On this week’s Education Gadfly Show podcast, Rick Hess, the director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, joins Mike and David to discuss education reform (or the lack thereof) during former President Biden’s term and what we might expect from President Trump. Then, on the Research Minute, Amber reviews a study on the implementation of college- and career-readiness policies, focusing on the alignment between career and technical education courses and industry-based certifications.

Recommended content: 

•  Rick Hess, “Miguel Cardona Is America’s Worst Education Secretary,” American Enterprise Institute (October 25, 2024)
• Dale Chu, “Fault lines in the MAGA coalition and what they mean for education,” Thomas B. Fordham Institute (January 16, 2025).
• Matt S. Giani, Madison E. Andrews, Tasneem Sultana, Fortunato Medrano, Curricular-Credential Decoupling: How Schools Respond to Career and Technical Education Policy, Annenberg Institute at Brown University (2025)

Feedback Welcome: Have ideas for improving our podcast? Send them to Stephanie Distler at [email protected].