The Education Exchange

The State Representative for House District 91 in Indiana, Robert Behning, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss Indiana's expanded scholarship program, and current trends in school choice across the country.

A Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institute, Macke Raymond, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss Raymond's research on the structural imperfections of high schools, how the Covid-19 pandemic laid bare these problems, and how the high school experience can be improved. Raymond's research is available as part of the Hoover Education Success Initiative. https://www.hoover.org/research/introduction-how-improve-our-schools-post-covid-era

A Senior Fellow at the Independent Institute and former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education, Williamson M. Evers, Ph.D., joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss a proposed mathematics curriculum framework in California which, if passed, could stunt student progress in math and halt gifted-and-talented programs

A senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and a columnist for the Wall Street Journal, Jason Riley, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss Riley's new biography on Thomas Sowell, which chronicles the life of the long-time senior fellow at the Hoover Institution. "Maverick: A Biography of Thomas Sowell" will be available on May 25, 2021.

A research fellow at the Hoover Institution, David R. Henderson, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss the long-term costs of the pandemic response on young people. Henderson's op-ed, "Youth Pay a High Price for Covid Protection," was co-written with Charles L. Hooper and is available in the Wall Street Journal. https://www.wsj.com/articles/youth-pay-a-high-price-for-covid-protection-11620078943?mod=searchresults_pos1&page=1

A Professor of Medicine at Stanford University, Jay Bhattacharya, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss the the importance of reopening schools during the Covid-19 pandemic, and the subsequent risks to students being kept out of in-person classrooms.

The Superintendent of the Catholic Schools Office of the Archdiocese of Boston, Thomas Carroll, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss how Catholic schools in Massachusetts have responded and adapted to the Covid-19 pandemic, and how they've remained open while many public schools operated remotely.

A professor of political science at Boston College, Peter Skerry, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss Skerry's latest piece in National Affairs, which looks at the Black Lives Matter movement, and how the Black experience in America differs from the immigrant experience of those groups originating from Latin America. "Why 'Black Lives Matter' Matters" is available now at National Affairs. https://www.nationalaffairs.com/publications/detail/why-black-lives-matter-matters

A senior fellow at the Pioneer Institute, Charles D. Chieppo, join's Paul E. Peterson to discuss Pioneer's latest poll, which finds mixed views on Massachusetts schools' response to the pandemic, including opinions on individual teachers, school districts and teachers unions. The full poll, "Massachusetts Residents' Perceptions of K-12 Education During the Covid-19 Pandemic," is available now. https://pioneerinstitute.org/academic-standards/poll-finds-mixed-views-about-schools-pandemic-performance/

The National Director of Research at the American Federation for Children, Corey DeAngelis, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss DeAngelis' new report, which investigates the likelihood of school reopenings amid the pandemic against funding in each district. DeAngelis' report, "Are School Reopening Decisions Related to Funding? Evidence from Over 12,000 Districts During the COVID-19 Pandemic," co-written with Christos Makridis, is available now. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3799694

A professor at the University of Buckingham, James Tooley, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss Tooley's new book, Really Good Schools: Global Lessons for High-Caliber, Low-Cost Education, and the success of some low-cost, effective private schools in the developing world. Peterson reviewed Really Good Schools for Education Next, in "To Critics of The Beautiful Tree, a Pearl of a Reply." https://www.educationnext.org/to-critics-of-the-beautiful-tree-pearl-of-reply-review-really-good-schools-tooley/ Tooley profiled low-cost private schools in the Fall 2005 issue of Education Next, in "Private Schools for the Poor." https://www.educationnext.org/privateschoolsforthepoor/

A visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, John Bailey, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss Bailey's latest report, which reviews more than 130 studies on whether schools can reopen safely amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Bailey's report, "Is it safe to reopen schools? An extensive review of the research," is available now from AEI. https://www.aei.org/research-products/report/is-it-safe-to-reopen-schools-an-extensive-review-of-the-research/

The director of the Sinquefield Center for Applied Economic Research at Saint Louis University, Michael Podgursky, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss the resignation of the members of the Oakley Union Elementary School District Board, who were caught on a live Zoom meeting discussing parents, including a comment that, "it's very unfortunate that they want to pick on us because they want their babysitters back."

The President of the John K. MacIver Institute for Public Policy, Brett Healy, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss the effects on collective bargaining and the long-term tax savings of Wisconsin's Act 10 budget repair bill, which was passed 10 years ago. The MacIver Institute's report, "Act 10 at 10: Total Taxpayer Savings Hits $13.9 Billion," is available now. https://www.maciverinstitute.com/2021/02/act-10-at-10-total-taxpayer-savings-hits-13-9-billion/

A professor of Education Policy at the University of Arkansas, Patrick J. Wolf, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss Wolf’s new research, which finds that charter schools in seven U.S. cities are more cost effective than their traditional public school counterparts, according to test results. The study, "Making it Count: The Productivity of Public Charter Schools in Seven U.S. Cities," co-written with Corey A. DeAngelis, Cassidy Syftestad, Larry D. Maloney and Jay F. May, is available now. https://scdp.uark.edu/making-it-count-the-productivity-of-public-charter-schools-in-seven-u-s-cities/

The president of the National Education Association, Becky Pringle, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss how to best open schools, and debate the safety protocols needed to get teachers back into classrooms, including the prioritization of teachers receiving the Covid-19 vaccine.

The Dean Fellow and head of the Teacher Preparation Program at the Relay Graduate School of Education in Memphis, Lequite Manning, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss Relay's teacher training and placement techniques, and how they have been adapted amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

A Distinguished Doctoral Fellow and Graduate Assistant at the University of Arkansas' Department of Education Reform, Martha Bradley-Dorsey, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss Bradley-Dorsey's thesis on how traditional school bureaucracies are limiting access to school choice.

The President and CEO of EdChoice, Robert Enlow, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss how the majority of public schools are holding classes online only, more than 60 percent of private schools are serving students in person, and the implications of that stark difference.

The associate director of the Center on Reinventing Public Education at the University of Washington Bothell, Betheny Gross, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss Gross's new research, which illustrates that the surge in Covid-19 cases is slowing efforts to reopen schools.

The Director of the Public Policy Research Lab at Louisiana State University, Michael Henderson, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss findings from the latest Education Next survey. The poll surveys parents on their experiences as schools attempted to reopen amid the Covid-19 pandemic. https://www.educationnext.org/pandemic-parent-survey-finds-perverse-pattern-students-more-likely-to-be-attending-school-in-person-where-covid-is-spreading-more-rapidly/

The senior director of PRI's Center for Education, Lance Izumi, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss Izumi's new research, which details the obstacles students trapped in failing schools face when trying to switch to charter schools Izumi's research brief, "New Obstacles Hinder Students Trapped in Failing Schools from Escaping to Charter Schools," is available now. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-brief-new-obstacles-hinder-students-trapped-in-failing-schools-from-escaping-to-charter-schools-301200866.html

The director of National Litigation & General counsel for the Goldwater Institute, Jon Riches, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss a case before the New Jersey Supreme Court, which will decide whether taxpayers will be required to pay for teachers' release time. An op-ed by Riches and Justin Meyers, "The N.J. Teachers Who Get Paid Not to Teach," is available at the Wall Street Journal. https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-n-j-teachers-who-get-paid-not-to-teach-11609710168

A Distinguished Senior Fellow and President Emeritus at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, Chester E. Finn, Jr., joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss Finn's new policy analysis, which looks into the state of school accountability five years after the implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act. Finn's analysis, "School Accountability — Past, Present, and Future," is available now: https://www.hoover.org/research/school-accountability-past-present-and-future

A resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, Nat Malkus, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss how schools have dealt with reopening amid the Covid-19 pandemic, including the different options available to districts. Malkus' report, "Reopening in the shadow of COVID-19: Beginning the first full coronavirus school year," is available now. https://www.aei.org/research-products/report/reopening-in-the-shadow-of-covid-19-beginning-the-first-full-coronavirus-school-year/

U.S. education needs more flexibility and adaptability, less rigidity, a new Hoover Education Success Initiative report finds. A Distinguished Policy Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Christopher Ruszkowski, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss "Toward Equitable School Choice," a new policy analysis by Peterson and released as part of the Hoover Education Success Initiative. Read the full report here: https://www.hoover.org/research/toward-equitable-school-choice

The President and CEO of the Aurora Institute, Susan Patrick, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss how schools can continue to adapt to remote learning environments.

A research professor at Georgetown University and director of the Edunomics Lab, Marguerite Roza, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss a new Edunomics Lab study on weighted student funding, which investigates the spending patterns and student outcomes in school districts. The full study is available here: https://edunomicslab.org/2020/10/29/wsfstudy/

A professor of Education Policy at the University of Arkansas, Patrick J. Wolf, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss Wolf's new research, which explores the funding inequities between charter and traditional schools in 18 cities across the country. The report, "Charter School Funding: Inequity Surges in the Cities," by Wolf, Corey A. DeAngelis, Larry D. Maloney and Jay F. May, is available now: https://scdp.uark.edu/charter-school-funding-inequity-surges-in-the-cities

The Dead of the Belmont University School of Education, Wayne D. Lewis Jr., joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss teacher effectiveness, and how schools of education can better prepare teachers for the classroom.

The president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, Mike Petrilli, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss the results of the 2020 presidential election, and what it could mean for education in the United States.

An assistant professor of political science at Boston College, Michael Hartney, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss a new study by Hartney and Leslie Finger, which links school district decisions on whether to reopen schools to how those areas voted in the 2016 presidential election.

An Associate Professor of Economics at the Naval Postgraduate School, Ryan Sullivan, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss Sullivan's recent op-ed, which outlines why schools should resume in-person classes.

The co-leader of the Eversheds Sutherland Business and Commercial Litigation team, Rocco E. Testani, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss a recently settled adequacy lawsuit in Delaware. The plaintiffs originally alleged that students in Delaware, particularly disadvantaged students defined as low income, English learners and students with disabilities, were not receiving an adequate education in that state under its constitution. Testani was the lead attorney in the case, defending the state.

A Senior Fellow at the Independent Institute, Williamson M. Evers, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss California Gov. Gavin Newsom's veto of AB 331, a bill that would have made an ethnic studies course a high school graduation requirement.

The president of the National Council on Teacher Quality, Kate Walsh, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss several issues surrounding teachers, including how they are adjusting to online instruction amid Covid-19, how to best prepare young teachers for the profession, and how to teach the history of slavery in the classroom.

An associate professor of medicine at Stanford University, Dr. Eran Bendavid, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss the risks and benefits of restrictive Covid-19 shutdown policies in different countries, and the related effects on the spread of the disease.

The Paul and Jean Hanna Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution of Stanford University, Eric Hanushek, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss Hanushek's new study, which calculates the expected losses to the annual GDP incurred by the Covid-19 shutdown of schools.

A Post Doctoral Researcher at the Harvard Kennedy School, M. Danish Shakeel, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss their new study, which shows greater gains in student achievement by students in charter schools than their counterparts in traditional district schools. "Charter Schools Show Steeper Upward Trend in Student Achievement than District Schools," by Shakeel Peterson, is available now. https://www.educationnext.org/charter-schools-show-steeper-upward-trend-student-achievement-first-nationwide-study

The director of school choice at Reason Foundation and an adjunct scholar at Cato Institute, Corey DeAngelis, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss DeAngelis' new study which finds a correlation between receiving a school voucher in Milwaukee and a reduction in criminal activity. "Private School Choice and Character: More Evidence from Milwaukee," by DeAngelis and Patrick J. Wolf, is available now. http://journal.apee.org/index.php/Parte3_2020_Journal_of_Private_Enterprise_Vol_35_No_3_Fall

In a replay of this important conversation from July 13, 2020, the 66th Secretary of State and The Denning Professor in Global Business and the Economy at Stanford University, Condoleeza Rice, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss how school choice can help lower-income families get more of out the public education system, and how systemic change will be necessary to improve racial equality in America. Rice's op-ed in the Washington Post, "This moment cries out for us to confront race in America," is available now. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/06/04/condoleezza-rice-moment-confront-race-america/

The Editor-in-chief of Education Next, Marty West, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss the findings from the 2020 Education Next Survey, including populism as a factor in people’s views of education policy. “People who are suspicious of elites feel like the elites are in control of our educational system” is one way of interpreting the findings, Peterson says. "Amid Pandemic, Support Soars for Online Learning, Parent Poll Shows," by Michael B. Henderson, David Houston, Paul E. Peterson, M. Danish Shakeel and Martin R. West, is available now. https://www.educationnext.org/amid-pandemic-support-soars-online-learning-parent-poll-shows-2020-education-next-survey-public-opinion/

The Superintendent of the South Carolina Public Charter School District, Chris G. Neeley, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss how the state plans to reopen for the fall semester during the Covid-19 pandemic.

A former senior attorney at the Institute of Justice and the lead attorney in the Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue case, Richard Komer, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss the outcome of that Supreme Court case, and what it could mean for school choice going forward.

A Senior Fellow at Stanford’s Hoover Institution and co-author of "Learning in the Fast Lane: The Past, Present and Future of Advanced Placement," Chester E. Finn, Jr., joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss standardized testing, and how higher education is moving away from requiring tests as part of the application process amid the Covid-19 pandemic. "Favoritism, rich parents getting new kinds of advantages for their kids, the lacrosse coach and the speech coach and the trip to Bhutan will end up counting for more rather than less, because there won't be an SAT score," Finn warns.

A senior fellow and vice president for external affairs at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, Robert Pondiscio, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss Thomas Sowell's new book, Charter Schools and Their Enemies, and the heavy criticism that charters currently face. Pondiscio's review, "Charter Schools and Their Enemies: At 90, Thomas Sowell reminds charter schools how to fight. And why," is available now. https://www.educationnext.org/charter-schools-and-their-enemies-thomas-sowell-book-review/

The 66th Secretary of State and The Denning Professor in Global Business and the Economy at Stanford University, Condoleeza Rice, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss how school choice can help lower-income families get more of out the public education system, and how systemic change will be necessary to improve racial equality in America. Rice's op-ed in the Washington Post, "This moment cries out for us to confront race in America," is available now. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/06/04/condoleezza-rice-moment-confront-race-america/

The Editor in Chief of Education Next, Marty West, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss findings from the 2020 Education Next survey, which reveals what American parents and teachers think of quality of the instruction their children received after schools closed their doors in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. "What American Families Experienced When Covid-19 Closed Their Schools, by Michael B. Henderson, David Houston, Paul E. Peterson and Martin R. West, is available now. https://www.educationnext.org/what-american-families-experienced-when-covid-19-closed-schools-2020-survey

A professor of political science at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, Joshua Dunn, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss the Supreme Court's 5-4 decision in Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, and the implications it could have for school choice and religious-school parents. Dunn's analysis of the decision, "In Supreme Court Case, a Far-Reaching Win for Religious-School Parents," is available now. https://www.educationnext.org/supreme-court-case-far-reaching-win-religious-school-parents-espinoza-montana/

The CEO of Public Prep, a nonprofit charter school network, Ian Rowe, joins Paul Peterson to discuss the "common struggle" for civil rights in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd in police custody. Rowe, who is also a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, also discusses his charter network's early childhood work: "starting at 18 months old, every younger sibling of a Boys' Prep or Girls' Prep scholar has, two times per week, 30 minutes per visit, an early learning specialist comes into the home, sits with the caregiver and the toddler to help begin building their vocabulary. They bring a book each week to build a library at home." Rowe's op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, "The Power of Personal Agency," is available now. https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-power-of-personal-agency-11592770867