Jarvis Givens tells the history of Black teachers and their covert actions in the classroom during the Jim Crow South. An assistant professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Givens latest research delves into the theory and practices of Black educators, which he calls "fugitive pedagogy," and how it has been passed down from the enslaved and beyond. This changes the deficit lens often taken when discussing Black education in America, revealing a powerful narrative that still impacts...
Feb 10, 2021•20 min•Season 1Ep. 374
The latest research on COVID and schools emphasizes the importance of reopening but far too many schools remain closed. Harvard Professor Meira Levinson discusses how efforts to reopen often stall due to a lack of trust in the school district. Levinson, who co-authored The Path to Zero Report, which provides guidelines on how to safely reopen, emphasizes how even with the best safety protocols, ventilation, and adequate supplies in place that districts face an even bigger issue: how to rebuild t...
Feb 03, 2021•23 min•Season 1Ep. 373
Introducing the new podcast Pivot Out Loud -- stories of education and life in a year of disruption. In this episode, Harvard EdCast host Jill Anderson recounts what it's like staying and working from home with a young child. She shares the struggle of trying to balance her child's academics and play along with working full-time. Listen to more episodes: https://pivot-out-loud.simplecast.com/ What does education look like in a world turned sideways? Covid-19 forced teaching and learning to chang...
Dec 20, 2020•18 min•Season 1Ep. 372
Educator's have always benefitted from self-care, and in today's challenging times, it is especially important. Harvard Lecturer Jackie Zeller discusses the what it means to practice self-care and how it can benefit more than just the educator. Zeller, a licensed psychologist, will be teaching a new course this spring at the Harvard Graduate School of Education on self-care and wellness. In this episode, Zeller discusses the benefits of self-care, ideas for how to create a practice of self-care,...
Dec 16, 2020•16 min•Season 1Ep. 371
Educational sociologist Anindya Kundu recognized that students need more than grit to succeed in school. He studies the role of student agency, and how focusing on student potential can lead to growth and success in life, especially for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. In this episode of the Harvard EdCast, Kundu, a Senior Fellow of Research at Labor Market Information Service, at the Center for Urban Research at The Graduate Center, CUNY, defines agency and offers ways for school leader...
Dec 09, 2020•19 min•Season 1Ep. 370
How does the world solve complex problems like climate change? One answer may be to teach science in more complex and personal ways. Through the research project, Learning in Places, Professors Megan Bang and Carrie Tzou are developing innovative and equitable field-based science lessons. In this episode of the EdCast, Bang and Tsou share ways to make science more personal and how to better connect children's learning to the natural world.
Dec 02, 2020•26 min•Season 1Ep. 369
In this episode, Kristi Nelson, the executive director of a Network for Grateful Living, discusses why some people have an easier time finding gratitude than others, the role of education in being grateful, and how to implement strategies and education in order to cultivate more grateful living.
Nov 25, 2020•20 min•Season 1Ep. 368
How much has college teaching really changed in 150 years? Not very much, according to Jonathan Zimmerman, an education historian and professor at the University of Pennsylvania. In his latest book, The Amateur Hour, Zimmerman traces the history of undergraduate teaching practices in the United States and how it has yet to reach a level of professionalization. In this episode of the EdCast, Zimmerman discusses how colleges and universities got to where they are today, and what it might take to c...
Nov 18, 2020•17 min•Season 1Ep. 367
America seems more divided than ever. Paula McAvoy, an assistant professor at North Carolina State University, has long focused her work on helping educators teach young people how to live together in this world. Educators can use the recent presidential election as a tool. In this episode of the EdCast, McAvoy discusses how to make the most of your "political" classroom.
Nov 09, 2020•19 min•Season 1Ep. 366
Education research is often disconnected from the reality of practitioners in the field. Carrie Conaway, a senior lecturer at Harvard and an expert on how to apply education research in practice, gets into the details of how to bridge the gap between education research and practice. In this episode, she discusses the way education leaders can use existing education research and also begin to implement their own evidence-based research to figure out what works.
Nov 04, 2020•21 min•Season 1Ep. 365
In this encore episode of the Harvard EdCast, which originally aired on February 13, 2019, Tony Jack discusses the consequences of conflating access and inclusion — and the barriers that low-income students face when they get to college -- a situation even more important in the wake of campus closures due to COVID.
Oct 28, 2020•25 min•Season 1Ep. 364
We don't often hear about the 15% of students who attend rural schools. It seems this population is often left out of national conversations about the impact of COVID on education. Mara Tieken, an associate professor at Bates College, is an expert on rural schools and has been helping many rural school districts cope throughout the pandemic. In this episode, Tieken talks about some of the ways rural schools are getting through the pandemic and ideas on how to include rural schools in the nationa...
Oct 21, 2020•18 min•Season 1Ep. 363
Times are troubling for many higher education institutions around the country. With many enrollments down and huge drops in student applications for federal financial aid, it's not just institutions struggling but low-income college goers are facing major disruptions as well. Bridget Terry Long -- the dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Education and an economist -- is concerned about every student and how the pandemic may impact their education and futures. In this episode, she speaks candid...
Oct 14, 2020•23 min•Season 1Ep. 362
Many people question the state of democracy in America. This is especially true of young people, who no longer share the same interest in democracy as the generations before them. Harvard's Danielle Allen has long studied what citizens need in order to succeed in democracy and how our social studies and civics education can impact this. In this episode, Allen discusses how we got where we are today, the unique role of education, and what it takes to reinvest in education for democracy.
Oct 07, 2020•11 min•Season 1Ep. 361
With many children learning remotely this fall, Sal Khan, founder of Khan Academy – a leader in online learning – knows that it’s a daunting task for everyone involved to deliver the best and most high quality experience. In this episode of the EdCast, Khan shares some of the most effective teaching strategies for remote learning, and how parents can help support online learning at home. He also gives practical tips for how to manage teaching young children online.
Sep 30, 2020•18 min•Season 1Ep. 360
Only about 14 percent of Native Americans attend college and many often leave before graduating. TaraJean Yazzie-Mintz has spent much of the past three decades working to improve access to education for Native people. In this episode of the Harvard EdCast, she addresses the barriers to higher education for Native people, and how higher education institutions can do a better job at welcoming and keeping Native people in this space.
Apr 29, 2020•20 min•Season 1Ep. 359
The pandemic set off a race for schools to launch remote learning and to keep children from falling behind. But at what cost? In this episode of the EdCast, Harvard Lecturer Uche Amaechi discusses the tension that exists for schools trying to find a balance between continuing education in equitable ways among all students.
Apr 22, 2020•22 min•Season 1Ep. 358
With more than 55 million children out of school due to the pandemic, school leaders are facing the adaptive challenge of all time. The challenges go far beyond closures. Harvard Professor Deborah Jewell-Sherman shares what is on the minds of school leaders throughout the country, and advises how they can stay grounded and plan in such a difficult time.
Apr 16, 2020•19 min•Season 1Ep. 357
What is the role of schools in teaching students, especially students of color, how to face oppression and develop political agency? Are there ways that some educators succeed in doing this in one school but not in another school? Professors Daren Graves and Scott Seider were eager to find the answers and set out to research five mission-driven high schools over four years. In this episode of the EdCast, they share the ways that educators and school leaders can help young people better understan...
Apr 08, 2020•26 min•Season 1Ep. 356
Despite family meal times being hugely beneficial to kids, only about 30% of families manage to eat together regularly. Anne Fishel, executive director of the Family Dinner Project, knows it's not always easy to find that time but it also doesn't have to be so hard. Through her work, she helps families find fun, creative, and easy ways to make meals a reality. As many families adjust to stay-at-home orders from the Coronavirus, there is a silver lining in that now there is time to enjoy a family...
Apr 01, 2020•23 min•Season 1Ep. 355
With many schools closed around the country due to the Coronavirus, educators and parents may have growing concerns about how long students can go without formal instruction. Jennifer McCombs, a senior policy researcher for the RAND Corporation, has long studied the effects of summer break on learning -- particularly for at risk students from low-income families or students performing below grade level. In this episode of the EdCast, McCombs discusses how what we know from summer learning loss m...
Mar 25, 2020•18 min•Season 1Ep. 354
This newest generation of college students know that algorithms tend to skew the truth online, but many feel it is par for the course. Alison Head, a researcher and director of Project Information Literacy, explores how algorithmic-driven platforms are shaping the ways college students access news and information and its potential to change the college landscape.
Mar 19, 2020•16 min•Season 1Ep. 353
Many school districts are facing challenging decisions about how to prepare and respond to the novel Coronavirus including whether to close and try distance learning. Harvard Epidemiologist Bill Hanage and Education Ethicist Meira Levinson explore the public health issue and its potential impact on schools and families. They also offer guidance for practitioners and parents.
Mar 10, 2020•25 min•Season 1Ep. 352
Harvard Lecturer Laura Schifter explains disproportionality and why so many students of color are placed in special education, often in separate classrooms from their peers. While income status is sometimes accepted as the reason behind this phenomenon, Schifter says that doesn't tell the full story. In this EdCast, Schifter shares recent research into this issue and discusses the challenges facing special education.
Mar 05, 2020•22 min•Season 1Ep. 351
There's much debate in the literacy world about what's the best way to teach children to read. With two out of three children struggling to learn to read, the nation is questioning what actually works. Harvard Professor James Kim discusses why learning to read is so challenging and shares how his latest model called MORE offers another way.
Feb 26, 2020•25 min•Season 1Ep. 350
Children aren't the only people compromising their privacy online. Grown ups are also taking to to digital media and technology, and oversharing information about the children in their lives too. Leah Plunkett, a law professor and parent, wants adults to think twice before talking about children online. In this episode of the Harvard EdCast, Plunkett, author of "Sharenthood: Why We Should Think Before We Talk About Our Kids Online," discusses all the way adults -- including educators -- overshar...
Dec 18, 2019•25 min•Season 1Ep. 349
When Joe Feldman, author of Grading for Equity, looked closer at grading practices in schools across the country, he realized many practices are outdated, inconsistent, and inequitable. Today he helps educators develop strategies that tackle inconsistent grading practices. In doing so, Feldman tells the Harvard EdCast how shifting grading practices can change the landscape of schools and potentially the future for students.
Dec 11, 2019•32 min•Season 1Ep. 348
Although more children have developmental language disorder (DLD) than autism -- most people have never heard of it. Dr. Tiffany Hogan, the director of the Speech and Language Literacy Lab at MGH Institute, wants greater awareness of this language disorder, especially among educators and parents. In this episode of the Harvard EdCast, she discusses what DLD is and how it can affect children's learning ability.
Dec 04, 2019•29 min•Season 1Ep. 347
Many educators struggle with unconscious bias in their roles at school -- often in ways that can unknowingly perpetuate racism and negatively affect students. In this episode of the EdCast, Tracey Benson and Sarah Fiarman offer ways to address these issues directly and outline how educators can start this work in their schools. Benson, an assistant professor at University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and Fiarman, director of leadership development at EL Education, are authors of the new book,...
Nov 20, 2019•28 min•Season 1Ep. 346
When many people see the college price tag, they believe it's financially out-of-reach. But Wellesley College Professor Phillip Levine, who studies college affordability, says that people often don't realize there's a difference between the price of college and what a family might actually pay. Through the development of Myintution.org -- an online tool that helps families uncover the actual cost -- he hopes more students will achieve their college dreams.
Nov 13, 2019•16 min•Season 1Ep. 345
