Michael and Diane explore what’s driving parent—and educator—frustration with schools, and how misalignment between different groups may actually create a path toward a more personalized school system where grace and gratitude return.

Michael asks Diane to explain what expectations are unrealistic for schools to fulfill. Diane discusses how the layering of requirements and regulations on schools have stretched them in unintended and burdensome ways that require a redesign—not a bolted-on approach.

John Bailey, education policy expert and writer of the nightly COVID-19 Policy Update on Substack, joins Diane and Michael to talk about the current state of COVID and schools, Omicron, vaccinations, testing, and more.

In this final episode of 2021, Diane and Michael share three wishes for schooling in the new year that focus on personalization, grace, and renewing ESSA.

Diane and Michael engage in a frank conversation about the challenges students and schools are experiencing this year. Headlines have noted an increase in physical altercations. The two discuss why this is and what solutions do or don’t exist.

With large numbers of teachers resigning from schools, Diane and Michael dive into what exactly is happening right now in schools, explore how it’s different from past teacher shortages, and ask bigger questions about who is a teacher and the system of preparing and developing our teachers—and suggest a hopeful path that might emerge from the current moment of struggles and shortages for schools.

In this episode, Diane interviews Michael about exactly where students are learning formally this year, what’s driving the change in enrollment in public schools, and what will be the longer term impact.

In this episode Michael interviews Diane about the difference between standards and curriculum, and why she’s in favor of a common core set of standards but not a common curriculum.

Diane and Michael break down who decides what gets taught and analyze the specific roles of everyone from the different arms of government to teachers, parents, textbook companies—and even committees and colleges.

With conversations around Critical Race Theory and learning loss rampant, what schools teach is hot right now. Rather than tackle those specific debates, in this episode Diane and Michael wave their magic wand to offer a framework around what schools should teach — and how it’s different from what they do today.