. 155 - March 20, 2019: The Persistence of Achievement Gaps between Haves and Have-Nots Mar 20, 2019

Show notes

The conventional wisdom is that, as income inequality has grown in the United States, inequality in education has increased as well. A new study finds that gaps in student achievement along lines of socioeconomic status have not grown over the past half-century. But neither have they narrowed; rather, they’ve been strikingly persistent. One of the authors of the new study, Paul E. Peterson, talks with Marty West about the achievement gap’s persistence. The study is "The Achievement Gap Fails to Close," co-written by Peterson, Eric Hanushek, Laura M. Talpey and Ludger Woessmann, now available at Education Next. https://www.educationnext.org/achievement-gap-fails-close-half-century-testing-shows-persistent-divide

Ep. 154 - March 13, 2019: Using Behavioral Science to Improve School Attendance Mar 13, 2019

Show notes

New studies find that attendance awards may actually hurt attendance, but that correcting parents' false beliefs about their child's school absences may help. This week, Marty West speaks with Todd Rogers, professor of public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School. Along with Carly Robinson of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Todd is the author of “How to Tackle Student Absenteeism," available at: https://www.educationnext.org/how-to-tackle-student-absenteeism/

Ep. 153 - March 6, 2019: How Would a Federal School Choice Tax Credit Work? Mar 06, 2019

Show notes

Ever since Donald Trump spoke on the campaign trail of a new federal program to promote school choice, the education world has waited to see if and how his administration would follow through. That question was finally answered last Thursday, when Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, along with Texas Senator Ted Cruz and Representative Bradley Byrne of Alabama, announced a bill to create a nationwide tax credit to provide school choice scholarships. This week, Marty West talks with Jim Blew, Assistant Secretary for Planning, Evaluation, and Policy Development at the U.S. Department of Education, about how the tax credit will work, why the administration looked to the tax code to promote school choice, and what would have to happen for the bill to be enacted.

Ep. 152 - Feb. 27, 2019: Comparing Teacher Skills in the U.S. and Abroad Feb 27, 2019

Show notes

The cognitive skills of teachers differ widely among nations. A new study investigates whether these differences affect student achievement and how the U.S. might recruit teachers with stronger cognitive skills. Eric Hanushek of the Hoover Institution joins EdNext Editor-in-chief Marty West to discuss his article, "Do Smarter Teachers Make Smarter Students?," co-written with Marc Piopiunik and Simon Wiederhold, available at: https://www.educationnext.org/do-smarter-teachers-make-smarter-students-international-evidence-cognitive-skills-performance/

Feb. 20, 2019 - Ep. 151: School Districts Need to Prepare for the Next Economic Downturn Feb 20, 2019

Show notes

It may seem like money is tight, but we're actually spending at a relatively high level on schools right now. When state revenues decline, districts will have to make some tough choices. Marty West talks with Marguerite Roza, the Director of the Edunomics Lab at Georgetown University, about what's coming and how school districts can prepare. Roza addresses these topics in "Dear Districts: These Are the Glory Days. Are You Ready for Tomorrow’s Financial Pain?" available at http://educationnext.org/dear-districts-these-glory-days-are-you-ready-tomorrows-financial-pain

Ep. 150 - Feb. 13, 2019: Tom Boasberg's Legacy in Denver Feb 13, 2019

Show notes

As superintendent of Denver Public Schools, Tom Boasberg implemented a wide array of unconventional reforms, building a coalition based on pragmatism and a shared belief that change was a long overdue moral imperative. So write Parker Baxter, Todd L. Ely and Paul Teske in a new article for Education Next, "“Redesigning Denver’s Schools," available at https://www.educationnext.org/redesigning-denver-schools-rise-fall-superintendent-tom-boasberg In this episode, Boasberg talks with Ed Next editor-in-chief Marty West about his decade-long effort to improve Denver's schools.

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