Ep. 448 - June 22, 2026 - NAEP Scores Higher Among 9-Year-Olds Not Yet in School During Covid
Martin R. West, the editor-in-chief of Education Next, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss the recent release of the National Assessment of Educational Progress Long-Term Trends.
22 June 2026, 1:40 pm
33 minutes 47 seconds
Ep. 447 - June 15, 2026 - Higher Ed Has Withstood Past Innovative Shocks. AI Is Hitting Different.
Jacob D. Light, a Hoover Fellow at the Hoover Institution, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss Light's latest research, which looks into how artificial intelligence is gaining a foothold in higher education.
15 June 2026, 9:00 am
21 minutes 52 seconds
Ep. 446 - June 8, 2026 - Why Cell Phone Bans Are Good for Students, Teachers
David Figlio, the Gordon Fyfe Professor of Economics and Education at the University of Rochester, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss Figlio's recent article in Education Next, "Can Banning Cellphones Save Student Learning? Evidence from Florida, home of the first statewide mandate," co-written with Umut Özek.
https://www.educationnext.org/can-banning-cellphones-save-student-learning-evidence-florida-mandate/
8 June 2026, 9:01 am
23 minutes 8 seconds
Ep. 445 - June 1, 2026 - Growing Enrollment and Public Support for Charter Schools Can’t Break Through Partisan Divide
Michael Henderson, associate professor at Louisiana State University, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss Henderson's paper, “Blowback or Buy-In: Public Opinion in Response to Charter School Penetration,” which was presented at “School Choice: Impacts on Participants, Non-Participants, Educators, and Entrepreneurs,” a conference hosted by the Harvard Kennedy School’s Program on Education Policy and Governance on May 7 and 8, 2026.
1 June 2026, 9:00 am
34 minutes 24 seconds
Ep. 444 - May 26, 2026 - The Ever-Stubborn, Often-Widening Achievement Gap
Patrick J. Wolf, a Distinguished Professor of Education Policy at the University of Arkansas, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss Wolf's paper, "The Nation’s Achievement Inequality Report Card: An Assessment of Interquartile Test Score Gaps and Equality Trends in Traditional Public, Charter, Catholic, and Department of Defense Schools," which was presented at “School Choice: Impacts on Participants, Non-Participants, Educators, and Entrepreneurs,” a conference hosted by the Harvard Kennedy School’s Program on Education Policy and Governance on May 7 and 8, 2026.
26 May 2026, 9:00 am
27 minutes 34 seconds
Ep. 443 - May 18, 2026 - School Districts with Declining Enrollments Have Higher Funding, More Staff Per Pupil
Ben Scafidi, a Professor and Director of Education Economics Center at Kennesaw State University, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss his paper, “Enrollment, Fiscal, and Resource Changes in American Public School Districts, 1998 to 2019,” which was presented at “School Choice: Impacts on Participants, Non-Participants, Educators, and Entrepreneurs,” a conference hosted by the Harvard Kennedy School’s Program on Education Policy and Governance on May 7 and 8, 2026.
18 May 2026, 9:00 am
30 minutes 27 seconds
Ep. 442 - May 11, 2026 - Public School Enrollment Is Declining. Is Universal Choice to Blame?
Patrick Graff, a Senior Fellow with the American Federation for Children, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss Graff's paper, "Declining Public School Enrollment and the Rise of Universal Private School Choice Programs," which was presented at "School Choice: Impacts on Participants, Non-Participants, Educators, and Entrepreneurs," a conference hosted by the Harvard Kennedy School's Program on Education Policy and Governance on May 7 and 8, 2026.
11 May 2026, 9:00 am
31 minutes 46 seconds
Ep. 441 - May 4, 2026 - AP Exams Have Shown a Measurable Decline in Rigor for Years
John Moscatiello, founder of Marco Learning, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss Advanced Placement exams and how they've transformed through the past three years.
4 May 2026, 9:00 am
26 minutes 55 seconds
Ep. 440 - April 27, 2026 - The Devaluing of College Professors
Samuel Abrams, professor of politics at Sarah Lawrence College, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss Abrams recent op-ed in Real Clear Politics,
"The Real Crisis in Higher Education Isn't Just Ideology, It's Faculty Decline."
27 April 2026, 9:00 am
34 minutes 50 seconds
Ep. 439 - April 20, 2026 - Disability Diagnoses: The Latest Luxury Good at Elite Universities
Jeremy B. Ney, Adjunct Professor of Business at Columbia Business School, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss Ney's recent Substack post, "How the Wealthy Game Disability Laws for Ivy League Gains."
20 April 2026, 9:00 am
40 minutes 52 seconds
Ep. 438 - April 13, 2026 - How the University of Austin Fearlessly Pursues the Truth
Carlos Carvalho, the president of the University of Austin, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss the institution's mission to bring back free inquiry to higher education.