Podcast appearances and mentions of Michael J Petrilli

On this week's Education Gadfly Show podcast, Starlee Coleman, president and CEO of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, joins Mike and David to discuss the religious charter schools case currently before the U. S. Supreme Court. Then, on the Research Minute, Amber shares a study out of Dallas on whether an automatic Algebra enrollment policy boosted participation among underserved students.Recommended content: “SCOTUS should mandate state support for religious education, but not via charter schools”—Michael J. Petrilli, Thomas B. Fordham Institute“Supreme Court Case Could Reshape Landscape for Charter and Religious Schools”—Mark Walsh, Education Week“The religious charter schools case is a bigger deal than you think”—Michael J. Petrilli, Thomas B. Fordham Institute“Why SCOTUS should—and will—approve faith-based charter schools”—Andy Smarick, Thomas B. Fordham Institute“Closing the Gaps: An Examination of Early Impacts of Dallas ISD's Opt-out Policy on Advanced Course Enrollment”—Daniel Vargas Castaño, Dareem K. Antoine, and Trey Miller, EdWorkingPapers (May 2025)Feedback Welcome: Have ideas for improving our podcast? Send them to Stephanie Distler at sdistler@fordhaminstitute.org.  

On this week's Education Gadfly Show podcast, Scott Marion, Executive Director of the Center for Assessment, joins Mike and David to discuss why states should maintain annual assessments—even if the Trump Administration waives some federal testing requirements. Then, on the Research Minute, Adam reviews a study comparing surveys and test scores as measures of school quality and predictors of long-term student success.Recommended content: The Case for State Testing, The National Center for the Improvement of Education Assessment, Inc., (March 2025).The Case for Statewide School Accountability Systems, The National Center for the Improvement of Education Assessment, Inc., (March 2025).Victoria McDougald, “The case for standardized testing,” Thomas B. Fordham Institute (August 1, 2024).Michael J. Petrilli, “The best colleges for political diversity,” Thomas B. Fordham Institute (April 3, 2025).Joshua Angrist, Peter Hull, Russell Legate-Yang, Parag A. Pathak and Christopher R. Walters, Putting School Surveys to the Test, NBER (2025)Feedback Welcome: Have ideas for improving our podcast? Send them to Stephanie Distler at sdistler@fordhaminstitute.org.  

On this week's Education Gadfly Show podcast, Jim Blew, co-founder of the Defense of Freedom Institute, joins Mike and David to talk about his work on the Educational Choice for Children Act—a federal proposal that could expand educational options for families through school vouchers. Then, on the Research Minute, Amber examines a study on how expanding broadband access for Chicago families during the pandemic benefitted high achieving students but hurt their lower-performing peers.Recommended content: Children's Tuition Fund,  Federal Tax Credit: What You Need to Know About the Educational Choice for Children Act (2025). Michael J. Petrilli, “Education reform in red versus blue states,” Thomas B. Fordham Institute (January 9, 2025).Dale Chu, “Education at an inflection point,” PPI (March 20, 2025).Jared N. Schachner, Julia A. Gwynne, Nicole P. Marwell, Elaine Allensworth, and Marisa de la Torre, Heterogeneous Effects of Closing the Digital Divide During COVID-19 on Student Engagement and Achievement, Annenberg Institute at Brown University (2025)Feedback Welcome: Have ideas for improving our podcast? Send them to Stephanie Distler at sdistler@fordhaminstitute.org.

On this week's Education Gadfly Show podcast, Steven Wilson, senior fellow at the Pioneer Institute, joins Mike to discuss his new book The Lost Decade: Returning to the Fight for Better Schools in America, which argues that the push for so-called Antiracist education derailed reform and harmed marginalized students. Then, on the Research Minute, Amber examines a study on how educators divide their attention during virtual tutoring—and how achievement, gender, race, and English learner status influence those interactions.Recommended content: Steven Wilson, “The Lost Decade: Returning to the Fight for Better Schools in America,” Pioneer Institute for Public Policy Research, 2024.Wilson, Steven F. “The Promise of Intellectual Joy,” June 4, 2019. Robert Pondiscio, “After a “lost decade,” let's restore high expectations for students,” Thomas B. Fordham Institute (December 12, 2024).Michael J. Petrilli, “11 thoughts about the massive layoffs at the U.S. Department of Education,” Thomas B. Fordham Institute (March 11, 2025).Frederick M. Hess, “Defunding the teacher trainers,” Thomas B. Fordham Institute (March 6, 2025).Qingyang Zhang, Rose E. Wang, Ana T. Ribeiro, Dorottya Demszky, and Susanna Loe, Educator Attention: How computational tools can systematically identify the distribution of a key resource for students, Annenberg Institute (March 2025)Feedback Welcome: Have ideas for improving our podcast? Send them to Stephanie Distler at sdistler@fordhaminstitute.org. 

On this week's Education Gadfly Show podcast, Tim Daly, CEO of EdNavigator, joins Mike and David to discuss whether America should refocus its efforts on helping our lowest-performing students and explore the best ways to address this challenge. Then, on the Research Minute, Amber shares a study on how students prepare for tests and the effectiveness of their strategies.Recommended content: Tim Daly, “We're living through an education depression,” Thomas B. Fordham Institute (November 1, 2024).Michael J. Petrilli, “Get ready for more bad news from NAEP 2024” Thomas B. Fordham Institute  (January 16, 2025)Robert Pondiscio, “After a “lost decade,” let's restore high expectations for students,” Thomas B. Fordham Institute (December 12, 2024).Fatema Sultana, Richard C. Watkins, Tarek Al Baghal and John Carl Hughes, An Evaluation of Secondary School Students' Use and Understanding of Learning Strategies to Study and Revise for Science Examinations, Education Sciences (2025)Feedback Welcome: Have ideas for improving our podcast? Send them to Stephanie Distler at sdistler@fordhaminstitute.org.

On this week's Education Gadfly Show podcast, Alyson Klein, assistant editor at Education Week, joins Mike and David to discuss how President Trump could weaken the U.S. Department of Education without dismantling it entirely. Then, on the Research Minute, Amber shares a study examining the impact of early math intervention on student outcomes in Kentucky.Recommended content: Alyson Klein, “How Trump Can Hobble the Education Department Without Abolishing It,” Education Week (December 12, 2024).Chester E. Finn, Jr., “Will Trump eliminate the federal role in education or weaponize it?,” Thomas B. Fordham Institute (December 12, 2024).Michael J. Petrilli, “How much blame does the federal government deserve for America's mediocre schools?,” Thomas B. Fordham Institute (November 21, 2024).Zeyu Xu, Umut Özek, Jesse Levin and Dong Hoon Lee, Effects of Large-Scale Early Math Interventions on Student Outcomes: Evidence From Kentucky's Math Achievement Fund, SAGE Journals (2024)Feedback Welcome: Have ideas for improving our podcast? Send them to Stephanie Distler at sdistler@fordhaminstitute.org. New for 2025! You can now watch this episode on YouTube. 

On this week's Education Gadfly Show podcast, Checker Finn, Fordham's president emeritus—and the original Education Gadfly—joins Mike and David to discuss the best and worst news in education reform in 2024. Then, on the Research Minute, Amber shares the top five research studies of the year.Recommended content: Michael J. Petrilli, “How much blame does the federal government deserve for America's mediocre schools?,” Thomas B. Fordham Institute (November 21, 2024).Michael J. Petrilli, “The end of MCAS is the end of an era. Now let's figure out what comes next.,” Thomas B. Fordham Institute (December 5, 2024).David Griffith and Daniel Buck, “It's time for tough love to address chronic absenteeism,” Thomas B. Fordham Institute (September 5, 2024).Dan Goldhaber and Grace Falken, ESSER and Student Achievement: Assessing the Impacts of the Largest One-Time Federal Investment in K12 Schools, CALDER (2024). Feedback Welcome: Have ideas for improving our podcast? Send them to Stephanie Distler at sdistler@fordhaminstitute.org. 

On this week's Education Gadfly Show podcast, Jill Barshay, author of The Hechinger Report's “Proof Points” column, joins Mike and David to discuss her recent article on the surprising effects of colleges eliminating remedial courses. Then, on the Research Minute, Amber shares a study examining the impact of Washington's academic acceleration policies on high school students.Recommended content: Jill Barshay, “A decade of data in one state shows an unexpected result when colleges drop remedial courses,” The Hechinger Report (September 23, 2024).Michael J. Petrilli, “‘Kid, I'm Sorry, but You're Just Not College Material' Is exactly what we should be telling a lot of high school students,” Slate (March 18, 2014).Chester E. Finn, Jr., “What's the point of high school?” Thomas B. Fordham Institute (September 5, 2024).Megan Austin, Ben Backes, Dan Goldhaber, Dory Li, and Francie Streich, Leveling Up: An Academic Acceleration Policy to Increase Equity in Advanced High School Course Taking, American Educational Research Journal (2024). Feedback Welcome: Have ideas for improving our podcast? Send them to Stephanie Distler at sdistler@fordhaminstitute.org.

On this week's Education Gadfly Show podcast, Devon Nir, a research assistant at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, joins Mike and David to discuss the complexities of ensuring accountability for education savings accounts. Then, on the Research Minute, Amber examines a study exploring the financial returns of various non-degree credentials and degree programs.Recommended content: “The ‘à la carte education' accountability conundrum”—Michael J. Petrilli and Devon Nir“Finding the sweet spot on accountability”—Dale Chu" When Only Some Kids Can Afford Summer Camp — Why We Must Close the ‘Enrichment Gap'” —Michael J. Petrilli Jason Jabbari, Yung Chun, Xueying Mei, Stephen Roll, More Money for Less Time? Examining the Relative and Heterogenous Financial Returns to Non-Degree Credentials and Degree Programs, Annenberg Institute at Brown University (2024) Feedback Welcome: Have ideas for improving our podcast? Send them to Stephanie Distler at sdistler@fordhaminstitute.org.

#936: How socioeconomic factors explain achievement gaps, with Eric Hengyu Hu and Paul L. MorganOn this week's Education Gadfly Show podcast, SUNY Albany's Eric Hengyu Hu and Paul L. Morgan, authors of Fordham's recently released report Explaining Achievement Gaps: The Role of Socioeconomic Factors, joins Mike and David to discuss their findings. Then, on the Research Minute, Amber reports on a study of differences in grading practices between international and domestic instructors at U.S. public universities.Recommended content: Eric Hengyu Hu and Paul L. Morgan, Explaining Achievement Gaps: The Role of Socioeconomic Factors, Fordham Institute (August 2024)“America's highest-achieving students are disproportionately Asian. Let's not be afraid to investigate why.”—Michael J. Petrilli and Amber M. NorthernMeredith Coffey and Adam Tyner, Excellence Gaps by Race and Socioeconomic Status, Fordham Institute (August 2023)Trang Pham and Stephanie Potochnick, Undergraduate Grading Practices of International and Domestic Faculty: Evidence From Three Large U.S. Public Universities, AERA Open (2024) Feedback Welcome: Have ideas for improving our podcast? Send them to Stephanie Distler at sdistler@fordhaminstitute.org.

On this week's Education Gadfly Show podcast, Debbie Veney, a senior vice president at the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, joins Mike to discuss the growth in the charter sector since 2019. Then, on the Research Minute, Amber reviews a new study investigating the effects of mock instruction and coaching on pre-service teacher performance.Recommended content:“Believing in public education: A demographic and state-level analysis of public charter school and district public school enrollment trends” —Drew Jacobs and Debbie Veney, National Alliance for Public Charter Schools“Which large school districts provide fertile terrain for charter growth?” —Amber M. Northern and Michael J. Petrilli, Thomas B. Fordham Institute Julie Cohen, Anandita Krishnamachari, Vivian C. Wong, and Steffen Erickson, “Experimental Evidence on the Robustness of Coaching Supports in Teacher Education,” Educational Researcher (December 2023).Feedback Welcome: Have ideas for improving our podcast? Send them to Daniel Buck at dbuck@fordhaminstitute.org.

New research shows students in 2023 are making less progress in reading and math than their counterparts were prior to the pandemic. Rather than catching up after the return to in-person schooling, students fell even further behind. How can this be and what can we do about it?In this episode, Naomi and Ian are joined by Michael J. Petrilli, president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute and visiting fellow at Stanford's Hoover Institution. Mike identifies contributing factors to the issue, such as chronic absenteeism and the lowering or elimination of assessment benchmarks. He argues that along with the need to place high expectations on students, we must learn to hold teachers and parents accountable for ensuring students learn. Lastly, Mike discusses bipartisan efforts to get America's students back on track. ResourcesWe Can Fight Learning Loss Only With Accountability and Action | Michael J. Petrilli Unlocking the Future | Ian Rowe, Robert Pondiscio, Jessica Schurz, John BaileyShow Notes00:41 | Do we have to accept the reality that students are behind due to the pandemic?03:43 | Why is it that students are moving backwards?06:32 | Are policy leaders, parents, and educators paying attention to this issue?10:59 | Do state-takeovers of education systems help with accountability?13:35 | How do you strengthen teachers' abilities to hold students' accountable?16:09 | What is the political landscape around education reform? Are there any bipartisan efforts happening?22:29 | Are states mirroring other states' policies or is there tunnel-vision when it comes to education reform?

Susan Pendergrass speaks with Michael J. Petrilli about his recent op-ed featured in The New York Times, titled 'We Can Fight Learning Loss Only With Accountability and Action'. Michael J. Petrilli is president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, research fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution, executive editor of Education Next, editor in chief of the Education Gadfly Weekly, and host of the Education Gadfly Show podcast. An award-winning writer, he is the author of The Diverse Schools Dilemma, editor of Education for Upward Mobility, and co-editor of How to Educate an American and Follow the Science to School. An expert on charter schools, school accountability, evidence-based practices, and trends in test scores and other student outcomes, Petrilli has published opinion pieces in the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, and Slate, and appears frequently on television and radio. Petrilli helped to create the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Innovation and Improvement and the Policy Innovators in Education Network. He lives with his family in Bethesda, Maryland. Produced By Show- Me Opportunity

On this week's Education Gadfly Show podcast, Nick Colangelo of the University of Iowa joins Mike Petrilli and David Griffith to discuss the recommendations in the new report from the National Working Group on Advanced Education. Then, on the Research Minute, Amber discusses a California study that investigates how within-school differences in school quality contribute to educational achievement gaps.Recommended content:The National Working Group on Advanced Education's new report: “Building a Wider, More Diverse Pipeline of Advanced Learners”“The case for gifted education” —Brandon L. Wright“Research Deep Dive: What we know about gifted education”—Michael J. Petrilli, Jonathan Plucker, and Amber M. Northern, Ph.D. “Because equity” is not a good reason to lower standards” —Michael J. PetrilliThe study that Amber reviewed on the Research Minute: Matthew Naven, Within-School Heterogeneity in Quality: Do Schools Provide Equal Value Added to All Students?, Annenberg Institute at Brown University (May 2023)Feedback Welcome:Have ideas for improving our podcast? Send them to Jeanette Luna at jluna@fordhaminstitute.org.

On this week's Education Gadfly Show podcast, Checker Finn joins Mike Petrilli and David Griffith to discuss his article (co-authored with Rick Hess) in National Affairs about the bipartisan history—and uncertain future—of school reform. Then on the Research Minute, Amber Northern reviews a study on how politicized issues like Covid-19 safety measures and Critical Race Theory are affecting principals and teachers. Recommended content: ·      Chester E. Finn, Jr. and Frederick M. Hess's article: “The End of School Reform?” National Affairs (Summer 2022).·      Michael J. Petrilli's article on education reform: “Education reform is alive and well, even if the Washington Consensus is dead for now,” August 11, 2022.·      Daniel Buck's article on the new education consensus: “The new education consensus is conservative, and that's a good thing,” August 11, 2022.·      The study that Amber reviewed on the Research Minute: Ashley Woo et al., “Walking a Fine Line—Educators' Views on Politicized Topics in Schooling,” RAND Corporation (2022).  Feedback Welcome!Have ideas on our podcast? Send them to our podcast producers Nathaniel Grossman and Lilly Sibel at ngrossman@fordhaminstitute.org and lsibel@fordhaminstitute.org 

A young boy hands out  flags to the public prior to the start of the 1981 Inauguration Day parade. Source: US National Archives “Patriotic history is more suspect these days than it was when I was its young student, 50 years ago,” writes Eliot Cohen. But, he continues, “civic education is also inextricably interwoven with patriotism, without which commitment to the values that make free government possible will not exist” since “civic education depends not only on an understanding of fundamental processes and insttitions, but on a commitment to those processes and institutions…” These are observations contained in Cohen’s contribution to a new title from Templeton Press, How to Educate an American: The Conservative Vision for Tomorrow's Schools, edited by Michael J. Petrilli and Chester E. Finn, Jr. With me to discuss this essay, civic education, and the possibility of teaching history for the common good are Jonathan Zimmerman, Professor of the History of Education at the University of Pennsylvania, himself a former public school social studies teacher, and Eliot Cohen, Dean and Robert E. Osgood Professor of the Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies. We've never tried anything like this on Historically Thinking before--getting together people who disagree about some things, but also respect one another and have a basis from which to reach agreement. But we think that you'll like the result. For Further Investigation Eliot A. Cohen, “History, Critical and Patriotic: Americans need a history that educates but also inspires," Education Next Jonathan Zimmerman, "Civic Education in the Age of Trump: Public schools in the United States Public schools in the United States aren’t teaching students how to engage diverse opinions."

Open phones on news and topics, and later in the hour Michael J. Petrilli is president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute and we discuss the new book How to Educate an American - The Conservative Vision for Tomorrow's School

Michael J. Petrilli, president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute and an executive editor at Education Next, joins Editor-in-chief Marty West to discuss the Common Core State Standards Initiative and why there is still time to see positive results from the shift to national standards. Read his full essay, as well as two alternate stances, in our forum, “A Decade On, Has Common Core Failed?” https://www.educationnext.org/stay-course-on-national-standards-forum-decade-on-has-common-core-failed/ https://www.educationnext.org/decade-on-has-common-core-failed-impact-national-standards-forum-polikoff-petrilli-loveless/

Segregation by race and income in American schools is increasing. Though not measurable by today's standardized testing tools, the social and emotional benefits of diversity and integration for ALL students are tremendous. My guest, Michael J. Petrilli, will discuss his book The Diverse Schools Dilemma: A Parent's Guide to Socioeconomically Mixed Public Schools about his own quest to find a racially and socioeconomically diverse school for his white, middle-class children. Michael is also executive vice president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, a think tank focused on K-12 education policy. Host, Allison R. Brown, is a civil rights attorney and President of Allison Brown Consulting (ABC), which creates education equity plans for schools and helps non-profit organizations to promote equity in education.