#958: Louisiana’s NAEP gains and the power of a strong curriculum, with John White

On this week’s Education Gadfly Show podcast, John White, former Louisiana superintendent of education and current CEO of Great Minds PBC, joins David and Amber to discuss the reforms he led in Louisiana and their role in the state’s significant NAEP gains. Then, on the Research Minute, Amber highlights a study on the expansion of “transitional kindergarten” in Michigan and its impact on early learning access and socioeconomic gaps.

Recommended content: 

• Kevin Mahnken, “New NAEP Scores Dash Hope of Post-COVID Learning Recovery,” Thomas B. Fordham Institute (January 29, 2025).
• Emily Freitag, “A bold state move to improve reading,” Thomas B. Fordham Institute (February 20, 2025).
• Sara Schwartz, “Why Are Reading Scores Still Falling on the Nation’s Report Card?,” EducationWeek (January 29, 2025).
• Sonia Q. Cabell, James S. Kim, Thomas G. White, Charles J. Gale, Ashley A. Edwards, HyeJin Jordan Berne, Katia Córdoba García, Brian A. Jacob, Tareena Musaddiq, Samuel Owusu, Anna Shapiro, and Christina Weiland, Transitional Kindergarten: The New Kid on the Early Learning Block, SAGE Journals (2025)

Feedback Welcome: Have ideas for improving our podcast? Send them to Stephanie Distler at sdistler@fordhaminstitute.org.