Class Disrupted

With an unprecedented cash infusion going to public schools from the federal government, Michael and Diane interview noted school finance expert Marguerite Roza to understand the contours of the new funding landscape and what are the opportunities – and risks – for schools and districts.

Since very early in the pandemic, education policy expert John Bailey has been in front of collecting key data and research about COVID and its impact on education and disseminating that research to leaders in education. Diane and Michael caught up with John to talk about the learnings from the pandemic thus far.

Diane and Michael dig deep into the importance of an inclusive design process to rethink schooling with the co-CEOs of Transcend Education, Aylon Samouha and Jeff Wetzler.

As the CDC once again revised its guidance around school reopening and the Department of Education drums up conversation around summer school, Diane and Michael dig into who is driving the narrative around the future of schooling and why that matters.

Diane and Michael plan with the end in mind and backward map the top 5 things schools must have in place before students start the school year in the fall.

In this episode, Michael jumped in the interviewer chair to ask Diane as an educator about how she’s treating the Biden administration’s announcement about requiring spring testing, how she thinks about the learning loss conversation, and why the school reopening question has become so fraught with emotion and tension.

The mainstream media seems to be noticing, at last, that learning pods are popping up to serve low-income learners. Diane and Michael discuss whether the community organizations behind these pods might help transform the schooling system beyond the pandemic. Plus, the two ponder what does it mean that serving on the education committee in Congress is “not desirable.”

In Chicago, the district and union have sparred over the question of reopening. Michael and Diane explore a better approach to reopening and dive into how parents can navigate these challenging times—as well as how educators can make sure struggling readers get the support they need.

Diane and Michael delve into the challenges that attempting to teach students in-person and remotely at the same time poses—and ponder if design thinking can help educators find a better way forward.

With the naming of Miguel Cardona as President-elect Biden’s nominee for Secretary of Education and the arrival of vaccines, Diane and Michael break down the potential for a broader reset in schools.