The current state of education in America is a troubling picture. Reading proficiency scores have reached historic lows. Chronic absenteeism is on the rise—more than a quarter of K-12 students miss at least 10% of the school year. And the achievement gap in test scores between the highest and lowest performing students has widened. On this podcast episode, we take a closer look at education reform in America. Would more students show up to school if they were learning material that felt applicable to their goals in life - instead of being funneled through a cookie-cutter system designed for the industrial era? How would a focus on increasing background knowledge, known as knowledge-building curriculum, help students develop their understanding of core subjects better than our current model of skills-based instruction? And how might school choice policies—like open enrollment, charter schools, and magnet schools—address rising levels of school segregation? Could racial and socioeconomic integration be the key to closing America’s persistent achievement gaps on standardized test scores?

Guests:

Cory Steiner, Superintendent of Schools for Northern Cass School District: https://www.northerncassschool.org/page/personalized-learning

Jenee Henry Wood, Chief Learning Officer at Transcend and co-author of Extraordinary Learning for All: How Communities Design Schools Where Everyone Thrives: https://transcendeducation.org/resources/extraordinary-learning-for-all/

Russ Williams, Executive Director of Center City Public Schools in Washington, D.C.: https://centercitypcs.org/about/meet-our-team/#biokellydickens

Kate Merrill, Managing Director of Curriculum and Instruction, Center City Public Schools in Washington, D.C.

Halley Potter, Senior Fellow and Director of PK-12 Education Policy at The Century Foundation: https://tcf.org/experts/halley-potter/

Milly Arbaje-Thomas, President & CEO of METCO (The Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity) in Boston: https://metcoinc.org/about/

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