Have You Heard

All of those Democratic presidential candidates keep talking about education. But why? Have You Heard goes beyond the headlines to explore why public education may just turn out to be this (endless) campaign season's hottest button issue.

High-end for-profit private schools are a growing segment of the education ‘marketplace.’ Mike Levy, a long-time teacher at Avenues World School in NYC, takes us behind the scenes of a growing network of schools for the global .01% where $60,000 in tuition also buys a healthy dose of free-market ideology.

No excuses-style charter schools, known for rigid discipline and a college prep focus have seen explosive growth in urban areas over the past decade. But do parents really want strict discipline for their kids? Researchers Mira Debs and Joanne Golann talked to parents at two very different kinds of schools: urban no excuses charters and public Montessori and what they found will surprise you.

Deep spending cuts and ballooning class sizes are coming to Ontario. Have You Heard talks to parents, students and teachers in Toronto about what controversial changes proposed by the new conservative government will mean for a public education system success story. Hint: nothing good...

Arizona is home to some of the most outrageous charter school shenanigans in the country. Have You Heard talks to award-winning reporter Craig Harris of the Arizona Republic about why his state's charter experiment seems to have gone off the rails.

The Atlanta school cheating scandal saw 11 Black educators convicted of racketeering. Shani Robinson was one of them. She joins Have You Heard to talk about the untold story behind the longest criminal trial in Georgia history.

There's big money lining up to bring the portfolio model to a school district near you. But what is it exactly? Scholar Katrina Bulkley helps Have You Heard plumb the depths of portfolio management.

As states disinvest from public higher education, universities are increasingly turning to corporate sponsors. Joshua Hunt, author of University of Nike, joins us to talk about who pays when corporate donors are footing the bill.

What does the LA teacher strike mean for the future of education reform?

Five (make that six) education news stories that deserved more attention in 2018.

The smartest book Have You Heard has encountered on the limits of school reform in ages is a novel. Roxanna Elden's hilarious and pointed Adequate Yearly Progress is packed with real insights into what self-styled education reformers miss about the complex ecosystems of schools, and the complicated lives of teachers. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll buy the book!

Can listening to When I'm 64 make you younger (or smarter)? Have You Heard looks at the replication crisis in the social sciences and why education research is particularly susceptible to the problem of illusory results. Special guest: Hunter Gehlbach

Boston recently announced plans to begin rebuilding its schools. But in a fast-gentrifying city, who will these new schools be for? Jennifer travels to a school on the chopping block: McCormack Middle School in Dorchester to talk to teachers and students who are fighting to keep their school community together.

Have You Heard digs up the original "zombie" issue in education: schools of education and their [insert criticism here]. Jack and Jennifer are joined by education historian Lauren Lefty to explore why this particular zombie can never be slayed.

Teachers are running for office this year in unprecedented numbers. Have You Heard talks to some of them and looks at why this educator-turned-candidate phenomenon represents a unique phenomenon. Hint: it's not just teachers who are on the ballot but the future of public education.

Have You Heard talks to Anand Giridharadas about his new book, Winners Take All, a scathing indictment of billionaire change makers who seek to "disrupt" public education while leaving the structures of inequality untouched.

In 1977, Have You Heard co-host Jennifer Berkshire climbed aboard a school bus headed for a soon-to-be integrated school. In this episode she explores what did - and didn't happen - in Springfield, Illinois, and why our vision of what's possible today seems so much smaller than it did 40 years ago.

Americans are big believers in the power of education. But they are also a national of hustlers. Have You Heard explores the intersection of the two with Bob Hampel, author of Fast and Curious: a History of Short Cuts in American Education.

Have You Heard explores LeBron James' partnership with the Akron Public Schools - and what makes it different from other high wattage education reform ventures. Rann Miller, who is an educator, writer and expert in all things LeBron, joins the convo.

What will the Supreme Court's recent Janus ruling mean for the future of teachers unions? Jon Shelton, author of Teacher Strike! Public Education and the Making of a New American Political Order, joins Jennifer to "unpack" this complicated political moment.