The Education Gadfly Show

For more than 15 years, the Fordham Institute has been hosting a weekly podcast, The Education Gadfly Show. Each week, you’ll get lively, entertaining discussions of recent education news, usually featuring Fordham’s Mike Petrilli and David Griffith. Then the wise Amber Northern will recap a recent research study. For questions or comments on the podcast, contact its producer, Stephanie Distler, at sdistler@fordhaminstitute.org.

The Education Gadfly Show is a education podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 0 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Unknown Host hosts The Education Gadfly Show, a education show with 0 episodes published.

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  Episode #1031

  Did the college-for-all backlash go too far? | Episode 1031 of The Education Gadfly Show

  Aug 19, 202637 minS20

  Mike Petrilli is solo once again to revisit the college-for-all debate and consider whether the backlash has become an overcorrection. He considers the risks of steering academically underprepared students toward four-year degrees, the growing enthusiasm for career pathways, and whether today’s push away from college could discourage some students who might actually succeed there. Then, on the Research Minute, Amber Northern reviews a new study examining more than two decades of state pre-K expansion and what it reveals about balancing access, spending, and program design. Recommended content: Has the pendulum swung too far away from college for all? —Michael J. Petrilli, SCHOOLED Notice of Intent to Submit Federal Ed-Flex Waiver Requests — State of Alabama Department of Education Hey, Claude, should I go to college? —Michael J. Petrilli, Thomas B. Fordham Institute Returns to Four-Year Higher Education —Doug Webber and Celeste K. Carruthers, Live Handbook of Education Policy Research Who should go to college? More students may benefit than we think —Matt Barnum, Chalkbeat Honest talk about who should go to college —Michael J. Petrilli, Thomas B. Fordham Institute 23 Years of State Pre-K Expansion: How States Balance Investment, Access, and Quality in the Modern Era —Casey Moran, Mindy L. Rosengarten, Eunho Cha, Jade M. Jenkins, Kenneth A. Dodge, Allison Friedman-Kraus, W. Steven Barnett, and Tyler W. Watts, EdWorkingPapers (2026) Feedback Welcome: Have ideas for improving our show? We would love to hear them. Send them to thegadfly@fordhaminstitute.org

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  Episode #1030

  Can a funding surge close the charter school gap? | Episode 1030 of The Education Gadfly Show

  Aug 12, 202634 minS20

  Andrew Camp and Collin Hitt join Mike Petrilli and David Griffith to discuss Moving Target: The Success and Failure of Missouri’s Charter School Funding Surge , a new Fordham report by David, Andrew, and Collin. They examine Missouri’s effort to close the charter funding gap, how schools used the additional money, and why true funding parity remained out of reach. They also discuss the effects on staffing, teacher retention, and student achievement. Then, on the Research Minute, Amber Northern reviews new research from Ohio on whether the threat of third-grade retention can improve reading achievement by prompting schools to provide struggling students with additional literacy support. Recommended content: Moving Target: The Success and Failure of Missouri’s Charter School Funding Surge —Andrew M. Camp, Collin Hitt, and David Griffith, for the Thomas B. Fordham Institute The Impact of Increasing Funding for High-Performing Ohio Charter Schools: The Quality Community School Support Fund, 2019–23 —Stéphane Lavertu, Thomas B. Fordham Institute Charter School Funding: Inequity’s Next Frontier —Sheree Speakman, Chester E. Finn, Jr., and Bryan C. Hassel, for the Thomas B. Fordham Institute Why Ohio’s third-grade retention law worked (until lawmakers killed it) —Vladimir Kogan, Thomas B. Fordham Institute The Effect of Retention Threat on Student Learning Gains: Evidence from Ohio —Sarah Souders and Robert Bifulco, EdWorkingPapers (July 2026) Feedback Welcome: Have ideas for improving our show? We would love to hear them. Send them to thegadfly@fordhaminstitute.org

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  Episode #1029

  Reviving federal ed reform, starting with literacy | Episode 1029 of The Education Gadfly Show

  Aug 5, 202630 minS20

  Congressman Josh Harder joins Mike Petrilli and David Griffith to discuss his push to revive the National Reading Panel and advance the READ Act. They consider whether a new panel could update the evidence base on reading instruction, how federal funding might encourage stronger implementation of science-of-reading reforms, and whether literacy could help rebuild a bipartisan federal role in education policy without repeating the mistakes of past reforms. Then, on the Research Minute, Amber Northern reviews a new study on how adding AP courses may affect school enrollment, socioeconomic integration, and academic tracking. Recommended content: Is the Senate’s READ Act a Reading First redux? — Michael J. Petrilli, SCHOOLED READ Act section-by-section summary —Senate HELP Committee From the Teacher’s Desk: A Science of Reading Progress Report —David Griffith and Brian Fitzpatrick, for the Thomas B. Fordham Institute Can Uncle Sam help kids read? | Episode 1023 of The Education Gadfly Show Tracking to Retain Higher-Income Students: Evidence from the Addition of Advanced Courses —Farah Mallah, EdWorkingPapers (July 2026) Feedback Welcome: Have ideas for improving our show? We would love to hear them. Send them to thegadfly@fordhaminstitute.org

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  Episode #1028

  Transforming school systems | Episode 1028 of The Education Gadfly Show

  Jul 29, 202638 minS20

  Mike Miles, superintendent of Houston Independent School District, joins Mike Petrilli and David Griffith to talk about his new book, By Design: How to Transform School Systems , and how districts can use systemic thinking and accountability with support to improve schools. Then, on the Research Minute, Brian Fitzpatrick reviews new research on how classroom context can affect teacher evaluations, and how schools can use the logic of value-added models to develop better evaluations. Recommended content: By Design: How to Transform School Systems —Mike Miles State takeovers are back — Michael J. Petrilli, SCHOOLED Texas’s controversial takeover of Houston’s schools —Daniel Buck, for the Thomas B. Fordham Institute Classroom Composition Affects Teacher Performance Ratings — William Delgado and Lauren Sartain, EdWorkingPapers (April 2026) Feedback Welcome: Have ideas for improving our show? We would love to hear them. Send them to thegadfly@fordhaminstitute.org

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  Episode #1027

  What’s behind the backlash against i-Ready? | Episode 1027 of The Education Gadfly Show

  Jul 22, 202642 minS20

  Tyrone Holmes, chief impact officer at Curriculum Associates, joins Mike Petrilli and David Griffith to discuss the growing parent backlash against education technology and why i-Ready has become one of its most visible targets. They unpack the differences among i-Ready’s assessments, teacher-led resources, and personalized online instruction; consider concerns about screen time and overuse; and discuss why teachers and schools need to communicate more clearly with families about how these tools are being used. Then, on the Research Minute, Brian Fitzpatrick reviews a new study tracking the effects of Massachusetts charter schools over two decades and examines why their benefits rose, receded, and then rebounded. Recommended content: There’s more to the i-Ready story —Kelly Sia for the Thomas B. Fordham Institute There’s actually more to the i-Ready story: A rebuttal —Daniel Carr for the Thomas B. Fordham Institute Are Chromebook carts the answer? —Michael J. Petrilli, SCHOOLED Can schools escape the digital delusion? | Episode 1026 of The Education Gadfly Show How “No Excuses” charter schools went off the rails, with Steven Wilson | Episode 961 of The Education Gadfly Show Two Decades of Massachusetts Charter School Effects —Geoffrey Kocks, Blueprint Labs (2026) Feedback Welcome: Have ideas for improving our show? We would love to hear them. Send them to thegadfly@fordhaminstitute.org

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