16:1 - Education, Teaching, & Learning

In 2010, the Government Accountability Office published a report detailing the results of "undercover tests" at 15 for-profit colleges conducted in order to discern whether these schools might be engaging in fraudulent or deceptive marketing and admissions practices. For-profit schools derive much of their revenue (and profits!) from federal funding sources, leaning on the availability of grants and loans to entice many of their students. The results were shocking. The GAO found "4 colleges encouraged fraudulent practices and that all 15 made deceptive or otherwise questionable statements to GAO’s undercover applicants." Fast forward to 2022, and for-profit colleges are in the news again as the Biden administration attempts to crack down on colleges and universities after years of relaxed rules enabled by the Trump presidency. A mere 26% of students who complete degree programs at for-profit institutions do so in six or fewer years. 68% of students in private colleges and 62% in public colleges obtain degrees within that same time period.Along with renewed attention to for-profit schools comes a fresh round of student loan forgiveness proposals. This week, Katie and Chelsea are bringing you up to speed on the proposal, who would benefit from it, and why the conversation around loan forgiveness deserves more nuance than it currently receives.Sources:CNN - Biden administration cancels another $3.9 billion in student loan debt for former for-profit college students By Katie LoboscoThe Best Schools - Guide to For-Profit Colleges: How to Avoid Predatory Schools BY TBS StaffUS News -The Real Cost of For-Profit Colleges By Emma Kerr and Sarah WoodThe Columbus Dispatch - What Ohioans need to know about student debt relief plan by Nolan SimmonsThe New York Times - They Have Debt but No Degree. Could Loan Forgiveness Send Them Back to School?Brookings - The for-profit college system is broken and the Biden administration needs to fix it by Ariel Gelrud Shiro and Richard V. ReevesDavid’s Ankles: How Imperfections Could Bring Down the World’s Most Perfect StatueHigher ED Dive - 4 questions for-profit colleges face in 2022 by Natalie SchwartzWikipedia - David by Michaelangelo

This week, Katie and Chelsea explore a story that is close to home. Teachers in Columbus City Schools recently kicked off their academic year with a general strike after the Columbus Education Association (the teachers union in the central Ohio district) announced there had been no bargaining agreement reached for the 2022-2023 school year. Columbus isn't the only city where teachers are picketing for wage increases, better working conditions, smaller class sizes, and more; teachers around the world are warning their districts of impending strike actions. Join us for this special episode as we explore teacher strikes, the deteriorating conditions that lead to them, and the roles that we all play in supporting our public school teachers.Sources:NBC4 Columbus - Ohio senator plans bill as teachers strike without benefits by: Natalie FahmyCNN - The Columbus teachers' union and school board reached a 'conceptual agreement,' ending a strike By Eric Bradner and Chris Boyette, CNNCEA Ohio - CEA blasts District’s decision to strip homeless youth advocates of union statusCEA Ohio - An open letter to the Columbus City Schools Board and Superintendent from Project Connect’s Vulnerable Youth StaffThe Columbus Dispatch - Columbus Education Association teachers union votes to strike by Megan HenryCEA Ohio - CEA Votes to Authorize 10-day Strike Notice10tv - Columbus teachers’ strike enters day 2, remote classes begin WednesdayThe Columbus Dispatch - Columbus City Schools clarifies attendance procedures after day of confusion by Monroe Trombly, Michael Lee, Sheridan Hendrix,  Céilí Doyle and Megan HenryCNN - Ohio teachers say they won't end their strike without improvements to miserable classroom environment By Eric Bradner, CNNU.S. News - Kent Teachers on Strike, Delaying First Day of School by Associated PressEcho -Pilot - Greencastle-Antrim teacher strike is an option amid contract talks by Shawn HardyInside Higher ED - School Starts With a Strike at American University by Liam KnoxCBC - CUPE sets Ontario education strike votes for end of September, says it doesn't guarantee walkout by Allison Jones Central Illinois Proud - PPS Board of Education president calls teacher union’s talk of strike, ‘premature, irresponsible’ by: Mike Smith, Demetrios SandersEducation International - Teacher strike in Norway!The Philadelphia Inquirer - Philly school bus drivers, maintenance workers vote to authorize a strike by Kristen A. GrahamCNN - Why NASA wants to return to the moon before sending humans to Mars by Ashley Strickland, CNNCNN - Artemis I launch scrubbed after engine issue by Aditi Sangal, Ashley Strickland, Elise Hammond and Maureen Chowdhury, CNNJacques Ze Whipper 

Knock, knock!Educators use humor as a vital tool for building community in classrooms, helping students retain information, and creating a positive learning environment. All that aside, who doesn't enjoy a good laugh? There's something of a growing interest in scholarship surrounding the use of humor in classrooms, and this week your hosts are taking a look at what makes us laugh. What kinds of humor might best serve students of all backgrounds? How do you use humor to reach students who might otherwise be out of touch? How comfortable are you as an educator with expressing your sarcastic side? We're tackling all of these questions on 16:1.Thanks for listening!Sources:“A Review of Humor in Educational Settings: Four Decades of Research” (Communication Education, January 2011)The Art Newspaper - Hannah Gadsby: taking down art history's misogyny through comedy by Ben LukeMasterClass - How to Use Humor to Teach: 4 Tips for Using Humor to Educate 

This week, the hosts discuss the origin story and ongoing impact of TED, the annual conference turned globally-accessible repository of free, online video content focusing on technology, entertainment, and design.Sources:TED.comLife Sciences Education - Effective Educational Videos: Principles and Guidelines for Maximizing Student Learning from Video Content by Cynthia J. BrameChimamanda Ngozi Adichie - The danger of a single storyGeorge Takei - Why I love a country that once betrayed meShonda Rhimes - My year of saying yes to everythingAicha el-Wafi + Phyllis Rodriguez - The mothers who found forgiveness, friendshipJarrett J. Krosoczka - Why lunch ladies are heroesSue Klebold - My son was a Columbine shooter. This is my storyAmanda Gorman - Using your voice is a political choiceBrené Brown - The power of vulnerabilityMonica Lewinsky - The price of shameThe New York Times- Joni Mitchell Reclaims Her Voice at Newport by Lindsay ZoladzTED ConferencesSir Ken RobinsonMoney Crashers - What Is TED Conference – History & Criticisms of TED Talks By Michael Lewis

The national teacher shortage is a serious problem. With the compounding effects of pandemic burnout, chronic underpayment, poor working conditions, violence in schools, and political activism causing teachers to leave the profession (or never enter in the first place), schools in all 50 states are scrambling to fill vacancies ahead of the 2022-2023 school year. STEM fields are experiencing the most intense shortages, with many districts offering stipends, moving cost vouchers, and fast-tracked certification pathways to attract new teaching talent. With many short-term fixes but little traction on future-thinking solutions to school funding models, school leaders and politicians are growing increasingly frustrated, as the U.S. continues to fall behind its peer nations in many education-related metrics.The Hill - Here’s what’s driving the nationwide teacher shortage By Adam Barnes | April 21, 2022ABC 15 - Republicans think they have an answer to help with Arizona's teacher shortage By: Mark PhillipsUniversities.com - Top 10 States with the Highest Teacher Shortages 2022 by Sarah HarrisAmerican School and University - Arizona no longer requires a college degree to begin teaching by Brooke JustNBC 4 - Beating burnout: Ohio lawmaker’s plan to pull teachers from brink of resignation by: Maeve WalshBoston Herald - Teacher shortage: One-third of teachers say they’re likely to quit this year by Marie SzaniszloEconomic Policy Institute - Teachers are paid almost 20% less than similar workersArizona Education AssociationOECD Data - Teachers' salariesOECD Data - Adult education levelThe Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America By Richard RothsteinBroken Horses: A Memoir By Brandi Carlile Follow 16:1 Podcast on InstagramFollow 16:1 Podcast on TwitterFollow 16:1 Podcast on Facebook

Many of us dream of becoming astronauts when we are kids, but only about 600 humans have achieved spaceflight. What does it take to make it into space? Do you have... the right stuff? This week, join Katie and Chelsea as they discuss astronaut candidate school at NASA, the grueling program of training and readiness undertaken by aspiring astronauts. Hear what retired astronaut, engineer, fighter pilot, and singer(!) Chris Hadfield has said about his own experience with astronaut training. Kate discusses the Teacher in Space Project and the legacy of educators' involvement with NASA programs.Sources and Stories:UVA Miller Center -The Space Race- Soviets and Americans race to the stars By Maddie DavisNational Aeronautics and Space Administration - Astronaut Selection and TrainingChris Hadfield MasterClassWikipedia - Teacher in Space ProjectWikipedia - Barbara MorganCNBC - Meet the 12 Americans training to be NASA’s newest astronauts by Marguerite WardPodcast - GastropodDownfall: The Case Against BoeingChallenger The Final FlightTikTok - Pat the Puzzle Man IMDB - The Astronaut Wives ClubIMDB - Hidden FiguresThe Dutch House by Ann Patchett

As the school year draws to a close for many of America's teachers, Katie and Chelsea begin a new tradition of reflecting on what we've learned over the course of the academic year. This is our first annual Year in Review. Thanks for listening!Sources & Stories:NBC 4 - Columbus, Ohio - AEP Info99% Invisible - Episode 480 "Broken Heart Park"Twenty Thousand Hertz - "The Windsor Hum"Catster - Siamese Cats Are Temperature-Sensitive Albinos, a.k.a. Walking Heat Maps By Lisa RichmanCrocodile Floating in Water YouTube Video11 Alive - City of Atlanta cracking down on Airbnb, short term rentals by Savannah LevinsLibby AppGLSEN - Marsha P. JohnsonThe Disconnect (Podcast)

A passionate advocate for education, Horace Mann served as secretary of the Massachusetts State Board of Education for 20 years and almost single-handedly revolutionized public schooling in America. Join Kate and Chelsea as they explore Mann's achievements and legacy (as well as his unexpected distaste for phonics). Sources:Wikipedia - Horace MannBritannica - Horace MannWikipedia - Normal School

This week Chelsea and Kate recall a big part of their childhoods as they discuss BOOK IT!, a reading incentive program for PreK-6th grade classrooms, parents, and homeschooling families.Sources:Wikipedia - Pizza HutEvery Child A Reader - Pizza Hut BOOK IT! ProgramThe Psychological Record, 1999, 49, 3-14 - Effects of Extrinsic Reinforcement for Reading During Childhood on Reported Reading Habits of College Students by Stephen R. Flora and David B. FloraBook It!First Book

In this episode, Katie and Chelsea develop a very complex and completely ridiculous teacher evaluation system in order to put some of their favorite educators from nostalgia-inducing movies and tv shows to the test. Chelsea makes a compelling argument against Yoda, while Katie firmly supports Miss Honey from "Matilda" with ten out of five pencils (it will make sense if you listen)! Katie shares what she learns from the mothers in her workplace, and Chelsea covers a bad combination of birds being and algae. We know teachers across the US are dealing with the stresses of the end of a school year, so we're keeping this one light. Make sure you are taking care of yourselves!Sources:Wikipedia - YodaWikipedia - "The Birds" FilmWikipedia - "Mean Girls" FilmWikipedia - "Dead Poets Society" FilmWikipedia - "Matilda" FilmJohn Spencer - "Was Yoda a Good Teacher?"Boy Meets World Fandom - Mr. FeenyWikipedia - Teacher in Space Project