The Education Gadfly Show

Thomas B. Fordham Institute

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.

  1. 3d ago

    How Alabama turned the page on reading achievement | Episode 1040 of The Education Gadfly Show

    Education journalist Liana Loewus joins Mike Petrilli and David Griffith to discuss her new Fordham report, Studying the Southern Surge: How Alabama Beat the Odds in Reading. For years, Alabama’s schools were dismissed as a lost cause, but the state has recently made some of the largest literacy gains in the nation. They discuss how Alabama’s reading reforms, including state-funded literacy coaches, evidence-based reading curricula, and a hands-on approach to supporting teachers, have helped turn things around. Can Alabama keep up the momentum, and what can other states learn from its success? Then, on the Research Minute, Amber Northern shares a new study finding that access to AI tutoring in college courses may actually hurt students’ academic performance and engagement. Recommended content: Studying the Southern Surge: How Alabama Beat the Odds in Reading — Liana Loewus, Thomas B. Fordham InstituteFrom the Teacher’s Desk: A Science of Reading Progress Report —David Griffith and Brian R. Fitzpatrick, Thomas B. Fordham InstituteNew rules for state mandates —Michael J. Petrilli, SCHOOLEDIs state leadership at odds with teacher buy-in? — Michael J. Petrilli, SCHOOLEDThe Effects of Course-Integrated AI Tutoring on Student Performance and Engagement: A Randomized University Trial —Jing Liu, Tracy Sweet, Marty Haoyuan Chen, Jonathan Engelberg, Megan Masters, Martyn Clark, Axel Persaud, Alia Lancaster, Jeffrey Hollingsworth, and Jennifer King Rice, Annenberg Institute at Brown University (2026)Feedback Welcome: Have ideas for improving our show? We would love to hear them. Send them to thegadfly@fordhaminstitute.org

  2. Oct 21

    State mandates: How much is too much? | Episode 1039 of The Education Gadfly Show

    It’s another Mike Petrilli solo episode of The Education Gadfly Show, and this week he’s tackling some big questions about state education mandates and local control. From recess requirements to curriculum and Science of Reading policies, when should states step in, and when does intervention go too far? Mike looks at how Mississippi and other Southern states have taken a more hands-on approach to improving student achievement and what the rest of the country can learn from their success. Then, on the Research Minute, Amber Northern examines a new study from Texas finding that Science of Reading certification exams can help identify more effective reading teachers, but may also be shrinking the teacher pipeline. Recommended content: Now states are mandating recess. Really? —Michael J. Petrilli, SCHOOLEDRecess Is Disappearing. Parents Are Pushing to Bring It Back. —Chao Deng, The Wall Street JournalSchool Is Back in Session, and Recess Is Having a Moment —Emily Tate Sullivan, The 74Is state leadership at odds with local control? —Michael J. Petrilli, SCHOOLEDPondiscio v. Ryan on state-led curriculum reform —Michael J. Petrilli, SCHOOLEDMississippi’s School Transformation —Sarah Mervosh, The New York TimesWhy Tennessee Should Be the National Model for Literacy —Scott Langford, Curriculum MattersLouisiana Threads the Needle: Launching a Coherent Curriculum in a Local-Control State —Robert Pondiscio, Education NextTexas Has a Theory of Education —Robert Pondiscio, Thomas B. Fordham InstituteScreen or Barrier? Science of Reading Certification Exams and Teacher Supply in Texas —Andrew Avitabile, EdWorkingPapers (2026)Feedback Welcome: Have ideas for improving our show? We would love to hear them. Send them to thegadfly@fordhaminstitute.org

  3. Oct 14

    Texas-sized paychecks for great teachers | Episode 1038 of The Education Gadfly Show

    They say everything’s bigger in Texas, but does that include teachers’ paychecks? Mary Lynn Pruneda, director of education and workforce policy at Texas 2036, joins Mike Petrilli and David Griffith to discuss Texas’s Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA), a performance-based teacher pay program that rewards great teachers with higher pay, especially in high-need schools. Is Texas’s approach to merit pay helping attract and retain teachers in the classrooms that need them most? Then, on the Research Minute, Amber Northern examines a new National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) study looking at whether accelerating students in middle school math leads to better outcomes in high school and college. Recommended content: What Is TIA? —Texas Teacher Incentive Allotment, Texas Education AgencyHouse Bill 2: Improving Texas Student Outcomes With Targeted Funding Increases —Mary Lynn Pruneda, Texas 2036 (2025)Three things Ohio should learn from Texas on teacher merit pay —Jessica Poiner, Thomas B. Fordham InstituteBig State, Bigger Idea: How Texas’ Teacher Incentive Allotment Is Changing Teacher Pay —National Council on Teacher Quality (2026)From Incentive to Impact: The Texas Teacher Incentive Allotment’s Path to Improved Retention and Achievement—J. Jacob Kirksey, Teresa Lansford, Angela Crevar, and Kristin Mansell, Texas Tech University (2024)Frequently Asked Questions About the Teacher Incentive Allotment —Texas Teacher Incentive Allotment, Texas Education AgencyTargeted Acceleration in Middle School Math: Impacts on College Entry, Degree Completion, and STEM —David Card and Laura Giuliano, NBER (2026)Feedback Welcome: Have ideas for improving our show? We would love to hear them. Send them to thegadfly@fordhaminstitute.org

  4. Oct 7

    Are portfolio districts the future—or the past? | Episode 1037 of The Education Gadfly Show

    Kevin Shafer, president of City Fund, joins Mike Petrilli and David Griffith to discuss efforts to expand access to high-quality public schools across the country. Speaking on his experience with school reform in Camden, New Jersey, Shafer discusses what it takes to improve school systems and the role charter schools can play in that work. Is it better to work with districts to build a portfolio of schools, or focus on growing high-quality charters outside the system? Then, on the Research Minute, Amber Northern examines a new study finding that districts losing students gain more funding per pupil, but much of that additional money goes toward reserves and facilities rather than higher teacher pay. Recommended content: A flexible “third way” option: Partnership schools on the rise —Andy Smarick, Thomas B. Fordham InstituteThree ways charters reform and improve our schools —Chester E. Finn, Jr., Bruno V. Manno, and Brandon L. Wright, Thomas B. Fordham InstituteDenver doesn’t spell doom for portfolio-style reform —Paul T. Hill, Thomas B. Fordham InstituteThe Baby Bust Goes to School —Michael J. Petrilli, Education NextRobbers or Victims? Charter Schools and District Finances —Mark Weber, Thomas B. Fordham InstituteMoving Target: The Success and Failure of Missouri’s Charter School Funding Surge —Andrew M. Camp, Collin Hitt, and David Griffith, Thomas B. Fordham Institute (2026)The “Would You Rather?” Test —Marguerite Roza, American Enterprise Institute and Thomas B. Fordham InstituteEnrollment, Fiscal, and Resource Changes in American Public School Districts, 1998 to 2019 —Matthew H. Lee and Benjamin Scafidi, Education Finance and Policy (2026)Feedback Welcome: Have ideas for improving our show? We would love to hear them. Send them to thegadfly@fordhaminstitute.org

  5. Sep 30

    School discipline: A new rulebook (again) | Episode 1036 of The Education Gadfly Show

    Kimberly Richey, Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education, joins Mike Petrilli and David Griffith to talk about the latest federal guidance on school discipline and Title VI. What does the Department’s new approach to racial disparities in discipline mean for schools? Can the new guidance stick, or will the rules continue to change every time a new administration takes control of the White House? Then, on the Research Minute, Amber Northern reviews a new NWEA study examining whether schools are getting Algebra I placement right, and why students should be allowed to take algebra as soon as they are ready. Recommended content: Dear Colleague Letter: Guidance on Pupil Discipline and Compliance with Title VI —U.S. Department of EducationToward a durable compromise on discipline disparities? —Michael J. Petrilli, SCHOOLEDDoing educational equity right: School discipline —Michael J. Petrilli, Thomas B. Fordham InstituteGroundhog Day for school discipline —David Griffith, Thomas B. Fordham InstituteGetting Algebra Placement Right: Expanding Opportunity and Strengthening Preparation —Megan Kuhfeld, Daniel Long, and Scott J. Peters, NWEA (August 2026)Feedback Welcome: Have ideas for improving our show? We would love to hear them. Send them to thegadfly@fordhaminstitute.org

  6. Sep 23

    Family structure, school choice, and a mother’s regrets | Episode 1035 of The Education Gadfly Show

    Ian Rowe, founder of Vertex Partnership Academies, joins Mike Petrilli and David Griffith to discuss Nikole Hannah-Jones’s recent reflections on her decision to send her daughter to a predominantly Black, low-income public school. They discuss school choice, parental involvement and family stability, and that family structure deserves more attention in conversations about student achievement. Should family structure become a more common measure in education data? Then, on the Research Minute, Amber Northern shares a new study of team-based teaching in Arizona. The researchers find no overall improvement in student achievement, but positive results in middle school math and much lower teacher turnover.  Recommended content: In Fighting for Every Black Child, Did I Betray My Own? —Nikole Hannah-Jones, The New York Times MagazineChoosing a School for My Daughter in a Segregated City —Nikole Hannah-Jones, The New York Times MagazineWhy I Send My Kid to Low-Income Urban Public Schools —Matthew Yglesias, Slow BoringFamily Structure, a Key Factor Hidden in Plain Sight: The Case for Federal Reporting in Education —Ian V. Rowe, Brad Wilcox, and Grant Bailey, American EnterpriseEvidence on Team-Based Teaching Models in Arizona —Mary Laski, Calen Clifton, and Dan Goldhaber, CALDER (August 2026)Feedback Welcome: Have ideas for improving our show? We would love to hear them. Send them to thegadfly@fordhaminstitute.org

  7. Sep 16

    AI in schools: Ban it or embrace it? | Episode 1034 of The Education Gadfly Show

    Mike Petrilli is back on the mic solo this week to weigh the case for and against banning AI in schools. He considers growing concerns about cheating, an erosion of grading standards, and the broader effects of technology on student learning, as well as arguments that well-designed AI tools could still have a useful place in the classroom. Are blanket bans too extreme, or is it time for schools to press pause? Then, on the Research Minute, Brian Fitzpatrick examines a new systematic review of state and locally funded pre-K programs and what it reveals about the strength of the evidence behind their short- and long-term effects. Recommended content: Let’s debate the AI bans —Michael J. Petrilli, SCHOOLEDHigh Tech, Low Standards: High School in the Age of Distraction —Brian R. Fitzpatrick, Thomas B. Fordham InstituteSchools Are Urged to Embrace AI—and Ban Phones. Can We Resolve the Tension? —Rick Hess, Education WeekHot Takes on NYC AI Ban —Ben Wallerstein, Whiteboard AdvisorsA Systematic Review of Research Designs Used to Evaluate State and Locally Funded Pre-K Programs —Anamarie A. Whitaker, Cara L. Kelly, Tyler W. Watts, Mark Lipsey, Juan Camilo Cristancho, Jade M. Jenkins, Caroline M. Botvin, Drew H. Bailey, Greg J. Duncan, Tania Maria Cruz Cordero, Melissa Stoffers, and Mindy Rosengarten, EdWorkingPapers (August 2026)Feedback Welcome: Have ideas for improving our show? We would love to hear them. Send them to thegadfly@fordhaminstitute.org

  8. Sep 9

    Too much tech, too little learning? | Episode 1033 of The Education Gadfly Show

    Brian Fitzpatrick, research manager at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, joins Mike Petrilli and David Griffith to discuss his new report, High Tech, Low Standards: High School in the Age of Distraction. They examine how cell phones, school-issued devices, grade inflation, and AI are changing the high school experience, why banning phones alone may not be enough to solve the distraction problem, and what schools can do to refocus students on learning. Then, on the Research Minute, Amber Northern reviews a new study on test-optional admissions at elite colleges. The findings suggest these policies may unintentionally disadvantage high-achieving students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Recommended content: High Tech, Low Standards: High School in the Age of Distraction —Brian R. Fitzpatrick, Thomas B. Fordham InstituteCan schools escape the digital delusion? | Episode 1026 of The Education Gadfly ShowWhy education technologies disappoint —Adam Tyner, Thomas B. Fordham InstituteHow Test-Optional Policies in College Admissions Disproportionately Harm High-Achieving Applicants from Disadvantaged Backgrounds —Bruce Sacerdote, Douglas O. Staiger, and Michele Tine, American Economic Association (September 2026)Feedback Welcome: Have ideas for improving our show? We would love to hear them. Send them to thegadfly@fordhaminstitute.org

See All (560)

4.4
out of 5
49 Ratings

About

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.

Information

  • Creator
    Thomas B. Fordham Institute
  • Years Active
    2006 - 2026
  • Episodes
    560
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Education Gadfly Show
  • Show Website
    The Education Gadfly Show

You Might Also Like