The Education Gadfly Show

On this week’s Education Gadfly Show podcast, Tom Toch, director of FutureEd, and Lynn Olson, former deputy director at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, join Mike and David to discuss Lynn’s new paper, “Quality Check: The New, Best Way to Measure School Performance.” Then, on the Research Minute, Amber shares a study on the economic effects of Universal Pre-Kindergarten programs, showing that UPK boosted workforce participation across nine states and cities.Recommended content:“Quality Check: The New, Best Way to Measure School Performance” —Lynn Olson, FutureEd“A New, Bipartisan Agenda for Raising Student Achievement” —Tom Toch, FutureEd“The Full Measure of a School” —Erik W. Robelen, Education Next“Ready or Not? A New Way to Measure Elementary and Middle School Quality” — Jing Liu, Seth Gershenson, and Max Anthenelli, Thomas B. Fordham Institute“Universal Pre-K as Economic Stimulus: Evidence from Nine States and Large Cities in the U.S” — C. Kirabo Jackson, Julia A. Turner, and Jacob Bastian, NBER (May 2025)Feedback Welcome: Have ideas for improving our podcast? Send them to Stephanie Distler at sdistler@fordhaminstitute.org.

On this week’s Education Gadfly Show podcast, Genevieve Collins, Texas State Director for Americans for Prosperity, joins us to discuss Texas’s newly passed Education Savings Account bill—an ambitious policy that could position the Lone Star State as a national leader in school choice. Then, on the Research Minute, Amber highlights a Michigan study showing that simply being flagged for third-grade retention can boost students’ reading scores—even if they aren’t actually held back.Recommended content: “A Texas-Sized Win for Families in the Trump Education Era” —Genevieve Collins, RealClear Policy“Jeb Bush: Texas’ Education Savings Account Victory Can Set Nationwide Standard” —Jeb Bush, The74“How Genevieve Collins, Americans for Prosperity, Are Shaping Texas’s Future” —Daily Caller“The Impacts of Grade Retention Policy With Minimal Retention” —Jordan S. Berne, Brian A. Jacob, Christina Weiland, Katharine O. Strunk. EdWorking Papers (May 2025)Feedback Welcome: Have ideas for improving our podcast? Send them to Stephanie Distler at sdistler@fordhaminstitute.org.  

On this week’s Education Gadfly Show podcast, Starlee Coleman, president and CEO of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, joins Mike and David to discuss the religious charter schools case currently before the U. S. Supreme Court. Then, on the Research Minute, Amber shares a study out of Dallas on whether an automatic Algebra enrollment policy boosted participation among underserved students.Recommended content: “SCOTUS should mandate state support for religious education, but not via charter schools”—Michael J. Petrilli, Thomas B. Fordham Institute“Supreme Court Case Could Reshape Landscape for Charter and Religious Schools”—Mark Walsh, Education Week“The religious charter schools case is a bigger deal than you think”—Michael J. Petrilli, Thomas B. Fordham Institute“Why SCOTUS should—and will—approve faith-based charter schools”—Andy Smarick, Thomas B. Fordham Institute“Closing the Gaps: An Examination of Early Impacts of Dallas ISD’s Opt-out Policy on Advanced Course Enrollment”—Daniel Vargas Castaño, Dareem K. Antoine, and Trey Miller, EdWorkingPapers (May 2025)Feedback Welcome: Have ideas for improving our podcast? Send them to Stephanie Distler at sdistler@fordhaminstitute.org.  

#968: Are school inspections the accountability tool we’ve overlooked? with Erik RobelenOn this week’s Education Gadfly Show podcast, former Education Week reporter Erik Robelen joins Mike and David to discuss school inspections—what they are, how they might fit into accountability systems, and who’s actually using them in U.S. schools. Then, on the Research Minute, Amber highlights a study on how AI tools can help middle school math teachers personalize their lessons.Recommended content: Erik Robelen, “The Full Measure of a School,” Education Next (Spring 2025).Erik Robelen, “England’s School Inspections Get a Makeover,” Education Next (Spring 2025).Maryland State Department of Education, Blueprint for Maryland’s Future: Expert Review Team Colorado Department of Education, State Review Panel: School Review Protocol, SchoolWorks LLC (2024).Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Charter School Site Visit Protocol, (2024) Rizwaan Malik, Dorna Abdi, Rose E. Wang, and Dorottya Demszky, Scaffolding Middle-School Mathematics Curricula With Large Language Models, EdWorking Papers (April 2025)Feedback Welcome: Have ideas for improving our podcast? Send them to Stephanie Distler at sdistler@fordhaminstitute.org.  

On this week’s Education Gadfly Show podcast, Rachel Canter, the founding executive director of Mississippi First and the new director of education policy at the Progressive Policy Institute, joins Mike and David to discuss what really fueled Mississippi’s dramatic gains in student achievement. Then, on the Research Minute, Amber reports on a new study examining the impact of Ohio’s EdChoice voucher program on college enrollment and graduation rates.Recommended content: Rachel Canter, The Truth About Mississippi’s NAEP Gains, Mississippi First (July 5, 2023)Emily Freitag, “A bold state move to improve reading,” Thomas B. Fordham Institute (February 20, 2025).Aaron Churchill, “Ohio’s EdChoice scholarship program improved college outcomes,” Thomas B. Fordham Institute (April 25, 2025).Matthew Chingos, David Figlio and Krzysztof Karbownik, The Effects of Ohio’s EdChoice Voucher Program on College Enrollment and Graduation, Urban Institute (2025)Feedback Welcome: Have ideas for improving our podcast? Send them to Stephanie Distler at sdistler@fordhaminstitute.org.  

Matt Giani, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin and co-author of a key study on math pathways, joins the discussion to challenge the notion of a universal math track for students. He emphasizes the importance of statistics in today’s data-heavy world and advocates for personalized math pathways tailored to individual student interests. The conversation also delves into how different math courses can influence career choices and educational outcomes, along with insights into the recent effects of Indiana’s private school voucher program on public schools.

On this week’s Education Gadfly Show podcast, Anne Hyslop, Director of Policy Development at All4Ed, joins Mike and David to discuss the evolving federal role in K–12 education—particularly how the Secretary of Education’s waiver authority may—and may not--impact state flexibility on spending and testing under ESSA (the current iteration of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act). Then, on the Research Minute, Amber reviews a new study out of Massachusetts that examines whether students in departmentalized elementary schools perform better in middle school.Recommended content: Anne Hyslop and Dave Powell, ESEA Waivers 101: Explaining the Secretary of Education’s Waiver Authority, All4Ed and Education First (2025)Dale Chu, “Waiver and out: How red states plan to push the limits of federal ed policy,” Thomas B. Fordham Institute (April 3, 2025).Andy Smarick, “Trump needs to call Lamar,” Thomas B. Fordham Institute (March 20, 2025).Benjamin Backes, James Cowan, Dan Goldhaber, Building Bridges to Middle School? Elementary School Departmentalization and Academic Achievement in the Upper Grades, CALDER (2025)Feedback Welcome: Have ideas for improving our podcast? Send them to Stephanie Distler at sdistler@fordhaminstitute.org.  

On this week’s Education Gadfly Show podcast, Scott Marion, Executive Director of the Center for Assessment, joins Mike and David to discuss why states should maintain annual assessments—even if the Trump Administration waives some federal testing requirements. Then, on the Research Minute, Adam reviews a study comparing surveys and test scores as measures of school quality and predictors of long-term student success.Recommended content: The Case for State Testing, The National Center for the Improvement of Education Assessment, Inc., (March 2025).The Case for Statewide School Accountability Systems, The National Center for the Improvement of Education Assessment, Inc., (March 2025).Victoria McDougald, “The case for standardized testing,” Thomas B. Fordham Institute (August 1, 2024).Michael J. Petrilli, “The best colleges for political diversity,” Thomas B. Fordham Institute (April 3, 2025).Joshua Angrist, Peter Hull, Russell Legate-Yang, Parag A. Pathak and Christopher R. Walters, Putting School Surveys to the Test, NBER (2025)Feedback Welcome: Have ideas for improving our podcast? Send them to Stephanie Distler at sdistler@fordhaminstitute.org.  

On this week’s Education Gadfly Show podcast, Jim Blew, co-founder of the Defense of Freedom Institute, joins Mike and David to talk about his work on the Educational Choice for Children Act—a federal proposal that could expand educational options for families through school vouchers. Then, on the Research Minute, Amber examines a study on how expanding broadband access for Chicago families during the pandemic benefitted high achieving students but hurt their lower-performing peers.Recommended content: Children’s Tuition Fund,  Federal Tax Credit: What You Need to Know About the Educational Choice for Children Act (2025). Michael J. Petrilli, “Education reform in red versus blue states,” Thomas B. Fordham Institute (January 9, 2025).Dale Chu, “Education at an inflection point,” PPI (March 20, 2025).Jared N. Schachner, Julia A. Gwynne, Nicole P. Marwell, Elaine Allensworth, and Marisa de la Torre, Heterogeneous Effects of Closing the Digital Divide During COVID-19 on Student Engagement and Achievement, Annenberg Institute at Brown University (2025)Feedback Welcome: Have ideas for improving our podcast? Send them to Stephanie Distler at sdistler@fordhaminstitute.org.

On this week’s Education Gadfly Show podcast, Richard Kahlenberg, author of Class Matters: The Fight to Get Beyond Race Preferences, Reduce Inequality, and Build Real Diversity at America’s Colleges, joins Mike and David to discuss how Democrats can move beyond DEI and embrace “integration, equal opportunity, and belonging.” Then, on the Research Minute, Amber examines a study on the relationship between standardized test scores, high school GPA, and first-year college performance at Ivy-Plus universities.Recommended content: Richard Kahlenberg, “Time to Ditch DEI in Favor of Something Better,” The Liberal Patriot, (March 5, 2025).Richard Kahlenberg, A Way Out of the DEI Wars, PPI (February2025).Richard Kahlenberg, “Class Matters: The Fight to Get Beyond Race Preferences, Reduce Inequality, and Build Real Diversity at America’s Colleges,” (March 25, 2025).John N. Friedman, Bruce Sacerdote, Douglas O. Staiger, and Michele Tine, Standardized test scores and academic performance at Ivy-Plus colleges, NBER (March 2025)Feedback Welcome: Have ideas for improving our podcast? Send them to Stephanie Distler at sdistler@fordhaminstitute.org.