The Learning Curve

In this engaging conversation, award-winning historian Ramachandra Guha delves into the life of Mohandas Gandhi, exploring his educational roots and transformative experiences in England and South Africa. Guha highlights Gandhi’s philosophy of non-violence, interfaith dialogue, and moral self-reliance. The discussion reviews the importance of the 1930 Salt March and Gandhi’s ongoing influence on modern movements for social justice. He concludes with insights that demonstrate how Gandhi's teachings remain relevant in today’s socio-political climate.

This week on The Learning Curve, guest co-hosts Charlie Chieppo and Mary Tamer, executive director of Democrats for Education Reform, Massachusetts, speak with Paul Vallas, former CEO of the Chicago Public Schools and a candidate for mayor of that city earlier this year. Vallas talks about the professional lessons he drew from public leadership, how he financed the largest infrastructure investment program in over a century in the city, and how he closed deficits and balanced budgets as head of the Chicago Public Schools. He also reflects on Chicago politics, the challenge of bargaining with teacher unions, the state of charter public schools in Chicago, and the growing political power of teachers' unions in large urban areas.

This week on The Learning Curve, guest co-hosts Charlie Chieppo and Alisha Searcy speak with Albert Cheng, an Assistant Professor at the Department of Education Reform in the College of Education and Health Professions at the University of Arkansas. Professor Cheng talks about the importance of classical education for guiding educational philosophy and practice and shaping the character of students. He reflects on how mathematics informs the kind of education students need in the twenty-first century and discusses tensions in K-12 policymaking between progressive education theories and the liberal arts based in academic content, as well as debates over school choice, educational content, and accountability.

This week on The Learning Curve, guest co-hosts Alisha Searcy and Mariam Memarsadeghi interview Jay Parini, Professor of English and Creative Writing at Middlebury College. A poet, professor, and author of literary biographies, Parini discusses how he came to write Promised Land: Thirteen Books That Changed America. From William Bradford’s Of Plymouth Plantation through The Federalist Papers, Thoreau’s Walden, and works by Harriet Beecher Stowe, Mark Twain, and W.E.B. Du Bois, Parini explores how key works of fiction and nonfiction have shaped the American mind and character and guided our understanding of ourselves as a people and a nation. He closes the interview with a reading from Promised Land: Thirteen Books That Changed America.

This week on The Learning Curve, guest co-hosts Charlie Chieppo and Kendra Espinoza interview Shiren Rattigan of Colossal Academy, a microschool in Florida. They discuss how Shiren became interested in K-12 education, how the COVID-19 pandemic led to her founding of Colossal Academy, and her development into a national leader in the microschool movement. Shiren addressed how microschools, pods, and hybrid learning can help students with curricular fundamentals that traditional public schools have long struggled with, and how educational alternatives can help underserved communities and at-risk students.

This week on The Learning Curve, guest co-hosts Charlie Chieppo and Kerry McDonald interview Professor David Abulafia from Cambridge University, who discusses the many roles of the world’s oceans in human history and trade. He focuses on how the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic oceans, along with the Mediterranean Sea, have networked human societies and spurred the rise of civilizations. From religion, language, and culture to maritime trade, military conflict, and the modern era of container ships, Professor Abulafia shows how the oceans have been instrumental in shaping cultures and history, and outlines the seas' ongoing importance in the century ahead. Professor Abulafia concludes the interview with a reading from his book The Boundless Sea: A Human History of the Oceans.

This week on The Learning Curve, guest co-hosts Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Barry Anderson and Mariam Memarsadeghi interview Dr. Peter Wood, president of the National Association of Scholars. Dr. Wood discusses the invention of the modern concept of diversity and how it has replaced earlier understandings of human unity, liberty, and equality as exemplified by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King's civil rights message of “a single garment of destiny." He traces the history of U.S. Supreme Court rulings on the use of diversity in college admissions while also addressing how a culture of anger seems to pervade American life, including our music and politics. Dr. Wood concludes the interview with a reading from his latest book Wrath: America Enraged.Stories of the Week: Barry discussed a piece in First Things in which Mark Bauerlein discusses rising Catholic school enrollments and gives a defense of traditional liberal arts education; Mariam cited an Axios story discussing a recent Gallup poll which found declines in American patriotism, with just 18 percent of those ages 18-34 feeling very proud to be Americans.

This week on The Learning Curve, guest cohosts Derrell Bradford and Alisha Searcy interview professor Manisha Sinha, the Draper Chair in American History at the University of Connecticut and an expert on slavery and abolition. She discussed the influential figures and seminal events that created the abolitionist movement. Professor Sinha described the legacy of the transatlantic slave trade, Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad, the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution, and other key moments in the fight to end slavery. She closes with a reading from her book The Slave’s Cause: A History of Abolition.

This week on The Learning Curve, guest cohosts Alisha Searcy and Mariam Memarsadeghi interview award-winning biographer Tamara Payne about the life and legacy of Malcolm X. She discussed how her father, Les Payne, embarked on the biography, and offers insight into Malcolm Little’s early life and education, the influences of racism and Pan-Africanism on the Little family, and how Malcolm Little became Malcolm X and rose within the ranks of the Nation of Islam. Tamara traces Malcolm X’s experiences during the civil rights movement, his break with the Nation of Islam, pilgrimage to Mecca, his autobiography, the dynamics leading to his assassination, and the ongoing debate over his legacy. Ms. Payne concludes the interview with a reading from The Dead Are Arising: The Life of Malcolm X.Stories of the Week: Alisha highlights New Hampshire's recent bipartisan bill promoting civics education; and Mariam talked about Michael Bloomberg's WSJ op-ed on holding politicians accountable for neglecting our nation's education system.

This week on The Learning Curve, guest cohosts Charlie Chieppo and Alisha Searcy join Dr. David Steiner for a wide-ranging discussion about the importance of education as a means of transmitting enduring wisdom to young people. Dr. Steiner discusses differences in K-12 education between the U.S. and the U.K., explores how schools of education may be contributing to the decline of K-12 education, reflects on the politicization of U.S. history and civics education, and talks about what states, governors, and state legislatures can do to lead systemic academic improvements. Dr. Steiner concludes the interview with a reading from his new book A Nation at Thought: Restoring Wisdom in America’s Schools.