After a hiatus since February 2024, the Ed's Not Dead team returns with a dynamic episode that blends personal reflections and critical discussions on the evolving landscape of education.

In This Episode:

• Personal and Professional Catch-Up: The hosts share updates on their lives and careers, reflecting on the events of the past year and the journey since the podcast's inception in 2017.

• Analyzing Linda McMahon's Nomination: A deep dive into the article "SecEd Nominee Linda McMahon Has the Right Background for the Job", discussing her qualifications, the potential impact on the Department of Education, and the broader implications for schools nationwide.

• The Role and Future of the Department of Education: An exploration of the department's current functions, the surprising number of employees, and the possible consequences of its reduction or elimination under a new administration.

Is it time to get rid of math? The guys debate the usefulness of math requirements (along with other public education requirements) in our schools today and what it might mean to think differently.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/02/06/end-useless-math-requirements/

How do you implement standards based grading within the constraints of the performance / letter-grade system?

"Become totally evidentiary..."

"Spend...time determining, what is excellent, almost excellent?"

"Am I going to separate out behavior, from mastery?"

Show Notes:

During today's show, we debrief Betsy DeVos' terribly embarrassing interview on 60 Minutes during our first segment.

• What are the impacts of having an education secretary with such little experience and investment in and around public schools?

In our second segment, we have Tara García Mathewson from The Hechinger Report about the lack of physics teachers in schools with high poverty levels and schools that are composed largely of students of color.

Tara García Mathewson is a staff writer for The Hechinger Report where she covers national education issues. After graduating from Northwestern University, Tara worked at the Daily Herald, Illinois' third largest newspaper where she covered city government and education in Chicago's suburbs. Tara grew up in rural Western New York, and currently lives in Boston.

"Physics is widely considered to be a building block for a range of STEM disciplines— science, technology, engineering and math — and taking the course in high school is strongly correlated with getting a degree in a STEM field. Educators, policymakers and the general public agree that education in STEM is important. STEM occupations, jobs data show, pay more, and employment in STEM fields has grown at a faster rate than overall job growth."

In our final segment, we discuss new playground/recess ideas in Britain, and Casey leads us through a quiz show that will blow your mind!

Resources Mentioned/Referenced:

WaPost Transcript of 60 Minutes Interview

DeVos Takes Shot at 60 Minutes Interview

https://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report/betsy-devos-calls-60-minutes-a-waste-of-a-half-hour

Analysis of PISA and TIMMS

The Hechinger Report page for Tara Garcia Mathewson

One reason students aren't prepared for STEM careers? No physics in high school

In Britain's Playgrounds, 'Bringing in Risk' to Build Resilience 

Show Notes:

During today's show, we discuss the Marjory Stoneman Douglas HS shooting during our first segment.

• Despite all the noise on this issue, as educators, how do you think we should improve what we do to keep students and staff safe in our schools?

We discuss the major points in the case, who is on each side, and the implications for teacher unions moving forward.

In our second segment, we discuss the Janus v. AFSCME Supreme Court Case.

• Public employees in Illinois did not want to pay mandatory union fees in a state where all employees who work in a job with unions must pay "fair share" dues, omitting portions of the fee that go towards political action.
• Janus argues that the required fees are a violation of his First Amendment free speech rights because the Union engages in speech and causes that he disagrees with, referred to as a compelled speech.
• Unions obviously view a decision against them as 1) would bring about their demise, 2) would take away worker protections as it relates minorities and women, and 3) there is no first amendment right to be free from compelled subsidies, 4) that Janus’ characterization of unions as purely political is a gross mischaracterization of union activities. 

In our final segment, a new Dear Betsy segment devolves into a discussion about nothing, kind of like Seinfeld, and kind of like Betsy Devos' actual work with education...nothing! 

Resources Mentioned/Referenced:

Dana Milibank: The Koch’s are Trying to Kill Unions

George Will on Janus

Janus v. AFSCME Supreme Court Case

Why was Betsy DeVos at a Supreme Court hearing about the fate of workers unions?

Show Notes:

During today's show, we discuss the following topics during our first segment:

• From The Denver Post, we discuss the pros and cons of shortening the school week: "The four-day week, once a tool of rural districts, is coming to a Denver metro school district."

• Funding issues are causing school districts across the country to cut days from the school week.

• Achievement levels seem to stay at similar levels (in spite of the loss of an instructional day).

In our second segment, we interview Mr. Rick Wormeli, who is a national voice in standards based grading, differentiated instruction, and all things education. Rick Wormeli was one of the first Nationally Board Certified teachers in America, he brings 38 years of teaching experience in math, science, English, physical education, health, and history, and coaching teachers and principals. Rick’s work has been featured on Good Morning America, National Geographic Magazine, and the Washington Post. He is a frequent contributor to AMLE Magazine, and ASCD’s Education Leadership Magazine. Rick is the author of the award-winning book, Meet Me in the Middle, as well as the best-selling books Day One and Beyond, Fair Isn’t Always Equal, among others.

In our final segment, Casey leads us through a pop quiz on Higher Education! 

Resources Mentioned/Referenced:

Rick Wormeli's Website: "Let's Change Education Together"

4 Day School Week Coming to Suburban Denver

Study Shows Math Gains in 4 day School Week

AMLE.org

Show Notes:

During today's show, we discuss the following topics during our first segment:

• From EducationNext, we discuss Chester Finn's piece entitled: Emphasis on Thinking Skills over Facts in Schools Contributes to Truth Decay.

• Are teachers teaching thinking skills devoid of facts?

• What is the difference between math/science facts and social studies facts? Is there room for interpretation?

• What does Finn mean when he talks about "curricular squeamishness"?

In our second segment, we interview Ms. Gillian Williams, President of The Rensselaerville Institute. During our interview, Gillian and the gang discuss how TRI and their turnaround efforts are effective, what "durable change" looks like, and the key areas of successful educational change.

In our final segment, Robby leads us through the "Top Ten Most Controversial Education issues in US History." 

Resources Mentioned/Referenced:

Robby's Published! Semi Self-Contained Learning Communities in Grade 6: Bringing New Evidence to Bear on Middle Grades Education

EducationNext: Emphasis on Thinking Skills over Facts in Schools Contributes to Truth Decay by Chester Finn Jr.

The Rensselaerville Institute

Show Notes:

During today's show, we discuss the following topics during our first segment:

• From the Washington Post, we discuss the previously lauded Ballou High School where it was just discovered that many students who received a diploma missed an extensive amount of school (so much so that they probably shouldn't have graduated by traditional metrics). 

• More than 1 of every 10 students receiving a diploma from a D.C. public high school last year missed most of the academic year, according to an investigation released Tuesday that casts a shadow on a district that has trumpeted improvements in graduation rates.

• What does it mean to receive a diploma? Why is there doubt cast upon the students, when in reality it is an adult-created / system-created problem?

In our second segment, we bring back Hot Takes! and talk about school awards, teacher evaluations, tracking students to specific careers, and extracurricular activities. 

In our final segment, we bring back another beloved segment all about #DearBetsy! During #DearBetsy, we discuss Devos' most recent speech that posits that Bush 2 and Obama's respective education reforms have done little to impact students.

Resources Mentioned/Referenced:

Devos: Nothing Presidents Barack Obama or George W. Bush did in Education Reform Really Worked

No More School Awards!

What to do with extracurricular activities?

Article about just Ballou High School (WaPost)

DC Graduating Chronically Absent Students (WaPost)

Ask the Right Questions and Learn Something (WaPost Op-Ed)

Not Ballou's Fault (WaPost Op-Ed from Valedictorian)

Show Notes:

During today's show, we discuss the following topics during our first segment:

• From the New York Times (linked below), the way schools are evaluated may be changing. We discuss how a new study shifts how we look at "underperforming" schools.
• This study suggests that policy makers and education leaders may be thinking about student outcomes in all the wrong ways!

In our second segment, we have two very special guests to discuss Social Emotional Learning and a program they created called "TEAMology."

Resources Mentioned/Referenced:

How effective is your school district? A new measure shows where students learn the most

TEAMology

Invent Penn State backs TEAMology with $75,000 award from Fund for Innovation

TIME: Betsy Devos: The Biggest Controversies from year one

Devos reverses policy on campus sexual assault investigations

Ed Dept says it will scale back civil rights investigations

Betsy Devos wants to spend millions on school vouchers. Two new students say they don't actually work

A raw deal from Betsy Devos

For-profit college regulations

Devos Forcing scammed students to repay loans for meaningless degrees

Devos has 10 boats, two helicopters, a yacht scheduler and a lifestyle that you can’t afford ($580m in assets)

The Polarizing Pick to be Betsy Devos’ right-hand man

Students boo Betsy Devos as commencement speaker at HBCU

Republican Tax plan is an early christmas gift for Devos family (Senator Toomey inserted amendment that exempts schools that don’t accept federal funds from being taxed on their endowments)

Guest Information:

Tonight we have two guests who are experts in Social Emotional Learning and building Character in our young students. Students who rank higher on the Social Emotional Learning scale have demonstrated they are more successful students, as they demonstrate higher levels of skills such as problem solving, resiliency, and leadership, they are shown to score higher on tests, attend school more regularly and become more valuable assets to future employers and society.

Linsey Covert is a former teacher and school counselor and now instructor in the Penn State College of Education. As a graduate student, she saw a need for a practical solution to help students develop better relationships and life skills for a more successful future. She began developing ideas for Project TEAM over a dozen years ago and is now the director of Project TEAM, a school-wide anti-bullying movement developed at Penn State to help schools evolve into TEAM-oriented climates. She founded TEAMology, which under license from the university, began recently spreading the SEL and Character Foundations to schools throughout the region by launching a cloud based platform allowing teachers to easily access research based SEL curriculum, track progress, earn badges in SEL, and most importantly communicate, collaborate, and support one another.

Linsey is joined by Lisa DiBernardo, who not only taught these skills successfully to students in NJ for 6 years, and won awards, she joined the TEAMology movement as an Education Director and has been largely credited with helping 1,200 teachers and now 14,000 students improve their Social, Emotional and Character skills.

Show Notes:

During today's show, we discuss the following topics during our first segment:

• From the Washington Post piece on private school enrollment (below), how are private schools contributing to school segregation?
• To what extent are private schools necessary for a high-functioning education system?

In our second segment, we have THE Zaretta Hammond on our show, author of Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain. Zaretta Hammond joins us from the beautiful state of California, right after a full day of leading professional development!

Resources Mentioned/Referenced:

New research says schools don’t matter much in helping kids climb the economic ladder

Private School enrollment contributes to school segregation

Zaretta Hammond's Blog "Ready4Rigor"

Guest Information:

Zaretta Hammond is the author of the bestselling book, Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain. Zaretta is a former writing teacher turned equity freedom fighter and over 19 years ago, Zaretta moved from supporting students in her classroom to supporting teachers who are committed to getting better results with their culturally and linguistically diverse students. Zaretta has trained instructional coaches, designed national seminars for teachers and school leaders and is a regular presenter at national conferences for education. Zaretta's research revolves around literacy, vocabulary development and equity. Zaretta established and writes for the blog "Ready4Rigor" and is most widely known at present for her more recent publication: "Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain." Finally, Zaretta is the proud parent of two young adult children, both of whom she taught to read before they went to school. She resides in Berkeley, California with her husband and family. So let’s get into it

Show Notes:

During today's show, we discuss the following topics during our first segment:

• Clandestine meeting between Randi Weingarten (President of TFA) and Steve Bannon, former top advisor to President Trump.
• Reed College, a private liberal arts school in Oregon, is experiencing ongoing and persistent student protests over a required humanities course: "Lectures for one of Reed College’s signature learning experiences, a humanities course on the ancient Mediterranean, were canceled after protesters tried to interrupt the class to protest perceived Eurocentrism. What’s the future for courses grounded in ancient -- largely Western -- texts?"

In our second segment, we have yet another excellent guest to continue our conversations over equity in schools, Mr. Troy Boddy. Troy Boddy is currently the Director of Equity Initiatives in Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland.

Resources Mentioned/Referenced:

Why did Steve Bannon meet with teachers union leader Randi Weingarten? The man who set it up says Trump ‘likes her.’

Professors like me can’t stay silent about this extremist moment on campuses

Occupation of HUM 110

Tami Jimenez (Twitter) , elementary teacher and education enthusiast! Check out her podcast, "Time to Teach" on Libsyn!

Guest Information:

Troy Boddy is currently the Director of Equity Initiatives in Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland. Troy began his career as a reading teacher, staff development, assistant principal, and elementary school principal prior to his current role as director of the equity unit, whose purpose is to support and collaborate with schools to address equity and cultural competence in the 16th largest school district in the United States. Troy's office help schools and offices address structural barriers that enable the racial achievement gap to persist.

Show Notes:

During today's show, we discuss what some Kansas education policy makers are planning on doing with their public schools (hint: it's probably not a good idea). From the Lawrence Journal-World, we discuss the idea of no longer adhering to age-level grading, the impacts it may have, and why it actually might be a decent idea (to some degree).

In our second segment, we have a very special guest on from our friends over at Education Excellence - Ardith Wieworka is our guest tonight. 

Resources Mentioned/Referenced:

Kansas schools may no longer group students by grade level as part of plan to remake education system

Massachusetts Afterschool Partnerships

EdWeek: Ed. Dept. Sweets Away Old Special Education Guidance and Regulations (List of regulations lifted)

Tami Jimenez (Twitter) , elementary teacher and education enthusiast! Check out her podcast, "Time to Teach" on Libsyn!

Guest Information:

Ardith is the Chief Executive Officer of the Massachusetts Afterschool Partnership, a non-profit agency dedicated to ensuring that all children and youth have equal access to high quality afterschool and summer programming, before school, after school, and during the summer months. She also serves on the senior management team of Child Development and Education, an early education and school age care program serving 4000 children in Massachusetts.

Prior to her work in the private for-profit and non-profit education sectors, Ardith served in state government as the Commissioner of the Massachusetts Office for Children and the Office of Child Care Services, overseeing the field of early education and expanded learning opportunities.

It's time for YOUR questions! We picked a whole boot load of questions that you had on your mind about education, schools, edpolicy, the super bowl, and more! Listen and enjoy AND happy new year!

Show Notes:

During today's show, we discuss how Florida is in the process of "resegregating" their schools and what that means for closing the opportunity gaps across the nation. Using Moriah Balingit's article from the Washington Post (linked here) we discuss why it is happening, and what we should be thinking about in regard to its impact across the country.

Then, we have the absolute pleasure in having THE Curtis Linton on the show with us for Part 1 of our series on equity in schools. During our discussion, we discuss how equity is defined for schools, how it different schools experience success in equitable outcomes, how student autonomy=greater equity, and the difference between multiculturalism and equity in schools.

Resources Mentioned/Referenced:

Angela Watson's "Truth for Teachers" Episode 106: 3 Beliefs that Damage Teacher Relationships with black male students

Florida's Schools - once integration's great hope - are resegregating by Moriah Balingit

School Segregation Report by Race, Poverty, and State by Gary Orfield

Equality of Educational Opportunity: A 40-Year Retrospective (on the Coleman Report) by Gameron and Long

Guest Information:

Curtis Linton is the CEO and founder of Curious School. He is a renowned expert in educational equity and growth leadership. In his career, he has documented on film and in writing with School Improvement Network the successful practices of hundreds of successful schools, organizations, and leaders. He is the best-selling author of the Equity 101 series and co-author of the award winning Courageous Conversations About Race. With Curious School, Curtis is supporting the development of principals and educational leaders through the Growth & Equity Leadership Institute--a dynamic peer-to-peer collaborative learning experience that brings together engaged educators who aim to become Authentic Leaders, Equity Advocates, and Social Entrepreneurs capable of building equitable learning environments that work for diverse learners. After adopting their children, Curtis and his wife Melody started the Domino Foundation, which serves families that have adopted transracially with social and learning opportunities. They live with their two beautiful children in Salt Lake City, Utah.

During this episode of Ed’s (Not) Dead, we welcome Dr. T.J. Vari and Dr. Joseph Jones on the show. Dr. Vari and Dr. Jones cofounded TheSchoolHouse302 blog, which is a leadership development institute startup firm. Both Joe and T.J. are well-versed in topics of school leadership and we are so glad to have them on the show for episode 5.

Today, we discuss TJ’s and Joe’s framework on hiring and retaining high quality teachers.They have structured their BDA framework after a very well known approach to reading comprehension.

During Episode 5, we premiere two new segments, one of which is produced through “Education Excellence” and Michael Levin Epstein and Sue Sempeles. Throughout Education Excellence we will be focusing on success stories with guests who are making a big difference in the field of education right now.

The second new segment premiered on this episode is called “Hot Takes.” Hot Takes is a segment where Peter, Robby, and Casey discuss a random assortment of education issues with a few rules: Thoughts can be completely uninformed (or ill-informed), highly biased, and may be considered ridiculous overall.

During today's episode, the Ed's (Not) Dead hosts talk about teacher autonomy and what are and what to do about failing schools. Episode 4 ends with an incredibly mundane discussion about Betsy Devos's "uplifting" speech to...children.

Our driving questions:

* How much autonomy should teachers have between their instruction and their classroom routines?

* What defines a failing school and what should be done about it?

Enjoy!

In Episode 3 we are Back to School! Back to School also means that it’s time for principals to start the all important job of instructional leadership: providing teachers with support and feedback for improvement. But why does it happen that when some teachers struggle, they are not evaluated accurately? We examine a recent article by esteemed education writer, Jay Matthews of the Washington Post that reveals a very interesting, and possibly troubling reason, for why principals don’t fulfill this critical responsibility with fidelity. In honor of the indispensable role teachers play in education, we are going to interview a teacher who not only survived, but thrived, in his first year as a middle school social studies teacher. We put Mr. Matt Baldassano on the hot seat and learn all that we can from him about the highs and lows of being a first year teacher. Matt shares some important things about building relationships with students, planning, and how his undergraduate teacher preparation program prepared him for actual teaching.

During this episode, we will be talking about vouchers, algebra requirements, and Betsy Devos' love of bears. Vouchers have become an incredible dicey topic within education circles, and indeed are the "new, new thing" especially with our current department of education secretary at the helm. We will be talking about why this might not be the best way for our students and their education. In California, a decision was recently announced that students will no longer have to pass algebra in order to graduate from community college. Along with determining if this is actually a good thing, we will be discussing Pete's mathematical acumen, and the merits of a liberal arts education. Finally, we end with an incredibly well-versed "Top 10" List of overused educational idioms.

It’s summertime and for principals that means staffing and for teachers, it’s time to switch schools, take on a new challenge in a new position, or find that first teaching position. During this episode, we’re going to discuss how to hire the best teachers which is an inexact science but crucial to school improvement. Also, we’re going to dive into Rahm Emmanuel’s new and controversial educational mandate in Chicago Public Schools that requires students to have a college acceptance, apprenticeship, job, military attestation, or gap plan in order to graduate. Finally, we’re also going to kick off our first installment of a regular segment called "Dear Betsy." It will be our take on Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ latest move to improve or some might say undermine public education. Today on Dear Betsy we are going discuss the Education Department’s latest move to suspend regulations that protect students who borrow to attend college.

It's time for YOUR questions! We picked a whole boot load of questions that you had on your mind about education, schools, edpolicy, the super bowl, and more! Listen and enjoy AND happy new year!

Is Math Racist? Wrong Question: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/12/15/is-math-racist-public-school-pedagogy/

California Moves to Replace Math with Data Science: https://www.educationnext.org/california-moves-to-replace-math-with-data-science-in-the-name-of-equity-and-inclusion/

For a special pre-Thanksgiving episode, the guys discuss Robert Pondiscio's recent piece that disparages Social Emotional Learning / describes it as the new downfall of public education as we know it. https://fordhaminstitute.org/national/commentary/not-everyones-board-turning-schooling-therapy

For actual facts about SEL and to ensure you are residing in reality, visit CASEL to learn more about what SEL is and what it looks like / sounds like in the classroom: https://casel.org/fundamentals-of-sel/

How much should we be worried about the growing tensions and anger directed at schools and school boards across the country?

And ... connected to this discussion: how much should parents have a say about what is taught in schools?

Arrest Parents at School Board Meetings?

How much say should parents have in what is taught in schools?

The guys are back for season 5 and they discuss the phasing out of GT programs in the largest school system in the country: New York City and what its impact will have on education.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/08/nyregion/gifted-talented-nyc-schools.html

They are also joined by Ed's Not Dead resident historian, Johann Neem, to discuss the individualist fallacy and the future of ed under COVID. Neem is a senior fellow at the University of Virginia's Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture and a professor of history at Western Washington University and the only END 3 Peat Guest!

Casey Siddons, Robby Dodd, and Peter Crable breakdown the implications for schools regarding Erica Dhawan's new piece: Why the hybrid workforce of the future depends on the geriatric millennial

Casey Siddons then takes on the interview with Sebastian Turbot, who is the CEO and Chief Curator of eko6, a Canada-based consultancy that guides governments, cities, businesses and civil-society in creating engaging platforms that turn ideas into action.

Peter, Robby, and Casey talk about the Chris Stewart piece: "Yes, America is Racist, no you shouldn't teach my kids if you disagree." https://educationpost.org/yes-america-is-racist-no-you-shouldnt-teach-my-kids-if-you-disagree/

Peter and Casey also interview Adeola Whitney, CEO of Reading Partners, a national nonprofit that mobilizes communities to provide students with the proven, individualized reading support they need to read at grade level by fourth grade.

For our 1st episode as a media partner with the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE), we bring on Gregg Behr, who was recently featured on their panel for "How to Build a Learning Ecosystem (https://fb.watch/5oiyeDhZpj/).

Gregg is the founder and co-chair of Remake Learning and is also the author of "When You Wonder, You're Learning" Mister Rogers' Enduring Lessons for Raising Creative, Curious, Caring Kids (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0306874733?tag=hacboogrosit-20)

Welcome back! The guys are back and just in time for a "year in review" session of the Ed's Not Dead podcast. During this episode, we discuss some of the articles listed below, and begin to touch upon the stories we think will be at the forefront of education news come 2024. Happy New Year!

Year in Education 2023 Review

January: Seizing on Parents’ Frustration, GOP Governors Push for Education Savings Accounts

February: Florida Just Became the Nation’s Biggest School Choice Laboratory

March: Schools Still Pouring Money Into Reading Materials That Teach Kids to Guess 

April: Teen Mental Health Crisis Pushes More School Districts to Sue Social Media Giants

June: Due Process, Undue Delays: Families Trapped in NYC’s Decades-Long Special Ed Bottleneck

July: COVID Recovery Has Stalled for Most Students

August: New Study: Schools Prioritizing Social-Emotional Learning See Strong Academic Benefits

September: ChatGPT Is Landing Kids in the Principal’s Office, Survey Finds

November: Six Hidden (and Not-So-Hidden) Factors Driving America’s Student Absenteeism Crisis  

December: Sales Skyrocket for Phone Pouch Company as In-School Bans Spread

The dudes discuss Samantha Hedges' new piece in Discourse Magazine: Social Justice Is Now the Fourth Purpose of Public Schools and All Four Are in Conflict: https://www.discoursemagazine.com/culture-and-society/2021/04/21/social-justice-is-now-the-fourth-purpose-of-public-schools-and-all-four-are-in-conflict/

We also interview Robert Pondiscio (@rpondiscio), senior fellow and vice president for external affairs at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute about his new piece in EducationNext: https://www.educationnext.org/can-teaching-be-improved-by-law-twenty-states-measures-reading/ 

This is the final episode of the Pandemic Pass mini-series all about how we can best emerge as a school system stronger and better than before. This episode, Siddons is joined by his friend/colleague Serenity Moore to interview the incomparable Zaretta Hammond. Moore and Siddons ask Zaretta about deficit thinking and the premature determination of "learning loss" and much much more!

The dudes discuss the LA Times piece on the "educational mess" we now find ourselves and what it will take to get back.

https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2021-03-23/post-pandemic-educational-mess

The guys also interview Dr. Leslie Fenwick who is the dean emeritus of Howard University’s School of Education, about HBCUs, supporting our students of color, and diversifying the teaching workforce across the country.

For the penultimate episode of the Pandemic Pass series Siddons sit down with Lynne Harris, who is a newly elected board of education member in the 14th largest school district in the nation - Montgomery County Public Schools, right outside the DC Metro Area.

They talk about how boards of education could be rethinking education and what our local school systems should be prioritizing upon return to face to face instruction.

Today's topics:

* Guns on students' Zoom classroom / bedroom debate. Where is the line between students' privacy, and the safety and well-being of others?

* We bring on Dan Reed from www.justupthepike.com to talk about the impact of housing policy and zoning laws on education and the opportunity gaps that students face across the country.

For this third part of The Takeaway, I talk with Joe Feldman, author of Grading for Equity. We discuss how grading practices impact the opportunity gaps that our students of color and our english language learners experience and what he hopes to see in terms of practices on grading and equitable outcomes and about what our schools should look like upon return.

Check out Joe's book:

https://www.amazon.com/Grading-Equity-Matters-Transform-Classrooms/dp/1506391575

For this next part of The Takeaway, part of the Pandemic Pass series, I bring in the incredible Rick Wormeli. This is Part 1 of 2 on this topic. Rick is the foremost voice on what it means to be an effective teacher, and my go to source for research and beliefs on grading and assessment. Rick takes us through what he hopes will be a major change to our school systems practices on grading and assessment, and what our schools will look like upon return.

This episode, I brought on Phyllis Fagell, author of Middle School Matters (linked below), and a school counselor herself, to talk about the mental health crisis facing our kids and families mid-pandemic and how we move beyond it.

https://www.amazon.com/Middle-School-Matters-Beyond-Parents/dp/0738235083

The dudes discuss the passing of the controversial education figure Richard Elmore who once said: "I do not believe in the institutional structure of public schooling anymore". Is this to be believed? https://t.co/ioIk5ltc58

This is intertwined with a piece by Valerie Strauss in the WAPO about how 2 cities in very different states handled the return to school: https://tinyurl.com/m53twsd9

Guests: Dr. Daryl Howard and Phillip Yarbrough from the BOND Project (http://bondeducators.org)

Part 3 of Episode 4 I speak with Dr. Josh Starr - CEO of PDK Int'l (https://kappanonline.org/) and a former superintendent who will give us the granular, on the ground look at how he sees our schools returning, and what systems leaders could be doing to improve our recovery. Check out Dr. Starr's "On Leadership" column via Kappan: https://kappanonline.org/category/col-starr/

For our first official episode of our 7th year on the pod, we welcome veteran Ed's Not Dead guest, Phyllis Fagell on the pod. Phyllis is a licensed clinical professional counselor, certified professional school counselor and journalist.

We discuss her most recent book, Middle School Superpowers: Raising Resilient Tweens in Turbulent Times, what's changed since her last appearance on the pod, and what's next for middle school life. 

Buy Phyllis' book via her website: https://phyllisfagell.com/ or anywhere you get your books!

Follow Phyllis on Twitter https://twitter.com/Pfagell and Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/phyllislfagell/ 

Big shout out to Tom Siddons at Sleepy Lizard Avocado Farm in Florida! Buy your avocados and mangoes today via his website @  https://www.guacfarm.com/home 

For part 2 of Episode 4, I meet with one of our local state delegates, Jheanelle Wilkins. Jheanelle and I talk about how the state should respond - what legislation should be pursued next, the revolutionary and exciting Black Agenda from the first African American Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates, Adrienne Jones, and what should states and localities be doing to attract and retain a more diverse teaching force.

How exactly do we get out of this mess? Part 1 of Episode 4 of Pandemic Pass is w/ Congressman Bobby Scott - Chair of the Ed and Labor committee in the HoR. The 30,000 foot view of how we recover. We talk the CARES Act, the impact on HBCUs, and what else Congress should be doing to help.

This is part 2 of episode 3 - Siddons chats with Dr. Umut Ozek,  Principal Researcher with the Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research Program at the American Institutes for Research. You can find him on twitter @uozek

Dr. Özek’s research interests include immigrant students, implementation and consequences of educational accountability, design and effects of school choice programs, and value-added measurement. I honestly couldn’t have found a better guy to talk to as it pertains to Covid, education, and parents. We talk about his experience as a parent - first hand in dealing with the pandemic at home with his own children - Dr. Ozek’s children attend Fairfax County Public Schools -  With over 185,000 students enrolled, FCPS is the largest public school system in Virginia, and the 12th largest in the nation. We also chat about how he views these challenges from his perspective as an immigration and education researcher. Dr. Ozek is an incredibly smart guy and I was so privileged to have him join me - this is part 2 of Episode 3 of Pandemic Pass, Parents and COVID.

This is part 1 of Ep 3, with Leslie Boggs, President of the National Chapter of the PTA. Leslie Boggs is the 56th president of National PTA, the nation’s oldest and largest volunteer child advocacy association.

One other mention for Leslie is her priorities that are now more important than ever - As PTA president, Boggs is a huge advocate for more funding for mental health access for students and has pushed for more funding for public schools and to strengthen family engagement for all children. Two things that our schools desperately need right now and in the very near future to recover from this pandemic. 

For episode 2 of Pandemic Pass, I talk to three college students and a high school student about their experiences - Adriana Quinonez, Lupe Lazaro, and Alexia Ferraro all of whom are freshmen at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania. For the 2nd part, I speak with Nichele Washington, a senior at John F. Kennedy High School in Silver Spring, Maryland. For both parts, we discuss the challenges and the ups and downs of how this pandemic has impacted them and shaped their world views.

Episode 1 seeks to determine our baseline - where are we now as an education system? Siddons sits down with Des Moines Iowa Public School superintendent, Dr. Thomas Ahart who has been at the helm of DMPS since 2012 and has provided exceptional leadership throughout the COVID19 crisis.

He was featured in the WAPO this past fall for his navigation of DMPS in a state governed by a close ally of the now former president.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2020/09/08/iowa-schools-coronavirus-lawsuit/ 

In season 1 of Pandemic Pass, Casey Siddons looks for how public education will emerge from the pandemic by talking to parents, teachers, students, ed policy makers, and politicians that will lead our way out of this crisis.

Siddons takes listeners to all corners of the US through interviews and discussions on what is most important to them.

Through his own experience as a classroom teacher, department chair, teacher coach, edu-blogger, and leader and teacher of teachers, Siddons attempts to dissect how public education is suffering under this pandemic, and what it will take to rebuild our public education system.

Last episode of the year - the guys bid adieu to Dear Betsy by ceremoniously going through all of her "accomplishments" as ed secretary:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/education/2020/12/02/betsy-devos-biden-education-secretary/3781931001/

https://www.npr.org/2020/11/19/936225974/the-legacy-of-education-secretary-betsy-devos

Congressman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott has represented Virginia’s third congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1993.  Prior to his service in Congress, he served 15 years in the Virginia General Assembly.

Congressman Scott currently serves as the Chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor. In this capacity, he is advancing an agenda that improves equity in education, frees students from the burdens of crippling debt, protects and expands access to affordable health care, ensures workers have a safe workplace where they can earn a living wage free from discrimination, and guarantees seniors have a secure and dignified retirement.

We Need a Marshall Plan for our Schools

Topics: what would we like to see Biden do for education?

Two Outsiders Emerge for Ed Secretary

And we interview Mr. Greg Cruey, a West Virginia middle school social studies teacher, about his thoughts and his role in the Washington Post piece that featured him: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/teaching-election-west-virginia/2020/11/29/b8e40a38-2b3a-11eb-92b7-6ef17b3fe3b4_story.html

And his ideas for school reform / push for local community schools!

The dudes discuss:

The merits of free college under a Biden-Harris administration - we discuss the ins and outs of free college based on an EducationNext piece - https://www.educationnext.org/dont-ruin-college-by-making-it-free-threats-quality-innovation/

We also interview Kimberlee Carlile who is the director of Talent Ready Utah. This GOED program helps build the Utah workforce while providing students with increased career and education opportunities. Through the Talent Ready Apprenticeship Connection program, 27 students have been partnered with Switzerland's Stadler Rail to help guide career development.

Most recently, the Utah Legislature allocated $16.5 million in CARES act money to establish the ‘Learn & Work In Utah’ program. This initiative includes support for the Utah System of Higher Education’s Custom Fit program and several other workforce training programs to provide education and training to displaced workers. 

https://www.talentreadyutah.com/