16:1 - Education, Teaching, & Learning

Did your high school experience feel a little like a relic from another era? Beneath the daily routines of bells and benchmarks is a history of deliberate choices (made by a small number of voices), evolving philosophies, and healthy controversy that evolved through a period of rapid social change. This week, the hosts examine the origins of the American high school system as we know it, prompting critical inquiries into the emergence and evolution of the course and assessment structure that dictates the rhythms of adolescence in the United States. We review the landmark report of the Committee of Ten, an 1892 working group of National Education Association of the United States Committee on Secondary School Studies, which was convened in order to create a framework of educational standards to bring order to the patchwork chaos of secondary schooling in the U.S. left in the wake of the Civil War. We discuss the initial goals of the secondary school system and to what extent original intentions are still serving our students today. The episode also interrogates the notion of a singular “best” teaching or assessment method. 00:15 Intro & Recap of Holocaust Education Museum Exhibit (Cincinnati) and Guided Virtual Tour of Auschwitz-Birkenau 06:50 An Academic Conference with Enormous Power Over American High Schools 10:15 The Report of the Committee of Ten: The Most Important Education Document Ever Issued? 12:00 The Formalizing of Education as a Profession  14:50 The National Education Association: Convener of Educational Change 16:00 Horace Mann, Common Schooling, & the Evolution of Standards  19:30 Who Decides What is “Best”? And Better Questions 25:50 Ten After Ten: Retrospective Look & Influence of the Report 30:20 The End of Differentiation & Discussion Questions 40:00 What We Learned For a full list of episode sources and resources, visit our website.   Sources & Further Reading: Report of the Committee of Ten on Secondary School Studies : with the reports of the conferences arranged by the Committee United States. Bureau of Education. Report of the Commissioner of Education Made to the Secretary of the Interior for the Year ... With Accompanying Papers. Washington: G.P.O., 18701928. Education Reform in Antebellum America | Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History The History of NEA Ten Years' Influence of the Report of the Committee of Ten Episode 60 - Where No Mann Has Gone Before - 16:1 - An Education Podcast Episode 40 - A More Perfect Union? - 16:1 - An Education Podcast NEA Leadership on Teach for America Cardinal Principles of Secondary Education The Carnegie Unit

We’re pleased to welcome guest Dr. Maggie Marcus to the podcast. Dr. Marcus joins us for a conversation on bilingual learners, two-way immersion programs, and navigating the needs of English learners from a policy level at a time of increased scrutiny on language learning in relation to civic identity. Dr. Marcus is the Executive Director of the Sullivan Family Charitable Foundation, which is dedicated to improving educational outcomes for English Learners.  02:30 The Joy of Teaching Aligned to Talent: Dual Language Learning 10:30 Professional Pathways for Language Learners 16:30 Two-Way Immersion Programming: Research & Praxis 22:00 Century Foundation Report: Community Demand for Bilingual Educational Opportunity 27:30 English Learners & Pandemic Recovery Trends  31:00 What We Learned Sources & Further Reading: Is Your Child Classified as an English Learner? - PIQE What Families Want: New Data on Public Demand for Bilingual Education Pandemic Response to Pandemic Recovery: Helping English Learners Succeed This Fall and Beyond Quadrinity Check-In | Hoffman Institute Sullivan Family Charitable Foundation Music by John Williams | GRAMMY® Award Winner | Disney+ Mayor Mamdani Declares Local State of Emergency, Snow Day for NYC Public Schools to Keep New Yorkers Safe For a full list of episode sources and resources, visit our website.

Learn about the remarkable partnerships that produced more than 2,500 Carnegie‑funded libraries across the United States and the complex, negotiated process that made these institutions enduring pillars of public knowledge. Drawing on contemporary scholarship, the conversation illuminates how local communities, librarians, and decision makers harnessed Andrew Carnegie’s philanthropic energy to shape America’s public library system.00:30 Intro03:00 Andrew Carnegie: Immigrant to Titan of American Industry11:30 Carnegie Libraries Spread Across the Country24:40 Library Design and Enduring Legacy30:00 Carnegie’s Vision of Citizenship & the Gospel of Wealth39:45 What We Learned This WeekFor a full list of episode sources and resources, visit our website.

Writing the Textbook for Emergency CareWhat does it look like when a community builds critical infrastructure before established institutions recognize the need? In this episode, we examine a short-lived but transformative ambulance program that helped define modern emergency medical response at a time when most U.S. emergency calls were handled by minimally trained personnel. At the intersection of medical research, workforce development, and community trust, this effort, known as the Freedom House Ambulance Service, reframed first responders as field clinicians and demonstrated how on-the-job education can function as public health infrastructure. Learn about the researchers and educators who helped shape early resuscitation science, the culture of embedded learning that accelerated community care, and the institutional shifts that rippled across the country in the wake of the program’s success.00:30 Intro + Ohio’s changing kindergarten enrollment cutoffs; school & family impact06:00 Freedom House Ambulance Service: Community-driven transformation in Pittsburgh’s Hill District13:20 Learning under fire: education and training in the field17:05 Writing the textbook for emergency medical care18:30 Building effective learning community in a crisis context23:20 Rules, restrictions, and mavericks; pushing boundaries to further medical research25:50 Education as public infrastructure, not credentialing pipeline; the relative value of expertise27:00 The structure of schools & workplaces for community empowermentFor a full list of episode sources and resources, visit our website.Sources & Further Reading:Freedom House Ambulance Service - WikipediaNancy Caroline - WikipediaPeter Safar - WikipediaEmergency Medical Services - WikipediaAmerica's First Paramedics Were Black. Their Achievements Were Overlooked for DecadesFreedom House Ambulance: The FIRST Responders | America's First EMT ServiceHow to see Dublin’s secret painting | The Doyle CollectionFreedom House Ambulance Service – EMS MuseumAbout Us - Freedom House DocThese Trailblazing Black Paramedics Are the Reason You Don't Have to Ride a Hearse or a Police Van to the HospitalSend Freedom House! | Pitt Med | University of PittsburghNancy Caroline Award | Safar Center for Resuscitation ResearchThe Jewish Woman who Revolutionized Emergency Medicine | AishHellelil and Hildebrand, the Meeting on the Turret Stairs by Frederic William Burton | National Gallery of Ireland'There's no telescope this large ever built. It's not like we have a precedent for how to do these things,' Giant Magellan Telescope engineers on why they used the Unreal Engine to build an unprecedented telescope simulator | TechRadar

We’re back to kick off our “third” season (and sixth year!) with learning strategist, National Board certified science educator, and special education teacher Tina Heineke-Kurtz. Tina is a delightful and adventurous human being with a strong passion for inclusive education, and her career in teaching and advocacy has touched the lives of countless students. We spoke with Tina about life in Oconomowoc, co-teaching in an inclusive classroom, and the challenges of meeting the needs of all learners. Welcome back, listeners, and enjoy the chaos of a gaggle of Midwesterners.00:00 Ice Fishing with the Stomach Bomb08:40 Teaching Journey and Career Path13:20 Middle School and Mentorship21:00 Co-Teaching In Inclusive Classrooms27:40 COVID and Social/Emotional Displacement34:40 Making Chicken Soup37:20 Inclusive Practices and Stakeholder Perspectives47:00 Professional Development and Personal Growth49:20 MARBLES, MARBLES, MARBLES!56:50 The One Who Cared1:00:00 What We LearnedFor a full list of episode sources and resources, visit our website.

In the final episode of this season of 16:1, special guest Dr. Brandi De La Cruz, 2025–2026 Tennessee Teacher of the Year, joins us for an honest, grounded look at the teaching profession. Dr. De La Cruz’s nonlinear path into mathematics education has become a core part of her teaching identity, and she speaks candidly about trying new things, building community, and deepening connections between classroom learning and community impact. We also discuss graduation pressures, funding incentives, local workforce expectations, teacher retention, professional development, and the evolving realities of AI in the high school classroom.16:1 returns January 2026 with a new season. Happy holidays!00:30 Wrap up thoughts on teaching 198406:40 Dr. Brandi De La Cruz: An indirect path to the math classroom11:20 Learning to connect with students through lived experience20:00 Local industry and applied learning connections24:00 Why teaching is worth choosing27:30 Metrics, misaligned incentives, and honest accountability36:30 Finding your people in your school43:15 What makes for meaningful professional development?For a full list of episode sources and resources, visit our website.

This week, we’re looking through our history to ground ourselves in a turbulent present. Tune in for our discussion of Septima Poinsette Clark, the Charleston-born educator and activist Martin Luther King Jr. once called “the mother of the movement.” Her story bridges the segregated classrooms of the early 20th century and the civil rights movement’s front lines. Through the establishment of hundreds of citizenship schools across the U.S., she helped thousands of Black Americans gain the literacy skills necessary to vote, transforming communities. We also consider her complex legacy as a woman who challenged not only racism but also sexism within social movements that she helped to shape.02:24 Septima Poinsette Clark: Family History & Educational Empowerment06:00 Teaching in segregated South Carolina and the fight for equal pay09:00 Adult Literacy & Citizenship12:20 Poll Taxes, Literacy Tests, and the Politics of Reconstruction14:00 Workshops at the Highlander Folk School16:00 Citizenship Schools and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference21:40 Septima Poinsette’s Civil Rights Activism: Legacy and LessonsFor a full list of episode sources and resources, visit our website.

Two English teachers and a technologist dive into the intricacies of Orwell's 1984, exploring themes of propaganda, surveillance, and individuality. They analyze Winston Smith's contradictory character and the misogyny present in his perspective. The discussion touches on the significance of Newspeak in controlling thought and expression. Engaging with modern relevance, they question the nature of war in Oceania and the potential for the proles to inspire change. Classroom strategies are shared, emphasizing the importance of student engagement with the text.

Dive into the explosive 1974 Kanawha County textbook wars that ignited boycotts and violence over educational materials in West Virginia. Explore the state's division rooted in Civil War history and how the Scopes Trial influenced public perception of fundamentalism. Witness local protests escalate as extremist groups, including the KKK, amplify tensions. Uncover the complex factors behind curriculum changes and the emotional fallout for students as educators grapple with the clash between fundamentalism and pluralism in schools.

The Stories Our Students CarryCulturally Responsive PedagogyCulturally responsive teaching begins with the recognition that learning doesn't happen in a vacuum. Teachers must carefully navigate curricular needs while building a foundation of trust and respect with students, each of whom carries unique stories and experiences into the classroom. In this episode, we explore the work of scholars who study those intersections: between school and family, the individual and their culture, classroom lessons and the many other concerns crowding a young learner’s mind.00:00 Intro + Announcements03:30 The US Education System: A Pressure Cooker05:00 Revisiting Social Learning Theory; Lev Vygotsky, Albert Bandura06:30 Dr Luis C Moll & Funds of Knowledge08:30 Research Contributions from Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings, Dr. Geneva Gay; culturally relevant and responsive pedagogy11:20 Culturally responsive pedagogy and practical applications in rural classrooms18:20 Culturally responsive teaching with varied student populations21:30 Discussion Questions31:10 What we learnedFor a full list of episode sources and resources, visit our website.