The Education Gadfly Show
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.
Podcasting since 2015 • 519 episodes
The Education Gadfly Show
Latest Episodes
The good, the bad, and the best research of 2025 | Episode 999 of The Education Gadfly Show
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 ...
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Episode 999
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30:36
Is the “college enrollment crisis” a myth? | Episode 998 of The Education Gadfly Show
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 na...
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Episode 998
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29:07
Moving from science of reading laws to science of reading success | Episode 996 of The Education Gadfly Show
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...
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Episode 996
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31:03
How AI is reshaping what kids need to learn | Episode 995 of The Education Gadfly Show
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 flourishin...
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Episode 995
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32:32
What’s at stake if federal oversight of IDEA weakens? | Episode 994 of The Education Gadfly Show
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 ...
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29:02