For a brief period, colleges and universities suspended the use of standardized tests; now they’re bringing them back in the name of equality. New York Times senior writer David Leonhardt joins host Krys Boyd to discuss using the SAT and ACT to asses students, why grade inflation and test-prep courses make admissions harder for institutions hoping to diversify their student bodies, and why test scores are more indicative of class than ability. His article is “The Misguided War on the SAT.”

You may have signed a petition online, but what about actually meeting in-person with your representative to advocate for a public policy change? Sam Daley-Harris founded Results, a citizen lobby committed to creating the political will to end hunger and the worst aspects of poverty. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss effective strategies for advocating for change that won’t leave you frustrated by the process. His book is “Reclaiming Our Democracy: Every Citizen’s Guide to Transformational Advocacy.”

North, South, East and West — the cardinal directions have a surprising history of cultural and social significance. Jerry Brotton, professor of English and history at the University of London, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how something as simple as a compass has come to define our world — from how “the West” defines political power, what we mean by “the Global South,” and why cardinal directions might have been some of the very first words used in human language. His book is “Four Points of the Compass: The Unexpected History of Direction.”  

When choosing a charity, the go-to idea is to give to an entity that helps the most people/pets/places, etc. But is that always the right move? New York Times business features writer Emma Goldberg joins host Krys Boyd to discuss hyper-efficiency in philanthropy — attracting donors by promising the most bang for their buck — and why this leaves smaller nonprofits behind. Plus, we’ll ponder the question: Should multiplying our dollars be the only reason we give? Her article is “What if Charity Shouldn’t Be Optimized?

Coincidences may seem like random occurrences to many of us – but not to a mathematician. Sarah Hart is professor of geometry at Gresham College and professor emerita of mathematics at Birkbeck, University of London. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why we so often look for coincidences in our lives — and why that’s a mathematically futile endeavor — why the blind luck behind lottery wins might not be so blind after all, and why revealing this magic with numbers makes the phenomenon all the more interesting. Her article, “The surprising maths that explains why coincidences are so common,” was published in New Scientist.

There’s good news: Opioid deaths are down. The caveat: Marginalized communities aren’t seeing the benefits. Maia Szalavitz is a contributing Opinion writer for The New York Times. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss age and race gaps in opioid death statistics, how naloxone is helping to prevent overdoses, and why people of color aren’t seeing the same results as their white peers. Her article is “Not Everyone Is Benefiting From Drops in Overdose Deaths.”

The conversation about limited government has morphed from looking at ways to reduce bureaucracy to an effort to eliminate large pieces of the government all together. Russell Muirhead is Robert Clements Professor of Democracy and Politics at Dartmouth College, and he joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why non-elected workers in “the administrative state” find themselves in the crosshairs from both the right and the left, how Donald Trump’s term might affect them, and what elimination of their functions might mean for the nation. His book, written with Nancy L. Rosenblum, is “Ungoverning: The Attack on the Administrative State and the Politics of Chaos.”

It took 3,000 years for our brains to develop to this point — and about 30 for it to get scrambled by screentime. Richard E. Cytowic, professor of neurology at George Washington University, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how our attention is now pulled in multiple directions, how that affects our neurotransmitters and dopamine levels, and to offers tips on how to get our habits back on track for a healthier mind. His book is “Your Stone Age Brain in the Screen Age.”

Modern life means information is a click away, but often it feels better to keep our heads in the sand. Mark Lilla, professor of the humanities at Columbia University, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the age-old impulse to shield ourselves from information, why that might save our sanity, and what that means for our deep-seated ideas of innocence. His book is “Ignorance and Bliss: On Wanting Not to Know.”

“Pull yourself up by your bootstraps” might as well be an American saying; trouble is, it doesn’t always work. Journalist and author Adam Chandler joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the myth of meritocracy, his travels around the country talking with people from all walks of life who have the work ethic but success still eludes them, and what needs to change for us to really obtain that American dream. His book is “99% Perspiration: A New Working History of the American Way of Life.”

Hypochondria is an illness marked by intense health anxiety over perceived problems — and it’s very real. Joanne Silberner, co-founder of the Association of Healthcare Journalists, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why it’s taken so long for the mental health community to take hypochondria seriously, the new ways it’s being diagnosed, and the devastating outcomes for those who don’t find help. Her Scientific American article is “Hypochondria Is a Real and Dangerous Illness, New Research Shows.”