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PODCAST

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.

education politics

All Episodes

30:56

The “genome” of a great elementary school | Episode...

The Education Gadfly Show ·

2026/04/22

On this week’s solo episode, Mike Petrilli explores a big question: What would it look like to define an evidence-based model for American elementary schools—and could AI help us get there? Drawing on his long view of school reform, he considers what most schools have in common, where they fall short, and whether a clearer, research-backed playbook could improve outcomes at scale. This is a work-in-progress idea, and Mike wants your feedback. Share your thoughts at mpetrilli [at] fordhaminsti...

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27:35

College or career? The credential tradeoff | Episode...

The Education Gadfly Show ·

2026/04/15

Jay Plasman of The Ohio State University joins the Education Gadfly Show to discuss Fordham’s latest report on industry-recognized credentials—and whether they actually deliver for students. As Ohio has pushed more high schoolers to earn these credentials, do they lead to higher earnings down the line, or unintentionally steer students away from college pathways? Then on the Research Minute, Amber Northern examines new evidence on goal-setting and commitment pledges—whether they help students...

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31:25

AI in schools: Promise or pitfall? | Episode 1012 of...

The Education Gadfly Show ·

2026/04/02

Jean-Claude Brizard, president and CEO of Digital Promise, joins the Education Gadfly Show to discuss the promise—and the pitfalls—of artificial intelligence in education. Drawing on what he’s seen in classrooms abroad, Brizard makes the case that AI can elevate teaching and learning—if it’s used to strengthen pedagogy rather than replace it. But as schools experiment with new tools, how can they embrace innovation without undermining the foundational skills students still need? Then on the R...

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39:42

Too many A’s, not enough honesty? | Episode 1011 of...

The Education Gadfly Show ·

2026/03/25

Bibb Hubbard, founder and CEO of Learning Heroes, joins the Education Gadfly Show to discuss grade inflation and the disconnect between what parents think report cards are telling them and how students are actually performing. As families rely on grades and teacher feedback to understand student progress, can stronger school-family communication help give parents a more honest picture of how their children are doing? Then on the Research Minute, Amber Northern looks at new research on Chicago...

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31:51

Can we agree on teacher diversity? | Episode 1010 of...

The Education Gadfly Show ·

2026/03/18

Mike Petrilli takes a solo turn to tackle teacher diversity, a topic at the center of today’s debates over DEI. Should schools recruit teachers whose backgrounds reflect those of their students? What does the research say about how shared life experiences shape student outcomes? And how can schools promote diversity while maintaining high standards for academic excellence? Then on the Research Minute, Amber Northern examines new research on Arkansas’s LEARNS Act, which raised the state’s mini...

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37:03

Can schools keep up with AI? | Episode 1009 of The...

The Education Gadfly Show ·

2026/03/11

Robin Lake, director of the Center on Reinventing Public Education, joins the Education Gadfly Show to discuss the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence and what it could mean for schools. As AI tools grow more powerful, do schools need to fundamentally rethink how they prepare students for the future of work? Then on the Research Minute, Amber Northern looks at evidence from New Jersey on whether raising teacher salaries improves student outcomes, highlighting research that links salary...

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36:15

What the fadeout effect means for testing,...

The Education Gadfly Show ·

2026/03/04

Drew Bailey, professor at the University of California, Irvine, joins The Education Gadfly Show to discuss the fadeout effect across education interventions. Why do early treatment effects shrink over time, and what does that mean for judging program success, especially when test score gains diminish but long-term outcomes like graduation rates and earnings persist? We also debate the role of test scores in accountability, the evidence linking school value-added to real-world success, and wha...

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30:02

When state curriculum lists go bad | Episode 1007 of...

The Education Gadfly Show ·

2026/02/25

Karen Vaites, founder of The Curriculum Insight Project, joins us to discuss the evolving debate over curriculum reviews and state adoption policies. As more states look to third-party evaluations to guide decisions—and some consider mandating state-approved lists—how can policymakers avoid making costly mistakes? Then on the Research Minute, Amber Northern examines new evidence on whether teacher effectiveness truly transfers when high-performing educators move into lower-achieving schools. ...

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29:45

Mike gives easy A’s a big ole F | Episode 1006 of The...

The Education Gadfly Show ·

2026/02/18

This week on The Education Gadfly Show, Mike Petrilli goes solo to talk about grade inflation—what it means, how it’s changed over time, and why tougher grading standards help students learn more. He argues that easier grades don’t serve students well—and explores what states can do about it. Then, on the Research Minute, Amber Northern shares new evidence from Texas showing that distance from public colleges—especially community colleges—strongly shapes whether students enroll in and complet...

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29:07

Can states build coherent early childhood systems? |...

The Education Gadfly Show ·

2026/02/11

This week on The Education Gadfly Show, we’re joined by Elliot Regenstein, partner at Foresight Law + Policy and author of Readiness: Preparing State Early Childhood Systems for a Brighter Future, to talk about early childhood education and care—and why state systems are so often fragmented and hard to navigate. We discuss who makes key decisions, why coordination is so difficult, and what it would take to build more coherent early childhood systems going forward. Then, on the Research Minute...

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38:26

Success stories shouldn’t be a secret | Episode 1004...

The Education Gadfly Show ·

2026/02/04

This week on The Education Gadfly Show, we’re joined by Karin Chenoweth, founder of Democracy and Education and author of Schools that Succeed, to talk about what she’s learned from years of visiting successful classrooms, schools, and districts across the country. We explore a deceptively simple question: Why don’t educators, policymakers, and researchers spend more time studying success? Then, on the Research Minute, Amber Northern highlights new evidence from New York City showing that sma...

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23:35

National School Choice Week: Why “school choice”...

The Education Gadfly Show ·

2026/01/28

This week on The Education Gadfly Show, we’re marking National School Choice Week with a conversation with Shelby Doyle of the National School Choice Awareness Foundation. We talk about why the movement emphasizes school choice rather than educational choice—and whether the growing focus on education savings accounts is a good development for the movement. Then, on the Research Minute, Amber Northern breaks down new evidence on how disability identification varies by student family income, ra...

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34:39

Education Savings Accounts: Boffo or bonkers? |...

The Education Gadfly Show ·

2026/01/21

This week on The Education Gadfly Show, Mike Petrilli goes solo. After recently playing ESA skeptic at an international school choice conference, Mike walks through where he now stands on Education Savings Accounts—laying out the strongest arguments in their favor and explaining why he’s increasingly unconvinced the tradeoffs are worth it. Then, on the Research Minute, Amber Northern highlights new research using Michigan data to examine what happens when students with disabilities switch fro...

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32:33

Is tutoring the next big thing? | Episode 1001 of The...

The Education Gadfly Show ·

2026/01/14

This week, we’re joined by Liz Cohen, vice president of policy at 50CAN, to discuss her book, The Future of Tutoring. Mike and David ask her some tough questions on whether tutoring is worth the investment, and she provides some excellent answers. Then on the Research Minute, Amber highlights new evidence showing that students’ family background plays a key role not just in college major choice, but also in who goes on to graduate school and how earnings unfold over time. Recommended content:...

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39:19

An Education State of the Union | Episode 1000 of The...

The Education Gadfly Show ·

2026/01/07

This week, we’re marking a major milestone—Episode 1,000 of The Education Gadfly Show. Instead of focusing on a single topic, we’re branching out for a big-picture conversation about the state of education policy—past, present, and future—with Rick Hess and Tom Loveless, the original co-host of the show and its very first guest. In particular, we wonder whether we were too pessimistic back in the No Child Left Behind era, why education outcomes and other social indicators turned south in the ...

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30:36

The good, the bad, and the best research of 2025 |...

The Education Gadfly Show ·

2025/12/17

This week, Mike Petrilli looks back at the highs and lows of education reform in 2025 as we wrap up our final episode of the year. Then, on the Research Minute, David Griffith closes things out with a countdown of his top five studies of 2025—plus one bonus pick. Recommended content: Wonkathon 2025: What will make science of reading laws succeed? —Thomas B. Fordham Institute2025 Eddies —PIE NetworkWas 2025 a good year for education reform? —Michael J. Petrilli, SCHOOLEDHave you subscribed to ...

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29:07

Is the “college enrollment crisis” a myth? | Episode...

The Education Gadfly Show ·

2025/12/10

This week, we’re joined by Matt Barnum, Chalkbeat’s Ideas editor, to unpack whether college enrollment is truly declining—or whether the national narrative has gotten ahead of the data. Then, on the Research Minute, Fordham’s new national research manager Brian Fitzpatrick highlights evidence from D.C. Public Schools showing that teacher monitoring improves instruction and student outcomes—especially for teachers under pressure to raise test scores. Recommended content: Is c...

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31:03

Moving from science of reading laws to science of...

The Education Gadfly Show ·

2025/12/03

This week, we’re joined by Wonkathon winner Eric Tucker—CEO and president of The Study Group—to talk about his first-place entry on what it will take for the science of reading laws to succeed. Then, on the Research Minute, David Griffith highlights a study showing how much valuable information is lost when individual test questions are collapsed into a single score—and why states could produce better value-added measures by using the rich data they already collect. Recommended content...

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32:32

How AI is reshaping what kids need to learn | Episode...

The Education Gadfly Show ·

2025/11/19

This week, Mike Petrilli returns for a solo episode to dig into artificial intelligence—not classroom tools or teaching tips, but the big-picture implications of AI for what students need to learn as work, citizenship, and even human flourishing rapidly evolve. Then, on the Research Minute, David Griffith highlights a study linking the recent rise in child labor violations to declining school attendance—especially among Black youth and students living on farms. Recommended content: A “Z...

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29:02

What’s at stake if federal oversight of IDEA weakens?...

The Education Gadfly Show ·

2025/11/12

This week, we’re joined by longtime special education advocate Elizabeth Yancy Bostic to discuss what could happen for students with disabilities if federal oversight and enforcement of IDEA are scaled back. Drawing on more than two decades of experience supporting families, including her own, as they navigate services, Elizabeth explains why strong oversight matters and what is at risk for students and districts when those safeguards erode. Then, on the Research Minute, David Griffith shares...

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534 results

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