EconTalk

Roland Fryer on Educational Reform

Oct 10, 2022

In this engaging discussion, Harvard economist Roland Fryer, a MacArthur Genius Award winner, reveals his insights on educational reform. He shares how an innovative pizza party incentive transformed student performance. Fryer emphasizes the importance of closing the racial achievement gap over preserving the pure love of learning. He outlines five key practices that successful schools utilize and draws lessons from McDonald's management techniques for effective school leadership. His candid reflections reveal a deep commitment to fighting for a brighter future for all students.

01:13:14

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Episode guests

Roland Fryer

Highlights

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Episode notes

What Kind of Magnitude Are We Talking About?

00:23

High Dosage Tutoring

00:42

Intro

4min

Incentives in Education: A Double-Edged Sword

21min

Key Factors for Charter School Success

17min

Implementing Educational Reforms: Lessons from McDonald's Success

4min

The Role of Incentives and Support in Effective Teaching

4min

Transforming Failing Schools Through Data and Small Group Instruction

2min

Incentives and Innovations in Education Reform

13min

Reflections on Educational Reform

9min

The good news about educational reform, says Harvard economist Roland Fryer, is that we know what it takes to turn a school around. The bad news is that it's hard work--and implementing it won't win you any popularity contests. Listen as the MacArthur Genius Award Winner and John Bates Clark medalist speaks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about how pizza parties revealed the potential of incentives to improve students' test scores, and why he's far more concerned about closing the racial achievement gap than keeping the love of learning pure. He also discusses the five best practices of successful schools, and why it's his failures far more than his successes that keep him in this fight.

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