The Education Gadfly Show

Mike and Rick compare GOP govs, determining who is the fairest of them all. They then think outside the box on integration before debating findings from our recent survey of Ohio supes. Amber dissects the latest science NAEP TUDA results and Chris ODs on adderall.

Fordhamite for life Liam Julian goes another round on the podcast, as he and Mike discuss the clashes in the Midwest, the self-sabotage of Detroit, and what’s so irksome about Michelle Rhee. Amber shows that not all charter schools are created equal (the urban ones are better) and Chris gets out the whip against corporal punishment.

Mike and Janie hit hard with talk of the proposed budgets, racial classifications, and Michelle Rhee’s legacy. Amber taps the minds of school-board members while Chris yells “No one puts baby in a cage—or a corner!”

With vocal deftness, Mike and Rick—Amber, too—discuss leadership in school turnaround efforts, collective-bargaining rights, and the need (or lack thereof) for state boards of education. Daniela channels Tom Loveless, noting that the U.S. has never been on top in international tests, and Chris reminds us that schools shouldn’t be like Santa Claus.

Mike jousts (verbally, of course) with Dave DeSchryver, a Washington insider and Whiteboard Advisors consultant, on the State of the Union, NAEP science results, and D.C. education politics. Amber wishes CAP had named names, and Chris plays robo-calling cop.

With Rick back in the saddle, our intrepid co-hosts jump right into this week’s education-reform news, discussing the “Rose Parks” of school choice, GOP governors, and the “war of ideas.” Amber gapes at Boston Public Schools’s teacher salary and benefits structure, while Chris embarks on a campaign against poor spelling and tyrants everywhere.

Mike welcomes Stephanie Saroki of Seton Education Partners to this week’s Pardon the Gadfly. They lament Catholic school closures in NYC, opine on virtual education, and get heady talking ethnic-studies courses. Amber offers more proof on the detriments of “last hired, first fired” and Chris shakes his fist at do-gooders who want kids to drop out of school.

Sara "the belle of Belleweather Education" Mead joins Mike to discuss StudentsFirst, PISA results, and "Chinese parenting." Amber reminds us that NAEP and the Common Core aren't the same and Chris details the difference between student-athletes and slave-laborers.

Big Brother watches as Mike and Janie dive into budget holes and talk campaign contributions. Amber is more interested in the difference between choice and options, while Chris just wants to steal Mike’s lines.

Mike and Rick get nostalgic for 2010 then turn their thoughts to 2011. Amber goes all-in on school productivity and Daniela learns how to spell "assessment."

Mike and Rick are feeling the holiday spirit as they explain Fordham’s new report , lament school turnaround efforts, and discuss Cathie Black: The Education Novice. Amber asks for students’ perspectives and Chris gets “Urkeled.”

With Rick back in the saddle, he and Mike commend Michelle Rhee, lament Shanghai, and dissect last hired, first fired by the numbers. Amber sings Dixie—and sings praises for TFA—while Chris posts a YouTube video on a school brawl.

Mike and Janie commend David Steiner’s decision, opine about differentiated instruction, and attend a Tea Party. Amber goes global and Chris gives soccer the silent treatment.

With football on the brain, Mike and Rick offer up a play-by-play of the Joel Klein-Cathie Black saga in New York City, and sack NCATE’s reform report. Amber reveals an interesting Education Next survey to the hosts, and Chris decries a camp-out.

Mike and Rick wax political, and then dig deep on Maryland’s Race to the Top grant, online credit recovery programs, and the downward slope of American educational attainment. Amber dazzles with a review of education-related census data and Chris disproves the old adage that quality trumps quantity.