#teachfm

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Teach FM: What the College Admissions Scandal Teaches Us About Equity and Education

In this week's episode, I examine what the recent college admissions scandal reveals about equity and education more broadly in the United States. From Opt-Out to school choice, the education system is one where parents with means are expected from day one to do whatever it takes to ensure a quality education for their child. And that’s a problem. Take a listen. And, if you’re looking for the texts from this episode, you’ll find them here: James Baldwin on Public Education // A Primer on Brown v. Board of Education // Malcolm Gladwell on Why Carlos Can’t Remember // A Researcher Uses Crazy Data Set to Explain the Achievement Gap Read the full article

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Teach FM: You Can Test for Exceptionalism or Equity, But Not Both

In this episode, I offer my take on the challenge of high-stakes testing. At its core, I suggest that high-stakes testing in its current form brings to light a core tension in American public education, two competing values: exceptionalism and equity. Unless that tension gets addressed, the result will be a lot of continued heartache. Want more? Check these hundreds of artifacts over here on Gradgrind’s. And, if you’re looking for the texts from this episode, you’ll find them here: Linda Darling Hammond on Testing // An Atlanta Judge Sentences Teachers for Cheating on Tests // Why Comparing International Tests are Trickier Than You Think Still reading? Cool. Share the podcast with friends. It means a lot! Read the full article

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Teach FM: No Child to the Top

In this episode of Teach FM, I offer a brief overview of how the Bush Administration's No Child Left Behind and the Obama Administration's Race to the Top dramatically altered the direction of public education reform in the United States. They are not as different as you think. Read the full article

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Teach FM: All the Presidents' Students (How Presidents Frame Public Education)

Just a friendly reminder: education is not in the federal Constitution. Instead, the United States has fifty different definitions of the right to and purpose of public education in its states' constitutions. That makes education policy a quagmire for any president. In my most recent podcast, I offer some insights about the way presidents have framed education using speeches by JFK and Ronald Reagan as points of exploration. Thanks for streaming! Read the full article

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Teach FM: Schools are Stuck in the 19th Century--But Not in the Way You Think

You often hear that the public education system is stuck in the 19th century. I agree, but not in the ways you think. In this episode, I delve more deeply into what that conventional wisdom really means. How? By turning to one of the best known cartoonist of the age: Thomas Nast. Give it a listen.

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Teach FM: This One Fact Will Change the Way You Think About Public Education

In the latest episode of Teach FM, I share the one fact about public education in the United States that can radically alter the way we perceive problems and solutions. You want a hint? Explore my "States of Education" project on Gradgrind's.  Thanks for listening, sharing feedback, and sharing with reckless abandon! :) Read the full article

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Teach FM: Harry Potter, Dolores Umbridge, and Real-World Learning

In this episode of my podcast Teach FM, I break down a clip from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix in which Harry gives lip to one of his teachers: Dolores Umbridge. It raises important questions about the role of standards, curriculum, testing, and the challenges of real-world learning. Read the full article

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My NEW Podcast Asks: Are Public Schools Succeeding or Failing?

In my new podcast series called Teach FM, I explore some of the most pressing question in public education. Each episode draws on the Gradgrind's archives and my own experiences working in and with schools, districts, non- and for-profits, and higher education. This season, I start off with a recent twist in New York State school accountability system where some schools that were succeeding one day are all of a sudden labeled as failing. The rest of the season will look at the history, politics, and culture of public education in order to answer the question: Are public schools succeeding or failing? Read the full article