Schooling America
The Schooling America podcast covers issues and ideas relevant to leaders in American education. We bring in the brightest minds in administration, philosophy, culture, and beyond to reflect on topics that directly impact schools, organizations, and the children and families they serve. From cultural issues to operations to curriculum and pedagogy, Schooling America seeks to enrich the ideas, strategy, and execution of education institutions nationwide.
Episodes
24 episodes
How to Draw the Cynical Middle Schooler Into the Great Ideas w/ Elizabeth Williams
Elizabeth Williams knew she wanted to teach from the time she lined up her stuffed animals for class as a small child, but it was a homeschool high school built on classical literature—and a self-led reading of The Grapes of Wrath—that showed h...
How Classical Education Made a Convert Without Preaching a Word w/ Nikhil Jandhyala | The Furrows
Nikhil Jandhyala came to classical education as a public-school kid raised on two faiths—Hinduism American capitalism—and left it a Catholic teacher who now hands the same gift to his own students. Ryan Klopak and Alex Julian trace that transfo...
The One Aristotle Argument Professor Owen Anderson Uses to Break Open Freshman Philosophy | The Furrows
Professor Owen Anderson teaches philosophy and religious studies at Arizona State University, where starts every intro philosophy class with "where did your life go so wrong?" In this conversation, Ryan and Alex trace his journey from a c...
Classical Schools Don't Just Form Students | Andrew Ellison Pt. 2 | The Furrows
In Part 2 of his conversation with Ryan and Alex, Andrew Ellison—veteran classical educator and former headmaster—opens with something he couldn't wait to share: a bucket-list Tallis Scholars concert in Dallas that arrived at exactly the right ...
Andrew Ellison on What Classical Teaching Actually Requires (Part 1) | The Furrows
Andrew Ellison grew up in the suburbs of Indianapolis with a public school teacher mother who read the Chronicles of Narnia at bedtime and ran summer learning programs at home—and had no idea any of it was "classical." In Part 1 of this two-par...
Truth Fears Nothing in Investigation: Dr. Anthony Sciubba on Classical Christian Education | The Furrows
Dr. Anthony Sciubba leads one of the largest K–5 classical schools in the Southwest at Great Hearts in the Phoenix Valley. In this conversation, he traces a journey from a public school upbringing in Gilbert, Arizona—where Great Expectations bo...
Formed by Beauty, Truth, and Goodness: Dr. Toyin Atolagbe on Classical Education | The Furrows
Dr. Toyin Atolagbe shares how her early education in Nigeria, marked by daily hymns, strict discipline, and a focus on shaping both heart and intellect, formed the habits and virtues that guide her work today. She discusses the power of classic...
Philosophy as Preparation for Death w/ Jonathan Mueller (Part 2) | The Furrows
In Part 2 of their conversation with Jonathan Mueller, Ryan and Alex pick up where they left off—tracing the circuitous path from Torrey Honors College through Boethius, Plato, and the Phaedo that eventually led Jonathan into classical educatio...
Jonathan Mueller on Faith, Dialectic, and the Education That Endures (Part 1) | The Furrows
Jonathan Mueller grew up at the intersection of classical homeschooling and community college, encountering Plato in ninth grade and the Tao Te Ching at seventeen—two texts that cracked open the difference between a conception of God and the et...
From Numbness to Conversion: A Teacher's Confession w/ Betsy McClelland | The Furrows
Betsy Brown McClelland spent over a decade teaching medieval history and humane letters in the Great Hearts network—watching students encounter saints, suffer through Socratic seminars, and walk out of her classroom different people. <...
The Four P's of a Thriving Classical School w/ Matt Skinner | Part 2 | The Furrows
Matt Skinner, longtime head of school at Heritage Classical Academy in Atlanta, Georgia, returns for part two of his conversation with Ryan and Alex. This time, Matt unpacks the four-pillar framework: purpose, people, programs, a...
Becoming a Head of School—on Accident w/ Matt Skinner | Part 1 | The Furrows
Matt Skinner spent over two decades leading Christian schools—most notably as the longtime head of school at Heritage Preparatory School in Atlanta, Georgia. But he didn't start there. He's a Texas-raised athlete, former CPA, and re...
The Furrows | Joyful Rigor: What a Classical Education Actually Feels Like w/ Dr. Kathleen O'Toole
Dr. Kathleen O'Toole is the Associate VP for K-12 Education at Hillsdale College. However, she didn't arrive at classical education through a straight line. She grew up attending a good-but-not-classical school, survived a grueling private prep...
Education Savings Accounts, Vouchers, and the Charterization of Private Schools
Education Savings Accounts
James Felton
In this compelling episode of Schooling America, we are honored to host James Felton, a renowned leadership coach and organizational health expert. Known for his transformative work with Fortune 500 companies as well as burgeoning startups, Jam...
Todd Davis
In this enlightening episode of Schooling America, we are joined by Todd Davis, the co-founder and former CEO of LifeLock, and a longtime board member and parent at Great Hearts Academies. Todd delves into the captivating journey of LifeLock, s...
Introducing Schooling America
The Schooling America podcast covers issues and ideas relevant to leaders in American education. We bring in the brightest minds in administration, philosophy, culture, and beyond to reflect on topics that directly impact schools, organizati...