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.
Episodes
519 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
The leaky college pipeline for high-achieving, low-income students | Episode 993 of The Education Gadfly Show
This week, we’re joined by Ohio State’s Stéphane Lavertu, author of Fordham’s new study, The Leaky Pipeline: Assessing the college outcomes of Ohio’s high-achieving low-income students. The report examines the experiences of Ohio’s hig...
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Episode 993
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28:42
The collapse of graduation standards | Episode 992 of The Education Gadfly Show
This week, Fordham’s President Emeritus Checker Finn joins the show to unpack a troubling trend—the collapse of graduation standards—and why it matters for every American student.Then, on David Griffith’s first Research Minute, a new stu...
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Episode 992
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31:15
Redesigning school staffing for student success | Episode 991 of The Education Gadfly Show
This week, we’re joined by Bryan Hassel, co-president of Public Impact, to discuss how redesigning school staffing—through models like Opportunity Culture—can boost both teacher retention and student success.Then, on Adam Tyner’s final R...
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36:31
How the Left can learn to love gifted education | Episode 990 of The Education Gadfly Show
This week, Mike Petrilli flies solo to discuss New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s proposal to eliminate gifted education in the early grades—and how progressives can be persuaded to champion advanced learning opportunities for all...
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Episode 990
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34:39
TFA, Gen-Z, and AI | Episode 989 of The Education Gadfly Show
This week, Aneesh Sohoni, CEO of Teach for America, joins The Education Gadfly Show to discuss TFA’s impact in the classroom and beyond, why teaching is a compelling opportunity for Gen Z college graduates, what corps members are saying about A...
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Episode 989
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34:33
Beyond test scores: Debating how to measure school quality | Episode 988 of The Education Gadfly Show
This week, Fordham’s president emeritus Checker Finn and Laura Hamilton of the Center for Assessment join us for a polite debate on whether school quality should be judged by more than test scores.On the Research Minute, Adam Tyner unpac...
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Episode 988
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32:22
Joyful classrooms, but zero public transparency: Inside an ESA micro-school | Episode 987 of The Education Gadfly Show
This week, Chandler Fritz, author of Harper’s Magazine’s cover story The Homemade Scholar, shares what he discovered when teaching in an ESA-funded micro-school—including a lackluster curriculum but undeniably joyful kids.On the...
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Episode 987
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39:30
On the negative NAEP news, and the real reason screen time is hurting student learning | Episode 986 of The Education Gadfly Show
This week, Mike Petrilli digs into the latest NAEP results—and explores whether the rise of smartphones and social media might help explain them. It’s another solo episode, just Mike and the mic.On the Research Minute, Adam Tyner shares ...
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Episode 986
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31:48
School choice, regulation, and Democrats’ defense of public schools, with Ashley Jochim | Episode 985 of The Education Gadfly Show
Ashley Jochim, principal at the Center on Reinventing Public Education and mom of four, joins Mike Petrilli and David Griffith on the Education Gadfly Show to continue our debate on private school choice and regulation. She also discusses how D...
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Episode 985
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38:56
Innovation, regulation, and school choice, with Mike McShane | Episode 984 of The Education Gadfly Show
Mike McShane, Director of National Research for EdChoice, joins us on the Education Gadfly Show to debate tradeoffs when it comes to regulation and innovation in the charter school and private school choice sectors.Then, on the Research ...
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39:21
Managing district budgets during uncertain times, with Jonathan Travers | Episode 983 of The Education Gadfly Show
ERS president and managing partner Jonathan Travers joins Mike Petrilli on The Education Gadfly Show to talk about school district budgeting during uncertain times.Then, on the Research Minute, Adam Tyner shares a new r...
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Episode 983
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34:22
Should all state-funded schools take state standardized tests? | Episode 982 of The Education Gadfly Show
On this week’s solo episode, Mike shares his thoughts on whether it’s ever okay to let schools opt out of state standardized tests and use nationally normed assessments instead. Then, on a special Research Minute, Fordham’s...
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Episode 982
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33:30
Education policy and climate change | Episode 981 of The Education Gadfly Show
This week, Matthew Kraft, professor of education and economics at Brown University, joins The Education Gadfly Show to discuss the intersection of education policy and climate change.Then, on the Research Minute, Adam T...
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Episode 981
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41:23
#980: Can education reform help Democrats win again? with Ben Austin
On this week’s Education Gadfly Show, Ben Austin, Founding Director of Education Civil Rights Now, joins us to discuss why the Democratic Party lost its way on education policy—and what it must do to rebuild credibility and improve its...
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Episode 980
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32:53
#979: Is too much democracy hamstringing our schools? with Vlad Kogan
On this week’s Education Gadfly Show, Vlad Kogan—professor and director of undergraduate studies at The Ohio State University—joins us to discuss his forthcoming book, No Adult Left Behind: How Politics Hijacks Education Policy and...
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Episode 979
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31:01
#978: Mike on the mic: Regulation in school choice programs
On this week’s Education Gadfly Show, Mike returns for another solo episode, reflecting on the role of regulation in school choice—is it stifling innovation or saving us from bad schools?Then, on the Research Minute, Adam covers a study ...
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35:37
#977: New law, new questions for school choice, with Brian Jodice
On this week’s Education Gadfly Show, Brian Jodice, National Press Secretary for the American Federation for Children joins us for a lively debate on the federal school choice provision embedded in the newly enacted “One Big Beautiful Bill”—inc...
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Episode 977
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35:38
#976: A new hub for smarter education policy, with Doug Harris
On this week’s Education Gadfly Show podcast, Doug Harris, director of the National Center for Research on Education Access and Choice (REACH), joins us to discuss a new website aimed at advancing evidence-based education po...
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39:31
#975: Mike on the mic: On “discrimination” and demagoguery
On this week’s Education Gadfly Show podcast, Mike flies solo to reflect on what’s happening across the education reform landscape—from the private school choice debate to the question of whether education reform has successfully scaled....
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Episode 975
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35:04
#974: The Risks of the Educational Choice for Children Act, with Jon Valant
On this week’s Education Gadfly Show podcast, Jon Valant —director of the Brown Center on Education Policy and a senior fellow in Governance Studies at Brookings—joins Mike to discuss his recent analysis of the federal tax credit scholarship in...
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Episode 974
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31:26