The Learning Curve

This week on The Learning Curve, guest co-hosts Prof. Albert Cheng of the University of Arkansas and Ian Rowe, the founder of Vertex Partnership Academies in NYC, interview Dr. Carol Swain, an award-winning political scientist. Dr. Swain discusses her background growing up in rural Virginia, experiences with racial discrimination and segregation in K-12 schooling, and changes in the intellectual climate on college campuses. She shares the role of faith in promoting literacy and justice, the legacies of MLK and Malcolm X, the 1619 Project, her work with 1776 Unites, and her belief in the importance of public intellectuals speaking their minds.

This week on The Learning Curve, guest co-hosts Charlie Chieppo and Alisha Searcy interview Leslie Klinger, annotator of the Sherlock Holmes stories. Mr. Klinger discusses Sir Arthur Conan Doyle; the creation of the Sherlock Holmes character; Holmes' relationships with Dr. Watson, Irene Adler, and Professor Moriarty; and famous Holmes cases. He also explores Edgar Allan Poe's influence on the detective genre, as well as the timeless significance of 19th-century horror stories such as Dracula, Frankenstein, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in popular culture. In closing, Mr. Klinger reads a passage from his annotated Sherlock Holmes stories.

This week on The Learning Curve, guest co-hosts Charlie Chieppo and Prof. Albert Cheng interview Pioneer’s Chris Sinacola, co-editor of Restoring the City on a Hill: U.S. History & Civics in America's Schools. Sinacola explores our new book, which addresses the state of history and civics education in K-12 schools in the United States. He shares the book’s insights about the decline in history standards, the importance of studying history and civics for leadership, the overall crisis in history and civics education, and the use of primary sources to enhance students’ understanding. Sinacola reviews how Pioneer's book also profiles states with high-quality standards and evaluates various civics programs, emphasizing the significance of academic content in civic education. In closing, Sinacola reads a passage from the book.

This week on The Learning Curve, guest co-hosts Mariam Memarsadeghi and MN Supreme Court Justice Barry Anderson interview Prof. Jeff Broadwater author of the biography George Mason: Forgotten Founder. Prof. Broadwater explores George Mason's pivotal role in opposing British policies during the American Revolution, his authorship of the Virginia Declaration of Rights and Constitution and his stance against slavery. Prof. Broadwater discusses George Mason's views on constitutionalism and federalism, leadership among the Anti-Federalists, and concerns about the emergence of commercial interests. He also highlights George Mason's emphasis on civic virtue as the foundation of American self-government. Prof. Broadwater closes with a reading from his biography of George Mason.

This week on The Learning Curve, guest co-hosts Charlie Chieppo and Mary Tamer of DFER- Massachusetts interview former D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty. Mayor Fenty discusses the historic school reforms implemented during his and Michelle Rhee's tenure in Washington, D.C., focusing on taking over the D.C. Public Schools (DCPS). He highlights the challenges of overcoming the DCPS bureaucracy, navigating politics, and managing the transition of leadership from Michelle Rhee to Kaya Henderson. Additionally, Mayor Fenty touches on the broader crisis of urban education reform and teacher unions' role in controlling the urban school landscape.

This week on The Learning Curve, guest co-hosts Charlie Chieppo and Professor Albert Cheng interview Dr. James Stigler, a Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles. He’s the co-author of the long-noted books The Teaching Gap and The Learning Gap. Professor Stigler discusses the enduring teaching and learning challenges in U.S. STEM education, international student achievement, math pedagogy debates, and international standardized tests. He explains possible strategies for mitigating COVID-19-related learning loss.

This week on The Learning Curve, guest co-hosts Mariam Memarsadeghi and Mary Connaughton interview Laura Thompson, a New York Times bestseller and the award-winning author of Agatha Christie: A Mysterious Life. Ms. Thompson provides an overview of Agatha Christie's life and career, gaining insights into her literary contributions and the enduring popularity of her detective novels. She explores the timeless appeal of Dame Agatha's iconic characters, such as Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, and discusses the influence of her writing on the mystery genre as a whole. They weigh in on the various adaptations of Christie's works into film, television, and theater, shedding light on the fascination with her intricate plots, and her own mysterious disappearance in 1926. Ms. Thompson concludes the interview with a reading from her biography of Agatha Christie.

This week on The Learning Curve, guest co-hosts Charlie Chieppo and Derrell Bradford interview John Steele Gordon, the author of 10 books on business, economic, and technology history. They discuss the keys to America’s transformation into the world’s foremost economic power, from its grounding in British legal, political, and financial institutions into the political economy of the Founding era, with the establishment of intellectual property law and copyrights. Mr. Gordon analyzes the economic impact of the Civil War, slavery, tariff battles, and key figures from the Gilded Age, as well as how America emerged from two world wars to become a financial powerhouse. He assesses the innovation that has created global giants such as Apple, Microsoft, Google, and Amazon, and the U.S.’s massive national debt and economic prospects for competitiveness in the twenty-first century. Mr. Gordon concludes the interview with a reading from his book An Empire of Wealth: The Epic History of American Economic Power.

This week on The Learning Curve, guest co-hosts Charlie Chieppo and Mariam Memarsadeghi interview writer and biographer Dr. Ramachandra Guha. The author of a definitive two-volume biography of Mohandas K. Gandhi, Guha discusses Gandhi’s formative educational experiences, spirituality, political leadership, and philosophy of non-violent resistance, as well as his emphasis on moral self-reliance, interfaith dialogue, and social justice. He reviews Gandhi’s career, including how his experiences in the U.K. and South Africa prepared him to become a national leader in India, his role in the 1930 Salt March, and the push for Indian independence. Guha discusses Gandhi’s enduring legacy and influence on movements for freedom around the world. He concludes with a reading from Gandhi Before India, the first volume of his biography.

This week on The Learning Curve, guest co-hosts Charlie Chieppo and Mary Tamer, executive director of Democrats for Education Reform, Massachusetts, speak with Paul Vallas, former CEO of the Chicago Public Schools and a candidate for mayor of that city earlier this year. Vallas talks about the professional lessons he drew from public leadership, how he financed the largest infrastructure investment program in over a century in the city, and how he closed deficits and balanced budgets as head of the Chicago Public Schools. He also reflects on Chicago politics, the challenge of bargaining with teacher unions, the state of charter public schools in Chicago, and the growing political power of teachers' unions in large urban areas.