Harvard Professor Andrew Ho thinks test scores can often simplify how we view student performance, school effectiveness, and educational opportunity. By taking a more comprehensive look at data like test scores and learning rates in districts, we may be able to better identify and contextualize how well a school is doing beyond just average test scores. In this episode of the Harvard EdCast, Ho discusses his work with the Educational Opportunity Project at Stanford University and how it provides...
Nov 06, 2019•13 min•Season 1Ep. 344
Many college and university leaders recognize the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) work being done on their campus, but that doesn't always mean it's done for the right reasons. In this episode of the Harvard EdCast, Richard Reddick, associate dean for equity, community, engagement and outreach at the University of Texas at Austin, discusses the rise of DEI work in higher education and how this work should create more courageous spaces on college campuses.
Oct 30, 2019•22 min•Season 1Ep. 343
Students are struggling with mental health issues on college campuses. Dr. Stephanie Pinder-Amaker, a founding director of McLean Hospital's College Mental Health Program in Massachusetts, says there's a lot of things we can all do to help the college mental health crisis. Pinder-Amaker discusses the factors leading to mental distress on campus, how colleges can create better responses, and really how everyone plays an important role in this issue, especially what happens long before students ge...
Oct 23, 2019•25 min•Season 1Ep. 342
Sociologist Rebecca London knows recess is an afterthought in many schools day. Too often, it's just seen as a break or a way to get some physical exercise for kids. She wants to see educators rethink how to use that time to better support young students. In this episode of the EdCast, London shares ideas from her new book, "Rethinking Recess," how to create a more inclusive recess, and why taking away recess -- especially as punishment -- is a bad idea for kids.
Oct 16, 2019•19 min•Season 1Ep. 341
David Wilson used college as a path out of poverty. Now, as the president of Morgan State University in Baltimore, he wants that to be the reality for other children too. But, for so many kids today, getting to college and paying for college is a challenge. After 25 years in higher education leadership, President Wilson grapples with issues of access for students every day. In this episode of the EdCast, he talks about why this is a pivotal time to change higher education and how to tackle issue...
Oct 09, 2019•17 min•Season 1Ep. 340
Dr. Janice K. Jackson knew taking the role as CEO of the Chicago Public Schools would be challenging. She has inherited a history of problems in the district, but refuses to make her leadership about the blame game. In this episode of the EdCast, she discusses how she's facing the challenges before her. Even with a teacher strike looming, Jackson's pragmatic leadership and "We'll get through it" attitude frames her decision-making as the head of the third largest school district in the country....
Oct 02, 2019•22 min•Season 1Ep. 339
The books children read in the classroom today look a lot like they did decades ago. Kim Parker, cofounder of #Disrupttexts, wants to change that. In this EdCast, she addresses the challenges facing educators trying to diversify books in their classroom. With diverse books regularly appearing on the American Library Association's most challenged and banned books in libraries and schools, Parker discusses this and our inability to move beyond the literary canon. She offers ideas for educators try...
Sep 25, 2019•16 min•Season 1Ep. 338
Regardless of how you might feel about immigration, Harvard Professor Roberto Gonzales thinks we need to better understand its implications and how it affects everyday life of immigrants and beyond. In this episode, Gonzales discusses the immigration crisis in America and his new effort, the Immigration Initiative at Harvard, to connect researchers, policymakers, and immigrant communities together in dialogue, supportive action, and shared learning.
Sep 18, 2019•12 min•Season 1Ep. 337
Harvard researchers Jal Mehta and Sarah Fine talk about what they discovered while studying nontraditional, innovative high schools, and what we can learn from the pockets of great work happening around the country.
May 01, 2019•30 min•Season 1Ep. 336
In this EdCast extra, Harvard Senior Lecturer Richard Weissbourd along with Nicolas Burgess, 17, and Dequan Franks, 19, from Jacksonville, Florida, speak about the EVAC movement, experiences as "at-risk" youth, and address the immense inequities facing some students.
Apr 29, 2019•7 min•Season 1Ep. 335
Harvard Psychologist Rick Weissbourd guides parents (and high schools) to be better ethical role models, especially in the college admissions process.
Apr 24, 2019•13 min•Season 1Ep. 334
Educator Tina Owen-Moore speaks about the creation of the Alliance School in Milwaukee and strategies to combat bullying.
Apr 17, 2019•15 min•Season 1Ep. 333
Mandy Savitz Romer, senior lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, shares misconceptions about the profession, and how the school counselor role should change to better support children.
Apr 10, 2019•16 min•Season 1Ep. 332
Peace Corps Director Jody Olsen discusses the world of global education, and how educators can incorporate a global approach in the classroom.
Apr 03, 2019•21 min•Season 1Ep. 331
Vanessa Siddle Walker, professor of African American educational studies at Emory College, discusses the role of black educators in desegregation efforts and why school integration didn't end up working as hoped.
Mar 27, 2019•20 min•Season 1Ep. 330
Sepehr Vakil, an assistant professor at Northwestern University, talks about the importance of looking at computer science education beyond just the technical – and what a more ethical and power balanced computer science course might look like in education.
Mar 20, 2019•13 min•Season 1Ep. 329
Harvard Professor Marty West talks about the wave of teacher strikes happening throughout the country and the complexities of teacher compensation that make it difficult to raise salaries.
Mar 13, 2019•17 min•Season 1Ep. 328
Julie Lythcott-Haims, the former dean of freshmen at Stanford University, talks about the dangers of overparenting and how it can make or break a child's success at college.
Mar 06, 2019•24 min•Season 1Ep. 327
Justin Driver, a professor of law at the University of Chicago Law School, reflects on the history of Supreme Court education rulings and foreshadows legal issues that may be percolating in public schools today.
Feb 27, 2019•19 min•Season 1Ep. 326
Sarah Cohodes, an assistant professor at Teachers College, talks about the state of charter schools and whether we can transfer effective charter school practice to traditional public schools.
Feb 20, 2019•18 min•Season 1Ep. 325
Tony Jack, author of The Privileged Poor and assistant professor at Harvard, discusses the experiences of low income students as colleges try to diversify student population, and ways we can change it for the better.
Feb 13, 2019•25 min•Season 1Ep. 324
Todd Rogers, a professor at the Harvard Kennedy School and also director of the Student Social Support R&D lab, talks about discovering an effective intervention against chronic absenteeism, how to get more students back in class, and what seems to work in targeting absent students.
Feb 06, 2019•21 min•Season 1Ep. 323
Dr. Stanley Andrisse, director of From Prison Cell to Ph.D., shares his story and discusses the school to prison pipeline, and how higher education can remove barriers for formerly incarcerated people so they can use education to transform their lives.
Dec 12, 2018•22 min•Season 1Ep. 322
Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf shares why she has focused so much of her term on education, and particularly the creation of Oakland Promise, which aims to get more kids to acquire postsecondary education.
Dec 05, 2018•12 min•Season 1Ep. 321
Lecturer Todd Rose discusses the importance of personalized learning in the quest for success, and how success will look different in the future.
Nov 28, 2018•22 min•Season 1Ep. 320
Craig Paxton, executive director of Axium Education, shares the work being done to reach the millions of children living in rural communities throughout South Africa and the importance of providing education for this population.
Nov 14, 2018•11 min•Season 1Ep. 319
Catherine Brown, vice president of education policy at the Center for American Progress, provides insight into sex education standards around the country and the shift to do more.
Nov 07, 2018•14 min•Season 1Ep. 318
Natasha Warikoo, an associate professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, discusses the Harvard trial and whether college admissions can ever truly be fair.
Oct 31, 2018•12 min•Season 1Ep. 317
Irvin Scott, a senior lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, talks about why faith leaders can be key players in educational outcomes for children.
Oct 24, 2018•17 min•Season 1Ep. 316
Ben Trachtenberg, an associate professor of law at the University of Missouri, gives an insider look at what happened during the 2015 Mizzou protests that led to resignations, decreased enrollment rates, and budget cuts.
Oct 17, 2018•32 min•Season 1Ep. 315
