The Education Gadfly Show

On this week’s Education Gadfly Show podcast, David Griffith talks with Checker Finn about why we should still teach writing in the age of ChatGPT, a new AI-powered bot that can mimic human prose. Then, on the Research Minute, Amber tells us about the challenges of implementing academic Covid recovery interventions.Recommended content:ChatGPT, the writing bot discussed in this episode“Why learn to write?” —Checker Finn“Artificial intelligence is not the end of high-school English” —Robert Pondiscio “Did a fourth grader write this? or the new chatbot?” —New York TimesThe study that Amber reviewed on the Research Minute: Maria V. Carbonari et al., The Challenges of Implementing Academic COVID Recovery Interventions: Evidence from the Road to Recovery Project, CALDER Working Paper (December 2022)Feedback Welcome:Have ideas for improving our podcast? Send them to our producer Nathaniel Grossman at ngrossman@fordhaminstitute.org.

On this week’s special, year-end Education Gadfly Show podcast, Mike Petrilli looks back on 2022’s most important education stories with 50CAN founder and CEO Marc Porter Magee. Then, on the Research Minute, Amber counts down the year’s top academic studies on education. Recommended content:“Nation’s Report Card shows largest drops ever recorded in 4th and 8th grade math” —The 74“Gov. Bill Lee unveils new school funding formula aimed at focusing money directly on students” —Tennessean“Arizona’s school choice revolution” —Washington ExaminerEmily Hanford’s podcast series, Sold a Story —American Public MediaAmber’s top five studies of the year:5. Paul T. von Hippel and Ana P. Cañedo, “Is Kindergarten Ability Group Placement Biased? New Data, New Methods, New Answers,” American Educational Research Journal (2021).4. Owen Thompson, “Gifted & Talented Programs and Racial Segregation” NBER Working Paper #29546 (December 2021).3. Rune Vammen Lesner, Anna Piil Damm, Preben Bertelsen, and Mads Uffe Pedersen, “The Effect of School-Year Employment on Cognitive Skills, Risky Behavior, and Educational Achievement,” Economics of Education Review (March 2022); Alicia Sasser Modestino and Richard Paulsen, “School’s Out: How Summer Youth Employment Programs Impact Academic Outcomes,” Education Finance and Policy (January 2022).2. Young Hwang and Cory Koedel, “Holding Back to Move Forward: The Effects of Retention in the Third Grade on Student Outcomes,” Retrieved from Annenberg Institute at Brown University (December 2022)1. Kenneth Shores, Hojung Lee, and Elinor Williams, “The Distribution of School Resources in The United States: A Comparative Analysis Across Levels of Governance, Student Sub-groups, And Educational Resources,” Social Science Research Network (August 2021).Feedback Welcome:Have ideas for improving our podcast? Send them to our producer Nathaniel Grossman at ngrossman@fordhaminstitute.org.

On this week’s Education Gadfly Show podcast, Mike Petrilli and David Griffith talk with the University of Colorado’s Parker Baxter on how Denver’s comprehensive school reform effort led to higher student achievement and graduation rates. Then, on the Research Minute, Amber brings us good news about a third grade retention policy in Indiana.Recommended content:“The system-level effects of Denver’s portfolio strategy on student academic outcomes” —Parker BaxterA University of Colorado video on Parker Baxter’s study. “Denver Public Schools’ controversial reform strategy led to higher test scores and graduation rates, but not without costs” —Colorado Public RadioThe study that Amber reviewed on the Research Minute: Young Hwang and Cory Koedel, “Holding Back to Move Forward: The Effects of Retention in the Third Grade on Student Outcomes,” Retrieved from Annenberg Institute at Brown University (December 2022).Feedback Welcome:Have ideas for improving our podcast? Send them to our producer Nathaniel Grossman at ngrossman@fordhaminstitute.org.

On this week’s Education Gadfly Show podcast, Mike Petrilli and David Griffith talk with Juliet Squire, Senior Partner at Bellwether, about a new initiative called Assembly, which is a deep dive into the idea of unbundling education services for all students. Then, on the Research Minute, Amber discusses a Teach For America study that examines how teacher-turnover rates affect student achievement.Recommended content: Bellwether’s Assembly “The Pandemic and the Great Unbundling (and Rebundling) of American Schools” —The Bulwark“The Unbundling Series: Five Services Public Education Should Do Differently” —EdChoiceThe study that Amber reviewed on the Research Minute: Virginia F. Lovison, “The Effects of High-performing, High-turnover Teachers on Long-run Student Achievement: Evidence from Teach For America,” Retrieved from Annenberg Institute at Brown University (November 2022) Feedback Welcome:Have ideas for improving our podcast? Send them to our producer Nathaniel Grossman at ngrossman@fordhaminstitute.org.

On this week’s Education Gadfly Show podcast, Kymyona Burk, Senior Policy Fellow at ExcelinEd, joins Mike Petrilli and David Griffith to discuss what states are doing to promote the science of reading and crack down on the snake oil salespeople still peddling bogus reading programs. Then on the Research Minute, Amber Northern examines how playing video games affects children’s cognitive performance.Recommended content:Sold a Story: How Teaching Kids to Read Went So Wrong —American Public MediaEmily Hanford’s keynote address and panel discussion from the National Summit on Education —ExcelinEdComprehensive How-To Guide: Approaches to Implementing Early Literacy Policies —Kymyona Burk“The Noose Tightens Around Failed Reading Programs in Schools” —Robert Pondiscio Feedback Welcome:Have ideas for improving our podcast? Send them to our producer Nathaniel Grossman at ngrossman@fordhaminstitute.org.

On this week’s Education Gadfly Show podcast, Virginia Gentles, the director of the Education Freedom Center at the Independent Women’s Forum, joins Mike Petrilli and David Griffith to discuss the results of the 2022 midterm elections and what they mean for the parents’ rights movement. Then, on the Research Minute, Amber Northern reviews a study that finds that students from under-resourced schools perform worse on computer-based tests than on traditional paper ones. Recommended content: “School Board Candidates Who Pushed ‘Parental Rights’ See Mixed Results” —Wall Street Journal “Still the Ones to Beat: Teachers’ Unions and School Board Elections” —Michael Hartney “DeSantis, conservatives score more Florida school board wins” —Politico The study that Amber reviewed on the Research Minute: John Gordanier et al., “Pencils Down? Computerized Testing and Student Achievement,” Education Finance and Policy (Oct 2022).Feedback Welcome: Have ideas for improving our podcast? Send them to our podcast producer Nathaniel Grossman at ngrossman@fordhaminstitute.org.

Education Gadfly Show #845: Why schools are wasting millions of dollars on ineffective online tutoring On this week’s Education Gadfly Show podcast, Bart Epstein, the president and CEO of EdTech Evidence Exchange, joins Mike Petrilli and David Griffith to discuss the challenges that schools and districts face when implementing online “on-demand” tutoring programs for students. Then, on the Research Minute, Amber Northern reviews a study that examines the effects of state-mandated civics tests on youth voter turnout. Recommended content:Bart's organization: EdTech Evidence ExchangeThe narrow path to doing it right: Evidence from vaccine making for high-dosage tutoring  —Mike Goldstein and Bowen Paulle"Many schools are buying on-demand tutoring but a study finds that few students are using it" —The Hechinger ReportThe study that Amber reviewed on the Research Minute: Jung, Jilli, and Gopalan, Maithreyi, "The Stubborn Unresponsiveness of Youth Voter Turnout to Civic Education: Quasi-experimental Evidence from State-Mandated Civics Tests," Retrieved from Annenberg Institute at Brown University (Nov 2022)    Feedback Welcome:Have ideas for improving our podcast? Send them to our podcast producer, Nathaniel Grossman, at ngrossman@fordhaminstitute.org.

On this week’s Education Gadfly Show podcast, Mike Petrilli and David Griffith are joined by Seth Gershenson—professor at the Department of Public Administration and Policy at American University and the author of Fordham’s new report, High Expectations in District and Charter Schools—to discuss its findings and why high teacher expectations translate into better outcomes for kids. Then, on the Research Minute, Amber Northern reviews a study that examines teachers’ contributions to school climate and how it varies by student race and ethnicity.  Recommended content: ·      Fordham’s new study by Seth Gershenson: “High Expectations in District and Charter Schools.”·      The study that Amber reviewed on the Research Minute: Benjamin Backes et al., Teachers and School Climate: Effects on Student Outcomes and Academic Disparities, CALDER Working Paper (October 2022).  Feedback welcome!Have ideas for improving our podcast? Send them to our podcast producers Nathaniel Grossman and Lilly Sibel at ngrossman@fordhaminstitute.org and lsibel@fordhaminstitue.org

On this week’s Education Gadfly Show podcast, Checker Finn joins Mike Petrilli and David Griffith to discuss the 2022 NAEP results. Then on the Research Minute, Amber Northern reviews a study that examines how instructional time differs between countries and offers suggestions on how U.S. schools can recover learning time lost to the pandemic.  Recommended content[BW1] : ·      The 2022 NAEP results.·      Checker Finn’s recent book about NAEP: “Assessing the Nation’s Report Card: Challenges and Choices for NAEP” (May 2022). ·      The study that Amber reviewed on the Research Minute: Matthew A. Kraft and Sarah Novicoff: “Instructional Time in U.S. Public Schools: Wide Variation, Causal Effects, and Lost Hours,” Annenberg Institute at Brown University (September 2022). Feedback Welcome: Have ideas for improving our podcast? Send them to our podcast producers Nathaniel Grossman and Lilly Sibel at ngrossman@fordhaminstitute.org and lsibel@fordhaminstitue.org   [BW1]Should add mike and checker’s op-eds tomorrow after they’re published. Once Gadfly goes out, Lilly, please do so.

On this week’s Education Gadfly Show podcast, Quentin Suffren, Senior Advisor of Innovation Policy for ExcelinEd, joins Mike Petrilli and David Griffith to discuss industry-recognized credentials and why their impact has been muted so far. Then, on the Research Minute, Amber Northern reviews a study that examines how college graduates’ earnings are influenced by the performance of their schools’ football teams.  Recommended content:  ·      Quentin’s recent Fordham article: “Credentials matter, but pathways matter more,” September 2022, which summarized the findings from “Credentials Matter,” a website created by ExcelinEd and Burning Glass Technologies.·      Our report on IRCs: Matt Giani, “How Attaining Industry-Recognized Credentials in High School Shapes Education and Employment Outcomes,” Thomas B. Fordham Institute (August 2022). ·      The study that Amber reviewed on the Research Minute: Monica Harber Carney, “College Football Performance, Student Earnings, and the Gender Wage Gap,” Education Finance and Policy (September 2022).