In this week’s episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts Alisha Searcy of Center for Strong Public Schools and Prof. Albert Cheng of Ohio State University speak with Owen Stearns, CEO of Excel Academy Charter Schools. Stearns discusses his more than two decades of experience in charter school leadership and education reform. He shares how his formative educational experiences and background in strategy consulting shaped his approach to leading Excel, which now serves nearly 2,000 students across six schools in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. He explores Excel’s academic expectations, distinctive school culture, teacher leadership, and focus on strong outcomes in reading and math. Stearns also discusses serving urban students and families, supporting students at risk of falling behind, and managing the network’s expansion while maintaining academic quality. Finally, he examines Massachusetts’ charter school landscape, the political challenges facing the sector since the 2016 ballot initiative loss, and what policymakers and charter leaders can do to support high-performing schools.

In this week’s episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts Alisha Searcy of Center for Strong Public Schools and retired Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Barry Anderson speak with historian and legal scholar Edward Larson, author of Declaring Independence: Why 1776 Matters. He explores how the thirteen colonies moved from resistance to British rule to the Declaration of Independence. Prof. Larson examines the influence of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense and other revolutionary writings on the cause of liberty. He also discusses the political debates within the Continental Congress and John Adams’s leadership in the fight for independence. He turns to the military challenges facing George Washington and the Continental Army in 1776. Larson also examines the contradictions between the Revolution’s ideals of liberty and slavery in colonial America. He explains Thomas Jefferson’s role in drafting the Declaration of Independence, including his original draft's condemnation of the transatlantic slave trade. Additionally, Larson considers why 1776 still matters 250 years later. He discusses how studying American history and law can help us better understand and preserve the nation’s founding ideals. In closing, Prof. Larson reads a passage from Declaring Independence: Why 1776 Matters.

In this week’s episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts Alisha Searcy of Center for Strong Public Schools and retired Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Barry Anderson speak with Ilan Wurman, Julius E. Davis Professor of Law at the University of Minnesota Law School, about constitutional originalism, textualism, and the enduring principles of the U.S. Constitution. Prof. Wurman discusses his new book, The Constitution of 1789, exploring the Constitution’s structure, separation of powers, federalism, and the Founders’ approach to legislative, executive, and judicial authority. He examines the intellectual influences that shaped the Founders, the significance of early state constitutions, and the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation. Prof. Wurman also considers debates between Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson, limits on executive power, the proper role of the Supreme Court, federalism, and the Fourteenth Amendment. He reflects on how originalist principles can help restore America’s system of ordered liberty. Finally, Prof. Wurman reads a passage from his book, The Constitution of 1789.

In this week’s episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts Prof. Albert Cheng of Ohio State University and Katie Everett of the Lynch Foundation, speak with Arne Duncan, former United States Secretary of Education for President Barack Obama and former CEO of Chicago Public Schools, about the current state of urban education and the federal school choice program. Sec. Duncan explains the politics behind governors opting into the federal education tax program, which provides a dollar-for-dollar federal tax credit of up to $1,700 for donations to approved scholarship-granting organizations. In blue states that have opted in, like Colorado and New York, the program will benefit urban students, as well as high dosage tutoring, public district, public charter, voc-tech and religious school options for families. He also shares why he and Democrats for Education Reform urge other blue and red states alike to follow suit. Sec. Duncan closes by examining the political dynamics around why Bay State legislators and parents should encourage Governor Maura Healey to opt into this federal school choice program.

In this week’s episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts Prof. Albert Cheng of Ohio State University and Walter Blanks, Policy and Advocacy Director of EdChoice speak with Carole Boston Weatherford, a New York Times best-selling author of more than 80 children’s books and a leading voice in African American children’s literature. Weatherford discusses her career writing poetry and history for young readers, including the challenges and rewards of making complex stories accessible through vivid language and imagery. She shares insights into her acclaimed books about Harriet Tubman and Jesse Owens, exploring faith, freedom, perseverance, and racism. Weatherford also discusses her latest book, Black Hands: Builders of Our Nation, which highlights the many contributions of African Americans throughout U.S. history, from the Middle Passage and Black Civil War regiments to HBCUs and the Civil Rights Movement. She explores the Harlem Renaissance and Black literary excellence while discussing how storytelling can help young people understand the people, struggles, and achievements that have shaped America. In closing, she reads a passage from her recent book, Black Hands: Builders of Our Nation.

In this week’s episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts Prof. Albert Cheng of Ohio State University and Alisha Searcy of the Center for Strong Public Schools speak with Julie Young, a pioneering leader in virtual education, author of Say Yes!: How Virtual Became Reality, and coeditor of Virtual Schools, Actual Learning: Digital Education in America. They discuss Young’s more than three decades of experience advancing virtual, blended, and technology-enhanced learning, beginning with her founding leadership of Florida Virtual School. Young explores the lessons virtual education offers as K-12 schools navigate the rapid emergence of artificial intelligence, including technology’s impact on personalized learning, academic integrity, and the changing roles of teachers and schools. Drawing on her work at Arizona State University and ASU Preparatory Academy, Young discusses how educators and students have responded to AI, as well as the innovative Khan World School @ ASU Prep, a full-time online honors program serving students in grades 6–12. Young also considers how technology and AI can help address declining academic outcomes and drive systemic improvements in K-12 education.

In this week’s episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts Prof. Albert Cheng of Ohio State University and Alisha Searcy of the Center for Strong Public Schools speak with Bob Nasson, Editor of The Concord Review and Executive Director of the National History Club. They discuss the importance of rigorous history education and students' essay writing in developing academic excellence. Since 1987, The Concord Review has published more than 1,600 history essays averaging 9,000 words, written by students from 47 U.S. states and 47 countries. Nasson explores the state of history essay writing among American students, the origins and mission of The Concord Review, and the National History Club’s efforts to encourage students to engage deeply with high academic quality history. He also discusses strengthening history instruction, the connection between reading and research writing, and the importance of humanities education in an increasingly STEM-focused landscape. As America celebrates its 250th anniversary, Nasson reflects on how students can explore the nation’s history in all its complexity. In closing, he reads the opening passage of an essay set to be published in The Concord Review’s September issue.

In this week’s episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts retired Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Barry Anderson and Massachusetts state champion U.S. history and civics teacher Kelley Brown speak with Alison LaCroix, the Newton Reid Professor of Law at the University of Chicago, about the constitutional foundations of American federalism. Drawing on her book, The Ideological Origins of American Federalism, Prof. LaCroix explores the ancient Greek and Roman, the Enlightenment, and British Common Law models of federalism that so powerfully influenced Anglo-American constitutional thought. She discusses the Revolutionary and Founding generations' understanding of the natural law, the rights of colonies, and how national and state authority should be divided in a modern commercial republic, including the constitutional ideas of the American statesmen James Otis, John Adams, James Madison, and Alexander Hamilton. Then, Prof. LaCroix provides an overview of her recent book The Interbellum Constitution: Union, Commerce, and Slavery in the Age of Federalisms. She examines the enduring historical and legal influences of the Marshall Court; Jeffersonian Supreme Court Justice William Johnson; Gibbons v. Ogden; and Cherokee Nation v. Georgia, on the various modes of early-19th century American federalism. Prof. LaCroix closes with a reading from The Interbellum Constitution.

In this week’s episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts Prof. Albert Cheng of Ohio State University and Pioneer Senior Fellow Charlie Chieppo speak with NYT-bestselling author Jane Leavy about Hall of Fame pitcher Sandy Koufax. She traces his journey from a Jewish upbringing in Brooklyn to becoming one of baseball’s most dominant players and one of the 20th century’s most principled public figures. Leavy discusses Koufax’s brief collegiate career, his raw but electric pitching style, and his leap to the Brooklyn Dodgers with no minor league experience. She explores his early inconsistency and control issues, and his transformation into a power pitcher who led the National League in strikeouts by 1961. She highlights his legendary peak from 1962–1966, including multiple Cy Young Awards, four no-hitters, and World Series brilliance. Leavy also revisits his iconic decision to sit out Game 1 of the 1965 World Series on Yom Kippur, his forced retirement due to arthritis at age 30, and his enduring legacy as a symbol of excellence, integrity, and cultural identity in American sports history itself. In closing, she reads a passage from Sandy Koufax: A Lefty’s Legacy.

In this week’s episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts Center for Strong Public Schools’ Alisha Searcy and Dr. Helen Baxendale of Great Hearts Academies interview Dr. David Steiner, Executive Director of the Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy and former New York State Commissioner of Education. Dr. Steiner discusses the importance of an academic content-rich, liberal arts education rooted in Western democratic principles and compares the strengths and challenges of British and American K-12 education and teacher preparation. He examines the relationship between school choice, academic quality, teacher effectiveness, and accountability drawing on his recent The 74 op-ed to argue that expanding educational options must be matched by rigorous curricula and high-quality teaching. Dr. Steiner also explores the science of reading, persistent achievement gaps, and the impact of smartphones, social media, and AI on today's students. He concludes by offering recommendations for governors and state leaders to strengthen academic excellence and improve long-term student outcomes across American education.