The Education Gadfly Show

Aaron Churchill, Ohio research director at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, joins Mike Petrilli to discuss what’s next for education policy in Ohio and beyond. Following last week’s election results, what does the political shift from red to blue mean for education reform? Drawing on Aaron’s recent report, The Next Chapter: Ohio’s Implementation of the Science of Reading—and Where to Next, they debate whether Ohio’s governor-elect, Amy Acton, will continue the literacy initiatives championed by Republican Governor Mike DeWine. Can Science of Reading reforms maintain bipartisan support? And which other education policies—from curriculum reform to school choice and accountability—could face challenges under new leadership?

Then, on the Research Minute, Amber Northern examines a WestEd study finding that Massachusetts middle schools that adopted the Illustrative Mathematics curriculum before the pandemic saw significant gains in math achievement, while schools that adopted it during or after the pandemic saw no comparable improvements.

Recommended content:

• The Next Chapter: Ohio’s Implementation of the Science of Reading—and Where to Next —Aaron Churchill, Thomas B. Fordham Institute
• How the Midterm Results Could Reshape Some States’ Reading Policies —Sarah Schwartz, Education Week
• Reform Democrats return to power —Michael J. Petrilli, SCHOOLED
• Election reflections —Michael J. Petrilli, Thomas B. Fordham Institute
• Impact of the Illustrative Mathematics Curriculum on Math Achievement —Noman Khanani, Dalia Zabala, Shannon Stackhouse, Jena Gu, and Kirk Walters, WestEd, 2026

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Sharif El-Mekki, founder and CEO of the Center for Black Educator Development (CBED), joins Mike Petrilli and David Griffith to discuss teacher diversity and the challenges of building a stronger teacher pipeline. Why are so few Black and Latino men entering the profession? How can early exposure to teaching, apprenticeships, and Grow Your Own teacher programs help? And can teacher preparation programs better prepare aspiring educators for licensure exams?

Then, on the Research Minute, Amber Northern examines a study finding that charter school openings can reduce nearby Catholic school enrollment and increase the likelihood of closure, particularly among K–8 schools.

Recommended content:

• Male Teachers Say Mentors Got Them There. For Black Men, the Need’s Even Greater — Sharif El-Mekki & Jeanie Lee, The74
• Can left and right find middle ground on teacher diversity? — Michael J. Petrilli, SCHOOLED
• In defense of teacher diversity — Michael J. Petrilli, SCHOOLED
• Center for Black Educator Development — Center for Black Educator Development
• Charter School Expansion, Catholic School Enrollment, & the Implications for School Choice — Shaun M. Dougherty, Andrew Miller, and Yerin Yoon, Education Finance and Policy (2026)

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Education journalist Liana Loewus joins Mike Petrilli and David Griffith to discuss her new Fordham report, Studying the Southern Surge: How Alabama Beat the Odds in Reading. For years, Alabama’s schools were dismissed as a lost cause, but the state has recently made some of the largest literacy gains in the nation. They discuss how Alabama’s reading reforms, including state-funded literacy coaches, evidence-based reading curricula, and a hands-on approach to supporting teachers, have helped turn things around. Can Alabama keep up the momentum, and what can other states learn from its success?

Then, on the Research Minute, Amber Northern shares a new study finding that access to AI tutoring in college courses may actually hurt students’ academic performance and engagement.

Recommended content:

• Studying the Southern Surge: How Alabama Beat the Odds in Reading — Liana Loewus, Thomas B. Fordham Institute
• From the Teacher’s Desk: A Science of Reading Progress Report —David Griffith and Brian R. Fitzpatrick, Thomas B. Fordham Institute
• New rules for state mandates —Michael J. Petrilli, SCHOOLED
• Is state leadership at odds with teacher buy-in? — Michael J. Petrilli, SCHOOLED
• The Effects of Course-Integrated AI Tutoring on Student Performance and Engagement: A Randomized University Trial —Jing Liu, Tracy Sweet, Marty Haoyuan Chen, Jonathan Engelberg, Megan Masters, Martyn Clark, Axel Persaud, Alia Lancaster, Jeffrey Hollingsworth, and Jennifer King Rice, Annenberg Institute at Brown University (2026)

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It’s another Mike Petrilli solo episode of The Education Gadfly Show, and this week he’s tackling some big questions about state education mandates and local control. From recess requirements to curriculum and Science of Reading policies, when should states step in, and when does intervention go too far? Mike looks at how Mississippi and other Southern states have taken a more hands-on approach to improving student achievement and what the rest of the country can learn from their success.

Then, on the Research Minute, Amber Northern examines a new study from Texas finding that Science of Reading certification exams can help identify more effective reading teachers, but may also be shrinking the teacher pipeline.

Recommended content:

• Now states are mandating recess. Really? —Michael J. Petrilli, SCHOOLED
• Recess Is Disappearing. Parents Are Pushing to Bring It Back. —Chao Deng, The Wall Street Journal
• School Is Back in Session, and Recess Is Having a Moment —Emily Tate Sullivan, The 74
• Is state leadership at odds with local control? —Michael J. Petrilli, SCHOOLED
• Pondiscio v. Ryan on state-led curriculum reform —Michael J. Petrilli, SCHOOLED
• Mississippi’s School Transformation —Sarah Mervosh, The New York Times
• Why Tennessee Should Be the National Model for Literacy —Scott Langford, Curriculum Matters
• Louisiana Threads the Needle: Launching a Coherent Curriculum in a Local-Control State —Robert Pondiscio, Education Next
• Texas Has a Theory of Education —Robert Pondiscio, Thomas B. Fordham Institute
• Screen or Barrier? Science of Reading Certification Exams and Teacher Supply in Texas —Andrew Avitabile, EdWorkingPapers (2026)

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They say everything’s bigger in Texas, but does that include teachers’ paychecks? Mary Lynn Pruneda, director of education and workforce policy at Texas 2036, joins Mike Petrilli and David Griffith to discuss Texas’s Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA), a performance-based teacher pay program that rewards great teachers with higher pay, especially in high-need schools. Is Texas’s approach to merit pay helping attract and retain teachers in the classrooms that need them most?

Then, on the Research Minute, Amber Northern examines a new National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) study looking at whether accelerating students in middle school math leads to better outcomes in high school and college.

Recommended content:

• What Is TIA? —Texas Teacher Incentive Allotment, Texas Education Agency
• House Bill 2: Improving Texas Student Outcomes With Targeted Funding Increases —Mary Lynn Pruneda, Texas 2036 (2025)
• Three things Ohio should learn from Texas on teacher merit pay —Jessica Poiner, Thomas B. Fordham Institute
• Big State, Bigger Idea: How Texas’ Teacher Incentive Allotment Is Changing Teacher Pay —National Council on Teacher Quality (2026)
• From Incentive to Impact: The Texas Teacher Incentive Allotment’s Path to Improved Retention and Achievement—J. Jacob Kirksey, Teresa Lansford, Angela Crevar, and Kristin Mansell, Texas Tech University (2024)
• Frequently Asked Questions About the Teacher Incentive Allotment —Texas Teacher Incentive Allotment, Texas Education Agency
• Targeted Acceleration in Middle School Math: Impacts on College Entry, Degree Completion, and STEM —David Card and Laura Giuliano, NBER (2026)

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Kevin Shafer, president of City Fund, joins Mike Petrilli and David Griffith to discuss efforts to expand access to high-quality public schools across the country. Speaking on his experience with school reform in Camden, New Jersey, Shafer discusses what it takes to improve school systems and the role charter schools can play in that work. Is it better to work with districts to build a portfolio of schools, or focus on growing high-quality charters outside the system?

Then, on the Research Minute, Amber Northern examines a new study finding that districts losing students gain more funding per pupil, but much of that additional money goes toward reserves and facilities rather than higher teacher pay.

Recommended content:

• A flexible “third way” option: Partnership schools on the rise —Andy Smarick, Thomas B. Fordham Institute
• Three ways charters reform and improve our schools —Chester E. Finn, Jr., Bruno V. Manno, and Brandon L. Wright, Thomas B. Fordham Institute
• Denver doesn’t spell doom for portfolio-style reform —Paul T. Hill, Thomas B. Fordham Institute
• The Baby Bust Goes to School —Michael J. Petrilli, Education Next
• Robbers or Victims? Charter Schools and District Finances —Mark Weber, Thomas B. Fordham Institute
• Moving Target: The Success and Failure of Missouri’s Charter School Funding Surge —Andrew M. Camp, Collin Hitt, and David Griffith, Thomas B. Fordham Institute (2026)
• The “Would You Rather?” Test —Marguerite Roza, American Enterprise Institute and Thomas B. Fordham Institute
• Enrollment, Fiscal, and Resource Changes in American Public School Districts, 1998 to 2019 —Matthew H. Lee and Benjamin Scafidi, Education Finance and Policy (2026)

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Kimberly Richey, Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education, joins Mike Petrilli and David Griffith to talk about the latest federal guidance on school discipline and Title VI. What does the Department’s new approach to racial disparities in discipline mean for schools? Can the new guidance stick, or will the rules continue to change every time a new administration takes control of the White House?

Then, on the Research Minute, Amber Northern reviews a new NWEA study examining whether schools are getting Algebra I placement right, and why students should be allowed to take algebra as soon as they are ready.

Recommended content:

• Dear Colleague Letter: Guidance on Pupil Discipline and Compliance with Title VI —U.S. Department of Education
• Toward a durable compromise on discipline disparities? —Michael J. Petrilli, SCHOOLED
• Doing educational equity right: School discipline —Michael J. Petrilli, Thomas B. Fordham Institute
• Groundhog Day for school discipline —David Griffith, Thomas B. Fordham Institute
• Getting Algebra Placement Right: Expanding Opportunity and Strengthening Preparation —Megan Kuhfeld, Daniel Long, and Scott J. Peters, NWEA (August 2026)

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Ian Rowe, founder of Vertex Partnership Academies, joins Mike Petrilli and David Griffith to discuss Nikole Hannah-Jones’s recent reflections on her decision to send her daughter to a predominantly Black, low-income public school. They discuss school choice, parental involvement and family stability, and that family structure deserves more attention in conversations about student achievement. Should family structure become a more common measure in education data?

Then, on the Research Minute, Amber Northern shares a new study of team-based teaching in Arizona. The researchers find no overall improvement in student achievement, but positive results in middle school math and much lower teacher turnover. 

Recommended content:

• In Fighting for Every Black Child, Did I Betray My Own? —Nikole Hannah-Jones, The New York Times Magazine
• Choosing a School for My Daughter in a Segregated City —Nikole Hannah-Jones, The New York Times Magazine
• Why I Send My Kid to Low-Income Urban Public Schools —Matthew Yglesias, Slow Boring
• Family Structure, a Key Factor Hidden in Plain Sight: The Case for Federal Reporting in Education —Ian V. Rowe, Brad Wilcox, and Grant Bailey, American Enterprise
• Evidence on Team-Based Teaching Models in Arizona —Mary Laski, Calen Clifton, and Dan Goldhaber, CALDER (August 2026)

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Mike Petrilli is back on the mic solo this week to weigh the case for and against banning AI in schools. He considers growing concerns about cheating, an erosion of grading standards, and the broader effects of technology on student learning, as well as arguments that well-designed AI tools could still have a useful place in the classroom. Are blanket bans too extreme, or is it time for schools to press pause?

Then, on the Research Minute, Brian Fitzpatrick examines a new systematic review of state and locally funded pre-K programs and what it reveals about the strength of the evidence behind their short- and long-term effects.

Recommended content:

• Let’s debate the AI bans —Michael J. Petrilli, SCHOOLED
• High Tech, Low Standards: High School in the Age of Distraction —Brian R. Fitzpatrick, Thomas B. Fordham Institute
• Schools Are Urged to Embrace AI—and Ban Phones. Can We Resolve the Tension? —Rick Hess, Education Week
• Hot Takes on NYC AI Ban —Ben Wallerstein, Whiteboard Advisors
• A Systematic Review of Research Designs Used to Evaluate State and Locally Funded Pre-K Programs —Anamarie A. Whitaker, Cara L. Kelly, Tyler W. Watts, Mark Lipsey, Juan Camilo Cristancho, Jade M. Jenkins, Caroline M. Botvin, Drew H. Bailey, Greg J. Duncan, Tania Maria Cruz Cordero, Melissa Stoffers, and Mindy Rosengarten, EdWorkingPapers (August 2026)

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Brian Fitzpatrick, research manager at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, joins Mike Petrilli and David Griffith to discuss his new report, High Tech, Low Standards: High School in the Age of Distraction. They examine how cell phones, school-issued devices, grade inflation, and AI are changing the high school experience, why banning phones alone may not be enough to solve the distraction problem, and what schools can do to refocus students on learning.

Then, on the Research Minute, Amber Northern reviews a new study on test-optional admissions at elite colleges. The findings suggest these policies may unintentionally disadvantage high-achieving students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Recommended content:

• High Tech, Low Standards: High School in the Age of Distraction —Brian R. Fitzpatrick, Thomas B. Fordham Institute
• Can schools escape the digital delusion? | Episode 1026 of The Education Gadfly Show
• Why education technologies disappoint —Adam Tyner, Thomas B. Fordham Institute
• How Test-Optional Policies in College Admissions Disproportionately Harm High-Achieving Applicants from Disadvantaged Backgrounds —Bruce Sacerdote, Douglas O. Staiger, and Michele Tine, American Economic Association (September 2026)

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