FreshEd

Covid-19 disrupted school systems worldwide. Many children are still out of school. One of the issues impacted by school closures has been education assessment. How should students be assessed on their learning when school buildings are closed? Is it fair to hold tests when online learning has patchy coverage? And what happens if high stake tests can’t be held? Today I speak with Mary Richardson about how coronavirus impacted education assessment in England and how government, schools, universities, and students responded. Mary Richardson is an Associate Professor of Education (Assessment) at the UCL Institute of Education, University College London. Prior to joining academia, she was a Senior Research Officer in the department of Research and Statistics for AQA conducting national studies relating to school-based examinations, testing regimes in schools and the impact of testing on children alongside the key role in awarding national examinations. https://freshedpodcast.com/richardson/ -- Get in touch! Twitter: @FreshEdpodcast Facebook: FreshEd Email: info@freshedpodcast.com Support FreshEd: http://www.freshedpodcast.com/support/

Today we explore the idea of degrowth. With me is Jason Hickel, an economic anthropologist, author, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in the United Kingdom. He is a Visiting Senior Fellow at the International Inequalities Institute at the London School of Economics, and Senior Lecturer at Goldsmiths, University of London. He recently published a book entitled Less is More: How Degrowth will Save the World. The book is a must read for anyone who wants to know how we can stop ecological break down and enable human flourishing. https://freshedpodcast.com/jasonhickel/ -- Get in touch! Twitter: @FreshEdpodcast Facebook: FreshEd Email: info@freshedpodcast.com Support FreshEd: http://www.freshedpodcast.com/support/

Today we explore educational privatization in Brazil and Portugal. With me is Rui da Silva, a researcher in the Center for African Studies at the University of Porto in Portugal. Together with Theresa Adrião, Rui has recently published a new article in the journal Globalisation, Societies and Education entitled “Public funding to private providers of compulsory education: crossed looks between Brazil and Portugal in the context of globalisations.” https://freshedpodcast.com/ruidasilva-2/ -- Get in touch! Twitter: @FreshEdpodcast Facebook: FreshEd Email: info@freshedpodcast.com

Today we continue our exploration of Teach for All. Two weeks ago, we explored Teach for All counter-narratives. Now we look at empirical research evidence across contexts where Teach for All operates. With me are Matthew Thomas, Emilee Rauschenberger and Katy Crawford-Garrett who have recently co-edited Examining Teach For All: International Perspectives on a Growing Global Network. The collection “brings together research focused on Teach for All and its affiliate programmes to explore the organization’s impact on education around the world.” Matthew A.M. Thomas is a Senior Lecturer in Comparative Education and Sociology of Education at the University of Sydney; Emilee Rauschenberger is Senior Research Fellow at Manchester Metropolitan University; and Katy Crawford-Garrett is an Associate Professor of Teacher Education, Educational Leadership and Policy at the University of New Mexico. https://freshedpodcast.com/teach-for-all/ -- Get in touch! Twitter: @FreshEdpodcast Facebook: FreshEd Email: info@freshedpodcast.com Support FreshEd: http://www.freshedpodcast.com/support/

Today we talk about the complexities of private higher education worldwide and how some private universities and colleges responded to and have been impacted by the coronavirus. My guest is Daniel Levy, a professor at the University at Albany, State University of New York. He’s recently co-written a report entitled: “How Covid-19 puts private higher education at especially high risk – and not: early observations plus propositions for ongoing global exploration.” https://freshedpodcast.com/daniellevy -- Get in touch! Twitter: @FreshEdpodcast Facebook: FreshEd Email: info@freshedpodcast.com Support FreshEd: http://www.freshedpodcast.com/support/

Today we look at counter narratives to Teach for All, the global network of affiliate organizations that recruit people to make 2-year commitments teaching in high-need schools. An outgrowth of Teach for America and Teach First in the United Kingdom, Teach for All advances a one-size fits all solution to educational problems in over 53 countries. It is funded by powerful corporations and organizations, such as the Clinton Global Initiative, and has become an important actor in the global education reform movement. But what do former recruits think of Teach for All? How does Teach for All’s carefully crafted message of reform translate into practice? My guests today are Jameson Brewer, Kathleen deMarrais and Kelly L. McFaden who have recently co-edited a volume called Teach for All Counter Narratives. The book is a collection of first-hand accounts where former recruits offer powerful critiques of the organization and its methods. T. Jameson Brewer is an Assistant Professor of Social Foundations of Education at the University of North Georgia where Kelly L. McFaden is a professor. Kathleen deMarrais is a Professor and Department Head in the Department of Lifelong Education, Administration, and Policy at the University of Georgia. https://freshedpodcast.com/tjamesonbrewer-kathleendemarrais-kellylmcfaden/ -- Get in touch! Twitter: @FreshEdpodcast Facebook: FreshEd Email: info@freshedpodcast.com Support FreshEd: http://www.freshedpodcast.com/support/

Today we take a critical look at numbers. Think about it: numbers are everywhere in education, from grades to impact scores to rankings. My guests today, Nelli Piattoeva and Rebecca Boden, have recently co-edited a special issue for the journal International Studies in Sociology of Education that looks at the “ambiguities of the governance of education through data” (read their open access introduction!). Nelli Piattoeva is an Associate Professor at Tampere University in Finland where Rebecca Boden is the research director and professor at the New Social Research Programme. https://freshedpodcast.com/nellipiattoeva-rebeccaboden/ -- Get in touch! Twitter: @FreshEdpodcast Facebook: FreshEd Email: info@freshedpodcast.com Support FreshEd: http://www.freshedpodcast.com/support/

Are we heading towards another economic crisis? The stock market plunged last week; private debt is at an all-time high; speculative markets are on the rise; wealth remains concentrated at the top; and workers are stuck in precarious low-wage jobs. My guest today, William I. Robinson, says that the Transnational Capitalist Class is facing a crisis of over-accumulation. But what is to be done? Professor Robinson details the social movements that will be necessary to escape the rise of a global fascism. He sees the role of intellectuals as an important part of these broad social movements. William I. Robinson is a professor of sociology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He has written extensively on globalization, capitalism, and the transnational capitalist class. His latest opinion piece is entitled “The Next Economic Crisis? Digital Capitalism and Global Police State,” which was published on teleSUR, an alternative representation for world news. https://freshedpodcast.com/robinson/ -- Get in touch! Twitter: @FreshEdpodcast Facebook: FreshEd Email: info@freshedpodcast.com Support FreshEd: http://www.freshedpodcast.com/support/

School systems worldwide are struggling to figure out if, when, and how to re-open schools. Educational planning during a pandemic is no easy task, especially when there is little evidence that can be used to guide policy. My guest today is Karen Mundy, Professor of International and Comparative Education at the University of Toronto. She is a leading expert on education in the developing world and former Chief Technical Officer at the Global Partnership for Education, known as the GPE. I wanted to speak with Karen since part of her job at the GPE was to work through delicate planning issues with government and school officials worldwide. What advice would she give school planners today? https://freshedpodcast.com/karenmundy-2 -- Get in touch! Twitter: @FreshEdpodcast Facebook: FreshEd Email: info@freshedpodcast.com Support FreshEd: http://www.freshedpodcast.com/support/

What does citizenship education look like in a country affected by armed conflict and economic crises? My guest today, Bassel Akar, has closely examined citizenship and history education in Lebanon. Some of his research focuses on the ways in which teachers demonstrate their agency for curricular and pedagogical change through innovative approaches inside the classroom. Bassel Akar is Associate Professor of Education and Director of the Center for Applied Research in Education at Notre Dame University in Lebanon. Last year he published a book entitled Citizenship Education in conflict-affected areas: Lebanon and beyond. https://www.freshedpodcast.com/basselakar -- Get in touch! Twitter: @FreshEdpodcast Facebook: FreshEd Email: info@freshedpodcast.com Support FreshEd: http://www.freshedpodcast.com/support/