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The Purple Zone
Welcome to The Purple Zone (formerly Our Kids Our Schools).
Bridging the Gap between Public Policy, Practice & People.
The Purple Zone explores what it really means to align how we govern, how we educate, and how we show up for our communities.
Hosted by Alexis — a PhD student in public policy and administration, and longtime educator and advocate for kids, communities, and the systems that shape our lives. This podcast connects the dots between policy and practice, without the politics or platitudes.
It’s about naming what often goes unsaid — and making space for a more honest, human approach to systems that impact all of us.
How systems shape our communities, from policy on paper to action in practice. + Thinking Out Loud as a PhD Student
Podcasting since 2023 • 63 episodes
The Purple Zone
Latest Episodes
The Stories that Shaped Us and Built our Communities
Lately I’ve been asking myself a question.Have we forgotten the stories that built the communities we live in today… or were many of us never really taught them in the first place?In this reflective solo episode, Alexis explores t...
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Episode 63
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22:46
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Idaho Lawmaking 101: The Budget, Medicaid, and a Rare Senate Rejection
Budgets aren’t flashy and they’re usually not the most fun thing to talk about. But when the Idaho Senate rejected the state’s largest budget bill the $5.7 billion Health and Welfare budget it revealed deeper tensions inside the Legi...
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Episode 62
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19:44
All about Charter Schools and the Missing Innovation Pipeline with Duncan Robb
Idaho has had charter schools for nearly three decades. They were created to innovate, and the question today is: are they doing that? In this episode, I’m joined by Duncan Robb, education policy expert and the writer behind the Substack
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Episode 61
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59:52
Idaho’s Doctor Shortage, WWAMI, & the $1 Billion Rural Health Grant with Rep. Dustin Manwaring
Idaho ranks 50th in physicians per capita and 44th in primary care access. So what’s the real plan to fix it?In this episode, I sit down with Representative Dustin Manwaring to break down Idaho’s Undergraduate Medical Educa...
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Episode 60
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49:38
Federalism, Elections, and the Constitution: Who Actually Has the Power?
Who actually has the power over elections in the United States — the federal government, the states, or the president?Alexis takes you go back to the Constitution itself. Because here’s the truth: many adults have never been taught (or h...
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Episode 59
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26:18