Ednext Podcast

Tomas Monarrez, a research associate in the Center on Education Data and Policy at the Urban Institute, joins EdNext Editor-in-chief Marty West to discuss the impact charter schools have had on segregation in U.S. schools. Monarrez, with Brian Kisida and Matthew M. Chingos, is a co-author of "Do Charter Schools Increase Segregation? First national analysis reveals a modest impact, depending on where you look," from the Fall 2019 issue of Education Next. https://www.educationnext.org/do-charter-schools-increase-segregation-first-national-analysis-reveals-modest-impact/

Alex Usher, president of Higher Education Strategy Associates, joins Marty West to discuss what may be causing the downturn in international admissions in U.S. universities, and how that's contributing to the revenue drop across higher education institutions. Usher is the author "Has President Trump Scared Away All the Foreign Students?," appearing in the Fall 2019 issue of EdNext. https://www.educationnext.org/has-president-trump-scared-away-foreign-students-facts-behind-fears-higher-education-revenue-recession/

Joshua Zucker, a veteran instructor with Art of Problem Solving, joins EdNext Editor-in-chief to discuss how to best teach math to advanced students. Zucker was featured in Kathryn Baron's piece, "Serving the Math Whiz Kids: Private enrichment programs step up to meet the need." https://www.educationnext.org/serving-math-whiz-kids-private-enrichment-programs-step-up-meet-need/

The EdNext Podcast returns with Editor-in-chief Marty West and Senior Editor Paul E. Peterson discussing the 2019 Education Next Poll, including results on public opinion on schools, teacher pay, school choice, and more. Read "Public Support Grows for Higher Teacher Pay and Expanded School Choice: Results from the 2019 Education Next Poll" here: https://www.educationnext.org/school-choice-trump-era-results-2019-education-next-poll

The claim that all students, and especially disadvantaged students, lose substantial academic ground over summer vacation has long been both an article of faith and a source of anxiety. But a new look at the data finds no evidence that the average child loses months of learning each summer or that summer learning loss contributes much to the achievement gap. Paul T. von Hippel, an associate professor in the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin, joins EdNext Editor-in-chief Marty West to discuss his new article, "Is Summer Learning Loss Real? How I lost faith in one of education research’s classic results." The article is available at: https://www.educationnext.org/is-summer-learning-loss-real-how-i-lost-faith-education-research-results

Many tech-based interventions have had disappointing results, but maybe these efforts haven't capitalized on what computers do best. A new study looks at the impact of a blended learning program on students in India who were not making progress in their local public schools because they were starting out so far behind the other students. Alejandro Ganimian, Assistant Professor of Applied Psychology and Economics at New York University, joins EdNext Editor-in-chief Marty West to discuss "In Delhi Experiment, Software Sparks Success," which he co-authored with Karthik Muralidharan and Abhijeet Singh. The article is available at: https://www.educationnext.org/delhi-experiment-software-sparks-success/

A new study finds that later school start times increase achievement on standardized tests. Marty West talks with Jennifer Heissel, assistant professor at the Graduate School of Business and Public Policy at the Naval Postgraduate School, about the study, "Rise and Shine: How school start times affect academic performance," which she co-authored with Samuel Norris. The study is available at: https://www.educationnext.org/rise-shine-how-school-start-times-affect-academic-performance

Many school districts try to address external obstacles to student learning by offering "wraparound services" in schools. These schools try to connect their students with outside groups that can help them deal with challenges from food insecurity to mental health issues. In a new article, Michael McShane notes that "While integrated supports may help meet students' physical and emotional needs, their ability to improve student learning remains unproven." https://www.educationnext.org/supporting-students-outside-classroom-can-wraparound-services-improve-academic-performance/

In this replay episode, we revisit Marty West's 2017 discussion with Diane Schanzenbach,about the downsides of academic redshirting. https://www.educationnext.org/is-your-child-ready-kindergarten-redshirting-may-do-more-harm-than-good/

Can K-12 schools today make a difference when it comes to their students' civic attitudes and behavior? A new study finds that attending a public charter school operated by Democracy Prep Public Schools nearly doubles students' rates of civic participation as young adults. This week, on the EdNext Podcast, Marty West speaks with Seth Andrew, founder of Democracy Prep Public Schools. The study, "A Life Lesson in Civics: How Democracy Prep Charter Schools Boost Student Voting," by Brian P. Gill, Charles Tilley, Emilyn Whitesell, Mariel Finucane, Liz Potamites and Sean P. Corcoran , will appear in the Summer 2019 issue of Education Next and is now available on the website. https://www.educationnext.org/life-lesson-civics-how-democracy-prep-charter-schools-boost-student-voting/

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/

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/

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/

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.

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

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/

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.

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/

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

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.