Free Range Humans Jal Mehta, Rod Allen

Jal's former Harvard colleague, Dr. Neil Gross, joins the podcast to take us on a journey that compares the world of policing to the world of education. The conversation explores themes of leadership, culture change, and most importantly, trust through the lens of Neil's latest book, Walk the Walk: How Three Police Chiefs Defied the Odds and Changed Cop Culture.

In keeping with our recent theme of returning guests, Shanna Peeples makes her third appearance on the podcast. She shares her thoughts and insights on the current educational climate, and what it has been like navigating the system in her home state of Texas. A central theme throughout the conversation is the idea of purpose in education, and how shared values can help us rise above the political polarization spreading through society.

Historically, new technologies and innovations slowly make their way into classrooms via procurement processes or pilot programs. Generative AI has simply arrived in the education space, seemingly unannounced, skipping the traditional adoption process. Newly tenured, MIT professor Justin Reich joins the podcast to talk about this trend and what it means for teachers, students, and the system as a whole.

Ron Berger makes his third appearance on the podcast to engage Rod and Jal in a conversation focused on the idea of craftsmanship, and how quality and tangibility can, and should be applied to education. All three share personal experiences across the fields of carpentry, woodworking, writing, and of course education, emphasizing the importance of craftsmanship and critique in almost everything we do.

On the eve of the NFL draft, what better way to get excited than with a little draft of our own! Rod, Jal, and returning guest, Alisa Berger, take turns "drafting" some of the worst educational innovations of all time. Each person will have an opportunity to defend their pick and then possibly face a little pushback.

Rod and Jal kick-off season three of their podcast with a brief reflection on the alarming trend of school absenteeism in the United States, and then return to an interview with Diana Hess that was recorded this past fall. Their talk with Diana focuses on the importance of encouraging teachers and students to actively engage in conversations surrounding difficult topics and issues.