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
Dec 17, 2019 • 23min
Why rural education matters - 12/17/19
On this week’s podcast, Daniel Showalter, associate professor of math at Eastern Mennonite University and author of "Why Rural Matters," joins Mike Petrilli and Victoria McDougald to talk about the many challenges facing rural schools in America. On the Research Minute, Amber Northern examines how local labor market downturns affect college-going.
Dec 11, 2019 • 28min
On online curriculum materials - 12/11/19
On this week’s podcast, Morgan Polikoff, associate professor of education at USC, joins Mike Petrilli and David Griffith to talk about Fordham’s new report that he coauthored, The Supplemental Curriculum Bazaar. On the Research Minute, Amber Northern discusses a study on ways to sustain effective teacher evaluation.
Dec 4, 2019 • 25min
The effects of early college programs - 12/04/19
On this week’s podcast, Kristina Zeiser, senior researcher at American Institutes for Research, joins Mike Petrilli and David Griffith to talk about the long-term impact of early college high school programs. On the Research Minute, Amber Northern breaks down the latest results from the Program for International Student Assessment.
Nov 26, 2019 • 22min
The obstacles of evidence-based practices - 11/26/19
On this week’s podcast, Kim Marshall, author of The Best of the Marshall Memo, joins Mike Petrilli and David Griffith to talk about the challenge of spreading evidence-based practices in schools. On the Research Minute, Amber Northern examines how performance-based scholarships affect the ways college students use their time.
Nov 20, 2019 • 24min
Are screens to blame for NAEP’s bottom falling out? - 11/20/19
On this week’s podcast, Sarah Sparks, a reporter and data journalist for Education Week, joins Mike Petrilli and David Griffith to talk about the possible link between students’ screen time and reading scores. On the Research Minute, Amber Northern examines whether we learn more from failure or success and what that could mean for students.
Nov 13, 2019 • 21min
The Scarcity of High-Quality Early Childhood Education - 11/13/19
On this week’s podcast, Carrie Gillispie, senior analyst in P–12 policy at The Education Trust, joins Mike Petrilli and David Griffith to talk about the state of early childhood education for students of color. On the Research Minute, Amber Northern examines the long-term impacts of special education.
Nov 6, 2019 • 23min
NAEP 2019: It (was) the economy, stupid - 11/06/19
On this week’s podcast, Marty West, a Harvard professor of education, joins Mike Petrilli and David Griffith to talk about last week’s NAEP results and their relationship to the Great Recession. On the Research Minute, Amber Northern examines how graduation requirements affect arrest rates.
Oct 30, 2019 • 19min
On education, Warren’s got a pander for that - 10/30/19
On this week’s podcast, Mike Petrilli and David Griffith talk to Checker Finn about Senator Warren’s flawed education proposal. On the Research Minute, Amber Northern examines improvements to the student teaching experience that can help candidates feel more prepared for success in the classroom.
Oct 23, 2019 • 18min
Early warning: Kindergarten readiness skills are trending downward - 10/23/19
On this week’s podcast, Megan Kuhfeld, a research scientist at NWEA, joins Mike Petrilli to discuss her recent, sobering findings about the reading and math skills of children entering kindergarten. On the Research Minute, Adam Tyner examines how “stereotype threat” affects the results of cognitive ability tests.
Oct 16, 2019 • 22min
Why the Big Easy’s big gains are over - 10/16/19
On this week’s podcast, Doug Harris, director of the Education Research Alliance for New Orleans, joins Mike Petrilli and David Griffith to discuss the progress, and recent plateauing, of NOLA’s ed reforms. On the Research Minute, Amber Northern examines how earning college credit in high school via AP exams affects postsecondary course-taking.
