Schooled

Schools are spending billions on technology in hopes of preparing students for the workforce. But are they investing in the right tools? This episode of Schooled explores what the future of education might look like and asks whether more technology always leads to better learning.

While some Pennsylvania schools invest in cutting-edge technology, others are struggling to keep aging laptops running. In this episode, WHYY News travels to schools across the state — from rural Pennsylvania to the suburbs — to explore whether unequal access to technology is creating a new education gap.

Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming Pennsylvania’s classrooms. As school districts embrace AI, WHYY News examines how educators are grappling with preparing students for a future where the technology is impossible to ignore.

Pennsylvania lawmakers are pushing for a statewide bell-to-bell cellphone ban, arguing that phones have become one of the biggest hindrances to learning. WHYY News visits schools that have already made the change to find out whether putting phones away is helping students reconnect with their classmates and their schoolwork.

This two-part Schooled podcast by WHYY News highlights aspects of the Philadelphia School District that serve as an inspiration for a hit television show. The reporting took place in 2024 and 2025. Philadelphia native Quinta Brunson created the hit TV series, “Abbott Elementary,” as modeled upon real-life experiences students face learning in the Philly school system. The sitcom shines a light on the challenges that the school district faces — teacher shortages, limited resources, furniture and supplies – among the real-life issues incorporated into the show’s storylines.

This episode explores how robust arts programming and library support positively affect student lives.

This two-part Schooled podcast by WHYY News highlights aspects of the Philadelphia School District that serve as an inspiration for a hit television show. The reporting took place in 2024 and 2025. Philadelphia native Quinta Brunson created the hit TV series, “Abbott Elementary,” as modeled upon real-life experiences students face learning in the Philly school system. The sitcom shines a light on the challenges that the school district faces — teacher shortages, limited resources, furniture and supplies – among the real-life issues incorporated into the show’s storylines.

This episode focuses on the making of “Abbott Elementary,” its impact, Quinta’s ties to Philadelphia, and educators’ reactions to seeing their world enacted on the small screen.

In this episode, a look at how New Jersey responded to its own school funding lawsuit decades ago — and what Pennsylvania could learn. Then, a visit to the state capitol to see how legislators are responding to the recent court ruling that says Pennsylvania’s school funding system is unconstitutional. And, how underfunded schools are taking matters into their own hands while they wait for help.

This episode is the second in this season of “Schooled”, a podcast production from WHYY that gives the insider’s story of public schools, through the eyes of students, parents, and educators. 

Read and listen to the first episode.

Find “Schooled” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Two neighboring public high schools show the inequity of Pennsylvania’s school funding system. We learn about the forces at play and how a lack of resources affects everyday life for students and teachers. Then, we meet the people who have dedicated their lives to solving the state’s school funding problem.

Public education in America is still divided between the haves and have-nots, and the problem doesn’t get much worse than in Pennsylvania. But change could be coming.