

The Education Gadfly Show
Thomas B. Fordham Institute
For more than 15 years, the Fordham Institute has been hosting a weekly podcast, The Education Gadfly Show. Each week, you’ll get lively, entertaining discussions of recent education news, usually featuring Fordham’s Mike Petrilli and David Griffith. Then the wise Amber Northern will recap a recent research study. For questions or comments on the podcast, contact its producer, Stephanie Distler, at sdistler@fordhaminstitute.org.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Nov 18, 2020 • 25min
State budget cuts and our schools - 11/18/20
On this week’s podcast, ExcelinEd’s Matthew Joseph and The Education Trust’s Zahava Stadler join Mike Petrilli and David Griffith to discuss how states can protect schools and disadvantaged students from budget cuts. On the Research Minute, Victoria McDougald examines the effects of absenteeism on cognitive and social-emotional outcomes.

Nov 11, 2020 • 21min
Why public education may never return to normal - 11/11/20
On this week’s podcast, Paul Hill, founder of the Center on Reinventing Public Education, joins Mike Petrilli and David Griffith to discuss why, thanks to the pandemic, the politics of public schools will never be the same. On the Research Minute, Amber Northern examines the benefits of out-of-school services for disadvantaged students.

Nov 6, 2020 • 22min
What the election means for education reform - 11/5/20
On this week’s podcast, Charles Barone, VP of K-12 Policy at Democrats for Education Reform, joins Mike Petrilli and David Griffith to discuss what the election means for charter schools, accountability, and other reform issues. On the Research Minute, Amber Northern examines whether students with disabilities are relegated to classrooms with lower-quality teachers.

Oct 28, 2020 • 20min
Coping with the costs of declining enrollments - 10/28/20
On this week’s podcast, Karen Hawley Miles, CEO and president of Education Resource Strategies, joins Mike Petrilli and David Griffith to discuss her chapter in Getting the Most Bang for the Education Buck on how school districts can cope with budgetary consequences of declining enrollments—a growing problem because of Covid-19. On the Research Minute, Amber Northern examines the academic effects of reclassifying English language learners as English proficient.

Oct 21, 2020 • 25min
The loathsome war on exam schools - 10/21/20
On this week’s podcast, Fordham’s Checker Finn joins Mike Petrilli and David Griffith to discuss the growing, misguided war on selective-admissions high schools. On the Research Minute, Amber Northern examines how community college credentials affect graduates over time.

Oct 14, 2020 • 33min
Lemov and Woolway on teaching like a champion—online - 10/14/20
On this week’s podcast, Mike Petrilli and David Griffith are joined by Doug Lemov and Erica Woolway, co-managing director and chief academic officer, respectively, of the Teach Like a Champion team at Uncommon Schools. They talk about their timely new book, "Teaching in the Online Classroom: Surviving and Thriving in the New Normal." On the Research Minute, Amber Northern examines a new RAND survey of teachers about social and emotional learning.

Oct 7, 2020 • 27min
Reading comprehension is not a skill, and other lessons from Fordham’s latest study - 10/07/20
On this week’s podcast, Fordham’s Adam Tyner joins Mike Petrilli and David Griffith to discuss the new study that he coauthored, “Social Studies Instruction and Reading Comprehension: Evidence from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study.” On the Research Minute, Amber Northern examines the effects of merit aid for low-income college students.

Sep 30, 2020 • 24min
How to open a school safely during a pandemic - 09/30/20
On this week’s podcast, Aaron Daly, COO of Brooklyn Laboratory Charter Schools, joins Mike Petrilli and David Griffith to discuss the network’s innovative reopening recommendations. On the Research Minute, Adam Tyner examines the long-term ramifications of the Covid-19 crisis.

Sep 23, 2020 • 27min
How the pandemic could lead to smarter school spending - 09/23/20
On this week’s podcast, Brandon Wright joins Mike Petrilli and David Griffith to discuss his and Rick Hess’s new edited volume, Getting the Most Bang for the Education Buck. On the Research Minute, Amber Northern examines whether community crime monitoring can improve student attendance.

Sep 16, 2020 • 23min
How did those online summer camps go? - 09/16/20
On this week’s podcast, Timothy Daly, co-founder and CEO of EdNavigator, joins Mike Petrilli and David Griffith to discuss Camp Kinda, a free online summer resource that was designed to keep students engaged and curious while they were stuck at home. On the Research Minute, Amber Northern examines the different effects Republican and Democratic legislatures have on education finance and outcomes.