EdFix

The GW Center on Education Policy (CEP) is celebrating 25 years as a trusted, independent source for education policy research and analysis. Since its founding, citizens and policy makers at all levels have turned to CEP for nonpartisan, evidence-based information about our system of public education. Maria Ferguson, Executive Director of CEP, shares how access to research without “spin”—especially related to controversial programs—is crucial to help create the conditions for better public schools.

[Transcript for Episode 18 available on EdFixPodcast.com]

Dr. Michael Usdan has had a long and distinguished career in education: as a teacher, school board president, university professor, college president, state commissioner of higher education, and institute president. Drawing from many years of experience in K-12 and secondary ed, he shares his thoughts on the advantages and challenges of our highly decentralized system, and whether its possible to address the variability across the U.S. in light of changing demographics and increased inequality.

[Transcript for Episode 17 available on EdFixPodcast.com]

What is the real impact of technology and process transformation on American workers? Are we doing enough to prepare the modern workforce at a time of growing inequality and stagnant wage growth? Dr. Mary Kay Vona, Principal in Ernst & Young LLP's People Advisory Services, and Dr. Ellen Scully-Russ, Associate Professor of Human and Organizational Learning, discuss the changing nature of work, talent shortages in the U.S., and curricula to support the jobs of the future.

[Transcript for Episode 16 available on EdFixPodcast.com]

In today’s world of instructional design, there are more tools available than ever before. Educational technology is incorporated across all learning environments, from K-12 and higher education to corporate, government, and military training. So how can teachers design quality instruction using technology to meet a variety of learners’ needs? Drs. Michael Corry and Natalie Milman discuss new information delivery methods, artificial intelligence tools, and whether the use of technology in schools has actually lessened the “digital access divide.”

[Transcript for Episode 15 available on EdFixPodcast.com]

Heterosexual Black women have the 2nd highest rate of HIV infection as a group; however, Black women in college are nearly ignored in the HIV literature. Dr. Delishia Pittman discusses her research on the shared and unique risk factors of this population, whether online dating has increased the risks, and ongoing racial and ethnic disparities in health outcomes.

[Transcript for Episode 14 available on EdFixPodcast.com]

"Global education” builds cultural competencies, encourages the exchange of ideas and people, and develops human capital. Could the policies and practices of other countries shed light on ways to improve our own schools and colleges, especially in our neediest communities? Dr. James Williams and Dr. Laura Engel discuss lessons learned from abroad, how the U.S. is faring compared to other countries, and whether the rise of nationalism is leading to the end of the golden age of internationalization in education.

[Transcript for Episode 13 is available on EdFixPodcast.com]

Would you want to be treated by a doctor whose medical school was not accredited? Probably not. So why don’t we hold the same high standards for teachers and school administrators? Dr. Chris Koch, President of the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) and former Illinois State Superintendent of Education, shares how ensuring quality in teacher/educator prep programs really makes a difference, especially for educators in schools with the most need.

[Transcript for Episode 12 is available on EdFixPodcast.com]

Can public schools become more adaptive, dynamic, and people-centered organizations? Is it possible to implement change in way that both empowers teachers and improves student outcomes? Sarah Beck, an award-winning school-based leader and former teacher, draws on the skills she learned as a business consultant to help promote school improvement and increase employee engagement in one of Virginia's largest and most diverse middle schools.

[Transcript for Episode 11 is available on EdFixPodcast.com]

Research-Practice Partnerships (RPPs) create a two-way street between practitioners and researchers to address problems of practice and come up with solutions. Using this research, leaders can make data-informed decisions about the strategies that really work to improve their schools and school districts. Ruth Wattenberg, recently re-elected member of the DC State Board of Education, and Dr. Elizabeth Grant, education policy professor, discuss the benefits and challenges of a potential RPP for Washington, DC in this episode of EdFix.

[Transcript for Episode 10 is available on EdFixPodcast.com]

How do we better identify, address, and prevent the behavioral health issues that become barriers to learning in our most underserved schools? The Bainum Family Foundation and GW’s Center for Health and Health Care in Schools (CHHCS) are partnering on a project to expand school-based mental health services in D.C.’s Wards 7 and 8. Dr. Olga Acosta Price, Director of CHHCS, and Dr. Nisha Sachdev, Senior Director of Evaluation for the Bainum Family Foundation, share their approach to advancing the field of school mental health by bridging research, practice, policy, and philanthropy.

[Transcript for Episode 9 is available on EdFixPodcast.com]

How do we move from understanding inequality to actually reducing inequality? According to Dr. Adam Gamoran, President of the William T. Grant Foundation, we should examine the responses to inequality - and not just its causes - to determine which programs and policies really work. In addition, we need to create incentives for researchers to ask questions whose answers are relevant to the pressing issues facing our most vulnerable populations.

[Transcript for Episode 8 is available on EdFixPodcast.com]

In the United States, approximately 5% of children attend charter schools. So why are these schools such a hot topic among educators, advocates, policy makers, politicians, and parents? Dr. Iris Rotberg and Dr. Joshua Glazer, editors of the book Choosing Charters - Better Schools or More Segregation?, discuss the goals, challenges, and outcomes of the charter movement from different perspectives based on their research in the field.

[Transcript for Episode 7 is available on EdFixPodcast.com]

Don't forget to subscribe and rate to the podcast. 

Should every student graduate from high school or college with a basic level of cybersecurity proficiency? And how do we best prepare and encourage the next generation to join the cybersecurity workforce? Host Michael Feuer speaks with Dr. Diana Burley, an internationally-recognized cybersecurity expert, who led the taskforce to produce the first set of global cybersecurity curricular guidelines (released in February 2018). Dr. Burley discusses the field's global workforce shortage and diversity gap, the power of the human-cyber interaction, and the many opportunities and risks we all face as users of technology in today's world.

[Transcript for Episode 6 is available on EdFixPodcast.com]

Don't forget to subscribe, listen, and rate the podcast. 

Recorded live from the 2018 Community Schools National Forum in Baltimore, Maryland, host Michael Feuer speaks with education leaders about the goals and impact of community schools on students, families, and communities. The Forum, which takes place every two years, brings together more than 2,000 teachers, administrators, community advocates, families, policymakers, and others who are working in and for community schools around the country.

This podcast episode shares highlights of conversations with people from organizations such as Baltimore’s Promise, Elev8 Baltimore, Family League of Baltimore, Coalition for Community Schools, National League of Cities, and the Institute for Educational Leadership.

[Transcript for Episode 5 is available on EdFixPodcast.com]

Don't forget to subscribe, listen, and rate the podcast. 

In 2010, only 20% of the students at D.C.’s Truesdell Education Campus could read on grade level. Eight years later, more than 87% can read on or above grade level--and they love reading! How did this school turn it around? Principal Mary Ann Stinson and Assistant Principal Michael Redmond II share their creative strategies, data-driven approach, and unwavering commitment to closing the opportunity gap in their school community.

[Transcript for Episode 4 is available on EdFixPodcast.com]

Don't forget to subscribe, listen, and rate the podcast. 

Is it possible to teach students to develop traits such as optimism, growth mindset, hope, perseverance, and resilience to help improve well-being and educational outcomes? EdFix host Dean Michael Feuer talks with Dr. Beth Tuckwiller and Dr. William Dardick about their joint research into the field of positive psychology--its potential for changing students' experiences in the classroom and the challenges of measuring its subjective factors.

[Transcript for Episode 3 is available on EdFixPodcast.com]

Don't forget to subscribe and rate to the podcast. 

How do we keep young people interested in science? Has the U.S. caught up with other countries in preparing students for careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math)? EdFix host Dean Michael Feuer and Dr. Jonathon Grooms discuss the state of STEM education in the U.S. and Dr. Grooms’ research on engaging students in authentic science experiences. Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast.

[Transcript for Episode 2 is available on EdFixPodcast.com]

In this episode, host Michael Feuer (Dean of the Graduate School of Education and Human Development at the George Washington University) is joined by Dr. Arshad Ali (GW Assistant Professor of Educational Research) in a conversation about whether the promise of American democracy still rings true for young Muslims in the United States. Dr. Ali discusses the role schools could play in addressing civic engagement for historically marginalized populations, and shares his research on Muslim youth identity and his ideas on the broader purpose of our American political and schooling systems.

[Transcript for Episode 1 is available on EdFixPodcast.com]

Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast.